Monthly Archives: July 2021

Benicia CA, Coronavirus, Covid 19, Delta variant, Hospitalizations, Solano County CA, Solano County Health Department, Vaccine

Solano sees over 300 new infections in last 2 days, test positivity skyrockets to 14.9%

By Roger Straw, Friday, July 23, 2021

Solano County on Friday, July 23: 308 new COVID infections in just 2 days!  One new hospitalization.  Test positivity nears 15%!

Solano County COVID dashboard SUMMARY:
[Sources: see below.  See also my ARCHIVE spreadsheet of daily Solano COVID updates.]

Solano County reported  304 new COVID cases since Wednesday’s report, 152 per day over the 2 days!  We’ve not seen a daily increase this high since Feb. 5, 2021.

TREND: Cases-per-day dramatically up in July

Cases-per-day have trended gradually downward in recent months, but are now rising sharply:

Solano’s 647 ACTIVE cases is dramatically up from Wednesday’s 451, and higher than anything since February 11, 2021.  Active cases have risen alarmingly in just two weeks, up from 289 cases on July 12.

Our percent positivity rate was up alarmingly today from a very high 12.2% on Wednesday to a shocking 14.9% today, the County’s highest rate since January 29, 2021.  We would be decidedly back in the PURPLE TIER with rates this high.  ICU Beds Available rose by 4% today to 50%. The County reported more ventilators available today, up from 77 to 80.

Solano County reported no new deaths today.  The County total is now 245 deaths since the pandemic began.

SUMMER SURGE – Masks and Social Distancing

COVID is clearly circulating again and surging in Solano County!  Some California counties are returning to mandatory masks for all in crowded places.  In the Bay Area, Solano County is the only holdout against even RECOMMENDING masks in public indoors spaces. My personal plan is to mask indoors in public even though I’m vaccinated, and I’d recommend it for you, too.  This thing ain’t over yet!

Hospitalizations on Friday, July 23:

CURRENT hospitalizations remained steady today at 33 persons CURRENTLY hospitalized with COVID.  However, in today’s “Hospitalizations by Age Group” chart, the County reported 1 new hospitalization, a Black / African American person age 50-64.  These charts are only updated “occasionally” according to our Public Health officer, Dr. Bela Matyas.  The County updates the intake/discharge total of CURRENTLY hospitalized cases with every report, but never reports on the cumulative total of hospitalized COVID patients over the course of the pandemic.  That total must be independently discovered in the County’s occasional update on the Hospitalizations by Age Group chart.  As mentioned, that chart was updated today and so I can now report a new total of 1,309 persons hospitalized since the beginning of the outbreak, in the following age groups:

Age Group Hospitalizations % of Total
0-17 27 2%
18-49 327 25%
50-64 342 26%
65+ 613 47%
TOTAL 1,309 100%

Hospitalizations are also recorded on the County’s demographic chart labeled “Hospitalizations by Race / Ethnicity.”  The chart was updated today, adding a Black / African American person.  Here are the current numbers.  Interestingly, the total doesn’t square with totals by age groups.

Race / Ethnicity Hospitalizations % of Total
Asians 184 15%
Black / African American 200 16%
Hispanic / Latinx 327 27%
White 406 34%
Multirace / Others 86 7%
TOTAL 1,203 99%
Cases by City on Friday, July 23:
  • Benicia added 14 new cases today, a total of 1,084 cases since the outbreak began, 3.9% of its population of 27,570.
  • Dixon added 14 new case today, total of 1,990 cases, 10.1% of its population of 19,794.
  • Fairfield added 74 new cases today, total of 9,486 cases, 8.1% of its population of 117,149.
  • Rio Vista added 4 new cases today, total of 417 cases, 4.4% of its population of 9,416.
  • Suisun City added 30 new cases today, total of 2,449 cases, 8.3% of its population of 29,447.
  • Vacaville added 82 new cases today, a total of 9,259 cases, 9.4% its of population of 98,807.
  • Vallejo added 89 new cases today, a total of 10,400 cases, 8.7% of its population of 119,544.
  • Unincorporated areas added 1 new case today, a total of 108 cases (population figures not available).

COMPARE: From the most recent report on Solano County’s COVID Dashboard, Wednesday, July 21:

The data on this page is from today’s and the previous Solano County COVID-19 Dashboard.  The Dashboard is full of much more information and updated weekdays around 4 or 5pm.  On the County’s dashboard, you can hover a mouse or click on an item for more information.  Note the tabs at top for “Summary, Demographics” and “Vaccines.”  Click here to go to today’s Solano County Dashboard.

Sources
Air Quality, Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), Bay Area Refineries, Keeping Watch on Earth News

We did it! The Air District Passed the Strongest Regulation on Refinery Pollution

By Roger Straw, July 22, 2021

Air District approves Rule 6-5, a new rule requiring Bay Area refineries to clean up their air pollution

Benicia and Bay Area environmental activists are celebrating this week after years of advocacy to get the area’s refineries to reign in the worst of their air pollution.

Our Air District’s newly adopted Rule 6-5, “Particulate Emissions from Refinery Fluidized Catalytic Cracking Units” will require refineries to install “wet gas scrubbers,” like the one at Valero Refinery in Benicia.

Andrés Soto, Communities For a Better Environment

Andrés Soto, Benicia resident and longtime organizer for Communities for a Better Environment (CBE), worked tirelessly for years advocating for rule 6-5.  In a CBE press release, Soto wrote,

“This is a huge win for environmental justice communities who have been fighting for this rule for years as a matter of racial, environmental, and climate justice. Despite a widespread misinformation campaign by the refineries and their allies of exaggerated costs that threatened our communities with doomsday scenarios, the Board of Directors made an historic vote today on behalf of disproportionately impacted communities.”

“We look forward to Chevron and PBF doing the right thing and installing wet gas scrubbers that will dramatically clean up their pollution and create numerous jobs in the process, without further delays,”

Benicia Mayor Steve Young

In hearing testimony before the Air District Board on Wednesday, Benicia Mayor Steve Young urged approval of Rule 6-5.  He pointed out that here in Benicia…

“…we have over a decade of experience of the value of the wet gas scrubbers. Valero installed a wet gas scrubber in 2010, and emissions data has shown a significant reduction in the overall emissions of criteria pollutants since it went online. Valero voluntarily addressed the problem of PM 2.5 emissions from their cat cracker by installing the wet gas scrubber. It is past time to do the right thing for clean air in the Bay Area. Please approve Rule 6-5”

In a Wednesday blog posting, 350 Bay Area urged thank-yous for the Air District Board members who voted yes in the 19 to 3 vote to approve Rule
6-5.  Thank goodness, both of Solano County’s Board members voted yes!  Take a minute and send your thanks to Solano Supervisor Erin Hannigan and Suisun City Mayor Lori Wilson.

Solano Supervisor Erin Hannigan
Phone: (707) 784-6662
ehannigan@solanocounty.com
675 Texas Street, Suite 6500
Fairfield, CA 94533-6352

Suisun City Mayor Lori D. Wilson
City Hall: 707-421-7300
Direct: 707-410-0585
lwilson@suisun.com
701 Civic Center Blvd.
Suisun City, CA 94585

More from 350 Bay Area:

After delaying the vote last month, the Air District Board voted this morning in favor of rule 6-5, the rule requiring refineries to clean up their air pollution.

This is a BIG deal and many activists have worked hard to make this happen. It’s been a years’ long coalition effort, but organizing works. The health and environmental justice arguments and dogged appeals to each board member (finally) paid off.

A big special thank you to our folks who stepped up to contact their representatives on the Board, and kudos to the coalition of community groups who put in years of effort. Huge gratitude to Communities for a Better Environment, Sunflower Alliance, APEN, and the health professionals from PSR and Climate Health Now. The headlines (Reuters) are already reading: Northern California requires oil refiners to slash air pollution — in which 350 Bay Area leader, Jan Kirsch, is quoted.

“I was there for the vote. Great victory for all involved. I will send a thank you to John Bauters from my esteemed home of Emeryville” — 350 Bay Area Leader

Toolkit: thank your representative!
The final vote was 19 YES and 3 NO.
350Bay Area Staff comment:

“The Air District Board’s decision to step up and fulfill the mandate of our regional Air District was necessary to protect lives and the health of our communities, particularly the already-disadvantaged communities in the path of the emissions monsters. We recognize that it took political courage to stand up to the refineries and other fossil fuel interests, who pulled out all the stops with an aggressive disinformation campaign as the decision neared. The community responded to this disinformation campaign robustly and with a focus on justice. That alone is a win for the Bay Area.

The win at the Air District is one that we embrace, and we welcome the eventual improvement in the air around the Bay Area. We are grateful to the large coalition of community organizations and individuals who spent many years collaborating and educating. We remain concerned that these common sense solutions that save lives and money still take so much work to enact, and are committed to continuing the work of improving air quality and phasing out fossil fuels to save lives and climate stability.”

— Nik, 350 Bay Area Staff

A well deserved celebration is in order today (YAY), and don’t forget to thank any/all representatives who voted YES in this historic vote.

For truly cleaner air,
Your 350BA Organizers

Coronavirus, Coronavirus variant, Covid 19, Delta variant, Face coverings, Solano County CA, Solano County Health Department, Vaccine

Solano holdout: only Bay Area county with no mask recommendation despite surge in numbers

[BenIndy editor: Solano County Public Health officer Dr. Bela Matyas needs to wake up.  We are in another surge, and the consequences are plain.  Everyone please return to wearing masks in stores, restaurants, churches, and any crowded indoors areas.  Before shaking hands or sharing hugs, don’t be afraid to ask: “Are you vaccinated?”  Encourage anyone you know who is not vaccinated, to get the shot.  – R.S.]

Despite increase in COVID-19 cases, Solano County not changing stance

Health officials strongly urge getting vaccinated

Capital City Pharmacist Arthur Metu prepares to give Marc Doyg his first shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine inside the former Artizen building in March in downtown Vallejo. (Chris Riley—Times-Herald)
Vallejo Times-Herald, by Thomas Gase, July 21, 2021

When many people think of the Fourth of July, they think of the colors red, white and blue. Thankfully, they won’t also be seeing purple.

Despite the number of COVID-19 cases doubling since July 4, the Solano County Health Department said no rules are being changed yet on whether or not one should wear a mask for indoor events. This comes as a relief to some, as the county would be in the least restrictive purple tier if it was still following the old tier system used before the state reopened in early June.

As of Wednesday afternoon the county has had 34,761 cases, and its death toll has remained at 245 for about two weeks. However, the 7-day positivity rate has climbed to 11.9 this week. It was at 10.2 a week ago and 13.2 two weeks ago.

While some nearby counties like Alameda, San Francisco, San Mateo, Contra Costa and Santa Clara have recommended wearing masks more indoors due to the Delta Variant, Solano County Health officials like Jayleen Richards said the cause for the spike in cases doesn’t come from the variant, but instead the recent July 4th holiday.

“Solano Public Health will continue to follow the guidance of the California Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” Richards said. “At this time, both agencies are not recommending a tier system or asking vaccinated people to wear masks indoors. We will continue to follow the guidance provided by these agencies.”

Solano was seeing 15 tp 20 cases per day prior to the July 4th holiday, according to Richards. Between July 7 and July 20, the average daily cases increased to 46 per day. Most of these cases are attributed to the holiday.

“The number of cases in Solano County and across the state and country is disproportionately impacting those who are not vaccinated,” Richards said. “In Solano County, the unvaccinated tends to be a younger population. In Solano County, more than 85 percent of residents 65-74 years of age are vaccinated and nearly 84 percent of residents older than 75 years of age are vaccinated. Older populations are the most at risk for hospitalizations and death due to COVID-19. We are concerned that the number of cases is increasing in Solano County, and we are pleased that the hospital systems are not being stretched thin, due to the increases in the number of cases, as we saw earlier this year.”

With these stats, Solano isn’t recommending yet that it should wear masks inside, but it strongly is recommending for people to get the vaccination.

“Public Health officials and providers urge everyone eligible to get a vaccine,” Richards said. “A person who receives a vaccine is protecting themselves and their loved ones from the disease. Among people who are vaccinated about 10 percent remain susceptible to the virus because they haven’t formed immunity. These people are as susceptible as those who are unvaccinated. Both of these groups being impacted by the Delta Variant of the virus in increasing numbers. The virus has many variants among which the Delta Variant is most easily transmitted. If people continue to wear masks and socially distance their chance of getting COVID is significantly reduced. The likelihood of severe illness seems to be similar for all of the variants.”

California lifted most of its COVID-19 restrictions in June as part of a grand reopening in which the state ended physical distancing, capacity limits and mask requirements for those who are vaccinated. Many people at stores like Costco in Gateway Plaza chose to wear masks as they shopped. (Chris Riley—Times-Herald)

The California Department of Public Health developed a variant tracking page that explains how, which, and why variants are tracked. At the bottom of the webpage, the state provides information on known variants and what proportion of variants have changed over time. The link to the site is www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/COVID-Variants.aspx.

A table on that site says the numbers of specimens that Solano County is aware of. Of the people in Solano County that have the virus, 78 percent of them have the Alpha version, according to that table’s study. Another 14.29 come from the Delta Variant, while 5.84 percent comes from the Gamma and 1.30 percent comes from the Beta.

While Richards and the Solano County Public Health Department are closely monitoring what California Gov. Gavin Newsom says, Solano Public Health has worked closely with the state to provide 16 vaccine clinics at McDonald’s restaurant locations across the county. Two hundred and five people have been vaccinated at these clinics, according to Richards. Solano held the most events at the McDonald’s locations than any other county in the state.

Nationally, many health experts have called on the federal government to change its guidance that the vaccinated don’t need to wear masks again indoors.

But talk of vaccine passports has all but vanished in the months since vaccinations became widely available and infection rates began to plummet as a result. And with Newsom facing a recall election in September driven largely by critics of his handling of the pandemic, there is little appetite for renewed statewide restrictions on businesses and schools.

“We’re very mindful of the Delta Variant,” Newsom said Wednesday, calling a statewide mask order or vaccine passport unnecessary. “The most important thing we can do to get this pandemic behind us is to get vaccinated.”

Last week Vallejo Mayor Robert McConnell urged people to continue wearing masks and asked citizens why they would want to take a chance.

“What’s reality with the statistics is that you’re not likely to contact the variant if vaccinated, but there is still a chance you can,” McConnell said. “If you get it, then possible long-term effects could have an impact on your bodies and your breathing. You don’t want to be that one person. Why increase the chance of being that person? It’s a losing bet.”

— Bay Area News Group reporters John Wolfolk and Rachel Oh contributed to this report.

Benicia CA, Coronavirus, Covid 19, Delta variant, Hospitalizations, Solano County CA, Solano County Health Department, Vaccine

Solano County reports 14 more COVID hospitalizations, new case rate remains high

By Roger Straw, Wednesday, July 21, 2021

Solano County on Wednesday July 21: 124 new COVID infections over last 2 days.  Current hospitalizations nearly double.

See: All about the DELTA VARIANT.  Also, People with mild COVID can have long-term health problems.  And: “More than 70% of COVID-19 patients studied report having at least one “long haul” symptom that lasts for months.”  It’s not over yet!  Please encourage everyone to get vaccinated!

Solano County COVID dashboard SUMMARY:
[Sources: see below.  See also my ARCHIVE spreadsheet of daily Solano COVID updates.]

Solano County reported  124 new COVID cases since Monday’s report, 62 per day over the 2 days!  Note the cases-per-day TREND in recent months, downward and now rising:

Solano’s 451 ACTIVE cases today is up from Monday’s 408, and higher than anything since February 19, 2021.  Active cases have risen dramatically in one week, up from last Monday’s 289 cases.

Our percent positivity rate was up again today from 11.9% on Monday to 12.2% today.  We would be back in the PURPLE TIER with rates this high.  ICU Beds Available rose by 8% today to 46%. The County reported fewer ventilators available today, down from 79 to 77.

COVID is definitely still out there and surging!  Some California counties are returning to mandatory masks for all in crowded places – that’s my personal plan even though I’m vaccinated, and I’d recommend it for you, too.

Solano County reported no new deaths today.  The County total is now 245 deaths since the pandemic began.

Hospitalizations on Wednesday July 21:

CURRENT hospitalizations took a big jump today, from Monday’s 19 to today’s 33 persons currently hospitalized with COVID.  This increase was NOT reflected in today’s “Hospitalizations by Age Group” chart, which remained unchanged since Monday.  That chart is only updated “occasionally” according to our Public Health officer, Dr. Bela Matyas.  The County updates the intake/discharge total of CURRENTLY hospitalized cases with every report, but never reports on the cumulative total of hospitalized COVID patients over the course of the pandemic.  That total must be independently discovered in the County’s occasional update on the Hospitalizations by Age Group chart.  As mentioned, that chart was not updated today and remains at a total of 1,308 persons hospitalized since the beginning of the outbreak, in the following age groups:

Age Group Hospitalizations % of Total
0-17 27 2%
18-49 327 25%
50-64 341 26%
65+ 613 47%
TOTAL 1,308 100%

Hospitalizations are also recorded on the County’s demographic chart labeled “Hospitalizations by Race / Ethnicity.”  The chart was not updated today.  Here are the current numbers.  Interestingly, the total doesn’t square with totals by age groups.

Race / Ethnicity Hospitalizations % of Total
Asians 184 15%
Black / African American 199 16%
Hispanic / Latinx 327 27%
White 406 34%
Multirace / Others 86 7%
TOTAL 1,202 99%
Cases by City on Wednesday July 21:
  • Benicia added 8 new cases today, a total of 1,070 cases since the outbreak began, 3.9% of its population of 27,570.
  • Dixon added 3 new case today, total of 1,976 cases, 10.0% of its population of 19,794.
  • Fairfield added 24 new cases today, total of 9,412 cases, 8.0% of its population of 117,149.
  • Rio Vista added 1 new case today, total of 413 cases, 4.4% of its population of 9,416.
  • Suisun City added 11 new cases today, total of 2,419 cases, 8.2% of its population of 29,447.
  • Vacaville added 32 new cases today, a total of 9,177 cases, 9.3% its of population of 98,807.
  • Vallejo added 44 new cases today, a total of 10,311 cases, 8.6% of its population of 119,544.
  • Unincorporated areas added 1 new case today, a total of 107 cases (population figures not available).

COMPARE: From the most recent report on Solano County’s COVID Dashboard, Monday, July 19:

The data on this page is from today’s and the previous Solano County COVID-19 Dashboard.  The Dashboard is full of much more information and updated weekdays around 4 or 5pm.  On the County’s dashboard, you can hover a mouse or click on an item for more information.  Note the tabs at top for “Summary, Demographics” and “Vaccines.”  Click here to go to today’s Solano County Dashboard.

Sources