Monthly Archives: March 2022

#wearamask, Benicia CA, Benicia City Council, Coronavirus, Covid 19, Face coverings, Omicron variant, Solano County CA, Solano County Health Department, Vaccine, Vaccine mandate

Solano County reports 4 more COVID deaths and 72 new cases today

NOTE: The information below is not the latest.  TAP HERE for today’s latest information.

By Roger Straw, Wednesday, March 9, 2022
[Note: I requested and received an email clarification from Solano County Public Health Officer Bela Matyas regarding Monday’s huge increase in our County’s COVID cases.  Dr. Matyas explained in rather technical terms the ‘different testing procedure’ that led to Monday’s sudden reporting of 4,115 previously undisclosed cases and the strange drop in the number of known hospitalizations.  I’m working on a post to share the new methodology – hopefully tomorrow, stay tuned….  – R.S.]

Solano County reported 72 new COVID infections today, 4 new deaths.

Solano Public Health COVID dashboard, Wednesday, March 9, 2022:

NOTICE: Solano County Public Health will update its COVID Dashboard ONLY ON MONDAYS & THURSDAYS as of March 14, 2022

DEATHS:  Solano reported four new deaths in today’s report, one relatively young person aged 18-49 and three age 65+.  Trending: Fifteen new deaths were reported in February, ALL over 65 years of age.  So far in March, 10 more County residents were reported to have died with COVID.  A total of 406 Solano residents have now died of COVID or COVID-related causes over the course of the pandemic.

TRANSMISSION RATE: With Monday’s huge corrections, Solano moved back into the HIGH transmission rate and remains there today, with a total of 4,325 new cases over the last 7 days. But the County has explained that many of Monday’s new cases are based on a ‘different testing procedure’ and predate our last 7 days, so we may not know Solano’s true 7-day case count until another week goes by.  CDC FORMULA: Based on Solano County’s population, 450 or more cases in 7 days places Solano in the CDC’s population-based definition of a HIGH transmission rate.  We would need to drop below 225 cases in 7 days to rate as having only MODERATE community transmission.

ACTIVE CASES: Solano reported 429 ACTIVE cases today, down from 456 at last report, but still far above the County’s 329 active cases on December 1.

CASES BY CITY – Wednesday, March 9, 2022:

  • BENICIA added 3 new cases today, a total of 3,098 cases since the outbreak began.  TRANSMISSION RATE: The County’s extraordinary update on Monday pushed Benicia’s 7-day case count well into the HIGH range and continues HIGH today at 80 CASES.  But the County has explained that many of these new cases are based on a ‘different testing procedure’ and predate our last 7 days, so we may not know Benicia’s true 7-day case count until another week goes by.  For a city with Benicia’s population, anything over 27 cases in 7 days is considered HIGH TRANSMISSION. (See chart below.)

  • Dixon reportedly (!?) had 2 fewer cases today, total of 4,309 cases.
  • Fairfield added 14 new cases today, total of 22,446 cases.
  • Rio Vista added 3 new cases today, total of 1,184 cases.
  • Suisun City added 5 new cases today, total of 5,868 cases.
  • Vacaville added 25 new cases today, a total of 21,467 cases.
  • Vallejo added 23 new cases today, a total of 25,294 cases.
  • Unincorporated added 1 new case today, a total of 199 cases.

TEST RATE:  Solano County’s 7-Day Percent Positive Test Rate shot up after Christmas and continued through February at 13%, but fell dramatically in March and remains at 7% today. Even at this lower rate, SOLANO DOES NOT COMPARE FAVORABLY: The CALIFORNIA 7-day % positive rate fell today from 1.8% to only 1.6%.  [Source: Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Tracking Center]  AND the U.S. 7-day % positive rate fell today from 3.2% to only 2.9%. [Source: CDC COVID Data Tracker.] 

HOSPITALIZATIONS:

CURRENT The number of those currently hospitalized with COVID in Solano County fell today from 31 to 29 persons.  Current hospitalizations don’t tell the whole story, as it reflects both admissions and discharges.  Only from the increase in total hospitalizations can we know how many new admissions have come into our hospitals as of this date.

TOTAL hospitalizations over the course of the pandemic: Solano Public Health updated its Age Group chart today, adding 3 new hospitalizations, for a pandemic total of 3,667.  One of the three was age 18-49 and two were age 65+.

ICU Bed Availability in Solano County rose today from 43% to 49%, in the County’s GREEN safe zone .

Ventilator Availability  fell today from 72% to 64% available, but still in the GREEN safe zone. 

HOW DOES TODAY’S REPORT COMPARE?  See recent reports and others going back to April 20, 2020 in my ARCHIVE of daily Solano COVID updates (an excel spreadsheet).

Click green text above or on the image.

>The data on this page is from the Solano County COVID-19 Dashboard.  The Dashboard is full of much more information and updated Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 4 and 6pm.  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.

See also my BENINDY ARCHIVE of daily Solano COVID updates (an excel spreadsheet).  I have also archived the hundreds of full CORONAVIRUS REPORTS posted here almost daily on the Benicia Independent since April 2020.

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#wearamask, Benicia CA, Benicia City Council, Coronavirus, Covid 19, Face coverings, Omicron variant, Solano County CA, Solano County Health Department, Vaccine, Vaccine mandate

Solano Public Health corrects COVID numbers with huge increase, but offers no explanation for ‘different testing procedure’

By Roger Straw, Tuesday, March 8, 2022

Solano Public Health shared information with the reporter from the Fairfield Daily Republic that sheds some light on the huge increases in COVID cases reported yesterday.

Unfortunately we still have no idea why this information came to light so belatedly.

Below is the story from the Daily Republic, including details gathered from Public Health Officer Bela Matyas and his usual comforting spin – that these “corrections” aren’t so bad because more recent numbers are actually down.  >>Who is to say that today’s numbers won’t get a similar big boost later?!

Solano Covid numbers undergo big correction, but trend is down

Fairfield Daily Republic, By , March 8, 2022

FAIRFIELD — Monday was a massive correction day for Covid-related information in Solano County.

The country reported 4,115 new coronavirus cases – 114 since Friday’s report – and four additional deaths of Solano residents who died in out-of-county hospitals, one dating to December 2020, Dr. Bela Matyas, the county public health officer, said in a phone interview Monday.

Most of the cases came from January and February.

The new cases took the total for the pandemic to 83,793, but the daily average since the last report dropped to 38 over the three-day period, which is lower than the rate prior to the latest surge.

The 10-day daily average, based on active cases of 456, was at 45.6, down from Friday’s report of 56.7, the county reported.

There were 31 residents in local hospitals, with only six in intensive care units, the county reported. That was down from 37 and 10, respectively.

The deaths include a woman, between 50 and 65 years old, who died in December 2020. There were no vaccinations available to the public at that time. The other three – two men older than 65 who died in August and December; and a woman between 50 and 65 who died in October – were unvaccinated.

The number of Covid-related deaths in the county stood Monday at 402.  […continued]

 

HOW DOES TODAY’S REPORT COMPARE?  See recent reports and others going back to April 20, 2020 in my ARCHIVE of daily Solano COVID updates (an excel spreadsheet).

Click green text above or on the image.

>The data on this page is from the Solano County COVID-19 Dashboard.  The Dashboard is full of much more information and updated Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 4 and 6pm.  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.

See also my BENINDY ARCHIVE of daily Solano COVID updates (an excel spreadsheet).  I have also archived the hundreds of full CORONAVIRUS REPORTS posted here almost daily on the Benicia Independent since April 2020.

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Peace, Russia, Stephen Golub, Ukraine, War, World

Benicia author Stephen Golub: If the Russians Love Their Children Too

If the Russians Love Their Children Too

Sting’s 1985 masterpiece proves tragically appropriate in 2022.

One of the most moving, powerful songs I’ve ever heard – yes, for those who know me, powerful even in comparison with Springsteen’s stuff – is Sting’s 1985 composition, “Russians.” Released as part of his first solo album, near the height of the Cold War, it’s a plea for peace at a time of intense international tension.

Here’s the original version, with lyrics:

As we enter a new/old era, a Great Leap Backward in geopolitical relations, “Russians” haunts me yet again. Not all of the tune’s lyrics resonate quite the same way these days. It was, after all, a pacifist appeal, whereas today we applaud Ukrainians’ heroic fight against Putin’s horrific onslaught.

But the underlying, overwhelming message remains the same. As Sting puts it in his introduction to a beautiful, stripped-down version in his March 5 video, “I’ve only rarely sung this song in the many years since it was written, because I never thought it would be relevant again. But in the light of one man’s bloody and woefully misguided decision to invade a peaceful, unthreatening neighbor, the song is once again a plea for our common humanity.”

His introductory words in the video are as eloquent as the song itself:

These are indeed worrisome times, to put it mildly. Whatever the flaws of the Soviet Union’s Cold War leaders, they displayed a degree of rationality in their cold calculations. Until recently, Putin too had a reputation as an icily rational ruler. Now, his “woefully misguided decision to invade” couples with other actions and words to make a former U.S. ambassador to Russia, a former U.S. director of national intelligence and many other analysts worry about his becoming unhinged – though some speculate that this is just a negotiating ploy on Putin’s part.

But there’s good news as well, amidst this horror. One foreign policy analyst may be speaking for many of us when he proclaims, “I’m not a praying man, but if I were, I would be on my hands and knees thanking the Almighty that during the worst crisis in Europe since 1945, the United States is led by Joe Biden, not Donald Trump,” adding that he has been “masterful in his handling of the Ukraine war.”

Indeed, in leading NATO, mobilizing massive military aid for Ukraine, uniting with our allies on stringent economic sanctions against Russia, refraining from trading inflammatory nuclear rhetoric with Putin, and dozens of other ways, Biden is handling this incredibly complex crisis astutely. The contrast between his invasion response and that of his predecessor, Putin’s poodle, is like day and night.

Many factors may sway how this catastrophe plays out. Ukraine’s resilience and resistance. Our allies’ determination. Whether Putin’s generals and oligarchs keep backing him. How his country’s populace reacts to the sanctions’ bite. Whether the brave anti-war demonstrators among them can spur more opposition to Putin’s folly. Whether Americans weather the storms of sanctions-induced inflation and other harms that vastly pale in comparison with what the Ukrainians face, but that will test us nonetheless.

But one key consideration may be, as Sting’s song says, “if the Russians love their children too.”

We know they do. Let’s hope their love makes a difference.

Stephen Golub, Benicia – A Promised Land: Politics. Policy. America as a Developing Country.

Benicia resident Stephen Golub offers excellent perspective on his blog, A Promised Land:  Politics. Policy. America as a Developing Country.

To access his other posts or subscribe, please go to his blog site, A Promised Land.

#wearamask, Benicia CA, Benicia City Council, Coronavirus, Covid 19, Face coverings, Omicron variant, Solano County CA, Solano County Health Department, Vaccine, Vaccine mandate

Solano County follows ‘different testing procedure,’ reports 4,115 previously undisclosed COVID cases, 71 in Benicia

NOTE: The information below is not the latest.  TAP HERE for today’s latest information.

By Roger Straw, Monday, March 7, 2022
[See also March 8 follow-up: Solano Public Health corrects COVID numbers with huge increase, but offers no explanation for ‘different testing procedure’.]

Solano County reported 4,115 new COVID infections today, 4 new deaths.  Benicia’s total cases jumped up by 71.  The County will likely explain this dramatic turn sometime later today or tomorrow.  Meanwhile based on this reporting, the 7-day case count for both Benicia and Solano is now back in the CDC’s HIGH transmission rate.

Solano Public Health COVID dashboard, Monday, March 7, 2022:

NOTICE: Solano County Public Health will update its COVID Dashboard ONLY ON MONDAYS & THURSDAYS as of March 14, 2022

DEATHS:  Solano reported four new deaths in today’s report, two age 50-64 and two age 65+, one Black and three White. Trending: Fifteen new deaths were reported in February, ALL over 65 years of age.  We can’t be sure this is a final number because the County often post-dates hospitalizations and deaths. Until February, the County saw increasing COVID-related deaths each month since last November, rising to 30 in January.  A total of 402 Solano residents have now died of COVID or COVID-related causes over the course of the pandemic.

TRANSMISSION RATE: Solano moved back into the HIGH transmission rate today, with a total of 4,349 new cases over the last 7 days. This is up from only 419 on Friday.  CDC FORMULA: Based on Solano County’s population, 450 or more cases in 7 days places Solano in the CDC’s population-based definition of a HIGH transmission rate.  We would need to drop below 225 cases in 7 days to rate as having only MODERATE community transmission.

ACTIVE CASES: Solano reported 456 ACTIVE cases today, down from 567 at last report, and still far above the County’s 329 active cases on December 1.

CASES BY CITY – Monday, March 7, 2022:

  • BENICIA added 71(!) new cases today, a total of 3,095 cases since the outbreak began.  TRANSMISSION RATE: The County’s extraordinary update today pushed Benicia’s 7-day case count well into the HIGH range at 87 CASES.  But the County will surely explain tomorrow that many of these new cases are based on a ‘different testing procedure’ and many of them predate our last 7 days.  It is likely the County will not break this down into city-by-city detail, so we may not know Benicia’s CURRENT 7-day case count until another week goes by.  For a city with Benicia’s population, anything over 27 cases in 7 days is considered HIGH TRANSMISSION. (See chart below.)

  • Dixon added 158 new cases today, total of 4,311 cases.
  • Fairfield added 1,151 new cases today, total of 22,432 cases.
  • Rio Vista added 108 new cases today, total of 1,181 cases.
  • Suisun City added 273 new cases today, total of 5,863 cases.
  • Vacaville added 1,987 new cases today, a total of 21,442 cases.
  • Vallejo added 360 new cases today, a total of 25,271 cases.
  • Unincorporated added 7 new cases today, a total of 198 cases.

TEST RATE:  Solano County’s 7-Day Percent Positive Test Rate shot up after Christmas and continued through February at 13%, but fell dramatically in March and remains at 7% today. Even at this lower rate, SOLANO DOES NOT COMPARE FAVORABLY: The CALIFORNIA 7-day % positive rate fell today from 2.1% to only 1.8%.  [Source: Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Tracking Center]  AND the U.S. 7-day % positive rate fell today from 3.7% to only 3.2%. [Source: CDC COVID Data Tracker.] 

HOSPITALIZATIONS:

CURRENT The number of those currently hospitalized with COVID in Solano County fell today from 37 to 31 persons.  Current hospitalizations don’t tell the whole story, as it reflects both admissions and discharges.  Only from the increase in total hospitalizations can we know how many new admissions have come into our hospitals as of this date.

TOTAL hospitalizations over the course of the pandemic: Solano Public Health updated its Age Group chart today, but is highly mysterious – TOTAL hospitalization numbers reportedly FELL dramatically today, from 3,694 to only 3,664.  I have asked Solano Public Health for clarification, and will let you know what I find out.

ICU Bed Availability in Solano County rose today from 39% to 43%, in the County’s GREEN safe zone .

Ventilator Availability  fell slightly today from 73% to 72% available, in the GREEN safe zone. 

HOW DOES TODAY’S REPORT COMPARE?  See recent reports and others going back to April 20, 2020 in my ARCHIVE of daily Solano COVID updates (an excel spreadsheet).

Click green text above or on the image.

>The data on this page is from the Solano County COVID-19 Dashboard.  The Dashboard is full of much more information and updated Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 4 and 6pm.  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.

See also my BENINDY ARCHIVE of daily Solano COVID updates (an excel spreadsheet).  I have also archived the hundreds of full CORONAVIRUS REPORTS posted here almost daily on the Benicia Independent since April 2020.

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