All posts by Roger Straw

Editor, owner, publisher of The Benicia Independent
Coronavirus, Covid 19, Solano County CA

Solano County COVID alert – 396 new cases, another death, test rate at all-time high

[Source: Solano County Coronavirus Dashboard.  For a complete archive of day by day data, see my Excel ARCHIVE.]

All numbers skyrocketing.  County fails to update on Current Hospitalizations and ICU Beds Available

Monday, November 23: 396 new cases over the weekend, 1 death.  Since the outbreak began: 9,745 cases, over 550 hospitalized, 81 deaths.Compare previous report, Friday, Nov. 20:Summary

  • Solano County reported 396 new cases over the weekend, with nearly all other numbers skyrocketing.  As of today, Solano has seen an average of 115 new cases per day over the last 14 days!  Total of 9,745 cases since the outbreak started.
  • Deaths – 1 new death reported today, one of our elders, aged 65 or over, a total of 81 Solano deaths since the pandemic began.
  • Active cases – Solano reported 60 more active cases today, total of 778.  Active cases have increased alarmingly lately – COMPARE: average number of Active Cases during October was 284 – today we are at 778!  Is the County equipped to contact trace so many infected persons?  Who knows?  To my knowledge, Solano County has offered no reports on contact tracing.
  • Hospitalizations – CAUTION: According to a November 7 email from Solano Health Officer Dr. Bela Matyas, the County occasionally updates Age Group hospitalizations retroactively.  This accounts for the sudden 106 additions on October 29, a one-day increase of 25% in total hospitalizations.  Those 106 had never been recorded as CURRENTLY hospitalized.  My take on this is that the County’s daily updates on hospitalizations are nearly meaningless. Today it seems the County may agree: they didn’t report on hospitalizations at all.  Maybe they’re working on their occasional big catchup?  Stay tuned for tomorrow’s report.   Last we knew, the number of CURRENTLY hospitalized persons was 51.  TOTAL hospitalized since the outbreak began was 549 as of last Friday.  [For manual calculation of total, see age group stats below.]
  • ICU Beds – The County failed to report on availability of ICU beds today.  The percentage has fluctuated widely over the last week or so, ranging from 21% to last Friday’s 52%.  (Continuing – no information about availability of ventilators.)

Positive Test Rate – highest ever, 12.2%

Solano County reported an all-time high for our 7-day average positive test rate today, rising from Friday’s 10.8% to 12.2% (!) – well over the State’s purple tier threshold of 8%.  Average percent positive test rates are among the best metrics for measuring community spread of the virus.  The much lower and more stable California 7-day average test rate has also been on the rise lately, and fell slightly today from 5.9% to 5.8%.  (Note that Solano County displays past weeks and months in a 7-day test positivity line graph which also shows daily results.  However, the chart does not display an accurate number of cases for the most recent days, as there is a lag time in receiving test results.  The 7-day curve therefore also lags behind due to unknown recent test results.) 

By Age Group

  • Youth 17 and under – 43 (!) new cases over the weekend, total of 1,128 cases, representing 11.6% of the 9,745 total cases.  Thankfully, no deaths have ever been reported in Solano County in this age group.  But cases among Solano youth rose steadily over the summer, from 5.6% of total cases on June 8 to 11% on August 31 and has plateaued at over 11% since September 30.  Youth are 22% of Solano’s general population, so this 11.x% may seem low.  The significance is this: youth are SERIOUSLY NOT IMMUNE (!) – in fact at least 14 of our youth have been hospitalized since the outbreak began.
  • Persons 18-49 years of age – 237 (!) new cases over the weekend, total of 5,682 cases. This age group is 41% of the population in Solano, but represents just under 60% of the total cases, by far the highest percentage of all age groups. At least 182 persons in this age group have been hospitalized since the outbreak began.  No new deaths in this young group today, total of 6 deaths.  Some in this group are surely at high risk, as many are providing essential services among us, and some may be ignoring public health orders.  I expect this group is a major factor in the spread of the virus.
  • Persons 50-64 years of age – 84 (!) new cases over the weekend, total of 1,890 cases.  This age group represents over 19% of the 9,745 total cases.  At least 152 persons in this age group have been hospitalized since the outbreak began.  No new deaths in this age group today, a total of 15 deaths.
  • Persons 65 years or older – 32 new cases today, total of 1040, representing 10.8% of Solano’s 9,745total cases.  At least 202 persons in this age group have been hospitalized since the outbreak began.  1 new death in this age group today, total of 60 of our elders who died of COVID.  This group accounts for 60 of the 81 total deaths, or 74%.

City Data

  • Benicia added 16 new cases over the weekend, total of 267 cases since the outbreak began. 
  • Dixon added 39 (!) new cases over the weekend, total of 643 cases.
  • Fairfield added 98 (!) new cases over the weekend, total of 3.001 cases.
  • Rio Vista added 2 new cases over the weekend, total of 77 cases.
  • Suisun City added 33 (!!) new cases over the weekend, total of 671 cases.
  • Vacaville added 120 (!) new cases over the weekend, total of 1,958 cases.
  • Vallejo added 85 new cases over the weekend, total of 3,093 cases.
  • Unincorporated areas added 3 new cases over the weekend, total of 35 cases.

Race / Ethnicity

The County report on race / ethnicity includes case numbers, hospitalizations, deaths and Solano population statistics.  This information is discouragingly similar to national reports that indicate significantly worse outcomes among black and brown Americans.  Note that all of this data surely undercounts Latinx Americans, as there is a large group of “Multirace / Others” which likely is composed mostly of Latinx members of our communities.

  • Asian Americans are 14% of Solano’s population, and account for 10% of cases, 11% of hospitalizations, and 19% of deaths.
  • Black Americans are 14% of Solano’s population, and account for 12% of cases, but 17% of hospitalizations, and 23% of deaths.
  • Latinx Americans are 26% of Solano’s population, but account for 24% of cases, 28% of hospitalizations, and 18% of deaths.
  • White Americans are 39% of the population in Solano County, but only account for 25% of cases, 26% of hospitalizations and 33% of deaths.

More…

The County’s Coronavirus Dashboard is full of much more information, too extensive to cover here on a daily basis.  The Benicia Independent will continue to summarize daily and highlight significant portions.  For more, check out the Dashboard at https://doitgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=055f81e9fe154da5860257e3f2489d67.

2020 elections, 2020 Presidential campaigns, Just transition, Kamala Harris, President Joe Biden, Trump

GSA Administrator Emily Murphy finally starts the transition process

Trump Administration Finally Clears Way For Biden Transition To Begin

“I have always strived to do what is right,” GSA administrator Emily Murphy said in a letter to the president-elect on Monday.

Huffington Post, By Nick Visser, November 23, 2020
GSA Administrator Emily Murphy arrives to tesitfy during the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee hearing on "GSA (General Services Administration) Oversight Hearing" on Wednesday, March 13, 2019.
Emily Murphy, Trump appointed administrator of the General Services Administration

Emily Murphy, the administrator of the General Services Administration, said the transition between President Donald Trump and President-elect Joe Biden can begin, releasing millions of dollars in funds and clearing the way for a new administration.

“I have dedicated much of my adult life to public service, and I have always strived to do what is right,” Murphy wrote in a letter to Biden on Monday. “Please know that I came to my decision independently, based on the law and the available facts. I was never directly or indirectly pressured by any Executive Branch official — including those who work at the White House or GSA — with regard to the substance or timing of my decision.”

Trump thanked Murphy for her work just moments later.

Biden’s campaign released a statement shortly after Murphy’s announcement, calling the decision a “needed step to begin tackling the challenges facing our nation, including getting the pandemic under control and our economy back on track.”

“This final decision is a definitive administrative action to formally begin the transition process with federal agencies,” the Biden-Harris transition executive director, Yohannes Abraham, said in a statement. “In the days ahead, transition officials will begin meeting with federal officials to discuss the pandemic response, have a full accounting of our national security interests, and gain complete understanding of the Trump administration’s efforts to hollow out government agencies.”

The president noted on Twitter that while he still planned to fight the outcome of the election, he agreed the transition should begin “in the best interest of our country.”

“I am recommending that Emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols, and have told my team to do the same,” he wrote.

The move will make $6.3 million available to Biden and his team to begin the transition process, as well as additional funds to prepare his staff and appointees.

Murphy had drawn widespread ire over her delay in “ascertaining” that Biden won the election, which is required before millions of dollars in transition funds and access to government officials can begin. She said, however, that Trump’s bevy of court losses and the certification of votes in several battleground states had allowed her to determine that Biden was the likely winner of the election.

Murphy added that she received many threats amid the delay in what she called an “effort to coerce me into making this determination prematurely,” although they, too, had not influenced her decision.

“I do not think that an agency charged with improving federal procurement and property management should place itself above the constitutionally-based election process,” she wrote Monday.

Several notable figures had lambasted the Trump administration over the delay, saying any further refusal to declare Biden the winner could hamper the country’s efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, which has entered its most dangerous stage as the country beings to travel en masse before the holiday season.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said last week he was “concerned” that things hadn’t gone “smoothly” and Biden said “more people may die” if Trump kept obstructing the transfer of power.

“As my chief of staff, Ron Klain, would say … a vaccine is important. It’s of little use until you’re vaccinated,” Biden said last week upon questioning about the rollout of any coronavirus preventative. “So how do we get the vaccine, how do we get over 300 million Americans vaccinated? What’s the game plan?”

Coronavirus, Covid 19, Solano County CA

Purple Solano County averaging nearly 100 new COVID cases per day, test rate again nearing 11%

[Source: Solano County Coronavirus Dashboard.  For a complete archive of day by day data, see my Excel ARCHIVE.]

Friday, November 20: 58 new cases overnight, no new deaths.  Since the outbreak began: 9,349 cases, 549 hospitalized, 80 deaths.Compare previous report, Thursday, Nov. 19:Summary

  • Solano County reported 58 new cases overnight, continuing the spike since last week’s huge increase of over 700 cases.  As of today, Solano has seen an average of 97 new cases per day over the last 14 days!  Total of 9,349 cases since the outbreak started.
  • Deaths – no new deaths reported today, a total of 80 Solano deaths since the pandemic began.
  • Active cases – Solano reported 68 fewer active cases today, total of 718.  Active cases have increased alarmingly lately – COMPARE: average number of Active Cases during October was 284 – today we are at 718!  Note that only 51 of these 718 individuals are hospitalized, so there are a lot of infected folks out among us, hopefully quarantined.  Is the County equipped to contact trace so many infected persons?  Who knows?  To my knowledge, Solano County has offered no reports on contact tracing.
  • Hospitalizations – CAUTION: According to a November 7 email from Solano Health Officer Dr. Bela Matyas, the County occasionally updates Age Group hospitalizations retroactively.  This accounts for the sudden 106 additions on October 29, a one-day increase of 25% in total hospitalizations.  Those 106 had never been recorded as CURRENTLY hospitalized.  My take on this is that the County’s daily updates on hospitalizations are nearly meaningless. Nonetheless…Solano County reported the number of CURRENTLY hospitalized persons reportedly decreased by 3 today, total of 51.  TOTAL hospitalized since the outbreak began supposedly remained unchanged today, a total of 549 of all ages hospitalized since the outbreak began.  The County will likely change these figures at a later date.  [For manual calculation of total, see age group stats below.]
  • ICU Beds – The County reported an increase in ICU beds available today, rising from 44% to 52%, no longer in the yellow danger zone.  (No information about availability of ventilators.)

Positive Test Rate – extremely high, 10.8%

Solano County reported that our 7-day average positive test rate rose today from 9.9% to 10.8%, well over the State’s purple tier threshold of 8%.  Average percent positive test rates are among the best metrics for measuring community spread of the virus.  The much lower and more stable California 7-day average test rate has also been on the rise lately, and rose today from 5.6% to 5.9%.  (Note that Solano County displays past weeks and months in a 7-day test positivity line graph which also shows daily results.  However, the chart does not display an accurate number of cases for the most recent days, as there is a lag time in receiving test results.  The 7-day curve therefore also lags behind due to unknown recent test results.) 

By Age Group

  • Youth 17 and under – 7 new cases overnight, total of 1,085 cases, representing 11.6% of the 9,349 total cases.  No new hospitalizations reported today.  Thankfully, no deaths have ever been reported in Solano County in this age group.  But cases among Solano youth rose steadily over the summer, from 5.6% of total cases on June 8 to 11% on August 31 and has plateaued at over 11% since September 30.  Youth are 22% of Solano’s general population, so this 11.x% may seem low.  The significance is this: youth are SERIOUSLY NOT IMMUNE (!) – in fact 14 youth have now been hospitalized.
  • Persons 18-49 years of age – 30 new cases overnight, total of 5,415 cases. This age group is 41% of the population in Solano, but represents just under 60% of the total cases, by far the highest percentage of all age groups. No new hospitalizations reported today, total of 181.  No new deaths in this young group today, total of 6 deaths.  Some in this group are surely ignoring public health orders, and many are providing essential services among us.  I expect this group is a major factor in the spread of the virus.
  • Persons 50-64 years of age – 11 new cases overnight, total of 1,806 cases.  This age group represents over 19% of the 9,349 total cases.  No new hospitalizations reported today, total of 152.  No new deaths in this age group today, a total of 15 deaths.
  • Persons 65 years or older – 10 new cases today, total of 1008, representing an increase to 10.8% of Solano’s 9,349 total cases.  No new hospitalizations reported today, total of 202 since the outbreak began.  No new deaths in this age group today, total of 59 of our elders who died of COVID.  This group accounts for 59 of the 80 total deaths, or 74%.

City Data

  • Benicia added 6 new cases overnight, total of 251 cases since the outbreak began. 
  • Dixon added 6 new cases overnight, total of 604 cases.
  • Fairfield added 14 new cases overnight, total of 2,903 cases.
  • Rio Vista remained steady today, total of 75 cases.
  • Suisun City remained steady today, total of 638 cases.
  • Vacaville added 14 new cases overnight, total of 1,838 cases.
  • Vallejo added 18 new cases overnight, total of 3,008 cases.
  • Unincorporated areas remained steady today, total of 32 cases.

Race / Ethnicity

The County report on race / ethnicity includes case numbers, hospitalizations, deaths and Solano population statistics.  This information is discouragingly similar to national reports that indicate significantly worse outcomes among black and brown Americans.  Note that all of this data surely undercounts Latinx Americans, as there is a large group of “Multirace / Others” which likely is composed mostly of Latinx members of our communities.

  • Asian Americans are 14% of Solano’s population, and account for 10% of cases, 11% of hospitalizations, and 19% of deaths.
  • Black Americans are 14% of Solano’s population, and account for 12% of cases, but 17% of hospitalizations, and 23% of deaths.
  • Latinx Americans are 26% of Solano’s population, but account for 25% of cases, 28% of hospitalizations, and 16% of deaths.
  • White Americans are 39% of the population in Solano County, but only account for 24% of cases, 26% of hospitalizations and 33% of deaths.

More…

The County’s Coronavirus Dashboard is full of much more information, too extensive to cover here on a daily basis.  The Benicia Independent will continue to summarize daily and highlight significant portions.  For more, check out the Dashboard at https://doitgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=055f81e9fe154da5860257e3f2489d67.

#Masks4All, #wearamask, Covidiots, Solano County Board of Supervisors, Solano County CA, Solano County Supervisor Skip Thomson

Anti-mask protesters flash Nazi salutes at Solano board meeting

Covidiots Give Nazi Salute at Solano County Meeting

San Francisco Chronicle, by Michael Williams Nov. 19, 2020

Members of the Solano County Board of Supervisors meet on Nov. 17, 2020. Prior to the meeting, a small group of protesters angry at mask requirements extended their arms in Nazi salutes and compared the board to the Third Reich.
Members of the Solano County Board of Supervisors meet on Nov. 17, 2020. Prior to the meeting, a small group of protesters angry at mask requirements extended their arms in Nazi salutes and compared the board to the Third Reich.

A small group of anti-mask protesters extended their arms in a Nazi salute and yelled “sieg heil” before a Solano County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, angry that they were required to follow virus-prevention guidelines.

Supervisor Skip Thomson said the members of the group were the same four or five people who go to the meetings every week to “regularly oppose anything that Gov. Newsom puts in place the week before, and to criticize the board for requiring masks and social distancing at meetings.”

For those requirements, members of the group compared the council to the Third Reich — which was responsible for creating the Holocaust that killed at least 11 million people. Thomson said Tuesday was not the first time the protesters had done so.

The debacle was first reported by the Solano County news site Daily Republic, which identified the protesters as members of the Solano County Committee of Correspondence, formed to “document all past, present and future usurpations of our God-given rights by this body.”

Attempts by The Chronicle to reach members of that group were unsuccessful Thursday. Other members of the board declined to comment or did not respond to emails seeking comment.

Thomson said some members of the group told him they had medical conditions that prevent them from wearing masks. He said he understands that position — but doesn’t understand why the protesters tried sitting on chairs that had been blocked off for social distancing.

“That is their mentality,” he said. “They don’t want to mask, they don’t want to social distance, and they don’t give a darn about some of the folks sitting next to them,” he said.

He blamed the protesters’ attitudes for contributing to the issue, and said his job was to protect everybody else in the room during the meeting.

“It is because of this attitude that this economy is not being open,” he said. “Until we get the coronavirus under control, our economy will not be coming back,” he said.