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

Monday, October 26: 98 new cases over the weekend, 2 new deaths, no new hospitalizations.  Since the outbreak began: 7,384 cases, 423 hospitalized, 76 deaths.Compare previous report, Friday, Oct. 23:Summary

• Solano County reported 98 new cases over the weekend, total of 7,384 cases since the outbreak started.
• Deaths – 2 new deaths today, one in the 18-49 age group and one in the 65+ age group.  Total of 76 Solano deaths since the pandemic began.
• Active cases – Solano reported 43 fewer ACTIVE cases today, total of 263.  Over the previous two weeks, Solano reported over 300 active cases for the first time since September 4.  Note that only 25 of these 263 people 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 – Solano reported the number of currently hospitalized persons rose by 8 over the weekend (!), total of 25.  Total hospitalized remained inexplicably at 423 today.  For manual calculation of total, see age group stats below.
• ICU Beds – despite the reported increase in current hospitalizations, the County reported a sharp increase in ICU beds available today, up from 35% to 57%.  I have no idea how this is possible!  And I wish we had better reporting for you, but this seems all we have….  (Still no information about availability of ventilators.)
• Testing – The County reports today that 1,707 more residents were tested over the weekend, new total of 102,933.  We still have a long way to go; only 23% of Solano County’s 447,643 residents (2019) have been tested.  (And even less, considering that some individuals have been tested more than once.)

Positive Test Rate

Solano County reported today that our 7-day average test rate fell today from 5.2% to 5.0%.  Average percent positive test rates are among the best metrics for measuring the spread of the virus.  The much more stable California 7-day test rate has been on the rise lately, rising today, from 2.9% to 3.2%.  (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 also lags behind current unknown results.) 

By Age Group

• Youth 17 and under – 10 new cases over the weekend, total of 840 cases, representing 11.4% of the 7,384 total cases.  No new hospitalizations were reported among this age group 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 just over 11% since September 30, increasing to 11.4% for the first time last week.  Youth are 22% of Solano’s general population, so this 11.x% may seem low.  The significance is this: 1) youth numbers increased steadily and at a faster rate than the other age groups, and 2) youth are SERIOUSLY NOT IMMUNE (!) – in fact 7 youth have now been hospitalized.
• Persons 18-49 years of age – 53 new cases over the weekend, total of 4,380 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.  The County reported no new hospitalizations in this age group today, total of 136 hospitalized since the outbreak began.  The County reported 1 new death 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 – 24 new cases over the weekend, total of 1,422 cases.  This age group represents over 19% of the 7,384 total cases.  No new hospitalizations reported today, total of 116 hospitalized since the outbreak began.  No new deaths in this age group today, a total of 15 deaths.
• Persons 65 years or older – 11 new cases today, total of 740, representing 10% of Solano’s 7,384 total cases.  No new hospitalizations were reported today, total of 164.  In this older age group, 22.5% of cases required hospitalization at one time.  The County reported 1 new death in this age group today, total of 55 of our elders who died of COVID.  This group accounts for 55 of the 76 total deaths, or 72%.

City Data

• Benicia added 1 new case today, total of 187 cases since the outbreak began.
• Dixon added 9 new cases today, total of 475 cases.
• Fairfield added 21 new cases today, total of 2,385 cases.
• Rio Vista added 1 new case today, total of 58 cases.
• Suisun City added 9 new cases today, total of 541 cases.
• Vacaville added 30 new cases today, total of 1,314 cases.
• Vallejo added 27 new cases today, total of 2,401 cases.
• Unincorporated areas remained steady today, total of 23 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 20% of deaths.
• Black Americans are 14% of Solano’s population, and account for 11% of cases, but 18% of hospitalizations, and 25% of deaths.
• Latinx Americans are 26% of Solano’s population, but account for 28% of cases, 29% of hospitalizations, and 17% of deaths.
• White Americans are 39% of the population in Solano County, but only account for 22% of cases, 26% of hospitalizations and 29% of deaths.

More…

The County’s new and improved 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 a report or two.  Check out the Dashboard at https://doitgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=055f81e9fe154da5860257e3f2489d67.