Coronavirus, Covid 19, Solano County CA

Solano County averaging 94 new COVID cases per day over the last 2 weeks

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

Wednesday, November 18: 73 new cases overnight, no new deaths.  4 new reported hospitalizations. Since the outbreak began: 9,161 cases, 549 hospitalized, 80 deaths.Compare previous report, Tuesday, Nov. 17:Summary

  • Solano County reported 73 new cases overnight, continuing the spike since last week’s huge increase of over 700 cases.  Solano has seen an average of 94 new cases per day over the last 14 days!  Total of 9,161 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 34 additional active cases today, total of 687 (eclipsed only by our 718 cases last Friday).  Active cases have increased alarmingly lately – COMPARE: average number of Active Cases during October was 284 – now we are at 687!  Note that only 55 of these 687 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. Solano County reported the number of CURRENTLY hospitalized persons reportedly increased by 8 today, total of 55.  TOTAL hospitalized since the outbreak began supposedly increased by 4 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 21% to 29%, still in the yellow danger zone.  (No information about availability of ventilators.)

Positive Test Rate – extremely high, 10.0%

Solano County reported that our 7-day average positive test rate fell slightly today from 10.5% to 10.0%, still 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, but rose today from 5.2% to 5.3%.  (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 – 4 new cases overnight, total of 1,070 cases, representing 11.7% of the 9,161 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.50
  • Persons 18-49 years of age – 43 new cases overnight, total of 5,354 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 – 17 new cases overnight, total of 1,773 cases.  This age group represents over 19% of the 9,161 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 – 9 new cases today, total of 959, representing 10.6% of Solano’s 9,161 total cases.  4 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 2 new cases overnight, total of 243 cases since the outbreak began.  (Valued reader Mike Guerin alerted me to a method of calculating ACTIVE CASES by City, never before reported by Solano County.  Assuming a 14-day quarantine period, just add new cases over the last 14 days… which gives Benicia a total of 40 Active Cases today.) 
  • Dixon added 7 new cases overnight, total of 589 cases.
  • Fairfield added 20 new cases overnight, total of 2,862 cases.
  • Rio Vista added 1 new case overnight, total of 75 cases.
  • Suisun City remained steady today, total of 633 cases.
  • Vacaville added 18 new cases overnight, total of 1,798 cases.
  • Vallejo added 25 new cases overnight, total of 2,930 cases.
  • Unincorporated areas remained steady today, total of 31 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.

NorCal Rapist

Benicia man convicted on all counts as NorCal Rapist

Associated Press, November 18, 2020

Man convicted of 9 ‘NorCal Rapist’ attacks from 1991 to 2006

Roy Charles Waller stands in Sacramento Superior Court in Sacramento, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Waller, accused of being the so-called NorCal Rapist, was found guilty, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020, of raping nine women in their homes between 1991 and 2006. (Paul Kitagaki Jr./The Sacramento Bee via AP, Pool)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A man nicknamed the NorCal Rapist was convicted Wednesday of raping nine women in their homes between 1991 and 2006 after investigators used DNA technology to identify him.

A jury in Sacramento found Roy Charles Waller, 60, guilty on all 46 counts after 2 1/2 hours of deliberations a day earlier.

Waller showed no emotion and looked down at the defendant’s table when the jury’s decision was read, the Sacramento Bee reported. He faces life in prison when he is sentenced Dec. 18.

Waller raped women in six Northern California counties, from Sacramento to Chico. Sometimes he would kidnap the women and force them to withdraw money from ATMs and steal their personal items.

Sacramento Police Chief Daniel Hahn called the crimes “horrific,” saying the victims were terrorized for hours at a time.

Prosecutors said they used the same DNA and genealogy websites to zero in on Waller that they used to arrest former police officer Joseph DeAngelo in the Golden State Killer case. DeAngelo pleaded guilty in June to 13 murders and 13 rape-related charges stemming from crimes spanning the 1970s and 1980s. He was sentenced in August to multiple life terms.

Prosecutors credited the DNA evidence with ensuring Waller’s conviction.

“DNA technology is the greatest tool given to the justice system to exonerate the innocent and convict the guilty,” Sacramento County Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Grippi said in a statement. “Law enforcement officers and detectives involved in the investigation never stopped searching for the truth.”

Waller was arrested in September 2018 at the University of California, Berkeley, where he worked for 25 years as a safety specialist in the office of environment, health and safety.

During the trial, defense attorney Joseph Farina accused authorities of overreach by taking a straw and half-eaten pear from garbage outside Waller’s home to get his DNA, and he questioned whether DNA found at the crime scenes had been preserved properly over the years.

Farina declined to comment as he left the courthouse Wednesday.

Prosecutors portrayed Waller as an organized and cunning criminal who stalked potential victims and collected information about their appearance, movements and vehicles and kept it in computer databases that he still had when he was arrested. Investigators also found zippered bags filled with duct tape, zip ties, handcuffs and other items used in the attacks in Waller’s two storage lockers.

Prosecutors said he sought out women of Asian descent, grading them on their appearance and build and studying their daily routines until he could slip into their homes and attack them.

 

Coronavirus, Covid 19, Solano County CA

COVID in Solano County – no improvement, 129 new cases overnight, 1 death, test rate above 10%

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

Solano County averaging 92 new positive cases per day over the last 2 weeks

Tuesday, November 17: 129 (!) new cases overnight, 1 new death.  Since the outbreak began: 9,088 cases, 545 hospitalized, 80 deaths.Compare previous report, Monday, Nov. 16:Summary

  • Solano County reported 129 new cases overnight, continuing the spike since last week’s huge increase of over 700 cases.  Solano has seen an average of 92 new cases per day over the last 14 days!  Total of 9,088 cases since the outbreak started.
  • Deaths – 1 new deaths reported today, someone 65 years or older, and a total of 80 Solano deaths since the pandemic began.
  • Active cases – Solano reported 41 additional active cases today, total of 653.  Active cases have increased alarmingly lately – COMPARE: average number of Active Cases during October was 284 – now we are at 653!  Note that only 47 of these 653 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 – Solano County reported the number of CURRENTLY hospitalized persons increased by 11 today, total of 47.  TOTAL hospitalized since the outbreak began supposedly remained steady today, a total of 545 of all ages hospitalized since the outbreak began.   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, I will continue to track both CURRENT hospitalizations and TOTAL hospitalizations since the outbreak began.  For manual calculation of total, see age group stats below.
  • ICU Beds – The County reported no change in ICU beds available today, remaining at 21%, in the yellow danger zone.  (Still no information about availability of ventilators.)

Positive Test Rate – extremely high, 10.5%

Solano County reported that our 7-day average positive test rate rose again today from 9.8% to 10.5%.  Average percent positive test rates are among the best metrics for measuring the spread of the virus.  The much lower and more stable California 7-day average test rate has also been on the rise lately, but rose today from 5.0% to 5.2%.  (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 therefore also lags behind due to unknown recent test results.) 

By Age Group

  • Youth 17 and under – 14 new cases overnight, total of 1,066 cases, representing 11.7% of the 9,088 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.50
  • Persons 18-49 years of age – 63 new cases overnight, total of 5,311 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 – 34 new cases overnight, total of 1,756 cases.  This age group represents over 19% of the 9,088 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 – 17 new cases today, total of 950, representing 10.6% of Solano’s 9,088 total cases.  No new hospitalizations reported today, total of 198 since the outbreak began.  1 new death 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 2 new cases overnight, total of 241 cases since the outbreak began.
  • Dixon added 8 new cases overnight, total of 582 cases.
  • Fairfield added 39 new cases overnight, total of 2,842 cases.
  • Rio Vista added 1 new case overnight, total of 74 cases.
  • Suisun City added 5 new cases overnight, total of 633 cases.
  • Vacaville added 34 new cases overnight, total of 1,780 cases.
  • Vallejo added 40 new cases overnight, total of 2,905 cases.
  • Unincorporated areas remained steady today, total of 31 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 18% 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, 25% 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.

For safe and healthy communities…