Coronavirus, Covid 19, Solano County CA

COVID-19 still spreading in Solano County – 76 new cases, Benicia now over 100 infected

[Note that Solano County publishes a DAILY update, and displays past weeks and months in epidemic curve charts.  However, the curve charts do not display an accurate number of cases for the most recent days, as there is a lag time in receiving test results.  This methodology is accurate in a way, but it misleads the public by consistently displaying a recent downward curve which is often corrected upward on a later date. For a complete archive of day by day data, see my Excel ARCHIVE – R.S.]

Wednesday, August 12: 76 new cases today, no new deaths.  Since the outbreak started: 4,414 cases, 41 deaths.
Compare previous report, Tuesday August 11:

Summary

  • Solano County reported 76 new cases today, total of 4,414 cases since the outbreak started.  Over the last 7 days, Solano reported 530 new cases, an average of 76 per day.
  • Deaths – no new deaths today, total of 41 deaths.
  • Active cases – Solano reported 10 more ACTIVE cases today, total of 231.  Note that only 37 of these 231 people are hospitalized, so there are a lot of infected folks out among us, hopefully quarantined.  I’ve been wondering for several weeks now… is the County equipped to contact trace so many infected persons?  Who will research this?  (See SF Chronicle report on contact tracing in Bay Area – “Solano County did not respond”.)
  • Hospitalizations – the number of currently hospitalized persons remained steady today, total of 37.  However, the total number hospitalized since the outbreak started gained 1, total of 176.  (The County no longer reports Total Hospitalized, but I can add the new hospitalization numbers in the Age Group report – see below.)  Again now for a third week, the County offers no information about availability of ICU beds and ventilators.
  • Testing – The County reports today that 804 more residents were tested, new total of 60,258.  We still have a long way to go: only 13.5% of Solano County’s 447,643 residents (2019) have been tested.

Percent Positive Test Rate

Solano County reported today’s 7-day percent positive test rate rose from 4.1% yesterday to 4.4 today.  Solano had never registered below 5% since the County began publicly reporting test rates on July 13. (Note that the positive test rate graphic chart may be misleading – see NOTE at top of this page.)  The County posted a high of 9.3% on July 22.  CONTEXT: Health officials and news reports focus on percent positive test rates as one of the best metrics for measuring the spread of the virus.  The California 7-day rate has been falling, but is reported up today from 6.2% to  6.9%.

By Age Group

  • Youth 17 and under – 8 new cases today, total of 441 cases. No new hospitalizations, only 2 hospitalizations since the outbreak began, and no deaths.  It is clear that youth are catching the disease, and it seems too many youth are ignoring public health orders.  Cases among Solano youth have increased to 10% of the 4,414 total confirmed cases.
  • Persons 18-49 years of age – 46 new cases today, total of 2,703 cases.  This age group is 41% of the population in Solano, but represents over 61% of the 4,414 total cases, by far the highest percentage of all age groups.  The County reported no new hospitalizations in this age group today, total of 48 hospitalized since the outbreak began.  No new deaths among this age group, total of 3 deaths.  This young to middle age group is very active.  Some are surely ignoring public health orders, and many are providing essential services among us.  I expect his group is a major factor in the spread of the virus.
  • Persons 50-64 years of age – 14 new cases today, total of 843 cases.  This age group represents 19% of the 4,414 total cases.  The County reported no new hospitalizations in this age group today, total of 55 hospitalized since the outbreak began.  No new deaths among this age group, total of 4 deaths.
  • Persons 65 years or older – 8 new cases today, total of 426 cases.  This age group represents 9.7% of the 4,414 total cases.  1 new hospitalization today, total of 71 hospitalized since the outbreak began.   No new deaths in this age group today, total of 34.  In this older age group, almost 17% of cases required hospitalization at one time, a substantially higher percentage than in the lower age groups.  This group accounts for 34 of the 41 deaths, or 83%.

City Data

  • Benicia added 5 new cases today, totaling over 100 for the first time, 104 cases since the outbreak began.
  • Dixon added 11 new cases today, total of 279 cases.
  • Fairfield added 16 new cases today, total of 1,410.
  • Rio Vista remained steady today, total of 32 cases.
  • Suisun City added 4 new cases today, total of 325 cases.
  • Vacaville added 10 new cases today, total of 752 cases.
  • Vallejo added 29 new cases today, total of 1,496 cases.
  • Unincorporated areas – Unincorporated areas added 1 new cases today, total of 16 cases.

Race / Ethnicity

The County report on race / ethnicity includes case numbers, hospitalizations, deaths and Solano population statistics.  There are also tabs showing a calculated rate per 100,000 by race/ethnicity for each of these boxes.  This information is discouragingly similar to national reports that indicate worse outcomes among black and brown Americans.  As of today:

  • White Americans are 39% of the population in Solano County, but only account for 22% of cases, 23% of hospitalizations and 24% of deaths.
  • Black Americans are 14% of Solano’s population, and account for 13% of cases, but 21% of hospitalizations, and 27% of deaths.
  • Latinx Americans are 26% of Solano’s population, but account for 27% of cases, 32% of hospitalizations, and 24% of deaths.
  • Asian Americans are 14% of Solano’s population, and account for 9% of cases and 12% of hospitalizations, but 16% of deaths.

Much 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.

California Attorney General Kamala Harris, California Sen. Kamala Harris, Oil trains, Valero Benicia Refinery, Valero Crude By Rail

Kamala Harris sent 2 important letters to the City of Benicia

By Roger Straw, August 11, 2020

Future Vice President Kamala Harris remembered in Benicia for her strong support

Kamala Harris, former California Attorney General and current Vice Presidential running mate for Joe Biden

Joe Biden’s nominee for Vice President, California Senator Kamala Harris, has a remarkable connection for many of us here in Benicia.  Her support for a safe and healthy world was incredibly important in the 2016 defeat of Valero Benicia’s dirty and dangerous oil train proposal.  The story should be told now, to honor Harris’ candidacy and to encourage support for a Biden/Harris ticket among all who care about clean air, land and water.

During our 3½ year battle to defeat Valero Benicia’s Crude By Rail proposal, then California Attorney General Kamala Harris wrote two letters challenging Valero’s project and the City of Benicia’s environmental review.  Her support was critical in support of local organizing efforts by Benicians for a Safe and Healthy Community and others far and wide.

Harris’ first letter came on October 2, 2014.  The letter is summarized and linked here:

CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL LETTER CRITICAL OF VALERO DEIR

OCTOBER 8, 2014, Summary, from p. 2: Unfortunately, the DEIR for this Project fails to properly account for many of the Project’s potentially significant impacts pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act(CEQA). Specifically, the DEIR: 1. … Continue reading California Attorney General letter critical of Valero DEIR→

Harris’ support added incalculable weight to the credibility of local and regional organizers, and caught the attention of news agencies across the country:

BLOOMBERG: CALIFORNIA AG REJECTS TRADE-SECRET CLAIMS FOR CRUDE-BY-RAIL

OCTOBER 22, 2014, Repost from Bloomberg News By Victoria Slind-Flor – California Attorney General Kamala Harris expressed reservations about the trade-secret provisions in a proposal for a crude-by-rail project in Benicia, California. In a letter to the city’s Community Development Department, she said the draft environmental impact report for … Continue reading Bloomberg: California AG Rejects Trade-Secret Claims for Crude-by-Rail→

RAILROADS FILE SUIT AGAINST STATE OF CALIFORNIA

OCTOBER 9, 2014, Repost from The Sacramento Bee – By Tony Bizjak and Curtis Tate – The battle over crude oil trains in California intensified this week, reaching into the legal sphere with potential national repercussions. The state’s … Continue reading Railroads file suit against state of California→

A year and a half later, on April 14, 2016, Harris sent a second letter asserting that Benicia’s Planning Commission and City Council have every right to deny a land use permit for Valero’s proposed Crude by Rail offloading rack.  I highlighted her convincing prosecutorial language in my headline:

CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: “FOR BENICIA TO TURN A BLIND EYE…”

APRIL 15, 2016, By Roger Straw – California Attorney General Kamala Harris: letter disagrees with City of Benicia staff, consultants and Valero Today the City of Benicia received a letter from California Attorney General Kamala Harris disagreeing with City staff, consultants and Valero Refinery. The letter asserts that Benicia’s Planning Commission and City Council have every right to deny a … Continue reading CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: “For Benicia to turn a blind eye…”→

And again, her challenge was picked up by media outlets far and wide.  A sampling:

EAST BAY EXPRESS: ATTORNEY GENERAL HARRIS: BENICIA HAS POWER TO REJECT OIL FACILITY

APRIL 15, 2016, By Jean Tepperman – In a strongly-worded letter sent Thursday to City of Benicia officials, California Deputy Attorney General Scott J. Lichtig wrote that Valero, the City of Benicia’s planning staff, and an outside attorney advising the … Continue reading EAST BAY EXPRESS: Attorney General Harris: Benicia Has Power to Reject Oil Facility→

SACRAMENTO BEE: CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL KAMALA HARRIS CHALLENGES BENICIA OIL PLAN

APRIL 14, 2016, By Tony Bizjak – HIGHLIGHTS: • Harris said Benicia has the right to say no, is not pre-empted by federal law • Two 50-car oil trains would travel daily through downtown Sacramento • Valero spokesman: ‘We remain confident … Continue reading SACRAMENTO BEE: California Attorney General Kamala Harris challenges Benicia oil plan→

Finally… Benicia wasn’t the only recipient of Harris’ environmental support during those days.  See also…

DIANE BAILEY: CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL LETTER, PROTESTS IN PITTSBURG 1/21/14

JANUARY 18, 2014, Repost from Diane Bailey’s blog, Switchboard, Natural Resources Defense Council California Attorney General Tells Major Oil Terminal Developer, WesPac, to Hold Up in Pittsburg Posted January 17, 2014 by Diane Bailey in Environmental Justice, Health and the Environment, Moving Beyond Oil The California Attorney General, Kamala D. Harris, sent a stark letter to the City of Pittsburg this week warning of … Continue reading Diane Bailey: California Attorney General Letter, Protests in Pittsburg 1/21/14→

For a trip down memory lane, see my permanent archive: The successful effort to STOP oil trains in Benicia, California

(benindy.wpengine.com/crude-by-rail-archive/)

Roger Straw

Coronavirus, Covid 19, Solano County CA

Solano COVID-19 Daily Update: 64 new cases, positive test rate drops to 4.1%

[Note that Solano County publishes a DAILY update, and displays past weeks and months in epidemic curve charts.  However, the curve charts do not display an accurate number of cases for the most recent days, as there is a lag time in receiving test results.  This methodology is accurate in a way, but it misleads the public by consistently displaying a recent downward curve which is often corrected upward on a later date. For a complete archive of day by day data, see my Excel ARCHIVE – R.S.]

Tuesday, August 11: 64 new cases today, no new deaths.  Since the outbreak started: 4,338 cases, 41 deaths.
Compare previous report, Monday August 10:Summary

  • Solano County reported 64 new cases today, total of 4,338 cases since the outbreak started.  Last week, Solano reported 532 new cases, an average of 76 per day.  Nearly sustaining that rate over 2 weeks: 950 cases total, 68 per day.
  • Deaths – no new deaths today, total of 41 deaths.
  • Active cases – Solano reported 5 more ACTIVE cases today, total of 221.  Note that only 37 of these 221 people are hospitalized, so there are a lot of infected folks out among us, hopefully quarantined.  I’ve been wondering for several weeks now… is the County equipped to contact trace so many infected persons?  Who will research this?  (See SF Chronicle report on contact tracing in Bay Area – “Solano County did not respond”.)
  • Hospitalizations –7 more currently hospitalized persons today, total of 37.  However, the total number hospitalized since the outbreak started remained steady, total of 175.  (The County no longer reports Total Hospitalized, but I can add the new hospitalization numbers in the Age Group report – see below.)  Again now for a third week, the County offers no information about availability of ICU beds and ventilators.
  • Testing – The County reports today that 1,631 more residents were tested, new total of 59,454.  We still have a long way to go: only 13% of Solano County’s 447,643 residents (2019) have been tested.

Percent Positive Test Rate

Solano County reported today’s 7-day percent positive test rate fell from 5.7% yesterday to 4.1 today.  VERY GOOD NEWS – this is the lowest it has been since the County began publicly reporting test rates on July 13. (Note that the graphic chart may be misleading – see NOTE at top of this page.)  The County posted a high of 9.3% on July 22.  CONTEXT: Health officials and news reports focus on percent positive test rates as one of the best metrics for measuring the spread of the virus.  Due to issues with the state’s electronic laboratory reporting system, reporting on the statewide 7-day positivity rate shows an underreporting of actual positive cases.  That said, the State rate has been falling, and is reported at 6.2% today.

By Age Group

  • Youth 17 and under – 4 new cases today, total of 433 cases. No new hospitalizations, only 2 hospitalizations since the outbreak began, and no deaths.  It is clear that youth are catching the disease, and it seems too many youth are ignoring public health orders.  Cases among Solano youth have increased to slightly over 10% of the 4,338 total confirmed cases.
  • Persons 18-49 years of age – 37 new cases today, total of 2,657 cases.  This age group is 41% of the population in Solano, but represents over 61% of the 4,338 total cases, by far the highest percentage of all age groups.  The County reported no new hospitalizations in this age group today, total of 48 hospitalized since the outbreak began.  No new deaths among this age group, total of 3 deaths.  This young to middle age group is very active.  Some are surely ignoring public health orders, and many are providing essential services among us.  I expect his group is a major factor in the spread of the virus.
  • Persons 50-64 years of age – 18 new cases today, total of 829 cases.  This age group represents 19% of the 4,338 total cases.  The County reported no new hospitalizations in this age group today, total of 55 hospitalized since the outbreak began.  No new deaths among this age group, total of 4 deaths.
  • Persons 65 years or older – 5 new cases today, total of 418 cases.  This age group represents 9.6% of the 4,338 total cases.  No new hospitalizations today, total of 70 hospitalized since the outbreak began.   No new deaths in this age group today, total of 34.  In this older age group, almost 17% of cases required hospitalization at one time, a substantially higher percentage than in the lower age groups.  This group accounts for 34 of the 41 deaths, or 83%.

City Data

  • Benicia added 2 new case today, total of 99 cases.
  • Dixon added 9 new cases today, total of 268 cases.
  • Fairfield added 20 new cases today, total of 1,394.
  • Rio Vista remained steady today, total of 32 cases.
  • Suisun City added 2 new cases today, total of 321 cases.
  • Vacaville added 8 new cases today, total of 742 cases.
  • Vallejo added 22 new cases today, total of 1,467 cases.
  • Unincorporated areas – Unincorporated areas added 1 new cases today, total of 15 cases.

Race / Ethnicity

The County report on race / ethnicity includes case numbers, hospitalizations, deaths and Solano population statistics.  There are also tabs showing a calculated rate per 100,000 by race/ethnicity for each of these boxes.  This information is discouragingly similar to national reports that indicate worse outcomes among black and brown Americans.  As of today:

  • White Americans are 39% of the population in Solano County, but only account for 22% of cases, 23% of hospitalizations and 24% of deaths.
  • Black Americans are 14% of Solano’s population, and account for 13% of cases, but 22% of hospitalizations, and 27% of deaths.
  • Latinx Americans are 26% of Solano’s population, but account for 27% of cases, 32% of hospitalizations, and 24% of deaths.
  • Asian Americans are 14% of Solano’s population, and account for 10% of cases and 13% of hospitalizations, but 16% of deaths.

Much 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.

Coronavirus, Covid 19, Dixon CA, Solano County CA

Solano reports huge weekend COVID numbers: 245 new cases, 1 death, 39 new cases in Dixon

[Note that Solano County publishes a DAILY update, and displays past weeks and months in epidemic curve charts.  However, the curve charts do not display an accurate number of cases for the most recent days, as there is a lag time in receiving test results.  This methodology is accurate in a way, but it misleads the public by consistently displaying a recent downward curve which is often corrected upward on a later date. For a complete archive of day by day data, see my Excel ARCHIVE – R.S.]

Monday, August 10: 245 new cases over the weekend, 1 new death.  Since the outbreak started: 4,274 cases, 41 deaths.

Compare previous report, Friday August 7:Summary

  • Solano County reported 245 (!) new cases over the weekend, total of 4,274 cases since the outbreak started.  Last week, Solano reported 553 new cases, an average of 79 per day.  Nearly sustaining that rate over 2 weeks: 991 cases total, 71 per day.
  • Deaths – 1 new death today, another of our elders, total of 41 deaths.
  • Active cases – Solano reported 18 more ACTIVE cases today, total of 216.  Note that only 30 of these 216 people are hospitalized, so there are a lot of infected folks out among us, hopefully quarantined.  I’ve been wondering for several weeks now… is the County equipped to contact trace so many infected persons?  Who will research this?  (See SF Chronicle report on contact tracing in Bay Area – “Solano County did not respond”.)
  • Hospitalizations –7 fewer currently hospitalized persons today, total of 30.  However, the total number hospitalized since the outbreak started increased by 1, totaling 175.  Evidently more folks were discharged than the number of new admissions.  (The County no longer reports Total Hospitalized, but I can add the new hospitalization numbers in the Age Group report – see below.)  Again now for a third week, the County offers no information about availability of ICU beds and ventilators.
  • Testing – A remarkable 2,980 residents were tested over the weekend, total of 57,823.  We still have a long way to go: only 13% of Solano County’s 447,643 residents (2019) have been tested.

Percent Positive Test Rate

Solano County reported today’s 7-day percent positive test rate fell from 6.5% on Friday to 5.7 today.  (The chart may be misleading – see NOTE at top of this page.)  The County posted a high of 9.3% on July 22.  CONTEXT: Health officials and news reports focus on percent positive test rates as one of the best metrics for measuring the spread of the virus.  Due to issues with the state’s electronic laboratory reporting system, reporting on the statewide 7-day positivity rate shows an underreporting of actual positive cases.  That said, the State rate has been falling, and is reported at 5.8% today, about equal to Solano County’s 5.7%.

By Age Group

  • Youth 17 and under – 30 (!) new cases over the weekend, total of 429 cases. No new hospitalizations, only 2 hospitalizations since the outbreak began, and no deaths.  It is clear that youth are catching the disease, and it seems too many youth are ignoring public health orders.  Cases among Solano youth have increased to slightly over 10% of the 4,274 total confirmed cases.
  • Persons 18-49 years of age – 150 (!) new cases over the weekend, total of 2,620 cases.  This age group is 41% of the population in Solano, but represents over 61% of the 4,274 total cases, by far the highest percentage of all age groups.  The County reported no new hospitalizations in this age group today, total of 48 hospitalized since the outbreak began.  No new deaths among this age group, total of 3 deaths.  This young to middle age group is very active.  Some are surely ignoring public health orders, and many are providing essential services among us.  This group is no doubt a major factor in the spread of the virus.
  • Persons 50-64 years of age – 48 new cases over the weekend, total of 811 cases.  This age group represents just under 19% of the 4,274 total cases.  The County reported no new hospitalizations in this age group today, total of 55 hospitalized since the outbreak began.  No new deaths among this age group, total of 4 deaths.
  • Persons 65 years or older – 17 new cases over the weekend, total of 413 cases.  This age group represents 9.7% of the 4,274 total cases.  1 new hospitalization today, total of 70 hospitalized since the outbreak began.  1 new death in this age group today, total of 34.  In this older age group, just under 17% of cases required hospitalization at one time, a substantially higher percentage than in the lower age groups.  This group accounts for 34 of the 41 deaths, or 83%.

City Data

  • Benicia added 4 new case today, total of 97 cases.
  • Dixon added 39 new cases today, total of 259 cases.  This jump is highly unusual – possible outbreak somewhere in Dixon?
  • Fairfield added 68 new cases today, total of 1,374.
  • Rio Vista added 3 new cases today, total of 32 cases.
  • Suisun City added 9 new cases today, total of 319 cases.
  • Vacaville added 44 new cases today, total of 734 cases.
  • Vallejo added 76 new cases today, total of 1,445 cases.
  • Unincorporated areas – Unincorporated areas added 2 new cases today, total of 14 cases.

Race / Ethnicity

The County report on race / ethnicity includes case numbers, hospitalizations, deaths and Solano population statistics.  There are also tabs showing a calculated rate per 100,000 by race/ethnicity for each of these boxes.  This information is discouragingly similar to national reports that indicate worse outcomes among black and brown Americans.  As of today:

  • White Americans are 39% of the population in Solano County, but only account for 22% of cases, 23% of hospitalizations and 24% of deaths.
  • Black Americans are 14% of Solano’s population, and account for 13% of cases, but 22% of hospitalizations, and 27% of deaths.
  • Latinx Americans are 26% of Solano’s population, but account for 27% of cases, 32% of hospitalizations, and 24% of deaths.
  • Asian Americans are 14% of Solano’s population, and account for 10% of cases and 13% of hospitalizations, but 16% of deaths.

Much 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.

For safe and healthy communities…