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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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