Though new case reports have climbed in California, local officials have hesitated to reimpose mask mandates or limits on public indoor settings. Residents relaxed outdoors in Mission Dolores Park in San Francisco in June. Credit…Mike Kai Chen for The New York Times
California is in the grip of its third-largest coronavirus surge of the pandemic, with roughly 19,000 new cases being reported here each day on average, according to a New York Times database. The true number of people falling sick is undoubtedly even higher, since most at-home test results aren’t included in official case counts.
Experts say the surge is being driven by the Omicron subvariant known as BA.5, which has rapidly become dominant in the United States and is especially good at infecting people even if they’ve been vaccinated, boosted and already had the virus.
“It’s highly immune-evasive, and that is why it’s causing trouble,” said Dr. Eric Topol, a professor of molecular medicine at Scripps Research in San Diego. “And it comes along in California at the same time that we basically have this delusion that the pandemic is over.”
Registered nurse Navneet Chouhan, left, with Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS), puts a bandage on Venus Basaee, 6, after she got the COVID-19vaccine as her mother Mojgan Deldari looks on during a school-base vaccine clinic at Nystrom Elementary Auditorium in Richmond on Nov. 9. RAY CHAVEZ — BAY AREA NEWS GROUP
The entire Bay Area is at the high community risk level for COVID- 19 at which federal regulators recommend everyone wear face masks indoors as newer and more immunity-evasive versions of the omicron variant continue to spread across the country.
While infections remain well below the January peak driven by the initial omicron strains, they’re still at February’s elevated levels and show no signs of declining, Bay Area health officials said Tuesday.
“The pattern we’re seeing in our data does make me think a sustained surge is possible,” Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody said. “Previous patterns were we went up and then down, but we went up and now we’re staying at a high plateau.” Continue reading Bay Area COVID cases are sky-high→
Solano County reports 2,262 new COVID infections since May 16, nearly 150 per day. Benicia has experienced 114 new COVID infections since May 16, more than 7 per day.
It was a real slog hanging in there with my COVID reports for so long. On May 25, I reported an end to my regular pandemic reports and a renewed focus on issues of deep and abiding concern, including anti-racism, gun control, democratic principles, gender justice and LBGTQ rights, women’s health, peace, freedom and anti-fascism. Whoa, rather a daunting agenda….
I was pretty sure going into my 3rd year of COVID reporting that few were paying any attention to my posts, anyway – important as they might’ve been.
Today I checked in on the County’s COVID dashboard. There have been:
2,250 new cases countywide since my last report 16 days ago (141 each day), and 1
14 new cases in Benicia (more than 7 per day).
No new deaths, thank goodness.
But 22 have been hospitalized since May 12.
The County Health Department (despite its very conservative stance, to put it mildly) reports 1,994 ACTIVE CASES at last report (May 26).
On a personal level, the number of my own friends and family reporting COVID positive has noticeably increased.
The bad bug is still around and still surging, even though – and clearly because of –relaxed restrictions and people going all over the place maskless.
>The data on this page is from the Solano County COVID-19 Dashboard. The Dashboard is full of much more information and is updated Monday and Thursday 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.
I have also archived the hundreds of full CORONAVIRUS REPORTS posted here on the Benicia Independent April 2020 – May 16, 2022.
Solano County reports 675 new COVID infections, nearly 1,200 in 7 days. Benicia and Solano continue in VERY HIGH transmission rate.
Solano Public Health COVID dashboard, Monday, May 16, 2022:
DEATHS: Solano reported no new COVID-related deaths in today’s report. Solano has reported 5 deaths so far in May. COMPARE:COVID deaths reported in Solano County this year: 30 in January, 15 in February, 17 in March, 7 in April. A total of 425 Solano residents have now died of COVID or COVID-related causes over the course of the pandemic.
TRANSMISSION RATE: With today’s report, Solano continues to experience an extremely HIGH rate of transmission, with 1,177 new cases in the last 7 days, up from 971 at last report and 2.6 times the CDC formula for HIGH transmission. 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. Below 225 cases in 7 days shows MODERATE community transmission. Numbers between 225 and 450 are considered SUBSTANTIAL transmission.
ACTIVE CASES: Solano reported 1,229 ACTIVE cases today, up from 1,164 at last report and over 5 times the 244 active cases reported about a month ago(April 11).
CASES BY CITY – Monday, May 16, 2022:
BENICIA added 39 (!) new cases today, a total of 3,363 cases since the outbreak began.TRANSMISSION RATE: Benicia has reported 53 new cases in the last 7 days, (see below). For a city with Benicia’s population, anything over 27 cases in 7 days is considered HIGH TRANSMISSION. 14 to 27 cases is considered SUBSTANTIAL. Below 14 is rated MODERATE.
Dixon added 37 new cases today, total of 4,477 cases.
Fairfield added169 new cases today, total of 23,539 cases.
Rio Vista added 4 new cases today, total of 1,223 cases.
Suisun Cityadded48 new cases today, total of 6,188 cases.
Vacaville added 154 new cases today, a total of 22,456 cases.
Vallejoadded224 new cases today, a total of 26,605 cases.
Unincorporatedadded 0 new cases today, a total of 202 cases.
TEST RATE: Solano Public Health no longer reports numbers of residents tested and the County’s 7-day positive test rate. >>With so many home-tests, I agree that these numbers are no longer reliable, BUT they do give the public helpful information when compared to similar numbers for the state and nation. NO WAY TO COMPARE: The CALIFORNIA 7-day % positive rate was 3.9% today. [Source: Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Tracking Center]. The U.S. 7-day % positive rate was 11.5%. today. [Source: CDC COVID Data Tracker.]
HOSPITALIZATIONS:
CURRENT: Solano reported the number of those currently hospitalized with COVID was 24 persons, double the 12 who were hospitalized at last report. Current hospitalizations don’t tell the whole story, though. Only from the increase in total hospitalizations by age and race (below) can we know how many new admissions have come into our hospitals as of this date.
TOTAL hospitalizations: Solano County did not update it’s hospitalizations by Age Group and by Race/Ethnicity today. TREND: Solano reported 284 hospitalizations in January, 184 in February, 644 in March, and 53 in April, and 44 so far in May. (NOTE: The County occasionally updates age/race hospitalization data long after the fact, which probably accounts for the huge increase reported in March.)
ICU Bed Availability Solano County reported that the number of available hospital beds rose today, from 40% at last report to 43% today, within the County’s GREEN safe zone.
Ventilator Availability in Solano County remained rose today from 77% to 80% available, in the County’s GREEN safe zone.
>The data on this page is from the Solano County COVID-19 Dashboard. The Dashboard is full of much more information and (as of 3/14/2022) is updated Monday and Thursday 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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