Tag Archives: Fairfield CA

Coronavirus, Covid 19, Solano County CA

Solano County COVID test rate jumps to 6.7 percent, 94 new cases in one day

Tuesday, July 14: 94 new cases today, no new deaths.  Since the outbreak started: 2,313 cases, 31 deaths.

Compare previous report, Monday July 13:Summary

  • Solano County reported 94 new cases today, total of 2,313 cases since the outbreak started.  Over the last 7 days, Solano reported 487 new cases, an average of 70 per day.
  • No new deaths today, total of 31.
  • Hospitalizations – Solano is reporting no new currently hospitalized persons, still 47, and no increase in the total number hospitalized since the outbreak started, still 114.
  • Active cases – Solano reported 21 new ACTIVE cases today, total of 322.  Until yesterday, the number of Active Cases was climbing steadily: two weeks ago there were 209 active cases, increasing to a last Friday’s record high of 435.  Yesterday the number dropped by almost a third, and now it is rising again.  Note that only 47 of these 322 active cases are hospitalized; a whole lot of infected people are out among us, hopefully quarantined.  One wonders… is the County equipped to contact trace so many infected persons?
  • ICU beds Available decreased by 1% to 32%.  Ventilators Available remained steady at 86%.
  • Testing – A huge number, 1,001 residents were tested since yesterday, total of 39,895.  But we still have a long way to go: only 9% of Solano County’s 447,643 residents (2019) have been tested.

Percent Positive Test Rate

Solano County’s 7-day percent positive test rate is 6.7%, up 1.4% over yesterday’s 5.3%.  The dashboard shows a line graph charting the positive test rate over time (above).  Increasingly, health officials and news reports are focusing on percent positive test rates.  Most Bay Area counties report daily on their seven-day average percent positive test rate, but Solano County did not until yesterday.  This information is immediately important, as test positivity is one of the best metrics for measuring the spread of the virus.  Positive test rates in California and other southwestern states have been on the rise.  LA Times: California’s positivity rate today is reported at 7.5%.

By Age Group

  • Youth 17 and under – 10 new cases today, total of 220 cases, and no new hospitalizations, total only 2 since the outbreak began.  Two weeks ago, there were only 111 cases among this age group – we’ve seen 109 new cases in just 14 days!  I continue to raise an alarm for Solano’s youth.  Cases among Solano youth have increased in recent weeks to 9.5% of the 2,313 total confirmed cases.
  • Persons 18-49 years of age – 55 new cases today, total of 1,392 cases.  This age group represents over 60% of the 2,313 total cases, by far the highest percentage of all age groups.  The County reported no new hospitalizations and no new deaths among this age group today, total of 29 hospitalized since the outbreak began, and 2 deaths.
  • Persons 50-64 years of age – 24 new cases today, total of 453 cases.  This age group represents over 19% of the 2,313 total cases.  No new hospitalizations today, total of 37 hospitalized since the outbreak began.  No new deaths, total of 3 deaths.
  • Persons 65 years or older – 5 new cases today, total of 247 cases.  This age group represents 10.7% of the 2,313 total cases.
    No new hospitalizations, total of 46 hospitalized since the outbreak began.  No new deaths, total of 26 deaths.  In this older age group, 18.6% of cases required hospitalization at one time, a substantially higher percentage than in the lower age groups.  And this group accounts for 26 of the 31 deaths, or 84%.

Incidence Rate: Cases, Hospitalizations, Deaths

On the Race/Ethnicity chart (and also on the Age Group chart) there are “Rate” tabs.  Today’s report shows:

    • Solano County has 515 positive cases per population of 100,000, up from 494 yesterday and 462 last Friday (Compare this number with the City incidence rates, below.)
    • 25 Solano hospitalizations per population of 100,000, unchanged since yesterday.
    • 7 Solano deaths per population of 100,000, unchanged since yesterday.

City Data

  • Benicia added 4 new cases today, total of 45 cases.  Benicia was extremely stable with only 2 new cases for the entire month of June.  Now Benicia has seen 14 new cases in 14 days.  The numbers are small in comparison to other Solano cities, but something’s definitely going on in Benicia!
  • Dixon added 5 new cases today, total of 127 cases.  Dixon has also moved from stable to increasing over this last week.
  • Fairfield added 33 new cases today, total of 798.  Fairfield has more positive cases than anywhere in Solano County.
  • Rio Vista added 1 new case today, total of 23 cases.
  • Suisun City added 13 new cases today, total of 173 cases.
  • Vacaville added 17 new cases today, total of 371 cases.
  • Vallejo added 21 new cases today, total of 768.
  • Unincorporated areas – Although the County still still shows Unincorporated at <10 (less than 10), a little math tells the story: Solano’s unincorporated areas remained steady at 8 cases, those unaccounted for in the other City totals.
  • A “Rate” column shows the rate of positive COVID-19 cases (per 100,000 population) for each city.  Benicia has the lowest rate, 145 cases per 100,000, and Fairfield the highest at 614 cases per 100,000.  Compare Solano cities’ incidence rates in the chart, and note that the CDC reports today’s rate in California at 832 per 100,000 (climbing fast this past week, and up from 811 yesterday).

Race / Ethnicity

The County report on race / ethnicity data 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 23% of cases, 22% of hospitalizations and 21% of deaths.
  • Black Americans are 13% of Solano’s population, and account for 13% of cases, but 27% of hospitalizations, and 32% of deaths.
  • Latinx Americans are 26% of Solano’s population, but account for 35% of cases, 27% of hospitalizations, and 25% of deaths.
  • Asian Americans are 14% of Solano’s population, and account for 9% of cases and 14% of hospitalizations, but 18% 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, Solano County CA, Solano County Health Officer Bela Matyas

Dr. Matyas on COVID-19 closures in Solano County: “We continue to see a surge…”

State orders Solano churches, malls other businesses to close, again

Fairfield Daily Republic, by Todd R. Hansen, July 14, 2020
The Solano Town Center was closed Monday on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order to close certain businesses again because of Covid-19. (Robinson Kuntz/Daily Republic)

FAIRFIELD — The state on Monday ordered Solano and 28 other counties on its watch list to close places of worship, malls and a number of other business sectors due to the rise in hospitalizations and other Covid-19 concerns.

…Covid-19 is responsible for more than 135,000 deaths in the country and more than 7,000 in California, Johns Hopkins University reported.

Solano County Public Health reported Monday that the number of deaths at least partially attributable to Covid-19 rose by three to 31 over the weekend.

“The fatalities are all elderly individuals (who) were exposed by family at social gatherings,”  Dr. Bela Matyas , Solano County public health officer, said Monday in a phone interview.

Matyas also said the number of current hospitalizations is 47, up from 40 over the weekend. The county’s online report initially had the number holding at 40.

“We continue to see a surge in the number of new cases across the county, including a rise in positivity rates, hospitalizations and fatalities,” Matyas said in the statement announcing the health order change.

Matyas once again urged Solano County residents to take precautions to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus that causes Covid-19.

“While it may be difficult, especially during the summer, we strongly urge all Solano County residents to limit or avoid in-person gatherings, as we know the recent rise in Covid-19 cases is due to families and friends getting together with people outside their households and infecting each other, which can be especially dangerous when transmitted to high-risk individuals,” Matyas added in the statement.

Since the county’s Friday afternoon update, Solano added 144 more Covid-19 cases to bring the total to 2,219, but experienced a decrease in active cases, from 435 to 301, which is explained, in part, by the fact so many had become sick at the same time and are now past the infectious stage at the same time. Hospitalizations reported since the beginning of the outbreak was listed at 114.

The county released its amended health order Monday evening to reflect the state order. But hours before that, the Solano Town Center mall had already locked its doors.

In addition to churches and malls, also ordered closed by the state are nail and hair salons, fitness centers, personal care establishments such as tattoo parlors, and some offices.

Gov. Gavin Newsom noted in his comments that over the previous 14 days, hospitalizations in the state had risen by 28% and intensive care admissions are up 20%.

However, those rate increases are actually slower compared to the rate for the prior two-week period, the state reported.

The positive rate for Covid-19 testing, according to the state, is up to 7.7% over the past seven days.

Fairfield as of Monday afternoon added 45 confirmed cases since Friday for a total of 765; Vallejo added 41 for a total of 747; Vacaville added 34 for a total of 354; Suisun City added 18 for a total of 160; Dixon added four for a total of 122; Benicia added one for a total of 41; and Rio Vista added one for a total of 22…. [continued]

Benicia CA, California, Controlled shutdown, Coronavirus, Covid 19, Dixon CA, Fairfield CA, Re-opening, Rio Vista CA, Solano County CA, Suisun City CA, Vacaville CA, Vallejo CA

All Solano cities included in most severe COVID19 shutdown orders: Benicia, Vallejo, Fairfield, Vacaville, Suisun, Rio Vista, Dixon

State of California – COVID19.CA.gov, July 13, 2020

County data monitoring

California is monitoring COVID-19 closely in each local community and keeping the public informed. We’re teaming up with counties to fight it with every tool we have: current local data, testing, contact tracing, infection control, emergency supplies, containment measures, and more.

Counties should be ready to restore limitations if outbreaks increase. The State Public Health Officer may take action if needed.

Effective July 13, 2020,  ALL counties  must close indoor operations in these sectors:
    • Dine-in restaurants
    • Wineries and tasting rooms
    • Movie theaters
    • Family entertainment centers (for example: bowling alleys, miniature golf, batting cages and arcades)
    • Zoos and museums
    • Cardrooms

Additionally, bars, brewpubs, breweries, and pubs must close all operations both indoor and outdoor statewide, unless they are offering sit-down, outdoor dine-in meals. Alcohol can only be sold in the same transaction as a meal.

 Counties that have remained on the County Monitoring List  for 3 consecutive days will be required to shut down the following industries or activities unless they can be modified to operate outside or by pick-up.
    • Fitness centers
    • Worship services
    • Protests
    • Offices for non-essential sectors
    • Personal care services, like nail salons, body waxing and tattoo parlors
    • Hair salons and barbershops
    • Malls
The following counties have remained on the County Monitoring List for 3 consecutive days:
Affected counties as of 7/13/20
  • Colusa
  • Contra Costa
  • Fresno
  • Glenn
  • Imperial
  • Kings
  • Los Angeles
  • Madera
  • Marin
  • Merced
  • Monterey
  • Napa
  • Orange
  • Placer
  • Riverside
  • Sacramento
  • San Benito
  • San Bernardino
  • San Diego
  • San Joaquin
  • Santa Barbara
  •  Solano 
  • Sonoma
  • Stanislaus
  • Sutter
  • Tulare
  • Yolo
  • Yuba
  • Ventura

The State Public Health Officer may take additional action if needed.

Track county data and monitoring status

What is allowed to open in my county?

Use the map above to see which category your county falls into. See guidance for each of the mentioned industries.

For counties on Monitoring List for 3 consecutive days  [includes Solano] 

The following industries must close indoor operations, but they may be modified to operate outside or by pick-up:

  • Dine-in restaurants
  • Wineries and tasting rooms
  • Movie theaters
  • Family entertainment centers (for example: bowling alleys, miniature golf, batting cages and arcades)
  • Zoos and museums
  • Cardrooms
  • Hair salons and barbershops
  • Gyms and fitness centers
  • Personal care services, like nail salons, body waxing and tattoo parlors
  • Places of worship
  • Offices for non-essential sectors
  • Malls

NOTE: Imperial County is open to the essential workforce only (Stage One). Alameda and Santa Clara County do not have an attestation and can only open industries open statewide.

Coronavirus, Covid 19, Solano County CA

Solano County COVID-19 – Three deaths over the weekend, 144 new cases, new data on percent positive test rates

Monday, July 13: 144 new cases over the weekend, 3 new deaths.  Since the outbreak started: 2,219 cases, 31 deaths.

Compare previous report, Friday July 10:Summary

  • Solano County reported 144 new cases today, total of 2,219 cases since the outbreak started.  Over the last 7 days, Solano reported 479 new cases, an average of 68 per day.
  • 3 new deaths today, total of 31.
  • Hospitalizations – Solano is reporting 7 more currently hospitalized persons over the weekend, for a total of 47.  The County briefly posted the total number hospitalized since the outbreak started  at 118, up 3 since Friday, but a revised dashboard no longer displays this data.
  • Active cases – Solano reported 134 fewer (!) ACTIVE cases today, total of 301.  This sudden drop is a turnaround.  The number of Active Cases has been climbing steadily: two weeks ago there were 70 active cases, increasing to a Friday’s record high of 435.  I’m curious how the County explains this drop by almost a third?  Note that only 47 of these 301 active cases are hospitalized; a whole lot of infected people are out among us, hopefully quarantined.  One wonders… is the County equipped to contact trace so many infected persons?
  • ICU beds Available decreased by 6% to 33%.  Ventilators Available remained steady at 86%.
  • Testing – A huge number, 3,054 residents were tested over the weekend, total of 38,894.  But we still have a long way to go: only 8.6% of Solano County’s 447,643 residents (2019) have been tested.

Percent Positive Test Rate

For the first time, Solano County is reporting our 7-day percent positive test rate, at 5.3%.  The dashboard also shows a line graph charting the positive test rate over time (above).  Increasingly, health officials and news reports are focusing on percent positive test rates.  Five Bay Area counties report daily on their seven-day average percent positive test rate, but Solano County has not until today.  This information is immediately important, as test positivity is one of the best metrics for measuring the spread of the virus.  Positive test rates in California and other southwestern states have been on the rise.  LA Times: “California’s positivity rate  today is reported at 8.3%.”  SF Chronicle: “The rate of positive coronavirus tests statewide has increased to 7.4%, a 21% increase over the just past two weeks, Governor Gavin Newsom announced in a press conference Monday. For several months, the rate held steady around 4.9%, but has spiked in the past month.”

By Age Group

  • Youth 17 and under – 8 new cases today, total of 210 cases, and no new hospitalizations, total only 2 since the outbreak began.  Two weeks ago, there were only 88 cases among this age group – we’ve seen 122 new cases in just 14 days!  I continue to raise an alarm for Solano’s youth.  Cases among Solano youth have increased in recent weeks to over 9% of the 2,219 total confirmed cases.
  • Persons 18-49 years of age – 93 new cases today, total of 1,337 cases.  This age group represents 60% of the 2,219 total cases, by far the highest percentage of all age groups.  The County reported no new hospitalizations and no new deaths among this age group today, total of 29 hospitalized since the outbreak began, and 2 deaths.
  • Persons 50-64 years of age – 27 new cases today, total of 429 cases.  This age group represents over 19% of the 2,219 total cases.  No new hospitalizations today, total of 37 hospitalized since the outbreak began.  No new deaths, total of 3 deaths.
  • Persons 65 years or older – 16 new cases today, total of 242 cases.  This age group represents 11% of the 2,219 total cases.
    3 new hospitalizations, total of 46 hospitalized since the outbreak began.  3 new deaths, total of 26 deaths.  In this older age group, 19% of cases required hospitalization at one time, a substantially higher percentage than in the lower age groups.  And this group accounts for 26 of the 31 deaths, or 84%.

Incidence Rate: Cases, Hospitalizations, Deaths

On the Age Group chart (and also on the Race/Ethnicity chart) there are “Rate” tabs.  Today’s report shows:

    • Solano County has 494 positive cases per population of 100,000, up from 462 on Friday (Compare this number with the City incidence rates, below.)
    • 25 Solano hospitalizations per population of 100,000, unchanged since last report.
    • 7 Solano deaths per population of 100,000, up from 6 on Friday.

City Data

  • Vallejo added 41 new cases today, total of 747.
  • Fairfield added 45 new cases today, total of 765.  Fairfield has seen 276 new cases over the last week, and now has more positive cases than anywhere in Solano County.
  • Vacaville added 34 new cases today, total of 354 cases.
  • Suisun City added 18 new cases today, total of 160 cases.
  • Benicia added 1 new case today, total of 41 cases.  Benicia was extremely stable with only 2 new cases for the entire month of June.  Now Benicia has seen 14 new cases in 14 days.  The numbers are small in comparison to other Solano cities, but something’s definitely going on in Benicia!
  • Dixon added 4 new cases today, total of 122 cases.  Dixon has also moved from stable to increasing over this last week.
  • Rio Vista added 1 new case today, total of 22 cases.
  • Unincorporated areas – Although the County still still shows Unincorporated at <10 (less than 10), a little math tells the story: Solano’s unincorporated areas remained steady at 8 cases, those unaccounted for in the other City totals.
  • A “Rate” column shows the rate of positive COVID-19 cases (per 100,000 population) for each city.  Benicia has the lowest rate, 145 cases per 100,000.  Compare Solano cities’ incidence rates in the chart, and note that the CDC reports today’s rate in California at 811 per 100,000 (climbing fast this past week, and up from 750 Friday).

Race / Ethnicity

The County report on race / ethnicity data 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, 22% of hospitalizations and 21% of deaths.
  • Black Americans are 13% of Solano’s population, and account for 13% of cases, but 27% of hospitalizations, and 32% of deaths.
  • Latinx Americans are 26% of Solano’s population, but account for 35% of cases, 28% of hospitalizations, and 25% of deaths.
  • Asian Americans are 14% of Solano’s population, and account for 10% of cases and 14% of hospitalizations, but 18% 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.