Tag Archives: Hospitalizations

Four new COVID deaths in Solano County, and my reflections on the dilemma of differing numbers

NOTE: The information below is not the latest.  TAP HERE for today’s latest information.

By Roger Straw, Wednesday, February 2, 2022

Different COVID numbers from different sources

Roger Straw, Editor, The Benicia Independent

Editor: Posted below is my usual report, detailing the latest update from Solano County Public Health’s COVID-19 Dashboard.  Note, however, that the County’s numbers often don’t agree with other sources.

Information supplied by Solano hospitals, vaccine clinics and testing sites travels through a multitude of routes to federal and state agencies and then back down to various reporting sites, including Solano Public Health.  Timing among data sources is not always the same.  Solano County ONLY reports on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings, while some other sources update daily.

A recent post by Vallejo Nextdoor subscriber Peggi Cole cited a very interesting source: Smartnews.com.  Smartnews has a Solano County COVID page that shows data updated at 5:31pm tonight, about the same posting time as our Solano dashboard.  But Smartnews is showing nearly 200 more total cases than our County’s dashboard, only 1 new death while the County dashboard shows 4, and – surprisingly – a total of 415 COVID-related deaths rather than our Public Health Department’s reporting of total deaths today at 385.  Smartnews also shows a much LOWER 7-day number of new cases than totals I have taken from the County dashboard.  I’m not at all sure why – impossible to know.  I may have to figure out a new way of reporting on COVID in Solano….  – R.S.

SUMMARY: Wednesday, February 2, 2022: Solano County reported 547 new infections today and 4 new COVID-related deaths.  Solano County and Benicia continue to experience an extremely high transmission rate!

Solano Public Health COVID dashboard, Wednesday, February 2, 2022:

DEATHS:  Solano reported four new deaths in today’s report, all age 65+.  Trending: The six new deaths reported on Monday were ALSO over 65 years of age.  The County has seen increasing COVID-related deaths each month since last November, rising to 30 in January.  (Compare with last winter: 24 deaths in January 2021, 42 in February and 33 in March.)  A total of 385 Solano residents have now died of COVID or COVID-related causes over the course of the pandemic.

CASES BY AGE GROUP: The County posts a chart showing Solano cases per 100K by age groups.  The 18-49 year age group is catching the virus at a far higher rate than others.  Those over 65 have been least likely to be infected.
MORE ON AGE GROUPS:  My color-coded chart (below) shows a record over TIME, including recent data.  It shows an alarming steady increase among youth and children.  The chart displays quarterly and recent snapshots in time by age group, each as a percentage of total cases since the outbreak began.  Increases are in red and decreases are in green as reported by Solano County.  Note the continuing increase among children & youth of Solano County.  The population of those age 0-17 in Solano County is roughly 22%.COMPARE – U.S. cases among children and youth aged 0-17 as percentage of total cases is 17.2% as of today.  (From the CDC covid-data-tracker.)

COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION RATE: Solano is experiencing an EXTREMELY HIGH transmission rate, with a total of 3,667 new cases over the last 7 days, up from around 500 at Christmastime.  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’s 3,931 ACTIVE cases today is down from 4,510 at last report, but nearly double the 2,000 active cases we had at the New Year and only 329 on December 1.

CASES BY CITY – Wednesday, February 2, 2022:

  • Benicia added 18 new cases today, a total of 2,822 cases since the outbreak began.  Benicia has seen 148 new infections in the last 7 days, far above the CDC’s HIGH rate of community transmission. (For a city with Benicia’s population, anything over 27 cases in 7 days is considered HIGH TRANSMISSION). >>Note that the Benicia City Council is considering adding multiple metrics rather than the single metric of the CDC’s 7-day case count to determine when it is safe to lift certain COVID restrictions (see Benicia Chooses to Continue Mask Mandate, 1/19/22)Note above that Solano County is currently also experiencing EXTREMELY HIGH transmission.
  • Dixon added 14 new cases today, total of 3,894 cases.
  • Fairfield added 125 new cases today, total of 18,815 cases.
  • Rio Vista added 16 new cases today, total of 991cases.
  • Suisun City added 36 new cases today, total of 5,000 cases.
  • Vacaville added 114 new cases today, a total of 17,936 cases.
  • Vallejo added 220 new cases today, a total of 23,001 cases.
  • Unincorporated added 4 new cases today, a total of 186 cases.

TEST RATE:  Solano County’s 7-Day Percent Positive Test Rate shot up after Christmas and has continued through today’s incredibly high 29%.  SOLANO DOES NOT COMPARE FAVORABLY: The California 7-day % positive rate fell significantly to 11.1% today.  [Source: Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Tracking Center]  The U.S. 7-day % positive rate also fell today to 19.46% from 23.4% on Monday. [Source: CDC COVID Data Tracker.] 

HOSPITALIZATIONS:

CURRENT hospitalizations rose today from 131 to 139 persons.  Currently hospitalized persons in Solano peaked higher than ever before on Jan 22, at 207 persons in hospital. (Note that the County’s previous high was 176 on Jan 7, 2021.)

TOTAL hospitalizations – Solano Public Health updated its age and race hospitalizations charts today, adding only 2 persons, both age 65+.  Our total since the beginning of the outbreak is now 3,511 hospitalizations.

ICU Bed Availability in Solano County fell slightly today from 21% at last report to 20% available today, in the Yellow danger zone.

Ventilator Availability  fell today, from 59% to 56%


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).


>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 around 4 or 5pm.  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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Solano County sees 30 COVID-related deaths in January, nearing record highs of Feb-March 2021

NOTE: The information below is not the latest.  TAP HERE for today’s latest information.

By Roger Straw, Monday, January 31, 2022

SUMMARY: Monday, January 31, 2022: Solano County reported 1,755 new infections today and 6 new COVID-related deaths, a total of 30 deaths in January. Solano County and Benicia continue to experience an extremely high transmission rate!

Solano Public Health COVID dashboard, Monday, January 31, 2022:

DEATHS:  Solano reported six new deaths in today’s report, all age 65+Trending: Today’s report came after two consecutive County reports with no deaths – playing catch-up?  The County has seen increasing COVID-related deaths each month since last November, rising to 30 for this last day of January(Compare with last winter: 24 deaths in January 2021, 42 in February and 33 in March.)  A total of 381 Solano residents have now died of COVID or COVID-related causes over the course of the pandemic.

CASES BY AGE GROUP: 376 of today’s 1,755 new cases were youth and children under 18, 21% of the total.  861 of these cases (49%) were age 18-49.  337 cases (19%) were age 50-64, and 180 (10%) were 65+.  The County posts a chart showing Solano cases per 100K by age groups.  The 18-49 year age group is catching the virus at a far higher rate than others.  Those over 65 have been least likely to be infected.
MORE ON AGE GROUPS:  My color-coded chart (below) shows a record over TIME, including recent data.  It shows an alarming steady increase among youth and children.  The chart displays quarterly and recent snapshots in time by age group, each as a percentage of total cases since the outbreak began.  Increases are in red and decreases are in green as reported by Solano County.  Note the continuing increase among children & youth of Solano County.  The population of those age 0-17 in Solano County is roughly 22%.COMPARE – U.S. cases among children and youth aged 0-17 as percentage of total cases is 17.0% as of today.  (From the CDC covid-data-tracker.)

COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION RATE: Solano is experiencing an EXTREMELY HIGH transmission rate, with a total of 3,770 new cases over the last 7 days, up from around 500 at Christmastime.  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’s 4,510 ACTIVE cases today is down from 5,404 on Friday, but dramatically up from around 2,000 at the New Year and only 329 on December 1.

CASES BY CITY – Monday, January 31, 2022:

  • Benicia added 63 new cases today, a total of 2,804 cases since the outbreak began.  Benicia has seen 154 new infections in the last 7 days, far above the CDC’s HIGH rate of community transmission. (For a city with Benicia’s population, anything over 27 cases in 7 days is considered HIGH TRANSMISSION). >>Note that the Benicia City Council is considering adding multiple metrics rather than the single metric of the CDC’s 7-day case count to determine when it is safe to lift certain COVID restrictions (see Benicia Chooses to Continue Mask Mandate, 1/19/22)Note above that Solano County is currently also experiencing EXTREMELY HIGH transmission.
  • Dixon added 102 new cases today, total of 3,880 cases.
  • Fairfield added 393 new cases today, total of 18,690 cases.
  • Rio Vista added 24 new cases today, total of 975cases.
  • Suisun City added 121 new cases today, total of 4,964 cases.
  • Vacaville added 530 new cases today, a total of 17,822 cases.
  • Vallejo added 521 new cases today, a total of 22,781 cases.
  • Unincorporated added 1 new case today, a total of 182 cases.

TEST RATE:  Solano County’s 7-Day Percent Positive Test Rate shot up after Christmas and has continued through today’s incredibly high 30%.  SOLANO DOES NOT COMPARE FAVORABLY: The California 7-day % positive rate remained at 14.5% today.  [Source: Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Tracking Center]  The U.S. 7-day % positive rate was at 23.4% on Friday, but shows N/A in today’s chart. [Source: CDC COVID Data Tracker.] 

HOSPITALIZATIONS:

CURRENT hospitalizations rose today from 154 to 131 persons.  Currently hospitalized persons in Solano peaked higher than ever before on Saturday, Jan 22, at 207 persons in hospital. (See below, and note that previous high was 176 on Jan 7, 2021.)

TOTAL hospitalizations – Solano Public Health updated its age and race hospitalizations charts today, adding only 2 persons, both age 65+.  Our total since the beginning of the outbreak is now 3,509 hospitalizations.

ICU Bed Availability in Solano County rose from 16% at last report to 21% available today, still in the Yellow danger zone.

Ventilator Availability  fell slightly today, from 60% to 59%


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).


>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 around 4 or 5pm.  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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Solano County Public Health: Over 1,300 new infections, cases among youth & children shooting up

NOTE: The information below is not the latest.  TAP HERE for today’s latest information.

By Roger Straw, Saturday, January 29, 2022
Solano County updated its Jan 28 COVID-19 Dashboard after 7:30pm Friday.  I will summarize below, including reference to last Saturday’s all-time Solano record number of hospitalizations

SUMMARY, Friday, January 28, 2022: Solano County reported 1,368 new infections today.  The County has reported 6,106 new cases in the last week.  Benicia has seen 233 new cases over the last 7 days.  Cases among youth and children rising significantly.  Omicron may have peaked (or may not), but we are surely still experiencing an extremely high transmission rate!

Solano Public Health COVID dashboard, Friday, January 28, 2022:

DEATHS: Solano reported no new deaths in today’s report.  Trending: Today’s report was the second in a row with no deaths – encouraging?  The County reported 27 COVID deaths in September, 18 in October, 14 in November, 22 in December, and 24 so far in January.  A total of 375 Solano residents have now died of COVID or COVID-related causes over the course of the pandemic.

CASES BY AGE GROUP: 311 of today’s 1,365 new cases were youth and children under 18, or 23% of the total.  657 of these cases (48%) were age 18-49.  259 cases (19%) were age 50-64, and 138 (10%) were 65+.
MORE ON AGE GROUPS: 1) The County posts a chart showing Solano cases per 100K by age groups.  The 18-49 year age group is catching the virus at a far higher rate than others.  Those over 65 have been least likely to be infected.

Solano cases per 100K by age groups 2022-01-28: Age 0-17 11,757; Age 18-49 21,421; Age 50-64 15,140; Age 65+ 9,392. County average 15,980.

MORE ON AGE GROUPS: 2) My color-coded chart shows a record over TIME, including recent data.  It shows an alarming steady increase among youth and children.  The chart displays quarterly and recent snapshots in time by age group, each as a percentage of total cases since the outbreak began.  Increases are in red and decreases are in green as reported by Solano County.  Note the continuing increase among children & youth of Solano County.  The population of those age 0-17 in Solano County is roughly 22%.COMPARE – U.S. cases among children and youth aged 0-17 as percentage of total cases is 17.0% as of today.  (From the CDC covid-data-tracker.)

COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION RATE: Solano has risen dramatically and almost daily since December 27 into an EXTREMELY HIGH transmission rate, with a total of 6,106 new cases over the last 7 days, up from around 500 at Christmastime, just a month ago.  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’s 5,404 ACTIVE cases today is up from 4,786 on Wednesday, around 2,000 at the New Year and only 329 on December 1.

CASES BY CITY – Friday, January 28, 2022:

  • Benicia added 67 new cases today, a total of 2,741 cases since the outbreak began.  Benicia has seen 233 new infections in the last 7 days, far above the CDC’s HIGH rate of community transmission. (For a city with Benicia’s population, anything over 27 cases in 7 days is considered HIGH TRANSMISSION). >>Note that the Benicia City Council is considering adding multiple metrics rather than the single metric of the CDC’s 7-day case count to determine when it is safe to lift certain COVID restrictions (see Benicia Chooses to Continue Mask Mandate, 1/19/22)Note above that Solano County is currently also experiencing EXTREMELY HIGH transmission.
  • Dixon added 62 new cases today, total of 3,778 cases.
  • Fairfield added 347 new cases today, total of 18,297 cases.
  • Rio Vista added 21 new cases today, total of 951cases.
  • Suisun City added 63 new cases today, total of 4,843 cases.
  • Vacaville added 348 new cases today, a total of 17,292 cases.
  • Vallejo added 455 new cases today, a total of 22,260 cases.
  • Unincorporated added 2 new cases today, a total of 181 cases.

POSITIVE TEST RATE:  Solano County’s 7-Day Percent Positive Test Rate shot up after Christmas and has continued through today’s incredibly high 30%, down a bit from 32% in the previous County report.  SOLANO DOES NOT COMPARE FAVORABLY: The California 7-day % positive rate fell substantially today from 15.3% to 14.5%.  [Source: Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Tracking Center]  The U.S. 7-day % positive rate also fell today from 23.88% to 23.4%. [Source: CDC COVID Data Tracker.] 

HOSPITALIZATIONS:

CURRENT hospitalizations rose today from 149 to 154 persons.  Currently hospitalized persons in Solano peaked higher than ever before this past Saturday, Jan 22, at 207 persons in hospital. (See below, and note that previous high was 176 on Jan 7, 2021.)

TOTAL hospitalizations – Solano Public Health did not update its age and race hospitalizations charts today.  Our total since the beginning of the outbreak is now 3,507 hospitalizations.

ICU Bed Availability in Solano County fell from 21% at last report to only 16% available today, in the Yellow danger zone.

Ventilator Availability  also fell today, from 68% to 60%


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).


>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 around 4 or 5pm.  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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COVID in Solano County: AGAIN, NO REPORT TONIGHT

NOTE: The information below is not the latest.  TAP HERE for today’s latest information.

By Roger Straw, Friday, January 28, 2022 7:30pm PT

UPDATE: COUNTY POSTED NEW DATA AROUND 7:38PM. Will report on BenIndy tomorrow.

PREVIOUSLY: >>Solano County usually updates its COVID-19 Dashboard between 4pm and 6pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but has been having repeated “technical difficulties” lately.  Nothing has been updated as of 7:30pm tonight.  Check back tomorrow….  I will repost Wednesday’s report below with the most recent County numbers, including the record number of hospitalizations


By Roger Straw, Thursday, January 27, 2022  [Editor:  Solano County delayed posting of Wednesday’s update until Thursday, Jan 28. – see below.  – R.S.]

SUMMARY, Wednesday, January 26, 2022: Solano County reported 650 new infections today and 71 previously unreported hospitalizations.  The County has reported 4,783 new cases in the last week.  Benicia has seen 167 new cases over the last 7 days.  Omicron may have peaked (or may not), but we are surely still experiencing an extremely high transmission rate!

Solano Public Health COVID dashboard, Wednesday, January 26, 2022:

DEATHS: Solano reported no new deaths in today’s report – the County’s first no-deaths report in over a month, first since December 13.  Trending: The County reported 27 COVID deaths in September, 18 in October, 14 in November, 22 in December, and 24 already in January.  A total of 375 Solano residents have now died of COVID or COVID-related causes over the course of the pandemic.

CASES BY AGE GROUP: The County reported 650 new COVID cases today.  Remarkably, 175 of these 650 new cases were youth and children under 18, or 27% of the total – a significantly higher percentage than ever before.  230 of these cases (35%) were age 18-49.  158 cases (24%) were age 50-64, and only 86 (13%) were 65+.
BELOW: color-coded chart shows CASES SINCE THE OUTBREAK BEGAN BY AGE GROUP, each as a percentage of TOTAL CASES SINCE THE OUTBREAK BEGAN.  Increases are in red and decreases are in green as reported by Solano County since April of 2020.  Note the continuing increase among children & youth of Solano County.  The population of those age 0-17 in Solano County is roughly 22%.COMPARE – U.S. cases among children and youth aged 0-17 as percentage of total cases is 17.0% as of today, up from 16.8% on Monday.  (From the CDC covid-data-tracker.)

COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION RATE: Solano has risen dramatically and almost daily since December 27 into an EXTREMELY HIGH transmission rate, with a total of 4,783 new cases over the last 7 days, up from around 500 at Christmastime, just a month ago.  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’s 4,786 ACTIVE cases is up from around 2,000 at the New Year and only 329 on December 1.

CASES BY CITY – Wednesday, January 26, 2022:

  • Benicia added 24 new cases today, a total of 2,674 cases since the outbreak began.  Benicia has seen 167 new infections in the last 7 days, far above the CDC’s HIGH rate of community transmission. (For a city with Benicia’s population, anything over 27 cases in 7 days is considered HIGH TRANSMISSION). >>Note that the Benicia City Council is considering adding multiple metrics rather than the single metric of the CDC’s 7-day case count to determine when it is safe to lift certain COVID restrictions (see Benicia Chooses to Continue Mask Mandate, 1/19/22)Note above that Solano County is currently also experiencing EXTREMELY HIGH transmission.
  • Dixon added 70 new case today, total of 3,616 cases.
  • Fairfield added 140 new cases today, total of 17,950 cases.
  • Rio Vista added 16 new case today, total of 930 cases.
  • Suisun City added 57 new cases today, total of 4,780 cases.
  • Vacaville added 227 new cases today, a total of 16,944 cases.
  • Vallejo added 114 new cases today, a total of 21,805 cases.
  • Unincorporated added 2 new cases today, a total of 179 cases.

POSITIVE TEST RATE:  Solano County’s 7-Day Percent Positive Test Rate shot up after Christmas and has continued through today’s incredibly high 32%, up from 31% in previous County report.  COMPARE: The California 7-day % positive rate fell substantially today from 16.4% to 15.3%.  [Source: Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Tracking Center]  The U.S. 7-day % positive rate also fell today from 26.69% to 23.88%. [Source: CDC COVID Data Tracker.] 

HOSPITALIZATIONS:

CURRENT hospitalizations fell today from 162 to 149 persons.  Currently hospitalized persons in Solano peaked higher than ever before this past Saturday, Jan 22, at 207 persons in hospital. (See below, and note that previous high was 176 on Jan 7, 2021.)

Solano County Public Health COVID Dashboard, Jan 26, 2022

TOTAL hospitalizations – Today’s Age Chart shows 71 previously unreported hospitalizations, including no children and youth age 0-17 (thank goodness), but adding 25 age 19-49, 18 age 50-64 and 28 age 65+.  Our total since the beginning of the outbreak is now 3,507 hospitalizations.   (Data on age is more reliable than that on race/ethnicity.)

ICU Bed Availability in Solano County rose from only 15% at last report to 21% available today, still in the Yellow danger zone.

Ventilator Availability  rose today as suddenly as it fell at last report, climbing from only 50% (our lowest rate since Oct 13, 2021) to today’s 68%


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).


>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 around 4 or 5pm.  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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