Category Archives: Benicia CA

Benicia CA, Coronavirus, Covid 19, Delta variant, Hospitalizations, Solano County CA, Solano County Health Department, Vaccine

Solano County case rates trending up in July – 41 new infections per day as of the 19th

By Roger Straw, Monday, July 19, 2021

Solano County on Monday July 19: 131 new COVID infections over the weekend.

See: All about the DELTA VARIANT.  Also, People with mild COVID can have long-term health problems.  And: “More than 70% of COVID-19 patients studied report having at least one “long haul” symptom that lasts for months.”  It’s not over yet!  Please encourage everyone to get vaccinated!

Solano County COVID dashboard SUMMARY:
[Sources: see below.  See also my ARCHIVE spreadsheet of daily Solano COVID updates.]

Solano County reported  131 new COVID cases since last Friday’s report, 44 per day over the weekend!  Note the trend in recent months:

Solano’s 408 ACTIVE cases today is down from Friday’s high of 449, but still higher than anything since last February.  Active cases have risen dramatically in one week, up from last Monday’s 289 cases.

Our percent positivity rate was down slightly today at 11.9% but we would be back in the PURPLE TIER with rates this high.  The County failed to report today on Current Hospitalizations, Percent ICU Beds Available and Ventilators Available.  No reason given.

COVID is definitely still out there!  Some California counties are returning to mandatory masks for all in crowded places – that’s my personal plan even though I’m vaccinated, and I’d recommend it for you, too.

Solano County reported no new deaths today.  The County total is now 245 deaths since the pandemic began.

Hospitalizations on Monday, July 19:

Although Solano County does not report hospitalization data in timely fashion, it did add one new hospitalization today, a multi-race person age 65+, increasing the County total of hospitalizations to 1,308 persons hospitalized since the beginning of the outbreak, in the following age groups:

Age Group Hospitalizations % of Total
0-17 27 2%
18-49 327 25%
50-64 341 26%
65+ 613 47%
TOTAL 1,308 100%

Hospitalizations are also recorded on the County’s demographic chart labeled “Hospitalizations by Race / Ethnicity.”  The chart was updated today, adding one multi-race/other person.  Here are the current numbers.  Interestingly, the total doesn’t square with totals by age groups.

Race / Ethnicity Hospitalizations % of Total
Asians 184 15%
Black / African American 199 16%
Hispanic / Latinx 327 27%
White 406 34%
Multirace / Others 86 7%
TOTAL 1,202 99%
Cases by City on Monday, July 19:
  • Benicia added 6 new cases today, a total of 1,062 cases since the outbreak began, 3.9% of its population of 27,570.
  • Dixon added 4 new case today, total of 1,973 cases, 10.0% of its population of 19,794.
  • Fairfield added 23 new cases today, total of 9,388 cases, 8.0% of its population of 117,149.
  • Rio Vista added 4 new cases today, total of 412 cases, 4.4% of its population of 9,416.
  • Suisun City added 10 new cases today, total of 2,408 cases, 8.2% of its population of 29,447.
  • Vacaville added 40 new cases today, a total of 9,145 cases, 9.3% its of population of 98,807.
  • Vallejo added 45 new cases today, a total of 10,267 cases, 8.6% of its population of 119,544.
  • Unincorporated areas remained steady today, a total of 106 cases (population figures not available).

COMPARE: From the most recent report on Solano County’s COVID Dashboard, Friday, July 16:

The data on this page is from today’s and the previous Solano County COVID-19 Dashboard.  The Dashboard is full of much more information and updated weekdays 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.

Sources
Benicia CA, Coronavirus, Covid 19, Delta variant, Hospitalizations, Solano County CA, Solano County Health Department, Vaccine

Alert! Solano County is experiencing another surge…

By Roger Straw, Friday, July 16, 2021

Solano County on Friday July 16: 169 new COVID infections over 2 days, active cases up by 122, percent positive test rate rises to 12%!

See: All about the DELTA VARIANT.  Also, People with mild COVID can have long-term health problems.  And: “More than 70% of COVID-19 patients studied report having at least one “long haul” symptom that lasts for months.”  It’s not over yet!  Please encourage everyone to get vaccinated!

Solano County COVID dashboard SUMMARY:
[Sources: see below.  See also my ARCHIVE spreadsheet of daily Solano COVID updates.]
Solano cases Feb 10 and now, click to enlarge

Solano County reported  169 new COVID cases since Wednesday’s report, an average of 84 per day!!  We have not seen single-day increases this high since early February.  Note the trend: Solano County reported 1,288 new cases in April, an average of 43 per day.  In May, Solano reported 920 new cases, an average of 30 per day.  In June, we saw 751 new cases in Solano, an average of 23 new infections each day.  In the first 16 days of July we have seen 657 new cases, or 41 per day.

Solano’s 449 ACTIVE cases today is our highest since February 19 and has  risen daily over the last week: Wednesday 327 cases, Monday 289 cases, and last Friday 264 cases.

Percent Positive Tests up dramatically, click to enlarge

Our percent positivity rate was up to 12% today, from Wednesday’s 10.2%, Monday’s 9.2% and Friday’s 8.9%.  We would be back in the PURPLE TIER with rates this high.  Although Solano County does not report hospitalization data in timely fashion, it is noteworthy that availability of ICU beds is at 38%, continuing this week at levels not seen since March and April.  COVID is definitely still out there!  Some California counties are returning to mandatory masks for all in crowded places – that’s my personal plan even though I’m vaccinated, and I’d recommend it for you, too.

Solano County reported no new deaths today.  The County total is now 245 deaths since the pandemic began.

Hospitalizations on Friday, July 16:

Solano County reported an intake/discharge total of 19 CURRENTLY hospitalized persons with COVID today, unchanged since Wednesday.  The County updates the total of CURRENTLY hospitalized cases with every report, but never reports on the cumulative total of hospitalized COVID patients over the course of the pandemic.  That total must be independently discovered in the County’s occasional update on the demographic chart labeled “Hospitalizations by Age Group.”  That chart was not updated today and remains at a total of 1,307 persons hospitalized since the beginning of the outbreak, in the following age groups:

Age Group Hospitalizations % of Total
0-17 27 2%
18-49 327 25%
50-64 341 26%
65+ 612 47%
TOTAL 1,307 100%

Hospitalizations are also recorded on the County’s demographic chart labeled “Hospitalizations by Race / Ethnicity.”  The chart was not updated today.  Here are the current numbers.  Interestingly, the total doesn’t square with totals by age groups.

Race / Ethnicity Hospitalizations % of Total
Asians 184 15%
Black / African American 199 16%
Hispanic / Latinx 327 27%
White 406 34%
Multirace / Others 85 7%
TOTAL 1,201 99%
Cases by City on Friday, July 16:
  • Benicia added 8 new cases today, a total of 1,056 cases since the outbreak began, 3.8% of its population of 27,570.
  • Dixon added 10 new case today, total of 1,969 cases, 9.9% of its population of 19,794.
  • Fairfield added 42 new cases today, total of 9,365 cases, 8.0% of its population of 117,149.
  • Rio Vista remained steady today, total of 408 cases, 4.3% of its population of 9,416.
  • Suisun City added 22 new cases today, total of 2,398 cases, 8.1% of its population of 29,447.
  • Vacaville added 43 new cases today, a total of 9,105 cases, 9.2% its of population of 98,807.
  • Vallejo added 40 new cases today, a total of 10,222 cases, 8.6% of its population of 119,544 (up from 8.5%).
  • Unincorporated areas added 3 new cases today (the area’s first new cases since May 8!), total of 106 cases (population figures not available).

COMPARE: From the most recent report on Solano County’s COVID Dashboard, Wednesday, July 14:

The data on this page is from today’s and the previous Solano County COVID-19 Dashboard.  The Dashboard is full of much more information and updated weekdays 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.

Sources
Benicia CA, Coronavirus, Covid 19, Delta variant, Hospitalizations, Solano County CA, Solano County Health Department, Vaccine

COVID case numbers trending higher in Solano County, most active cases since April 30

By Roger Straw, Wednesday, July 14, 2021

Solano County’s Wednesday July 14 report: 84 new COVID infections over 2 days, active cases up by 38, ICU beds at 35% available, percent positive rate rises to 10.2%.

See: All about the DELTA VARIANT.  Also, People with mild COVID can have long-term health problems.  And: “More than 70% of COVID-19 patients studied report having at least one “long haul” symptom that lasts for months.”  It’s not over yet!

Solano County COVID dashboard on Wednesday, July 14:
[Sources: see below.  See also my ARCHIVE spreadsheet of daily Solano COVID updates.]
Solano County COVID-19 Dashboard – SUMMARY:

Solano County reported  84 new COVID cases since Monday’s report, an average of 42 per day!!  Note the trend: Solano County reported 1,288 new cases in April, an average of 43 per day.  In May, Solano reported 920 new cases, an average of 30 per day.  In June, we saw 751 new cases in Solano, an average of 23 new infections each day.  In the first 14 days of July we have seen 488 new cases, or 35 per day.

Solano’s 327 ACTIVE cases today is our highest since April 30 and up significantly from Monday’s 289 cases and last Friday’s 264 cases.  Our percent positivity rate was up to 10.2% today, from Monday’s 9.2% and Friday’s 8.9%.  Availability of ICU beds is at 35%, our lowest level since April 20.  COVID is definitely still out there – TAKE CARE!

Solano County reported no new deaths today.  The County total is now 245 deaths since the pandemic began.

Hospitalizations on Wednesday, July 14:

Solano County reported an intake/discharge total of 19 CURRENTLY hospitalized persons with COVID today, unchanged since Monday.  The County updates the total of CURRENTLY hospitalized cases with every report, but never reports on the cumulative total of hospitalized COVID patients over the course of the pandemic.  That total must be independently discovered in the County’s occasional update of the demographic chart labeled “Hospitalizations by Age Group.”  That chart was updated today, showing 1 new hospitalization, someone age 65+.  A new total of 1,307 persons have been hospitalized since the beginning of the outbreak, in the following age groups:

Age Group Hospitalizations % of Total
0-17 27 2%
18-49 327 25%
50-64 341 26%
65+ 612 47%
TOTAL 1,307 100%

Hospitalizations are also recorded on the County’s demographic chart labeled “Hospitalizations by Race / Ethnicity.”  The chart was updated today, adding 1 White person.  Here are the current numbers.  Interestingly, the total doesn’t square with totals by age groups.

Race / Ethnicity Hospitalizations % of Total
Asians 184 15%
Black / African American 199 16%
Hispanic / Latinx 327 27%
White 406 34%
Multirace / Others 85 7%
TOTAL 1,201 99%
Cases by City on Wednesday, July 14:
  • Benicia added 3 new cases today, a total of 1,048 cases since the outbreak began, 3.8% of its population of 27,570.
  • Dixon added 1 new case today, total of 1,959 cases, 9.9% of its population of 19,794.
  • Fairfield added 22 new cases today, total of 9,323 cases, 8.0% of its population of 117,149.  (up from 7.9%)
  • Rio Vista added 4 new cases today, total of 408 cases, 4.3% of its population of 9,416.
  • Suisun City added 13 new cases today, total of 2,376 cases, 8.1% of its population of 29,447.  (up from 8.0%)
  • Vacaville added 16 new cases today, a total of 9,062 cases, 9.2% its of population of 98,807.
  • Vallejo added 26 new cases today, a total of 10,182 cases, 8.5% of its population of 119,544.
  • Unincorporated areas remained steady for the 68th day in a row today (no increase since May 8!), total of 103 cases (population figures not available).
RE-OPENING GUIDELINES IN SOLANO COUNTY
Solano Public Health

See latest info on California’s COVID web page.  See also the Solano County Public Health Coronavirus Resources and Updates page.  (Click on the image at right to go directly to the page, or click on various links below to access the 10 sections on the County’s page.)

Solano County Guidance (posted June 15, 2021)
Everyday Life Face Coverings
Businesses & Employers COVID-19 Vaccination & Testing
Events & Travel Schools
Community Resources What to do if positive or exposed
Healthcare Settings Contact Information

COMPARE: From the most recent report on Solano County’s COVID Dashboard, Monday, July 12:

The data on this page is from today’s and the previous Solano County COVID-19 Dashboard.  The Dashboard is full of much more information and updated weekdays 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.

Sources
#BBLM, #BlackLivesMatter, Anti-racism, Benicia Black Lives Matter, Benicia CA, Racism

Latest ‘Our Voices’ – Racism is real in Benicia


BENICIA BLACK LIVES MATTER
…OUR VOICES…

From BeniciaBlackLivesMatter.com
[See also: About BBLM]

“I was horrified to witness such abject racism in my own city…”

July 13, 2021

Chris Kerz
70 year old white man
6 year Benicia resident

I consider myself a good person. I try to treat everyone with respect and compassion. I have friends of different cultures, different races, different socio-economic levels, and different age groups. I generally greet everyone in my path with the same friendliness and warmth. I know that racism exists everywhere, but I never expected to witness such viciousness in my own quiet community.

During the Covid months, like many people, I took at least one brisk walk every day to get my blood flowing and maintain some sense of normalcy. On this particular October 2020 day, I was walking through the Ninth Street Park from the north end around 3pm. As I approached the boat launch I saw a Black gentleman, possibly in his mid-40s, seemingly also out for a walk, heading in my direction. When he was about 20 feet from me and before I was able to greet him, I began to hear a low chanting of what sounded like the word “N****r” coming from the parking lot. I looked around. The parking lot had several cars in it, but from where I was, I couldn’t see any people in the cars. Then the chanting stopped.

At first I thought I was mistaken. That didn’t seem possible, particularly since I couldn’t see the source. We both circled around, going opposite directions, and neared the parking lot a second time. As we again approached each other, I heard it – the same chant, only louder. This time there was no mistaking the content or intent. The voices were men, and there was more than one. I met the eyes of the Black man and mouthed, “I’m sorry!” which, of course, he could not see through my mask. He sent me a furtive glance, but I couldn’t interpret what he was communicating either – Fear? Anger? Suspicion? I only know that I felt a terrible sense of anger and disappointment. And above all, I was shocked. The targeted man picked up his pace and headed towards the downtown area.

In the meantime, I doubled back through the parking lot one more time to see if I could identify the perpetrators. There were several people milling about and about a dozen cars in the lot, so it was hard to tell. A moment later, a vehicle with at least two people in it pulled out of a parking space and headed downtown. The driver exercised the appropriate caution and speed for exiting a parking lot, raising no particular suspicion other than his/her timing. Still, I thought it was likely they were the chanters. By the time they were clear of other cars, they were too far away for me to read the license plate, and even if I could, I knew that I had no evidence that the people in the car were involved in any way. My opportunity to identify anyone was lost.

And so I did the only thing I could. I retold the story of this horrifying event to my family and friends, not only as a witness, but in hopes that other Benicia residents acknowledge that racism does exist here and that we must be proactive in opposing it.

In hindsight, I would have liked to have been more of an active ally. I could have turned around and caught up with the man and asked if he needed any help and/or walked with him. I could have run through the parking lot looking for the sources of the ugliness and excoriated them, or at least obtained a description to call the police. I could have done a lot of things. I just hope for two things by making my story public: the man who was accosted will realize that he was not alone in his pain; and that the people of Benicia will wake up to the fact that these horrible injustices do indeed happen in our community and should NEVER be tolerated.

Previous ‘Our Voices’ stories here on the BenIndy at
Benicia Black Lives Matter – Our Voices
     or on the BBLM website at
beniciablacklivesmatter.weebly.com/ourvoices