Category Archives: Covid 19

Coronavirus, Covid 19, Solano County CA

Solano County confirms 880 new COVID cases in last 10 days, averaging 88 per day

[Source: Solano County Coronavirus Dashboard.  For a complete archive of day by day data, see my Excel ARCHIVE.]

Solano’s ACTIVE case count also up sharply, nearly doubling, adding 325 in last 10 days; 718 residents are currently considered active.  Test positivity rate still over 10%.

Friday, November 13: 133 new cases overnight, no new deaths, no new reports of hospitalizations.  Since the outbreak began: 8,729 cases, 545 hospitalized, 79 deaths.Compare previous report, Thursday, Nov. 12:Summary

  • Solano County reported 133 new cases overnight, following a huge weekend increase of 234, 64 more on Tuesday and 166 yesterday.  Total of 8,729 cases since the outbreak started.
  • Deaths – no new deaths reported today, total of 79 Solano deaths since the pandemic began.
  • Active cases – Solano reported 37 additional active cases today, total of 718.  Active cases have increased by 325 since last Wednesday, Nov. 4!  COMPARE: average number of Active Cases during October was 284 – now we are at 718!  Note that only 40 of these 718 individuals are hospitalized, so there are a lot of infected folks out among us, hopefully quarantined.  Is the County equipped to contact trace so many infected persons?  Who knows?  To my knowledge, Solano County has offered no reports on contact tracing.
  • Hospitalizations – Solano County reported the number of CURRENTLY hospitalized persons increased by 5 today, total of 40.  TOTAL hospitalized since the outbreak began supposedly remained steady today, a total of 545 of all ages hospitalized since the outbreak began.   CAUTION: According to a November 7 email from Dr. Bela Matyas, the County occasionally updates Age Group hospitalizations retroactively.  This accounts for the sudden 106 additions on October 29, a one-day increase of 25% in total hospitalizations.  Those 106 had never been recorded as CURRENTLY hospitalized.  My take on this is that the County’s daily updates on hospitalizations are nearly meaningless.  Nonetheless, I will continue to track both CURRENT hospitalizations and TOTAL hospitalizations since the outbreak began.  For manual calculation of total, see age group stats below.
  • ICU Beds – The County reported a slight increase in ICU beds available today, up from 28% to 29% but remaining in the yellow danger zone.  (Still no information about availability of ventilators.)

Positive Test Rate – extremely high, 10.1%

Solano County reported that our 7-day average positive test rate fell slightly today from 10.3% to 10.1%.  Average percent positive test rates are among the best metrics for measuring the spread of the virus.  The much lower and more stable California 7-day average test rate has also been on the rise lately, but remained steady today at 4.4%.  (Note that Solano County displays past weeks and months in a 7-day test positivity line graph which also shows daily results.  However, the chart does not display an accurate number of cases for the most recent days, as there is a lag time in receiving test results.  The 7-day curve also lags behind current unknown results.) 

By Age Group

  • Youth 17 and under – 20 new cases overnight, total of 1,021 cases, representing 11.7% of the 8,729 total cases.  No new hospitalizations reported today.  Thankfully, no deaths have ever been reported in Solano County in this age group.  But cases among Solano youth rose steadily over the summer, from 5.6% of total cases on June 8 to 11% on August 31 and has plateaued at over 11% since September 30.  Youth are 22% of Solano’s general population, so this 11.x% may seem low.  The significance is this: youth are SERIOUSLY NOT IMMUNE (!) – in fact 14 youth have now been hospitalized.
  • Persons 18-49 years of age – 83 (!) new cases overnight, total of 5,106 cases. This age group is 41% of the population in Solano, but represents just under 60% of the total cases, by far the highest percentage of all age groups. No new hospitalizations reported today, total of 181.  No new deaths in this young group today, total of 6 deaths.  Some in this group are surely ignoring public health orders, and many are providing essential services among us.  I expect this group is a major factor in the spread of the virus.
  • Persons 50-64 years of age – 24 new cases overnight, total of 1,684 cases.  This age group represents over 19% of the 8,729 total cases.  No new hospitalizations reported today, total of 152.  No new deaths in this age group today, a total of 15 deaths.
  • Persons 65 years or older – 6 new cases today, total of 914, representing 10.6% of Solano’s 8,729 total cases.  No new hospitalizations reported today, total of 198 since the outbreak began.  No new deaths in this age group today, total of 58 of our elders who died of COVID.  This group accounts for 58 of the 79 total deaths, or 73%.

City Data

  • Benicia added 5 new cases today, total of 229 cases since the outbreak began.
  • Dixon added 7 new cases today, total of 556 cases.
  • Fairfield added 30 new cases today, total of 2,743 cases.
  • Rio Vista added 5 new cases today, total of 72 cases.
  • Suisun City added 15 (!) new cases today, total of 619 cases.
  • Vacaville added 40 new cases today, total of 1,679 cases.
  • Vallejo added 31 new cases today, total of 2,804 cases.
  • Unincorporated areas remained steady today, total of 27 cases.

Race / Ethnicity

The County report on race / ethnicity includes case numbers, hospitalizations, deaths and Solano population statistics.  This information is discouragingly similar to national reports that indicate significantly worse outcomes among black and brown Americans.  Note that all of this data surely undercounts Latinx Americans, as there is a large group of “Multirace / Others” which likely is composed mostly of Latinx members of our communities.

  • Asian Americans are 14% of Solano’s population, and account for 9% of cases, 11% of hospitalizations, and 19% of deaths.
  • Black Americans are 14% of Solano’s population, and account for 12% of cases, but 18% of hospitalizations, and 23% of deaths.
  • Latinx Americans are 26% of Solano’s population, but account for 25% of cases, 28% of hospitalizations, and 17% of deaths.
  • White Americans are 39% of the population in Solano County, but only account for 24% of cases, 25% of hospitalizations and 32% of deaths.

More…

The County’s 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 significant portions.  For more, check out the Dashboard at https://doitgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=055f81e9fe154da5860257e3f2489d67.

Coronavirus, Covid 19, Solano County CA

Over Veterans Day holiday in Solano County, 166 new COVID infections, 3 new hospitalizations

[Source: Solano County Coronavirus Dashboard.  For a complete archive of day by day data, see my Excel ARCHIVE.]

Thursday, November 12: 166 new cases over 2 days, no new deaths, 3 new hospitalizations.  Since the outbreak began: 8,596 cases, 545 hospitalized, 79 deaths.Compare previous report, Tuesday, Nov. 10 (no report on 11/11, Veterans Day)…Summary

  • Solano County reported 166 new cases over 2 days, including Veterans Day, following a huge weekend increase of 234 and 64 on Tuesday.  Total of 8,596 cases since the outbreak started.
  • Deaths – no new deaths reported today, total of 79 Solano deaths since the pandemic began.
  • Active cases – Solano reported 101 (!) additional active cases today, total of 681.  The County has added 288 active cases since last Wednesday!  Note that only 35 of these 681 individuals are hospitalized, so there are a lot of infected folks out among us, hopefully quarantined.  Is the County equipped to contact trace so many infected persons?  Who knows?  To my knowledge, Solano County has offered no reports on contact tracing.
  • Hospitalizations – Solano County reported the number of CURRENTLY hospitalized persons increased by 4 today, total of 35.  TOTAL hospitalized since the outbreak began increased by 3 today, two individuals 18-49 years of age and one person 50-64 years of age, a total of 545 of all ages hospitalized since the outbreak began.   According to a November 7 email from Dr. Bela Matyas, the County occasionally updates Age Group hospitalizations retroactively.  This accounts for the sudden 106 additions on October 29, a one-day increase of 25% in total hospitalizations.  Those 106 had never been recorded as CURRENTLY hospitalized.  My take on this is that the County’s daily updates on hospitalizations are nearly meaningless.  Nonetheless, I will continue to track both CURRENT hospitalizations and TOTAL hospitalizations since the outbreak began.  For manual calculation of total, see age group stats below.
  • ICU Beds – The County reported fewer ICU beds available today, down from 35% to 28% entering today into the yellow danger zone.  (Still no information about availability of ventilators.)

Positive Test Rate – extremely high, 10.3%

Solano County reported that our 7-day average positive test rate rose today from 11.1% to 10.3%.  Average percent positive test rates are among the best metrics for measuring the spread of the virus.  The much lower and more stable California 7-day average test rate has also been on the rise lately, increasing today from 4.2% to 4.4%.  (Note that Solano County displays past weeks and months in a 7-day test positivity line graph which also shows daily results.  However, the chart does not display an accurate number of cases for the most recent days, as there is a lag time in receiving test results.  The 7-day curve also lags behind current unknown results.) 

By Age Group

  • Youth 17 and under – 19 new cases over the last two days, total of 1,001 cases, representing 11.7% of the 8,596 total cases.  No new hospitalizations reported today.  Thankfully, no deaths have ever been reported in Solano County in this age group.  But cases among Solano youth rose steadily over the summer, from 5.6% of total cases on June 8 to 11% on August 31 and has plateaued at over 11% since September 30.  Youth are 22% of Solano’s general population, so this 11.x% may seem low.  The significance is this: youth are SERIOUSLY NOT IMMUNE (!) – in fact 14 youth have now been hospitalized.
  • Persons 18-49 years of age – 96 new cases over the last two days, total of 5,023 cases. This age group is 41% of the population in Solano, but represents just under 60% of the total cases, by far the highest percentage of all age groups. 2 new hospitalizations reported today, total of 181.  No new deaths in this young group today, total of 6 deaths.  Some in this group are surely ignoring public health orders, and many are providing essential services among us.  I expect this group is a major factor in the spread of the virus.
  • Persons 50-64 years of age – 26 new cases over the last two days, total of 1,660 cases.  This age group represents over 19% of the 8,596 total cases.  1 new hospitalization reported today, total of 152.  No new deaths in this age group today, a total of 15 deaths.
  • Persons 65 years or older – 25 new cases today, total of 908, representing 10.6% of Solano’s 8,596 total cases.  No new hospitalizations reported today, total of 198 since the outbreak began.  No new deaths in this age group today, total of 58 of our elders who died of COVID.  This group accounts for 58 of the 79 total deaths, or 73%.

City Data

  • Benicia added 5 new cases today, total of 224 cases since the outbreak began.
  • Dixon added 2 new cases today, total of 549 cases.
  • Fairfield added 50 new cases today, total of 2,713 cases.
  • Rio Vista added 3 new cases today, total of 67 cases.
  • Suisun City added 3 new cases today, total of 604 cases.
  • Vacaville added 49 new cases today, total of 1,639 cases.
  • Vallejo added 54 new cases today, total of 2,773 cases.
  • Unincorporated areas remained steady today, total of 27 cases.

Race / Ethnicity

The County report on race / ethnicity includes case numbers, hospitalizations, deaths and Solano population statistics.  This information is discouragingly similar to national reports that indicate significantly worse outcomes among black and brown Americans.  Note that all of this data surely undercounts Latinx Americans, as there is a large group of “Multirace / Others” which likely is composed mostly of Latinx members of our communities.

  • Asian Americans are 14% of Solano’s population, and account for 10% of cases, 11% of hospitalizations, and 19% of deaths.
  • Black Americans are 14% of Solano’s population, and account for 12% of cases, but 18% of hospitalizations, and 23% of deaths.
  • Latinx Americans are 26% of Solano’s population, but account for 26% of cases, 28% of hospitalizations, and 17% of deaths.
  • White Americans are 39% of the population in Solano County, but only account for 23% of cases, 25% of hospitalizations and 32% of deaths.

More…

The County’s 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 significant portions.  For more, check out the Dashboard at https://doitgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=055f81e9fe154da5860257e3f2489d67.

Coronavirus, Covid 19, Local news media, Solano County Health Department, Solano County Health Officer Bela Matyas, Solano County Supervisor Jim Spering

Slanted coverage of Solano’s poor response to recent COVID surge

[Editor: The Fairfield Daily Republic is the only news agency in Solano County that covers meetings of the Solano County Board of Supervisors.  Their coverage is decidedly conservative, but regularly contains valuable news about Solano’s response (and lack of adequate response) to the COVID-19 crisis.  In today’s story, I will highlight several highly concerning quotes, followed by my critical observations below, after the Daily Republic article.  – R.S.]

Solano close to ‘purple,’ again; Hannigan calls for public campaign

Fairfield Daily Republic, By Todd R. Hansen, November 11, 2020
Dr. Bela Matyas, Solano County Health Officer

FAIRFIELD — Dr. Bela Matyas, the Solano County health officer, told the Board of Supervisors Tuesday that the state’s testing adjustments are not likely to save the county from regressing into the state’s most-restrictive purple tier if the case rate is not lowered.

“The county’s current experience with Covid-19 has not been good,” said Matyas, noting a case rate nearly as high as 80 per day over the weekend.

Add that to the 136 cases reported Friday, that four-day average was 93.2 cases – more than three times higher than the 30.7-case average the county needs to be at or below to stay in the red tier.

There were 64 new cases reported in Tuesday’s Public Health pdate, which would put the five-day average at nearly 87.4.

“Our current case rate is nearly as high as our peak (during the novel coronavirus pandemic),” Matyas said.

The update to the board included the usual discussion of the cause of the case increases, which in Solano County comes back to the usual response: social gatherings of friends and family.

Matyas noted that Public Health hears people say they are concerned about meeting strangers in public so they take precautions, but they do not take the same precautions around family and friends.

 He also said that if the county does not want its businesses harmed, it needs to convince the governor’s office that the care rate has nothing to do with businesses. 

“I think we need a mask and social distancing campaign,” Supervisor Erin Hannigan said.

She proposed a media campaign using social media, TV, radio, school education and even the back of buses to get the message out to wear face coverings and keep a safe distance no matter what the setting: work, home or in the community.

 Supervisor Jim Spering was not convinced the expense would necessarily have the desired results, but he is increasingly frustrated that it will be businesses that will pay the price for the choices being made by county residents. “They are just ruining more lives, more businesses ; it’s unconscionable,” Spering said.

However, the board heard from several members of the public about their beliefs that face coverings do not work, and that the county should stop promoting it.

In addition to the state guidelines, face coverings are part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention protocols and fully endorsed by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Hannigan’s campaign idea, because it would educate children who would presumably take the lessons home, was also likened to a Nazi Germany propaganda approach.

The board also was urged, again, to take down from its website the phone number locals can use to report Covid-19 protocol violations by businesses.

Terry Schmidtbauer, the acting director of the Department of Resource Management, reported that since August, the county has received 267 complaints, which resulted in 203 site visits. Only seven of those have required a third inspection, which triggers the county referring the matter to law enforcement or state agencies.

In general, he said, the businesses are following the regulations.

 Matyas said the Halloween numbers are starting to show up in the Public Health data as well, noting that the new surge is mostly younger residents. That means the hospitalization numbers are not spiking like in past surges , but the disease has made its way into 15 care facilities, and some of those who are transmitting the disease, Matyas said, are medical staff who have participated in social gatherings but without following safety protocols.

It is in those facilities where the fatalities begin to rise. The past three deaths in the county were in a memory care facility in Vacaville, bringing the total to 79.

The Public Health Division reported that with the 61 news cases, the countywide total is 8,430.

 Matyas said he fully expects the state to put the county on notice, and while Solano will appeal the state’s position next week to put off a final state decision, in two more weeks the county could be going back to “purple.” 

The other key piece to the state’s decision is the seven-day testing rate, which was reported Tuesday at 10.1% – well above the purple tier threshold of 8%.

California’s color-coded monitoring system designates the purple tier for counties where transmission of the novel coronavirus is considered to be widespread. Shutdown orders for counties in the purple tier are the most severe. The red tier is for counties with substantial spread of the virus. The orange tier designates moderate virus transmission, while the yellow tier is reserved for counties where the spread of the virus is deemed to be minimal.

Restrictions to slow the spread of the virus are eased as counties move from purple to red, red to orange and orange to yellow.

 Hospitalizations across Solano County were at 31 Tuesday, the same as Monday ; and the number of active cases continues to rise, up from 577 to 580.  [continued…]

Quote from the Daily Republic:
“[Matyas] also said that if the county does not want its businesses harmed, it needs to convince the governor’s office that the care rate has nothing to do with businesses.”
Commentary:  This sentence perfectly captures the business-centric approach expressed time and again by our Public Health Officer and by one or more of his employers who sit on our Solano County Board of Supervisors.  I wish our businesses well, but it is not at all clear to me that “the case rate has nothing to do with businesses.”  Solano’s contact tracing may show more transmission due to private social gatherings, but there is no doubt in my mind that our businesses remain a threat to viral exposure as well.  Too often, our County leadership fails to properly call out businesses to enforce masking or face consequences.  And our County leadership completely fails to acknowledge the value of returning to business and community shutdowns when the numbers indicate a return to the purple tier.

Quote from the Daily Republic:
“Supervisor Jim Spering was not convinced the expense would necessarily have the desired results, but he is increasingly frustrated that it will be businesses that will pay the price for the choices being made by county residents.”
Commentary:  Supervisor Spering has consistently over the years promoted business interests at the expense of human welfare on issues like air quality and regulation of Bay Area refineries.  “Businesses will pay the price”?!  While people are sick and dying?  This sounds like the voice of a die-hard (as it were) right-wing doubter, not unlike the anti-government protesters spreading misinformation and casting nasty names at Board meetings.

Quote from the Daily Republic:
“Matyas said the Halloween numbers are starting to show up in the Public Health data as well, noting that the new surge is mostly younger residents. That means the hospitalization numbers are not spiking like in past surges…Hospitalizations across Solano County were at 31 Tuesday, the same as Monday…”
Commentary:  Well, we have learned directly from Dr. Matyas (in an email to me on November 7) that his office goes back periodically and adds large numbers of hospitalizations after the fact.  This practice increased the total hospitalizations by 106 in a single day on October 29, a single-day increase of 25%.  How can he with a straight face report that “hospitalization numbers are not spiking like in past surges,” when he knows from experience that he will likely need to go back and add hospitalizations at a later date?

Quote from the Daily Republic:
“Matyas said he fully expects the state to put the county on notice, and while Solano will appeal the state’s position next week to put off a final state decision, in two more weeks the county could be going back to ‘purple.'”
Commentary:  Solano’s kneejerk stance is to appeal.  At every step, Solano has resisted the direction of our State health officials.  Matyas has been featured on several Bay Area news media expressing disapproval of our State’s best guidance.  He seems to fear “going back to ‘purple'” more than overseeing a surge in illness and death that is spreading throughout the nation.

 

Coronavirus, Covid 19, Solano County CA

Solano COVID update – test rate still over 10%, 64 new cases overnight, 6 new hospitalizations

[Source: Solano County Coronavirus Dashboard.  For a complete archive of day by day data, see my Excel ARCHIVE.]

Tuesday, November 10: 64 new cases overnight, no new deaths, 6 new hospitalizations.  Since the outbreak began: 8,430 cases, 542 hospitalized, 79 deaths.Compare previous report, Monday, Nov. 9:Summary

  • Solano County reported 64 new cases overnight, following a huge weekend increase of 234 .  Total of 8,430 cases since the outbreak started.
  • Deaths – no new deaths reported today, total of 79 Solano deaths since the pandemic began.
  • Active cases – Solano reported 3 additional active cases today, total of 580.  The County has added 187 active cases since last Wednesday!  Note that only 31 of these 580 individuals are hospitalized, so there are a lot of infected folks out among us, hopefully quarantined.  Is the County equipped to contact trace so many infected persons?  Who knows?  To my knowledge, Solano County has offered no reports on contact tracing.
  • Hospitalizations – Solano County reported the number of CURRENTLY hospitalized persons remained steady overnight, total of 31.  TOTAL hospitalized since the outbreak began increased by 6 today, all individuals 65+ years of age, a total of 542 of all ages hospitalized since the outbreak began.   According to a November 7 email from Dr. Bela Matyas, the County occasionally updates Age Group hospitalizations retroactively.  This accounts for the sudden 106 additions on October 29, a one-day increase of 25% in total hospitalizations.  Those 106 had never been recorded as CURRENTLY hospitalized.  My take on this is that daily updates on CURRENT hospitalizations are nearly meaningless.  Nonetheless, I will continue to track both CURRENT hospitalizations and TOTAL hospitalizations since the outbreak began.  For manual calculation of total, see age group stats below.
  • ICU Beds – The County reported fewer ICU beds available today, down from 41% to 35%.  (Still no information about availability of ventilators.)

Positive Test Rate – continuing very high, 10.1%

Solano County reported that our 7-day average positive test rate fell today from it’s highest rate ever of 11.4% to a nearly as alarming 10.1%.  Average percent positive test rates are among the best metrics for measuring the spread of the virus.  The much lower and more stable California 7-day average test rate has also been on the rise lately, increasing today from 4.1% to 4.2%.  (Note that Solano County displays past weeks and months in a 7-day test positivity line graph which also shows daily results.  However, the chart does not display an accurate number of cases for the most recent days, as there is a lag time in receiving test results.  The 7-day curve also lags behind current unknown results.) 

By Age Group

  • Youth 17 and under – 4 new cases overnight, total of 982 cases, representing 11.7% of the 8,430 total cases.  No new hospitalizations reported today.  Thankfully, no deaths have ever been reported in Solano County in this age group.  But cases among Solano youth rose steadily over the summer, from 5.6% of total cases on June 8 to 11% on August 31 and has plateaued at over 11% since September 30.  Youth are 22% of Solano’s general population, so this 11.x% may seem low.  The significance is this: youth are SERIOUSLY NOT IMMUNE (!) – in fact 14 youth have now been hospitalized.
  • Persons 18-49 years of age – 35 new cases overnight, total of 4,927 cases. This age group is 41% of the population in Solano, but represents just under 60% of the total cases, by far the highest percentage of all age groups. No new hospitalizations reported today, total of 179.  No new deaths in this young group today, total of 6 deaths.  Some in this group are surely ignoring public health orders, and many are providing essential services among us.  I expect this group is a major factor in the spread of the virus.
  • Persons 50-64 years of age – 14 new cases overnight, total of 1,634 cases.  This age group represents over 19% of the 8,430 total cases.  No new hospitalizations reported today, total of 151.  No new deaths in this age group today, a total of 15 deaths.
  • Persons 65 years or older – 11 new cases today, total of 883, representing 10.4% of Solano’s 8,430 total cases.  6 new hospitalizations reported today, total of 198 since the outbreak began.  No new deaths in this age group today, total of 58 of our elders who died of COVID.  This group accounts for 58 of the 79 total deaths, or 73%.

City Data

  • Benicia added 4 new cases today, total of 219 cases since the outbreak began.
  • Dixon remained steady today, total of 547 cases.
  • Fairfield added 17 new cases today, total of 2,663 cases.
  • Rio Vista remained steady today, total of 64 cases.
  • Suisun City added 3 new cases today, total of 601 cases.
  • Vacaville added 18 new cases today, total of 1,590 cases.
  • Vallejo added 22 new cases today, total of 2,719 cases.
  • Unincorporated areas remained steady today, total of 27 cases.

Race / Ethnicity

The County report on race / ethnicity includes case numbers, hospitalizations, deaths and Solano population statistics.  This information is discouragingly similar to national reports that indicate significantly worse outcomes among black and brown Americans.  Note that all of this data surely undercounts Latinx Americans, as there is a large group of “Multirace / Others” which likely is composed mostly of Latinx members of our communities.

  • Asian Americans are 14% of Solano’s population, and account for 9% of cases, 11% of hospitalizations, and 19% of deaths.
  • Black Americans are 14% of Solano’s population, and account for 12% of cases, but 18% of hospitalizations, and 23% of deaths.
  • Latinx Americans are 26% of Solano’s population, but account for 26% of cases, 28% of hospitalizations, and 17% of deaths.
  • White Americans are 39% of the population in Solano County, but only account for 23% of cases, 25% of hospitalizations and 32% of deaths.

More…

The County’s 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 significant portions.  For more, check out the Dashboard at https://doitgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=055f81e9fe154da5860257e3f2489d67.