Category Archives: Covid 19

Coronavirus, Covid 19, Solano County CA

COVID-19 May 12 UPDATE: Solano County adds 1 death and 9 new cases

Tuesday, May 12: 9 new positive cases, 1 new death. Total now 388 cases, 11 deaths.

Solano County Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Updates and Resources.  Check out basic information in this screenshot.  IMPORTANT: The County’s interactive page has more.  On the County website, you can click on “Number of cases” and then hover over the charts for detailed information.

Previous report, Monday, May 11

Summary

Solano County reported 9 new positive cases today, total is now 388.  1 new death, total now at 11.  One of the new cases was a young person under age 18.  The death was an elder, age 65 or older.  This makes 4 new deaths since Friday May 8.

BY AGE GROUP

  • 1 new case of a young person under 19 years of age, total of 7 cases, just under 2% of the 388 confirmed cases.
  • 5 of today’s 9 new cases were persons 19-64 years of age, total of 279 cases, 72% of the total.   No new deaths, total of 2.  Note that only 34 of the 279 cases in this age group (12.2%) were hospitalized at one time.  (It is unclear whether the 2 deaths were ever hospitalized.)
  • 3 of today’s 28 new cases were persons 65 or older, total of 102 cases, 26.3% of the total.  2 new deaths, total of 9.  (One of these deaths was included in yesterday’s overall County count but went unrecorded until now in this age-group chart.)  Note that 26 of the 102 cases in this age group (25.5%) were hospitalized at one time, more than double the percentage in the mid-age group.  (It is unclear whether the 7 deaths in this age group were ever hospitalized.)

HOSPITALIZATIONS: 61 of Solano’s 388 cases resulted in hospitalizations, same as yesterday.  Good news – no increase.

ACTIVE CASES:  47 of the 388 cases are active, 1 more than yesterday.   Note that the county does not report WHERE the active cases are.  Below you will see that only 13 are currently hospitalized, which leaves 34 of these 47 active cases out in our communities somewhere, and hopefully quarantined.

The County’s “Hospital Impact” graph shows 13 of the 61 hospitalized cases are CURRENTLY hospitalized, same as yesterday.  The County’s count of ICU beds available and ventilator supply remains at “GOOD” at 31-100%. (No information is given on our supply of test kits, PPE and staff.)

CITY DATA

  • Vallejo added 8 of today’s 9 new cases, total of  230.
  • Fairfield remains at 67 cases.
  • Vacaville added 1 of today’s 9 new cases, total of 37.
  • Suisun City remains at 20 cases.
  • Benicia remains at 18 cases.
  • Dixon, Rio Vista and “Unincorporated” are still not assigned numerical data: today all remain at <10 (less than 10).  Note that the numbers for other cities add up to 372, leaving 16 cases located somewhere among the locations in this “<10” category (same number as last reported).  Residents and city officials have pressured County officials for city case counts.  Today’s data is welcome, but still incomplete.

TESTING

The County reports that 5,669 residents have been tested as of today.  This is an increase of 93 residents tested since yesterday’s total of 5,576.  This comes a week after the County announced the opening of new State run testing sites in Vacaville and Vallejo, open to anyone.  When will we see our testing numbers surge?
· See Solano testing – by the numbers April 13 – present.
· See also Solano County announces testing available to all.
We have a long way to go: only 1% of Solano County’s 447,643 residents (2019) have been tested.

Solano’s upward curve – as of May 12

This chart shows the infection’s steady upward trajectory in Solano County.  Our “curve” continues to creep up.  Our nursing homes, long-term care facilities and jails bear watching!

Still incredibly important – everyone stay home, wear masks when you are out, and be safe!

Coronavirus, Covid 19, Solano County CA

Solano’s big COVID-19 weekend: 3 new deaths and 28 new cases

Monday, May 11
28 new positive cases, 3 new deaths.
Total now 379 cases, 10 deaths.

Solano County Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Updates and Resources.  Check out basic information in this screenshot. IMPORTANT: The County’s interactive page has more.  On the County website, you can click on “Number of cases” and then hover over the charts for detailed information.

Previous report, Friday, May 8

Summary

Solano County reported 28 new positive cases over the weekend and Monday, total is now 351.  3 new deaths, total now at 10.

OVER THE WEEKEND:

  • 17 new cases were reported on Saturday 5/9
  • 4 new cases were reported on Sunday 5/10
  • 7 new cases were reported today, Monday 5/11

BY AGE GROUP

  • No new cases of young persons under 19 years of age, total of 6 cases, just over 1.5% of the 379 confirmed cases.
  • 17 of today’s 28 new cases were persons 19-64 years of age, total of 274 cases, 72% of the total.   No new deaths, total of 2.  Note that only 34 of the 274 cases in this age group (12.4%) were hospitalized at one time.  (It is unclear whether the 2 deaths were ever hospitalized.)
  • 13 of today’s 28 new cases were persons 65 or older, total of 99 cases, 26.1% of the total.  2 new deaths, total of 7.  Note that 26 of the 99 cases in this age group (26.3%) were hospitalized at one time, more than double the percentage in the mid-age group.  (It is unclear whether the 7 deaths in this age group were ever hospitalized.)
  • There are two errors in the County’s report today.  The age group chart adds 17 plus 13 new cases totaling 30, when only 28 new cases are reported in the overall count.  Also, only 2 new deaths are reported in this age group chart, while the overall count shows 3.

HOSPITALIZATIONS: 61 of Solano’s 379 cases resulted in hospitalizations, an increase of only 1 over the weekend and Monday.  Relatively good news – a small increase.

ACTIVE CASES:  The number of active cases is back up after a mysterious dip on Friday.  46 of the 379 are active cases, 23 more than on Friday.  (Friday showed an unusually high drop in active cases – from 72 to 23, after the number hovered around 70 for the week preceding.) Note that the county does not report WHERE the active cases are.  Below you will see that only 13 are currently hospitalized, which leaves 33 of these 46 active cases out in our communities somewhere, and hopefully quarantined.

The County’s “Hospital Impact” graph shows 13 of the 61 hospitalized cases are CURRENTLY hospitalized, 3 more than on Friday.  The County’s count of ICU beds available and ventilator supply remains at “GOOD” at 31-100%. (No information is given on our supply of test kits, PPE and staff.)

CITY DATA

  • Vallejo added 20 of today’s 28 new cases, total of  222.
  • Fairfield added 2 of today’s 28 new cases, total of 67.
  • Vacaville remains at 36 (steady over the last 4 days).
  • Suisun City added 4 of today’s 28 new cases, total of 20.
  • Benicia added 2 of today’s 28 new cases, total of 18.
  • Dixon, Rio Vista and “Unincorporated” are still not assigned numerical data: today all remain at <10 (less than 10).  Note that the numbers for other cities add up to 363, leaving 16 cases located somewhere among the locations in this “<10” category (same number as last reported).  Residents and city officials have pressured County officials for city case counts.  Today’s data is welcome, but still incomplete.

TESTING

The County reports that 5,576 residents have been tested as of today.  This is an increase of 207 residents tested since Friday’s total of 5,379.  That is an average of only 69 new tests per day.  This relatively small increase comes a week after the County announced the opening of new State run testing sites in Vacaville and Vallejo, open to anyone.  When will we see our testing numbers surge?
· See Solano testing – by the numbers April 13 – present.
· See also Solano County announces testing available to all.
We have a long way to go: only 1% of Solano County’s 447,643 residents (2019) have been tested.

Solano’s upward curve in cumulative cases – as of May 11

This chart shows the infection’s steady upward trajectory in Solano County.  Our curve continues to creep up.  Our nursing homes, long-term care facilities and jails bear watching!

Still incredibly important – everyone stay home, wear masks when you are out, and be safe!

Benicia CA, Coronavirus, Covid 19, Re-opening, Solano County CA

City of Benicia Update on COVID-19 for May 11, 2020

PRESS RELEASE
CITY OF BENICIA
City Hall
250 East L Street
Benicia, California 94510

Contact: Lorie Tinfow, City Manager
ltinfow@ci.benicia.ca.us

CITY OF BENICIA UPDATE ON COVID-19
FOR MAY 11, 2020
Solano County Amends Shelter at Home Order to
Allow More Outdoor Activities and
Protocols for Reopening Low-Risk Businesses

Benicia, CA (May 11, 2020) – On Thursday, May 7, 2020, the Solano County Public Health Official amended the shelter-at-home order to allow some additional outdoor activities and low-risk businesses in Solano County to reopen subject to specific social distancing practices. In accordance with the order, the City of Benicia reopened the Phenix Dog Park, the skate park and the tennis courts at Civic Center Park. The tennis courts are reopened with posted restrictions that allow for singles only, no spectators, and no switching ends. A complete list of restrictions is posted at the courts. The reopening of facilities is subject to change as conditions evolve. Playgrounds, picnic areas, basketball courts and the James Lemos Swim Center remain closed at this time.

The amended order permits “low risk” businesses to reopen as described in Solano County’s Roadmap to Recovery, and includes requirements that must be met in order to reopen such as posting social distancing protocols at the entrance to the business. A sample social distance protocol is located in Appendix B of the order.

The sample social distance protocol found in Appendix B provides a check list to be posted at the entrance of businesses that acknowledges that protocols have been met in the following categories: signage, measures to protect employee health, measures to prevent crowds from gathering, measures to keep people at least six feet apart, measures to prevent unnecessary contact, measures to increase sanitation and measures to ensure compliance to protocol. Under the order, businesses classified as low-risk are allowed to reopen if they meet and continue to meet the social distance protocols that comply with the requirements listed in Exhibit B of the order.

A Solano County Business Reopenings Guide is available at www.beniciabusiness.com/covid-19-resources along with the latest updates for Benicia businesses. A version of Appendix B that can be edited and posted by business owners is available at http://www.solanocounty.com/depts/ph/coronavirus_links/roadmap_to_recovery.asp.

For any questions about the amended order, Solano County has a warm line to answer questions about COVID-19, including questions about whether a business or activity is considered essential or may reopen. Call 707.784.8988 or email covid19@solanocounty.com, Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. – 6 p.m.

###

Attachments:
• Solano County Business Reopenings Guide
• Solano County Public Health Officer Order 2020-07 Exhibit B
• Solano County Public Health Officer Order 2020-07 Appendix B

Coronavirus, Covid 19, Economy, Keeping Watch on Earth News, Re-opening, World, Worldwide pandemic

Reopenings risk more virus outbreaks in the U.S. and around the world

Reopenings bring new cases in S. Korea, virus fears in Italy

A street that is normally swarming with vacationers as the tourism season kicks off stands empty in Cyprus’ popular seaside resort village of Ayia Napa, Saturday, May 9, 2020. With coronavirus restrictions gradually lifting, Cyprus authorities are mulling ways to get holidaymakers back to the tourism-reliant island nation that officials say is conservatively estimated to lose at least 60% of its annual tourist arrivals. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
Associated Press, by Nicole Winfield, Vanessa Gera, Amy Forliti, 5/1020

ROME (AP) — South Korea’s capital closed down more than 2,100 bars and other nightspots Saturday because of a new cluster of coronavirus infections, Germany scrambled to contain fresh outbreaks at slaughterhouses, and Italian authorities worried that people were getting too friendly at cocktail hour during the country’s first weekend of eased restrictions.

The new flareups — and fears of a second wave of contagion — underscored the dilemma authorities face as they try to reopen their economies.

Around the world, the U.S. and other hard-hit countries are wrestling with how to ease curbs on business and public activity without causing the virus to come surging back.

In New York, the deadliest hot spot in the U.S., Gov. Andrew Cuomo said three children died from a possible complication of the coronavirus involving swollen blood vessels and heart problems. At least 73 children statewide have been diagnosed with symptoms similar to Kawasaki disease — a rare inflammatory condition — and toxic shock syndrome. But there is no proof the mysterious syndrome is caused by the virus.

Two members of the White House coronavirus task force — the heads of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Food and Drug Administration — placed themselves in quarantine after contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, a stark reminder that not even one of the nation’s most secure buildings is immune from the virus.

Elsewhere, Belarus, which has not locked down despite sharply rising infections, saw tens of thousands turn out to mark Victory Day, the anniversary of Nazi Germany’s defeat in 1945. Authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko has dismissed concerns about the virus as a “psychosis.”

That was in contrast to Russia, which skipped the usual grand military parade in Moscow’s Red Square. This year’s observance had been expected to be especially large because it is the 75th anniversary, but instead, President Vladimir Putin laid flowers at the tomb of the unknown soldier and a show of military might was limited to a flyover of 75 warplanes and helicopters.

Worldwide, 4 million people have been confirmed infected by the virus, and more than 279,000 have died, including over 78,000 in the U.S., according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. Spain, France, Italy and Britain have reported around 26,000 to 32,000 deaths each.

Germany and South Korea have both carried out extensive testing and contact tracing and have been hailed for avoiding the mass deaths that overwhelmed other countries. But even there, authorities have struggled to find the balance between saving lives and salvaging jobs.

Seoul shut down nightclubs, hostess bars and discos after dozens of infections were linked to people who went out last weekend as the country relaxed social distancing. Many of the infections were connected to a 29-year-old man who visited three nightclubs before testing positive.

Mayor Park Won-soon said health workers were trying to contact some 1,940 people who had been at the three clubs and other places nearby. The mayor said gains made against the virus are now threatened “because of a few careless people.”

Germany faced outbreaks at three slaughterhouses in what was seen as a test of its strategy for dealing with any resurgence as restrictions ease. At one slaughterhouse, in Coesfeld, 180 workers tested positive.

Businesses in the U.S. continue to struggle as more employers reluctantly conclude that their laid-off employees might not return to work anytime soon. Health officials are watching for a second wave of infections, roughly two weeks after states began gradually reopening with Georgia largely leading the way.

Some malls have opened up in Georgia and Texas, while Nevada restaurants, hair salons and other businesses were able to have limited reopenings Saturday or once again allow customers inside after nearly two months of restrictions.

The reopening of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park along the Tennessee-North Carolina border was a bit too tempting a draw as scores of nature lovers crowded parking lots and trails and even trekked into closed areas, park spokeswoman Dana Soehn said. Many did not wear masks.

In Los Angeles, hikes to the iconic hillside Hollywood sign and hitting the golf links were allowed as the California county hit hardest reopened some sites to recreation-starved stay-at-homers.

Mayor Eric Garcetti urged “good judgment” and said the city would rely on education and encouragement rather than heavy-handed enforcement: “Not our vision to make this like a junior high school dance with people standing too close to each other,” he said.

In New York, a Cuomo spokesman said the governor was extending stay-at-home restrictions to June 7, but another top aide later clarified that that was not so; the May 15 expiration date for the restrictions remains in place “until further notice,” Melissa DeRosa said in an evening statement.

The federal government said it was delivering supplies of remdesivir, the first drug shown to speed recovery for COVID-19 patients, to six more states, after seven others were sent cases of the medicine earlier this week.

Italy saw people return to the streets and revel in fine weather.

Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala warned that “a handful of crazy people” were putting his city’s recovery at risk and threatened to shut down the trendy Navigli district after crowds of young people were seen out at the traditional aperitivo hour ignoring social-distancing rules.

The Campo dei Fiori flower and vegetable market was also bustling in Rome. But confusion created frustrations for the city’s shopkeepers.

Carlo Alberto, owner of TabaCafe, an Argentine empanada bar that was selling cocktails to a few customers, said that since reopening this week, police had threatened to fine him over crowds outside.

“Am I supposed to send them home? They need a guard here to do that,” he said. “The laws aren’t clear, the decree isn’t clear. You don’t know what you can do.”

Elsewhere, Pakistan allowed shops, factories, construction sites and other businesses to reopen, even as more than 1,600 new cases and 24 deaths were reported. Prime Minister Imran Khan said the government was rolling back curbs because it can’t support millions who depend on daily wages. But controls could be reimposed if people fail to practice social distancing.

In Spain certain regions can scale back lockdowns starting Monday, with limited seating at bars, restaurants and other public places. But Madrid and Barcelona, the country’s largest cities, will remain shut down.

“The pandemic is evolving favorably, but there is a risk of another outbreak that could generate a serious catastrophe,” Spanish health official Fernando Simón said. “Personal responsibility is vital.”

Gera reported from Warsaw, Poland, and Forliti reported from Minneapolis. Associated Press journalists around the world contributed to this report.