Category Archives: Face coverings

Case numbers back up in Solano County, Benicia sees a surprising 17 new cases


By Roger Straw, Friday, October 1, 2021

Friday, October 1: Solano County reports 270 new infections, including a recent high of 17 new cases in Benicia

Solano County COVID dashboard SUMMARY:
[Sources: see below.]

DEATHS: no new COVID-related deaths reported todayTotal Solano deaths over the course of the pandemic remains at 297.  The County reported 9 new deaths last week and 7 this week, a total of 27 in September:

CASES: The County reported  200 new COVID cases in the last 2 days, 100 per day.  Last week’s average was 152 per day, and on Wednesday the County reported 135 per day, so Monday’s standout report of only 16 per day over the weekend was surely incomplete or erroneous.

COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION RATE: Over the last 7 days, Solano has seen 518 new cases, up from 460 on Wednesday and firmly back into the CDC’s population-based definition of a HIGH transmission rate after only 1 Solano dashboard report placing the County below that level.

(CDC FORMULA: Based on Solano County population of 449,432, the CDC would rate us in “SUBSTANTIAL” transmission with 225 cases over the last 7 days.  Double that, or 450 cases in the last 7 days would rank us in “HIGH” transmission.  Reference: CDC’s “Level of SARS-CoV-2 Community Transmission”.]

ACTIVE CASES: Solano’s 545 ACTIVE cases is up slightly over Wednesday’s 537, and far above our summer rates.

POSITIVE TEST RATE:  Our 7-day average percent positivity rate was 7.8% today, up from Wednesday’s 7.2%.  COMPARE: today’s California rate is 2.0% and today’s U.S. rate is 6.6%[Source: Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Tracking Center]

HOSPITALIZATIONS:

CURRENT hospitalizations were down today from 54 to 46 persons, but still in the range we saw during the winter surge.

ICU Bed Availability is down today, from 22% to only 18%, in the yellow danger zone.  Again, we are in the worrisome range we saw during the winter surge.

Ventilator Availability went up slightly today from 53% to 57%, still in the range of last February’s winter surge.

TOTAL hospitalizations: Solano County’s TOTAL hospitalized over the course of the pandemic must be independently discovered in the County’s occasional update of hospitalizations by Age Group and by Race/Ethnicity.  The County adjusted its Hospitalizations charts today, adding 29 previously unreported hospitalizations.  See below.  The differing race/ethnicity numbers indicate a number of persons whose race/ethnicity was not given or recorded.  All percentages remain unchanged except for a 1% drop in the percentage of persons age 50-64.

FACE MASKS… Required for all in Benicia and Vallejo

Benicia City Council passed a citywide indoors mask mandate that went into effect on August 24 and includes everyone 4 years old and up when indoors in public places, even those of us who are vaccinated.  Benicia was joined by Vallejo on August 31.  In the Bay Area, Solano County REMAINS the only holdout against a mask mandate for public indoors spaces.

I know this is getting to be old news, but it seems so important to me… SOLANO COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS failed to consider an agendized proposal for a countywide MASK MANDATE on Tuesday, September 14.  The Board’s agenda called for discussion of an indoors mask mandate for all and a vaccination mandate for county workers.  The Board voted 4-1 to require county-run facilities in Vallejo and Benicia to abide by local mandates.  But the Board voted down the vaccination mandate 3-2, and failed to even consider the agendized question of a county-wide mask mandate.  The Solano Board of Supervisors joined with Dr. Bela Matyas in officially showing poor leadership on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cases by City on Friday, October 1:
  • Benicia added 17(!) new cases today, a total of 1,439 cases since the outbreak began.  Benicia has seen 27 new cases over the last 7 days, very nearly back in the CDC’s definition of HIGH community transmission (defined as 28 or more cases, based on Benicia population).  17 new cases today represents a one-day return to August numbers.  Will this increase in cases continue?  If so, we may have an October COVID outbreak in Benicia.  [Note that Solano County is at a level of HIGH transmission, and Solano’s 6 other cities are likely also individually experiencing high or substantial transmission.]
  • Dixon added 8 new cases today, total of 2,473 cases.
  • Fairfield added 54 new cases today, total of 11,938 cases.
  • Rio Vista added 1 new case today, total of 569 cases.
  • Suisun City added 14 new cases today, total of 3,156 cases.
  • Vacaville added 42 new cases today, a total of 11,689 cases.
  • Vallejo added 62 new cases today, a total of 13,050 cases.
  • Unincorporated added 2 new cases today, a total of 139 cases (population figures not available).

Continue reading Case numbers back up in Solano County, Benicia sees a surprising 17 new cases

Solano County: Monday’s numbers were a fluke, surge not over yet


By Roger Straw, Wednesday, September 29, 2021

Wednesday, September 29: Solano County reports 3 deaths and 270 new infections.

Solano County COVID dashboard SUMMARY:
[Sources: see below.]

DEATHS: 3 new COVID-related deaths today, one age 50-64 and 2 over 65.  The County’s update of deaths by race / ethnicity increased by 4 today, including 2 Asians, 1 Black and 1 White.  (Reasons for the discrepancy unknown.)  Total Solano deaths over the course of the pandemic now at 297.  The County reported 9 new deaths last week and 27 so far in September:

Total deaths by age and race/ethnicity:

CASES: The County reported  270 new COVID cases in just the last 2 days, 135 per day.  Last week’s average was 152 per day, so Monday’s standout report of only 16 per day over the weekend was surely incomplete or erroneous.

COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION RATE: Over the last 7 days, Solano has seen 460 new cases, back into the CDC’s population-based definition of a HIGH transmission rate after only 1 Solano dashboard report placing the County below that level.

(CDC FORMULA: Based on Solano County population of 449,432, the CDC would rate us in “SUBSTANTIAL” transmission with 225 cases over the last 7 days.  Double that, or 450 cases in the last 7 days would rank us in “HIGH” transmission.  Reference: CDC’s “Level of SARS-CoV-2 Community Transmission”.]

ACTIVE CASES: Solano’s 537 ACTIVE cases are a significant increase over Monday’s 412, and far above our summer rates.

POSITIVE TEST RATE:  Our 7-day average percent positivity rate was 7.2% today, up significantly from Monday’s low of 5.6%.  COMPARE: today’s California rate is 2.1%. Today’s U.S. rate is 7.0%[Source: Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Tracking Center]

HOSPITALIZATIONS:

CURRENT hospitalizations were down today from 61 to 54 persons, but still in the range we saw during the winter surge.

ICU Bed Availability is down today, from 24% to 22%, and still the yellow danger zone.  Again, we are in the worrisome range we saw during the winter surge.

Ventilator Availability went down slightly today from 54% to 53%, still in the range of last February’s winter surge.

TOTAL hospitalizations  Solano County’s TOTAL hospitalized over the course of the pandemic must be independently discovered in the County’s occasional update of hospitalizations by Age Group and by Race/Ethnicity.  The County adjusted its Hospitalizations charts today, adding 1 (or maybe 2) hospitalizations.  See below.  The race/ethnicity numbers indicate a number of persons whose race/ethnicity was not given or recorded.  All percentages remain unchanged.

FACE MASKS… Required for all in Benicia and Vallejo

Benicia City Council passed a citywide indoors mask mandate that went into effect on August 24 and includes everyone 4 years old and up when indoors in public places, even those of us who are vaccinated.  Benicia was joined by Vallejo on August 31.  In the Bay Area, Solano County REMAINS the only holdout against a mask mandate for public indoors spaces.

THE SOLANO COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS failed to consider an agendized proposal for a countywide MASK MANDATE on Tuesday, September 14.  The Board’s agenda called for discussion of an indoors mask mandate for all and a vaccination mandate for county workers.  The Board voted 4-1 to require county-run facilities in Vallejo and Benicia to abide by local mandates.  But the Board voted down the vaccination mandate 3-2, and failed to even consider the agendized question of a county-wide mask mandate.  The Solano Board of Supervisors joined with Dr. Bela Matyas in officially showing poor leadership on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cases by City on Wednesday, September 29:
  • Benicia added 9 new cases today, a total of 1,422 cases since the outbreak began.  Benicia has seen 14 new cases over the last 7 days, very nearly dropping (for the first time since July 14) below the CDC’s definition of SUBSTANTIAL community transmission (defined as 14-28 cases, based on Benicia population).  [Note that Solano County is at a level of HIGH transmission, and Solano’s 6 other cities are likely also individually experiencing high or substantial transmission.]
  • Dixon added 17 new cases today, total of 2,465 cases.
  • Fairfield added 63 new cases today, total of 11,884 cases.
  • Rio Vista added 7 new cases today, total of 568 cases.
  • Suisun City added 21 new cases today, total of 3,142 cases.
  • Vacaville added 60 new cases today, a total of 11,647 cases.
  • Vallejo added 93! new cases today, a total of 12,988 cases.
  • Unincorporated added 0 new cases today, a total of 137 cases (population figures not available).

Continue reading Solano County: Monday’s numbers were a fluke, surge not over yet

COVID infections slowing in Solano, but County records 4 new deaths and 31 hospitalizations


By Roger Straw, Monday, September 27, 2021

Monday, September 27: Solano County reports only 48 new infections over the weekend, but adds 4 deaths and 31 hospitalizations

Solano County COVID dashboard SUMMARY:
[Sources: see below.]

DEATHS: 4 new COVID-related deaths todayTotal Solano deaths over the course of the pandemic now at 294.  The County reported 9 new deaths last week and 24 so far in September:

Total deaths by age and race/ethnicity:

CASES: The County reported  only 48 new COVID cases over the 3- day weekend, 16 per day.  We have not seen numbers this low since June 16.  I hope it’s accurate, but it’s such a quick drop that it does make me wonder if there was a mistake!

COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION RATE: Over the last 7 days, Solano has seen 402 new cases, dropping for the first time since July 21 slightly below the CDC’s population-based definition of a HIGH transmission rate.  Solano is now at the upper limit of the CDC’s SUBSTANTIAL rate of transmission.

(CDC FORMULA: Based on Solano County population of 449,432, the CDC would rate us in “SUBSTANTIAL” transmission with 225 cases over the last 7 days.  Double that, or 450 cases in the last 7 days would rank us in “HIGH” transmission.  Reference: CDC’s “Level of SARS-CoV-2 Community Transmission”.]

ACTIVE CASES: Solano’s 412 ACTIVE cases is down from Friday’s 646, but still far above our summer rates.

POSITIVE TEST RATE:  Our 7-day average percent positivity rate was only 5.6% today, down significantly from 7.5% on Friday, and the lowest we’ve seen since June 28.  COMPARE: today’s California rate is 2.6%. [Source: LA Times Covid Tracker]  Today’s U.S. rate is 7.2%[Source: CDC Data Tracker]

HOSPITALIZATIONS:

CURRENT hospitalizations were down today from 64 to 61 persons, but still in the range we saw during the winter surge.

ICU Bed Availability is up some today, from 21% to 24%, and still the yellow danger zone.  Again, we are in the worrisome range we saw during the winter surge.

Ventilator Availability went up today from 48% to 54%, an improvement, but still in the range of last February’s winter surge.

TOTAL hospitalizations  Solano County’s TOTAL hospitalized over the course of the pandemic must be independently discovered in the County’s occasional update of hospitalizations by Age Group and by Race/Ethnicity.  The County updated its Hospitalizations charts today, adding 31 previously unreported hospitalizations.  See below.  The race/ethnicity numbers indicate a number of persons whose race/ethnicity was not given or recorded.  All percentages remain unchanged.

FACE MASKS… Required for all in Benicia and Vallejo

Benicia City Council passed a citywide indoors mask mandate that went into effect on August 24 and includes everyone 4 years old and up when indoors in public places, even those of us who are vaccinated.  Benicia was joined by Vallejo on August 31.  In the Bay Area, Solano County REMAINS the only holdout against a mask mandate for public indoors spaces.

THE SOLANO COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS failed to even consider an agendized proposal for a countywide MASK MANDATE.  On Tuesday, September 14, the Board’s agenda called for discussion of an indoors mask mandate for all and a vaccination mandate for county workers.  The Board voted 4-1 to require county-run facilities in Vallejo and Benicia to abide by local mandates.  But the Board voted down the vaccination mandate 3-2, and failed to even consider the county-wide mask mandate.  The Solano Board of Supervisors now joins with Dr. Bela Matyas in officially showing poor leadership on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cases by City on Monday, September 27:
  • Benicia added 1 new case today, a total of 1,413 cases since the outbreak began.  Benicia has seen 15 new cases over the last 7 days, VERY NEARLY dropping below the CDC’s definition of SUBSTANTIAL community transmission (defined as 14-28 cases, based on Benicia population).  [Note that Solano County is also rated far above substantial transmission, and Solano’s 6 other cities are likely also individually experiencing high or substantial transmission.]
  • Dixon added 1 new case today, total of 2,448 cases.
  • Fairfield added 6 new cases today, total of 11,821 cases.
  • Rio Vista added 0 new cases today, total of 561 cases.
  • Suisun City added 6 new cases today, total of 3,121 cases.
  • Vacaville added 14 new cases today, a total of 11,587 cases.
  • Vallejo added 20 new cases today, a total of 12,895 cases.
  • Unincorporated added 0 new cases today, a total of 137 cases (population figures not available).

Continue reading COVID infections slowing in Solano, but County records 4 new deaths and 31 hospitalizations

Solano County’s 2-day COVID update: 142 new cases and 11 hospitalized


By Roger Straw, Friday, September 24, 2021

Friday, September 24: Solano County reports 142 new infections and 11 additional hospitalizations

Solano County COVID dashboard SUMMARY:
[Sources: see below.]

DEATHS: no new deaths todayTotal Solano deaths over the course of the pandemic now at 290.  Solano Health Officer Dr.  Bela Matyas recently noted a surprising 24% of deaths during the recent Solano surge were vaccinated individuals.  It seems a clear signal for those of us who have been vaccinated to continue to wear masks and steer clear of close aerosol contact with unknown others.  Total deaths by age and race/ethnicity:

CASES: The County reported  142 new COVID cases since Wednesday, 71 per day.

COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION RATE: Over the last 7 days, Solano has seen 556 new cases, 2.5 TIMES the CDC’s population-based definition of a SUBSTANTIAL rate of transmission and 1.2 TIMES the CDC’s definition of a HIGH rate of transmission.

(CDC FORMULA: Based on Solano County population of 449,432, the CDC would rate us in “SUBSTANTIAL” transmission with 225 cases over the last 7 days.  Double that, or 450 cases in the last 7 days would rank us in “HIGH” transmission.  Reference: CDC’s “Level of SARS-CoV-2 Community Transmission”.]

ACTIVE CASES: Solano’s 646 ACTIVE cases is down slightly from Wednesday’s 649, and still far above our summer rates.

POSITIVE TEST RATE:  Our 7-day average percent positivity rate was 7.5% today, down a bit from 8.2% on Wednesday.  COMPARE: today’s California rate is 2.3%.  Today’s U.S. rate is 7.9%[Source: Johns Hopkins]

HOSPITALIZATIONS:

CURRENT hospitalizations were down today from 74 to 64 persons, but still in the range we saw during the winter surge.

ICU Bed Availability is up some today, from 18% to 21%, and still low in the yellow danger zone.  Again, we are in the worrisome range we saw during the winter surge.

Ventilator Availability remained at only 48%, somewhere in the range of last February’s winter surge.

TOTAL hospitalizations  Solano County’s TOTAL hospitalized over the course of the pandemic must be independently discovered in the County’s occasional update of hospitalizations by Age Group and by Race/Ethnicity.  The County updated its Hospitalizations charts today, adding 11 previously unreported hospitalizations.  See below.  The race/ethnicity numbers indicate a number of persons whose race/ethnicity was not given or recorded.  All percentages remain unchanged.

FACE MASKS… Required for all in Benicia and Vallejo

GOOD NEWS! Benicia City Council passed a citywide indoors mask mandate that went into effect on August 24 and includes everyone 4 years old and up when indoors in public places, even those of us who are vaccinated.  Benicia was joined by Vallejo on August 31.  In the Bay Area, Solano County REMAINS the only holdout against a mask mandate for public indoors spaces.

THE SOLANO COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS failed to even consider an agendized proposal for a countywide MASK MANDATE last week.  On Tuesday, September 14, the Board’s agenda called for discussion of an indoors mask mandate for all and a vaccination mandate for county workers.  The Board voted 4-1 to require county-run facilities in Vallejo and Benicia to abide by local mandates.  But the Board voted down the vaccination mandate 3-2, and failed to even consider the county-wide mask mandate.  The Solano Board of Supervisors now joins with Dr. Bela Matyas in officially showing poor leadership on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cases by City on Friday, September 24:
  • Benicia added 4 new cases today, a total of 1,412 cases since the outbreak began.  Benicia has seen 24 new cases over the last 7 days, dropping just below the CDC’s definition of HIGH community transmission (defined as 28 cases, based on Benicia population), but still in the high range for SUBSTANTIAL community transmission (defined as 14 cases, based on Benicia population).  [Note that Solano County is also rated far above high transmission, and Solano’s 6 other cities are likely also individually experiencing high or substantial transmission.]
  • Dixon added 5 new cases today, total of 2,447 cases.
  • Fairfield added 39 new cases today, total of 11,815 cases.
  • Rio Vista added 2 new cases today, total of 561 cases.
  • Suisun City added 14 new cases today, total of 3,115 cases.
  • Vacaville added 31 new cases today, a total of 11,573 cases.
  • Vallejo added 47 new cases today, a total of 12,875 cases.
  • Unincorporated added 0 new cases today, a total of 137 cases (population figures not available).

Continue reading Solano County’s 2-day COVID update: 142 new cases and 11 hospitalized