Category Archives: Face coverings

#wearamask, Benicia CA, Coronavirus, Covid 19, Delta variant, Face coverings, Hospitalizations, Solano County CA, Solano County Health Department, Vaccine

Solano COVID report: 6 new deaths Monday, 3 more today, and 141 previously unreported hospitalizations

By Roger Straw, Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Wednesday, September 22: Solano County reports 3 more deaths, 212 new infections and 141 additional hospitalizations

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

DEATHS: 3 new deaths today.  Total 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  212 new COVID cases since Monday, 106 per day, back up to last weeks average of 105 per day and still in the range of last winter’s surge.

COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION RATE: Over the last 7 days, Solano has seen 599 new cases, 2.7 TIMES the CDC’s population-based definition of a SUBSTANTIAL rate of transmission and 1.3 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 649 ACTIVE cases is up from Monday’s 627, and far surpassing our summer rates.

POSITIVE TEST RATE:  Our 7-day average percent positivity rate was 8.2% today, up from 7.6% on Monday.  COMPARE: today’s California rate is 1.9%.  Today’s U.S. rate is 8.0%.  [Source: Johns Hopkins]

HOSPITALIZATIONS:

CURRENT hospitalizations were down today from 81 to 74 persons, but still in the range we saw during the winter surge.

ICU Bed Availability took another big hit today, falling from 23% to only 18%, still in the yellow danger zone.  Again, we are in the worrisome range we saw during the winter surge.

Ventilator Availability went down today from 57% to only 48%, 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 reported a MAJOR UPDATE on its Hospitalizations charts today, adding 141 previously unreported hospitalizations.  See below.  The race/ethnicity numbers indicate a number of persons whose race/ethnicity was not given or recorded.

FACE MASKS… Good News 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 Wednesday, September 22:
  • Benicia added 10 new cases today, a total of 1,408 cases since the outbreak began.  Benicia has seen 30 new cases over the last 7 days, just above the CDC’s definition of HIGH community transmission (defined as 28 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 17 new cases today, total of 2,442 cases.
  • Fairfield added 64 new cases today, total of 11,776 cases.
  • Rio Vista added 3 new cases today, total of 559 cases.
  • Suisun City added 19 new cases today, total of 3,101 cases.
  • Vacaville added 40 new cases today, a total of 11,542 cases.
  • Vallejo added 58 new cases today, a total of 12,828 cases.
  • Unincorporated added 1 new case today, a total of 137 cases (population figures not available).

Continue reading Solano COVID report: 6 new deaths Monday, 3 more today, and 141 previously unreported hospitalizations →

#wearamask, Benicia CA, Coronavirus, Covid 19, Delta variant, Face coverings, Hospitalizations, Solano County CA, Solano County Health Department, Vaccine

Solano County COVID report: 6 new deaths, 43 dead reported since July 4, new total of 287

By Roger Straw, Monday, September 20, 2021

Monday, September 20: Solano County reports
6 new deaths and 202 new infections

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

DEATHS: Six new deaths today, 2 age 50-64 and 4 over 65 years of age.  Total Solano deaths over the course of the pandemic now at 287.  >>The Fairfield Daily Republic reported yesterday that Solano Health Officer Dr.  Bela Matyas noted a surprising 24% of recent Solano COVID deaths were vaccinated individuals.  No information was given as to the age or complicating health factors of those vaccinated residents.  But all 6 of today’s deaths, including 2 who were vaccinated, presented with underlying health factors.  This 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.

CASES: The County reported  202 new COVID cases over the weekend, 67 per day, down from last weeks average of 105 per day but still in the range of last winter’s surge.

COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION RATE: Over the last 7 days, Solano has seen 767 new cases, NEARLY 3½ TIMES the CDC’s population-based definition of a SUBSTANTIAL rate of transmission and 1.7 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 627 ACTIVE cases is down significantly from Friday’s 816, but still up alarmingly up from summer rates.

POSITIVE TEST RATE:  Our 7-day average percent positivity rate was 7.6% today, our first dip below 8% since July 6.  COMPARE: today’s California rate is 2.3%.  Today’s U.S. rate is 8.7%.  [Source: Johns Hopkins]   Good news?  Time will tell…

HOSPITALIZATIONS:

CURRENT hospitalizations were down slightly today from 85 to 81 persons, but still in the range we saw during the winter surge.

ICU Bed Availability took a hit today, falling from 28% to 23%, still in the yellow danger zone.  Again, we are in the worrisome range we saw during the winter surge.

Ventilator Availability went up today from 52% 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 reported a minor adjustment on its Hospitalizations charts today.  See below.  The race/ethnicity numbers remained unchanged.

FACE MASKS… Good News 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 this 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 Monday, September 20:
  • Benicia added 10 new cases today, a total of 1,398 cases since the outbreak began.  Benicia has seen 29 new cases over the last 7 days, returning to just above the CDC’s definition of HIGH community transmission (28, 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 11 new cases today, total of 2,425 cases.
  • Fairfield added 48 new cases today, total of 11,712 cases.
  • Rio Vista added 6 new cases today, total of 556 cases.
  • Suisun City added 20 new cases today, total of 3,082 cases.
  • Vacaville added 45 new cases today, a total of 11,502 cases.
  • Vallejo added 60 new cases today, a total of 12,770 cases.
  • Unincorporated added 2 new cases today, a total of 136 cases (population figures not available).

Continue reading Solano County COVID report: 6 new deaths, 43 dead reported since July 4, new total of 287 →

#wearamask, Benicia CA, Coronavirus, Covid 19, Delta variant, Face coverings, Hospitalizations, Solano County CA, Solano County Health Department, Vaccine

Another elderly COVID death in Solano County, 185 new infections

By Roger Straw, Friday, September 17, 2021

Friday, September 17: Solano County reports
1 new death and 185 new infections

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

DEATHS: One new death today, someone 65+ years of age.  Total Solano deaths over the course of the pandemic now at 281.

CASES: The County reported  185 new COVID cases over the last two days, 92 per day, down from Wednesday’s 184 but up from Monday’s 50 per day, and well back in the range of last winter’s surge.

COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION RATE: Over the last 7 days, Solano has seen 714 new cases, NEARLY TWICE the CDC’s population-based 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 816 ACTIVE cases is up from Wednesday’s 773, and up alarmingly up from 212 on July 2.

POSITIVE TEST RATE:  Our 7-day average percent positivity rate was 9.4% today, down from 10.7% on Wednesday.  COMPARE: today’s California rate is 2.6%.  Today’s U.S. rate is 9.1%.  [Source: Johns Hopkins]  WARNING: The Delta Variant is here in Solano County and spreading fast.  Time to mask up again – watch out and take care!

HOSPITALIZATIONS:

CURRENT hospitalizations were down slightly today from 92 to 85 persons, but still in the range we saw during the winter surge.

ICU Bed Availability went up today from 23% to 28%, but still in the yellow danger zone.  Again, we are still in the range we saw during the winter surge.

Ventilator Availability went up today from 49% to 52%, 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.  See below.  Interestingly, the race/ethnicity numbers don’t square with the age group numbers.

FACE MASKS… Good News 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 this 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 a 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 17:
  • Benicia added 10 new cases today, a total of 1,388 cases since the outbreak began.  Benicia has seen 26 new cases over the last 7 days, remaining just below the CDC’s definition of HIGH community transmission (based on Benicia population).  Benicia is still at the HIGH END of the CDC’s range of SUBSTANTIAL transmission.  [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 11 new cases today, total of 2,414 cases.
  • Fairfield added 40 new cases today, total of 11,664 cases.
  • Rio Vista added 3 new cases today, total of 550 cases.
  • Suisun City added 17 new cases today, total of 3,062 cases.
  • Vacaville added 58 new cases today, a total of 11,457 cases.
  • Vallejo added 46 new cases today, a total of 12,710 cases.
  • Unincorporated added 0 new cases today, a total of 134 cases (population figures not available).

Continue reading Another elderly COVID death in Solano County, 185 new infections →

#Masks4All, #wearamask, Benicia CA, Coronavirus, Covid 19, Dixon CA, Face coverings, Rio Vista CA, Solano County Public Library System, Suisun City CA, Vacaville CA, Vallejo CA

Vallejo (and all Solano County) residents are welcome in Benicia’s library where masks are required

By Roger Straw, September 14, 2021

[UPDATE: County reverses itself – click here…]

Worried about Solano County Library system not requiring masks?  Visit us in Benicia!

Benicia Public Library is locally run and follows Benicia’s indoors mask mandate.

And here’s good news from the Benicia Library website:  Vallejo residents are welcome in Benicia’s library.   Solano County, St. Helena, and Dixon cards are valid in Benicia.

Even if you don’t check out a book, it’s a great place to just sit and read a magazine or get on the internet!

Here’s from the Benicia library website about pandemic hours and masks: “The Benicia Public Library has restored regular service hours, and we are excited to welcome you back inside our building. Whether you want to use a computer or plug into our free Wi-Fi, visit an exhibit, borrow materials or just browse our bookcases, we are here for you. Please bring your mask and library card. If you do not have one, they are free.”

The mask requirement applies whether you are vaccinated or not.