RICHMOND, Calif. (KGO) — The Chevron refinery in Richmond is investigating an oil spill Tuesday afternoon, according to city and county officials.
The spill happened in what’s called the “Long Wharf” off Point Richmond, where a sheen can be seen on the top of the water at Bear Point.
California’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) says a pipeline is leaking approximately five gallons a minute. It’s unknown what caused the spill at this time.
Crews are trying to stop the leak, which “has not been stopped and is not contained with waterways impacted (San Francisco Bay),” according to OES officials.
The Contra Costa Health Department is calling this a “Level 2” incident and issued a public health advisory for residents of Richmond, North Richmond and San Pablo.
The incident “could affect individuals with respiratory sensitivities,” health officials said.
While noting most people will not be affected, officials say eye, skin, nose or throat irritation may be possible for some people in the affected area.
Health officials advise that if people experience any irritation, they should go inside and rinse any irritated area with water.
Over 100 of us each day… and that’s an improvement! COVID is still spreading and dangerous in Solano County – stay safe!
Monday, February 8: 308 new Solano cases over the weekend, no new deaths. Since February 2020: 28,994 cases, over 845 hospitalized, 134 deaths.Compare previous report, Friday, February 5:Summary
CASES – Solano County reported 308 new cases over the weekend, just over 100 per day, a total of 28,994 cases since the outbreak started. In the month of January, Solano added 8,495 new cases, for an average of 274 new cases per day.
DEATHS – the County reported no new deaths over the weekend, a total of 134 Solano deaths since the pandemic began. 12 new COVID deaths were reported in the first 4 days of February, and in the month of January, Solano recorded 24 coronavirus deaths. While many other COVID stats are improving, the recent surge in deaths is no doubt the final sad result of our holiday surge.
ACTIVE cases – Solano reported 202 fewer active cases today, a total of 899 active cases. Compare: Solano’s average number of Active Cases during October was 284, average in November was 650, in December 1,658, in January 2,185 – and TODAY we are back down to 899. Better, but still, is the County equipped to contact trace so many infected persons? My guess is we just sit back and wait for a voluntary 10 day quarantine to expire. Who knows? To my knowledge, Solano has offered no reports on contact tracing.
HOSPITALIZATIONS –(See expanding ICU capacity and ventilator availability below.) Today, Solano reported 8 fewer currently hospitalized cases, total of 89. However, in the number of hospitalizations among age groups, the county reported an increase of 5 new hospitalizations, all over age 65, for a total of 849 hospitalized in all age groups since the pandemic began.) Even then, accuracy cannot be certain – note>> In a Dec. 31 Fairfield Daily Republic article, reporter Todd Hanson wrote, “Since the start of the pandemic, and as of Wednesday, 9,486 residents have been hospitalized.” This startling number is far and away above the number of residents hospitalized as indicated in the County’s count of age group hospitalizations, and not available anywhere on the County’s COVID-19 dashboard. Asked about his source, Hanson replied that Solano Public Health “had to do a little research on my behalf.” It would be good if the County could add Total Hospitalized to its daily Dashboard update. [For the numbers used in my manual calculation of total hospitalizations, see age group stats below. For COVID19-CA.GOV numbers, see BenIndy page, COVID-19 Hospitalizations Daily Update for Solano County.]
ICU BEDS – In late January, Solano hospitals expanded their ICU capacity [see BenIndy, Jan. 25] Even with the expanded ICU capacity, Solano County remained in the YELLOW DANGER ZONE until today’s encouraging GREEN ZONE report. The County reported 34% available today, up from 28% Friday. The State’s COVID19-CA.GOV reports that Solano County had 16 AVAILABLE ICU BEDS as of yesterday, February 7. (For COVID19-CA.GOV info see BenIndy page, COVID-19 Hospitalizations Daily Update for Solano County, and for REGIONAL data see COVID-19 ICU Bed Availability by REGION.)
VENTILATORS available – Today Solano hospitals have 55% of ventilators available, down from Friday’s 62% and down substantially from last summer’s reports of 82-94% available.
Positive Test Rate – SOLANO TEST RATE MUCH IMPROVED BUT STILL HIGH, 9.6% – VIRUS STILL SPREADING, STAY SAFE!
Solano County reported our 7-day average positive test rate of 9.6%, down encouragingly from Friday’s 12.2%, but still above the State’s purple tier threshold of 8%. Average percent positive test rates are among the best metrics for measuring community spread of the virus. COMPARE: The much lower and more stable California 7-day average test rate was 5.0% today, down from Friday’s 5.8%. (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 therefore also lags behind due to unknown recent test results.)
By Age Group
Youth 17 and under – 54 new cases over the weekend, total of 3,363 cases, representing 11.6% of the 28,994 total cases. No new hospitalizations were reported today among this age group, total of 18 since the outbreak began. 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 remained at over 11% since September 30. Youth are 22% of Solano’s general population, so this 11% may seem low. The significance is this: youth are SERIOUSLY NOT IMMUNE (!) – in fact at least 18 of our youth have been hospitalized since the outbreak began.
Persons 18-49 years of age – 162 new cases over the weekend, total of 16,013 cases. This age group is 41% of the population in Solano, but represents 55.2% of the total cases, by far the highest percentage of all age groups. The County reported no new hospitalizations among persons in this age group today. A total of 243 are reported to have been hospitalized since the outbreak began. Solano recorded no new deaths in this young group today, total of 9 deaths. Some in this group are surely at high risk, as many are providing essential services among us, and some may be ignoring public health orders. I expect this group is a major factor in the spread of the virus.
Persons 50-64 years of age – 60 new cases over the weekend, total of 6,071 cases. This age group represents 20.9% of the 28,994 total cases. The County reported no new hospitalizations among persons in this age group today. A total of 230 are reported to have been hospitalized since the outbreak began. No new deaths were reported in this age group today, a total of 21 deaths.
Persons 65 years or older – 32 new cases over the weekend, total of 3,536, representing 12.2% of Solano’s 28,994 total cases. The County reported 5 new hospitalizations among persons in this age group today, a total of 358 hospitalized since the outbreak began. No new deaths were reported in this age group today. A total of 104 of our elders have died of COVID, accounting for 78%of Solano’s 134 total deaths.
City Data
Benicia added 6 new cases over the weekend, total of 825 cases since the outbreak began.
Dixon added 6 new case over the weekend, total of 1,699 cases.
Fairfield added 62 new cases over the weekend, total of 7,906 cases.
Rio Vista added 13 new case over the weekend, total of 291 cases.
Suisun City added 34 new case over the weekend, total of 1,959 cases.
Vacaville added 92 new cases over the weekend, total of 7,678 cases.
Vallejoadded 95 new cases over the weekend, total of 8,550 cases.
Unincorporated areas remained steady today, total of 86 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 12% of cases, 12% of hospitalizations, and 17% of deaths.
Black Americans are 14% of Solano’s population, and account for 11% of cases, but 17% of hospitalizations, and 22% of deaths.
Latinx Americans are 26% of Solano’s population, but account for 13% of cases, 21% of hospitalizations, and 13% of deaths.
Multi-race / Others are 7% of Solano’s population, but account for 35% of cases, 18% of hospitalizations, and 12% of deaths.
White Americans are 39% of the population in Solano County, but only account for 29% of cases, 31% of hospitalizations and 33% of deaths.
If you watched the Super Bowl, or even if you didn’t, you might well have seen the General Motors ad that features Will Ferrell pitching GM’s electric vehicles. It opens with Ferrell explaining that “Norway sells way more electric cars per capita than the U.S.” He then declares, “Well, I won’t stand for it,” before punching a globe and claiming that, with GM’s new electric battery, “we’re going to crush those lugers. CRUSH THEM! Let’s go, America.”
Ferrell, aka America’s loveable oaf, goes on to recruit Saturday Night Live’s Kenan Thompson and actress/comedian/celebrity Awkwafina to meet him in Norway, with him driving an electric Cadillac and them an electric Hummer to somehow get there. He actually ends up in Sweden and his two pals in Finland. But that’s beside the point.
Because the point’s been made: America will lead the world in EV use.
The Good
The ad doubles down on GM’s recent commitment to stop manufacturing gasoline and diesel vehicles by 2035. As this Atlantic article explains, that’s quite the about-face for the car company, given how it advocated for two regressive Trump administration positions: a rollback of anti-pollution rules and an attempt to block California’s regulation of vehicle emissions. Indeed, GM has been quite the laggard in this regard, as Ford and other automobile manufacturers opposed the administration on both issues.
Given how two-faced GM has been, we can’t be certain it will deliver on its promise until it’s further down the line. Still, the change itself couples with the company’s very public declaration of the move – you can’t get more public than a Super Bowl commercial – to reflect a decisive shift in the right direction for GM and the automotive industry more generally.
And it makes so much sense, even above and beyond environmental repercussions. According to the Atlantic piece:
In the future, Americans’ mass adoption of electric vehicles will seem inevitable. After all, EVs cost less to run than gas-powered cars (because electricity is cheaper than gas); they require cheaper maintenance; they break less; they are quieter. For many types of drivers—daily commuters, for instance, or errands-around-towners—they are already preferable to gas-powered cars.
The Bad
GM’s good news comes with a message that should curb our enthusiasm: Note that the vehicles it uses in the Super Bowl commercial are a Caddy and a Hummer. As environmental/energy expert Philip Warburg notes, “GM’s soon-to-be released electric vehicle flagship, the three-ton, 1,000-horsepower all-electric Hummer, stands as a warning that American auto manufacturers will not be abandoning their energy-wasteful giants, even as they move from internal combustion engines to electric power.”
Warburg goes on to caution that, even as the Biden Administration thankfully steers the United States toward an EV future, it must still focus on exhaust emissions from fossil fuel vehicles and on restraining vehicle size:
First, while the prospect of an all-electric vehicle fleet is alluring, we are decades away from achieving that goal. We therefore can’t afford to shrug our shoulders while most of our cars and trucks continue to rely on gasoline and diesel fuel.
Second, an electrified U.S. fleet dominated by oversized SUVs and pickups will consume substantially more energy than a leaner line of electric vehicles, making it much harder for clean electricity sources to edge out the gas and coal plants that still supply most of our electricity.
However affable a face Ferrell puts on GM’s shift, then, the government and public still need to force and pressure car companies to head in the right direction.
The Ugly
Though this ad will never win any awards for subtlety, it nevertheless plays up the unwittingly Ugly American in a creative and positive way. Ferrell’s taking umbrage at the idea that Norway (!!!) is beating America in EV usage is really a knock at the notion of any country besting us in this regard.
What’s significant here is that GM is making EV progress a matter of pride and patriotism. The commercial plays a bit on our national ignorance by bringing together the mindless “We’re Number One!” notion with Ferrell’s globe-piercing display and his little group arriving not in Norway but neighboring nations.
But hey, if a good-natured but cluelessly competitive American stereotype serves a good cause by highlighting how we must catch up with other countries, I’m all for it. At least in this instance, the Ugly American is a beautiful thing to behold.
Friday, February 5: 175 new Solano cases overnight, no new deaths. Since February 2020: 28,686 cases, over 840 hospitalized, 134 deaths.Compare previous report, Thursday, February 4:Summary
CASES – Solano County reported 175 new cases overnight, total of 28,686 cases since the outbreak started. In the month of January, Solano added 8,495 new cases, for an AVERAGE of 274 new cases per day.
DEATHS – the County reported no new deaths today, a total of 134 Solano deaths since the pandemic began. 12 new COVID deaths were reported in the first 4 days of February!In the month of January, Solano recorded 24 coronavirus deaths. While many other COVID stats are improving, the recent surge in deaths is no doubt the final sad result of our holiday surge.
ACTIVE cases – Solano reported 70 fewer active cases today, a total of 1,101 active cases. Compare: Solano’s average number of Active Cases during October was 284, average in November was 650, in December 1,658 – and TODAY we are at 1,101. Is the County equipped to contact trace so many infected persons? My guess is we just sit back and wait for a voluntary 10 day quarantine to expire. Who knows? To my knowledge, Solano has offered no reports on contact tracing.
HOSPITALIZATIONS –(See expanding ICU capacity and ventilator availability below.) Today, Solano reported 7 fewer currently hospitalized cases, total of 97. However, in the number of hospitalizations among age groups, the county reported an increase of 2 new hospitalizations, including 1 person under age 18 and another over 65, for a total of 844 hospitalized in all age groups since the pandemic began.) Even then, accuracy cannot be certain – note>> In a Dec. 31 Fairfield Daily Republic article, reporter Todd Hanson wrote, “Since the start of the pandemic, and as of Wednesday, 9,486 residents have been hospitalized.” This startling number is far and away above the number of residents hospitalized as indicated in the County’s count of age group hospitalizations, and not available anywhere on the County’s COVID-19 dashboard. Asked about his source, Hanson replied that Solano Public Health “had to do a little research on my behalf.” It would be good if the County could add Total Hospitalized to its daily Dashboard update. [For the numbers used in my manual calculation of total hospitalizations, see age group stats below. For COVID19-CA.GOV numbers, see BenIndy page, COVID-19 Hospitalizations Daily Update for Solano County.]
VENTILATORS available – Last week, for the first time since July 24 of last year, Solano County is reporting the percentage of ventilators available. Today Solano hospitals have 62% of ventilators available, up from yesterday’s 47% but down substantially from last summer’s reports of 82-94% available.
Positive Test Rate – SOLANO TEST RATE REMAINS ALARMINGLY HIGH, 12.2% – VIRUS STILL SPREADING, STAY HOME!
Solano County reported our 7-day average positive test rate of 12.2%, down from yesterday’s 12.7%, but well above the State’s purple tier threshold of 8%. Average percent positive test rates are among the best metrics for measuring community spread of the virus. COMPARE: The much lower and more stable California 7-day average test rate was 5.8% today, down from yesterday’s 6.1%. (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 therefore also lags behind due to unknown recent test results.)
By Age Group
Youth 17 and under – 18 new cases overnight, total of 3,309 cases, representing 11.5% of the 28,686 total cases. 1 new hospitalization was reported today among this very young age group, total of 18 since the outbreak began. 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% may seem low. The significance is this: youth are SERIOUSLY NOT IMMUNE (!) – in fact at least 18 of our youth have been hospitalized since the outbreak began.
Persons 18-49 years of age – 97 new cases overnight, total of 15,851 cases. This age group is 41% of the population in Solano, but represents 55.3% of the total cases, by far the highest percentage of all age groups. The County reported no new hospitalizations among persons in this age group today. A total of 243 are reported to have been hospitalized since the outbreak began. Solano recorded no new deaths in this young group today, total of 9 deaths. Some in this group are surely at high risk, as many are providing essential services among us, and some may be ignoring public health orders. I expect this group is a major factor in the spread of the virus.
Persons 50-64 years of age – 42 new cases overnight, total of 6,011 cases. This age group represents 21% of the 28,686 total cases. The County reported no new hospitalizations among persons in this age group today. A total of 230 are reported to have been hospitalized since the outbreak began. No new deaths were reported in this age group today, a total of 21 deaths.
Persons 65 years or older – 18 new cases overnight, total of 3,504, representing 12.2% of Solano’s 28,686 total cases. The County reported 1 new hospitalization among persons in this age group today, a total of 353 hospitalized since the outbreak began. No new deaths were reported in this age group today. A total of 104 of our elders have died of COVID, accounting for 78%of Solano’s 134 total deaths.
City Data
Benicia added 5 new cases overnight, total of 819 cases since the outbreak began.
Dixon added 9 new case overnight, total of 1,693 cases.
Fairfield added 45 new cases overnight, total of 7,844 cases.
Rio Vista added 5 new case overnight, total of 278 cases.
Suisun City added 7 new case overnight, total of 1,925 cases.
Vacaville added 41 new cases overnight, total of 7,586 cases.
Vallejoadded 63 new cases overnight, total of 8,455 cases.
Unincorporated areas remained steady today, total of 86 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 12% of cases, 12% of hospitalizations, and 17% of deaths.
Black Americans are 14% of Solano’s population, and account for 11% of cases, but 17% of hospitalizations, and 22% of deaths.
Latinx Americans are 26% of Solano’s population, but account for 13% of cases, 21% of hospitalizations, and 13% of deaths.
Multi-race / Others are 7% of Solano’s population, but account for 35% of cases, 18% of hospitalizations, and 12% of deaths.
White Americans are 39% of the population in Solano County, but only account for 29% of cases, 31% of hospitalizations and 33% of deaths.
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