Nextdoor / City of Benicia, by Communications, Office of Economic Development, Teri Davena, City of Benicia, December 30, 2020
Social Media Posts on COVID Cases in Employees of Local Grocery Store.
It has been brought to the attention of the City of Benicia that word is spreading on social media of a large number of employees at Raley’s testing positive for COVID-19.
Additionally, we understand through social media that their staff may have participated in an event that is in conflict with current state guidance.
City staff have contacted management and they have indicated that they currently are not aware of any positive cases, although a potluck was held over the holidays.
City staff is working with Solano County Public Health officials on this concern and will advise if this becomes a public health issue.
As a reminder, we continue to see cases surging throughout the state and urge members of our community to follow current orders and guidance. This includes frequent hand washing, wearing face coverings, maintaining social distancing, limiting outings to essential activities and not gathering.
The City of Benicia released its City Council agenda for January 5, including an important discussion of air monitoring in our refinery town.
Local environmental activists (including me) are hailing this effort on the part of City staff as a show of responsiveness to years of citizen requests for more and better access to real-time air quality information.
Your thoughts are being sought by Benicia elected officials and staff. Please read the staff report, and plan to attend the zoom Council meeting on January 5.
By Roger Straw, December 28, 2020 [Sources: see below.]
Monday, December 28: 1,188 new cases over the 4-day holiday break, no new deaths. Since Feb: 18,518 cases, more than 740 hospitalized, 95 deaths.Compare previous report, Thursday, Dec. 24:Summary
Solano County reported 1,188 (!) new cases over the 4-day holiday break. In just the last 14 days, Solano has seen an increase of 4,564 new cases. We’re averaging 326 (!) new cases every day! (source: covid19.ca.gov) Total of 18,518 cases since the outbreak started.
Deaths – No new deaths reported today, a total of 95 Solano deaths since the pandemic began.
Active cases – Solano reported572 (!!) more active cases today for a total of 2,127 active cases. Solano’s average number of Active Cases during October was 284, average in November was 650 – and TODAY we are at 2,127! Is the County equipped to contact trace so many infected persons? Who knows? To my knowledge, Solano has offered no reports on contact tracing.
Hospitalizations –CAUTION ON SOLANO HEALTH DEPARTMENT REPORTING: According to Solano Health Officer Dr. Bela Matyas, the County “occasionally” updates Age Group hospitalizations retroactively, adding substantial numbers. Thus, many hospitalizations are never reported as CURRENTLY hospitalized. Today, Solano reported 12 additional CURRENTLY hospitalized persons, total of 130. And among the age groups, the County reported an increase of 16 in hospitalization numbers, for a total of 744 persons hospitalized since the outbreak began. [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 – Solano County reported a sharp drop in ICU beds available today, falling from 21% available to only 11% available today, still in the YELLOW DANGER ZONE. COVID19-CA.GOV reported today thatSolano hospitals had 11 available ICU beds as of yesterday, December 27. (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.)
Testing – The County report on COVID-19 testing today showed “UNAVAILABLE.” As of last Thursday, Solano had tested a total of 159,358 unduplicated residents since the outbreak began. 35.6% of Solano County’s 447,643 residents (2019) had been tested.
Positive Test Rate – OVER 1 IN 5 ARE TESTING POSITIVE – VIRUS SPREADING IN SOLANO LIKE WILDFIRE
Solano County reported our 7-day average positive test rate today at 22.9%, up from last Thursday’s 20.9%, and far and away over 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. The much lower and more stableCalifornia 7-day average test rate has also been on an alarming rise lately, down from last Thursday’s 12.1% to 11.6% today. (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 – Continuing the post-Thanksgiving surge in all age groups
Youth 17 and under – 146 (!) new cases today, total of 2,077 cases, representing 11.2% of the 18,518 total cases. No new hospitalizations reported today among this age group, total of 17 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.x% may seem low. The significance is this: youth are SERIOUSLY NOT IMMUNE (!) – in fact at least 14 of our youth have been hospitalized since the outbreak began.
Persons 18-49 years of age – 613 (!!) new cases today, total of 10.558 cases. This age group is 41% of the population in Solano, but represents nearly 60% of the total cases, by far the highest percentage of all age groups. The County reported 3 new hospitalizations among persons in this age group today. A total of 236 are reported to have been hospitalized since the outbreak began. Solano recorded no new deaths in this young group today, total of 7 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 – 257 (!!) new cases today, total of 3,809 cases. This age group represents just over 20% of the 18,518 total cases. The County reported 8 new hospitalizations among persons in this age group today. A total of 204 are reported to have been hospitalized since the outbreak began. No new deaths in this age group today, a total of 16 deaths.
Persons 65 years or older – 172 (!!) new cases today, total of 2,065, representing 10.9% of Solano’s 18,518 total cases. The County reported 5 new hospitalizations among persons in this age group today. A total of 287 have been hospitalized since the outbreak began. No new deaths were reported in this age group today. A total of 72 of our elders have died of COVID, accounting for 76%of Solano’s 95 total deaths.
City Data
Benicia added 19 new cases today, total of 488 cases since the outbreak began.
Dixon added 62 (!) new cases today, total of 1200 cases.
Fairfield added 328 (!!) new cases today, total of 5,285 cases.
Rio Vista added 13 (!) new cases today, total of 156 cases.
Suisun City added 88 (!) new cases today, total of 1,295 cases.
Vacaville added 403 (!!) new cases today, total of 4,588 cases. Something is happening in Vacaville – stay tuned!
Vallejoadded 275 (!) new cases today, total of 5,445 cases.
Unincorporated areas remained steady today, total of 61 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, 12% of hospitalizations, and 18% of deaths.
Black Americans are 14% of Solano’s population, and account for 11% of cases, but 16% of hospitalizations, and 21% of deaths.
Latinx Americans are 26% of Solano’s population, but account for 17% of cases, 24% of hospitalizations, and 17% of deaths.
White Americans are 39% of the population in Solano County, but only account for 29% of cases, 29% of hospitalizations and 32% of deaths.
Another Bomb Train Accident Highlights Regulatory Failures
Desmogblog.com, by Justin Mikulka, December 23, 2020
Image: Oil train “pipeline on wheels” rolls through Watertown, Wisconsin. Credit: Justin Mikulka
A train carrying over 100 cars of volatile Bakken oil derailed in Washington state, causing the evacuation of the town of Custer. At least two of the train cars ruptured and the oil ignited and burned — reminding us once again why these dangerous trains are known as bomb trains.
Matt Krogh of Stand.earth has been leading efforts to keep these dangerous trains off the tracks for years, so he was well aware of the potential deadly consequences of oil train accidents in populated areas. Krogh could see the smoke from this latest accident from his home in Bellingham, Washington.
It’s easy to feel lucky after a near miss with an oil train derailment and fire near a populated area because in 2013 an oil train full of Bakken oil derailed and caused catastrophic fires and explosions in the Canadian town of Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, — killing 47 people and destroying much of the downtown area. Downtown Lac-Mégantic has yet to be rebuilt more than seven years later.
Regulators Argue Safety Is Not A Pretext for Regulation
The state of Washington is well aware of the dangers the oil trains pose to the public and the environment and have attempted to address this issue with state regulations. Washington has five oil refineries that all are highly dependent on Bakken crude by rail. Crude-by-rail movements in the U.S. and Canada fluctuate significantly based on market conditions, but the Washington refineries are one destination for Bakken oil that maintain consistent demand for the oil, and rail is the only option to get it to Washington — so the risks to Washington residents who live near the train tracks are ever present.
In 2016 a Bakken oil train derailed in Mosier, Oregon along the Columbia River highlighting the risk the trains pose in the Pacific Northwest. Many trains bring the Bakken oil through Oregon and the Columbia River gorge to Washington.
In my 2019 book Bomb Trains: How Industry Greed and Regulatory Failure Put the Public at Risk I explain why the trains carrying highly volatile Bakken oil are dangerous and the simple steps the oil and rail industries could take to remove these dangers. All are steps the industries have successfully lobbied against despite the risks to the public and the 47 fatalities in Lac-Mégantic.
Washington regulators and politicians tried to take the most important safety step by passing a law that limited the volatility of the crude oil being moved by rail through Washington, a move that would greatly reduce the risk of fires and explosions during derailments. A rule proposed at the end of the Obama administration to limit the volatility was officially withdrawn by the Trump administration in May of 2020.
“If the federal government won’t act to protect public safety and adopt a safer nationwide standard, we will adopt our own,” state Sen. Andy Billig (D-Spokane) said in March 2019 of the bill he sponsored. “There is just too much to lose — for people and our environment.”
As DeSmog reported in May, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) did act, but that action was to overrule Washington’s proposed regulation with the argument that safety regulations could not get in the way of markets — arguing that a state can not use “safety as a pretext for inhibiting market growth.”
New Administration May Offer Chance at Safety Regulations
The act by the Trump administration’s regulators of withdrawing the proposed federal rule to limit oil volatility for transportation of crude oil by rail by was consistent with the official stated policy of deregulation with regards to rail safety.
This policy led to the removal of the most important safety regulation for oil-by-rail transportation that was enacted during the Obama era, which would have required oil trains to have modernized braking systems. The Trump administration removed that regulation in December of 2017.
The incoming Biden administration will have the opportunity to finally address the known dangers of moving hazardous oil, ethanol and liquefied natural gas (LNG) by rail. Reinstating the braking requirement and regulating oil volatility would be important first steps. Two other areas that would improve safety would be limiting train lengths and requiring tank cars that weren’t easily punctured in derailments.
DeSmog has reported on how longer trains derail more often and yet there are no regulations for train length for trains moving hazardous materials. Most of the major derailments involving oil trains have involved trains with more than 100 cars, like the train in Custer.
The 2015 regulations for new tank cars for oil trains required the use of new DOT-117 model tank cars. As they did in this latest derailment, these tank cars have failed in all of the major derailments involving the cars hauling oil and ethanol.
Four years of the Trump administration overseeing the rail industry has put the public at even greater risk. The administration’s reckless approval of LNG-by-rail without proper safety testing or new regulations greatly increases the future danger to the public if the LNG industry starts using rail as a major mode of transportation.
Pete Buttigieg has been nominated to be the next Secretary of Transportation where he will have oversight of rail safety. At the very least Buttigeig could begin to protect the public by simply reinstating the oil-by-rail safety regulations that have been repealed, and then moving forward with the proposed regulations to limit the volatility of any crude oil moved by rail.
Until the oil and rail industries are properly regulated, the public will continue to be at great risk from bomb trains and will have to trust in luck to keep them safe.
Social Media Posts on COVID Cases in Employees of Local Grocery Store.
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