Category Archives: Solano County CA

Coronavirus, Covid 19, Solano County CA, Stay-at-home

Solano Public Health defies 5 neighboring Bay Area health departments, does not join in early stay-at-home orders

5 Bay Area counties, Berkeley adopt stay-at-home order ahead of state’s timeline

SFGATE, by Amy Graff, Dec. 4, 2020

Mission Playground closed to the public on Tuesday, March 24, 2020.
Mission Playground closed to the public on Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Blair Heagerty / SFGate

Health officers from Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Santa Clara, San Francisco and the city of Berkeley announced in a joint press conference Friday they will enact a regional stay-at-home order more quickly than the state’s timeline presented by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday.

By taking the step, these six jurisdictions are calling on people to stay home and closing all sectors of business except retail and essential operations.

“We are entering an especially dangerous period of the epidemic,” said Contra Costa County Health Officer Dr. Chris Farnitano, noting daily cases in his county. “I don’t think we can wait for the state’s restrictions to go in effect later this month. That’s why we’re making temporary steps now. We must act swiftly.”

“Until we get through this wave, you should not meet in person with anyone you do not live even in a small group and even outdoors with precaution,” said Dr. Lisa Hernandez, health officer for the city of Berkeley. “If you have a social bubble, it is now popped.”

The order will take effect in Contra Costa, Santa Clara, San Francisco and the city of Berkeley at 10 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 6; in Alameda on Monday, Dec. 7; and in Marin on Tuesday, Dec. 8.

The following sectors are closing:

  • Indoor and outdoor playgrounds
  • Indoor recreational facilities
  • Hair salons and barbershops
  • Personal care services
  • Museums, zoos and aquariums
  • Movie theaters
  • Wineries
  • Bars, breweries and distilleries
  • Family entertainment centers
  • Cardrooms and satellite wagering
  • Limited services
  • Live audience sports
  • Amusement parks

Here’s what can remain open:

  • Schools: Those that currently have in-person learning can continue.
  • Outdoor recreational facilities: Only without any food, drink or alcohol sales. Overnight stays at campgrounds not permitted.
  • Retail: Indoor operation allowed at 20% capacity with entrance metering and no eating or drinking in the stores. Additionally, special hours should be instituted for seniors and others with chronic conditions or compromised immune systems.
  • Shopping centers: Indoor operation allowed at 20% capacity with entrance metering and no eating or drinking in the stores. Additionally, special hours should be instituted for seniors and others with chronic conditions or compromised immune systems.
  • Hotels and lodging: Allowed to open for critical infrastructure support only.
  • Restaurants: Permitted only for takeout or pickup.
  • Offices: Remote only except for critical infrastructure sectors where remote working is not possible.
  • Places of worship: Outdoor services only.
  • Entertainment production including professional sports: Permitted without live audiences. Additionally, testing protocol and “bubbles” are highly encouraged.

Newsom announced a new regional stay-at-home order Thursday, designed to keep local health systems from collapsing under the weight of skyrocketing COVID-19 caseloads. Previous restrictions were based on infection rates in counties.

The new order divides the state into five broad regions and restricts those with intensive care unit bed capacity below 15%. On Thursday, Newsom said four regions — all but the San Francisco Bay Area — could meet that threshold “within a day or two.” But the state allows regions to implement the order more quickly and the Bay Area is taking that step.

California’s virus hospitalizations have nearly quadrupled since mid-October and now stand at 9,948, including 2,248 in intensive care units. The Department of Public Health reported 19,582 deaths since the start of the pandemic, including at least 220 health care workers.

Here’s a rundown of the five regions and counties that fall into each:

Northern California: Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama, Trinity

Bay Area: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma

Greater Sacramento: Alpine, Amador, Butte, Colusa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, Sierra, Sutter, Yolo, Yuba

San Joaquin Valley: Calaveras, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, San Benito, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tulare, Tuolumne

Southern California: Imperial, Inyo, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Coronavirus, Covid 19, Solano County CA

COVID in Solano County – folks, it’s never been this bad!

ALARMING!  Nearly 300 NEW cases in Solano overnight, 1200 ACTIVE cases, 4 new deaths reported today, positive test rate double the purple tier threshold…

By Roger Straw, December 4, 2020

We may not have arrived at Governor Newsom’s regional stay-at-home status, but I’m there now.  I’m staying home, and you should, too.  Solano County is experiencing an alarming surge in COVID-19.  Stay home if you can, wear a mask if you must go out, don’t stay long anywhere but home, and keep your distance more carefully than ever before.

We won’t get a County update over the weekend, but you can bet the numbers will continue to climb.  Here are the overnight numbers – take note!

[Source: Solano County Coronavirus Dashboard.  For a complete archive of day by day data, see my Excel ARCHIVE.  ALSO see important daily updates from another source, COVID19.CA.GOV: here on the BenIndy at Cases and Deaths AND Hospitalizations.]

Friday, December 4: 294 (!!!) new cases overnight, 4 new deaths.  Since Feb: 11,413 cases, more than 600 hospitalized, 85 deaths.Compare previous report, Thursday, Dec. 3:Summary

  • Solano County reported a startling 294 (!!!) new cases overnight.  As of today, Solano has seen an average of 126 new cases per day over the last 14 days! (source: covid19.ca.gov)  Total of 11,413 cases since the outbreak started.
  • Deaths – 4 new deaths reported today, one aged 50-64, and three aged 65 or over, a total of 85 Solano deaths since the pandemic began.
  • Active cases – Solano reported 134 (!) more active cases today.  New total of 1,196 active cases – another record high for Solano County.  Active cases have increased alarmingly lately – COMPARE: average number of Active Cases during October was 284 – today we are at 1,196!!  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 – (For best info, see BenIndy page, COVID-19 Hospitalizations Daily Update for Solano County.)  CAUTION ON COUNTY 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.  So the County’s daily updates on hospitalizations are nearly meaningless. Today, Solano County reported the number of CURRENTLY hospitalized persons increased by 4, total of 66, but TOTAL hospitalized since the outbreak began supposedly remained unchanged today, a total of 603 of all ages hospitalized since the outbreak began.  The County will likely update this figure at a later date.  [For my manual calculation of total hospitalizations, see age group stats below.]
  • ICU Beds – (For detailed info see BenIndy page, COVID-19 Hospitalizations Daily Update for Solano County.)  The County reported a decrease in ICU beds available today, down from 40% to 35%.
  • Testing – The County reports today that 976 residents were tested since yesterday, a total of 130,372 unduplicated residents tested for COVID-19 since the outbreak began.  29.1% of Solano County’s 447,643 residents (2019) have been tested.

Positive Test Rate – Another Solano record high of 16.8%

For the for the second day in a row, Solano County reported a new record high 7-day average positive test rate.  Today’s rate of 16.8% is up from yesterday’s 15.8%, 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 stable California 7-day average test rate has also been on the rise lately, and rose substantially today from 7.7% to 8.5%.  (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 – 28 (!) new cases today, total of 1,299 cases, representing 11.4% of the 11,413 total cases.  No new hospitalizations reported today among this age group.  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 – 196 (!) new cases today, total of 6,683 cases. This age group is 41% of the population in Solano, but represents just under 60% 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 194 have been hospitalized since the outbreak began.  No new deaths in this young group today, total of 6 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 – 45 (!) new cases today, total of 2,227 cases.  This age group represents nearly 20% of the 11,413 total cases.  The County reported no new hospitalizations among persons in this age group today.  A total of 162 have been hospitalized since the outbreak began.  1 new death in this age group today, a total of 16 deaths.
  • Persons 65 years or older – 25 new cases today, total of 1,198, representing 10.5% of Solano’s 11,413 total cases.  The County reported no new hospitalizations among persons in this age group today.  A total of 233 have been hospitalized since the outbreak began.  3 new deaths in this age group today, total of 63 of our elders who died of COVID, accounting for 74% of Solano’s 85 total deaths.
City Data
  • Benicia added 7 new cases today, total of 300 cases since the outbreak began. 
  • Dixon added 27 new cases today, total of 814 cases.
  • Fairfield added 92 new cases today, total of 3,430 cases.
  • Rio Vista added 2 new cases today, total of 97 cases.
  • Suisun City added 19 new cases today, total of 789 cases.
  • Vacaville added 68 new cases today, total of 2,363 cases.
  • Vallejo added 79 new cases today, total of 3,580 cases.
  • Unincorporated areas remained steady today, total of 40 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 12% of cases, but 16% of hospitalizations, and 23% of deaths.
  • Latinx Americans are 26% of Solano’s population, but account for 22% of cases, 26% of hospitalizations, and 18% of deaths.
  • White Americans are 39% of the population in Solano County, but only account for 26% of cases, 28% of hospitalizations and 32% of deaths.
More…

The County’s Coronavirus Dashboard is USUALLY full of much more information, too extensive to cover here on a daily basis.  The Benicia Independent will continue to summarize daily and highlight significant portions.  For more, check out the Dashboard at https://doitgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=055f81e9fe154da5860257e3f2489d67.

Coronavirus, Covid 19, COVID19.CA.GOV, Hospitalizations, Solano County CA

Solano County hospitalizations on 2020-12-03: 64 hospitalized, 21 in ICU, more suspected

By Roger Straw, December 4, 2020

12 ICU beds remain available

The State of California’s  COVID19.CA.GOV website is an incredibly rich resource for daily updates with latest data on hospitalizations (and much more) – both for the State and by individual Counties.

Each day the State updates the numbers along with “Change from Prior Day” and “14-Day Rolling Average.”  Below is a summary, followed by a screenshot of today’s results.  The CURRENT data on the CA.GOV Hospitalizations page provides much more by simply hovering over various components.

Today CA.GOV showed Solano County COVID19 hospitalizations as of yesterday, Wednesday November 3:

  • 64 Positive Patients (3 fewer than previous day, 14 day rolling average of 63)
  • 14 additional Suspected Patients (3 more than previous day, 14 day rolling average of 11)
  • 18 ICU Positive Patients (3 fewer than previous day, 14 day rolling average of 16)
  • 1 additional ICU Suspected Patients (1 fewer than previous day, 14 day rolling average of 2)
  • 12 ICU Available Beds (same as previous day)
As of yesterday, Wednesday, December 3, 2020
Previous day’s report – data as of Tuesday, December 2, 2020
Coronavirus, Covid 19, Solano County CA

Solano County COVID surge continues – new record of 1,062 active cases, new record of 15.8% positive test rate

[Source: Solano County Coronavirus Dashboard.  For a complete archive of day by day data, see my Excel ARCHIVE.  ALSO see important daily updates from another source, COVID19.CA.GOV: here on the BenIndy at Cases and Deaths AND Hospitalizations.]

Thursday, December 3: 162 (!) new cases overnight, no deaths.  Since February: 11,119 cases, at least 603 hospitalized, 81 deaths.Compare previous report, Wednesday, Dec. 2:Summary

  • Solano County reported 162 (!) new cases overnight.  As of today, Solano has seen an average of 122 new cases per day over the last 14 days! (source: covid19.ca.gov)  Total of 11,119 cases since the outbreak started.
  • Deaths – no new deaths reported today, a total of 81 Solano deaths since the pandemic began.
  • Active cases – Solano reported 106 (!) more active cases today.  New total of 1,062 active cases – a record high for Solano County.  Active cases have increased alarmingly lately – COMPARE: average number of Active Cases during October was 284 – today we are at 1,062!!  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 – (For best info, see BenIndy page, COVID-19 Hospitalizations Daily Update for Solano County.)  CAUTION ON COUNTY 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.  So the County’s daily updates on hospitalizations are nearly meaningless. Today, Solano County reported the number of CURRENTLY hospitalized persons decreased by 3, total of 62. TOTAL hospitalized since the outbreak began supposedly remained unchanged today, a total of 603 of all ages hospitalized since the outbreak began.  The County will likely change this figure at a later date.  [For my manual calculation of total hospitalizations, see age group stats below.]
  • ICU Beds – (For detailed info see BenIndy page, COVID-19 Hospitalizations Daily Update for Solano County.)  The County reported an increase in ICU beds available today, up from 33% to 40%.
  • Testing – The County reports today that 1,078 residents were tested since yesterday, a total of 129,396 unduplicated residents tested for COVID-19 since the outbreak began.  28.9% of Solano County’s 447,643 residents (2019) have been tested.

Positive Test Rate – Solano record high of 15.8%

Solano County reported a new record high 7-day average positive test rate of 15.8% today, up from yesterday’s 13.6% – 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 stable California 7-day average test rate has also been on the rise lately, and rose substantially today from 7.3% to 7.7%.  (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 – 14 new cases today, total of 1,271 cases, representing 11.4% of the 11,119 total cases.  No new hospitalizations reported today among this age group.  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 – 102 new cases today, total of 6,487 cases. This age group is 41% of the population in Solano, but represents just under 60% 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 194 have been hospitalized since the outbreak began.  No new deaths in this young group today, total of 6 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 – 33 new cases today, total of 2,182 cases.  This age group represents nearly 20% of the 11,119 total cases.  The County reported no new hospitalizations among persons in this age group today.  A total of 162 have been hospitalized since the outbreak began.  No new deaths in this age group today, a total of 15 deaths.
  • Persons 65 years or older – 13 new cases today, total of 1,173, representing 10.6% of Solano’s 11,119 total cases.  The County reported no new hospitalizations among persons in this age group today.  A total of 233 have been hospitalized since the outbreak began.  No new deaths in this age group today, total of 60 of our elders who died of COVID, accounting for 74% of Solano’s 81 total deaths.
City Data
  • Benicia added 3 new cases today, total of 293 cases since the outbreak began. 
  • Dixon added 18 new cases today, total of 787 cases.
  • Fairfield added 35 new cases today, total of 3,338 cases.
  • Rio Vista added 1 new case today, total of 95 cases.
  • Suisun City added 15 new cases today, total of 770 cases.
  • Vacaville added 40 new cases today, total of 2,295 cases.
  • Vallejo added 50 new cases today, total of 3,501 cases.
  • Unincorporated areas remained steady today, total of 40 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 19% of deaths.
  • Black Americans are 14% of Solano’s population, and account for 12% of cases, but 16% of hospitalizations, and 23% of deaths.
  • Latinx Americans are 26% of Solano’s population, but account for 22% of cases, 26% of hospitalizations, and 18% of deaths.
  • White Americans are 39% of the population in Solano County, but only account for 26% of cases, 28% of hospitalizations and 33% of deaths.
More…

The County’s Coronavirus Dashboard is USUALLY full of much more information, too extensive to cover here on a daily basis.  The Benicia Independent will continue to summarize daily and highlight significant portions.  For more, check out the Dashboard at https://doitgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=055f81e9fe154da5860257e3f2489d67.