Category Archives: Solano County CA

Coronavirus, Covid 19, Solano County CA

COVID-19 UPDATE – Solano County adds 11 more cases, notes fewer ICU beds available

County lowers its Hospital Impact report on ICU beds from GOOD to MODERATE

Monday, April 20: eleven new cases no new deaths, total now 180 cases, 2 deaths:

Solano County Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Updates and Resources.  Check out basic information in this screenshot. IMPORTANT: The County’s interactive page has more.  On the County website, you can click on “Number of cases” and then hover over the charts for detailed information.

Last report (Friday, April 17):

Summary

Solano County reported 11 NEW POSITIVE CASES over the weekend and today – total is now 180.  No new deaths in Solano County – still stands at 2.

Over the weekend:

    • 7 new cases were reported on Saturday 4/18
    • 4 new cases were reported on Sunday 4/19
    • 0 new cases were reported today, Monday 4/20

As of today:

    • 1 additional positive case was a young person under 19 years of age, total of 3 cases, less than 2% of total confirmed cases.
    • 9 of today’s 11 new cases were persons 19-64 years of age, total of 148 cases, 82%, of the total 180 confirmed cases. (No new deaths, total of 1).
    • 1 additional case was a person 65 or older, total of 29 cases, 16% of the 180 total. (No new deaths, total of 1).

ACTIVE CASES:  35 of the 180 are active cases. This is 2 more than previously reported on Friday, 4/17.

HOSPITALIZATIONS: 41 of Solano’s 180 cases resulted in hospitalizations (no change since Friday 4/17).  The County’s “Hospital Impact” graph (below) shows that only 10 are currently hospitalized, 2 fewer than yesterday.  The County lowered its count of ICU beds available from GOOD to MODERATE, dipping below 30% for the first time.  Our supply of ventilators continues at 31-100%, or GOOD.  (No information is given on our supply of test kits, PPE and staff.)

CITY DATA

  • Vallejo added 3 new cases, total of 70
  • Fairfield added 4 new cases, total of 47
  • Vacaville added 2 new cases, total of 26 cases;
  • Suisun City remains at 11 cases.
  • Benicia added 1 new case, total of 12.
  • Dixon, Rio Vista and “Unincorporated” are still not assigned numerical data: all show <10 (less than 10).  1 of today’s new cases remains a mystery, coming from one of these locations.  Residents and city officials have been pressuring County officials for city case counts for many weeks.  Today’s data is welcome, but still incomplete.

TESTING

The Number of residents tested panel reports that 2,463 residents have been tested as of today.  This is an increase of only 139 tested since Friday’s total of 2,324.  Why the slowdown?  Last week, around 150 new tests were reported daily.  Was testing halted on the weekend?  (I have no information as to the reason for the slow pace of testing in Solano County – inadequate supply of kits, perhaps?)  Only 55 hundredths of 1% of Solano County’s 447,643 residents (2019) have been tested.

The blue bars in the chart, “Daily number of cases on the date that specimens were collected” shows why the County is interpreting a flattening of the curve.  Note that the daily date in that chart refers to the date a sample was drawn and so reflects the lag time in testing.

Solano’s upward curve in cumulative cases – as of April 20

The chart above gives a clear picture of the infection’s trajectory in Solano County.  It’s too soon to tell, but we may be seeing a flattening of the curve!  Still – incredibly important…

…everyone stay home and be safe!

California Department of Public Health, Coronavirus, Covid 19, Long-term care facilities, Nursing homes, Solano County CA

Solano Nursing Homes do not appear in State’s “snapshot” of homes with COVID-19 – good news?

By Roger Straw, April 20, 2020
Gateway Care & Rehabilitation Center, Hayward CA | KTVU.com

In light of news reports of serious regional [SF Chron] and national [Washington Post] outbreaks of COVID-19 in long term care facilities, we have been listening intently for information about Solano County nursing homes and congregate retirement facilities, without much luck.

On Friday, April 17, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) released a “snapshot” listing of all known skilled nursing facilities reporting COVID-19 among staff or residents.  The list did not include any facilities in Solano County.  No news is good news, presumably.

However, according to the CDPH, the data is incomplete.  “The data is comprised of a point in time snapshot of the 86% of SNFs [skilled nursing facilities] who reported their data within the last 24 hours.”

It is possible that Solano facilities are among the 14% of California facilities who did not report during that time frame.

There are 1224 skilled nursing facilities in California.  In Friday’s CDPH listing, 258 reported having one or more COVID-19 case.

In an April 17 newsletter, Solano County Public Health stated “Solano Public Health staff is checking in with long-term care facilities and skilled nursing homes to ensure that these agencies are prepared to handle outbreaks and that seniors continue to be protected.”  It is not clear whether County officials plan to share publicly what they find.

California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (CANHR) does an excellent job of describing the missing elements in the State’s report:

California Identifies 261 Nursing Homes with Residents and Staff Who Have COVID-19
What Data’s Missing; What Action is Needed Now?

Excerpt:
“It is critical that California start treating outbreaks in long term care facilities with the same urgency it does for wildfires. The state should deploy multi-agency strike teams that have command of all available public and private resources to every facility with an outbreak and appoint commanders to lead efforts to save residents lives and to keep the public well informed about their actions and outcomes on a daily basis.

“Beyond containing tragedies, California officials must do much more to prevent them. […continued]

Medicare identifies 9 nursing homes in Solano County, 4 in Fairfield, 3 in Vallejo and 2 in Vacaville.  Other types of long-term health care facilities are listed on the CDPH’s Cal Health Find Database.

Perhaps the best listing of congregant retirement facilities in Solano County is a simple Google search for retirement communities in solano county.

Coronavirus, Covid 19, Solano County CA

Johns Hopkins University – new COVID-19 Solano County report

By Roger Straw, April 18, 2020

Johns Hopkins retools COVID-19 display, includes infrastructure, population, policies and cases, more

The newly revamped Johns Hopkins University coronavirus report is even more finely tuned now than before.  Now when a user clicks on a county, a page pops up with so much detail that I can’t begin to describe it all.

When you go to Solano County, for instance, don’t just stare at it.  Hover over items and click on various parts to drill down and get more.

Note that the image above is not a live interactive version.  You have to go to Johns Hopkins’ Solano County page to get the real deal.

To start at the beginning, go to the US map at the  Coronavirus Resource Center.  You can enlarge and recenter using a mouse wheel, your finger or the +- button.  Click on a county for details.

Thanks to my friend Constance Beutel for alerting me to this incredible new tool.
#Masks4All, Coronavirus, Covid 19, Solano County CA

Solano County Public Health publishes COVID-19 weekly newsletter and video update

[Editor: Who knew!?  The County’s Facebook page has in some ways more and better information than the County’s website!  In this newsletter and Dr. Christine Woo’s video, there are updates on masks, long-term care facilities, testing, etc.  Recommended!  – R.S.]
Facebook: Solano County Public Health, April 16, 2020

Solano Public Health

As of April 16, 2020, Solano County has 156 cases of which 9 are currently hospitalized, 2 deaths, and 2,169 residents tested for COVID-19. In our hospitals, ICU beds, ventilators, and PPE are in adequate supply.

For more info, check out Solano Public Health’s first COVID-19 weekly newsletter at bit.ly/sphcovid19newsletter

In this video, Dep. Health Officer Dr. Wu explains the situation in Solano County, Public Health’s response, and the importance of using facial coverings. Sr. Health Education Specialist Jose Caballero joins in to demonstrate how to make DIY cloth masks.