Category Archives: Vaccine

Coronavirus, Covid 19, Delta variant, Solano County Health Officer Bela Matyas, Vaccine

Bela gives details on six new COVID deaths – questions remain

By Roger Straw, September 21, 2021
Dr. Bela Matyas, Solano County Health Officer

Fairfield Daily Republic reporter Todd Hansen receives regular updates directly from Dr. Bela Matyas, Solano County Health Officer.  The information shared goes well beyond what is reported on the County’s COVID dashboard.

In yesterday’s Daily Republic report, Matyas offered some details on the 6 newest COVID deaths and indicated that his count of the death toll from our recent surge is 31.

There were three women, all 70 or older, and three men, two 65 or older and one between 50 and 65. All lived at home and all had significant underlying health issues, Matyas said.

Two were vaccinated, taking that number during the surge to eight, Matyas reported.

Four of the six individuals were infected by family members; two apparently contracted the virus at parties, Matyas said.

So add 2 new deaths of vaccinated persons to a previous Matyas report of 6 who were vaccinated and died during this surge.  It strikes me as somewhat alarming that over a quarter (8) of the 31 recent surge deaths were vaccinated individuals.

Today’s 2 new vaccinated deaths reportedly had “significant underlying health issues.”  We are left to wonder about the previous 6 vaccinated deaths, as no further information was offered to indicate whether they had underlying health issues.

We are also left to wonder what were these underlying health issues, and how severe were they?  How sick do you have to be for COVID to overcome your vaccine protection and kill you?

Finally, in his comments, I hear Dr. Matyas continuing to justify his theory that community transmission is not public transmission.  He says the 4 of the deaths were caused via infections “by family members.”  Interesting that Dr. Matyas doesn’t go on to describe where and how the family members caught the virus before bringing it home to these poor folks.  They had to get it somewhere.  Was there contact tracing?  Does Matyas know how the infectors were infected?

And Matyas adds, “two apparently contracted the virus at parties.”  Well, same question: where did the party-goers catch the virus before bringing it to the party?  Surely not in any indoors commercial spaces, right?  Surely not at work, where our county doesn’t require masks or vaccinations, right?  Commerce first, public health and safety not so much.

Sorry for the snippy rhetorical questions.  We know Bela’s oft-repeated unscientific answers.  Aaargh…

#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, Coronavirus, Covid 19, Mandatory face coverings, Solano County Board of Supervisors, Solano Supervisor Monica Brown, Vaccine

Solano Supervisor Monica Brown – COVID news and the Board’s failure to mandate masks and vaccines

[Editor: I commend our District 2 Solano County Supervisor, Monica Brown, and I highly recommend her latest advisory on COVID-19, below.  To subscribe to her weekly newsletter, click here.  – R.S.]

Solano County Header
SUPERVISOR MONICA BROWN SEPTEMBER 17TH, 2021 UPDATE

Hello Benicia, Fairfield, and Vallejo,

Welcome to my most recent update. I can be reached at mebrown@solanocounty.com.

CORONAVIRUS

We are still in a pandemic. Our hospitals are overwhelmed, our residents are catching this virus, and we are seeing consumers pull back on activities because of the continuing pandemic. It is devastating to see the impacts on our community.

However, as I have said many times and as we have heard from many people, this is a pandemic of the unvaccinated. According to the most recent data, 77.5% of those in Solano County testing positive for COVID-19 are unvaccinated. Data has also shown that those who are vaccinated are much less likely to have symptoms, even less likely to have a severe illness, and to have a statistically small chance of dying. You have a 17x higher chance of being hospitalized if you are unvaccinated. Vaccines work and they are the key to beating this pandemic.

I plead with our entire community to get vaccinated. This is the easiest and most effective way to keep all of us safe. It is also protecting our most vulnerable residents, children under 12 and those who are immunocompromised, from the disease. Please get vaccinated if you have not already. If you have been vaccinated, please encourage everyone you know to get vaccinated. We are all in this together and we will only success together.

Solano County has many opportunities for you to get vaccinated. The county is offering all three COVID-19 vaccinations at the Solano Mall (1350 Travis Blvd in Fairfield on the second floor across from the Applebee’s) and rapid COVID-19 testing every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 10am-7pm. No appointment is necessary, but you may make an appointment by calling 707-784-8655.

At this past Tuesday’s Board meeting, the subject of a mask mandate and a vaccine mandate was brought forward. While I wanted both, there was not enough support on the Board for either. The Board did mandate that if a local jurisdiction in the county has a mask mandate, then any county buildings in that jurisdiction must follow it. The two jurisdictions in Solano County with mask mandates are Benicia and Vallejo. I sent a letter to the Governor asking him to implement a statewide mask mandate. Please wear your masks. This pandemic is not over.

I want to thank Dr. Bonnie Hamilton from the Napa Solano Medical Society for speaking in support of a mask mandate. The Napa Solano Medical Society represents over 1,200 physicians in the Napa Solano area. I also want to thank Dr. Seth Kaufman, who is the chief medical officer for NorthBay Healthcare, for speaking in support of a mask mandate. Their testimony, along with the guidelines from the Center for Disease Control, make it abundantly clear that the science supports mandating masks.

The California Department of Public Health is looking for partner organizations to set up on-site rapid testing for employees, guests and/or community members. The state will provide test kits, training, and other support. This is free to organizations. For more information, please contact testing.taskforce@cdph.ca.gov.
Monica Brown, Solano County Supervisor, District 2
Monica Brown,
Solano County Supervisor, District 2

First elected in 2016, Monica represents District 2 on the Solano County Board of Supervisors. District 2 encompasses the city of Benicia, the portion of Vallejo south of Georgia Street, Mare Island, Cordelia, Green Valley and a portion of Fairfield.

#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 →