| Alameda County Health Care Services Agency Update |
|
| We continue to see declines in our overall COVID-19 case rates, test positivity, and hospitalizations. We are moving in the right direction but the virus is still circulating in our community at high rates. We must expect and prepare for future surges in the coming months. |
|
| To slow the spread, we must continue using precautions we know to be effective in reducing and stopping COVID-19 and variants of this infectious disease. Wear a mask, stay at least 6 feet apart, avoid gatherings, and stay home as much as possible to slow the spread. Isolate if you feel ill, quarantine if you come in contact with someone who has COVID-19, and get tested or retested if you are exposed to COVID-19.
As of February 10, more than 200,000 individuals have received a COVID-19 vaccine in Alameda County. Most of these individuals are from Phase 1a (health care workers) which began in late December, and we started vaccinating individuals in Phase 1b Tier 1 this week. Vaccine supplies remain limited in our County and we encourage residents to be patient and register to be notified when it’s their turn. We recently launched a video tutorial to help residents complete the COVID vaccine notification forms.
Our vaccine efforts will expand significantly with two mega Point-of-Dispensing (PODs) next week. The Alameda County Fairgrounds site is scheduled to open on February 15 in partnership with Stanford Valley Care and Sutter Health. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the State will open the new Oakland Coliseum site on February 16, and ramp up to 6,000 doses per day using additional vaccine supply.
We remain grateful to our agency staff, County colleagues, our cities, and community partners for ongoing support as we continue efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 while ramping up vaccine distribution. You’ll find more information and details in this week’s Board of Supervisors update and back issues of our newsletter here. |
|
|
| This week, we began vaccinating individuals in Phase 1b Tier 1 of the state vaccine prioritization framework of ~325,000 people. Residents at high risk of illness or death due to COVID-19, and those at high risk for transmission, because of where they live or work, will be included in this phase. A full list of the groups eligible to receive the COVID vaccine can be found on our Vaccines page.
As we plan, locate, and open community PODs, we are aiming to create accessible and safe PODs that deliver low barrier, high quality services to persons living and/or working in our more heavily burdened areas.
· On February 4, we opened our community POD at Fremont High School in partnership with the Oakland Unified School District where we are vaccinating over ~640 people per day from the Fruitvale District.
· We launched a month-long pop-up sites to serve South Hayward and East Oakland in partnership with the Fire Incident Management Team, La Clinica, La Familia, and Tiburcio Vasquez.
· We are finalizing additional community PODS to serve East Oakland and Ashland/Cherryland priority neighborhoods that are more heavily impacted by COVID-19.
Vaccine supplies remain limited and newly eligible residents over the age of 65 and essential workers in Phase 1b who are covered by community health clinics, Kaiser, or a Sutter affiliate are encouraged to reach out to their health care provider to ask if they have supplies and can schedule a vaccination appointment. Those who do not have access to a vaccine through their health care provider are encouraged to sign up to be notified when it’s their turn to be vaccinated using the resident forms here:
· Alameda County Residents
· Recibe una notificación cuando sea tu turno
· 轮到您时得到通知
Employers and health care providers are encouraged to sign up using the forms here:
· Alameda County Employers
· Health Care Providers
For more information about our vaccine distribution plans, please visit our Vaccines page. General inquiries about COVID-19 vaccine may be directed to covax@acgov.org |
|
|
|
| The following data reflects the state’s 7-day average and 7-day lag data reported February 2 through February 8:
· 76,117 cumulative cases
· 1,041 cumulative deaths
· 23.1 adjusted case rate per 100,000
· 5.2% overall test positivity rate
· 8.2% lowest HPI quartile test positivity
· 9,000+ testing 7-day average
· 282 patients currently hospitalized
· 93 patients in ICU |
|
| COVID-19 SA Variant Recently Detected in Bay Area |
|
| On Wednesday, February 10, we joined Santa Clara County to announce that two cases of the South African COVID variant were detected in the Bay Area (one in Santa Clara and the other in Alameda County). While Santa Clara County’s case has been linked to a recent international trip, health officials are still investigating how the person in Alameda County encountered this variant.
It is natural and predictable for viruses to mutate and, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the current vaccines should be effective against the South African variant and other COVID variants as well.
These cases serve as a reminder that we are still in an evolving pandemic. The best way to avoid new variants is to stop the spread of the virus. Avoiding non-essential travel, social distancing, and following CDC recommendations for wearing masks will help us prevent the spread of COVID-19 and all of its variants. |
|
Leave A Comment