COVID-19 weekly archives

Please see below to download or view the weekly COVID updates that have been shared since we started collecting updates and resources on March 10, 2020.

Week of May 25-29:

Please continue to support our community to safely stay home. Universal face covering requirements will be released soon. Please see our new webpage on face coverings for guidance and FAQs.

When we are outside our homes or personal vehicles, we can help others and ourselves by:

• covering our face
• maintaining our space: six or more feet away from each other
• and practicing good hand hygiene with frequent use of alcohol-based hand sanitizer or hand washing. 

Contra Costa County has released their matrix of HIV services during COVID-19. Click here to download the spreadsheet directly or click here to go to our resources page.

Project Roomkey isolation housing has expanded eligibility beyond people experiencing homelessness to include people living in crowded conditions.

If your organization is in Alameda County and needs COVID-related supplies or staffing, please go to the Emergency Medical Services website to request PPE, request staffing and request testing supplies.

Download links for Alameda County community or business guidance on: summer camps,  graduations, vehicular gatherings, construction, curbside retail pickups, manufacturing and warehousing.

Download links for Alameda County clinical guidance on: COVID-19 testing, reporting COVID-19 cases, reporting pediatric Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome, and resumption of non-urgent medical services.

Progress on the Bay Area COVID-19 Indicators

San Francisco Chronicle’s COVID-19 Indicator Checklist (updated weekly):

Progress on these indicators will inform decisions on how to move forward on California State’s Roadmap to Resilience.

To keep cases and hospitalizations from overwhelming the health care system, sheltering-in-place orders remain in effect through May 31 in Alameda County and in Contra Costa County, along with 5 other Bay Area counties. Solano County has also extended the shelter-at-home order until further notice while allowing some low-risk businesses to reopen. The plan is to phase in more activities incrementally, moving at a slower pace than the state.

Updates for Alameda County in the main COVID strategy areas:

Sheltering, distancing and flattening the curve

The rates of new cases and hospitalizations have increased over the past 2 weeks. There is a 27% increase in new cases in the past week compared to the week before. We have downgraded our progress on this indicator from green to yellow. 

• As of May 27, there were 3,049 reported cases of COVID-19 and 93 deaths. This represents 5.7 deaths per 100,000 people, compared to 9.8 deaths per 100,000 people in California State overall.
• As of May 26, there were 93 hospitalized patients (matching the prior high of 93 on April 10), including 37 ICU patients (the highest was 46 in early April) with confirmed COVID.

Alameda County has transitioned into early Stage 2 on the California State’s Roadmap to Resilience, allowing for some outdoor activities, construction, summer camps for children of essential workers,  vehicular gatherings, non-urgent health services, curbside retail pickups, manufacturing and warehousing with face covering, hand hygiene and distancing modifications. 

We are seeing increases in cases following the resumption of these activities 10 to 21 days ago. It is hard to predict what will happen going forward, and it will depend on how widely we test and isolate and how we implement face covering and distancing modifications in work, social and public spaces.

For help with enforcement or report violations of the shelter-in-place or workplace safety orders in Alameda County, please email: COVID19compliance@acgov.org

Testing and screening

We are currently conducting about 1,200 COVID-19 tests per day and have a 4% positivity rate, with steady progress toward our goal of conducting 3,100 tests per day. This indicator remains orange.  

The community testing site at West Oakland Health Council will open on June 1. Several other testing sites, including those at Allen Temple and Roots Community Health Center will test any community member with symptoms and all essential workers regardless of symptoms without cost and regardless of insurance status. 

Testing locations can be downloaded from the COVID-19 testing webpage in 8 languages and searchable in this interactive map of COVID-19 services (click to filter for COVID-19 testing). Download testing guidance here.

On May 20, the Alameda County Public Health Department’s Health Equity Task Force released a COVID-19 equity brief and infographic. 

Click here for information on Contra Costa County COVID testing sites that offer free COVID-19 testing for any person living in the county regardless of documents and insurance status.

Case and contact investigations, isolation and quarantine

We are meeting our goals to reach at least 90% of cases and contacts, and support 90% of those reached to isolate or quarantine safely. We are working hard to prevent and contain outbreaks in long-term care facilities (nursing homes) and shelters. This indicator remains yellow. 

Alameda County Public Health Department is moving into the next phase of developing a team-based, scalable model of contact tracers who will provide health and social support for people who need to isolate and quarantine.

• 300 additional contact tracers will be needed, trained and ready for at least 2 years.
• There will be a combination of county teams, community-based teams staffed by CBOs and clinic partners, and specialized teams for specific high-risk populations such as people experiencing homelessness, living in congregate settings and jails. 
• Teams will consist of a team lead, clinician, case manager, investigators/tracers, and a health equity lead. 
• Expansion from 70 to 100 contact tracing staff with the new structure will begin in June with a goal to increase to 300 contact tracing staff in up to 40 teams in September 2020.
• Volunteers from the community will be considered after this initial expansion. 

Project Roomkey isolation housing continues to expand and recently admitted large groups of people from two shelters and a substance use facility experiencing outbreaks. Referrals are available for:

• People experiencing homelessness who need COVID-19 isolation or quarantine and
• People who are not homeless who have tested positive for COVID-19 and live in a congregate living facility (such as group homes) or live in a room with 3 to 4 or more people over age 12.

Providers are reminded to report COVID-19 cases in these high-risk settings such as health care facilities, long-term care and skilled nursing facilities, jails, shelters, encampments and other congregate settings within an hour of receiving the positive result.    

Hospital capacity and surge planning

As of May 26, our hospital capacity indicators are:

• 4% of the patients in hospital beds across Alameda County were confirmed COVID-19 positive, which is within our goal of 50% of less. 11% of the patients in ICU beds were confirmed COVID-19 positive. This indicator remains green. 
• Most hospitals have sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE) but still requesting assistance from the county, which means we have more work to do to reach our goal of having at least a 30-day supply of PPE without assistance from the county. This indicator remains orange. 

If your organization is in Alameda County and needs COVID-related supplies or staffing, please go to the Emergency Medical Services website to request PPE, request staffing and request testing supplies.

Alameda County COVID-19 hospitalizations: total in blue, hospitalized and not in ICU in red, and
ICU cases in brown

Top new resources:

• Contra Costa County has released their matrix of HIV services during COVID-19. Click here to download the spreadsheet directly or here to go to our resources page.
• The Treatment Action Group has released a dedicated collaborative COVID-19 resource hub with a COVID-19 Myth Busters page.
• Undocumented immigrants in California can apply for $500-1,000 one-time relief payments from CA State on a first-come, first-served basis. Applicants must be at least 18 years old, ineligible for federal COVID-19 relief, and have experienced hardship due to the virus. The hotline for residents in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties is through Catholic Charities: 1-866-490-3899. En el condado de Alameda puedes solicitar la ayuda llamando al telefono de: Caridades Catolicas 1-866-490-3899. More info can be downloaded in English, Spanish, Chinese and in many other languages on the CA State’s website.

Week of May 20-26:

Progress on the Bay Area COVID-19 Indicators

San Francisco Chronicle COVID-19 Indicator Checklist (updated weekly):

Progress on these indicators will inform decisions on how to move forward on California State’s Roadmap to Resilience.

To keep cases and hospitalizations from overwhelming the health care system, sheltering-in-place orders remain in effect through May 31 in Alameda County and in Contra Costa County, along with 5 other Bay Area counties. Solano County has also extended the shelter-at-home order until further notice while allowing some low-risk businesses to reopen. The plan is to phase in more activities incrementally, moving at a slower pace than the state.

Updates for Alameda County in the main COVID strategy areas:

Sheltering, distancing and flattening the curve

Having distancing modifications and universal face coverings will be critical for a safer reopening. 

The rates of new cases, hospitalizations and deaths in Alameda County had been mostly flat over the past month but saw a slight increase in the last week, so we are monitoring them closely.

• As of May 20, there were 2,560 reported cases of COVID-19 and 88 deaths. This represents 5.2 deaths per 100,000 people, compared to 8.9 deaths per 100,000 people in California State overall.
• As of May 19, there were 83 hospitalized patients (the highest was 93 on April 10), including 40 ICU patients (the highest was 46 in early April) with confirmed COVID.
• Please note that we are now only reporting confirmed cases and not confirmed and suspected cases to align with the Bay Area Indicators.

Alameda County is transitioning into early Stage 2 on the California State’s Roadmap to Resilience. It is important to remember that the virus is still highly contagious and spreads easily. The additional interactions are expected to cause increases in case numbers and hospitalizations. We are not yet moving into later Stage 2 and need to monitor the indicators for 2 to 3 weeks after each change (based on the incubation period of this virus) to determine the impact and when we can make further adjustments. 

Two new health officer orders in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties allow the following activities with modifications in place, including distancing, face covering and hygiene practices:

• Retail with curbside and storefront pickups following safety protocols.
• Manufacturing and warehousing following safety protocols.
• Highly regulated vehicle-based gatherings following specific conditions.

Non-urgent medical services are encouraged to resume their full scope of practice as soon as it is safe and possible for the facility to do so.

• Routine immunizations for children and adults are especially encouraged to prevent illnesses and outbreaks of preventable disease. 
• Community members should be able to schedule medical care that may have been postponed over the past few months. 

During graduation weekend, the end of Ramadan and Memorial Day, we are reminded to find virtual ways to connect with each other and avoid in-person gatherings. When out in the community, help others and ourselves by:

• wearing face coverings
• and staying six or more feet away from each other
• and practicing good hand hygiene with frequent use of alcohol-based hand sanitizer or hand washing. 

In order to avoid overwhelming increases in cases and deaths, we must move in a measured and incremental way. Updated predictions using the Local Epidemic Modeling for Management & Action (LEMMA) tool continue to show that our hospitals currently have capacity to handle a 20% increase in transmissions, we would not be able to safely handle a 50% increase in transmissions. Case and hospitalization trends will be monitored closely to determine what we need to do as a community to keep transmissions within a manageable range.  

Testing and screening

We are conducting an average of 1,000 to 1,100 COVID-19 tests per day, which is about a third of the way to our goal of conducting 3,100 tests per day.

If your facility conducts or wants to conduct COVID-19 diagnostic testing in Alameda County and has not yet completed the testing survey, please complete or forward the 5-10 minute testing survey by Friday, May 22 so we can support everyone to scale up testing. Updated testing guidance was released last week encouraging testing of all people with symptoms and essential workers regardless of symptoms when testing resources allow. 

New testing partnerships in Alameda County are being actively developed to improve access to COVID-19 testing for disproportionately impacted neighborhoods along the 880 corridor and communities of color, especially Latinx and African American communities.

On May 20, the Alameda County Public Health Department’s Health Equity Task Force released a COVID-19 equity brief and infographic. 

Testing locations in Alameda County can be downloaded from the COVID-19 testing webpage in 8 languages and searchable in this interactive map of COVID-19 services (click to filter for COVID-19 testing), which over 30 testing sites across the county. The testing programs at Roots Community Health Center and Allen Temple in East Oakland, REACH Youth Center in Ashland/Cherryland and Alameda County offices in Hayward will test any community member with symptoms and all essential workers regardless of symptoms without cost and regardless of insurance status. 

Click here for information on Contra Costa County COVID testing sites that offer free COVID-19 testing for any person living in the county regardless of documents and insurance status.

COVID-19 antibody testing is still not proven to be accurate or reliable enough to be recommended outside of a research study. 

Case and contact investigations, isolation and quarantine

We estimate that we are meeting our goals to reach at least 90% of cases and contacts, and ensure safe isolation or quarantine for at least 90% of people reached. Alameda County now has 75 contact tracers.  

Alameda County Public Health Department is developing a team-based, scalable model of contact tracers who will provide health and social support for people who need to isolate and quarantine. The teams will include partnerships between public health and community organizations with expertise in multiple languages, cultural relatability and special populations. It is a priority that we approach this work with an equity lens and link people to food, housing, wage replacement and other supports they need.

• The Alameda County COVID testing and services map includes places to access free food distribution sites.
• Isolation and quarantine hotel rooms for people experiencing homelessness are available to specified referral agencies and contacts through Project Roomkey.
• Unemployment benefits in California can be accessed through the state website.
• Starting May 18, undocumented immigrants in California can apply for $500-1,000 one-time relief payments from California State. For assistance, residents in Alameda County can call Catholic Charities at 1-866-490-3899.

Isolation housing for people experiencing homelessness or in crowded living conditions:

• Project Roomkey isolation housing has expanded eligibility to include people who are not homeless who have tested positive for COVID-19 and live in a congregate living facility (such as group homes) or live in a room with 3 to 4 or more people over age 12. The 4 hotels in Oakland and Alameda can shelter up to 522 people. More hotels are in development.
• To make referrals to Project Roomkey hotels, approved referral agencies should follow the specific instructions and link provided to your agency’s contact person. If your agency is not on the list, please email covidhousing@acgov.org or call 510-891-8950.
• There are also 128 beds now available in trailers through the Operation HomeBase program for people in Oakland who are experiencing homelessness, don’t have COVID-19 and are at risk for COVID-19 complications.   

Special task forces and partnerships have focused on rapid responses to cases and outbreaks at long-term care and skilled nursing facilities, Santa Rita Jail, shelters and encampments. Providers are reminded to report COVID-19 cases in these high-risk settings within an hour of receiving the positive result.       

Hospital capacity and surge planning

As of May 19, our hospital capacity indicators are:

• 3.6% of the patients in hospital beds across Alameda County were confirmed COVID-19 positive, which is within our goal of 50% of less. 12% of the patients in ICU beds were confirmed COVID-19 positive.     
• Most hospitals are reporting 4 to 14 days of most types of personal protective equipment (PPE) and still requesting assistance from the county, which means we have more work to do to reach our goal of having at least a 30-day supply of PPE without assistance from the county. 

There are currently 2,317 total hospital beds available in Alameda County. As described above, the prediction shows that we have capacity for a 20% increase in transmission rates. However, a 50% increase in transmission rates would lead to a median peak of about 4,500 hospitalized cases in September 2020, which would overwhelm the hospital system. As we ease restrictions, it is more important than ever that we limit transmission rates by practicing good hand hygiene, distancing and wearing face coverings when out in the community.  

California State has received a limited supply of remdesivir, the only antiviral shown to be effective against COVID-19 in a clinical trial so far. Distribution within Alameda County will be based on the hospital census of eligible patients at each facility. 

On May 20, a new health alert was released on reporting Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) associated with COVID-19 to the Alameda County Public Health Department at (510) 267-3250.

If your facility in Alameda County is in need of COVID-related supplies or staffing, please click on these links to request PPE, request staffing and request testing supplies.

Alameda County COVID-19 hospitalizations: total in blue, hospitalized and not in ICU in red, and
ICU cases in brown

Top new resources:

• The Treatment Action Group has released a dedicated collaborative COVID-19 resource hub with a COVID-19 Myth Busters page.
• Starting May 18, undocumented immigrants in California can apply for $500-1,000 one-time relief payments from CA State. Applicants must be at least 18 years old, ineligible for federal COVID-19 relief, and have experienced hardship due to the virus. The hotline for residents in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties is through Catholic Charities: 1-866-490-3899. En el condado de Alameda puedes solicitar la ayuda llamando al telefono de: Caridades Catolicas 1-866-490-3899. More info can be downloaded in English and Spanish, and accessed on the CA State’s website.

Week of May 13-19:

As of May 19, 2020 in Alameda County, there were 2,522 reported cases of COVID-19 and 86 deaths (5.2 deaths per 100k). On May 16, there were 145 hospitalizations (the highest was 198 on 4/14) and 50 ICU patients (highest was 71 on 4/10) with confirmed or suspected COVID. 3.5% of all hospitalized patients were confirmed positive for COVID. 34% of the 333 staffed ICU beds and 85% of the on-site 748 ventilators were available across Alameda County. Daily case rates have decreased and hospitalization rates have been flat with mild decreases over the past 3 weeks.

On May 19, Contra Costa County reported 1,192 cases, 33 deaths (2.9 deaths per 100k) and 16 currently hospitalized. On May 19, Solano County reported 430 cases, 16 deaths (3.6 deaths per 100k), and 18 currently hospitalized. As of May 18 in the state of California, there were ~1,339,316 tests conducted, 81,795 positive cases and 3,334 deaths (8.6 deaths per 100k in CA overall compared to 145.6 deaths per 100k in NY state). The county in CA with highest per capita deaths is Los Angeles County (18.9 deaths per 100k).

Timely key updates

Starting May 18, the Contra Costa County and Alameda County shelter-in-place orders have been revised to allow for curbside pickup for retail businesses and associated manufacturing and warehousing businesses (please see list here), as well as vehicle-based gatherings following strict regulations. Face coverings and physical distancing must be still be used when outside of one’s home or vehicle. (Links: to detailed updated Contra Costa County and Alameda County orders)

Also starting May 18, undocumented immigrants in California can apply for $500-1,000 one-time relief payments from CA State. Applicants must be at least 18 years old, ineligible for federal COVID-19 relief, and have experienced hardship due to the virus. The hotline for residents in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties is through Catholic Charities: 1-866-490-3899. En el condado de Alameda puedes solicitar la ayuda llamando al telefono de: Caridades Catolicas 1-866-490-3899. More info can be downloaded in English and Spanish, and accessed on the CA State’s website.

Progress on the COVID-19 Indicators

The Bay Area 5 indicators with measurable goals to track progress in containing COVID-19 is summarized with Alameda County progress in the infographic below.

The State of California has released a CA pandemic resilience roadmap.

San Francisco Chronicle has a COVID-19 Indicator Checklist for 6 Bay Area counties:

As a reminder, to keep the number of COVID-19 cases down, sheltering-in-place orders have been extended through May 31 in Alameda County and in Contra Costa County, along with 5 other Bay Area counties. The plan is to phase in more activities incrementally, moving at a slower pace than the state.

Solano County has allowed some low-risk businesses to reopen while their shelter-in-place order continues through May 17.

Updates for Alameda County in each of our main COVID strategy areas:

Sheltering, distancing and flattening the curve

Having distancing modifications and universal face coverings in place will be critical for a safer reopening. 

The Big Cities Health Coalition (BCHC) released estimates this week that Oakland has saved over 7,000 lives and avoided over 70,000 hospitalizations from sheltering-in-place for 60 days.

Given the enormous number of lives we save by continuing to sheltering-in-place and our higher burden of disease, the Bay Area is not reopening as quickly as other parts of California. We are optimistic that we will be able to move into early Stage 2 of the California Resilience Roadmap as we increase testing, contact tracing and supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE). We plan to phase in more activities starting next week, moving at a slower pace than the state.

This week a health advisory was released in Alameda County to encourage health care providers and facilities to gradually resume full scope of services when possible and safe to do so. 

We are looking for the trend of cases and hospitalized patients to be flat or decreasing.

• Over the past 2½ weeks in Alameda County, the trend of new cases has decreased (see graph below) and the trend of hospitalizations has been flat with mild decreases. 

Updated predictions using the Local Epidemic Modeling for Management & Action (LEMMA) tool shows that increases in contact and COVID-19 transmission rates increase the number of hospitalized patients exponentially.

• A 50% increase in the transmission rate in early June would result in more hospitalized patients than our system can currently handle, with a median peak of about 4,000 hospitalized cases per day in September. 

We will take incremental steps towards more allowable activities and encourage all businesses and organizations to plan for modifications to maximize a safer reopening, including:

• Accommodations for 6 or more feet of physical distancing,
• Increased work from home,
• Universal face coverings, and
• Enhanced cleaning and safety protocols. 

Disparities and Equity

Updated race and ethnicity data for Alameda County (below) show significant disparities among people who are hospitalized or die from COVID-19.

• Latinos are disproportionately represented in hospitalized cases. Latinos are 22% of the county population but are 34% of hospitalized COVID-19 cases.
• African Americans are disproportionately represented in hospitalized cases and deaths. African Americans are 10% of the county population but are 21% of the hospitalized cases and 23% of COVID-19 deaths.
• Pacific Islanders are disproportionately represented in COVID cases. Pacfic Islanders are 0.8% of the county population but are 1.3% of the COVID-19 cases.

An Alameda County Health Equity Task Force has formed to focus on the communities with the highest COVID-19 disease burden, including communities of color along the Highway 880 corridor. Initiatives include increased testing, race and ethnicity data quality, cultural sensitivity in case and contact investigations, tailored and multilingual messaging and support for people to safely isolate and quarantine. 

In the largest study examining COVID-19 outcomes to date in any setting, medical records of 17.4 million adults in the United Kingdom via the National Health Service (NHS) were analyzed to assess for factors associated with death from COVID-19. The study, published on May 7, provides counter-evidence to the popular hypothesis in the US that higher rates of death among racial/ethnic minorities may be due to a higher prevalence of underlying and predisposing medical conditions and puts a greater emphasis on poverty. Authors speculate that Asians and Blacks in the UK were more likely to be in “front-line” essential positions and to have a higher household density.

Testing and screening

We currently have the capacity to conduct at least 1,000 COVID-19 tests per day in Alameda County, which is about a third of the way to our goal of conducting 3,100 tests per day. 

If your facility conducts COVID-19 diagnostic testing in Alameda County and has not yet completed the testing survey, please complete or forward the 5-10 minute testing survey by May 21 so we can support you to scale up testing.

Testing locations can be downloaded from the COVID-19 testing webpage in 8 languages and searchable in this interactive map of COVID-19 services (click to filter for COVID-19 testing), which over 30 testing sites across the county. There are 4 new county testing programs at Roots Community Health Center (open now), Allen Temple, REACH Youth Center and Alameda County offices in Hayward (opening this week) can conduct 750 additional tests per day for anyone with symptoms and all health care workers, without cost and regardless of insurance status. Click on the testing site name above to make online appointments.

New Alameda County COVID-19 testing guidance was released this week encouraging diagnostic COVID-19 testing (RNA or antigen) for the following populations:

• People with COVID-19 symptoms
  • When testing resources are limited: people residing in congregate settings, people who are ages 65 and over, or have chronic medical conditions
  • When testing resources allow: all people with COVID-19 symptoms, according to clinical judgment
• Regardless of symptoms
  • Hospitalized patients
  • Health care workers seeing patients, first responders, other essential workers
  • People identified by the Public Health Department for case or outbreak investigations
  • People residing or working in congregate settings in certain situations, such as outbreak response, resident placement or transfer, and for grouping residents by COVID status. 

COVID-19 antibody testing is still not proven to be accurate or reliable enough to be recommended outside of a research study. 

Case and contact investigations, isolation and quarantine

We estimate that in Alameda County, we are currently meeting our goals to reach at least 90% of cases and contacts, and ensure safe isolation or quarantine for at least 90% of people reached.

We aim to train more contact tracers to prepare for increases cases and outbreaks as we loosen restrictions and allow for more physical contact. We are exploring the use of California State’s new contact tracing platform. The plan is to use a scalable model with teams of 7 to10 contact tracers, mixing experienced public health staff with newly trained staff drawn from county and community organizations.

Special task forces and partnerships in Alameda County have focused on rapid responses to cases and outbreaks at long-term care and skilled nursing facilities, Santa Rita Jail, shelters and encampments. The long-term care partnership met this week to establish goals around testing coordination and support for outbreak prevention. Providers are reminded to report COVID-19 cases in these high-risk settings within an hour of receiving the positive result.       

For people experiencing homelessness:

• There are now 4 hotels leased in Oakland and Alameda to shelter up to 522 people through Project Roomkey. Additional emergency hotels are in development.
• Please continue to refer COVID cases and contacts among people experiencing homelessness in Alameda County.
• The hotels will soon accept referrals up to 10 pm, and will also expand who is eligible, including those who live in group homes and other similar congregate settings who are unable to isolate on their own.   
• Healthcare for the Homeless and Public Health teams are continuing to work directly with people in encampments and shelters to contain cases and test contacts. 

Hospital capacity and surge planning

As of May 11, our hospital capacity indicators in Alameda County are:

• Less than 6% of the patients in hospital beds across Alameda County were COVID-19 positive, which is within our goal of 50% of less. About 15% of the patients in ICU beds were COVID-19 positive.     
• Most hospitals are reporting 4-14 days of most types of personal protective equipment (PPE) and still requesting assistance from the county, which means we have more work to do to reach our goal of having at least a 30-day supply of PPE without requesting assistance from the county. 

If your facility in Alameda County is in need of COVID-related supplies or staffing, please click on these links to request PPE, request staffing and request testing supplies from Emergency Medical Services.

Top new resources:

• The Treatment Action Group has released a dedicated collaborative COVID-19 resource hub with a COVID-19 Myth Busters page.
• Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) food benefit cards will begin arriving in May 2020. They will be mailed by US Postal Service automatically to families who receive CalFresh, CalWORKs and/or Medi-Cal. They do *not* count as a public charge benefit. Click here for info in English, Spanish and Chinese.

Week of May 6-12:

As of May 12, 2020 in Alameda County, there were 2,133 reported cases of COVID-19 and 74 deaths (4.5 deaths per 100k). On May 10, there were 123 hospitalizations (the highest was 198 on 4/14) and 44 ICU patients (highest was 71 on 4/10) with confirmed or suspected COVID. 5.5% of all hospitalized patients had confirmed or suspected COVID. 38% of the 333 staffed ICU beds and 83% of the on-site 725 ventilators were available across Alameda County. Daily case, death and hospitalization rates have on average been relatively flat with mild decreases over the past 3 weeks.

On May 12, Contra Costa County reported 1,066 cases, 32 deaths (2.8 deaths per 100k) and 18 currently hospitalized. On May 11, Solano County reported 388 cases, 11 deaths (2.5 deaths per 100k), and 13 currently hospitalized. As of May 11 in the state of California, there were ~1,033,370 tests conducted, 69,382 positive cases and 2,847 deaths (7.3 deaths per 100k in CA overall compared to 139.1 deaths per 100k in NY state). The county in CA with highest per capita deaths is Los Angeles County (16 deaths per 100k).

Alameda County has released a COVID-19 testing location table in 8 languages, including several sites offering free tests to all members of the public with symptoms, regardless of insurance coverage.

The Bay Area health officers have released 5 indicators with measurable goals to track progress in containing COVID-19. Please see the infographic below for the shared indicators and how Alameda County has been doing.

The State of California has also released an updated CA pandemic roadmap.

As a reminder, to keep the number of COVID-19 cases down, sheltering-in-place orders have been extended through May 31 in Alameda County and in Contra Costa County, along with 5 other Bay Area counties. Solano County has extended their shelter-in-place order through May 17.

The Bay Area orders do not currently permit curbside pickup from non-essential, non-outdoor businesses, which is different from what other regions in California might be doing.

Updates in each of our main COVID strategy areas:

Sheltering, distancing and flattening the curve

Our collective efforts with sheltering and distancing have saved thousands of lives to date.   

We’re looking to see whether the trend of cases and hospitalized patients is flat or decreasing. Overall, the trend of new cases and hospitalizations in Alameda County has been flat with mild decreases over the past 2½ weeks. Please see the graph below. 

In order to continue to keep our cases and hospitalizations down, we need to continue sheltering in place, maintaining our space, and covering our face.

• Cell phone mobility data from this week shows that we have reduced distance traveled by 40-55% and reduced non-essential visits by over 70%.
• Fewer restrictions on movement will be accompanied by an increase in cases, and it takes about 2 weeks after changes to see these shifts. 
• The COVID-19 Hospital Impact Model for Epidemics (CHIME) updated this past week demonstrates that sheltering in place and physical distancing has an enormous impact on reducing morbidity and mortality due to COVID-19. The latest predictions show that if we relax the amount of contact we have with each other by just 10 percent, we would experience 7 to 8 times more hospitalizations and ICU cases (which would potentially overwhelm existing hospital resources), with the peak predicted to occur 5 months earlier, in August 2020.
• Please have long-term plans in place to maintain at least 6 feet of physical distance and wear face coverings when people are outside their homes.
• As a reminder, COVID-19 food distribution sites, shelters, social service agencies and testing sites in Alameda County can be found on this interactive map to support community members needing these services.

Testing and screening

We aim to have capacity to conduct at least 200 tests conducted per 100k residents per day, which amounts to about 3,100 tests per day in Alameda County. 

• Last week we conducted just over 800 tests per day.
• This represents about twice as many tests per day compared to a month ago.

New testing sites in Alameda County are added to the testing locations PDF (first link) and this interactive map of COVID-19 testing/services (click to filter for COVID-19 testing), which currently includes 22 testing sites across the county. Since most cases are clustering around the 880 corridor and disproportionately impacting low-income communities of color, we will be assessing testing distribution and supporting more equitable access. Two new testing sites have opened at Allen Temple and Roots Community Health Center and are testing anyone with symptoms and all health care workers, without cost and regardless of insurance status. 

We aim to have enough capacity to test all people with symptoms. When capacity further allows, we aim to add testing for all high-risk people regardless of symptoms, such as health care workers, first responders, people in congregate settings, COVID close contacts, people ages 65 and over and people with comorbidities. New county-wide guidance and strategy around testing will be released soon.

COVID-19 antibody testing is currently of uncertain reliability and not recommended because:

• We do not know if a positive antibody result indicates prior exposure to COVID-19 or protection from future COVID-19 infections.  
• We do not know if a negative result excludes current or prior COVID-19 infection. 

If your organization conducts COVID-19 testing in Alameda County, please complete this 5-10 minute COVID testing survey to tell us about your testing capacity and needs so we can assess county-wide capacity and provide the supplies and support you need.

Case and contact investigations, isolation and quarantine

We aim to have sufficient capacity to reach at least 90% of cases and contacts, and ensure safe isolation or quarantine for at least 90% of people reached.

• In Alameda County, we estimate that 300 contact tracers will be needed at the time of peak cases. We have grown the contact tracing team from 7 people to 60 people to date. 

To strengthen support for nursing homes, Alameda County is coordinating a new partnership including a broad group of public health, hospital, clinical and long-term care facilities.

For people experiencing homelessness:

• Alameda County has served close to 500 people through the emergency hotels.
• We are working directly with people in encampments to test and contain outbreaks at 3 encampments and 2 shelters. 
• The Operation Comfort hotel continues to take referrals for COVID cases and contacts among people experiencing homelessness. A new hotel for isolation and quarantine is scheduled to open within the week.    

As a reminder, providers who diagnose COVID cases are to continue to provide isolation orders directly to patients/contacts and report high-risk cases (people in congregate settings, health care workers, first responders) to Communicable Diseases within an hour. To download the isolation orders in English or Spanish, go to the Alameda County COVID clinician guidance webpage, or Contra Costa County order PDF in English or Spanish.  

• Health facilities and other workplaces are expected to conduct investigations and notifications for workplace close contacts. Alameda County has guidance on isolation and when/how essential workers can return to work. 

Hospital capacity and surge planning

We aim to maintain or reach the following hospital capacity indicators:  

• No more than 50% of patients in hospital beds are COVID-19 positive.  
• We have at least a 30-day supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) available and can purchase adequate PPE without requesting assistance from the county. 

As of May 5 in Alameda County:

• 5.7% of the patients in hospital beds across Alameda County were COVID-19 positive.
  • Most hospitals are reporting 4-14 days of most types of PPE supplies. 

Since March 11, Alameda County has received more than 1,300 resource requests for PPE and medical supplies. All validated requests are being filled starting with highest priority sites, including hospitals, first responders, outbreak locations, and workers with high-risk populations. The county is collaborating with the State and other vendors to sustain their store of supplies. 

• If your facility in Alameda County is in need of COVID-related supplies or staffing, please click on these links to request PPE, request staffing and request testing supplies.

Alameda County Crisis Support Services has a new COVID-19 mental health support line for health care workers: 510-420-3222.

Top new resources:

• Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) food benefit cards will begin arriving in May 2020. They will be mailed by US Postal Service automatically to families who receive CalFresh, CalWORKs and/or Medi-Cal. They do *not* count as a public charge benefit. Click here for info in English, Spanish and Chinese.
• FAQ on COVID-19 and people living with HIV and COVID-19 y personas que viven con el VIH: Preguntas Frecuentes: updated and now in Spanish. These documents are written by ten leading HIV service and advocacy organizations and contains the latest data for people living with HIV.
• Mujeres Unidas y Activas has published a new Spanish-language resource guide with essential information about Bay Area resources for financial support, food, health care, domestic violence, and mental health available without cost and in Spanish.
•  Alameda County Crisis Support Services has a new COVID-19 support phone line for health care workers: 510-420-3222.
• New N95 mask decontamination program available for health facilities: The State of California, in cooperation with our federal partners, is offering the Battelle Critical Care Decontamination Systems as a solution to the N95 shortages impacting California. To participate in the program, please click here to download the info packet and agreement form, complete and return the attached service agreement (an FDA requirement). For Alameda County, the single point of contact for this program is Jaskiranjeet (Jessica) Sodhi: jaskiranjeet.k.sodhi.mil@mail.mil, office: 916-328-7932.
• Food distribution, shelters, social services and COVID-19 testing in Alameda County: this webpage includes a searchable map and listing of locations, eligibility and hours for these services. Click on the “funnel” icon to filter search results for the type of service you’re looking for.

Week of April 29 to May 5:

As of May 5, 2020 in Alameda County, there were 1,809 reported cases of COVID-19 and 66 deaths (4 deaths per 100k). On May 4, there were 135 hospitalizations (the highest was 198 on 4/14) and 46 ICU patients (highest was 71 on 4/10) with confirmed or suspected COVID. 51% of the 318 staffed ICU beds and 80% of the on-site 544 ventilators were available across Alameda County. Daily case, death and hospitalization rates have on average been relatively flat over the past 3 weeks.

On May 5, Contra Costa County reported 969 cases, 29 deaths (2.6 deaths per 100k) and 20 currently hospitalized. On May 4, Solano County reported 325 cases, 6 deaths (1.4 deaths per 100k), and 13 currently hospitalized. As of May 4 in the state of California, there were ~779,902 tests conducted, 56,212 positive cases and 2,317 deaths (6.1 deaths per 100k in CA overall compared to 128.1 deaths per 100k in NY state). The county in CA with highest per capita deaths is Los Angeles County (13 deaths per 100k).

The Bay Area is 2% of the US population but has had less than 0.5% of COVID deaths in the US. Sheltering and distancing continues to help us significantly limit the number of COVID cases and flatten the curve. This tremendous collective community effort has been a public health success story!

To continue flattening the curve, sheltering-in-place orders have been extended through May 31 in Alameda County and in Contra Costa County, along with 5 other Bay Area counties (with a few more -mostly outdoor- activities allowed). Solano County has extended their shelter-in-place order through May 17.

Updates in each of our main COVID strategy areas:

Sheltering, distancing and flattening the curve

• Sheltering-in-Place has been extended through May and continues to help us flatten the curve (see graph). Please help all community members safely stay in place, maintain space, and cover our face.
  • Physical distancing: Cell phone mobility data from this week shows that we’ve reduced distance traveled by 40-55% and reduced non-essential visits by 65-70% in Alameda County. The sheltering-in-place order has been extended through May in Alameda County and in Contra Costa County with the allowance of a limited number of low-risk activities, such as outdoor, construction and childcare activities with distancing modifications. Predictive modeling shows that cases will increase when sheltering and distancing measures are eased, so we need to continue to prepare for that. 
  • Universal face coverings are an important strategy for reducing asymptomatic spread and are required when going out for essential activities. We can use simple fabric (bandanas, scarves, t-shirts) we already have at home for face coverings. Click here for multilingual FAQs. At work, follow your workplace’s guidance around using isolation/surgical masks.
  • COVID-19 food distribution sites, shelters, social service agencies and testing sites in Alameda County can be found on this interactive map to support community members needing these services.
  • To determine when and how distancing restrictions can be eased, 5 indicators for progress have been identified, including testing capacity, contact tracing capacity, hospitalization rates, hospital capacity, and supplies of protective equipment (PPE) as described in the goals below.

Testing and screening

• Alameda County goal: increase capacity to 3,100 tests per day. Currently we conducting about 450 tests per day.
  • New Alameda County COVID testing sites have been added to an interactive map (filter for COVID-19 testing) and on a downloadable PDF with a total of 21 sites listed. While labs have increased capacity to run tests, sites report that obtaining enough testing supplies has been difficult.
  • Over 15,500 COVID tests have been reported in Alameda County to date, with 9% of all tests positive, with an increasing positivity trend through April 26 (see graph). The positivity rate trend will be closely monitored. Most cases have been along the Highway 880 corridor.    
  • Race/ethnicity disparities: Among COVID+ cases with known race in Alameda County, Latinos have the highest rates of cases and African Americans have the highest rates of death (see graph). African Americans have disproportionate rates of cases and deaths in many places across the US and California. Alameda County will be analyzing this data further to address disparities and ensure that we are testing, providing contact tracing and linkage to care in impacted communities.      
  • The CDC has updated COVID testing guidelines and expanded the symptom list to include fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, muscle pain, new loss of taste or smell, vomiting or diarrhea and/or sore throat. When a testing site has enough capacity to test beyond high priority populations, offering testing to all people with COVID-19 symptoms is in the next priority group.
  • Next steps for the Alameda County teasting task force include a survey of needs, gaps and capacity at each COVID testing site, and updating a county-wide testing strategy document to address inequities and with clinical guidance around how to prioritize testing and linkage to care, including at long-term care facilities, shelters and encampments. 

Contract tracing, isolation and quarantine

• Alameda County goal: have capacity to investigate at least 90% of COVID cases and contacts.
• Alameda County continues to scale up contact tracing capacity, exploring the use of technology and collaborating with San Francisco/UCSF with the aim to have ~300 contact tracers at the peak of COVID cases. 
• New Alameda County nursing home outbreak control guidance was presented on a call with skilled nursing and residential care facilities on April 28 and can be downloaded here. 
• Among people experiencing homelessness in Alameda County, close contacts and potential contacts of 11 people testing COVID at 2 street locations and 4 shelters have been tested. The vast majority have been negative. The Operation Comfort hotel continues to take referrals for COVID cases and contacts. 262 new hotel rooms for people experiencing homelessness and affected by COVID-19 will become available in early May.     
• As a reminder, providers who diagnose COVID cases are to continue to provide isolation orders directly to patients/contacts and report high-risk cases (people in congregate settings, health care workers, first responders) to Communicable Diseases within an hour. To download the isolation orders in English or Spanish, go to the Alameda County COVID clinician guidance webpage, or Contra Costa County order PDF in English or Spanish.  
• Health facilities and other workplaces are expected to conduct investigations and notifications for workplace close contacts. Alameda County has guidance on isolation and when/how essential workers can return to work. 

Hospital capacity and surge planning

• Alameda County goals: decreasing or flat COVID hospitalization rates over a 2-week period, having at least 50% hospital capacity available for COVID cases, enough personal protective equipment (PPE) for 30 days or more.
• Hospitalization rates have been relatively flat over the past 3 weeks. On April 27, there were 128 hospitalizations (the highest was 198 on 4/14) and 47 ICU patients (highest was 71 on 4/10) with confirmed or suspected COVID. 58% of the 313 ICU beds and 81% of the on-site 553 ventilators were available across Alameda County.
• Hospitals have their own contingency and crisis plans in place to be ready for a surge (a rapid increase in hospitalized cases), and they continue to monitor and report on cases, bed availability and PPE supplies.   
• New N95 mask decontamination program available for health facilities: The State of California, in cooperation with our federal partners, is offering the Battelle Critical Care Decontamination Systems as a solution to the N95 shortages impacting California. To participate in the program, please click here to download the info packet and agreement form, complete and return the attached service agreement (an FDA requirement). For Alameda County, the single point of contact for this program is Jaskiranjeet (Jessica) Sodhi: jaskiranjeet.k.sodhi.mil@mail.mil, office: 916-328-7932. 
• Requesting donated PPE in Alameda County: Healthcare facilities in Alameda County needing additional PPE can continue to request donated supplies using the resource request form on the EMS website.
• A reminder to register to help in the COVID surge: If you haven’t already done so and work in medical or health care settings and are willing to work in alternate local patient care locations to help with the COVID surge, please register in the COVID-19 Medical Health Personnel Database (Alameda County only) and the California Health Corps System (anyone in CA, a.k.a. DHA database). To serve in your county, select your county unit under “County Organizations.”

Top new resources:

• Mujeres Unidas y Activas has published a new Spanish-language resource guide with essential information about Bay Area resources for financial support, food, health care, domestic violence, and mental health available without cost and in Spanish.
• Alameda County Crisis Support Services has a new COVID-19 support phone line for health care workers: 510-420-3222.
• New N95 mask decontamination program available for health facilities: The State of California, in cooperation with our federal partners, is offering the Battelle Critical Care Decontamination Systems as a solution to the N95 shortages impacting California. To participate in the program, please click here to download the info packet and agreement form, complete and return the attached service agreement (an FDA requirement). For Alameda County, the single point of contact for this program is Jaskiranjeet (Jessica) Sodhi: jaskiranjeet.k.sodhi.mil@mail.mil, office: 916-328-7932. 
• Food distribution, shelters, social services and COVID-19 testing in Alameda County: A new website includes a searchable map and listing of locations, eligibility and hours for these services. Click on the “funnel” icon to filter search results for the type of service you’re looking for.
• GTZ-SF Forum on COVID-19 and People with HIV: article in Bay Area Reporter (4/27)

Top links:

• HIV: FAQs for people living with HIV (PLWH), Guidance for PLWH (CDC), Guidance for HIV providers (EBGTZ)
• Key Communities: Harm Reduction Coalition, Immigrants Rising, Protecting Immigrant Families: Public Charge, Healthcare for the Homeless
• COVID testing: Alameda County COVID testing sites (click on funnel to filter for testing sites)
• Public Health Department updates: Alameda County, Contra Costa County, Solano County, California State
• COVID Data: Alameda County, Contra Costa County, Solano County, California (public health), California (SF Chronicle), National and Global (JHU)

Week of April 22-28:

As of April 28, 2020 in Alameda County, there were 1,533 reported cases of COVID-19 and 55 deaths (3.3 deaths per 100k, including outbreaks at nursing homes and 35 cases at Santa Rita Jail). On April 26, there were 127 hospitalizations (the lowest number since 4/1; the highest was 198 on 4/14) and 47 ICU patients (highest was 71 on 4/10) with confirmed or suspected COVID. 61% of the 321 ICU beds and 79% of the on-site 553 ventilators were available across Alameda County. Daily case, death and hospitalization rates have been relatively flat over the past 2 weeks.

On April 28, Contra Costa County reported 842 cases and 25 deaths (2.2 deaths per 100k), with 27 currently hospitalized. On April 24, Solano County reported 249 cases, 4 deaths (0.9 deaths per 100k), and 12 currently hospitalized. As of April 27 at 2 pm in the state of California, there were ~577,608 tests conducted, 45,031 positive cases and 1,809 deaths (4.8 deaths per 100k in CA overall), with the most deaths per 100k in Los Angeles (9.9 deaths per 100k), San Mateo (6.3 deaths per 100k) and Santa Clara Counties (5.5 deaths per 100k).

Coming this week, Bay Area Health Officers will issue new shelter-in-place orders that largely keep the current restrictions in place and extend them through May. The new order will include limited easing of specific restrictions for a small number of lower-risk activities. (4/27 PDF press release)

During the month-long observance of Ramadan, please remember the importance of physical distancing, sheltering in place and find virtual ways to share time together in fellowship.

Updates in each of our main COVID strategy areas:

• Sheltering, distancing and flattening the curve
  • Physical distancing continues to help us flatten the curve. We have reduced our movement by 23-65% across Alameda County (see below). Remember that the current shelter-in-place order is in place until May 3 and will be extended through May with the allowance of a limited number of low-risk activities that are yet to be announced. Predictive modeling shows that cases will increase when sheltering and distancing measures are eased with a possible peak in late summer, so we need to continue to prepare for that. 
  • Face coverings are now required when we leave home for essential activities. Please help our clients and fellow community members do the same. We can use fabric (bandana, scarf, t-shirt) we already have. Here is the guidance from Alameda County (and detailed order) and from Contra Costa County. Click here for multilingual FAQs. At work, follow your workplace’s guidance around using isolation/surgical masks.
• Testing and screening  
  • Alameda County has released a list of COVID testing sites including location, hours, eligibility, contact and turnaround times. (PDF, 4/23) LifeLong Trust and street outreach teams are providing street-level COVID testing for people experiencing homelessness.
  • Alameda County may soon expand testing to include all people who have COVID-19 symptoms. The current testing positivity rate is 9%, which is similar to other Bay Area counties. In the past month ~300-360 tests were conducted on average per day in Alameda County, and the goal is to provide 2,500 tests per day.
  • ACPHD has formed a COVID-19 testing task force which met for the first time on 4/22. The task force will evaluate testing needs and disparities, develop a county-wide testing strategy and implement coordinated testing and linkage protocols.
  • Nursing homes: New Alameda County guidance for COVID outbreak control at skilled nursing and residential care facilities was released on 4/28. CDPH has a new webpage with COVID case counts in nursing homes. As a reminder, there is new guidance for screening and prevention at long-term care facilities (LTCF or nursing homes), skilled nursing facilities (SNF) and other congregate living settings issued by Alameda County and Contra Costa County and there are new county and state task forces actively working with nursing homes.
• Contract tracing, isolation and quarantine
  • As a reminder, providers who diagnose COVID+ cases are to continue to provide isolation orders directly to patients/contacts and report high-risk cases (people in congregate settings, health care workers, first responders) to Communicable Diseases within an hour. To download the isolation orders in English or Spanish, go to the Alameda County COVID clinician guidance webpage, or Contra Costa County order PDF in English or Spanish.  
  • ACPHD currently has 17 people working full-time on contact tracing for community contacts and has been able to keep up with needs. We could need upwards of 300 people during the peak time of COVID cases, and we’re partnering with regional partners expand the contact tracing platform and provide training.
  • Health facilities and other workplaces are expected to conduct investigations and notifications for workplace close contacts. Alameda County has guidance on isolation and when/how essential workers can return to work. 
  • For people experiencing homelessness, COVID isolation rooms are available at the Operation Comfort hotel (click for referral info). For unhoused people at high-risk for COVID complications, the Operation Safer Ground hotel is filling up and is not taking referrals.
  • Additional hotels are planned for people experiencing homelessness needing isolation rooms as well as people who cannot safely self-isolate at home with a goal to become available in the next few weeks.  
• Hospital capacity and surge planning
  • The number of COVID-19 cases in the hospital has been relatively flat in the past 2 weeks.
  • We are currently in the “conventional” phase of surge planning and utilizing existing hospital resources without yet needing to shift equipment and staff.
  • Our latest modeling for hospital surge planning indicates that if we start easing physical distancing in the next 1-2 months, peak hospitalizations would occur in late summer.
  • While we anticipate having enough total hospital beds to meet that peak period, we may have a shortage of ICU beds.
  • Spaces for isolation of people in high risk situations is a key surge prevention strategy in order to reduce transmission and hospitalizations. We’re pursuing more hotels in order to provide isolation rooms for people who otherwise cannot isolate at home.
  • Hospitals report that staff recruitment and retention at all levels are biggest challenge in their surge planning efforts.
  • Register to help in the COVID surge: If you haven’t already done so and work in medical or health care settings and are willing to work in alternate local patient care locations to help with the COVID surge, please register in the COVID-19 Medical Health Personnel Database (Alameda County only) and the California Health Corps System (anyone in CA, a.k.a. DHA database). To serve in your county, select your county unit under “County Organizations.”

Daily COVID cases and deaths in the Bay Area, from SF Chronicle:

Alameda County daily COVID cases from ACPHD:

Alameda County daily COVID hospitalization and ICU cases:

Physical distancing: Below is the reduction in movement to/from different types of locations in Alameda County from the most recent (4/11) Google COVID-19 Community Mobility Report.

Top new resources:

• COVID-19 for people living with HIV virtual Town Hall co-hosted by GTZ-SF and Ward 86@SFGH on Thursday, April 23, 6-8pm PST. Click here to RSVP & submit questions for the Q&A, visit https://sfvirtualtownhall_covid19andhiv.eventbrite.com.
• The COVID-19 and People Living with HIV: Frequently Asked Questions document was released on 4/9 by 10 national HIV advocacy organizations, providing clear and culturally responsive information to ensure PLHIV and communities disproportionately impacted by HIV have a reliable resource for the latest information in line with local, national and global public health entities.
• Project Roomkey isolation housing for people in Alameda County experiencing homelessness for COVID-19 has updated access info on their webpage. (website and PDF, 4/6) Operation Comfort continues to be open for referrals: for people experiencing homelessness and are COVID+, have COVID symptoms and awaiting test results, or have known COVID+ exposures.
• DIY masks: We can use simple fabric coverings with bandanas, scarves, t-shirts, etc. we already have. Here are instructions for sewing your own science-backed face covering out of reusable grocery bags.
• Stimulus checks: Go to the IRS website to learn more and set up direct deposit to get your stimulus check. Gig workers, independent contractors and small business owners in California can apply for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program for up to an addition $600/week. Western Center and Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles created an FAQ for COVID-19 Stimulus Checks. (Espanol).
• Property taxes: Alameda County Treasurer-Tax Collector Henry Levy added new information on his website for those unable to pay by the April 10 deadline, specifying how to avoid penalties and how to apply for an interest waiver.
• Unemployment: Employment Development Department (EDD) added staff and created a Pandemic Unemployment Assistance page. Best advice: Apply online, avoid calling EDD if you can, and opt for the electronic benefits rather than a check for faster processing. 

New COVID-19 research studies:

• HIV-COVID Reporting Database: Coronavirus Under Research Exclusion (CURE HIV-COVID) is an adult database to monitor and report on outcomes of COVID-19 occurring in HIV patients. We encourage HIV clinicians in the United States to report ALL cases of COVID-19 in their HIV patients, regardless of severity (including asymptomatic patients detected through public health screening).  Reporting a case to this CURE HIV-COVID database should take approximately 5 minutes.  Please report only confirmed COVID-19 cases, and report after a minimum of 7 days and sufficient time has passed to observe the disease course through resolution of acute illness or death. With the collaboration of our entire HIV community, we will rapidly be able to define the impact of COVID-19 on patients with HIV and how factors such as age, CD4 count, comorbidities, and treatments impact COVID outcomes. To report a case of coronavirus, click here. If you have any questions, please reach out via our Contact Page.

• NIH serology study open to volunteers nationwide: A new study has begun recruiting at the National Institutes of Health to determine how many adults in the United States without a confirmed history of infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), have antibodies to the virus. The presence of antibodies in the blood indicates a prior infection. In this “serosurvey,” researchers will collect and analyze blood samples from as many as 10,000 volunteers to provide critical data for epidemiological models. The results will help illuminate the extent to which the novel coronavirus has spread undetected in the United States and provide insights into which communities and populations are most affected. Interested in enrolling? Contact: clinicalstudiesunit@nih.gov
• The COVID-19 PEP Study: This study is a randomized, multi-center study of hydroxychloroquine PEP for the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection in 2,000 adults exposed to the virus. Volunteers who participate in the study will be asked to take a medication, complete an online survey to assess their symptoms, and collect a sample by swabbing the inside of their nose every day for 14 days. On Day 28 a final swab will be collected and a survey completed. The study is entirely remote (no in person visits).  Anyone who is interested can go to the study website at www.covid19pepstudy.org and fill out the information and a study coordinator will call them back. For study inquiries, email COVID19PEP@mednet.ucla.edu

Week of April 15-21:

As of April 21, 2020 at 6 pm there were 1,239 reported cases of COVID-19 and 43 deaths (2.6 deaths per 100k) reported in Alameda County (including outbreaks at 2 nursing homes and 32 cases at Santa Rita Jail). On 4/20, there were 137 hospitalizations (down from 198 on 4/14 and the lowest in 2 weeks) and 42 ICU patients (down from 71 on 4/10) with confirmed or suspected COVID. Also on 4/20, there were 468 COVID “surge” hospital beds, 28% of 213 staffed ICU beds and 76% of 557 ventilators available Alameda County-wide.

On April 21, Contra Costa County reported 749 cases and 22 deaths (1.9 deaths per 100k), with 34 currently hospitalized. Solano County reported 181 cases, 1 deaths (0.7 deaths per 100k), and 9 currently hospitalized. As of April 20 at 2 pm in the state of California, there were ~300,100 tests conducted, 33,261 positive cases and 1,268 deaths, with the most cases and deaths in Los Angeles (6.6 deaths per 100k), San Diego, Riverside and Santa Clara Counties (4.6 deaths per 100k).

• Sheltering, distancing and flattening the curve
  • Face coverings are required to be worn starting April 22 at 8 am for everyone over the age of 12 when working at or going to an essential business, such as grocery stores, gas stations, healthcare facilities or on public transportation. This is because COVID-19 can be infectious before people have symptoms. Carry one with you when you go out to walk or exercise so you can put it on in case you come within 6 feet of contact with people outside your household. You can use breathable fabric (without holes) you already have, such as a bandana or scarf, or make one from reusable grocery bags. Here is the guidance from Alameda County (and detailed order) and from Contra Costa County. (4/17 orders)
  • Predictive modeling shows that physical distancing is helping us slow the spread of the novel coronavirus and “flatten the curve.” We have reduced our distance/mobility by 36-72% across the county. Go East Bay!! Remember that the current shelter-in-place order is in place until at least May 3. We need to keep up this good work and support our fellow community members to keep it up too!  
  • On April 14, Gov. Newsom outlined a framework to determine when the state and local communities can begin to resume work, school, and other activities. The timing will depend on the progress we make toward six indicators, and the governor pledged to make any decisions in concert with local public health authorities and other city and county leaders. Please see the governor’s press release.
  • Alameda County COVID updates were presented at the Board of Supervisors Health Committee meeting on April 13, 2020; download slides here. (PDF, 4/13)
  • Please see highlighted graphics on Alameda County daily case numbers and distancing data from Google COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports below. 
• Nursing home (long-term care facility or LTCF) outbreaks
  • There is new guidance for screening and prevention at long-term care facilities (LTCF or nursing homes), skilled nursing facilities (SNF) and other congregate living settings issued by Alameda County and Contra Costa County. (PDF, 4/13)
  • Hospitals are reminded that hospitalized inpatients with pending COVID-19 tests should not be transferred to SNFs until test results are available. Please see the CDPH Interim Guidance for Transfer of Residents with Suspected or Confirmed Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) for more details. (Health alert, 4/17)
  • Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD), Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and California Department of Public Health (CDPH) are working together to address the outbreaks. ACPHD formed a LTCF task force to help the facilities manage containment and infection control. They are working with hospitals and EMS to provide staffing support at facilities experiencing staff shortages. CDPH has a liaison to outreach to all 72 LTCFs in Alameda County to assess resources and needs to be addressed. 
• Testing, isolation and contract tracing
  • The “rapid” COVID test by Abbott procured by the state will be available at Highland Hospital/Alameda Health Systems. 
  • There is no county-wide testing task force in Alameda County yet, but there is a need. Currently there is one person at ACPHD assigned who has assembled information about testing sites and other materials. 
  • Providers who diagnose COVID+ cases are to continue to directly give isolation orders to COVID+ patients/contacts and report high-risk cases (people in congregate settings, health care workers, first responders) to Communicable Diseases within an hour. To download the isolation orders in English or Spanish, go to the Alameda County COVID clinician guidance webpage, or Contra Costa County order PDF in English or Spanish.  
  • ACPHD has expanded their contact investigation team with one new team trained up this week. They are following shared/standard protocols for the region and managing to keep up with cases and close contacts in the community.
  • ACPHD conducts the contact investigations and notifications for community contacts.
  • Health facilities and workplaces are expected to conduct investigations and notifications for workplace close contacts. 
• People experiencing homelessness in Alameda County:
  • As of 4/14, there were <10 COVID+ cases among those who are known homeless and 11 without addresses (possibly homeless). Homeless subgroups are on the new county dashboard.
  • Project Elder Shelter has begun moving high-risk guests at shelters to the Safer Ground hotel (4/13 occupancy: 98 out of 289 beds). Residents are being transferred as quickly as staff can safely handle.
  • COVID isolation rooms continue to be available at the Operation Comfort hotel (4/13 occupancy: 60 out of 104 beds). Click here for info on COVID referrals. For more information, contact covidhousing@acgov.org.
  • LifeLong Trust and street outreach teams are providing street-level COVID testing.
• Register to help in the COVID surge: If you work in medical or health care settings and are willing to work in alternate local patient care locations to help with the COVID surge, please register in the COVID-19 Medical Health Personnel Database (Alameda County only) and the California Health Corps System (anyone in CA, a.k.a. DHA database). To serve in your county, select your county unit under “County Organizations.” (Health alert sent 4/10)
• Alameda County COVID-19 hospital capacity “surge” prediction: Surge predictions and models are changing almost daily. As of April 15, there is still predicted to be a shortage of hospital beds during the peak period. As of April 8th, an acceleration of cases is predicted for the beginning of May with a peak in late June, assuming physical distancing continues through May.
  • Current phase: reduce community transmission through sheltering at home, school closures and physical distancing; increase hospital capacity for COVID patients by reducing non-COVID and non-acute hospitalized cases. We have been doing this and have successfully reduced non-COVID census at hospitals.
  • Second phase, by May 1: prepare for a “normal” surge that maximizes existing hospital beds, equipment and staffing. This includes planning to shift non-medical beds, staff and equipment (such as from operating rooms, unused obstetrics rooms, emergency department) to be used for COVID patients when needed. We are making plans for this phase. (~1,000 hospital beds) 
  • Third phase, by June 1: prepare for a “catastrophic” surge, increasing hospital bed capacity from ~1,000 to 2,000 beds by transporting lower acuity patients to hotels, field hospitals (one is in the works for Alameda County to be set up by the state of California and the federal Army Corps), and regional hospitals, such as Seton Hospital in Daly City. These additional beds are being identified and prepared. The state of California is evaluating the availability of additional ventilators in ambulatory surgery centers which may be borrowed if needed.   

How are we doing in Alameda County?

Below are the numbers of cases reported each day February 15 to April 11 based on date of COVID-19 onset:

Below is the reduction in distance traveled to/from different types of locations from Google COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports:

Top new resources:

• COVID-19 for people living with HIV virtual Town Hall co-hosted by GTZ-SF and Ward 86@SFGH on Thursday, April 23, 6-8pm PST. Click here to RSVP & submit questions for the Q&A, visit https://sfvirtualtownhall_covid19andhiv.eventbrite.com.
• The COVID-19 and People Living with HIV: Frequently Asked Questions document was released on 4/9 by 10 national HIV advocacy organizations, providing clear and culturally responsive information to ensure PLHIV and communities disproportionately impacted by HIV have a reliable resource for the latest information in line with local, national and global public health entities.
• Project Roomkey isolation housing for people in Alameda County experiencing homelessness for COVID-19 has updated access info on their webpage. (website and PDF, 4/6) Operation Comfort continues to be open for referrals: for people experiencing homelessness and are COVID+, have COVID symptoms and awaiting test results, or have known COVID+ exposures.
• HIV, STD, TB and needle exchange field work guidance: The CDC developed Interim Guidance on Handling Non-COVID-19 Public Health Activities that Require Face-to-Face Interaction with Clients in the Clinic and Field in the Current COVID-19 Pandemic. This is intended for managers and their staff engaged in public health clinic settings and field outreach activities in state and local health departments.
• The Othering and Belonging Institute is tracking how COVID impacts vulnerable populations and has a new collection of infographics to visualize the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on working people and renters in California.
• The Harm Reduction Coalition is also now hosting weekly office hours to discuss COVID related issues.
• PleasePrEPMe has a webpage on HIV prevention and COVID-19
• SF AIDS Foundation has a webpage on “Should you continue PrEP if you’re self-quarantining?”
• UCSF School of Medicine recordings of COVID-19 Grand Rounds and updates on their YouTube channel. 
• The PAETC has posted a recording of the webinar on COVID-19 & HIV: Care for People with HIV in Advent of the Coronavirus
• Here are instructions for making your own science-backed face covering out of reusable grocery bags.
• Stimulus checks: Western Center and Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles created an FAQ for COVID-19 Stimulus Checks. (Espanol).
• Property taxes: Alameda County Treasurer-Tax Collector Henry Levy added new information on his website for those unable to pay by the April 10 deadline, specifying how to avoid penalties and how to apply for an interest waiver.
• Unemployment: Employment Development Department (EDD) added staff and created a Pandemic Unemployment Assistance page. Best advice: Apply online, avoid calling EDD if you can, and opt for the electronic benefits rather than a check for faster processing. 

COVID-19 research studies open to Bay Area community members:

• HIV-COVID Reporting Database: Coronavirus Under Research Exclusion (CURE HIV-COVID) is an adult database to monitor and report on outcomes of COVID-19 occurring in HIV patients. We encourage HIV clinicians in the United States to report ALL cases of COVID-19 in their HIV patients, regardless of severity (including asymptomatic patients detected through public health screening).  Reporting a case to this CURE HIV-COVID database should take approximately 5 minutes.  Please report only confirmed COVID-19 cases, and report after a minimum of 7 days and sufficient time has passed to observe the disease course through resolution of acute illness or death. With the collaboration of our entire HIV community, we will rapidly be able to define the impact of COVID-19 on patients with HIV and how factors such as age, CD4 count, comorbidities, and treatments impact COVID outcomes. To report a case of coronavirus, click here. If you have any questions, please reach out via our Contact Page.

• COVID-19 Citizen Science Study: UCSF researchers are launching a world-wide study to track COVID-19 symptoms, infections, risk factors and behaviors that might impact spread.  The study, called the COVID-19 Citizen Science Study, uses daily surveys to track risk factors, symptoms, exposures and COVID-19 diagnoses as well as geolocation to understand the impact of people’s movement on the containment of the disease.  To participate or to refer others to participate, go to https://covid19.eurekaplatform.org. You may also text “COVID” to 41411 for more information.
• NIH serology study open to volunteers nationwide: A new study has begun recruiting at the National Institutes of Health to determine how many adults in the United States without a confirmed history of infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), have antibodies to the virus. The presence of antibodies in the blood indicates a prior infection. In this “serosurvey,” researchers will collect and analyze blood samples from as many as 10,000 volunteers to provide critical data for epidemiological models. The results will help illuminate the extent to which the novel coronavirus has spread undetected in the United States and provide insights into which communities and populations are most affected. Interested in enrolling? Contact: clinicalstudiesunit@nih.gov
• COVID-19 Pregnancy Registry:  A National Priority: PRIORITY(Pregnancy CoRonavIrus Outcomes RegIsTrY) is a UCSF and UCLA led nationwide registry for pregnant and postpartum women with suspected or confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19.  The goal is to provide information that informs and improves patient care during this pandemic. To Refer a Patient:  Please ask the patient if she is willing to have her contact information shared with the research team. If yes, you can click here to Refer a Patient, or call/text 415-754-3749, or email at PRIORITYCOVID19@ucsf.edu. The patient can also contact the research team herself For Patients: Enroll in PRIORITY. The team will then reach out directly to her to consent, enroll, and begin data collection. For more information about the project or to donate to support the project, go to Crowdfunding to support PRIORITY.
• COVID Post Exposure Prophylaxis Clinical Trial: The University of Minnesota is conducting an open trial investigating hydroxychloroquine for post-exposure prophylaxis for healthcare or household COVID-19 exposures. It is open to anyone in the U.S. who meets criteria and is internet based. Those who may qualify can email covid19@umn.edu to inquire. Full information at this link. Please note: This study is not being performed at UCSF, but anyone can inquire.

Week of April 8-14:

As of April 14, 2020 at 5 pm updated COVID data for Alameda and Contra Costa Counties were still pending from the state. On April 13, there were 886 confirmed reported cases of COVID-19, 192 hospitalizations and 23 deaths reported in Alameda County (including outbreaks at 2 nursing homes and 13 cases at Santa Rita Jail), 552 cases and 13 deaths in Contra Costa County (including an outbreak at one nursing home), and on April 14, 140 cases and 2 deaths in Solano County for a total of 1,578 confirmed cases and 38 deaths in the 3 East Bay counties. As of April 13 at 2 pm in the state of California, there were ~215,400 tests conducted, 23,338 positive cases and 758 deaths.

• COVID-19 response among people experiencing homelessness in Alameda County: <10 cases among those who are known homeless and 11 without addresses (new homeless subgroups on dashboard); Project Elder Shelter has begun moving high-risk guests at shelters to the Safer Ground hotel (4/13 occupancy: 98); COVID isolation continues at the Operation Comfort hotel (4/13 occupancy: 60); LifeLong Trust and street outreach teams are providing street-level COVID testing. (4/14)
• New guidance for screening and prevention at long-term care facilities (nursing homes), skilled nursing facilities and other congregate living settings have been issued by Alameda County and Contra Costa County. (PDF, 4/13)
• Alameda County COVID updates were presented at the Board of Supervisors Health Committee meeting on April 13, 2020; download slides here. (PDF, 4/13)
• If you work in medical or health care settings and are willing to work in alternate local patient care locations to help with the COVID surge, please register in the COVID-19 Medical Health Personnel Database and the California Health Corps System (formerly DHV) and sign up for the Alameda County Unit under “County Organizations.” (Health alert, 4/10)
• East Bay nursing home outbreaks: Alameda County Health Department has confirmed outbreaks at two nursing homes, one in Hayward with 2 deaths and one in Castro Valley. Contra Costa County Health Department reported a second death from the nursing home outbreak in Orinda. (4/9) Volunteer health care workers are mobilizing to augment staffing at these facilities. (4/10)
• Alameda County COVID-19 surge prediction: as of April 8th are for an acceleration of cases at the beginning of May and peak in late June, assuming physical distancing continues through May. See details below.
• New reporting requirement for high-risk COVID+ cases in Alameda County (4/8): Please report all COVID+ cases immediately (within 1 hour) for health care workers, first responders and people living in congregate settings. Call the ACPHD Acute Communicable Disease Dept at 510-267-3250. The after-hours number is 925-422-7595.
• Alameda County and Contra Costa County Health Officers have issued blanket isolation orders that will apply to all persons diagnosed with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 and blanket quarantine orders that will apply to close contacts of cases. Effective April 3, 2020, health care providers are to disseminate blanket orders to all patients being tested for COVID-19 or who are presumptively diagnosed with COVID-19 without testing BEFORE they leave the health care facility. To download the PDF orders in English or Spanish, go to the Alameda County COVID clinician guidance webpage, or Contra Costa County order PDF in English or Spanish. (4/3)
• New Bay Area public health recommendation to cover the face (nose and mouth) with cloth (such as bandanas, fabric masks, gaiters) to prevent transmission of coronavirus to others when leaving the house for essential activities. Medical masks should be preserved for health care workers. (PDF 4/2) The CDC has a useful DIY face covering instruction webpage, and New York City has a good PDF on frequently asked questions.
• Bay Area schools confirm closures through the end of the school year. (4/1) The Bay Area Shelter-in-Place order has been extended to May 3, 2020. (PDF 3/31)

Top new resources:

• The COVID-19 and People Living with HIV: Frequently Asked Questions document was released on 4/9 by 10 national HIV advocacy organizations, providing clear and culturally responsive information to ensure PLHIV and communities disproportionately impacted by HIV have a reliable resource for the latest information in line with local, national and global public health entities.
• Project Roomkey isolation housing for people in Alameda County experiencing homelessness for COVID-19 has updated access info on a new webpage. (website and PDF, 4/6) Operation Comfort continues to be open for referrals: for people experiencing homelessness and are COVID+, have COVID symptoms and awaiting test results, or have known COVID+ exposures.
• 60-day waiver for In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS): CA Governor Newsom signed an executive order on April 7 that allows for a 60-day waiver for In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program caseworkers to continue their work and be able to care for older adults and individuals with disabilities.
• The DEA is now allowing telemedicine visits for buprenorphine initiation and controlled substance prescriptions during the COVID-19 emergency. (DEA website and PDF on bup telemedicine)
• Immigrant eligibility for public programs during COVID-19: summary table on the Protecting Immigrant Families website.
• COVID-19 Fact Sheets in 35+ languages: the COVID-19 Health Literacy Project has expert-reviewed COVID-19 information into 35+ different languages to help all patients, especially immigrants and non-English speaking communities, stay informed and healthy.
• Extensions for Alameda County CalWORKs, CalFresh,and/or General Assistance (GA): if your Semi-Annual Report (SAR 7) or annual renewal is due in March, April, or May 2020, you do not have to turn in the reports or complete your interview for these months, though you may want to report if your income has gone down, since your benefits may increase. (4/2)
• Special recording of UCSF Grand Rounds on COVID-19 Epidemiology, Science, & Clinical Manifestations and the UCSF Response, free to view and recorded on April 2, 2020.

East Bay COVID and surge planning updates (additional details):

• New reporting requirement for high-risk COVID+ cases in Alameda County (4/8): Please report all COVID+ cases immediately (within 1 hour) for health care workers, first responders and people living in congregate settings. Call the ACPHD Acute Communicable Disease Dept at 510-267-3250. The after-hours only number is 925-422-7595; dispatch center will answer; ask for the Public Health Duty officer on call; note that most duty officers don’t have access to database of test results.
• Alameda County and Contra Costa County Health Officers have issued blanket isolation orders that will apply to all persons diagnosed with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 and blanket quarantine orders that will apply to close contacts of cases. Effective April 3, 2020, health care providers are to disseminate blanket orders to all patients being tested for COVID-19 or who are presumptively diagnosed with COVID-19 without testing BEFORE they leave the health care facility. To download the PDF orders, click for: Alameda County orders in English or Spanish, or Contra Costa County in English or Spanish. On April 8, Dr. Erica Pan at ACPHD reported that ACPHD will be addressing concerns about prolonged isolation and quarantines for essential health care workers and determining when exceptions may be.
• Alameda County COVID-19 surge predictions are for an acceleration of cases at the beginning of May and peak in late June: Based on the U.Penn CHIME and Stanford SURF COVID-19 impact models and a 26% reduction in physical contact. This is different from the IMHE (Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation) predicted peak for the state of California in mid-April (April 17) because it takes into account more local data specific to Alameda County and is less skewed by data from larger counties such as Los Angeles.

All models above assume physical distancing measures in place through the end of May. The 26% reduction in physical contact is a conservative estimate; cell phone data suggests that Alameda County has approximately 40% reduction in physical contact (a.k.a “social distancing”), which would result more optimistically in fewer cases and a later peak. As more data becomes available, the models will become more accurate, and the predictions will change.    

• Alameda and Contra Costa Counties are identifying and preparing additional hospital bed surge capacity: Based on the CHIME and SURF predictions, there is a 3,000 hospital bed shortage between what is available now and the total of what may be needed for the predicted surge peak. Alameda County is working with CA state to set up a field hospital with 250+ beds, identifying hotels and other local overflow facilities to be available as early as next week, and working with other Bay Area counties to secure Seton Hospital in Daly City as a regional overflow hospital facility. Contra Costa County is working with Federal (National Guard) and CA state to convert the Craneway Pavilion in Richmond into a 250-bed medical station for COVID-19 patients. 
• Alameda County has a new COVID data dashboard (4/8) which includes case numbers, deaths, city and some demographic data, with testing data to come later. Contra Costa County has a new COVID data dashboard and Solano County has a dashboard with case, testing, location, basic demographics and hospital data.

Week of April 1-7:

As of April 7, 2020 at 5 pm there were 602 confirmed reported cases of COVID-19 and 15 deaths reported in Alameda County, 442 cases and 7 deaths in Contra Costa County, and 99 cases and 2 deaths in Solano County for a total of 1,143 confirmed cases and 24 deaths in the 3 East Bay counties. As of April 6 at 2 pm in the state of California, there were 157,800 tests conducted, 129,693 tests with results, 15,865 positive cases (12% positivity) and 374 deaths.

• Alameda County and Contra Costa County Health Officers have issued blanket isolation orders that will apply to all persons diagnosed with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 and blanket quarantine orders that will apply to close contacts of cases. Effective April 3, 2020, health care providers are to disseminate blanket orders to all patients being tested for COVID-19 or who are presumptively diagnosed with COVID-19 without testing BEFORE they leave the health care facility. To download the PDF orders, click for: Alameda County orders in English or Spanish, or Contra Costa County in English or Spanish. (4/3)
• New Bay Area public health recommendation to cover the face (nose and mouth) with cloth (such as bandanas, fabric masks, gaiters) to prevent transmission of coronavirus to others when leaving the house for essential activities. Medical masks should be preserved for health care workers. (PDF 4/2) The CDC has a useful DIY face covering instruction webpage, and New York City has a good PDF on frequently asked questions.
• Bay Area schools confirm closures through the end of the school year. (4/1)
• The Bay Area Shelter-in-Place order has been extended to May 3, 2020. (PDF 3/31)

Top new resources:

• Project Roomkey isolation housing for people in Alameda County experiencing homelessness for COVID-19 has updated access info on a new webpage. (website and PDF, 4/6) Operation Comfort continues to be open for referrals: for people experiencing homelessness and are COVID+, have COVID symptoms and awaiting test results, or have known COVID+ exposures.
• The DEA is now allowing telemedicine visits for buprenorphine initiation and controlled substance prescriptions during the COVID-19 emergency. (DEA website and PDF on bup telemedicine)
• Immigrant eligibility for public programs during COVID-19: summary table on the Protecting Immigrant Families website.
• COVID-19 Fact Sheets in 35+ languages: the COVID-19 Health Literacy Project has expert-reviewed COVID-19 information into 35+ different languages to help all patients, especially immigrants and non-English speaking communities, stay informed and healthy.
• Extensions for Alameda County CalWORKs, CalFresh,and/or General Assistance (GA): if your Semi-Annual Report (SAR 7) or annual renewal is due in March, April, or May 2020, you do not have to turn in the reports or complete your interview for these months, though you may want to report if your income has gone down, since your benefits may increase. (4/2)
• Special recording of UCSF Grand Rounds on COVID-19 Epidemiology, Science, & Clinical Manifestations and the UCSF Response, free to view and recorded on April 2, 2020.
• California state has released a new COVID-19 data webpage and dashboard with hospital and county-specific graphs. (4/2)
• Alameda County released the HIV Care Provider Matrix: with information on HIV service availability and access during the COVID outbreak. (Excel sheet, 4/1) Over the next week, we will also be adding this info to the EBGTZ service directory listings. 
• COVID-19 Guidance for Alameda County Emergency Department staff has been developed and posted to ACPHD’s Elemeno platform. (4/3)
• Public Charge, HIV and COVID-19 resources from CHRP: 3/26 webinar presentation, google drive of Public Charge & COVID-19 resources.
• Bay Area HIV, HCV, and Harm Reduction Quick Guide During COVID-19: Lara Brooks with GTZ-SF has compiled a guide for Bay Area harm reduction service providers. (4/1)
• CA Dept of Public Health released “COVID-19 informacíon para las personas con VIH” Spanish-language information sheet. Click here for the English version of COVID info for PLWH. (PDF, 3/31)

• California statewide COVID hotline launched: community members can call 833-544-2374 for questions and assistance. This hotline coordinates with local 2-1-1 systems and is able to, for example, help people access grocery and medication delivery while staying at home. (3/31)
• A summary of East Bay COVID financial relief services available to East Bay residents was compiled by the office CA Senator Nancy Skinner, including information about halting evictions, access to CalFresh (food stamps) and Medi-Cal, unemployment insurance, and extensions in tax return deadlines to July 15. A COVID-related financial assistance available for Californians has also been released. (3/27)
• HIV Telehealth & COVID-19 webinar: Implications for HIV Care & Treatment (HealthHIV presenters from AL and FL) on Friday, April 3, 2020 at 11 am PST
• PAETC live webinar on April 9 at 12 noon: COVID-19 & HIV: Care for People with HIV in Advent of the Coronavirus​, by Christian Ramers, MD, MPH, AAHIVS, Director of Graduate Medical Education, Family Health Centers of San Diego, & Kirsten Balano, PharmD, AAHIVP, UCSF School of Pharmacy.

Alameda County COVID response and surge planning updates:

(Click for: Contra Costa County and Solano County updates)

• Alameda County and Contra Costa County Health Officers have issued blanket isolation orders that will apply to all persons diagnosed with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 and blanket quarantine orders that will apply to close contacts of cases. Effective April 3, 2020, health care providers are to disseminate blanket orders to all patients being tested for COVID-19 or who are presumptively diagnosed with COVID-19 without testing BEFORE they leave the health care facility. To download the PDF orders, click for: Alameda County orders in English or Spanish, or Contra Costa County in English or Spanish. (4/3)
• Reporting high-risk COVID+ cases in Alameda County: high-risk cases include people who are in nursing facilities, who are homeless or are health care workers. Call the ACPHD Acute Communicable Disease Dept at 510-267-3250. The after-hours only number is 925-422-7595; dispatch center will answer; ask for the Public Health Duty officer on call; note that most duty officers don’t have access to database of test results. (4/1)
• Operation Comfort in Alameda County is open and receiving referrals: for people experiencing homelessness and are COVID+, have COVID symptoms and awaiting test results, or have known COVID+ exposures. There are currently 2 hotels open near the Oakland Airport with 400 beds total. After their stay, people may qualify for a room in Operation Safer Ground (see below) or a shelter bed. (4/1)
• Operation Safer Ground in Alameda County is getting ready to provide hotel rooms for people experiencing homeless who are medically vulnerable (age 65+ or with 3+ specific comorbidities that put them at risk). Healthcare for the Homeless is first going to offer these rooms to 600 people already on the coordinated entry housing lists who meet these criteria and will let the community know if/when they can take additional referrals. The goal is to facilitate people staying in Operation Safer Ground rooms into permanent housing after their stay. (4/1)
• Requesting donated PPE: Healthcare facilities in Alameda County needing additional PPE can continue to request donated supplies using the resource request form on the EMS website. Those who wish to make a large donation of PPE can also contact the county via the same form.
• Alameda County strategy summary on COVID response and surge planning: Lauri McFadden, Director of Alameda County Emergency Medical Services, and Dr. Erica Pan, Interim Health Officer, will work on a document summarizing the framework and goals for the county COVID response and surge plan and send it to the community in the next few days. (4/1)

COVID-19 research studies open to Bay Area community members:

• COVID-19 Citizen Science Study: UCSF researchers are launching a world-wide study to track COVID-19 symptoms, infections, risk factors and behaviors that might impact spread.  The study, called the COVID-19 Citizen Science Study, uses daily surveys to track risk factors, symptoms, exposures and COVID-19 diagnoses as well as geolocation to understand the impact of people’s movement on the containment of the disease.  To participate or to refer others to participate, go to https://covid19.eurekaplatform.org. You may also text “COVID” to 41411 for more information.
• COVID-19 Pregnancy Registry:  A National Priority: PRIORITY(Pregnancy CoRonavIrus Outcomes RegIsTrY) is a UCSF and UCLA led nationwide registry for pregnant and postpartum women with suspected or confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19.  The goal is to provide information that informs and improves patient care during this pandemic. To Refer a Patient:  Please ask the patient if she is willing to have her contact information shared with the research team. If yes, you can click here to Refer a Patient, or call/text 415-754-3749, or email at PRIORITYCOVID19@ucsf.edu. The patient can also contact the research team herself For Patients: Enroll in PRIORITY. The team will then reach out directly to her to consent, enroll, and begin data collection. For more information about the project or to donate to support the project, go to Crowdfunding to support PRIORITY.
• COVID Post Exposure Prophylaxis Clinical Trial: The University of Minnesota is conducting an open trial investigating hydroxychloroquine for post-exposure prophylaxis for healthcare or household COVID-19 exposures. It is open to anyone in the U.S. who meets criteria and is internet based. Those who may qualify can email covid19@umn.edu to inquire. Full information at this link. Please note: This study is not being performed at UCSF, but anyone can inquire.

Public Charge and immigrant rights during the COVID outbreak:

• Most East Bay clinics serving immigrants and immigrant advocacy organizations are open and available by phone during the COVID outbreak.
• For questions about public charge, immigration and public benefit changes during the COVID outbreak, East Bay Community Law Center is providing legal services by phone: 510-548-4040.
• The Immigrant Legal Resource Center has an updated legal fact sheet in English on the Public Charge rule. (PDF, 3/26)
• Protecting Immigrant Families has an updated Public Charge “Know Your Rights” webpage with information for community members in multiple languages.  

National and International HIV COVID updates, resources and links:

• The UC Berkeley Labor Center released info on how COVID-19 relief payments count along with other forms of relief income (unemployment insurance, paid leave, severance benefits) for Medi-Cal and Covered California eligibility. (4/2)
• Loans for non-profits from the Federal Coronavirus Relief Bill (CARES Act) became available on April 3, 2020. The National Council of Nonprofits has a number of practical resources on their website and this useful table of loans available.
• International AIDS Society (IAS) webinar on COVID-19 and HIV: What you need to know is now available and was recorded on the 3 April 2020.
• COVID-19 remote consultation clinical work flow infographic from the British Medical Journal. (3/25 PDF or webpage)
• The $2 trillion stimulus package approved by the US Senate on March 25 includes $155 million in funding for people living with HIV: $90 million for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and $65 million for Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA). (NBC article, 3/26)
• The AIDS2020 conference will now be held virtually. (3/26)
• Sex and COVID-19: NYC Health community guidance. (PDF 3/21)
• AIDSInfo Interim Guidance COVID-19 and Persons with HIV (3/20)
• CDC webpage on COVID-19: What people with HIV should know (3/19)
• HRSA Ryan White Program: Frequently asked questions on COVID-19 impact on programs (3/19)

Week of March 25-31, 2020:

As of April 1, 2020 at 4 pm there were 339 confirmed reported cases of COVID-19 and 8 deaths reported in Alameda County, 250 cases and 3 deaths in Contra Costa County, and 54 cases in Solano County for a total of 643 confirmed cases and 11 deaths in the 3 East Bay counties. As of March 30 at 2 pm in the state of California, there were 86,100 tests conducted, 28,704 tests with results, 6,932 positive cases (24% positivity) and 150 deaths.

Top new resources:

• Alameda County released the HIV Care Provider Matrix: with information on HIV service availability and access during the COVID outbreak. (Excel sheet, 4/1) Over the next week, we will also be adding this info to the EBGTZ service directory listings. 
• Operation Comfort in Alameda County is open and receiving referrals: for people experiencing homelessness and are COVID+, have COVID symptoms and awaiting test results, or have known COVID+ exposures. (4/1)
• CA Dept of Public Health released “COVID-19 informacíon para las personas con VIH” Spanish-language information sheet. Click here for the English version of COVID info for PLWH. (PDF, 3/31)

• California statewide COVID hotline launched: community members can call 833-544-2374 for questions and assistance. This hotline coordinates with local 2-1-1 systems and is able to, for example, help people access grocery and medication delivery while staying at home. (3/31)
• A summary of East Bay COVID financial relief services available to East Bay residents was compiled by the office CA Senator Nancy Skinner, including information about halting evictions, access to CalFresh (food stamps) and Medi-Cal, unemployment insurance, and extensions in tax return deadlines to July 15. A COVID-related financial assistance available for Californians has also been released. (3/27)
• HIV Telehealth & COVID-19 webinar: Implications for HIV Care & Treatment (HealthHIV presenters from AL and FL) on Friday, April 3, 2020 at 11 am PST

Alameda County COVID response and surge planning updates as of April 1: (Click for: Contra Costa County and Solano County updates)

• Blanket isolation and quarantine orders for people who test positive or are presumed positive for COVID-19: By April 3, Bay Area public health departments will be issuing updated legal orders with specific instructions for self-isolation and notification/quarantines for close contacts. This takes into considering recent data showing that up to 25% COVID cases don’t have symptoms, people can be infectious for 48 hours before symptom onset, and the novel coronavirus is 3x more infectious than seasonal influenza. Updated orders will be posted in multiple languages on the public health department websites: Alameda County, Contra Costa County, Solano County (4/1)   
• Reporting high-risk COVID+ cases in Alameda County: high-risk cases include people who are in nursing facilities, who are homeless or are health care workers. Call the ACPHD Acute Communicable Disease Dept at 510-267-3250. The after-hours only number is 925-422-7595; dispatch center will answer; ask for the Public Health Duty officer on call; note that most duty officers don’t have access to database of test results. (4/1)
• Operation Comfort in Alameda County is open and receiving referrals: for people experiencing homelessness and are COVID+, have COVID symptoms and awaiting test results, or have known COVID+ exposures. There are currently 2 hotels open near the Oakland Airport with 400 beds total. After their stay, people may qualify for a room in Operation Safer Ground (see below) or a shelter bed. (4/1)
• Operation Safer Ground in Alameda County is getting ready to provide hotel rooms for people experiencing homeless who are medically vulnerable (age 65+ or with 3+ specific comorbidities that put them at risk). Healthcare for the Homeless is first going to offer these rooms to 600 people already on the coordinated entry housing lists who meet these criteria and will let the community know if/when they can take additional referrals. The goal is to facilitate people staying in Operation Safer Ground rooms into permanent housing after their stay. (4/1)
• Requesting donated PPE: Healthcare facilities in Alameda County needing additional PPE can continue to request donated supplies using the resource request form on the EMS website. Those who wish to make a large donation of PPE can also contact the county via the same form.
• Alameda County strategy summary on COVID response and surge planning: Lauri McFadden, Director of Alameda County Emergency Medical Services, and Dr. Erica Pan, Interim Health Officer, will work on a document summarizing the framework and goals for the county COVID response and surge plan and send it to the community in the next few days. (4/1)

COVID-19 research studies open to Bay Area community members:

• COVID-19 Citizen Science Study: UCSF researchers are launching a world-wide study to track COVID-19 symptoms, infections, risk factors and behaviors that might impact spread.  The study, called the COVID-19 Citizen Science Study, uses daily surveys to track risk factors, symptoms, exposures and COVID-19 diagnoses as well as geolocation to understand the impact of people’s movement on the containment of the disease.  To participate or to refer others to participate, go to https://covid19.eurekaplatform.org. You may also text “COVID” to 41411 for more information.
• COVID-19 Pregnancy Registry:  A National Priority: PRIORITY(Pregnancy CoRonavIrus Outcomes RegIsTrY) is a UCSF and UCLA led nationwide registry for pregnant and postpartum women with suspected or confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19.  The goal is to provide information that informs and improves patient care during this pandemic. To Refer a Patient:  Please ask the patient if she is willing to have her contact information shared with the research team. If yes, you can click here to Refer a Patient, or call/text 415-754-3749, or email at PRIORITYCOVID19@ucsf.edu. The patient can also contact the research team herself For Patients: Enroll in PRIORITY. The team will then reach out directly to her to consent, enroll, and begin data collection. For more information about the project or to donate to support the project, go to Crowdfunding to support PRIORITY.
• COVID Post Exposure Prophylaxis Clinical Trial: The University of Minnesota is conducting an open trial investigating hydroxychloroquine for post-exposure prophylaxis for healthcare or household COVID-19 exposures. It is open to anyone in the U.S. who meets criteria and is internet based. Those who may qualify can email covid19@umn.edu to inquire. Full information at this link. Please note: This study is not being performed at UCSF, but anyone can inquire.

Public Charge and immigrant rights during the COVID outbreak:

• Most East Bay clinics serving immigrants and immigrant advocacy organizations are open and available by phone during the COVID outbreak.
• For questions about public charge, immigration and public benefit changes during the COVID outbreak, East Bay Community Law Center is providing legal services by phone: 510-548-4040.
• The Immigrant Legal Resource Center has an updated legal fact sheet in English on the Public Charge rule. (PDF, 3/26)
• Protecting Immigrant Families has an updated Public Charge “Know Your Rights” webpage with information for community members in multiple languages.  

National HIV COVID updates, resources and links:

• The $2 trillion stimulus package approved by the US Senate on Wednesday includes $155 million in funding for people living with HIV: $90 million for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and $65 million for Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA). (NBC article, 3/26)
• The AIDS2020 conference will now be held virtually. (3/26)
• Sex and COVID-19: NYC Health community guidance. (PDF 3/21)
• AIDSInfo Interim Guidance COVID-19 and Persons with HIV (3/20)
• CDC webpage on COVID-19: What people with HIV should know (3/19)
• HRSA Ryan White Program: Frequently asked questions on COVID-19 impact on programs (3/19)

Week of March 24-27, 2020:

As of March 27, 2020 at 5 pm there were 204 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 4 deaths reported in Alameda County, 147 cases and 1 death in Contra Costa County, and 34 cases in Solano County for a total of 385 confirmed cases and 5 deaths in the 3 East Bay counties. As of March 26 at 2 pm in the state of California, there were 88,400 tests conducted, 23,480 tests resulted, 3,801 positive cases (~16% positivity) and 78 deaths.

• Alameda County COVID response updates (Click for: Contra Costa County and Solano County updates)
• COVID testing is still limited and even drive-through sites require phone screening first, so please call your provider first if you are looking for a COVID test before you leave your home/shelter/camp/car.
• Eviction and mortgage relief: Gov. Newsom issued a statewide order to halt renter evictions until May 31, 2020. (3/27) Gov. Newsom also announced a 90-day mortgage payment relief package and 60-day moratorium on evictions and foreclosures. (3/25) A webpage dedicated to information on CA financial assistance has been released. (3/27)
• A summary of East Bay COVID financial relief services available to people living in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties was posted by the office of East Bay CA Senator Nancy Skinner, including information about halting evictions, access to CalFresh (food stamps) and Medi-Cal, unemployment insurance, and extensions in tax return deadlines to July 15. (3/27)  
• Isolation housing for people experiencing homelessness: Additional state-funded emergency housing for people experiencing homelessness is currently limited to people needing COVID isolation. As of 3/25, 2 hotels in Oakland with a total of 400 rooms are getting prepared, and instructions for referrals from Alameda County facilities serving low-income people will be released from Healthcare for the Homeless on Thursday, 3/26.
• Requesting donated PPE: Healthcare facilities in Alameda County needing additional PPE can request donated supplies (mostly masks) using the resource request form on the EMS website. Those who wish to make a large donation of PPE can also contact the county via the same form.
• Table of Alameda County food and social service access: Alameda County Care Connect has an updated table of how county food and social services are modified during the COVID response. (PDF 3/22)
• ACPHD COVID+ isolation orders: Alameda County Public Health will be issuing blanket isolation orders this week for providers to give directly to COVID+ patients. (3/25)
• Hospitals are increasing capacity to handle COVID cases by cancelling elective procedures, switching to telehealth (phone and video) visits and consults, restricting visitors, and consolidating spaces so COVID patients can be separated from non-COVID patients. (3/25)
• Surge planning: Alameda County EMS will be distributing a survey this week to identify additional health facilities that can be used as COVID care sites in the event of hospital overflows, as well as identify additional health care workers who can be activated for COVID care. (3/25)

• East Bay HIV service updates
• Most East Bay HIV service organizations are providing services by phone and/or video chats. Please call, text or email your service provider with questions or to schedule a phone/video visit.
• The AIDS2020 conference will now be held virtually. (3/26)
• Alameda County Emergency Financial Assistance for People Living with HIV: Cardea will be processing requests as usual. Clients should contact their case managers, who should email requests to Cardea. (3/23)
• The Alameda County Housing Resource Center is taking calls and processing requests for clients seeking shelter: call 2-1-1. Drop-in centers are closed. (3/23)
• Guidance for managing COVID exposures for health care workers (3/24)
• Updated COVID-19 protocol guidance for HIV ACCESS providers (PDF 3/23)
• Updated San Francisco Getting to Zero guidance for people living with HIV (PDF 3/23)
• CA ADAP and PrEP-AP list of pharmacies providing mail order service. (PDF 3/18)
• CA ADAP is allowing extensions, remote enrollment, early fills and 90-day refills (3/16)
• Covered California has opened a special expanded enrollment period starting March 20 to June 30, 2020. (3/20)

• Public Charge and immigrant rights during the COVID outbreak:
• Most East Bay clinics serving immigrants and immigrant advocacy organizations are open and available by phone during the COVID outbreak.
• For questions about public charge, immigration and public benefit changes during the COVID outbreak, East Bay Community Law Center is providing legal services by phone: 510-548-4040.
• The Immigrant Legal Resource Center has an updated legal fact sheet in English on the Public Charge rule. (PDF, 3/26)
• Protecting Immigrant Families has an updated Public Charge “Know Your Rights” webpage with information for community members in multiple languages.  

• National HIV COVID resources and links:
• Sex and COVID-19: NYC Health community guidance. (PDF 3/21)
• AIDSInfo Interim Guidance COVID-19 and Persons with HIV (3/20)
• CDC webpage on COVID-19: What people with HIV should know (3/19)
• HRSA Ryan White Program: Frequently asked questions on COVID-19 impact on programs (3/19)
• National COVID and HIV updates:

• The $2 trillion stimulus package approved by the US Senate on Wednesday includes $155 million in funding for people living with HIV: $90 million for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and $65 million for Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA). (NBC article, 3/26)
• The AIDS2020 conference will now be held virtually. (3/26)

• Have COVID symptoms and looking for testing?
• Please call your provider first to find out the latest testing criteria and location before you leave your home/shelter/camp/car.
• If you don’t have a provider and have COVID symptoms: In Alameda County, call Alameda Health System 510-437-8500 for a phone screen and guidance. In Contra Costa County, call 844-729-8410. In Solano County, the county COVID warmline is 707-784-8988.
• If you’re having difficulty breathing and unstable, please go to your nearest emergency room.

March 10-23, 2020:

• As of March 23, 2020 there were 112 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 1 death in Alameda County, 71 cases and 1 death in Contra Costa County, and 21 cases in Solano County for a total of 204 confirmed cases in the 3 East Bay counties. As of March 22 at 2 pm in the state of California, there were 1,733 positive cases and 27 deaths.
• East Bay HIV service updates
• Most East Bay HIV service organizations are providing services by phone and/or video chats. Please call, text or email your service provider with questions or to schedule a phone/video visit.
• Alameda County Emergency Financial Assistance for People Living with HIV: Cardea will be processing requests as usual. Clients should contact their case managers, who should email requests to Cardea. (3/23)
• The Alameda County Housing Resource Center is taking calls and processing requests for clients seeking shelter: call 2-1-1. Drop-in centers are closed. (3/23)
• Updated COVID-19 protocol guidance for HIV ACCESS providers (PDF 3/23)
• Updated San Francisco Getting to Zero guidance for people living with HIV (PDF 3/23)
• CA ADAP and PrEP-AP list of pharmacies providing mail order service. (PDF 3/18)
• CA ADAP is allowing extensions, remote enrollment, early fills and 90-day refills (3/16)
• Covered California has opened a special expanded enrollment period starting March 20 to June 30, 2020. (3/20)
• National HIV COVID resources and links:
• Sex and COVID-19: NYC Health community guidance. (PDF 3/21)
• AIDSInfo Interim Guidance COVID-19 and Persons with HIV (3/20)
• CDC webpage on COVID-19: What people with HIV should know (3/19)
• HRSA Ryan White Program: Frequently asked questions on COVID-19 impact on programs (3/19)
• National COVID updates:
• FDA has allowed for two drugs, chloroquine and remdesivir, to be used for Expanded Access, or “compassionate use.” UCSF and Z San Francisco General Hospital are remdesivir study sites. (3/19)
• Dr. Anthony Fauci (NIH) said in a Facebook Live interview that young people, who could be vectors and infect more vulnerable populations, will play a “major role” in helping contain the spread by following their local government’s directives to limit activity. (3/19)
• Have COVID symptoms and looking for testing?
• Please call your provider first to find out the latest testing criteria and location before you leave your home/shelter/camp/car.
• If you don’t have a provider and have COVID symptoms: In Alameda County, call Alameda Health System 510-437-8500 for a phone screen and guidance. In Contra Costa County, call 844-729-8410. In Solano County, the county COVID warmline is 707-784-8988.
• If you’re having difficulty breathing and unstable, please go to your nearest emergency room.