The latest developments around the region related to the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, as of Thursday afternoon include:
- The state’s acting public health officer reassured educators across the state Wednesday that they will have access to testing for the novel coronavirus whenever their county allows in-person classes to resume. Dr. Erica Pan and Ben Chida, one of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s top cabinet secretaries, held a briefing Wednesday to discuss the state’s public health guidance for reopening schools during the pandemic. California Teachers Association Legislative Relations Manager Lori Easterling expressed concern that even with the preparations school districts and counties are making to eventually resume in-person classes, they could still be stuck competing with each other for coronavirus tests. Pan argued that the state is ramping up its testing capacity daily. A recent agreement with diagnostics company PerkinElmer is also set to increase the state’s testing capacity by more than two-fold in the coming months.
- Appointment times are now available for a drive-through, self-administered COVID-19 test site opening Friday at the Delaware Street entrance to the North Berkeley BART Station parking lot, Berkeley officials announced. The location will be open for three weeks and appointments can be made online at test.curativeinc.com/schedule/berkeley. City officials advise those who want walk-up testing to use the South Berkeley site at the Martin Luther King Jr. Youth Services Center at 1730 Oregon St. Appointments for the South Berkeley site can be made at lhi.care/covidtesting.
- Petaluma People Services Center (PPSC), an umbrella agency that encompasses 64 human-services programs, keeps expanding while helping thousands. With a staff of 70, the Sonoma County nonprofit has successfully met challenges spurred by COVID-19 – by jumpstarting new initiatives such as You’re Not Alone, which makes daily phone calls to upwards of 1,000 isolated, conversation-starved seniors (and their caregivers). It’s also pumped up the number of hot meal deliveries to homebound seniors. In addition, the four-decade-old PPSC is tutoring many who’ve lost jobs but don’t know how to file for unemployment benefits since they’ve never filed before.
- As of Thursday, at 4 p.m., officials have confirmed the following number of cases around the greater Bay Area region:
- Alameda County: 19,710 cases, 303 deaths (19,596 cases, 303 deaths on Wednesday) (Totals include Berkeley Health Department data)
- Contra Costa County: 14,966 cases, 188 deaths (14,885 cases, 187 deaths on Wednesday)
- Marin County: 6,378 cases, 99 deaths (6,367 cases, 99 deaths on Wednesday) (Totals include San Quentin State Prison)
- Monterey County: 8,738 cases, 62 deaths (8,698 cases, 62 deaths on Wednesday)
- Napa County: 1,532 cases, 13 deaths (1,528 cases, 13 deaths on Wednesday)
- San Francisco County: 10,120 cases, 88 deaths (10,074 cases, 87 deaths on Wednesday)
- San Mateo County: 8,895 cases, 136 deaths (8,807 cases, 136 deaths on Wednesday)
- Santa Clara County: 18,854 cases, 263 deaths (18,854 cases, 263 deaths on Wednesday)
- Santa Cruz County: 2,013 cases, 7 deaths (1,993 cases, 7 deaths on Wednesday)
- Solano County: 5,805 cases, 48 deaths (5,762 cases, 48 deaths on Wednesday)
- Sonoma County: 6,516 cases, 98 deaths (6,488 cases, 98 deaths on Wednesday)
- Statewide: 742,865 cases, 13,978 deaths (739,527 cases, 13,841 deaths on Wednesday)