El Cerrito Coronavirus Cases Rise As County Soars Past 30K Cases

EL CERRITO, CA — As the first shipment of coronavirus vaccine arrives in California, the number of confirmed cases continues to rise here in El Cerrito and throughout Contra Costa County.

The county health department has been working on a coronavirus vaccination plan since August and, for now, the very limited vaccines will go to health care workers and those in long-term care facilities.

As the months go by and more vaccine becomes available, expect to see drive-thru vaccine clinics. In a report on the county’s vaccination plan, it was noted that the drive-thru format is fast and efficient, allowing an entire family to be quickly immunized.

The first 300,000 coronavirus vaccines arrived in California Sunday night. By the end of the month, the state should have received 2-million vaccines.

Each person must receive two doses of the vaccine.

There’s a growing chorus calling for teachers and other school workers to receive vaccines as soon as possible as a way to reopen classrooms for all students.

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Here in El Cerrito, there have been 44 new cases reported since last Monday, bringing the total number of cases since the start of the pandemic to 282. That's far worse than the previous week when 17 new cases were recorded.

In Contra Costa County, there have been 30,685 cases, an increase of 3,230 since last Monday’s statistics.

The county’s death toll is now 279, with 3 deaths reported this month.

The reason Gov. Gavin Newsom gave for imposing a strict stay-at-home order was the strain COVID-19 is placing on hospitals, especially intensive care units. Contra Costa still has 25 percent ICU bed availability, and the total Bay Area has 20 percent. The majority of the county’s ventilators are also available, more than 200 of them.

The Bay Area is faring better than most of the state, which is divided into 5 regions for coronavirus. The San Joaquin Valley has no ICU beds available, while Southern California has just 2.7 percent available. The Greater Sacramento Area is down to 14.8 percent. The only region that is doing better than the Bay Area is Northern California, which has 29 percent of ICU beds still available.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, these are the symptoms of COVID-19:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

The CDC says that anyone with the following symptoms should call 911 or go to the emergency room:

• Trouble breathing
• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
• New confusion
• Inability to wake or stay awake
• Bluish lips or face

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Read Contra Costa County’s Coronavirus Vaccination Plan.