Alameda County health official says life with Covid-19 will be the 'new normal'
Wahab takes fundraising lead in SD10; Single-payer bill dies
—THE NEW NORMAL—As fears about the Omicron variant continue to wane, questions about a return to normalcy are returning to the forefront as the pandemic enters its third year. Alameda County Public Health Officer Nicholas Moss, though, reframed expectations on Tuesday about a return to pre-pandemic life coming anytime soon.
"It's not back to 2019. It's the new normal and it's going to have some impacts on communities no matter what," Moss told the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. Rather than projecting a time when Covid-19 will be treated in the same way as the common cold or seasonal flu, Moss leveled with the county supervisors about more realistic expectations. "It's more like getting closer to the new normal," he said.
That "new normal" is likely to include further reductions in restrictions, such as masking indoors. Absent another virulent variant emerging, Moss said the outlook for future Covid-19 risk assessment and management will fall on individuals and organizations. “Universal case investigation and contact tracing will be de-emphasized, but we’re not there yet,” he said. But, Moss also added, "Covid risks will continue and will we probably see more waves."
Nevertheless, the number of Covid-19 cases in Alameda County continues to be at the highest levels of the entire pandemic, Moss said. Currently, 416 residents are hospitalized with Covid-19, and 74 are in Intensive Care Units. Meanwhile, the rate of new cases is dropping, but only gradually, he said. "We're not quite out of the woods yet."
Alameda County's vaccination efforts continue to be successful as the number of Covid-related deaths remain low. As of Monday, 81.4 percent of all Alameda County residents are fully vaccinated. Of that number, 60 percent have also received a booster shot. In addition, 60 percent of children 11-year-old and younger have received at least one shot.
ELECTION 2022 UPDATE
—MONEYBALL—Hayward Councilmember Aisha Wahab pulled into the fundraising lead in the open 10th State Senate District race. Over the past six months, Wahab outraised Fremont Mayor Lily Mei, according to finance reports released on Monday. The numbers are a reversal of the 2021 mid-year reports. Wahab heads into the 2022 election cycle with cash on hand of $426,452. Mei has $347,299 in cash reserves.
—In the 24th Assembly District race, incumbent Alex Lee barely outraised Kansen Chu over the past six months, but still maintains cash reserve more than double Chu, who previously represented the Fremont and North San Jose district. Fremont Councilmember Teresa Keng reported cash on hand of $178,415, but the account is larded with a $65,500 loan to her own campaign.
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