Full Notification

(This update is shared on behalf of the Alameda County Public Health Department.) 

ALAMEDA COUNTY, CA – Alameda County Public Health Department reported four new cases of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), for a total of seven cases.

Two cases are the first reported cases indicative of community-acquired transmission in Alameda County, and the other two cases are linked to confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection have experienced mild to severe respiratory illness with symptoms such as fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Over eighty percent of individuals have mild disease.

Alameda County will not be sharing any additional information about these cases.

Alameda County will begin posting case counts on the Public Health Department website, and updating information there as new cases are confirmed.
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March 12, 2020 ACPHD Announces Alignment with Large Events Guidance Issued by the State Earlier Today; Will Issue Order Prohibiting Gatherings of 250+ at County Fairgrounds

Effective immediately and through the end of March, the new guidance and county order applies to all non-essential professional, social, and community gatherings regardless of their sponsor.

Alameda County Public Health Department is updating its recommendations for mass gathering guidance to align with the new California Department of Public Health (CDPH) mass gatherings guidance issued today. The County also plans to issue an order today to prohibit gatherings of more than 250 people at the Alameda County Fairgrounds.

“Alameda County Health Care Services Agency supports the state’s efforts to slow and reduce the reach of COVID-19 in our community,” said Colleen Chawla, Agency Director. “The County is stepping forward with the order to limit fairground gatherings to demonstrate leadership in complying with and supporting guidance from our Governor and state public health officials.”

Alameda County Health Care Services Agency (ACHCSA) activated their Public Health Department Operations Center in January in response to COVID-19. ACHCSA also oversees the County’s Emergency Medical Services Agency, Behavioral Health, and Environmental Health, and all are engaged in protecting the health of the community.

“Taking these additional preventive measures now will help us reduce the number of people who get sick, and avoid prolonged adverse impacts on our health care system, workforce, and communities” said Dr. Erica Pan, Health Officer for Alameda County. “We have the opportunity to slow down this pandemic and decrease its impact by reducing the spread of virus from person-to-person. This means substantially limiting the number of individuals and places that people come together.”

In alignment with the CDPH guidance, Alameda County recommends:

• All non-essential gatherings of more than 250 people should be cancelled or postponed.
• Smaller gatherings should be cancelled or postponed if held in spaces that do not allow social distancing of six feet per person.

• Gatherings for people at high risk of complications from COVID-19 should be limited to a maximum of 10 people.
• A gathering is defined as any event or convening that brings together people in a single room or single space at the same time, such as an auditorium, stadium, arena, large conference room, meeting hall, or any other indoor or outdoor space.
• This guidance does not apply to activities such as attendance at regular school classes, work, or essential services; nor to essential public transport, airplane travel, or stores and malls.
• The full CDPH policy can be found here.

• People at higher risk include those over age 60 and those with underlying health conditions, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, chronic lung diseases, or severely weakened immune systems.

• Size: Smaller is better. The risk of getting the virus increases as the size of the crowd increases.
• Duration: Shorter is better. The risk of getting the virus increases as the duration of the event increases; for example, a 2-hour meeting is lower risk than a 2-day conference.
• Density: Less crowded is better. Risk of getting the virus increases in settings where people are within an arm’s length of one another.
• Geographic reach: Mixing of people across regions, states, and countries increases the risk of viral spread.

• Urge anyone who is sick to not attend.
• Encourage those who are at higher risk for serious illness to not attend.
• Find ways to give each person six feet of space and reduce close contact as much as possible.
• Provide alternative options for attending the event via phone, video, or web applications.
• Clean surfaces with standard cleaner.
• Ensure good ventilation.
• Maintain a registration list of participants and staff to assist local public health officials in contact tracing, in the event a COVID-19 case is later identified as having attended the event.
• Encourage and facilitate attendees to follow good health hygiene practices, such as frequent handwashing.
• Use event messaging and communications to provide COVID-19 updates and promote everyday preventive health messages to your participants and staff.