With a new batch of test results Monday, Alameda County neared 900 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
Health officials reported 33 new cases — but no new deaths — bringing the countywide total to 886, the third-most cases in the Bay Area, behind San Francisco and Santa Clara County.
The case count in Alameda has crept steadily upward the past week, from 588 cases last Monday to 886 now, a 50% rise in seven days. When last week began, Alameda, San Mateo and San Francisco all had case counts within five of 584. On Monday, San Francisco reported its 957th case (+374/64.1% in a week), Alameda its 886th (+298/50.7%) and San Mateo its 701st (+122/21.1%).
Alameda had also bucked an otherwise encouraging trend across the region showing hospitalizations slightly down in recent days. There were 87 patients in the county Sunday who were hospitalized with COVID-19 — and another 91 suspected cases — with 46 in intensive care units, according to the state’s most recent data.
The 20-44 age group makes up the largest share — 40% — of the county’s cases, about equal to the share of those over the age of 54. Although nearly half the cases are categorized as “unknown,” the county has also begun to share data on race. Whites and hispanics account for about equal shares of the known cases, just over a quarter each. But of Alameda County’s 1.6 million people, about 21% are hispanic, while 31% are white.
Alameda County’s largest city is also home to the largest number of confirmed cases. Oakland’s total rose to 202, while Hayward was close behind with 172. However, the county cautions on its website, “Hayward and places near Hayward have the highest case rates likely because of the availability of drive-through testing.”
Free drive-through testing was entering its fourth week at the Hayward Fire Station, but officials announced a new location for the site this week. Beginning Tuesday, the tests will be available at the campus of Cal State East Bay to anyone showing symptoms. The new site “provides more space for vehicle and foot traffic management, and improved accessibility for disabled visitors,” the county wrote in a news release.
Through its first two weeks of testing, the fire station site had analyzed more than 2,000 samples, with about 10% coming back positive.
