Public health officials in Alameda County on Thursday said they were temporarily pausing further openings to the economy following an increase in the county's COVID-19 case rate and the rise in Bay Area and statewide cases. Also on Thursday, California became the second US state (after Texas) to pass a grim milestone: 1 million cases since the coronavirus pandemic began.
Alameda County's new daily cases per 100,000 people has jumped from a low of 3.4 to 4.9.
The county is currently in the orange, or moderate-risk tier in the state's reopening hierarchy, but health officials said Thursday they expect the county to move to a more restrictive tier soon.
"We must exercise caution and prepare to move quickly to protect our residents and hospitals from rising cases of COVID-19," Dr. Nicholas Moss, the county's health officer, said in a statement.
"We continue to closely monitor the situation," he said. "If necessary, we will restrict activities that are higher risk for spreading COVID-19, including those in which people gather indoors without masks."
The caution comes as county officials have seen day-over-day increases in the number of new reported COVID-19 cases as well as increases in hospitalizations.
Contra Costa and Santa Cruz counties on Tuesday moved to a more restrictive tier.
Alameda County public health officials said with flu season imminent, flu cases this year will add an even greater burden on the health care system because the coronavirus and flu have similar symptoms.
— KQED News Staff and Wires