Bay Area

Roots Clinic Warns of Alarming Uptick of COVID-19 in Deep East Oakland

Published

5 years ago

July 30, 2020

On Tuesday mornings, Dr. Noha Aboelata MD and other physicians from the Roots Community Clinic host The People’s Health Briefing on Facebook and YouTube to offer COVID-19 information pertinent to Oaklanders based on their specific location.

The Roots Community Center began these weekly briefings after realizing that what East Oakland residents were hearing did not pertain to them.

“Alameda surged past 10,000 cases last Saturday, July 25. We hear national statistics, state, and city statistics, but what’s important are statistics specifically for East Oakland because the numbers are dramatically different from what people consider “averages,” said Aboelata.

Dr. Aboelata shared data that validates her cause for alarm. The COVID-19 infection rate in Alameda County is 548 per 100,000 residents. In Oakland, the rate is 832 per 100,000. However, in five zip codes, the infection rate is 6 to 8 times higher.

For example, the infection rate in Alameda County is 4.96% per 100,000 people, but in the 94603 area code the infection rate is 15.48%, 94612 is 16.56%, 94601 is 16.09% and 94605 is 10.52% — a 21%,25%, 23% and 15% higher rate respectively than Alameda County as a whole, Aboelata said.

So far, there have been 178 COVID-19 deaths in Alameda County, all patients were over the age of 50, which highlights Dr. Aboelata ‘s next concern as the cause for increased cases of COVID-19.

“When we first collected data on COVID-19, 80% of positive patients largely consisted of essential workers. Now, in July, we see this increase solely from community contact from parties, social gatherings and places where people are in group settings like jails, markets and construction sites,” said Aboelata.

“It is imperative that people take personal responsibility for their movement and actions, people have got to stop traveling and attending social gatherings. That means do not get on a plane, go to Vegas, or party — but if you absolutely have to get on a plane we recommend you BYOE, which means bring your own equipment, wear a mask and social distance.”

Dr. N. Kenji Taylor debunked some common myths that have been circulating in the community. “People are concerned about breathing in carbon dioxide, a natural substance the body creates upon exhalation. People should not worry. Medical personnel have been wearing masks for centuries with no issues, as masks filter out carbon dioxide (which is) able to pass in and out of the mask just as oxygen is able to pass in and out of the mask,” said Taylor.

Another common myth is how infections are likely to occur. Dr. Taylor said that infection can occur when a person is within 6 feet of an infected person for 15 minutes, and cautioned that people who live at home with high-risk individuals — those over age 50 or those with underlying conditions — should wear masks in their presence in the home also.

“We are just starting to understand the long term effects of COVID-19. So people who get it and survive may have reason for concern because even though they have recovered, it does not mean their relationship with COVID-19 has passed,” said Aboelata.

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Oakland Post: Week of May 21 – 27, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 21 – 27, 2025

Published

2 days ago

May 25, 2025

Oakland Post

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Chevron Richmond Installs Baker Hughes Flare.IQ, Real-time Flare Monitoring, Control and Reduction System

While the sight of flaring can cause concern in the community, flares are essential safety systems that burn pollutants to prevent them from being released directly into the atmosphere. They activate during startup and shut-down of facility units or during upsets or equipment malfunctions. The typical flare stack is about 200 feet high so that vapors are well above street levels.

Published

1 week ago

May 19, 2025

Oakland Post

Image courtesy The Richmond Standard.

The Richmond Standard

Chevron Richmond recently installed flare.IQ, a real-time, automated system that will improve the facility’s flaring performance.

The technology, developed by Panametrics, a Baker Hughes business, uses sensors to monitor, reduce and control flaring in real time. It collects and assesses data on refinery processes, such as temperature, pressure, gas flow and gas composition, and adjusts accordingly to ensure flares burn more efficiently and cleanly, leading to fewer emissions.

“The cleaner the flare, the brighter the flame can look,” said Duy Nguyen, a Chevron Richmond flaring specialist. “If you see a brighter flame than usual on a flare, that actually means flare.IQ is operating as intended.”

“A key element in Baker Hughes’ emissions abatement portfolio, flare.IQ has a proven track record in optimizing flare operations and significantly reducing emissions,” said Colin Hehir, vice president of Panametrics, a Baker Hughes business. “By partnering with Chevron Richmond, one of the first operators in North America to adopt flare.IQ, we are looking forward to enhancing the plant’s flaring operations.”

The installation of flare.IQ is part of a broader and ongoing effort by Chevron Richmond to improve flare performance, particularly in response to increased events after the new, more efficient hydrogen plant was brought online in 2019.

Since then, the company has invested $25 million — and counting — into flare minimization. As part of the effort, a multidisciplinary refinery team was formed to find and implement ways to improve operational reliability and ultimately reduce flaring. Operators and other employees involved in management of flares and flare gas recovery systems undergo new training.

“It is important to me that the community knows we are working hard to lower emissions and improve our flaring performance,” Nguyen said.

Also evolving is the process by which community members are notified of flaring incidents. The Community Warning System (CWS), operated by Contra Costa County is an “all-hazard” public warning system.

Residents can opt-in to receive alerts via text, e-mail and landline. The CWS was recently expanded to enable residents to receive notifications for “Level 1” incidents, which are considered informational as they do not require any community action.

For more information related to these topics, check out the resources included on the Chevron Richmond, CAER and Contra Costa Health websites. Residents are also encouraged to follow @chevronrichmond and @RFDCAOnline on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), where additional information may be posted during an incident.

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Oakland Hosts Town Hall Addressing Lead Hazards in City Housing

According to the city, there are 22,000 households in need of services for lead issues, most in predominantly low-income or Black and Latino neighborhoods, but only 550 to 600 homes are addressed every year. The city is hoping to use part of the multimillion-dollar settlement to increase the number of households served each year.

Published

1 week ago

May 18, 2025

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Magaly Muñoz

The City of Oakland’s Housing and Community Development Department hosted a town hall in the Fruitvale to discuss the efforts being undertaken to remove lead primarily found in housing in East and West Oakland.

In 2021, the city was awarded $14 million out of a $24 million legal settlement from a lawsuit against paint distributors for selling lead-based paint that has affected hundreds of families in Oakland and Alameda County. The funding is intended to be used for lead poisoning reduction and prevention services in paint only, not water or other sources as has been found recently in schools across the city.

The settlement can be used for developing or enhancing programs that abate lead-based paint, providing services to individuals, particularly exposed children, educating the public about hazards caused by lead paint, and covering attorney’s fees incurred in pursuing litigation.

Most of the homes affected were built prior to 1978, and 12,000 of these homes are considered to be at high risk for lead poisoning.

City councilmember Noel Gallo, who represents a few of the lead-affected Census tracts, said the majority of the poisoned kids and families are coming directly from neighborhoods like the Fruitvale.

“When you look at the [kids being admitted] at the children’s hospital, they’re coming from this community,” Gallo said at the town hall.

In order to eventually rid the highest impacted homes of lead poisoning, the city intends to create programs and activities such as lead-based paint inspections and assessments, full abatement designed to permanently eliminate lead-based paint, or partial abatement for repairs, painting, and specialized cleaning meant for temporary reduction of hazards.

In feedback for what the city could implement in their programming, residents in attendance of the event said they want more accessibility to resources, like blood testing, and information from officials about lead poisoning symptoms, hotlines for assistance, and updates on the reduction of lead in their communities.

Attendees also asked how they’d know where they are on the prioritization list and what would be done to address lead in the water found at several school sites in Oakland last year.

City staff said there will be a follow-up event to gather more community input for programming in August, with finalizations happening in the fall and a pilot launch in early 2026.