7 Bay Area Counties Report Coronavirus Deaths Thursday

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA — California health officials are tracking six criteria to determine if a county is on or off the "Watch List." The data and list are updated daily. Contra Costa is on the list because of the number of newly diagnosed cases per 100,000 population.

The "Watch List" is important because the state uses it to decide if a county can move forward with reopening plans for businesses, schools, parks, recreation facilities, and more.

The number of new cases reported in Alameda County on Thursday: 152. New deaths: 0.

Counties are not able to suppress new case numbers by limiting the number of tests performed — that's another of the six criteria.

The criteria fall into 3 broad categories — testing, cases, and hospitalization. Here's the full list:

1. Average number of tests per day (per 100,000 population) (7 day average with a 7 day lag)
2. Case rate per 100,000 (14 days)
3. Testing positivity percentage (7 day average with a 7 day lag)
4. Percentage change in 3-day average COVID+ hospitalized patients
5. Percent of ICU beds currently available
6. Percent of ventilators currently available

Contra Costa County is currently failing in just one category, number 2. The state wants case rates per 100,000 to be under 100. Currently, CoCo's is 139.2. By comparison, Alameda's is 105.7.

A highly touted new testing center in Alameda that promised results in just 15 minutes closed after the first day because of liability insurance issues.

Two high school boys are raising money for a charity that provides food to struggling families in Contra Costa County.

Here's a look at coronavirus cases on Thursday, from Marin to Monterey:

• Alameda: 2 deaths, 226 new cases
• Contra Costa: 0 deaths, 152 new cases
• Marin: 2 deaths, 76 new cases
• Monterey: 1 death, 181 new cases
• Napa: 1 death, 26 new cases
• San Francisco: 2 deaths, 105 new cases
• San Mateo: 0 deaths, 109 new cases
• Santa Clara: 1 death, 212 new cases
• Santa Cruz: 1 death, 30 new cases
• Solano: 0 deaths, 213 new cases
• Sonoma: 0 deaths, 59 new cases

Since the start of the pandemic, Contra Costa County has reported 102 deaths and 6,425 confirmed cases.

California's County Data Monitoring "Watch List"

Full coronavirus coverage: Coronavirus In California: What To Know

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