Coronavirus Cases Climb To 131 In Contra Costa County

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY — The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Contra Costa County reached 131 on Thursday, up from 108 on Wednesday, Contra Costa Health Services reported in its daily briefing. There were no new deaths attributed to COVID-19. The death toll stands at one.

Neighboring Alameda County reported two more deaths, for a total of four, with 164 total cases there.

Nationwide, the number of coronavirus deaths soared to over 1,000 on Thursday, while the total number of diagnosed cases was over 82,400 by 3 p.m., overtaking Italy and China to have more cases than any other country.

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The City of Hayward opened a coronavirus testing center at a fire station earlier this week that does not require a referral from a doctor, and is open to anyone regardless of where they live. Hayward reported on Thursday that on the first day of testing, 54 of 207 people tested positive for the infection, an indication of how quickly our infection numbers could rise as testing expands.

Here's information on the Hayward testing center if you or a family member need to be tested.

Elsewhere in the East Bay, a nurse at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the first positive test in the jail, according to jail officials.

The East Bay Regional Park District announced on Wednesday the closure of parks in a effort to slow the spread of coronavirus. This past weekend, the Park District saw more people in parks than on a busy holiday. "We can't bend the curve if everyone is out. I don't want to close big, beautiful open spaces. But we can't see what we saw over the weekend," California Governor Gavin Newsom said Monday.

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