On March 19th I received my first dose of the Pfizer Vaccine. I’d registered online and opted for the Moderna, but when you arrive, you get what you get at the site you are scheduled. I’d been scheduled all the way across the county in San Pablo at the West County Health Center.
My First Shot — Posted on IG on March 19th, 2021 — Contra Costa Health Services West County Health Center
Like many, I’d been mindfully wearing my mask for over a year and feeling the physical and psychological effects of the lockdown required during the pandemic. I’d been finding ways to escape the experience of being locked in by finding solo explorations of locations off the beaten path. I even documented some of these recent experiences of “getting away” in an Instagram channel under the handle @subaru_tpe — Subaru-based tent-powered expeditions. (https://www.instagram.com/blubaru_tpe/).
After I received my first shot I felt a sense of relief. A sense that the economy would eventually open up. I felt an optimism that Covid19 would recede. Vaccinations would reduce the spread. Kids would return to school and play together and socialize and learn community. I also wondered with California shifting to vaccinate all folks over 16 if there was any data to show where we are and where the health of the county might be going…
On March 30th the County Announced Eligibility for Vaccinations to all 16 and older…
I knew that my sense of anticipation was not isolated folks I spoke to gaming family, and friends, and from the county workforce all expressed a kind tentative optimism. Is that a light at the end of the tunnel? No one felt certain and no one offered up much data. Then I saw a post from a Bernie Unger on Next Door. I don’t know Bernie but his post led me to the Contra Costa Health Services Corona Virus data (https://www.coronavirus.cchealth.org/overview).
Bernie Unger’s Post leading me to the data for Discovery Bay proper…
After looking over the data Bernie posted and looking at his chart on Covid Cases 7-Day Moiving average for Contra Costa County I wanted to look more deeply at Discovery Bay proper.
There seemed to be some optimism as move forward in time. As vaccines spiked, the moving average of infections was falling. But how had Discovery Nay proper faired during the pandemic? Did we have the same problem per capita as the rest of the county or did we escape impact?
As I look at the actuals, I saw we did not escape impact — and we were slightly higher on average in infections per capita clacking in at 6163.9 infections for 100,000 compared to 5,777 per 100,000 for the rest of the state. Despite being approximately the same size as say a city like Clayton — we had nearly double the infection rate per capita. One assumes smaller more rural communities would be more protected than denser more urban cities. For Clayton in the western shadow of Mt. Diablo that proved true. For Discovery Bay in the long reach of the eastern shadow of Mt. Diablo our small population in the hinterlands of Contra Costa County did not protect us. Why not?
My Second Shot — Posted on IG on April 16th, 2021 — Contra Costa Health Services West County Health Center
After receiving my second shot on April 16th I did feel a renewed relief. The next few days for me I escaped the more dramatic side-effect I’ve heard others experience with the vaccine. My renewed relief comes with a dampened optimism. Unlike comparable towns, we depend on folks rolling through town and into the boat harbor, restaurants, and c and farm-to-able experiences. Will we see our numbers pull back from above-average infection rates or as the travel restrictions are directed and business opens back up will we see an unhealthy rise in our numbers?