Pandemic restrictions return as COVID-19 cases spike in Alameda county

Alameda County restrictions moved back to the purple tier — the most restrictive tier — after COVID-19 cases increased by 48% in Alameda county week over week, according to data from the California Public Health Department. Governor Gavin Newsom announced 40 counties in total will move to the purple tier, placing the vast majority of…

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Clinics reach out to Oakland’s Asian community to prevent “silent killer” hepatitis B

Volunteers from the Hep B Project at the organization's free clinic, located every Wednesday at the Street Level Health Project.

The Bay Area has one of the largest Asian and Asian Pacific Islander (API) populations in the entire country; together the two groups make up almost 19 percent of Oakland’s population. This group is uniquely at risk for hepatitis B, a disease that is sometimes known as the “silent killer,” as an infected person can remain asymptomatic for long periods of time, leaving many unknowingly infected. Nationwide, nearly 1 in 12 people of Asian and API descent are infected. But here in Oakland, healthcare workers are drawing more attention to getting residents screened for the disease and vaccinated against it, specifically among the low-income and uninsured.

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