Another Coronavirus Death In Alameda County

ALAMEDA COUNTY, CA — The number of coronavirus deaths in Alameda County rose by one, to eight on Wednesday, while the number of confirmed cases soared to 359. The cases include the city of Berkeley, which reports separately. Berkeley had one additional case on Wednesday, while the total in the rest of the county increased by 45.

Elsewhere in the Bay Area, Santa Clara County reports 30 deaths and San Mateo has 10, according to Johns Hopkins University. No other counties are in double digits.

Johns Hopkins statistics for California during the noon hour show 184 deaths statewide, with 8,700 confirmed cases. Los Angeles County is the hardest hit in the state with 54 deaths and more than 3,000 confirmed cases.

In perhaps the most alarming development, Contra Costa County's health officer warned supervisors to expect up to 14,000 coronavirus deaths in that county alone. Alameda County has about a half million more people than Contra Costa.

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Gov. Gavin Newsom has not issued an order to extend school closures through this school year, but at a news conference Wednesday described his "expectation that schools will not reopen."

To help accommodate remote classes, Newsom announced a state partnership with Google, which he said will provide more than 100,000 Wi-Fi hotspots to improve internet connections across the state.

Earlier Wednesday, the UC System announced it would suspend requirements for SAT scores and letter grades for students who apply to its nine campuses, describing the eased requirements as an effort to "alleviate the tremendous disruption and anxiety" students are facing due to the COVID-19 crisis. The CSU system and community colleges have also agreed not to penalize students for pass-fail class grades, Darling-Hammond said.