Activism

Bay Area Health Officers Urge Boosters to Protect Against Growing Omicron Threat

“A booster dose as soon as you are eligible is an urgent choice to protect yourself and your family,” said Dr. Lisa B. Hernandez, the City of Berkeley Health Officer. “Even if you were fully vaccinated earlier this year, booster doses help maintain the power that vaccines have already shown in protecting people from severe illness and death.”

Published

4 years ago

December 27, 2021

Oakland Post

Dr. Lisa B. Hernandez, the City of Berkeley Health Officer.

From City of Berkeley

Public health agencies across the Bay Area urge everyone eligible to get vaccinated and, if eligible, get a booster shot right away to protect against the rapidly spreading Omicron variant.

Widely available via appointment or drop-in sites, boosters maintain the power of vaccines to strongly protect against severe illness and death from COVID-19. Everyone should get one when eligible, but particularly those over 50 or those with significant underlying health conditions.

Get a booster if you are at least 16 years old and:

6 months have passed since your second dose of Moderna (for 18+)
6 months have passed since your second dose of Pfizer (for 16+)
2 months have passed since your Johnson & Johnson Dose (for 18+)

Public health officials in the City of Berkeley as well as the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano and Sonoma encourage anyone eligible who needs a booster dose to get one as soon as possible.

To find a booster shot appointment, use myturn.ca.gov, your health care provider or one of the clinics coordinated by Berkeley Public Health at cityofberkeley.info/vaccine.

Currently, 34% of eligible City of Berkeley residents have received a booster, and approximately 36% of residents who are 50 years and over have yet to get their booster shot.

As Omicron spreads, cases could grow exponentially

There has been one lab-confirmed case of the Omicron variant reported to Berkeley Public Health as part of an outbreak involving at least a dozen residents of Alameda County as a whole.

There is a significant risk of an exponential growth of COVID-19 cases in our region based on the exponential growth in cases already being seen in Europe. The United Kingdom currently has more COVID-19 cases than at any time during the two-year pandemic. Other highly vaccinated countries that mirror the Bay Area’s high vaccination rates, such as Denmark and Norway, are predicting Omicron will become the dominant variant in a matter of days.

Evidence suggests that Omicron spreads more rapidly than other variants, and more is being learned every day. Although some evidence suggests that a lower percentage of people infected with Omicron may be hospitalized and die, if a surge causes many thousands of new cases per day, even a small percentage of that total entering our hospitals will overwhelm healthcare delivery systems.

Use all tools to protect yourself, your family and our community:

Masking, testing, ventilation, and distancing add additional, effective layers of protection against COVID-19. The more layers you use, the safer you’ll be.

If people must travel or gather for the holidays:

Have everyone ages 5 and older get their COVID-19 vaccine and booster if eligible.
Anyone who develops symptoms of COVID-19 should isolate themselves and get tested as soon as possible.
Get tested before gathering or traveling, upon return, and again 3-5 days later.
Take advantage of quick and easy home test kits available in pharmacies and stores.
Wear a mask indoors and in crowded settings.
Keep group gatherings small. Gather with close family units.
Outside gatherings are safer than indoor gatherings.
Be particularly cautious around elderly or immunocompromised individuals and consider COVID-19 testing before such interactions.
Parents of very young children and those who have not been vaccinated should make sure to take all advised precautions.
Avoid large gatherings. Always wear a mask in indoor public settings (unless under age 2).

Vaccinations are available at no cost to the public, insurance is not required, and there are no immigration requirements.

Visit cityofberkeley.info/vaccine to learn more.

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Activism

Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

1 week ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.