Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
California AG Seeks More Power To Battle Merger-Hungry Health Care Chains
Xavier Becerra has made battling health care consolidation a priority since he became attorney general. Now that COVID-19 threatens vulnerable health care practices, he’s pushing to expand his authority to slow health care mergers. (Rachel Bluth, )
Health Experts, Leaders Acknowledge Black Trauma Even As They Worry Protests Will Undo Hard-Won Victories From Painful Shutdowns: In the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, mass gatherings are about the least advisable activity for controlling spread of a highly infectious disease. But public health experts acknowledge that in a time of national civic unrest and deplorable social injustice, the drive to speak out may supersede the desire to lie low and stay safe. Large crowds are prime sources of so-called super-spreader events, where dozens of people may be exposed to the virus at once then disperse to their home communities, where they may infect many others. Meanwhile, some testing sites are reportedly closing because of the protests.
Black communities continue to bear the brunt of the virus’ impact. The disease has devastated the lives of black people at a higher rate than most other races, accounting for a disproportionate number of deaths, and has placed an incredible economic toll on workers who have lost jobs and hours. It’s impossible not to connect this fact with the current protests and outrage, Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said Monday. She pointed to racism and unequal access to health care as a root case of the inequities that put a larger strain on minority communities, noting that the health issues in the black community can be attributed to a “lifetime of stress” connected with oppression and daily fears. Read more from Erin Allday of the San Francisco Chronicle; Colleen Shalby of the Los Angeles Times; and Don Sweeney of the Sacramento Bee.
In related news from the Sacramento Bee: Pepper Balls And Tear Gas: Here’s How Police Crowd-Control Measures Affect The Body
Newsom’s Controversial $1B Mask Deal Could Be Canceled After Firm Fails To Acquire Safety Certification: Sunday was the deadline for supplier BYD to secure safety certification for its N95 particulate-filtering respirators. But it did not meet that deadline, which had been extended after federal officials denied the company’s previous application. California’s contract with BYD, or Build Your Dreams, states that the deal is void and the company must forfeit all $495 million that the state prepaid for the N95 masks if it failed to obtain federal certification by the deadline. Gov. Gavin Newsom was silent on the contract’s fate Monday — a deal he cheered less than two months ago as the state scrambled to buy personal protective equipment for medical workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. Read more from Dustin Gardiner of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Below, check out the full round-up of California Healthline original stories, state coverage and the best of the rest of the national news for the day.
More News From Across The State
Sacramento Bee:
CA State Worker Q&A: Coronavirus Contact Tracing Assignments
Managers in California state departments have supplied lists of their workers to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration for contact tracing assignments. The assignments involve calling, texting and emailing people who have been in contact with those who have tested positive for the coronavirus. (Venteicher, 6/1)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Bay Area Companies Grapple With Challenges Of Work-Site Testing
As some of the 250 Bay Area employees at Sequoia Consulting Group prepare to return to their San Mateo office, probably this month, they’ll be part of a grand experiment that millions of U.S. workers may soon join: having to get a coronavirus diagnostic test, and test negative, before going back to work. Sequoia, human relations consultants, will require employees to be tested monthly as a condition of working in the office. The company has set up a testing tent in the parking lot and created a mobile app so employees can track their test results and receive an alert when they need to re-test. (Ho, 6/1)
Los Angeles Times:
Can Operation Warp Speed Have A COVID-19 Vaccine This Year?
To capture the speed and audacity of its plan to field a coronavirus vaccine, the Trump administration reached into science fiction’s vault for an inspiring moniker: Operation Warp Speed. The vaccine initiative’s name challenges a mantra penned by an actual science fiction writer, Arthur C. Clarke: “Science demands patience.” Patience is essential for those who ply the science of vaccines. (Healy, 6/2)
Sacramento Bee:
Antiviral Drug Remdesivir Helps Moderately Ill Coronavirus Patients In Trial, Maker Says
The trial included 600 randomized patients who were equally divided into groups given a five-day treatment, 10-day treatment or just standard care, the release says. The patients were hospitalized with confirmed cases of the virus and “evidence of pneumonia without reduced oxygen levels.” Monday’s release represents initial results of the trial and an expansion phase will include up to 1,000 more moderately sick patients., Gilead said. Those results are expected in the next few months. (Aldridge, 6/1)
Los Angeles Times:
Scientists To Choirs: Group Singing Can Spread Coronavirus
Scientists studying tiny exhaled particles that could transmit the coronavirus say a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention decision to drop warnings against choral singing is dangerous, risking more “super-spreading events” such as a Washington state choir practice linked to two deaths. The researchers say that the coronavirus can spread in respiratory aerosols, which may linger in the air for an hour or more, floating farther than the six feet commonly prescribed for social distancing. (Read, 6/1)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Long After The Illness Is Gone, The Damage From Coronavirus May Remain
The roulette wheel of infection that determines which COVID-19 patients live and die has gripped the world in fear, but researchers are looking into another insidious danger — that the disease could be inflicting lasting, even permanent, damage on its victims. Infectious disease specialists have learned that the health problems caused by the coronavirus sometimes linger for months, raising fears that the virus may have long-term consequences for people’s health. (Fimtre, 5/31)
KQED:
Blood Bank Now Testing All Donated Blood For COVID-19 Antibodies
Vitalant, formerly known as Blood Centers of the Pacific, announced Monday that it will begin testing all blood donations for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. The nonprofit blood collection organization serves hospital patients throughout the Bay Area and has a critical need for blood donations. (6/1)
Los Angeles Times:
First Pregnant Woman And First Jail Inmate Die From Coronavirus, L.A. County Officials Say
Los Angeles County officials Monday reported an additional 22 coronavirus-linked deaths, including a pregnant woman who had tested positive for the virus and had underlying health issues and a person who was incarcerated in a jail facility. Both deaths are the first of their kind in the county related to COVID-19, health officials said. At least 228 pregnant women in L.A. County have tested positive for the virus and 79% of them were symptomatic. (Shalby, 6/1)
KQED:
Laguna Honda's New CEO Hopes To Focus On COVID-19 Care, Not Past Scandal
A new chief executive officer begins at San Francisco’s Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center this week, almost a year after the last one resigned. Michael Phillips says he wants to focus on the facility’s stabilization of an early outbreak of the coronavirus, rather than its recent rocky past. “My vision is to ensure the safety and well-being of all of our residents,” Phillips says.For the last few years, he ran Silver Lake Medical Center, a small acute-care hospital with campuses in downtown Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley. (Peterson, 6/1)
KQED:
Yes, You Can Go To The Dentist. And Yes, The Coronavirus Means It Will Be Incredibly Different
As California entered Stage 2 of the state’s reopening in early May, when curbside pickup for some retail like flower shops and bookstores was permitted, the state also allowed routine dental care, such as cleanings and exams, to resume. But like the loosening of other restrictions, the return to regular dental care varies based on permission from counties themselves. What's resulted is a patchwork of rules and regulations, and confusion for dentists and patients alike. (Klivans, 6/1)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Santa Clara County To Allow Shopping, Small Religious Services, Outdoor Dining
Shopping, outdoor dining, childcare programs and religious services will resume in Santa Clara County under an amended shelter-in-place policy expected to go into effect Friday, officials announced. Under the new order, low or no-contact services such as house cleaning, pet grooming and shoe repair may resume, as well as outdoor religious or cultural ceremonies — including funerals — in groups no larger than 25. (Sanchez, 6/1)
Southern California News Group:
Disneyland Surveys Passholders About Masks, Temperature Checks And Health Questionnaires
Disneyland has begun surveying annual passholders about their feelings and opinions on potential COVID-19 health and safety protocols as the Anaheim theme park prepares to reopen following an extended coronavirus closure. Disneyland passholders were asked a series of survey questions about face masks, temperature checks at park entrances and pre-arrival health questionnaires, according to MiceChat. Disney’s two Anaheim theme parks, three hotels and outdoor shopping mall remain closed until further notice amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (MacDonald, 6/2)
CalMatters:
Planning To Reopen, California Schools Seek Guidance, Money
Guidance from Gov. Gavin Newsom, as well as from the state Department of Education, is forthcoming. In the coming weeks, California’s educators will try to answer one question: How will schools safely reopen campuses for students and educators in the fall? Social interaction among peers and teachers, educators say, is just as much an integral part of students’ education as the learning that takes place inside California’s classrooms. This will make social distancing, they say, a tall task, if not nearly impossible, to enforce in school settings, and much more so without guidance and funding. (Cano, 6/1)
San Francisco Chronicle:
SF, Silicon Valley Rents Plunge Amid Downturn: 'Never Seen Anything Like It'
The cost of renting an apartment in the Bay Area plummeted in May, as layoffs and the increased flexibility of working from home drove a double-digit drop in some of the nation’s most expensive housing markets. Rents for a one-bedroom apartment dropped most in the cities richest in high-paying tech jobs, falling 9.2% in San Francisco compared with May of 2019. In Mountain View, home to Google, rents fell 15.9% year over year, while in Apple’s hometown of Cupertino rents dipped 14.3%, according to the rental search engine Zumper. In San Bruno, where YouTube has its offices, rents tumbled 14.9%. (Dineen, 6/1)
KQED:
Stressed About Paying June Rent? Check Here First
California's businesses and activities are slowly starting to open, but many renters in the Bay Area — and across the state — are still having trouble paying rent for June after being financially impacted by the coronavirus and resulting regional shelter-in-place orders. In response, some cities and counties are extending eviction moratoriums. For renters in Alameda, Solano and Sonoma counties, eviction moratoriums remain in place up to 90 days after California's state of emergency ends. Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in early March and hasn't yet announced when it will end. (Wiley, Solomon and Baldassari, 6/1)
Bay Area News Group:
2 New Coronavirus Deaths In Contra Costa, San Francisco Counties
Two new deaths from the novel coronavirus were reported in the Bay Area Monday, according to data compiled by this news organization. One person died in San Francisco County, while another died in Contra Costa County, health officials reported. (Kelliher, 6/1)
San Jose Mercury News:
Northern California County Reports First Coronavirus Death
Butte County Public Health announced the first death in the county linked to COVID-19 Monday. The individual’s name has not been released but it’s been confirmed that they were over 65 years old and had multiple underlying health conditions, said a press release issued Monday by Public Health. (Er, 6/2)
The Desert Sun:
California Coronavirus: Riverside County Numbers And Latest Maps
In late March, Riverside County officials predicted that hospitals would run out of life-saving resources needed to care for every COVID-19 patient seeking help by mid-April, whether that was a hospital bed or a ventilator. We are now well-beyond the predicted date of turmoil and, while the pandemic has caused immense strain on the county health care system, hospitals are not crumbling. (Hayden, 6/1)
The Desert Sun:
Riverside County Reports 496 New COVID-19 Cases, 8 New Deaths Monday
Riverside County reported 496 new cases of coronavirus on Monday, increasing the county's total to 7,982 confirmed COVID-19 cases. The county also reported eight additional deaths since the county's last data release on Friday, bringing the county's virus-related death toll to 331. About 38% of cases — 3,095 — are among people between the ages of 40 and 64. Confirmed cases among females are estimated at about 3,900, while the number of male patients is estimated at 3,700. (Blueskye, 6/1)
Sacramento Bee:
Coronavirus: Sacramento County Reports 2 Deaths
Two more coronavirus-related deaths were reported Monday morning in Sacramento County, bringing its death toll to 58 as California continues its battle against the pandemic. The county’s death toll increased for the first time since May 18. (McGough, 6/1)
CalMatters:
Meet 7 California College Students Who Are Essential Workers
The coronavirus has remade the college experience, pushing classes online and emptying campuses. But many California college students are also workers, and for those in the most essential occupations, that hasn’t changed — even as the state has endured a months-long lockdown. College students are stocking grocery shelves, cooking takeout food at restaurants and caring for patients. Those activities could put their lives and those of their family members in danger, but like other essential workers, students often feel they have no choice but to go to work, whether to pay for classes or help their families. Others say they feel called to contribute during a time of crisis. (Arredondo, Mello, Ross and Watson, 6/1)
The Desert Sun:
San Bernardino County Reports 109 New Coronavirus Cases Monday
On Monday, San Bernardino County public health officials reported 109 new cases of COVID-19 and no new deaths. The county's total number of cases is now 5,246. Since the county's first case was recorded March 15, 204 people have died of COVID-19-related complications. A majority of the deaths — 58% — have occurred among people over age 70. Of the deaths, 113 were men and 91 were women. There is a 4% overall fatality rate. (Blueskye, 6/1)