Bay Area News Group: More Vaccines Are Coming To California. Here’s How To Get Yours. 
California’s newly announced expansion of its COVID-19 vaccine campaign — including  six million residents over age 65 — poses brand new challenges for doctors, pharmacies and consumers. It’s relatively easy to get the vaccine into the arms of health care workers and elderly people who live in residential care settings. But the new phase brings a new tangle of logistics, for which counties are trying to prepare. What does this mean to you? We’ll try to help by answering these questions. (Krieger, 1/13)

LA Daily News: LA County Will Not Speed Up Vaccine Rollout For Those Over 65 Just Yet 
Los Angeles County will not be speeding up coronavirus vaccines for people 65 and older, despite California officials on Wednesday, Jan. 13, announcing that local officials had the ability to do so immediately. (Rosenfeld, 1/13)

The Bakersfield Californian: Kern County Residents 65 And Older Now Eligible For COVID-19 Vaccine 
The Kern County Public Health Services Department announced Wednesday that residents 65 and older are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. The announcement came in conjunction with a similar proclamation from the California Department of Public Health. (1/13)

Fresno Bee: Fresno County Now Taking People 75 Or Older For Vaccines 
Fresno County moved up COVID-19 inoculations for people 75 or older on the same day Gov. Gavin Newsom is pushing for those older than 65 to get vaccinations. Health officials stressed the vaccine center is not a walk-in clinic and patients need to register and get an appointment first. (Miller, 1/13)

San Diego Union-Tribune: County Plans To Vaccinate 1.9 Million San Diegans By July 
San Diego County residents 65 and older can now get vaccinated against COVID-19 — provided their health care provider has the doses. But with vaccine demand far exceeding supply, that’s likely to be an issue. (Wosen and Sisson, 1/13)

Modesto Bee: Slim Pickings For Stanislaus Seniors Seeking COVID Vaccine
The county Health Services Agency issued a news release Wednesday evening asking health care providers that are able to store and administer coronavirus vaccines to sign up and provide vaccines to protect their patients. It also asked pharmacies, including those in grocery stores, to sign up to administer vaccines. “We need all providers to help protect our community, decrease hospitalizations and deaths, and end this pandemic,” said Dr. Julie Vaishampayan, county health officer. “It will take all of us working together to ensure our vulnerable population, the seniors, are vaccinated and protected.” Getting the vaccine to seniors also will depend on the state supplying larger amounts of vaccine to Stanislaus County. (Carlson, 1/13)

Bay Area News Group: Email Foul-Up In Marin Draws Ineligible Virus Vaccine Seekers 
Hundreds of people ineligible for coronavirus vaccinations signed up for shots this week after a link to Marin County’s appointment system was shared on social media, a health official said. The link was initially sent in an email to health care workers, who are included in the first phase of the county’s effort to distribute its limited supply of Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. (Pera, 1/14)

San Francisco Chronicle: ‘We Are Flying Blind’: Bay Area Politicians Say They’re In The Dark About Vaccine Rollout
As residents wonder where and when they can get vaccinated, some Bay Area officials are getting inundated with calls and emails from constituents, many of whom are angry at the slow rollout and confusion about the process. But local politicians said their hands are largely tied as they wait for the state health department and private providers to give them more information on how many doses they have — and how quickly they can distribute them to eligible populations. (Thadani and Ravani, 1/13)

Los Angeles Times: Californians Paying Price For Chaotic Rollout Of Coronavirus Vaccine, Experts Say
The botched rollout of COVID-19 vaccines starts at the top, with President Trump. His Health and Human Resources Secretary, Alex Azar, promised on Dec. 10 that 20 million Americans would be vaccinated within several weeks. As of Monday, only 9 million had been vaccinated, according to the CDC, and administration officials have acknowledged a “planning error” for the unavailability of doses. On the state level, vaccine distribution is being at least partially slowed by technical problems with a software program used by California, as The Times reported Friday, citing state and local officials. Another problem is the vast number of healthcare providers across the state and nation, including pharmacy chains, slow to prepare communication plans to notify nearby eligible people that they can come in and quickly get vaccinated. (Dolan, 1/14)

Bloomberg: Disneyland’s Toy Story Parking Lot Opens For Mass Vaccinations
Orange County, California, opened a mass-vaccination site at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim on Wednesday, where it expects to inoculate more than 7,000 people a day. Walt Disney Co. is providing staffing assistance as well as space on its Toy Story parking lot. Some 10,000 people signed up in the first two hours Tuesday, according to Andrew Do, chairman of the county board of supervisors. He asked the county’s 3.2 million residents to be patient. “The server can only handle so many calls and then it crashes,” he said. (Palmeri, 1/14)

The Bakersfield Californian: Fairgrounds To Open Next Week As COVID-19 Vaccination Site 
A public vaccination clinic will open at the Kern County Fairgrounds next week and will ramp up efforts in the coming weeks to eventually vaccinate 5,000 people a day, according to the county's top public health official. The venue is set to open Jan. 20 for those in qualifying tiers, Public Health Director Matt Constantine said Wednesday. Appointments will be required and can be made on the county's public health website. (Shepard, 1/13)

Fresno Bee: What Happens If You Lose Your COVID Vaccine Record Card? CDC Offers Other Options
Everyone who gets a COVID-19 vaccine will be given what health officials call “second-dose reminder” cards. Both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna shots require two injections separated by about a month in order to gain full protection from infection with the coronavirus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said the card also serves as a record-keeper in case vaccine registries or other systems are not available when people return for their second dose. (Camero, 1/13)

Bay Area News Group: ‘We Can’t Do This Anymore’: Burlingame Skilled Nursing Workers Overwhelmed By COVID Outbreak
Workers at the Burlingame Skilled Nursing facility pleaded for help Wednesday as a coronavirus outbreak raced through the facility over the past two weeks, with scores of employees out sick or quarantined and patients “dying every day.” “We can’t do this anymore. We need some help,” said Roland Glover, 60, a certified nurse assistant who bathes, dresses and helps patients get to the bathroom. “It’s really bad. It’s really, really, really bad. It’s spreading all over.” (Sulek and Deruy, 1/13)

Los Angeles Times: Deaths Among Latinos In L.A. County From COVID-19 Rising At Astonishing Levels
People living in the most impoverished neighborhoods of the county are now averaging about 36 deaths a day per 100,000 residents. By contrast, those living in the wealthiest areas are experiencing about 10 deaths a day per 100,000 residents. Latino residents in L.A. County are dying at an astonishing eight times the rate they once did — from 3½ daily deaths per 100,000 in early November to 28 deaths a day now for every 100,000. (Lin II and Money, 1/14)

LA Daily News: 5th LAPD Employee, 3rd Officer, Dies From Coronavirus Complications 
A fifth Los Angeles Police Department employee, and the third officer, has died of complications from COVID-19, Chief Michel Moore said. Sgt. Amelia “Terry” Martinez, assigned to the Hollenbeck Division, died Tuesday, he said. She was 53. (1/13)

Bay Area News Group: Coronavirus: Santa Clara Co. Jail Infections Keep Soaring As Officials Ponder Another Batch Release
On the heels of a big outbreak to start the year, Santa Clara County jails have recorded an even larger surge in COVID-19 infections over the past week, hitting an all-time peak and spurring prosecutors, public defenders and judges to consider a batch release of inmates akin to rapid jail-population-reduction efforts at the start of the pandemic. On Wednesday afternoon, the sheriff’s office reported 109 active COVID-19 cases in the county jails, predominantly in the men’s jail at the Elmwood Correctional Complex in Milpitas. But that is a shifting figure affected by people both coming into and coming out of infection; raw data shows that nearly 120 new cases have surfaced since Jan. 5, accounting for 25% of the 480 jail infections recorded since March. (Salonga, 1/13)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. Wants To Impose Tougher Enforcement For Mask Violators
Under Mayor Eric Garcetti’s “Safer at Home” order, individuals who don’t wear masks can face up to a $1,000 fine or six months in jail. But there’s been little enforcement of the rule. Now, the Los Angeles City Council wants to crack down on mask scofflaws. Following local demonstrations by anti-mask groups at shopping malls, grocery stores and homeless encampments, the council moved Wednesday to bolster restrictions and subject more violators to financial penalties. (Smith, 1/13)

Orange County Register: Santa Ana Considers $4 Hour Hazard Pay For Grocery, Pharmacy Workers
Santa Ana officials want grocery and pharmacy employees to get a temporary boost in their paychecks, hazard pay for serving as essential workers during the pandemic. The Santa Ana City Council asked city staff during a Tuesday night meeting to look into the pros and cons of drafting an ordinance, which would be a mandate, or a resolution, which would be largely symbolic. Councilwoman Thai Viet Phan wants a $4 an hour boost for grocery and pharmacy workers in companies that employ at least 300 employees nationwide and have at least 10 workers in each store. The hazard pay could be for 120 days, she said. (Kopetman, 1/13)

Los Angeles Times: COVID-19 Surge Pushes L.A. Hospital To 320% Occupancy
While new COVID-19 hospitalizations have leveled off recently in Los Angeles County, many medical facilities remain overwhelmed. The intensive care unit at one hospital in the South Bay, Memorial Hospital of Gardena, is at 320% occupancy, officials said Wednesday. The 172-bed medical center has been in various levels of “internal disaster status” since March, and the latest coronavirus surge is manifesting in alarming but increasingly familiar ways — including shortages of home oxygen supplies that are delaying the discharge of many COVID-19 patients and keeping beds occupied. (Smith, Money and Lin II, 1/13)

The Bakersfield Californian: Hospital Officials Call For More COVID-19 Plasma Donations, Citing Patients Waiting For Treatment 
Local hospital officials put out an urgent call Wednesday for blood plasma donations from people who have recovered from COVID-19 in order to treat patients hospitalized with serious illness from the virus. Dignity Health officials said 18 patients were waiting for plasma treatments among its three Bakersfield hospitals — Mercy Downtown, Mercy Southwest and Bakersfield Memorial. (Shepard, 1/13)

Modesto Bee: COVID Outbreak Linked To Costume Infects 92 At California Hospital, Including Patients
A deadly COVID-19 outbreak linked to an inflatable Christmas tree costume at a California hospital has now infected at least 92 people, including 15 patients, health officials say. An employee who wore a fan-powered costume in the Kaiser Permanente San Jose emergency room on Christmas may have been a “superspreader,” The Mercury News reported. Santa Clara County health officials say a COVID outbreak at the hospital, which began Dec. 27, has now spread to 77 employees and 15 patients, KTVU reported. (Sweeney, 1/13)

Los Angeles Times: Patients Test Positive For Coronavirus In Kaiser San Jose Christmas Outbreak
An outbreak of the novel coronavirus among employees at Kaiser’s San Jose Medical Center has now spread to patients, 15 of whom tested positive, the Santa Clara County Public Health Department said Wednesday. The number of staff members infected has also grown since last week from 60 to 77. One staff member has died of COVID-19 complications. Kaiser spokeswoman Hilary Costa disputed some of the county’s case count, saying 74 employees who worked in the emergency department on Christmas Day tested positive. Three cases may include employees not involved in that outbreak, Costa said. (Logan, 1/13)

The Bakersfield Californian: Community Health Initiative Of Kern County To Assist Residents Enroll In, Renew Their Health Insurance 
The Community Health Initiative of Kern County, part of Mercy and Memorial Hospitals’ Department of Special Needs and Community Outreach, is helping Kern residents enroll in or renew their health insurance. According to a news release from Dignity Health, the Community Health Initiative’s service is free of charge and is designed to help clients with the following: (1/13)

San Francisco Chronicle: California Democrats Propose Higher Business Taxes To Pay For Homeless Programs
State and local Democratic leaders are pushing for an increase in California’s corporate tax rate to tackle the state’s homelessness crisis, a proposal that could generate billions of dollars in new funding but faces long odds to becoming law. A coalition of state legislators, big-city mayors and housing advocates introduced a bill Wednesday, AB71, that would raise the tax rate by nearly 0.8% for companies that earn more than $5 million in annual revenue in the state. It would also tax California-based corporations for the revenue they earn from intellectual property, such as patents and trademarks, held by their foreign subsidiaries. (Koseff, 1/13)