Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Orange County Hospital Seeks Divorce From Large Catholic Health System
Frustration with the standardization of care across 51 hospitals, loss of local control and restrictions on reproductive health care have pitted Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian against the Providence chain. (Bernard J. Wolfson, )
Supreme Court Favors Religion Over Covid Restrictions In California: For the fifth time, the U.S. Supreme Court has sided with religious adherents and against California's covid restrictions. This time, the court barred the state from enforcing a rule that limits both religious and non-religious gatherings in homes to no more than three households. Meanwhile, Bay Area religious leaders were waiting to see just how soon prayer groups would move from online to in-person. Read more from NPR, AP and the San Francisco Chronicle.
47% Of Adult Californians Have Received One Covid Shot: Nearly half of Californians 18 and older have received at least one covid shot, and 25% have been fully vaccinated, new CDC data show. Read more from the Bay Area News Group.
Below, check out the roundup of California Healthline’s coverage. For today's national health news, read KHN's Morning Briefing.
More News From Across The State
Los Angeles Times:
California's COVID-19 Death Toll Surpasses 60,000 Even As Conditions Improve
The COVID-19 death toll in California has exceeded 60,000, an alarming statistic that comes even as conditions in the state continue to improve. The state’s toll represents 10.7% of COVID-19 deaths nationwide. California is home to about 12% of Americans. Although California’s death toll was lower per capita than in the other most populous states, COVID-19 has hit some communities particularly hard. The state’s lower-income Latino communities — home to many essential workers who often live in crowded housing — saw disproportionately high numbers of deaths while affluent areas saw lower numbers. (Lin II and Money, 4/11)
LA Daily News:
LA County Reports 813 New Coronavirus Cases; More MIS-C Found In Children
Los Angeles County reported 813 new cases of COVID-19 and 37 additional deaths on Saturday, April 10, along with an additional 11 cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). The number of coronavirus patients in county hospitals dropped from 508 to 492, according to state figures, which are generally a day ahead of numbers provided by the county. The number of COVID patients in intensive care ticked up from 123 to 125. (4/10)
Los Angeles Times:
Los Angeles County's Daily Coronavirus Cases Continue To Decline, As Transmissions Appear To Slow
Los Angeles County public health officials on Sunday recorded 546 new cases of the coronavirus and 10 related deaths amid signs viral transmission was continuing to decrease. Both numbers are an undercount because there are reporting delays on weekends, officials said. Still, they welcomed the encouraging trend of declining case rates, hospitalizations and deaths. (Wigglesworth and Lin II, 4/11)
Orange County Register:
LA County Ends Mandated Quarantines For Fully Vaccinated Travelers
Los Angeles County public health officials on Monday, April 5, ended the mandate for fully vaccinated travelers to quarantine upon their arrival here. The county announced new travel guidelines after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week said that as long as coronavirus precautions are taken, including mask wearing, fully vaccinated people can take trips within the United States without getting tested for COVID-19 before or self-quarantining after. Residents are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving a second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines, or two weeks after getting the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine. (Shaun Evains, 4/5)
Sacramento Bee:
COVID Pandemic Affected Sacramento Women More Than Men
Gaby Martinez had been working for the Stanislaus Public Library for years, and she loved her job in the youth services division. She got to connect with students and parents, promote early literacy and even work with the maximum security wing of a juvenile detention center to give books to incarcerated young adults. But when the COVID-19 pandemic brought life to a grinding halt last spring, the library closed. Martinez, a single mother of three who also lives with her elderly mother, suddenly lost her part-time job and her family’s only source of income. (Karisch, 4/12)
Los Angeles Times:
COVID-19 Stop To Jury Trials Upends California Federal Courts
Ronald Ware spent five months in a Santa Ana jail awaiting trial after his arrest in Brea last summer on a federal gun charge. His day in court never came. U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney dismissed the case in January, saying emergency rules that shut down federal jury trials during the pandemic had denied Ware his right to a speedy trial. “Nowhere in the Constitution is there an exception for times of emergency or crisis,” Carney wrote in the ruling that set Ware free. Carney has tossed criminal charges against a jewelry-store robbery suspect and three others for the same reason. The decision to shut down all jury trials, he found, was excessive. (Finnegan and Dolan, 4/12)
San Jose Mercury News:
How The Decline In COVID-19 Testing Could Blind Us To New Problems
As new and more contagious variants of the COVID-19 virus emerge in California at a troubling rate, testing for the pathogen has plummeted, challenging the state’s effort to trace their spread, discover outbreaks or detect whether they are eluding our vaccines. Rates of testing have fallen by more than 60% since January’s peak, according to the most recent data by the California Department of Public Health. Statewide, a total of 186,112 tests were reported on March 31, down from 477,718 on Jan. 4. The precipitous decline is reflected in Bay Area data, as well, falling about 40% in Santa Cruz County, 30% in Santa Clara, Contra Costa and Alameda counties and 25% in San Mateo County over the past three months. Testing is also down nationally. (Krieger, 4/12)
Los Angeles Times:
Burbank Puts Fence Around Restaurant Defying COVID Orders
The city of Burbank on Saturday put up a chain-link fence around a local restaurant that has repeatedly defied county health orders during the COVID-19 pandemic. The fence was erected around the Tinhorn Flats Saloon & Grill in the 2600 block of West Magnolia Boulevard to prevent the owners from reopening under unsafe conditions. The city, which received permission from a judge to shut off power to the business last month, secured a preliminary injunction Friday to prevent the restaurant from operating without a county health permit and a city conditional use permit, Burbank Police Lt. Derek Green said. (4/10)
Sacramento Bee:
Asian American Students Stay Home As Sacramento Schools Open
Only about one in three Asian households in the district will send their children back to the classroom in the district — the lowest rate of any ethnic group, and a trend that’s been reflected in school districts nationwide. Of the 32,600 students who responded to a district survey, just over half said they planned to return to in-person instruction. In comparison to Asian American students, 71% of white students, 55% of Black students and 52% of Latino students plan to return to the classroom. (Morrar and Yoon-Hendricks, 4/12)
CapRadio:
Many Sacramento Students Are Choosing To Continue Learning At Home Despite School Openings
Just over half of families who responded to the Sacramento City Unified School District opted to send their kids back this month. But there’s wide variation — by grade level and along racial lines — when it comes to who will be attending in-person. While 59% of kindergartners will learn in-person starting in April, most high school seniors are sticking with distance-learning. (Bartolone, 4/9)
San Francisco Chronicle:
A Northern California College City Says It Excels At Monitoring Pandemic Through Poop
The city of Davis says it’s No. 1 when it comes to No. 2. Fifteen new sewage sampling sites have been added to the city’s coronavirus monitoring system, expanding the Northern California college town’s ability to detect any possible spike in infections. “The virus can be shed in the stool of infected individuals,” the city and UC Davis said in a joint announcement introducing the sewage surveillance. “Regular testing of wastewater can detect spikes.” (Rubenstein, 4/10)
San Jose Mercury News:
Mysterious COVID Data: Was San Jose Woman First U.S. Death?
The hunt for America’s original COVID-19 victim is still very much on. And in recent weeks, it appeared it might be somebody new. For almost a year now, the Feb. 6, 2020, death of San Jose’s Patricia Dowd has been considered the country’s first coronavirus fatality. More than two months after her mysterious death, tests revealed the otherwise healthy 57-year-old semiconductor company auditor had been infected with the coronavirus when she died. (Rowan and DeRuy, 4/8)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Alameda County Residents 16 And Older Can Now Book A COVID Vaccine Appointment
Alameda County has quietly expanded its coronavirus vaccine eligibility to people age 16 and older, in advance of the formal statewide opening Thursday of vaccinations to all California residents in that age range. Residents of Alameda County 16 and older can now book appointments through the state’s My Turn system, according to the county’s public health department’s site. It’s unclear when the county made the change, but last week Alameda and San Francisco expanded eligibility for people ages 16 and older who live in ZIP codes that were hardest hit by the coronavirus. (Flores, 4/11)
LA Daily News:
Residents 16 And Older Will Be Able To Get Coronavirus Vaccines At LA City Sites Starting Tuesday
Residents aged 16 and over will be able to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as early as Tuesday, April 13, at city-run sites in Los Angeles, officials said on Sunday, May 11. “Opening vaccine eligibility to all Angelenos who are 16 and older is a major milestone in our efforts to get more shots into more arms and defeat COVID-19 once and for all,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said. “We urge patience as we continue to ramp up our operations, obtain more doses, and enter this new phase of our campaign to end the pandemic. But our commitment remains clear: as soon as vaccines are available, we are ready to administer them swiftly and safely.” (Bray, 4/11)
Bay Area News Group:
Contra Costa Residents 16 And Older Can Now Sign Up For Vaccine Appointments At The Coliseum
Contra Costa County residents 16 and older now have more options on where to get a COVID-19 vaccine, thanks to an update to the state’s vaccine appointment website. County residents can now book an appointment at the Oakland Coliseum mass vaccination site online through MyTurn.ca.gov or by calling 833-422-4255. Previously, only people 50 and older had been able to book vaccinations at the site, although Contra Costa County expanded its vaccine eligibility on March 30 to anyone 16 and older who lives or works in the county. (Castaneda, 4/10)
The Bakersfield Californian:
'Today We Removed Every Single Barrier': Vaccine Operation Focuses On Southeast Bakersfield
A blind man arrived on a bus. Several people hopped out of taxis. Others drove or simply walked over. Regardless of the many ways they came to The People's Missionary Baptist Church on Sunday, their focus was singular: to receive one of 1,000 one-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines, free of charge, right in their southeast Bakersfield community. "Today we removed every single barrier," said Arleana Waller, founder of the MLKcommUNITY Initiative, one of the organizers of this first pop-up clinic in this area of town. (Peterson, 4/11)
Modesto Bee:
Vaccine Hesitancy In CA Could Jeopardize Reopening Plan
Gov. Gavin Newsom said his plan to reopen California for “business as usual” by June 15 banks on a steady supply of COVID-19 vaccine and low hospitalization rates. But that two-month deadline leaves little time to convince “vaccine hesitant” Californians that the shots are safe and effective and the best tool we have to getting back to some sort of normal. Without so-called herd immunity — the point at which the majority of the population is protected against the virus — California risks prolonging the pandemic. (Wiley, 4/12)
Bay Area News Group:
COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Fades, But Stubborn Resistance Remains Among Conservatives
He has been pushed off Facebook and banned from Twitter, but Larry Cook battles on at StopMandatoryVaccination.com, where the Los Angeles man tries to explain why COVID-19 vaccines are evil and why President Donald Trump — who he insists will return to power — got one anyway. Some evangelical Christians tie the vaccines to Satan, the Mark of the Beast and an impending apocalypse. And in sunny Surf City, Huntington Beach Mayor Pro Tem Tito Ortiz refuses to wear a mask and defiantly declares, “I ain’t taking that vaccine — hell no!” (Sforza, 4/11)
San Francisco Chronicle:
How Churches, Community-Based Organizations Have Stepped Up To Vaccinate Communities Of Color
Roxana Ramos went to church Saturday, but more for physical health than the spiritual solace typically associated with houses of worship. Along with about 400 other people, the 36-year-old Richmond domestic worker was able to get her coronavirus vaccination at Iglesia Fuente de Salvacion in San Pablo. Ramos learned of the church’s clinic from a friend who attends Iglesia Fuente de Salvacion, after a disappointing realization that she was not eligible by age or employment category when she tried to sign up for a vaccination with Kaiser. To get a slot at the church, all Ramos had to do was call. (Flores, 4/11)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Knocking On Doors, Standing Near Grocery Stores: Groups Take Grassroots Approach To Vaccinate Latinos
There was a knock at the door at Yariesa Gonzalez’s Logan Heights home recently that she wasn’t expecting. People wearing face masks and carrying pamphlets told her about vaccinations at a community clinic in her neighborhood. Gonzalez didn’t plan on getting vaccinated and she had concerns about the vaccine’s safety, she said, but a day later she was sitting under a white tent decorated with colorful papel picado decorations with her sleeve rolled up, ready for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. (Lopez-Villafana, 4/11)
Orange County Register:
Orange County Announces Test Run For Its Own COVID-19 Vaccine Passports
As public health leaders across the country weigh the pros and cons of so-called “vaccine passports” – a record meant to show a person has been inoculated against COVID-19 – the OC Health Care Agency is planning a field test to figure out how proving immunity would work in the real world. The agency announced that in April it will launch a pilot program to test “digital passports” – likely through the county’s Othena vaccine scheduling app – which a vaccinated person could display to enter places where strangers inevitably mix, such as at conferences, meetings, concerts and sporting events. But concrete information about the upcoming test run was limited; the Health Care Agency’s initial notice on Wednesday lacked details. (Wheeler, 4/9)
USA Today:
Nearly 40% Of Marines Decline COVID-19 Vaccine, Prompting Some Democrats To Urge Biden To Set Mandate For Military
Nearly 40% of U.S. Marines who have been offered the COVID-19 vaccine have declined it, according to the Pentagon. Of the 123,500 Marines who have had access to the vaccine, 75,500 Marines are either fully vaccinated or have received one dose, and about 48,000 have declined it, Communication Strategy and Operations Officer Capt. Andrew Woods told USA TODAY. (Elbeshbishi, 4/10)
The Hill:
Pentagon Insists Vaccine Rollout A Success Despite Spotty Data
The Pentagon is touting its rollout of coronavirus vaccines even as it is unable to say how many service members have actually received COVID-19 vaccinations. Defense Department (DOD) officials say they have delivered more than 2 million shots, but a lack of hard numbers has made it difficult to determine how many of those have gone into the arms of troops versus military families and civilian employees. (Mitchell, 4/11)
CBS News:
Military Programs Aiming To End Pandemics Forever
It might surprise you to learn that many of the innovations deployed to counter the coronavirus were once obscure Pentagon-funded projects to defend soldiers from contagious diseases and biological weapons. The life-saving vaccine developed in record time owes a debt to these programs. To learn more, we met the man who has been leading the rapid vaccine effort, retired Colonel Matt Hepburn. An army infectious disease physician, he spent years with the secretive defense advanced research projects agency or DARPA, working on technology he hopes will ensure COVID-19 is the last pandemic. (Whitaker, 4/11)
San Antonio Express-News:
'I Wish I Had An Easy Explanation': Military Suicides In COVID Era Hit A New High
Suicides across the armed services rose sharply in the first year of the coronavirus, hitting a record 571 deaths in 2020, but a Pentagon official and others say the stress of the pandemic isn’t the likely culprit. Just what is behind the steady rise during years of Defense Department efforts to reduce self-inflicted deaths baffles experts, a mystery nowhere near being solved. (Christenson, 4/12)
Fox 17 West Michigan:
A Battle Back Home: Burn Pits And The Burden Of Proof
Often called this generation’s Agent Orange, burn pit exposure has been pointed at by many veterans as the cause of otherwise unexplained health problems. (4/12)
Bay Area News Group:
East Bay Family Keeps Spirits High As Both Children Face Kidney Transplants
Like many Californians tired of COVID-19 restrictions, Kristi and Kelly Ouimet are looking forward to the Fourth of July, when they hope to gather with family, share a meal and celebrate. For the Ouimets, who have two immuno-compromised children with the same rare genetic disease, this summer should mark the first time in a long while the siblings won’t be wearing catheters or be tethered to dialysis. “We don’t have days, we just have appointments now,” Kelly Ouimet said. “There’s just so much going on.” (Prieve, 4/12)
San Francisco Chronicle:
California Converts Hotels, Vacant Buildings - They Now House 8,000 Homeless People
A six-month sprint to convert hotels, motels and other vacant buildings into homeless housing has created shelter for more than 8,000 people at a fraction of the cost of new construction, state officials said Friday. The Homekey program, which was started last summer with money from the federal coronavirus relief package, awarded nearly $800 million to dozens of California cities and counties to purchase sites and convert them into housing with supportive services by the end of 2020. (Kosseff, 4/11)