Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Sign-Up Window for Free COBRA Coverage for Many Laid-Off Workers Closes This Week
The most recent covid relief law offered federal funding to pay insurance premiums for workers who lost their jobs and opted to keep their workplace insurance through COBRA. But the window to take advantage of the subsidized coverage is closing: Many workers would need to enroll in the program by July 31. (Michelle Andrews, )
Unraveling the Mysterious Mutations That Make Delta the Most Transmissible Covid Virus Yet
Scientists are trying to piece together why the delta variant so readily infects unvaccinated Americans, spewing 1,000 times more virus particles. (Liz Szabo, )
96% Of Californians Should Again Wear Masks Indoors: Nearly all vaccinated Californians should return to wearing masks indoors under new CDC guidelines issued Tuesday. The new guidelines apply to regions with “high or substantial” transmission rates, which includes 45 of California’s 58 counties and about 96% of its nearly 40 million people. Read more from CalMatters. Comprehensive coverage continues below.
CSU Speeds Up Plans, Will Require Covid Shots For Fall Term: The California State University system announced Tuesday that it would require all students, faculty and staff to receive a covid shot ahead of the fall term. The CSU system previously planned to wait until the FDA fully approved a covid vaccine, but CSU administrators said they reevaluated their plans. Read more from The Sacramento Bee, Los Angeles Times and Bakersfield Californian.
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 Considers Indoor Mask Rules After CDC Guidance
California health officials are reviewing federal guidance that residents who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 should resume wearing masks in indoor public settings in regions with elevated levels of coronavirus transmission, but have not yet decided whether to alter the state’s rules to match. “We are doing a full review of the updated recommendations released by the [U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] today and will evaluate existing guidance to determine the best path forward to protect Californians from the spread of COVID-19 and the highly contagious Delta variant,” the California Department of Public Health wrote Tuesday afternoon in response to an email inquiry from The Times. (Money, 7/27)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
San Diego County Echoes CDC Guidance, Asks All Residents To Mask Indoors, Whether Vaccinated Or Not
San Diego County officials asked everyone — fully vaccinated or not — to wear masks in indoor public spaces to slow the spread of the coronavirus, echoing a plea issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier Tuesday. Unlike Los Angeles County, local officials aren’t mandating indoor masking, simply recommending it. But the new announcement still marks a shift from the county’s message over the past few weeks, during which it has encouraged San Diegans to get vaccinated while asserting that wearing facial coverings is a personal choice. (Wosen, 7/27)
Los Angeles Times:
Yolo County Reimposes Indoor Mask Mandate, Citing Rising COVID Cases And Hospitalizations
Yolo County on Tuesday ordered that everyone must wear a mask or face covering in indoor public spaces, regardless of vaccination status, beginning Friday. In issuing the order, the county’s Health Department said the number of cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 residents has risen eightfold, from 1.2 to 10, since June 15, when the county lifted capacity limits and other restrictions on businesses and allowed vaccinated people to go unmasked in most settings. (Ormseth, 7/27)
CapRadio:
Yolo County To Require Masks Indoors
Starting Friday, Yolo County will require all people to wear masks indoors as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to climb in the region. The move comes a week after the county recommended all people wear masks indoors, which was soon followed by Sacramento County. Los Angeles County started requiring masks indoors last week, the first in California to reinstate a masking order. (7/27)
Bay Area News Group:
Map: California Counties Where The CDC Urges Indoor COVID Mask Use By Everyone
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed course Tuesday on some masking guidelines, recommending that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the delta variant of the coronavirus is fueling infection surges. (Durham, 7/27)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Here's Where Each Bay Area County Stands Under CDC's New COVID Mask Guidelines
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommended Tuesday that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in regions where COVID-19 transmission is significant. Right now, that includes the entire Bay Area. (Echeverria, 7/27)
Los Angeles Times:
Timeline Of CDC Mask Guidance During The COVID-19 Pandemic
The story of mask requirements in the United States has had many twists and turns since the early days of the pandemic, when the U.S. surgeon general urged Americans to “STOP BUYING MASKS!” Since then, government and public health leaders have urged us to wear face masks even when walking around our neighborhoods alone, and told us to keep wearing them even after receiving the protection of highly effective vaccines. (Netburn, 7/27)
AP:
Gov. Newsom Pulls His Kids From Summer Camp With No Mask Requirement
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said Tuesday he pulled his children out of a summer day camp that did not require kids to wear masks, a violation of state policy that Newsom’s spokeswoman said he and his wife missed when reviewing communication from the camp. “The Newsoms were concerned to see unvaccinated children unmasked indoors at a camp their children began attending yesterday and after seeing this, removed the kids from the camp,” Erin Mellon said in an email. “The family reviewed communication from the camp and realized that an email was missed saying the camp would not enforce masking guidance. Their kids will no longer be attending this camp.” (Ronayne, 7/28)
Los Angeles Times:
California Taking Aggressive Measures Against COVID
California’s latest coronavirus spike is prompting more action as officials work aggressively to stymie the spread — especially among the unvaccinated, who are most at risk. With cases and hospitalizations on the rise, the focus is increasingly on pulling out all the stops to ramp up vaccinations and protect as many people as possible against infection and illness — especially with the rapid spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. (Money, Pinho, Mejia and Alpert Reyes, 7/27)
Bay Area News Group:
Cal/OSHA Board Members Call For Transparency Around California’s Workplace Outbreaks
Members of California’s workplace safety board are questioning the state’s tight-lipped approach to releasing information about COVID-19 workplace outbreaks after reviewing an investigation by this news organization that found most county health departments — as well as the California Department of Public Health — are refusing to make specific outbreak data public. Members of Cal/OSHA’s Standards Board aired their frustrations with the piecemeal availability of outbreak data statewide — and the haphazard nature of the records themselves — in a meeting of a new subcommittee focused on COVID-19 workplace rules. Although the committee did not take formal action, at least one member has suggested pressing the state to publicize comprehensive data that includes names of employers. (Kelliher, 7/27)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Jump In COVID-19 Cases Reported In Kern County
The spread of coronavirus within Kern County jumped significantly over the previous week, the Kern County Department of Public Health Services reported Tuesday. Following a week in which COVID-19 increased slightly, the virus has begun to spread at a more rapid pace, Public Health Director Brynn Carrigan told supervisors at Tuesday’s board meeting. If the Blueprint for a Safer Economy were still in place, the county would be placed in the red tier, which prohibited much social activity and strictly limited capacity at certain businesses. (Morgen, 7/27)
Orange County Register:
Coronavirus: Orange County Reported 453 New Cases And One New Death As Of July 27
The OC Health Care Agency reported 453 new cases of the coronavirus on Tuesday, July 27, increasing the cumulative total in the county to 262,524 cases since tracking began. There have been 4,026 new infections reported in the last 14 days. (Goertzen, 7/27)
Southern California News Group:
COVID-19 Cases Among LAPD Employees Surge As Majority Not Fully Vaccinated
The number of LAPD officers and civilian employees testing positive for coronavirus jumped last week to 33, a significant upswing in cases as the department continues to struggle getting its workforce vaccinated. In the week before last, LAPD saw just one new coronavirus case among employees. In the three weeks before last week, the number of new cases total was 19, Chief Michel Moore said in his report to the Police Commission on Tuesday. (Cain, 7/28)
Sacramento Bee:
Fewer Care About COVID-19 News, UC Davis Researchers Say
Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have discovered people react less to COVID-19 news as the pandemic progresses. The researchers in the school’s department of communications found that levels of anxiety rocketed initially at the beginning of the pandemic. However, as the death toll continued to markedly increase and newspapers reported more deaths, overall anxiety flattened out. (Hsieh, 7/28)
Bay Area News Group:
Vaccinated People Can Transmit COVID Virus, Says CDC
Faced with the threat of the highly contagious delta variant and startling new evidence that vaccinated people can spread COVID-19, the CDC is following in California’s footprints, urging us to once again to mask up. Unaware that they are infected, vaccinated people are inadvertently infecting others, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky said at a Tuesday press briefing. Because of the virulence of the delta variant, the unvaccinated can no longer count on protection from people who have gotten the shots. (Krieger, 7/27)
San Francisco Chronicle:
COVID Cases Are Up, But How Big A Risk Is Delta Variant For Bay Area Kids?
The language from political leaders and health experts is stark. With the highly contagious delta variant spreading, this is a perilous time for people who are not vaccinated. As San Francisco Mayor London Breed tweeted last week, “If you’re not vaccinated, it is likely not a matter of if you will get it, but when, and how bad it will be when you do.” (Johnson, 7/28)
San Francisco Chronicle:
How Bay Area Doctors Are Keeping Their Unvaccinated Kids Safe From Delta Variant
Bay Area health experts are seeing parent anxiety creep up as they monitor the spread of the highly infectious delta variant of the coronavirus and weigh the safety of their children who are too young for vaccination. The Chronicle reached out to infectious disease experts and pediatricians to check on how they are keeping their kids safe. They describe a blend of common sense and high-wire decisions amid many unknowns. (Vaziri, 7/28)
Sacramento Bee:
Elk Grove Considers Plans For Millions In COVID Relief Money
Elk Grove recently received the first half of its $22 million federal COVID relief package, and residents and a special task force have given city leaders a hefty to-do list: Shore up funding for critical city services, revenue lost during the long pandemic. Boost sluggish broadband service in the city’s business parks, a loud complaint of Elk Grove’s business community. Lay down infrastructure to attract new businesses and the jobs they create. Develop a job training program to help workers who lost jobs during the pandemic to learn new skills. (Smith, 7/27)
LA Daily News/City News Service:
LA City Employees Will Be Required To Get COVID-19 Shots (Or Get Regular Tests)
With the coronavirus surging again, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Council President Nury Martinez announced Tuesday, July 27, that all city employees will be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccinations or weekly negative COVID-19 tests. The announcement came one day after City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas said he plans to introduce a motion Wednesday to require vaccinations for city employees. (7/27)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. To Require City Workers To Get COVID Vaccines Or Tested
Los Angeles will require city employees to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing to show they have tested negative, Mayor Eric Garcetti and City Council President Nury Martinez announced Tuesday. Garcetti, announcing the new requirements, cited “an alarming spike in cases among our city workforce.” The plan is expected to be rolled out through a mayoral order issued Wednesday, following a meeting of a city committee focused on employee relations that will discuss how the new requirements will be implemented. (Alpert Reyes, Dolan and Money. 7/27)
The Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Get Vaccinated And Get Free Admission To Sonoma County’s Summer Fun Fest
Get vaccinated against COVID-19 to skip the entry fee at Sonoma County’s Summer Fun Fest starting this week at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa, county officials announced Monday. Visit the Jockey Club for your choice of the Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson shot and receive a free one-day festival pass and ride ticket. (Yarrow, 7/27)
San Francisco Chronicle:
New S.F. Survey Finds 63% Of Restaurants Back Indoor Vaccine Mandate For Diners And Staff
The momentum around Bay Area restaurants and bars requiring proof of vaccination for entry is growing. A survey of San Francisco restaurants this week indicates a groundswell of support for requiring vaccination to dine or work inside a restaurant. Of the 231 restaurants that responded to the Golden Gate Restaurant Association’s survey, 63% said they would back an indoor vaccination requirement for both customers and employees. Nearly 66% said they would also support an indoor mask requirement. And just under 60% are already requiring their workers to be fully vaccinated, according to the survey. (Kadvany, 7/27)
Bay Area News Group:
List: Bay Area Bars, Restaurants Requiring Vaccine Proof From Indoor Customers
As the COVID-19 delta variant surges, an increasing number of Bay Area bars and restaurants are requiring proof of vaccination from their indoor customers. The movement got a boost when the San Francisco Bar Owners Alliance, which represents 300 businesses in the city, announced that, starting Thursday, patrons must either show that they’d been inoculated or submit a negative COVID test result. Many establishments will accept digital copies of your vaccine record; that information is available for your phone from https://myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov. (Zavoral, 7/27)
San Francisco Chronicle:
You Got Your California Digital Vaccine Record. But How Does The QR Code Work?
While many Californians still may be having trouble getting their digital vaccine record, those who do have theirs received a QR code. Officials recommended keeping a screenshot of that code in your phone — which may be increasingly handy in the Bay Area as a growing number of restaurants and bars require proof of COVID-19 vaccination as the delta variant drives a new coronavirus surge. (Echeverria, 7/27)
Los Angeles Times:
Grid Operator, Expecting High Temps And Demand, Issues Flex Alert
State officials, anticipating high temperatures and an attendant rise in demand for electricity, issued a flex alert from 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesday. The California Independent System Operator, a public benefit corporation that manages the power grid that provides energy to about 80% of the state, called on households to voluntarily restrict their energy use Wednesday afternoon and evening. (Ormseth, 7/27)
Sacramento Bee:
CA Workers Face Heatwaves. Are There Rules To Protect Them?
Cooks working next to a fryer without air conditioners in a 115-degree room. Workers pleading to use portable fans to cool down in a warehouse where the temperature can reach 120 degrees.Those are examples of California workers who labored through the several major heatwaves that have engulfed much of the state this summer. As heatwaves set records again and again in much of California, workers say they often find themselves not protected, putting them at the risk of heat stroke and exhaustion. (Park and Bojórquez, 7/28)
San Francisco Chronicle:
California Wildfires: Dixie Fire Becomes 14th-Largest In State History
The Dixie Fire swallowed 10,000 more acres of Butte and Plumas counties overnight Monday, but firefighters — aided by a helpful layer of smoke that created shade and decreased temperatures — managed to increase containment of the blaze slightly, and said the spread could have been a lot worse. As of Tuesday morning, the blaze had grown to 208,206 acres, making it the 14th largest wildfire in state history. It was 23% contained. (Rubenstein and Shaikh Rashad, 7/27)
Sacramento Bee:
UC Davis Ranks 7th In California For US News’ Best Hospitals
U.S. News & World Report rated Sacramento’s UC Davis Medical Center as the seventh best hospital in the state of California and as the top hospital in the Sacramento region in its annual “Best Hospitals” rankings. The magazine reviewed roughly 4,750 U.S. hospitals on quality of care in 15 adult specialties and on how well they did in performing 17 procedures and conditions. This year, 175 earned a ranking in at least one specialty, and 531 earned a place among the “Best Regional Hospitals” in a state or metro area. (Anderson, 7/27)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
UC San Diego Health Announces Data Breach
An as-yet-undisclosed number of patients, employees and others connected to UC San Diego Health potentially had their protected information compromised from Dec. 2 through April 8, according to a public notice posted on the provider’s website midday Tuesday. The notice indicates that the breach occurred via “unauthorized access to some employee email accounts,” but says it did not affect the “continuity of care for our patients.” (Sisson, 7/27)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
San Diego's Turquoise Health Raises $5M For Tech That Lifts The Veil On Hospital Pricing
San Diego startup Turquoise Health, which aims to enable price shopping for hospital care, has raised $5 million in seed money from investors including marquee Bay Area venture firm Andreessen Horowitz and Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson. Launched in 2020, Turquoise Health has built an online price transparency platform that’s curated more than 175 million price records from hospitals — delivering the data in an easy-to-use way for patients, health care researchers, employer groups and others. (Freeman, 7/27)
Los Angeles Times:
California Expands Medi-Cal To Older Undocumented Immigrants
There’s a calculation Jonatan Gutierrez knows too well, a cost-benefit analysis uninsured Californians make daily: Is the pain or illness worth the cost of seeing a doctor or walking into an emergency room? But that calculation is about to change for Gutierrez’s family. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Tuesday related to the state budget that would push California further out front in erasing the lines delineating the safety net programs that people who are here illegally qualify for. Low-income Californians 50 and older will be eligible after May 1, 2022, for healthcare coverage regardless of immigration status under the law, a move that extends comprehensive benefits to approximately 235,000 residents living in the country illegally. (Gutierrez, 7/27)
The Daily Breeze:
LA County Public Health Director Apologizes For ‘Failures’ In Responding To Sewage Spill
Los Angeles County’s public health director apologized Tuesday, July 27, for what she said was an inadequate response to the sewage spill at the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant earlier this month. “I want to apologize to the board and the public for our failures at the Department of Public Health for not responding to this appropriately,” Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer told the LA County Board of Supervisors. “There aren’t any excuses. There were multiple failures. Most have already been fixed.” (Rosenfeld, 7/27)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Solo Hikers Keep Going Missing. Here Are The Dangers To Steer Clear Of
In the last few months, news headlines have been full of stories about solo hikers and runners going missing, getting injured — and in some cases, even turning up dead. There are a number of different reasons why people go missing or fall victim to dangerous circumstances in the outdoors, but experts say several factors play into many, if not all, of the cases. (Vainshtein, 7/27)
Marin Independent Journal:
Marin Births Rebound After Pandemic Slump
The number of births in Marin declined in 2020 during the pandemic, as it did nationally, but births in the county have rebounded faster than the national average. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of babies born in the U.S. dropped by 4% in 2020 compared with the previous year. There were 1,220 babies delivered at MarinHealth Medical Center, the only hospital in the county that delivers babies, in 2020, compared with 1,233 in 2019, a drop of about 1%. (Halstead, 7/28)
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento’s Harvest Day To Be Hosted Online Again In August
The region’s largest educational gardening event will be virtual for the second year in a row due to COVID-19. Harvest Day, set for Aug. 7, is sponsored by the UC Cooperative Extension and usually is held at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center in Fair Oaks Park. (Taylor, 7/27)
Los Angeles Times:
Could The COVID Delta Variant Squash 2021 Halloween Events?
Despite a resurgence in coronavirus cases, Halloween celebrations are back on the calendar. How scary is that? For theme parks, haunted house operators, pumpkin patch owners and others who profit from the autumn scarefest, the idea of hosting a Halloween event amid a pandemic is a financial risk many are willing to take — and one that could pay off big. After all, Americans who had to avoided gatherings last year are expected to spend big on spooky thrills this year. (Martín, 7/28)
Sacramento Bee:
CA Community Colleges To Offer More Homeless Services
California community colleges will get $100 million to help homeless and food insecure students as part of a $47.1 billion higher education spending plan that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed on Tuesday. The community college money for students in need would help fund meal donation programs, food pantries, CalFresh enrollment and other nutrition assistance programs. It would also help colleges offer on- and off-campus housing resources. (Bloom, 7/28)
Los Angeles Times:
Encampment Law Could Hand More Power To L.A.'s City Council
A controversial new anti-camping law has been billed as a tool that would allow Los Angeles to clean up some long-standing homeless encampments, while also ensuring that the people who live in them find shelter. Even if that proves to be true, the law could also produce a less-discussed outcome: granting even more power to the City Council to decide which parts of the city receive focused attention on homelessness and which do not. (Zahniser, Oreskes and Smith, 7/28)