Is California Really Ready To Lift Mandates? When California lifts its universal indoor mask mandate on Feb. 16, it will be the first time since June 15 that the Golden State has relaxed rules on moving about freely without face coverings. Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Sutter Health Antitrust Trial Begins: Sutter Health on Thursday attempted to shake off federal antitrust allegations by arguing that the 24-hospital system doesn't have market power in the Northern California region it serves. Read more from Modern Healthcare, The Sacramento Bee and AP.
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:
L.A. County Posts Worst Daily COVID Death Tally In 11 Months
Los Angeles and Orange counties are reporting their highest COVID-19 death rates in 11 months. Los Angeles County recorded 103 fatalities Wednesday — the highest single-day tally since last March, according to county data. Another 81 deaths were reported Thursday. (Lin II and Money, 2/10)
The Desert Sun:
Valley Sanitary District Joins National Effort To Track COVID Outbreaks
The Valley Sanitary District in Indio has been selected to join a new six-month program through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to help identify and control COVID-19 outbreaks. The Department of Health and Human Services' National Wastewater Surveillance System public health program began in 2020 to monitor the presence of COVID-19, its variants and influenza in wastewater on a national scale. Participating wastewater treatment plants are selected and admitted on a rolling basis, with data shared with the public at the county level, according to a press release. (Sasic, 2/10)
Ventura County Star:
Workers At Camarillo Hospital Protest Staff Shortages, PPE Policies
Andrea Cisneros loves being a nurse but isn't sure she wants to do it anymore. At a union protest Thursday over pandemic staffing levels and protective equipment in a long-term care unit at St. John's Hospital Camarillo, the licensed vocational nurse said shortages mean 4 workers are sometimes asked to do the job of 11. A recent addition of temporary nurses is not enough, Cisneros said, calling it a "band-aid on a hemorrhaging wound." She said the shortages will emerge again when the "traveler" workers leave. (Kisken, 2/10)
Los Angeles Times:
What’s The Difference Between 'Pandemic' And 'Endemic'?
COVID-19 will never go away, infectious disease experts tell us, but the global health emergency it sparked will be over when the disease becomes “endemic.” That certainly sounds like something to look forward to. But what exactly does it mean? (Kaplan, 2/10)
NBC News:
Covid Stillbirths: The Coronavirus Can Severely Damage The Placenta In Pregnant Women
Research published Thursday paints a startling picture of the destructive toll Covid-19 can take on pregnant women and their growing fetuses. The virus can attack and destroy the placenta, a vascular organ that serves as a fetus’s lifeline, leading to asphyxiation and stillbirth, according to the study in the journal Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine. (Sullivan, 2/10)
AP:
Coronavirus Can Destroy The Placenta And Lead To Stillbirths
Lead author Dr. David Schwartz, an Atlanta pathologist, said other infections can infiltrate the placenta and cause stillbirth, typically by infecting and damaging the fetus. A recent example is Zika virus. He and his colleagues wanted to see if that was the case with stillbirths in women with COVID-19. But what they found was almost the opposite: it was the placenta that was infected and extensively destroyed. “Many of these cases had over 90% of the placenta destroyed — very scary,” said Schwartz. (Tanner, 2/10)
Reuters:
Novavax Says COVID-19 Shot 80% Effective In Adolescent Study
Novavax Inc said on Thursday its two-dose vaccine was 80% effective against COVID-19 in a late-stage trial testing the shot in teens aged 12 to 17 years. The trial involved 2,247 adolescents and took place between May and September last year when the Delta variant was the dominant strain in the United States. The vaccine was 82% effective against the variant. (2/10)
Los Angeles Times:
Most Of San Francisco Bay Area Will Lift Indoor Mask Order
Most of the San Francisco Bay Area will lift local indoor mask rules next week, with officials saying that the COVID-19 danger has fallen enough to safely take the crucial step. Along with Los Angeles County, the Bay Area has long had some of the strictest masking requirements in the state. But many officials there have decided now is the time to relax local mask orders for indoor public spaces for vaccinated people, although they continue to strongly recommend mask-wearing. Only Santa Clara County, home to Silicon Valley, is keeping indoor mask rules in the region for now. (Lin II and Money, 2/9)
Sacramento Bee:
Yolo County To End COVID Mask Order, Joining Sacramento
Yolo County will join Sacramento County in ending its local mask order next week, as both plan to align with California in dropping mask requirements for those fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in most public indoor settings. The state plans to allow its health order requiring masks in indoor public places to expire after Feb. 15, Gov. Gavin Newsom and state health officials announced Monday. Those who are unvaccinated must still wear masks in those settings. (McGough, 2/10)
CapRadio:
Sacramento, Yolo And Other Area Counties Are Dropping Their Mask Mandates Feb. 16. Here's What That Means
Mask mandates are ending across the Sacramento region, following California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Monday announcement that the state would not extend its universal mask requirement past Feb. 15. The requirement, originally implemented Dec. 15, was put in place to quell the spread of COVID-19 over the holidays and due to the surge of the omicron variant. Unvaccinated residents will still be required to wear masks in indoor public spaces, as will vaccinated people in certain situations. (Salanga, 2/10)
Ventura County Star:
Ventura County To Lift Its COVID-19 Mask Mandate, Following State Lead
Ventura County's indoor mask mandate will be lifted Wednesday as COVID-19 infections continue to fall sharply. Public health officials announced Thursday they will follow the state's lead in allowing vaccinated people to go unmasked in most public places. California officials announced early this week they will allow the statewide mandate to expire but gave local governments the option of keeping their masking rules in place. (Kisken, 2/10)
AP:
LA County's Indoor Mask Rule Likely To Remain Through March
While the winter coronavirus wave in California is receding fast, it could be a while before Los Angeles County lifts its indoor mask and vaccine mandates, the county’s top health official said Thursday while urging football fans to take precautions when gathering for the Super Bowl. Most California counties plan to follow state guidelines and end their indoor masking requirements for vaccinated people next week. But the state’s most populous county is still seeing high transmission of the omicron variant even as the test positivity rate, case numbers and hospitalizations drop, said Barbara Ferrer, Los Angeles County’s health director. (Weber, 2/11)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. County On Track To Relax Some Outdoor Mask Rules
The number of coronavirus-positive patients hospitalized in Los Angeles County has dropped below 2,500, putting the region on track to potentially relax some outdoor masking rules as soon as next Wednesday. Should COVID-19 hospitalizations remain under this threshold for seven consecutive days, county health officials will lift face covering requirements at outdoor “mega events” — including those at venues such as the Hollywood Bowl, Dodger Stadium, SoFi Stadium and Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum — and outdoor spaces at K-12 schools and child-care settings. (Money and Lin II, 2/10)
The Desert Sun:
Palm Springs Council Decides To Keep COVID Restrictions In Place
The Palm Springs City Council declined to roll back the city's current COVID restrictions on Thursday, despite the governor's recent announcement that the statewide indoor mask mandate will expire on Feb.15. Instead, the council voted unanimously to delegate the authority to make a determination as to when remove the city's restrictions to City Manager Justin Clifton. The council instructed Clifton that he should make the decision based on data and metrics. However, the council stopped short of stipulating what those metrics should be. (Albani-Burgio, 2/10)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Kern County Seeks Out LA Deputies Fired For Refusing To Comply With Vaccine Mandate In Recruitment Video
Kern County is rolling out the welcome mat to deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department who refuse to be vaccinated and could lose their jobs, urging them to apply for positions here. In a recruitment video released on Kern government’s social media accounts Wednesday, the county made a pitch to Los Angeles deputies who may be upset over the county’s coronavirus vaccination policy and the political climate over the Grapevine. (Morgen, 2/10)
Fresno Bee:
New Nonprofit Promises To Combat Poverty, Inequality In CA
California’s leading voice on guaranteed basic income has established a new nonprofit that could have implications for Fresno and beyond. Former Stockon Mayor Michael Tubbs on Thursday announced the launch of Ending Poverty in California, a new nonprofit that will focus on developing pilot programs that address poverty, such as guaranteed basic income and baby bonds. “EPIC is building on my work with Mayors for Guaranteed Income and some of the work I’ve been doing with the governor to really organize the state to focus on how we make ending poverty our north star,” Tubbs said in an interview with The Bee. (Montalvo, 2/11)
San Francisco Chronicle:
COVID Eviction Battles Have Moved To The Bay Area Suburbs
The details of their cases vary, but all three renters and their families are part of a wave of eviction disputes hitting ill-prepared California suburbs in an uncertain new phase of the pandemic. While nearby cities like San Francisco and Oakland have some of the nation’s strongest tenant protections, gaps in state law, shifting patterns of housing segregation and the economic shock of the pandemic are causing havoc in outlying areas (Hepler, 2/10)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Sausalito Declares State Of Emergency Over ‘Dangerous’ Activities In Homeless Encampment
The city of Sausalito declared a local emergency Thursday due to what city officials said were dangerous conditions in and around a park that the city has allowed homeless people to live in. In an emergency proclamation, Sausalito City Manager and Director of Emergency Services Chris Zapata said that dangerous and sometimes criminal activity at Marinship Park and the nearby tennis courts, where the city moved the homeless encampment from a previous location, were creating “conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property” in the area. (Picon, 2/10)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
San Diego Council Wants More Money For Lifeguards, Homelessness, Equity, Police Review Board
San Diego City Councilmembers want more money for lifeguards, small business subsidies, rent relief, homelessness prevention, climate resilience and broadband internet in low-income neighborhoods. Other new funding requests from council members include money for arts subsidies, the city’s Office of Race and Equity and the new Commission on Police Practices. They also want to study creating a city-run public bank, rent subsidies for seniors to allow them to stay in their homes, and establishing homeless shelters tailored to certain populations — seniors and members of the gay community. (Garrick, 2/10)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
County Begins To Wind Down Its COVID Hotel Program For At-Risk Homeless Residents
A federally funded program that provides hotel rooms to residents at high risk of severe COVID-19 illness will come to an end in a little more than one month, leaving 132 homeless occupants looking for permanent homes. Currently living in two hotels under contract with the county housing department, the hotel residents started receiving letters from the county health department Thursday, notifying each that transitions to more-permanent housing should be complete by March 20. (Sisson and Warth, 2/10)
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento Seeks Volunteers For Homeless Point In Time Count
Sacramento organizers are seeking volunteers to fan out across the county and help count the number of people living in homelessness, as part of the first point-in-time count since 2019. In January 2019, researchers estimated 5,570 people were living on the streets, in cars or in shelter beds — a number that government officials and advocates for unhoused residents say has likely increased in the wake of the pandemic and its economic fallout. (Yoon-Hendricks, 2/11)
Los Angeles Times:
Survey Underscores L.A. Voters' Anger About Homelessness
The comments came from voters in a series of diverse focus groups conducted in December by the Committee for Greater L.A., a coalition of civic leaders, to gauge public sentiment on homelessness heading into campaigns for Los Angeles mayor and county supervisor. A report on the survey was released Thursday. The coalition shared transcripts of the focus groups and a summary of the interviews with The Times with the identities of the participants omitted. (Oreskes and Smith, 2/10)
CapRadio:
American River Advocates Demand Sacramento Remove Homeless Camps. But The County’s Authority Is Limited
An environmental group has demanded the city and county of Sacramento remove 750 unhoused people camping out at the American River Parkway by the end of the year, citing multiple hazards tied to the homeless encampments that dot the 23-mile natural corridor. “The Parkway is in crisis,” the American River Parkway Foundation wrote in January. “The environmental and public safety impacts of the growing number of incidents of illegal camping threaten the Parkway’s beauty and sustainability and are a hazard to communities, schools, and businesses that border the Parkway.” (Nichols, 2/10)
CalMatters:
Former Stockton Mayor Launches Nonprofit To End Poverty In California
Former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs, who made a political name championing a guaranteed income program, is hoping to take his policy ideas statewide by launching a new nonprofit aimed at reducing poverty in the Golden State. Tubbs, who relocated to Los Angeles after losing reelection in 2020 and now serves as an economic advisor to Gov. Gavin Newsom, will lead End Poverty In California (EPIC), which he said will advocate for a broadening of California’s safety net, as well as making changes to statewide housing, criminal justice, workplace and wage policies that he argues contribute to inequities in the state. (Lazo, 2/10)
Bay Area News Group:
Tenant Protection Bill Is Failing In California Legislature, Again
Tenant advocates, racial equity groups, YIMBYs and even some of their usual opponents wanted to see the bill pass. The cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles — which rarely see eye to eye on housing issues — as well as every Democrat on the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee, had signed on. So why did Assembly Bill 854, which would have curbed an owner’s ability to evict their tenants using the Ellis Act in rent-controlled jurisdictions, die without even a floor vote in the Democratic-supermajority Assembly? Proponents of the longtime progressive priority — which promised to preserve the stock of affordable apartments amid a historic shortage — point to an aggressive campaign mounted by the deep-pocketed real estate industry. (Tobias, 2/11)
Sacramento Bee:
Allergies In Sacramento: High Pollen Level Or COVID-19?
The statewide mask mandate, which is set to expire Wednesday, will arrive just as Sacramento’s pollen level index continues to rise and warmer weather persists. Enter: Another round of “is it COVID or is it allergies?” The region’s pollen level, recorded by allergy information website Pollen.com, began to rise Saturday at a 5.5 out of 12, which sits at a low-medium to medium on the pollen level index. (Taylor, 2/10)
AP:
CDC Proposes Softer Guidance On Opioid Prescriptions
One expert expressed initial wariness about a proposed revision.
The 2016 guidance succeeded in helping to reduce inappropriate and dangerous prescribing, said Dr. Adriane Fugh-Berman of Georgetown University Medical Center. Its critics have included pain patients, but also painkiller manufacturers and groups they fund, she said. “There was nothing wrong with the original guidelines,” said Fugh-Berman, a paid expert witness for plaintiffs in cases targeting pharmaceutical marketing practices. (Stobbe, 2/10)
Sacramento Bee:
CA Says Goodbye To Pandemic Mask Rules That Many Ignored
This epidemiological catastrophe has stretched on for two years and at the cost of nearly one million lives in the U.S. alone. One of the two things health care professionals (not Joe Rogan) asked us to do was wear a mask, which most of us have done. The other was to get vaccinated and boosted. For me, the son of a research scientist, this hasn’t been unduly onerous. What has been onerous is that millions of thoughtless and/or ignorant Americans didn’t do these two simple things, and thousands of people needlessly died as a result. (Jack Ohman, 2/11)
San Francisco Chronicle:
COVID Is Racing Through Immigration Detention Centers — And It’s Putting The Entire Country At Risk
It’s happening again. COVID is spreading through immigration detention centers across the country like wildfire. This time, however, the coronavirus infection rates are the highest that they’ve ever been, increasing a staggering 848% over the first few weeks of 2022. About 14% of people in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody were infected — the worst since the start of the pandemic. (Theresa Cheng, 2/8)
Los Angeles Times:
How Puerto Ricans Fought COVID: Together
More than 3 billion people around the world remain unvaccinated, in part because of vaccine hoarding by wealthy nations. The main reason the pandemic continues to rage is this kind of failure of solidarity — in government, public policy, messaging and civic society. But it doesn’t have to be like this. I have seen firsthand the power of solidarity to curb the effect of COVID-19 in vulnerable communities in Puerto Rico through my work with Aquí Nos Cuidamos (Here We Take Care of Each Other), a project of the nonprofit Ciencia Puerto Rico, promoting COVID-19 prevention, vaccination and mental health. (Mónica Felíu Mójer, 2/9)
San Francisco Chronicle:
How Anti-Vaxxers Are Killing Cancer Patients
Early in the pandemic, it was thought that cancer-related deaths would mainly come from delayed routine screenings. In June 2020, the National Cancer Institute forecast as many as 10,000 or more deaths over the next decade from breast and colon cancers alone, due to people delaying routine screenings during the pandemic. But in the past couple of years, several studies have indicated that surgical patients with a positive coronavirus test result may experience worse outcomes and increased chance of dying after surgery even if the person is asymptomatic. (Richard Bold, 2/11)
San Francisco Chronicle:
What HPV-Ridden Rabbits Can Teach Us About Vaccine Hesitancy
If the HPV vaccine is safe, effective and accessible, why are so many of us still suffering from and being killed by HPV-caused cancers? While the answer is complex, a few major factors are clear. Awareness of the importance of getting the HPV vaccine appears to be low among young people. One study that examined Los Angeles County college students’ awareness of HPV-related disease and vaccination found that about two-thirds of the male and half of the female respondents surveyed were unaware that the HPV vaccine is recommended through age 26. Less than half knew that they could get the vaccine at the college student health center or neighborhood clinics. (Michael Branch, 2/6)
Capitol Weekly:
Job Training And Placement: Crucial To Helping LA Homeless
Data from 2020 shows more than 66,000 people are experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County; about two-thirds of them are in the City of Los Angeles. Unfortunately, the debate over “how to deal with homelessness” distracts from the core issues of how individuals become housing-insecure or unhoused in the first place. In the last two years, the COVID-19 pandemic catapulted unemployment and underemployment to the top of a list of contributing factors to homelessness, as well as lack of affordable housing. (Jennifer Hark Dietz and Erika Hartman, 2/9)
Los Angeles Times:
Eliminating All Traffic Deaths Is A Worthy Goal. Impossible, But Worthy
As my colleague Dakota Smith reported last month, traffic deaths and injuries in Los Angeles did not drop last year, they rose. Pedestrians were especially at risk for severe injury or death. And in 2020, the toll was only slightly better. This is especially ironic, because in 2015, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced an initiative to eliminate all traffic deaths by 2025. The plan wasn’t original; Vision Zero is an idea out of Sweden that has caught on in cities all over the world. It’s based on reducing traffic deaths and injuries by improving street design and lowering speed limits, among other things. (Robin Abcarian, 2/9)
Orange County Register:
Marvel Targets Hearing Loss In New Miniseries ‘Hawkeye’
In the middle of a Broadway production, Clint Barton, otherwise known as Marvel’s arrow-slinging Avenger, Hawkeye, stares blankly at the stage. The singing ensemble is reduced to a quiet drone in the background. His daughter waves her hand in front of his face. “Dad. Did you turn your hearing aid off?” Hearing loss plays a central role in Marvel Studios’ new limited series “Hawkeye,” available on Disney+. This miniseries, which released its final episode on Dec. 22, goes beyond entertainment — by showcasing Clint’s struggles with this condition to a broad global audience, it serves a considerable and much-needed role in raising awareness about hearing loss. (Alexander Chern and Michael Denham, 2/10)
The Mercury News:
California's Cannabis Push Must Put Youth Ahead Of Profits
In recent weeks, California’s $5 billion legal cannabis industry has engaged in an all-out blitz to convince state lawmakers to eliminate taxes on growers and suspend certain retail taxes at the expense of public health — particularly youth. The industry’s story is more fiction than fact; their “legislative prescription” is driven by profit-seeking, not economic necessity. (Lynn Silver, 2/11)