Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Vaccines Go Mobile to Keep Seniors From Slipping Through the Cracks
A strike team of nurses and others is vaccinating Contra Costa County’s hardest-hit populations right where they live. (Rachel Bluth, )
California Variant Has Gone Global: The coronavirus variant first seen in Los Angeles in July now accounts for about 44% of new infections in Southern California and more than a third of new infections throughout the state, researchers reported Thursday. In addition, the variant has spread across the U.S. and to six other countries. Read more from the Los Angeles Times.
Lawsuit To Reopen S.F. Schools Cites High Number Of Suicidal Children: The number of suicidal children in San Francisco has hit a record high, and health experts say it is clear that keeping public schools closed “is catalyzing a mental health crisis among school-aged children,” according to a lawsuit the city filed Thursday to push its school district to reopen classrooms. Read more from AP.
Note To Readers: California Healthline Daily Edition is off Monday. Look for us back in your inboxes on Feb. 16.
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
Sacramento Bee:
CA Is Undercounting Its Vaccinations, County Officials Say
California’s vaccine data system is dramatically undercounting shots administered by counties, officials say, a problem that could hurt planning for the state’s immunization campaign. On Feb. 5, Yolo County had used 74% of its COVID-19 vaccines, but the state’s dashboard said the county had only used 51%, the county’s health officer Dr. Aimee Sisson told lawmakers during a Wednesday hearing. California has been barraged by criticism for a botched vaccine rollout. But Sisson said that, at least at the county level, vaccines are being administered much faster than the data reflects. (Bollag, 2/11)
Sacramento Bee:
CA Turns To Blue Shield And Kaiser To Run COVID Vaccinations
Several months after Blue Shield and Kaiser Permanente provided free help to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration on COVID-19 testing, the state has selected the health care companies to run the state’s vaccination campaign. Blue Shield and Kaiser are not supposed to profit from the arrangement, according to intent letters released by the administration. Experts, however, say the health care companies could still benefit in the long run. State officials have refused to answer specific questions about what Blue Shield and Kaiser’s specific roles will be in the vaccination process, saying they are still finalizing the details. Newsom said the state will release the contracts soon. (Bollag, 2/12)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Vaccine Distribution Ramps Up In Bay Area As Feds Promise More Supply
Even as Los Angeles County officials were forced to temporarily close five mass vaccination sites, including Dodger Stadium, for lack of supply Thursday, other providers across the Bay Area prepared to ramp up coronavirus vaccine delivery. CVS announced that it will offer free appointments starting Friday in more than a dozen cities locally for health care workers and residents 65 and older to receive their vaccine doses. The pharmacy pushed back its previously announced start date from Thursday to Friday to “ensure in-store availability.” Most available appointments were already booked by Thursday afternoon. (Vaziri and Flores, 2/11)
AP:
How Does California Distribute Scarce Vaccines?
At this stage of the vaccine rollout it seems unfathomable that Los Angeles would be forced to temporarily close its largest vaccination site at Dodger Stadium and four other locations because they are out of doses. But it’s happened and it raises questions about how local, state and federal governments determine where to send scarce vaccine doses. (Ronayne, 2/12)
Bay Area News Group:
CVS To Begin Offering Coronavirus Vaccines In The Bay Area
There’s another option for people searching for a coronavirus vaccine in the Bay Area. CVS on Thursday began offering appointments for COVID-19 shots at its stores in the Bay Area. The pharmacy chain will begin inoculating people Friday. (DeRuy, 2/11)
San Francisco Chronicle:
CVS Now Offering COVID Vaccine Signups For Rollout Starting Friday At These Bay Area Locations
As vaccine distribution ramps up across the Bay Area, eligible individuals can now register for a free coronavirus vaccine appointment at some CVS locations, with the vaccinations starting Friday. CVS said it is offering the vaccine at “no cost with most insurance plans or through a federal program for the uninsured.” As of Thursday, CVS said the pharmacies are vaccinating only health care workers and individuals 65 and older. The pharmacy chain pushed back its previously announced vaccination start date from Thursday to Friday to “ensure in-store availability,” the company announced Monday. (Flores, 2/11)
Voice of OC:
OC Officials Say Coronavirus Vaccines At Soka University Supersite Not Affected By Storage Issues
After a coronavirus vaccine storage scare at Soka University, Orange County health officials late Wednesday said the doses can still be administered after speaking with the manufacturer. “A refrigeration problem was detected last night, rendering some vaccines unusable at this time,” said county spokeswoman Molly Nichelson in a Wednesday afternoon text message. “Additional vaccine was brought in to fulfill all of the appointments scheduled at Soka. No disruption to our vaccination efforts. ”She also said county officials were working with the manufacturer to see if any doses can be salvaged. (Custodio, 2/10)
Los Angeles Times:
San Diego County Opens New Vaccine Super Site. Meanwhile, Some L.A. Sites Close
California’s latest mass vaccination center will open Friday at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in San Diego County. It’s the fifth mass vaccination center to open in the county, which is forging ahead with new sites. That strategy has paid off so far: San Diego is among the leaders in the state in the number of vaccines it has administered for its population, around 15,200 doses per 100,000 residents. (Wosen and Sisson, 2/11)
LA Daily News:
Coronavirus Vaccines Run Out Early At LA City-Run Sites
Vaccine doses being administered by the city of Los Angeles ran out earlier than expected on Thursday, Feb. 11, forcing those scheduled to receive shots at four locations to change plans and instead get vaccinated at Dodger Stadium. The city was already planning on closing all five vaccination sites Friday and Saturday as a result of limited supplies of the vaccine. But on Thursday, those supplies ran out faster than expected. Officials were able to secure more doses, however, and rescheduled those appointments for later in the day at Dodger Stadium. (Rosenfeld, 2/11)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. Sites Run Out Of Vaccine Early And Are Forced To Close
In a day of confusion and frustration, Los Angeles vaccination sites that were slated to close Friday due to supply shortages ran out of doses sooner than expected and had to turn people away Thursday. The incident underscored the severe shortage of supply as California tries to expand vaccinations beyond medical workers and seniors to other groups including essential workers and teachers. Los Angeles County officials said they hope to expand eligibility in the coming weeks, but acknowledged there will be competition to get doses until the supply chain opens up. (Smith, Lau and Money, 2/11)
Modesto Bee:
Signups For Stanislaus County Vaccine Clinic Made In Error
More than 200 people thought it was “their turn” for a coronavirus vaccination at Stanislaus County’s clinic in Oakdale set for Friday. Unfortunately it was not. They had somehow used the state’s My Turn online system to schedule an appointment in Oakdale for a COVID-19 vaccination. But those appointments were made in error and they won’t be honored, the county Health Services Agency said. The county agency sent out a news release Wednesday about the incorrect appointments. None of the county’s public vaccine clinics in Oakdale, Modesto, Turlock and Patterson accept appointments. (Carlson, 2/11)
Bay Area News Group:
Kaiser To Open Satellite COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic In Fremont
Kaiser Permanente plans to open a temporary vaccination clinic near a major shopping center in Fremont to help increase the number of people it can inoculate against COVID-19, according to city reports. Fremont’s zoning administrator on Feb. 9 gave Kaiser an emergency permit to open a vaccination clinic at a satellite facility it owns at 43971 Boscell Rd., near Fremont’s Auto Mall and Pacific Commons Shopping Center. City reports say Kaiser plans to run the clinic in its 7,865-square foot facility seven days a week, beginning in “mid-February,” with the aim of vaccinating nearly 100 people per hour, “based on available dosages.” (Geha, 2/11)
Bay Area News Group:
Santa Clara County Launches Pop-Up COVID Vaccine Sites
Santa Clara County is launching pop-up COVID-19 vaccine sites in East San Jose and Gilroy, in an effort to reach neighborhoods hit hardest by the virus. Following a revelation last week that eligible Latinx residents were receiving the vaccine at a lower rate than other groups — despite being disproportionately impacted by the virus — county officials on Thursday unveiled a new strategy to vaccinate underserved communities. The pop-up clinics will move between the two locations on a rotating basis. (Kendall, 2/11)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
San Diego County Forges Ahead With Vaccine Rollout Amid Uncertainty Around Supply And Funding
San Diego County continues to expand its COVID-19 vaccine rollout without firm assurances around the two resources central to this whole effort: doses and money. County officials expressed cautious optimism on both fronts during Thursday’s coronavirus briefing, with Supervisor Nathan Fletcher saying he expects a significant rise in vaccine supply around early March. A fresh influx of doses will be essential to keeping the region’s vaccine superstations afloat, including a fifth location set to open at the Del Mar Fairgrounds Friday and more than a dozen smaller sites throughout the county. (Wosen and Warth, 2/11)
Voice of OC:
Health Experts Answer Vaccine Questions While Questions Linger Over Planned Vaccination Site In Santa Ana
Orange County health experts are mounting their own ground-level efforts to educate people on the Coronavirus vaccine’s science, safety and effectiveness, while also encouraging them to get vaccinated at the first opportunity. The effort comes as a host of questions swirl around County of Orange strategies for making sure people can actually get the vaccine — especially in underserved and low-income communities. Latinos make up the most Coronavirus infections in the county but are left far behind in terms of vaccinations, according to county data available as of Thursday. (Pho, 2/11)
Berkeleyside:
Berkeley Teachers Will Return To School If Vaccinated, Union Says
Berkeley teachers would be prepared to return to school if they receive the COVID-19 vaccine, the Berkeley Federation of Teachers told the Berkeley Unified School District on Tuesday amid ongoing negotiations. The counterproposal from the Berkeley Federation of Teachers (BFT) was made during labor talks about school reopenings in a hybrid model, and, if both parties agree, it could considerably speed up bringing kids back into classrooms. (Yelimeli, 2/10)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Vaccinations For San Diego Educators, Other Essential Workers Could Start In 2-3 Weeks
San Diego County teachers and other essential workers may get access to COVID vaccinations as soon as two to three weeks from now, County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher said Thursday. In addition to school employees, child care, emergency services and food or agriculture workers are next in line to get vaccinated. (Taketa, 2/11)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Why Bay Area Experts Are Praising CDC Guideline Halting COVID Quarantines For Vaccinated People
The CDC's new guideline that fully vaccinated people do not have to quarantine after direct exposure to the coronavirus was met with praise Thursday by Bay Area health experts. The new guideline will replace the former 10-day quarantine guidance for people who were exposed to the coronavirus, and it applies for three months after inoculation. State and local jurisdictions issue their own health restrictions, and California’s rules do not yet reflect an exception for vaccinated people. (Vainshtein, 2/11)
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento Pacific Islanders Twice As Likely To Die By COVID
Sacramento’s Pacific Islanders have been sounding the alarm about how COVID-19 has affected their small community, watching in horror as many of their loved ones became infected and died over the last year. On Jan. 12, county public health officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye revealed some alarming numbers that confirmed the reality of their fears: Despite making up little more than 1% of Sacramento County, the COVID-19 fatality rate among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander residents in 2020 came to 4%. That’s nearly twice as high as the county average of 2.1%, and higher than any other race. By comparison, the fatality rate for Asian residents was about 1.9%, 2.4% for Black residents, 1.5% for Hispanic residents, 2.8% for Native Americans and 2.6% for white residents, though more than half of the county is white. (Wong, 2/12)
Fresno Bee:
There Are Hopeful Signs Coronavirus’ Grip On Fresno Is Easing. What Doctors Are Saying
Hospitals in Fresno County and neighboring counties in the central San Joaquin Valley are dealing with their smallest numbers of coronavirus patients in over two months. The grip that COVID-19 has held on hospitals and intensive-care units in December and January appears to be easing up, and health officials in Fresno County acknowledged this week they’ve dropped an emergency policy that called for ambulance crews to deny rides for patients to hospital emergency rooms unless they were in true need of emergency care. (Sheehan, 2/11)
LA Daily News:
LA County Coronavirus Rates Keep Dropping, But Vaccine Pace Isn’t Picking Up
The rates of new coronavirus infections and hospitalizations in Los Angeles County continued their steady tick downward on Thursday, Feb. 11, as the county waited anxiously for more vaccine supplies. County officials reported 160 new deaths and 3,489 new cases, bringing the total number of lives lost to the coronavirus in L.A. County to 18,658 people. A total of 1,158,619 people have tested positive since the pandemic began. As of Thursday, there were 3,604 people with COVID-19 in L.A. County hospitals, representing a more than 50% decrease since peak hospitalizations of more than 8,000 people in early January. (Rosenfeld, 2/11)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. Church To Host Indoor Conference Of 3,000 Attendees, Despite Public Health Order
Escalating its defiance of Los Angeles County public health orders, an evangelical megachurch in Sun Valley is gearing up to host an indoor conference expected to draw thousands of men from across the country in what officials fear could become a potential superspreader event. Grace Community Church, whose pastor has preached for the last six months to his congregation of mostly unmasked members that the pandemic is a hoax, is expected to draw at least 3,000 people to its sprawling campus on Roscoe Boulevard from March 3 to 5. The Shepherds’ Conference includes speakers who will present in the church, which holds about 3,000, and in smaller sessions throughout the church complex. (Cosgrove, 2/12)
KQED:
Can Rapid COVID-19 Testing For Kids Help Reopen Schools? Some California Districts Bet Yes
With mounting evidence that students are suffering from mental health issues and learning loss, and nearly a year after schools shut their doors due to the pandemic, the hope is that rapid testing will help schools bring their students back into classrooms. The California Endowment, an organization that works to bring health care to underserved communities, is funding the program with $2 million. Dr. Tony Iton, senior vice president for healthy communities at the endowment, says rapid antigen testing could prove to be an important tool in the process of bringing teachers and students together again — physically. “We think we can create a school setting where the risk of an outbreak of the virus is reduced to a very, very, very low level,” Iton said. “And that would make the school a safer place to be than in a grocery store or at a restaurant or a bar.” (McEvoy, 2/11)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Fueled By COVID-19 Windfall, Quidel Corp. Takes Aim At Emerging At-Home Testing Market
While traveling in Florida last March, Quidel Corp. Chief Executive Douglas Bryant received a call from former Vice President Mike Pence’s office asking if he could fly the next day to Washington, D.C., to meet with the White House Coronavirus Task Force. The topic was ramping up testing for COVID-19. Chief executives from big nationwide diagnostic reference labs attended, as did representatives from Abbott Labs. They were joined by top government officials including White House Coronavirus Task Force coordinator Debra Brix, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, Food and Drug Administration head Stephen Hahn and others to hash out what needed to be done. (Freeman, 2/12)
inewsource:
Federal Watchdogs Blast San Diego VA Over Liver Study
For the second time, a federal watchdog agency found that the Department of Veterans Affairs’ investigation into unethical liver research performed on San Diego veterans was “not reasonable.” The U.S. Office of Special Counsel published new reports on Tuesday revealing more details about the mistakes and violations that occurred during the research and its dissatisfaction with the VA’s investigation into what happened. inewsource broke the story about the unethical study in 2018 as the first article in its Risky Research series. The study at the San Diego VA was part of a $6 million international project to find new therapies for people with alcoholic hepatitis. Researchers around the world were supposed to collect these patients’ leftover liver tissue after they received biopsies and look for patterns. (Castellano, 2/12)
Los Angeles Times:
California Could Ease Limits On State's Aid-In-Dying Law
Five years after a California law allowed doctors to prescribe lethal doses of drugs to terminally ill people who want to end their lives, new legislation introduced Wednesday would make it easier for those who are dying to choose that option. The bill would speed up the process for patients whose physicians certify they are close to death, and require hospitals that don’t allow physicians to participate to provide patients with information on the law that could include where they can get assistance at another healthcare facility. (McGreevy, 2/11)
Orange County Register:
California’s Auditor Finds Agencies Don’t Track Spending On Homelessness Or Coordinate Services
State and regional agencies charged with providing housing and services to address the crisis of more than 150,000 homeless people in California have failed to keep track of how billions of dollars are being spent, don’t adhere to federal policies and need better coordination to be effective, a report released Thursday, Feb. 11, by the state auditor said. The report issued by State Auditor Elaine M. Howle, “Homelessness in California,” looks at California’s Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council, an arm of the state government established in 2017 with the chief task of coordinating state and federal funding earmarked to address homelessness – an amount that has added up to about $13 billion over the past three years. (Walker, 2/11)
Capital Public Radio/KXJZ:
‘We Really Want To Figure This Out.’ Sacramento City, County Government Divided In Struggle To Confront Homelessness Crisis
Sacramento City Hall and the Sacramento County Administration Center are separated by just one city block. But advocates for the area’s homeless residents say there’s a larger divide between city and county leaders when it comes to providing emergency shelter during cold winter months — one that was exposed last month when six unhoused people died in a powerful storm. Several dozen people marched from city hall to the county administration center last week, to cross that symbolic divide following a vigil to remember those who lost their lives inside tents and on the streets during the storm. (Nichols and Fletcher, 2/12)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Our Understanding Of COVID-19 Has Increased. Scientific Knowledge Should Guide School Reopenings
While San Diego remains in the purple tier due to widespread COVID-19 infection cases, the state and county have issued guidance placing a hold on further reopening schools. This is understandably frustrating for many students and families, who have already made major sacrifices by forgoing in-person instruction, but the guidance is meant to prevent worsening the pandemic. (Liliana Uribe-Bruce, 2/9)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
We Are 3 San Diego Area Pediatricians Who Recommend The Immediate Safe Return Of Children To School
As San Diego area pediatricians, we are seeing firsthand the negative effects that prolonged school closures are having on children and adolescents. Our youth are suffering with increased medical and psychological problems that are a direct result of the failure to return to in-person learning. Our goal is to partner with families, educators and community members to safely return our children to the classroom. (Patricia Cantrell, Dori Mortimer and Veronica Naudin, 2/9)
Los Angeles Times:
SCOTUS Ruling Puts California In COVID Danger
The U.S. Supreme Court erred late Friday when it ordered California to reverse its ban on indoor faith services for counties in the state’s purple tier, which have extremely high rates of COVID-19 infection. The conservative majority concluded — wrongly, we believe — that the state has been unfairly harsh on houses of worship and thus violated the Constitution’s protection of the free exercise of religion. That’s hogwash, and the tortured justification laid out in Justice Neil M. Gorsuch’s opinion in a lawsuit brought by South Bay United Pentecostal Church in Chula Vista makes it clear that either the majority justices don’t understand how congregational activities pose a unique threat of contagion or just don’t care. (2/9)
Los Angeles Times:
How Bad Is The COVID-19 Variant Problem? We Won’t Know Until We Test For It
As COVID-19 vaccinations slowly become available to more Americans, variants of the novel coronavirus have started circulating in the United States and elsewhere, making people wonder whether the shots are still worth getting. The answer to that is yes, more so than ever. The more freely the virus circulates, the more opportunity it has to mutate, scientists say. The best thing we can do to contain the number of variants is to vaccinate the world, as fully and as quickly as possible, while continuing to limit infections with face coverings and social distancing. (2/12)
Fresno Bee:
A Bipartisan Effort? Fresno-area Politicians Must Keep Pressure On For COVID Vaccination Site
A week ago The Bee’s Editorial Board called on Gov. Gavin Newsom to increase the number of COVID vaccine doses being allocated to Fresno County and surrounding areas because the region was woefully short of shots and yet has some of the most essential employees in the state — food and agriculture workers producing the food we all eat. Newsom responded by more than doubling the doses for Fresno County, from 8,000 last week to 19,000 this week. County officials said there is no guarantee of future supplies, but they were thankful nonetheless and pledged to use every single dose. (2/11)
Bay Area News Group:
Why Moms Have It So Much Tougher During COVID Times
It’s been a tough 11 months for mothers. For about a millisecond after the onset of the pandemic, I hoped that remote work would cause fathers to finally see all of the myriad household tasks mothers do every day and begin doing their fair share. It didn’t happen. Instead of curing the fairness gap, we got the Great COVID Cop-out. (Joan C. Williams, 2/10)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
We Cannot Become Numb To San Diego Jail Deaths; We Have To Demand Better
“Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done. ”That’s a quote from Bryan Stevenson, the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative and a fierce advocate for criminal justice reform. Some of you may recall I mentioned it last week in talking about QAnon supporters, but I bring it up again because I’ve found myself thinking about it for an entirely different reason — one directly tied to an embarrassing failure here in our San Diego community. (Charles T. Clark, 2/11)