Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Another Coronavirus Casualty: California’s Budget
Before the coronavirus hit, California was looking at a budget surplus of more than $5 billion and lawmakers were debating how to increase the size of government health programs. Now, the state faces a deficit, program cuts, high unemployment — and no significant investment in public health funding at a time when the state needs it the most. (Angela Hart and Samantha Young and Rachel Bluth, )
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Newsom’s Revised Budgets Contains Deep Cuts To Virtually All State Programs: Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a revised state budget Thursday that reflects the economic devastation wrought by COVID-19, shaving $19 billion off the January spending plan he released when state coffers were brimming with money. Newsom proposed canceling $6.1 billion in program expansions from his original budget, asking state workers to take a 10% pay cut and ordering state agencies to shave 5% off spending in general. The budget proposes deep cuts to virtually all state programs. The governor also dropped a plan to extend Medi-Cal health coverage to low-income undocumented seniors over 65 — a move that could cause friction with legislative Democrats hoping to support a community more vulnerable to the virus. In addition, Medi-Cal recipients will see a reduction in services in the budget proposal unless the state receives sufficient federal aid to restore them. “It goes without saying that these are not ordinary times,” Newsom said. Read more from Katie Orr and Scott Shafer of KQED; Alexei Koseff of the San Francisco Chronicle; John Woolfolk of the Bay Area News Group; Andrew Sheeler of the Sacramento Bee; and Laurel Rosenhall and Jackie Botts of CalMatters.
San Francisco’s Neighborhoods That Have Suffered The Worst From Income Inequalities Ravaged By Coronavirus: In the pandemic, poorer, blue-collar workers had a greater chance of falling ill, and embattled neighborhoods like the Bayview — which has suffered from pollution, nuclear contamination, substandard housing, divestment and institutional racism — were more likely to suffer. In the Mission, up to 20 people share a single-family home, unable to quarantine from each other. Latino cooks, bussers and dishwashers jam into tight restaurant kitchens; they can’t afford to miss a paycheck. Infections have streamed through Laguna Honda Hospital, a skilled nursing and rehabilitation center, South of Market’s single-room-occupancy hotels and the 340-bed Multi-Service Center South, the city’s largest homeless shelter. At public housing complexes, residents often don’t understand the need to socially distance from each other. Read more from Lizzie Johnson of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Below, check out the full round-up of California Healthline original stories, state coverage and the best of the rest of the national news for the day.
More News From Across The State
Bay Area News Group:
Coronavirus Surging In These California Counties. Here's Why
As California looks to ease stay-home restrictions imposed to keep COVID-19 in check, infections of the new coronavirus seem to be spreading fastest in the southern third of the state, according to a Bay Area News Group analysis. Of California’s 58 counties, eight of the 10 with the highest rate of new infections are in Southern California. The infection rate is a key metric Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration is reviewing to allow counties to ease restrictions — to demonstrate “epidemiologic stability,” they must have no deaths and no more than one new infection per 10,000 people in the last 14 days. (Woolfolk and Rowan, 5/14)
San Francisco Chronicle:
A Simple Score, The R0, Tells Whether The Coronavirus Is Rising Or Falling In A Region
As the Bay Area inches toward reopening the economy, a single number that defines the state of the coronavirus outbreak is gaining new status: the R0. That’s the reproduction value, pronounced R-naught. It’s an epidemiological number that, in simplest terms, represents how many people an infected individual will transmit the virus to. An R0 of 2 means that every infected person will infect two others, and those two people will each infect two more, and so on. (Allday, 5/15)
Los Angeles Times:
Third Of California Counties Allowed To Ease Coronavirus Rules
Nearly a third of California’s 58 counties have certified to the state that they have contained the spread of COVID-19, which allows them to reopen restaurants to dine-in service, as well as shopping malls and other businesses, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday. The 19 counties that have attested to meeting state standards for containment are mostly in rural areas of Northern California with small populations. They represent about 4.5% of the state’s population and do not include urban centers such as Los Angeles and San Francisco that remain largely on lockdown. (McGreevy, 5/14)
Los Angeles Times:
Face Coverings Now A Mandatory L.A. Accessory. Can We Keep It Covered Up?
After weeks of telling residents to stay indoors, L.A. officials this week started easing strict stay-at-home rules. But Angelenos desperate to return to the beaches, mountains and trails as summer approaches, just learned there is a catch. Both city and county officials said residents must wear face coverings when going outdoors. The rules apply “any time you’re out and there are people around, whether it be at a trail head or a parking lot or a sidewalk,” Barbara Ferrer, Los Angeles County’s director of public health, said Thursday. (Campa and Feldman, 5/15)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Sonoma, Napa, Solano Counties Seek Waivers To Reopen To Go To Phase 2
Sonoma County is joining two nearby counties in asking Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office to grant them an advancement to Phase 2 of the state’s reopening plan for containing coronavirus, saying the mandated benchmarks from the governor set the bar unreasonably high. The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors is expected to vote on the variance request on Monday. Solano and Napa County have also filed documents asking for a more prompt reopening. (Vainshtein, 5/14)
Bay Area News Group:
California Megachurches Vow To Open May 31
Bishop Bob Jackson of Acts Full Gospel Church is vowing to open his 4,000-seat sanctuary to worshipers on May 31, with or without the state government’s blessing. Bishop Jackson and pastors from up and down California on Thursday questioned why religious gatherings were excluded from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s early plans to ease COVID-19 restrictions. Relaxing rules against large gatherings, such as church services, is not in the first two phases of reopening California. (Debolt, 5/14)
Los Angeles Times:
Large Workplaces Vulnerable To Coronavirus Super-Spread
Even as the economy begins to reopen, the coronavirus will remain a threat for some time to come, experts say. And of particular concern are large workplaces. Experts say so-called super-spreading events could become a leading cause of virus transmission. Having people clustered together at work could set the stage for large numbers of people falling ill, as happened when 52 workers became infected at a Safeway distribution center in the San Joaquin Valley. (Lin, 5/14)
Sacramento Bee:
CA Hospital CEOs Urge Newsom To Provide Coronavirus Relief
Hospital leaders have again called upon Gov. Gavin Newsom and state legislators to provide state financial relief as part of the 2020-21 California budget, saying billions of dollars are needed to help defray costs incurred as institutions prepared for and met a surge in cases connected to the coronavirus. Newsom proposed a revised budget Thursday that did not include the $3.1 billion in state funds that hospital providers have sought. (Anderson, 5/14)
San Francisco Chronicle:
San Francisco City Employees Face Possible Hike In Health Plan Costs
San Francisco is considering approving higher health care rates for more than 47,000 city employees and early retirees starting in July, but workers say they can’t afford to pay more during a pandemic and an economic recession. Around two dozen employees and labor leaders spoke against the increases Thursday during a meeting of the San Francisco Health Service Board, saying frontline workers are under economic stress. (Moench, 5/14)
Sacramento Bee:
California State Workers Face 10% Pay Cut, Possible Furloughs
Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed cutting state worker pay by 10 percent Thursday, dramatically changing the economic outlook for a workforce that just a few months ago was looking forward to raises from a humming economy. The pay cuts, scheduled to begin with the July pay period, would save $2.8 billion in the coming fiscal year, according to Newsom’s $203 billion budget proposal. His administration estimates the state faces a deficit of $54 billion over two fiscal years due to economic impacts of the coronavirus. (Venteicher, 5/14)
San Francisco Chronicle:
‘Cry For Help’: ICE Detainees Beg Lawmakers To Act After Coronavirus Death
More than 40 immigrants held at the Otay Mesa Detention Center near San Diego are alleging that a recent detainee death of COVID-19 was caused by reckless and inhumane conditions, according to a letter begging the governor and other California lawmakers to intervene. “This is a cry for help,” said detainee Oscar Nevarez, one of 43 immigrants at Otay Mesa who supported the letter after detainee Carlos Escobar Mejia died May 6. “Please allow us to go home on humanitarian ground and fight our cases from our homes with our families where we are safe.” (Sanchez, 5/14)
San Francisco Chronicle:
CDC Alerts Doctors Of Syndrome In Children That Might Be Linked To The Coronavirus
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday alerted doctors across the United States about an inflammatory syndrome afflicting children that is associated with the coronavirus, offering a case definition for the sickness and recommending clinicians report to officials any patients who meet that definition. The disease, which some health officials are calling pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome, can impact multiple organs and has been distinguished by fever and inflammatory symptoms. It is similar to other inflammatory conditions like Kawasaki disease. The first recorded case of the syndrome was at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto in mid-March. (Serrano, 5/14)
Sacramento Bee:
Rancho Cordova Woman Ramps Up To Save Medical Workers’ Ears
The hashtag explains her means and motivation: #savetheears. Lexi Tcha doesn’t work in a hospital, but she feels compassion for those working on the front lines during these pandemic times where the coronavirus has in some instances overwhelmed the medical community... To be specific, if you have worn a mask like an increasing amount of people have across the country to protect yourself and others from the virus, they can get cumbersome and irritate the ears. Tcha has made it her mission to fit as many who want them with an ear saver, a small piece that helps hold the mask in place and takes pressure off the ears. (Davidson, 5/15)
Fresno Bee:
Fresno Patient Has Rare Disease That May Be Linked To COVID-19
Valley Children’s Hospital has one young person in its intensive care unit displaying symptoms of a rare disease that experts around the world suspect may be linked to COVID-19, a hospital administrator said. Citing privacy concerns, doctors on Thursday did not disclose the patient’s age, gender or hometown. Dr. Mohammad Nael Mhaissen, medical director of pediatric infectious diseases at Valley Children’s, said the patient tested positive for the COVID-19 antibody test, which suggests they were previously infected with the coronavirus. (Tobias, 5/14)
San Francisco Chronicle:
SF Grocery Prices Have Jumped: How They Compare With LA, Nation Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
During the coronavirus pandemic, eggs and meat have been almost as desirable as hand sanitizer and toilet paper. The Labor Department Bureau of Labor Statistics recently released the Consumer Price Index report for last month that showed a 4.3% increase in U.S. prices in those categories, the largest uptick since February 1974. And egg prices jumped a whopping 16.1%. But does the same go for San Francisco?(Hwang, 5/14)
Fresno Bee:
Coronavirus Update: Fresno CA 6-County Region 3,000 Cases
Fresno County added 60 new coronavirus cases and Kings County reported 10 new cases in updates late Thursday, bringing the central San Joaquin Valley to a milestone: 3,000 cases of COVID-19 total in the six-county region. Total, the region had 106 new cases Thursday – but no new deaths. There have been 74 deaths in the Valley and 992 people have recovered. (Galaviz, 5/14)
Sacramento Bee:
Coronavirus: Sacramento CA Courts To Check Temperature
Got a fever? Stay home. That’s the message from Sacramento courts officials who say, starting Friday, people entering Sacramento County’s courthouses will have their temperatures checked at security gates in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Anyone registering a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher, or who refuses a temperature screening will be turned away. (Smith, 5/14)
Los Angeles Times:
Two Undocumented Restaurant Workers In L.A. Tell Their Stories
Tony Ruiz doesn’t know where he’s going to sleep tonight. Two months ago, the 31-year-old had a steady job as a line cook at the San Francisco Saloon, the long-standing bar and grill on Pico Boulevard, and was renting a room in a home near the West L.A. neighborhood where he grew up. When he wasn’t working, he dreamed of someday opening his own restaurant. (Escarcega, 5/15)
Sacramento Bee:
CA Woman Accused Of Selling Fake COVID-19 Test Kits Online
A California woman used Craigslist to peddle fake coronavirus testing kits, Los Angeles police say. Now she’s facing multiple charges.LAPD officers made three undercover buys from 39-year-old Ying Lien Wang before arresting her in Santa Monica on Tuesday, the department wrote in a news release. They seized 61 of the bogus testing kits, which authorities say had not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. (Kenney, 5/14)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. City Attorney Sues Maker Of Radish Paste Advertised As Protection Against COVID-19
The Los Angeles city attorney’s office filed suit Wednesday against an herbal remedy specialist, accusing the store of trying to pass off an untested radish paste as a safeguard against the coronavirus, officials said. The civil lawsuit accuses Insan Healing in Koreatown of touting the item as a “must-have product for the protection and prevention” of coronavirus contagion, even though it has not been tested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, court filings said. (Queally, 5/14)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Is The Worst Of The Coronavirus Still To Come?
With more than 80,000 Americans lost and the economy in shambles, it’s hard to believe that we may not have seen the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic. And yet a succession of experts have issued dire warnings this week about just such a frightening prospect. The latest is Rick Bright, a vaccine expert and Health and Human Services official demoted after criticizing the administration’s promotion of unproven treatments for the virus. Ousted last month as director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, a small agency created in the wake of 9/11 to prepare for bioterrorism, pandemics and similar threats, Bright told a House subcommittee Thursday that “this virus will overcome us in significant ways” in the fall without a more coordinated and effective national response. (5/15)
Los Angeles Times:
When Will L.A. Reopen From Coronavirus? That Depends On You
A ripple of despair flowed through Los Angeles County this week after Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer told county supervisors the current “Safer at Home” order, set to expire Friday, would continue for three more months. Immediately, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s phone blew up with calls, texts and emails from panicked people wondering if it was really true. Would Angelenos be forced to remain in quarantine until August? The answer, it turns out, is no, not really. Phew! (5/15)
The New York Times:
San Francisco Beat Coronavirus, But It's Breaking My Heart
One sun-drenched afternoon last month, I took a long solo bike ride through the San Francisco Bay Area. I rode from my home to Mountain View, near the once-desolate stretch of marsh that Google has leased from NASA to build a monumental new campus. It looks like a collection of lunar bases made out of origami. Construction has been paused under lockdown, and on the fetid plains surrounding the million-square-foot project, birds sang and wildflowers painted the horizon, and the trails that run beside the site were packed to socially distant capacity with masked families on foot and wheel. (Farhad Manjoo, 5/13)
San Francisco Chronicle:
This Can’t Go On. California Has To Figure A Way Out
When people were asked to shelter in place, they did so in amazing numbers and with no plan. But nobody envisioned the shelter-in-place would last this long. Some people who have jobs or retirement checks are fine with staying inside. Those who have lost their jobs, or fear they’re likely to lose their jobs, want the state to reopen. But so far, the authorities who have locked us in have yet to figure out how to get us out. (Willie Brown, 5/9)
Los Angeles Times:
Remdesivir Works, But It's No Coronavirus Cure
As another study comes out showing no real benefit for COVID-19 patients from hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malarial medication that was heavily promoted by President Trump, all eyes are on remdesivir, an experimental drug that has shown positive results in a large, controlled study. The FDA issued emergency authorization for the drug and attempts are being made to ramp up production after Dr. Anthony Fauci, who leads the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, extolled the results, saying the show that “remdesivir has a clean-cut, significant, positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery” and would be the new standard of care for coronavirus. (Klein, 5/8)
CalMatters:
Here’s A Cure For California’s Growing Fiscal Disaster
One of the most interesting and important debates around COVID-19 is the question of whether the cure – sheltering in place and sidelining much of our economy – is worse than the disease. I’m not here to offer an opinion on that, but rather to propose another quandary we are about to face: whether the “cure” for our mounting fiscal woes – massive cuts in California government services – is actually worse than the “disease,” a short term fiscal shortfall of massive proportions. (Jim Wunderman, 5/14)
CalMatters:
Reopen Schools When It’s Safe For Students, Not For The Convenience Of Adults
School trustees and educators serve our public schools because they care for children and are committed to their learning and growth. We’re eager to welcome students back to campus when we can do so in a safe and supportive environment – and not a moment sooner. We don’t want to resume school at any cost or for the wrong reasons. We cannot jeopardize the safety of students because of the adult desire for a return to normalcy. (Vernon M. Billy, 5/15)
Fresno Bee:
Fresno Businesses Must Reopen Carefully Under COVID-19
The fierce independence of the small business owner is what keeps them going against seemingly insurmountable challenges. But the refrain “Don’t tell me how to run my business” is not going to work in the COVID-19 era. For businesses to reopen correctly as the economy slowly resumes, owners are going to have to agree to let city, county and public health officials review the safety of their operations for employees and customers. (5/15)
CalMatters:
Contact Tracing For COVID-19 Shows Potential Of ‘Data For Good’
As public health officials and policymakers grapple with strategies to contain the spread of the COVID-19 in the United States, one area of focus is contact tracing of individuals who have tested positive for the coronavirus. While contact tracing is not new – it has been long used in the infectious disease community to monitor those infected and to notify others of possible exposure – the technology community quickly rose to the unprecedented challenge of using it in this pandemic. (Gary Mangiofico, 5/12)
Los Angeles Times:
Trump Hands Anti-Vaxxers Invite To Smear Coronavirus Vaccine
Convincing vaccine skeptics to trust any future COVID-19 vaccine is going to be a tough job, even if there are mountains of data from clinical trials showing that it is safe and effective. It’s going to be harder still if there is any reason for them to doubt the motives or the method behind the vaccine. With that in mind, I can see two potential trouble spots with Operation Warp Speed, President Trump’s effort to leverage the full force of military, pharmaceutical industry and government resources to develop a vaccine for COVID-19 by the end of the year. (Mariel Garza, 5/15)
San Francisco Chronicle:
SF’s Coronavirus Relief Fund Needs More Philanthropists
For a city with 75 billionaires — the highest per capita of any city in the world — you might think money would be flooding into the city’s Give2SF fund to provide assistance to those suffering during the COVID-19 pandemic. You’d be wrong. Until Tuesday, the fund had raised a respectable, but not earth-shattering $11.3 million. That was more than doubled with a surprisingly large $15 million donation from Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey on Tuesday, but city officials are hoping the largesse is not an isolated incident. (Heather Knight, 5/13)
San Jose Mercury News:
Coronavirus Radically Alters Doctor Contact With Patients
For primary care physicians, laying hands on patients builds connection and trust. The physical exam is both a ritual and a privilege of the doctor-patient relationship, forged out of the assumption that it can guide treatment to improve the patient’s health. But social distancing of the COVID-19 pandemic has radically altered the way we connect with each other physically – and the way doctors interact with their patients. (Blake Gregory, 5/15)
Los Angeles Times:
Doctor Fights Coronavirus By Day, Loneliness By Night
As I make my way into my building’s elevator after a long hospital shift, a neighbor throws his arm out to stop me. “Sorry,” he says, “only one person per elevator.” Seeing my confusion, our doorman kindly but firmly corrects him. “Two per elevator is fine.” I take a step toward the open doors, but the passenger again holds up his palm. “Please,” he pleads, his eyes glancing frantically at my scrubs. “Please, just take a different one.” Speechless, I take the next elevator and arrive at my New York City apartment filled with my son’s toys, untouched since he and my wife moved out nearly 40 days ago. (Samuel Yamshon, 5/15)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Why Is It So Hard For Retired Doctors To Volunteer In Coronavirus Crisis?
The moment the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in the United States, I felt the call of duty. I hadn’t practiced medicine in 13 years. But I’ve kept my medical license active. I was eager to don protective gear and help however I could. With COVID-19 patients straining resources and so many health care workers falling ill, I assumed my seven years as a family physician would be met with enthusiasm by the medical community. (E. Hanh Le, 5/15)
San Jose Mercury News:
We Need To Talk Now About A Post-Pandemic Vision
When I envision our country and our community after we conquer COVID-19, I don’t think about a return to normalcy. I think about a far better future and how we, working together, will make it so. Why, some may ask, should we talk about a post-pandemic vision when we don’t yet have a vaccine or even know how to reopen airlines and hotels?Perhaps the answer can be found in the actions of Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill — two of the greatest statesmen of the last century. (Cindy Chavez, 5/15)
Los Angeles Times:
Coronavirus: Trump's Obsession With Asia Is Misguided
President Trump has an Asia problem. As much as he would like to hold the United States out as the example of how to effectively handle the coronavirus, places such as South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan keep showing him up. Take the press conference he held on Monday (before stomping out in annoyance at what he called “nasty” questioning from reporters, including one who was Asian American). The event was meant to celebrate what he considered a benchmark. At the briefing, Trump stood alongside a banner reading “America Leads the World in Testing,” and he crowed about how the United States has now surpassed South Korea in per capita testing. (Lee, 5/13)
Sacramento Bee:
CA’s Donor-Advised Philanthropic Funds Need More Scrutiny
California is suffering. Unemployment is rapidly approaching Great Depression levels, and Californians who were once struggling have nothing. In response, relief funds have sprung up in communities all over California. While these funds do important work, if you look at the big picture you can see a key financing tool for this relief, donor-advised funds (DAFs), are activating a relatively small amount of assets in response to this national crisis. (Kat Taylor, 5/14)
Sacramento Bee:
My Mother’s Death Shows How We’re Losing A Generation To COVID-19
In mid-April, I received a message from the nursing home in Connecticut where my mother lives. When I called back, a doctor told me, “your mother has a fever.” Those were words I’d been dreading and expecting. “We assume it’s COVID,” the doctor said. (Laura-Lynne Powell, 5/14)
CalMatters:
When California Rebuilds Its Economy, Latinos Must Be Included This Time
California’s Latino community is experiencing the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact. About 50% of the state’s more than 62,000 cases, and 33% of its total deaths are Latino, more than any other racial or ethnic group in California. While early economic data is limited for demographic groups, we know that as the largest racial or ethnic group in the state, Latinos are almost certain to feel the greatest economic impact too. As we rebuild the California economy, we must not leave Latinos behind as we did in the Recession of 2008. (Mindy Romero and Juan Novello, 5/11)
Sacramento Bee:
CA Budgets Are Hurting, But Proposing Taxes Too Soon Could Backfire
While the federal government is diverting trillions of dollars in an attempt to stabilize the economy and respond to the COVID-19 crisis, state and local governments across America are spreading their budgets thin with no relief in sight. Cities have moved quickly to reallocate funds to local health departments and newly-created programs to provide direct relief to those in need, including temporary housing, food and basic services. While the relief is necessary, these expenses are a recipe for a budgeting nightmare. Coupled with rising unemployment, we will start to see unprecedented deficit projections nationally. (John Whitehurst, 5/14)
Fresno Bee:
Fresno Councilman Says COVID-19 Sheltering Must End
Ten weeks ago, the nightmare of the coronavirus began, which led to “shelter in place” orders and the closing of “non-essential” businesses. We were told this was necessary to “flatten the curve” and not overwhelm our hospitals and medical care system. In Fresno, St. Agnes Hospital recently laid off nearly 200 doctors and nurses and no emergency beds provided by the federal government were ever needed. (Garry Bredefeld, 5/15)