Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Amid Pandemic Chaos, California Legislators Fight for Major Health Care Bills
There’s less time, less attention and fewer resources this year, but that isn’t stopping lawmakers from acting on controversial health care legislation not directly related to the coronavirus pandemic. (Rachel Bluth, )
Public Health Chief Sonia Angell Abruptly Quits: Dr. Sonia Angell announced her resignation Sunday night after less than a year on the job. She gave no reason for the resignation, which takes effect immediately. Gov. Gavin Newsom released a statement thanking Angell “for her service to the state and her work to help steer our public health system during this global pandemic.” Read more from Tony Bravo of the San Francisco Chronicle, Sophia Bollag of the Sacramento Bee and John Myers of the Los Angeles Times.
COVID Testing Site To Open Near San Ysidro Border Crossing: Later this week, a COVID-19 testing site will open just outside a pedestrian crossing in San Ysidro, where between 18,000 and 22,000 people cross the border with Mexico every day. Many of these people — including Americans who live in Tijuana and Mexicans with work visas — are essential workers in health care, at public agencies and in restaurants. Read more from Lyndsay Winkley and Gustavo Solis of the Los Angeles Times.
Below, check out the roundup of California Healthline’s coverage and the best of the rest of the news.
More News From Across The State
Los Angeles Times:
Little Is Known About Newsom's COVID-19 Economic Task Force
Faced with a pandemic that has put millions of Californians out of work and eviscerated businesses large and small, Gov. Gavin Newsom promised that “health and science” would guide state officials in repairing the economy and steering it toward recovery. But as Newsom rapidly reopened the state in May, he also received advice from an all-star roster of business titans. The Governor’s Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery is a 108-member group that counts former California governors, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook, Disney Executive Chairman Bob Iger and former Federal Reserve Board Chairwoman Janet L. Yellen among its members. (Willon, 8/10)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Billions For Californians Riding On Coronavirus Stimulus Talks In Congress
California and its residents are waiting on the result of heated negotiations over the latest coronavirus stimulus package in Congress — and tens of billions of dollars are at stake. From money directly into the pockets of millions Californians, to billions to avoid deep cuts to public universities and housing programs, the state has a lot riding on talks that hit a standstill Friday. After the latest in a two-week series of meetings, congressional Democratic leaders and Trump administration officials said they were at an impasse. (Kopan, 8/7)
Sacramento Bee:
Trump Extends Funding Of CA National Guard COVID-19 Response
The Trump administration committed on Friday to cover all of the costs of National Guard troops responding to the coronavirus pandemic in California, Arizona and Connecticut through September, expanding on a short list of states that will not have to share the cost burden — at least for now. Earlier in the week, that list only included Texas and Florida, two states that are critical to President Donald Trump’s reelection prospects. (Wilner, 8/7)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. County Reports More Than 1,700 New Coronavirus Cases, Many Among Younger People
Los Angeles County public health officials on Sunday reported 1,789 new cases of the coronavirus and 10 related deaths but said the numbers still did not include a pending backlog of lab reports that could cause a spike in new cases. Young residents continue to account for an outsize share of the new cases, officials said. Of the infections recorded Sunday, 35% were among residents 30 to 49, and 69% were among residents under 50, the Department of Public Health said in a news release. (Wigglesworth, 8/9)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Troubling Trend: More Young People Now Getting Coronavirus
As the coronavirus enters its eighth month, a troubling trend has emerged in the Bay Area and around the nation: More young people are getting sick, in numbers so large that in some regions they now make up the largest and fastest-growing demographic contracting the virus. It marks a dramatic shift from the narrative that dominated the early weeks of the pandemic, when health experts emphasized that older adults, in part due to the higher likelihood of chronic health conditions, were most at risk of falling ill. (Ho, 8/10)
San Francisco Chronicle:
More Children Stricken With COVID-19 Inflammatory Reaction, 29 In California
An increasing number of children are being infected with COVID-19 and more than 200 of them, including 29 patients in California, are suffering from severe inflammatory reactions that can be life threatening, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday. Two reports released by the CDC provided a troubling glimpse into how the coronavirus is impacting people under age 18. (Fimrite, 8/7)
Sacramento Bee:
How California’s COVID-19 Case Count Failed In Testing Surge
A server outage and a delay in renewing a certificate to receive lab data blocked thousands of COVID-19 test results from reaching the state since late last month, keeping officials in the dark about the disease’s spread, California’s health agency chief said Friday. “Our data system failed, and that failure led to inaccurate case numbers and positivity rates,” Dr. Mark Ghaly said. “We apologize. You deserve better. The governor demands better.” (Bollag, 8/7)
Los Angeles Times:
As COVID-19 Cases Surge, Patients Are Dying At A Lower Rate
When the number of people being sent to the hospital with COVID-19 began to creep up in Los Angeles County early this summer, officials warned that a major increase in deaths was inevitable. A record-breaking number of cases could result in a record-breaking number of deaths, they predicted. But nearly two months later, that has not materialized. The coronavirus continues to kill hundreds of people every week in L.A. County, but the death toll has remained lower than expected. (Karlamangla, 8/9)
Fresno Bee:
Fresno County Coronavirus Cases Increase By 248 To 17,538
Fresno County added 248 coronavirus cases Sunday, even as regional and state health experts caution that current increases remain underreported because of a technical glitch. The latest totals, posted by the California Department of Public Health based on new cases through Saturday night, bring the total number of confirmed positive test results for COVID-19 since March to 17,538. But as the same state site notes, “Due to issues with the state’s electronic laboratory reporting system, these data represent an underreporting of actual positive cases in one single day.” (Valenzuela, 8/9)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Few San Francisco Firefighters Have Coronavirus Antibodies, UCSF Study Finds
Only a handful of San Francisco Fire Department members tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies in a recent UCSF study, even though nearly half of those surveyed said they had probably or definitely been around people infected by the virus. Just three of 1,223 people who were tested had antibodies for the virus, according to a summary of the results made public by UCSF. The study tested two-thirds of the department’s employees, and featured people in every job category, including firefighters and paramedics. (Morris, 8/9)
Los Angeles Times:
Newbury Park Church Defies Order, Holds Indoor Services
Minor scuffles erupted Sunday morning between rival demonstrators outside Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Newbury Park, which welcomed congregants in defiance of a judge’s order forbidding indoor services as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus. Some protesters carried signs: “This church endangers all” and “Jesus preached outside — why can’t you?” On the opposing side, signs called for religious freedom and denounced Gov. Gavin Newsom as a communist. (Goffard, 8/9)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Herd Immunity Sounds Tempting. But Bay Area Experts Warn It Would Be A Disaster
Herd immunity is a tempting concept as the United States plods through a pandemic response that has flattened the economy but not the curve, leaving schools and businesses in limbo even as the death toll continues to climb. Why not let the virus burn through the population unfettered, until enough people have been infected that it can no longer spread? Protect the vulnerable as best as possible, some argue, and get this pandemic over with. But herd immunity is a dangerous goal that would sacrifice tens of thousands of lives nationwide, especially among people of color, public health experts say. (Allday, 8/9)
Sacramento Bee:
Poll: 8 In 10 Parents Wary Of Disney, Other Theme Parks
Even Disneyland, which remains closed, and Walt Disney World can’t lure most parents back to theme parks with their kids as the coronavirus pandemic continues, a new poll finds. The poll, by Morning Consult and The Hollywood Reporter, finds that 78% of U.S. parents say it’s too soon to return to any theme park this summer. (Sweeney, 8/9)
Los Angeles Times:
Coronavirus: Inside A California School That Has Reopened
Inside Mount St. Mary’s Academy, a Catholic school in this Gold Rush town [of Grass Valley] in the Sierra Nevada foothills, a life-size statue of the Virgin Mary stands sentinel over the check-in table at the front door. Students returning for the fall session stop under her watchful gaze for a modern ritual of pandemic life: temperature check, hand sanitizer, questions on their potential as virus vectors. (Chabria, 8/10)
San Francisco Chronicle:
University Of California Requires Flu Shots For Students, Faculty And Staff
Students, faculty and staff in the University of California system will be required to get flu vaccinations before Nov. 1 as part of a new system-wide executive order, UC officials announced Friday. The order was issued as the state continues to battle a surge of coronavirus cases. (Hernandez, 8/9)
Sacramento Bee:
Flu Vaccine Required By California’s UC University System
A new item on back-to-school to-do lists: get your flu shot. The University of California announced Friday that all students, staff and faculty will be required to get a flu shot prior to Nov. 1. Those with approved medical exemptions will not face this new requirement. (Burke, 8/8)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Stanford Graduate Students Question University’s Coronavirus Policies As Campus Move-Ins Begin
When Stanford University notified graduate student Tyler Benster in May that he’d have a new roommate Aug. 24, his first question was whether the person would be tested for the coronavirus prior to moving in. Over the summer, Benster traded emails with housing coordinators asking them to place him in a unit by himself to minimize his risk of contracting COVID-19. The university said his concerns were valid, but Benster still doesn’t know if he will have a new roommate. “We have not been able to get information, which is just completely inappropriate and honestly unethical,” he said. (Ravani, 8/7)
Sacramento Bee:
CA Releases Guidelines For Colleges, Universities To Reopen
California’s colleges and universities may reopen to in-person learning if local conditions permit it, according to guidance released by the California Department of Public Health on Friday. The 34-page document released by the state details the conditions for which institutions of higher education may reopen, including college athletic programs. (Sheeler, 8/7)
Sacramento Bee:
COVID-19 Kills Condemned San Quentin Inmate Pedro Arias, 58
California correctional officials announced two deaths related to a massive coronavirus outbreak at San Quentin State Prison: The first prison guard to die of COVID-19 and the fourth inmate condemned from Sacramento County to die since early July. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Sgt. Gilbert Polanco, an Army veteran and guard at the facility since 1988, had died. (Hunt, 8/9)
San Francisco Chronicle:
California Executions On Hold, But Coronavirus Killing San Quentin Inmates
In June, on Death Row at San Quentin State Prison, 58-year-old Jarvis Masters heard a rumor that the coronavirus was ripping through the aging structure. Condemned prisoners are confined to their cells for 23 hours a day, so Masters tracked the outbreak by watching news reports on his small personal TV. He watched as 100 cases swelled to 300 in two days, then 1,000. Then he started to cough. Masters soon felt like he couldn’t breathe. (Fagone and Cassidy, 8/10)
San Francisco Chronicle:
San Quentin Prison Sergeant Dies Of COVID-19
A veteran sergeant at San Quentin died Sunday morning after a weeks-long battle with COVID-19, marking the first employee to be felled by an outbreak that has ravaged California’s oldest state prison. Sgt. Gilbert “Bobby” Polanco was 55. (Cassidy, 8/9)
Fresno Bee:
COVID-19 Continues To Spread Within California’s Prisons
Up and down California, the state’s prison system has provided the novel coronavirus with a captive population in which to spread during the pandemic. Since the first confirmed cases of COVID-19 were identified earlier this year, more than 1,950 prison staff within the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation have contracted the virus. And while 916 of those workers have recovered and returned to work, eight prison staffers have died from the disease, including two at prisons in Madera County. (Sheehan, 8/8)