Man Stabbed At Anti-Vax Rally: L.A. City Council President Nury Martinez denounced the violence at an anti-vaccination rally in front of City Hall over the weekend that resulted in one man being stabbed and a journalist being attacked. “Not wearing a mask and being anti-vax isn’t patriotism — it’s stupidity,” Martinez tweeted late Saturday. The man who was stabbed was released from the hospital, police said Sunday. Read more from the Los Angeles Times.
Stanislaus State Cancels In-Person Classes For Now: All in-person instruction at California State University, Stanislaus, has been delayed until Oct. 1 because of a rise in covid cases, President Ellen Junn announced Saturday. Classes will still begin on Aug. 23 but will be moved fully online until the start of October. Read more from the Modesto Bee.
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:
It's The First Day Back To School For Los Angeles Students
Hundreds of thousands of Los Angeles-area students on Monday are returning to campus for the first time in more than a year — a moment marked by pandemic-driven anxiety as well as by joy and relief after children’s lives have been devoid of a sense of normalcy for so long. The scenes are expected to include the familiar — yellow buses, tearful hugs goodbye between the youngest and their parents, happy reunions with friends. And the first day of school will also be punctuated with the signs of the times: wearing masks all day and lining up for coronavirus testing. Parents and school officials will be tracking news and data about the surge of the Delta variant, which poses ongoing risks during a pandemic that people had hoped would have mostly subsided by now. (Blume, 8/16)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. County Coronavirus Surge Continues As Schools Prepare To Reopen
Los Angeles County officials on Sunday continued to report a surge in coronavirus cases as schools prepared to open. The Department of Public Health on Sunday recorded 3,356 new cases of the virus and eight related deaths but said the real number is likely higher due to weekend reporting delays. (Wigglesworth, 8/15)
Los Angeles Times:
LAUSD's Coronavirus Testing Effort Is Key As Schools Reopen
For the first time, the most ambitious school district testing program in the nation is being put to its own test with the opening of more than 1,000 schools throughout the sprawling system. LAUSD is expected to be the single largest source of coronavirus testing in L.A. County — and public health experts said it will serve as a case study on how effectively coronavirus transmission can be controlled at schools where everyone is regularly tested. The rollout comes amid growing urgency among school districts to ensure a safe return to the classroom amid a rapid increase in coronavirus cases due to the highly infectious Delta variant. The tests are mandatory, and the numbers are head-turning: 500,000 tests a week, a cost of $350 million, 1,000 healthcare technicians, 30 lab workers rapidly turning around tests, and even two plane trips daily to speedily deliver the test samples to a Northern California lab. (Newberry, Gomez and Blume, 8/16)
Marin Independent Journal:
Marin Schools Enter New Year Of Pandemic Challenges
More than 34,000 students in 17 public school districts — and about 6,000 in private and independent schools — will return to Marin classrooms this week for the second fall term of the COVID-19 pandemic. The big difference from last year, when there were no vaccines and most schools stayed in lockdown-like remote instruction, is that close to 90% of Marin teachers — and 86% of Marin students 12 and older — are immunized. (Brenner, 8/15)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
ERs Struggle To Keep Up With Unexpected Wave Of Illnesses, And It's Not Just COVID-19
Emergency departments across San Diego County are reporting significant and sustained levels of patient traffic in the midst of COVID-19. From inland communities to the coast, hospital managers are describing the current situation as unprecedented, with a wide range of illnesses arriving daily in numbers not usually seen in the summer months. (Sisson, 8/15)
Bay Area News Group:
Santa Rita Jail Visitation Suspended Due To COVID-19 Cases
All in-person visitation is being suspended at Santa Rita Jail due to rising COVID-19 cases, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department announced. In a tweet Saturday, the sheriff’s department cited a recommendation from the Alameda County Public Health Department, saying “all in-person visiting” at the jail will be “suspended until further notice.” (Geha, 8/14)
Los Angeles Daily News:
LA County Reports 3,356 New Cases Of COVID-19 On Sunday
Los Angeles County reported 3,356 new cases of COVID-19 and eight additional deaths on Sunday, Aug. 15, though officials said the numbers may reflect delays in weekend reporting. The county also saw a slight increase in the number of people hospitalized with the coronavirus, but a decrease in the number of those patients in intensive care units. According to state figures, there were 1,653 patients in the county with COVID-19 as of Sunday, up from 1,650 the day before. Of those patients, 377 were in intensive care, a drop from the 400 reported Friday. (8/15)
Fresno Bee:
Fresno And Valley Cases, Deaths Continue To Rise
As debates over mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations and masking in schools continue, confirmed coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in Fresno County remain on the rise, fueled by the delta variant. There were 418 newly reported cases in the county on Sunday, according to data from the California Department of Public Health. The total since the start of the pandemic is now 109,056. (Kuwada, 8/15)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Kern Public Health Reports No New Coronavirus Deaths, 370 New Cases Friday
Kern County Public Health Services reported no new coronavirus deaths and 370 new confirmed cases Friday. That brings the count of deaths to 1,434 and the confirmed cases since the pandemic began to 117,101. One hundred six delta variant cases have been identified, and there have been 73 alpha variant cases. (8/13)
The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat:
Latest COVID-19 Death In Sonoma County Brings Toll To 338
Sonoma County health officials reported a a new coronavirus-related death on Friday night, the latest fallout from a continuing summer surge of cases and increased hospitalizations involving severely ill patients. The latest death is that of a woman who was in her 90s. She died on Aug. 4 while in a hospital, was unvaccinated and had underlying conditions, according to Sonoma County Public Information Officer Paul Gullixson. (Coates, 8/15)
San Francisco Chronicle:
COVID In California: Hospitalizations Hit Pandemic High For Americans Under 50
Bay Area scientists say a pandemic “doomsday scenario,” in which a coronavirus variant is completely resistant to antibodies and remains highly transmissible, is unlikely — but beyond that, they are reluctant to speculate. Even as pediatric hospitals overflow elsewhere, no San Francisco children are hospitalized with COVID. And the city has a new vaccine mandate — here's everything you need to know. (Buchmann and Fracassa, 8/16)
Los Angeles Times:
'Here We Go Again': Inside A COVID-19 Unit As Cases Surge
It wasn’t long past noon and Dr. Anita Sircar found herself again saying the phrase she had repeated in the halls of Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Torrance, like the chorus to a rueful song: “Here we go again.” Twelve new patients suffering from the virus had come in overnight, including a 19-year-old whose parents were already hospitalized for COVID-19. And they kept coming in that morning, one after the next. (Alpert Reyes, 8/15)
Bay Area News Group:
What ‘Breakthrough’ COVID Infections Feel Like
For those of us who rushed out to get vaccines, growing reports of “breakthrough” COVID-19 infections can feel like a betrayal. We did everything right. We’re supposed to be safe. But this startling news doesn’t mean vaccines don’t work. As interviews with Bay Area residents reveal, vaccines transformed a potentially deadly illness into something that’s just lousy. (Krieger, 8/15)
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento-Area Pastor Handing Out Vaccine Exemptions
Destiny Christian Church in Rocklin, which openly defied Gov. Gavin Newsom’s COVID-19 shutdown orders, now plans to provide “religious exemptions” to people who want to avoid getting vaccinated. Pastor Greg Fairrington, who has frequently thumbed his nose at Newsom from the pulpit and has endorsed the gubernatorial recall, said in a post on Instagram that the mega-church plans to hand out exemptions at services on Sunday. Newsom has been mandating vaccines for state government workers and California’s healthcare workers. (Kasler, 8/15)
Modesto Bee:
Firefighter Union Contests Newsom’s COVID Vaccine Rule
Two more California state worker unions have filed objections to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order requiring all employees to prove they’re vaccinated or to wear a mask and submit to regular COVID-19 testing. Cal Fire Local 2881, which represents about 6,000 state firefighters, filed an unfair labor practice charge with the Public Employment Relations Board this week, becoming at least the third state union to file an official objection. (Venteicher, 8/14)
San Francisco Chronicle:
The Delta Variant Disrupted BART's Return To The Office. Now It Weighs Vaccine Mandates
Weeks after California declared itself reopened, BART office employees who’d mostly been working remotely for nearly a year and a half made their long-awaited return to the transit agency’s new downtown Oakland headquarters July 6 under a hybrid work schedule. But what happened in the month that followed illustrated the stubborn challenges facing BART and all office workplaces as they attempt to inch toward normalcy amid a surging and highly infectious delta variant. (Cano, 8/15)
KQED:
SF Lowrider Fest: Watch These Cars Bounce And Get A Vaccine, Too
Fans of lowrider car culture celebrated with a purpose over the weekend — the 40th annual “King of the Streets” lowrider car show in Daly City's Cow Palace also included a vaccination clinic. “It's about being creative, just like lowriders, we’re creative,” said San Francisco’s Lowrider Council founder Roberto Y. Hernández. (Hossaini, 8/15)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Black Community Urged To Vaccinate, Use Kindness To Persuade The Reluctant
When the COVID-19 vaccine was making its way into the Bay Area in December, Dr. Sonia Sutherland was asked if she wanted to be one of the first people in Contra Costa County to get the shot. Despite her role as a medical director at Contra Costa Health Services, Sutherland hesitated, she admitted to a Saturday virtual town hall meeting aimed at getting more of Richmond’s Black community vaccinated. (Cabanatuan, 8/14)
CapRadio:
Asian Americans And Pacific Islanders Have High Vaccination Rates. But What’s Behind Those Numbers?
Despite rampant misinformation, Pacific Islanders and Asian Americans currently have some of the highest vaccination rates in Sacramento, according to county data. But organizers fear those numbers may be overinflated. “We wish that we could celebrate that as an accomplishment and a shining achievement of our work, but unfortunately I don’t think that’s the case,” said ‘Alisi Tulua, a project director at the Data Policy Lab at UCLA. (Mises-Tan, 8/16)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Medical Vocational School Geared Toward People Who 'Want To Make A Difference'
Shar Cole has become the first Black woman to open a vocational medical school in Kern County, according to city officials. Kern Valley Medical College offers a 17-week medical assistant program and a five-week EKG program. An applicant must have a high school diploma, GED or pass an entrance exam administered by the college to enroll. Other classes, such as medical billing, are also offered. (Desai, 8/15)
San Francisco Chronicle:
PG&E Warns Of Potential Power Shut-Offs In Parts Of Bay Area This Week As Dixie Fire Rages
As firefighters battling the Dixie Fire in Northern California brace for gusty winds and dry conditions this week, PG&E said Sunday that it is considering power shut-offs for several counties near the blaze and as far away as the northern reaches of the Bay Area. PG&E said about 39,000 customers could potentially be impacted by the shut-offs, the majority of them in Butte and Shasta counties. In the Bay Area, far smaller numbers of people in Sonoma, Napa and Solano counties could be affected by the outages if PG&E goes ahead with them. (Hwang, 8/15)
Bay Area News Group:
More Smoky Skies Expected Monday As Smoke From California Wildfires Descends On Bay Area
Smoke from the massive wildfires burning across Northern California is expected to bring hazy skies to the Bay Area for the fifth day in a row on Monday, air quality officials said. As blazes like the Dixie Fire in Northern California and several others in Southern Oregon continue to burn in the dry summer heat, much of the American west has been engulfed in smoky skies. Wind patterns have kept skies clear in the Bay Area for several weeks, but since Thursday the coastal mountain ranges have become faint outlines under a thick gray haze as winds bring wildfire smoke in. (Toledo, 8/15)
AP:
Western States Face First Federal Water Cuts
U.S. officials on Monday are expected to declare the first-ever water shortage from a river that serves 40 million people in the West, triggering cuts to some Arizona farmers next year amid a gripping drought. Water levels at the largest reservoir on the Colorado River — Lake Mead — have fallen to record lows. Along its perimeter, a white “bathtub ring” of minerals outlines where the high water line once stood, underscoring the acute water challenges for a region facing a growing population and a drought that is being worsened by hotter, drier weather brought on by climate change. (Naishadham, 8/16)
KSNV (Las Vegas):
Water Shortage Announcement Expected Monday For Lake Mead
Federal authorities are expected to declare a water shortage for Lake Mead Monday, which would trim Nevada’s allocation of water in 2022. A shortage gets triggered if the lake is expected to sit below 1,075 feet on January 1, 2022. As of Wednesday morning, the lake sits at 1,067.93 feet. The shortage has been anticipated as Lake Mead’s water level continues to drop. (Gillan, 8/12)
Las Vegas Review-Journal:
New Plan Slows Lake Mead Decline By Paying Farms Not To Plant Crops
Officials in Lower Colorado River Basin states want to slow the decline of Lake Mead’s water levels over the next few years by paying Southern California farmers not to plant crops. It’s not a plan that Bill Hasencamp, manager of Colorado River resources for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, considers a “drought buster,” but it will reduce lake level decline by up to 3 feet over the next three years, he said. (Apgar, 8/11)
The New York Times:
Small Towns Grow Desperate For Water In California
Mendocino’s water shortage is an extreme example of what some far-flung towns in California are experiencing as the state slips deeper into its second year of drought. Scores of century-old, hand-dug wells in the town have run dry, forcing residents, inns and restaurants to fill storage tanks with water trucked from faraway towns at the cost of anywhere from 20 to 45 cents a gallon. Utilities in California, by contrast, typically charge their customers less than a penny per gallon of tap water. This past week, residents of Mendocino watched as the Senate passed its $1 trillion infrastructure package, wondering whether some of those funds might reach them. Dianne Feinstein, the senior senator from California, has pointed out that the package specifically targets drought mitigation projects such as water storage, water recycling and desalination. (Fuller, 8/14)
The Wall Street Journal:
Severe Drought Could Threaten Power Supply In West For Years To Come
As drought persists across more than 95% of the American West, water elevation at the Hoover Dam has sunk to record-low levels, endangering a source of hydroelectric power for an estimated 1.3 million people across California, Nevada and Arizona. The water level at Lake Mead, the Colorado River reservoir serving the Hoover Dam, fell to 1,068 ft. in July, the lowest level since the lake was first filled following the dam’s construction in the 1930s. This month, the federal government is expected to declare a water shortage on the Colorado River for the first time, triggering cutbacks in water allocations to surrounding states from the river. Widespread drought conditions throughout the Southwest over the past 20 years have led to a more than 130-foot drop in the water level at Lake Mead since 2000. (Huth and Umlauf, 8/14)
AP:
Boy Dies From Brain-Eating Amoeba In California
A child infected with an extremely rare brain-eating amoeba while swimming in a Northern California lake died in a hospital, his family confirmed Friday. David Pruitt, 7, of Tehama County, died from primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, or PAM, on Aug. 7, said his aunt, Crystal Hayley. The boy was rushed to the emergency room on July 30 and then flown to UC Davis Medical Center where he was on life support with severe brain swelling, Hayley said in a fundraising site she created for the family to raise funds for his care and funeral. (8/13)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Holding Court Sessions Remotely During Pandemic Makes Defense Attorneys, Some Judges Queasy
Technology has allowed the nation’s criminal courts to keep functioning during the coronavirus pandemic. But lawyers and judges in a nationwide survey says it’s come at a price to justice. Among 240 defense attorneys contacted by students at Stanford Law School, two-thirds said the loss of in-person contact has harmed communications between the lawyers and their clients. A majority said it was harder for them to assess the credibility of witnesses who testified by video at hearings. And more than three-fourths of the lawyers said the remote proceedings had compromised defendants’ access to justice. (Egelko, 8/15)
Modesto Bee:
Modesto Adds To List Of Banned Items At Demonstrations
The Modesto City Council has added to its list of items banned at protests, demonstrations and other public assemblies. The list includes metal containers, gas masks and riot gear. Two years ago, the City Council passed an urgency ordinance banning rocks, glass bottles and other items that can be used as weapons at protests that could turn violent. The Modesto Police Department asked the council Tuesday night to update the list of banned items through another urgency ordinance. (Valine, 8/16)