Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Isolation, Disruption and Confusion: Coping With Dementia During a Pandemic
COVID-19 has upended the lives of people with dementia, limiting their interactions with others and complicating matters for their caregivers. (Heidi de Marco, )
With Power Grid Maxed Out, Californians Suffer In Heat: Californians used so much electricity to stay cool Friday night that the agency that oversees much of the state’s power grid declared an emergency and, for the first time in 19 years, shut off power to hundreds of thousands of customers for several hours. "Consumers should be prepared for likely rolling outages during the late afternoons and early evenings through Wednesday,” the California Independent System Operator said. There’s little relief in sight—high temperatures above 100 degrees are expected in Los Angeles every day through Friday. Read more from Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs of The New York Times and Laura Newberry of the Los Angeles Times.
LAUSD Unveils Massive Plan For COVID Testing: The Los Angeles Unified School District announced Sunday that it is launching an ambitious coronavirus testing and contact tracing program for all students, staff and their families. If the plan unfolds as described, it could involve nearly 500,000 students and 75,000 staff members. Read more from Howard Blume and Laura Newberry 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:
Backlog Continues To Affect L.A. County COVID-19 Case Numbers
Los Angeles County public health officials on Sunday reported 1,192 new cases of COVID-19 and nine related deaths but said both numbers were artificially low because of a weekend reporting lag. L.A. County has reported totals of more than 222,000 cases and more than 5,240 deaths. (Wigglesworth, 8/16)
Fresno Bee:
Fresno Still Waiting On COVID-19 Strike Team Reports
Fresno County health officials are still waiting for reports and direction from state strike teams to fight the coronavirus pandemic here, three weeks after California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that he was sending help. The enforcement strike team focusing on Alcoholic Beverage Control and Cal/OSHA requirements regularly meets with Fresno County Public Health Department staff and collaborate on responding to complaints, said Dave Pomaville, director of Fresno County Public Health. (Calix, 8/15)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Hospitalizations Slow But COVID-19 Deaths Are Rising Locally
Local hospitals have seen a marked decline in COVID-19 patients in recent weeks in a sign that Kern County may be bending the curve on its recent explosion in cases. "We’re cautiously optimistic it’s going to keep trending down," said Dr. Hemmal Kothary, chief medical officer of Dignity Health's Central California division who oversees Bakersfield Memorial and both Mercy hospitals in Bakersfield. (Shepard, 8/15)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Public Health Reports 304 New Coronavirus Cases Sunday
The Kern County Public Heath Services Department reported 304 new cases of coronavirus Sunday morning. That brings the total confirmed cases to 26,580 since mid-March, when cases began showing up in the county. The number of deaths remains at 204. (8/16)
The Desert Sun:
Patton State Hospital Sued Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
A Sacramento-based advocacy group that provides legal support for people with disabilities is suing the administrators of the California Department of State Hospitals and Patton State Hospital, alleging the patients at that facility are not being protected from COVID-19 during what advocates are describing as an outbreak. (Damien, 8/14)
Fresno Bee:
San Jose Teacher Suspended For Topless Online Class
When a 13-year-old girl signed on for her online math class Friday, the high school freshman immediately noticed something strange about her teacher, KGO reported. “I realized he wasn’t wearing a shirt,” the girl said, according to the station. “And that was kind of awkward, made me feel uncomfortable.” (Sweeney, 8/16)
EdSource:
As School Starts, California Districts Try To Improve Virtual Special Education
As schools in California begin re-opening virtually, state education officials have taken steps to improve distance learning for a group of students who were largely left behind in the spring: Those in special education. But some parents wonder if distance learning will ever work well for students with disabilities. (Jones, 8/17)
EdSource:
California Schools Allowed To Open For Small Groups With 'Acute' Needs Under New Guidance
School districts will be able to bring back to school small groups of students with disabilities and others with “acute” needs for face-to-face instruction, Gov. Gavin Newsom and State Board of Education President Linda Darling-Hammond announced Friday. The California Department of Public Health will provide details for districts to follow, perhaps next week. All districts will be able to bring small groups of students on campus, including those whose schools cannot currently open because they’re in counties on the state’s watch list for high rates of coronavirus infection, hospitalizations and other criteria, Darling-Hammond said. (Fensterwald, 8/14)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Grimmway Donates More Than 1 Million Pounds Of Produce For COVID-19 Relief
From drive-thru giveaways in the Midwest to hand-delivered donations in Kern County, Grimmway Farms has shown support for individuals and families affected by COVID-19 by giving away fresh carrots and Cal-Organic Farms vegetables. On Friday, the company announced it's donated more than 1 million pounds of fresh produce to food banks, hospitals and nonprofit charities across the country since mid-March. (8/14)
CalMatters:
Investigation: COVID Rips Through Motel Rooms Of Guest Workers Who Pick Nation’s Produce
Guest worker outbreaks in California have sickened hundreds and killed at least one, according to an investigation by CalMatters and The Salinas Californian. Meanwhile, harvesting companies haven’t always notified local public health departments. (Botts and Cimini, 8/17)
Fresno Bee:
Latino Leaders Want COVID-19 Help For Farmworkers
It’s a busy time for farms across the region, but this year a global pandemic has many workers worried they won’t make it past the harvest season alive. Facing an uphill battle due to a seasonal workforce shortage and COVID-19 outbreaks, some advocates and local leaders say state officials need to step up their efforts to help the agricultural industry’s employees. (Lopez, 8/17)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Sonoma County’s Residential Care Homes For Elderly Sustaining Spike Of Coronavirus Cases
The spread of the coronavirus in Sonoma County senior care homes has shifted, with fewer new cases reported by skilled nursing homes and a spike of infections at residential care facilities for the elderly, according to newly released local public health data. Public health officials said the decrease in fresh infections during the past two weeks compared with the previous two-week period was led by a decline in cases among staff members at skilled nursing centers — a significant development because officials have said for months nursing home outbreaks were caused by workers who contract the virus in the community and pass it to elderly residents inside these facilities. (Espinoza, 8/16)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Beachgoers Jam Into Lower Russian River, Armed For Fun And Overtaxing Parking
Forestville neighbors Donald Rathe and Laurel Anderson know where they’ll be next Saturday and, likely, every one after that for some weeks yet. Just like they were Saturday, they expect to be waving off hordes of beachgoers who continue to throng their neighborhood across River Road from Steelhead Beach, showing little regard for public health advisories or, in many cases, for the residents there. (Callahan, 8/15)
Press-Telegram:
How Coronavirus Left Orange County Resident Grieving Husband, Father Within 6 Weeks
Donna Nakahara’s recent phone calls with her mother-in-law, Yasuko Nakahara, have not been easy. The pair have always had much to talk about, and they still do. But now they sob, comfort each other and discuss what they’ve lost. Donna Nakahara’s husband – Yasuko Nakahara’s son – is dead. From the coronavirus. (Archbold, 8/16)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Wasco Organ Donor Recognized With Dedication Of Memorial Practice Green At Sundale Country Club
When Jeanette Mercado first took a job working as a medical assistant for Dr. Girish Patel, little did she know the two would be linked for life. That’s especially true since Mercado only worked for Patel, a radiologist at Truxtun Radiology, for about six months. Although they hadn’t seen each other in years, the two were drawn together following a family tragedy last year when Mercado’s 33-year-old son, Adrian, died from accidental fentanyl poisoning on Aug. 14, 2019. At the same time, Patel, 72, was waiting for a kidney transplant, and beginning to lose hope after being rejected by several facilities because of age restrictions. (Stapp, 8/15)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Experience With COVID-19 Was A Family Affair
As COVID-19 cases began escalating locally, Michelle Frost remembers feeling paralyzed by fear. The married, 53-year-old mother of four, with nine grandchildren and another on the way, worried about her ever-growing family and what would happen if one of her loved ones tested positive for the coronavirus. “During the first 30 days when we were in lockdown, we didn’t see our grandkids, we didn’t see our kids, we were very adamant about following the rules,” said Frost, a local business owner and real estate agent. “But I just can’t live without my family. And I was scared to death. I cried myself to sleep most nights thinking one of us is going to get it, one of us is going to die because that’s what was programmed into our heads.” (Stapp, 8/15)
San Jose Mercury News:
Something Coronavirus Didn't Bring The Bay Area — More Rats
We can blame the coronavirus pandemic and shelter-in-place order for a lot of things, but thankfully, it has not produced a sudden invasion of rats. We might be more aware of them than usual, in our home-all-the-time state, but the number of rats we have now is about the same as in any given year. (Morris, 8/17)
Fox 5 San Diego:
6 Correctional Officers Hurt After Attack By Inmates At Donovan Prison, Officials Say
Six correctional officers and at least two inmates at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility are being treated Sunday after a reported attack by inmates. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said 20 inmates were in a recreation yard Sunday around 3:55 p.m. when inmates began attacking six correctional officers. The department said the inmates ignored officers’ commands to stop and less-lethal measures failed to halt them. That’s when a correctional officer fired a warning shot, which the department said ended the attack. No one was hit.
Sacramento Bee:
Prison COVID-19 Deaths Lead To Vigil At CDCR Boss’ Home
With 53 inmate deaths resulting from COVID-19, a group of protesters gathered Thursday evening for a candlelight vigil outside the home of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Secretary Ralph Diaz. “Ralph Diaz has failed to keep incarcerated people safe. They are being denied cleaning supplies and while in segregated quarantine having their cells searched. They need care and compassion, not rogue officers terrorizing them,” said April Grayson, of the Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition, in a statement. (Sheeler and Mascarenas, 8/14)
Los Angeles Times:
Judge Orders COVID-19 Tests At Bakersfield Detention Facility
A federal judge in San Francisco has ordered immediate testing of all detainees and staff at a Bakersfield immigration detention center where COVID-19 was spreading for weeks while officials refused to test for the virus. After receiving results on Friday showing that nearly half of the detainees tested earlier in the week were positive for the illness caused by the coronavirus, federal District Court Judge Vince Chhabria ordered the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to conduct quick-result testing of everyone who remained in the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Facility. (Smith, 8/16)
AP:
Victims Tell Of Trauma, Healing In Golden State Killer Case
Jane Carson-Sandler says she has served an effective life sentence in the more than four decades since she was one of the first rape victims of a one-time police officer who eventually became known as the Golden State Killer. Now it’s Joseph James DeAngelo’s turn. Carson-Sandler will be among nearly three dozen victims or survivors who plan to confront DeAngelo this week during an extraordinary four days of court hearings before the 74-year-old is sentenced to life in prison. (Thompson, 8/17)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Man Dies After Being Tasered By Sonoma County Sheriff’s Deputy
A man died Saturday morning after being shocked with a Taser during his arrest by Sonoma County Sheriff’s deputies who were responding to a domestic dispute at a west county home, police said. The man’s name has not been released. As part of protocol for an officer-involved death, the Santa Rosa Police Department is investigating the incident while the Marin County Coroner’s Office is conducting the autopsy. (Swindell, 8/15)