Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Hiring A Diverse Army To Track COVID-19 Amid Reopening
Experts estimate local and state health departments will have to hire 100,000 to 300,000 people as contact tracers to get the economy back on track. Many states are trying hard to hire from the racial and ethnic minority communities hit hardest by the virus. (Carmen Heredia Rodriguez and Anna Almendrala, )
Protests In California Create Perfect Environment For Second COVID Wave With Black Americans Most Vulnerable, Experts Say: The collision of long-standing anger over police killings of Black Americans and the newer threat of the COVID-19 pandemic have become a joint crisis in Los Angeles and across the country. The coronavirus has been especially devastating to black communities, with black people making up a disproportionate share of COVID-19 deaths. Now people are being faced with a dilemma: How to weigh the risks of protesting during the pandemic.
Mayor Eric Garcetti said over the weekend that he was worried that the demonstrations could become “super-spreader events.” The California Department of Public Health released guidelines last week for how to protest safely during the pandemic. And UC San Francisco epidemiologist Dr. George Rutherford described the protests as a kind of uncontrolled experiment, one that will test what happens when people are wearing masks in an outdoor setting, but yelling and not maintaining their distance. But for some the protests were worth the risk. Read more from Emily Alpert Reyes and Soumya Karlamangla of the Los Angeles Times and Vincent Moleski of the Sacramento Bee.
In related news:
Los Angeles Times: Why Rage Over George Floyd’s Killing Is More Explosive This Time
KQED: 'The Weight Of Living In A Racist World': Finding Emotional Support As A Black Man
Struggling Bay Area Hospitals Getting On Fraction Of What Wealthy Facilities Are Getting In Emergency Federal Aid: Stanford Health Care — which had net operating revenue of more than $447 million in 2018 — received more than $102.4 million from the federal government, the most in the Bay Area, in the agency’s initial round of distributions. Just up the Peninsula, safety-net hospital Seton Medical Center — in the hole when it comes to net operating revenue — got a comparatively paltry $4.35 million. The way the government distributed the funds is the result of complicated formulas that take Medicare revenue, whether a hospital is in a hotspot and other factors into account, regardless of a hospital’s financial situation before the pandemic hit. Read more from Emily DeRuy and Harriet Blair Rowan of the Bay Area News Group.
Supreme Court Denies Church's Request To Overturn California's Restrictions On Religious Gatherings: Chief Justice John Roberts joined the liberal wing of the Supreme Court, saying that it wasn't judges' place to substitute their judgment for health experts and elected officials who appear to be acting in good faith. “Although California’s guidelines place restrictions on places of worship, those restrictions appear consistent with the free exercise clause of the First Amendment,” Chief Justice Roberts wrote in an opinion concurring in the unsigned ruling. “Similar or more severe restrictions apply to comparable secular gatherings, including lectures, concerts, movie showings, spectator sports and theatrical performances, where large groups of people gather in close proximity for extended periods of time,” the chief justice wrote. “And the order exempts or treats more leniently only dissimilar activities, such as operating grocery stores, banks and laundromats, in which people neither congregate in large groups nor remain in close proximity for extended periods.” Read more from Adam Liptak of The New York Times.
In related news:
Los Angeles Times: Churches Plan Big Pentecost Services Despite Orders: ‘It’s Part Of Our Faith To Be Together’
Bay Area News Group: ‘Welcome Home Again’: Small Number Of Bay Area Churches Open Sunday, Defying Coronavirus Orders
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
Sacramento Bee:
Coronavirus CA: Over 4,000 Dead; Will Protests Cause Surge?
As massive protests over the death of George Floyd spread across the country, concerns are being raised over possible coronavirus transmission given close contact. Health experts who spoke with The Associated Press said there is a distinct possibility that asymptomatic people arriving at protests have the potential to infect many others without knowing it. Although many of the protesters in Sacramento were seen wearing masks ranging from bandannas — which are only somewhat effective — to medical-grade N95 masks, many others were not. (Moleski, 5/31)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Long After The Illness Is Gone, The Damage From Coronavirus May Remain
The roulette wheel of infection that determines which COVID-19 patients live and die has gripped the world in fear, but researchers are looking into another insidious danger — that the disease could be inflicting lasting, even permanent, damage on its victims. Infectious disease specialists have learned that the health problems caused by the coronavirus sometimes linger for months, raising fears that the virus may have long-term consequences for people’s health. (Fimrite, 5/31)
CalMatters:
When California Reopens Schools, Steep Drop In Vaccinations Could Endanger Children
In the days following March 19, when Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered Californians to shelter in place, a pediatrician in Orange County noticed an alarming trend — a sharp drop in the number of children coming in for routine vaccinations. “There’s been a tremendous decline,” said Dr. Eric Ball of Southern Orange County Pediatrics in Ladera Ranch. “In late March and April, we were probably seeing only 30 to 40 percent of our normal patients, and our no-show and cancellation rates were extremely high.” (Sohn, 6/1)
Sacramento Bee:
Coronavirus Milestone, Test Sites Pop Up In Sacramento CA
Sacramento County Public Health officials celebrated a milestone Friday at one of its coronavirus test sites and launched a series of new “pop-up” test sites at the city’s libraries. Both announcements came as the county looks to bolster coronavirus testing to meet state benchmarks set by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has made increased test numbers a priority for counties to restart daily life under his four-phase reopening plan. (Gomez, 5/31)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Why The Coronavirus Is Surging In Alameda County
When Noel Gallo got a call that five or six workers at Cardenas Market in Oakland’s Fruitvale district had tested positive for the coronavirus, the city councilman decided to stop by, maybe ask the owners if they needed help protecting employees and customers. He was there Thursday, face covered while he talked to managers. Actually, they told him, 12 employees had been infected. “That’s a pretty significant market. It’s packed daily,” Gallo said. (Allday, 5/31)
San Francisco Chronicle:
What Does SF’s New ‘30-Foot-Rule’ Mean? In Short, Always Carry A Mask
The new face-covering rules San Francisco officials announced Thursday alongside the city’s plan to gradually reopen its economy left many residents perplexed. While the sight of masked passersby may have become routine across the Bay Area, some of the nuances and exceptions of the updated mandates leave room for confusion about the do’s and don’ts of wearing a mask. (Fracassa, 5/29)
San Francisco Chronicle:
How 6 Feet Of Social Distance Is Changing The Relationship With Our Own Space
In the age of the coronavirus pandemic, safety is measured in distance. Right now, the standard is 6 feet of space, or 30 feet in San Francisco if we’re not wearing masks. The reminders of the new distancing norms are everywhere. Signs on streets and tape marks on sidewalks give us physical reminders of what being 6 feet from each other looks like when it’s measured out. So do indicators on the floors of essential businesses that keep us lined up safely with enough spacing. (Bravo, 6/1)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Why Do Some People Refuse To Wear Masks? Defiance, Misguided Thinking
In February, as awareness of the coronavirus grew, Stanford behavior scientist BJ Fogg took a precaution traveling through Los Angeles International Airport: He wore a mask. “I was one of like three people in the whole airport that was wearing one, and I felt really odd,” Fogg said. “Now, I think it’s flipped. The norm, at least there, has probably shifted.” (Kawahara, 5/31)
KQED:
California Sends Dozens Of Healthcare Workers To Navajo Nation To Assist In Pandemic
Healthcare workers from around California, including 35 doctors and nurses from UCSF, are caring for patients in border towns surrounding the Navajo Nation. More than 5,000 people have tested positive for the coronavirus, and the illness has killed 167 individuals on the nation's largest Native American reservation. UCSF doctor Aylin Ulku has been caring for patients recovering or quarantining in motel rooms in Gallup, New Mexico on the edge of the reservation. She fears the virus will leave a lasting impact on the community's culture and memory as elders who carry the Navajo's oral history pass away. (McClurg, 5/30)
San Francisco Chronicle:
New Report: Coronavirus Ignited In Bay Area As Early As January
The coronavirus almost certainly started spreading in the Bay Area and Washington state in late January or early February, several weeks before the first cases of community transmission were identified, according to a federal report released Friday. The findings confirm suspicions raised in Santa Clara County last month that the virus had been circulating there since January, based on the discovery of two early victims of COVID-19 whose deaths previously had not been tied to the virus. (Allday and Dizikes, 5/29)
San Francisco Chronicle:
The Curious Case Of The SF Doctor Who’s Been Coronavirus-Positive Nearly 90 Days And Counting
Dr. Coleen Kivlahan knew what the result of her coronavirus test would be the moment she stepped outside her San Francisco home and sensed she was smelling a forest fire, a symptom that can accompany loss of smell. Then that persistent cough kicked in. Those are two of the lasting symptoms. So it was no surprise that she tested positive on Wednesday. The surprise was that it had been at least 85 days that she has been infected with the coronavirus and 62 days since she first tested positive. (Whiting, 5/30)
Fresno Bee:
Kings County Coronavirus Surge Fueled By Avenal Prison
Kings County reported another large surge of positive results for the coronavirus Sunday, again driven by the outbreak at Avenal State Prison. The Department of Public Health in Hanford reported 376 more cases of COVID-19, with 373 of those from state correctional facilities. In addition, the county reported one more coronavirus-related fatality, raising the death toll there to five. (Valenzuela, 5/31)
Sacramento Bee:
California State Correctional Officer With Coronavirus Dies
California correctional officer Danny Mendoza died Saturday after testing positive for the coronavirus, according to a Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation news release. Mendoza, 53, worked at the California Rehabilitation Center in Riverside County, according to the release. His death was the first reported by the corrections department among employees who have tested positive. (Venteicher, 5/31)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Japantown Merchants Fear Pandemic’s Blows To Historic SF Neighborhood
Tradition has flourished within the handful of blocks that make up San Francisco’s Japantown — a bonsai version of a once sprawling neighborhood. The 114-year-old town has had its fair share of struggle, surviving earthquakes, internment, displacement. Now it faces another battle: COVID-19. Community members and merchants are worried about the devastating economic crisis, running parallel with the health crisis, on Japantown’s small businesses that are invariably tied to its cultural identity. (Narayan, 5/28)
Bay Area News Group:
It's Back: Coronavirus Recovery Means Return Of Traffic
For weeks, it was one of the most enjoyable and unnerving signs of the Bay Area’s coronavirus lockdown: Freeways so deserted you could glide through San Francisco and across the Bay Bridge at the height of rush hour with barely a tap of your brakes. But the silver lining of a traffic-free Bay Area is vanishing as shelter in place orders are revised, allowing more businesses to reopen and people start traveling around the region — kick-starting a return of congestion and an end to wide open roads. (Savidge, 6/1)