Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
At A Time Of Great Need, Public Health Lacks ‘Lobbying Muscle’
Public health officials are asking for more money in California’s state budget. But unlike some rich and powerful health care interests, they don’t have an army of lobbyists to curry favor with lawmakers. (Angela Hart, )
Infections In More Than Three Dozen Health Workers Linked To One Unit At Bay Area Hospital: More than three dozen workers connected with a single unit at St. Rose Hospital in Hayward tested positive for the coronavirus in late May, a spokesman disclosed Friday. Of the hospital’s 780 employees, 37 tested positive and a majority—26—were workers on the same medical/surgical/telemetry unit. Two additional workers who had the virus interacted regularly with that part of the hospital and nine had occasional contact. “We are continually assessing the facility’s implementation of measures to protect staff and patients from COVID-19 and prevent its further spread within the facility,” said Alameda County spokeswoman Neetu Balram. Some nurses on the hard-hit unit disputed there was enough personal protective gear and testing before the outbreak to keep them safe. They want more information about how many employees got sick and who might have been exposed. Read more from Mallory Moench of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Still No Timeline On When State Will Move To Stage 3 Of Reopening Plan, California Public Health Department Says: With all the businesses that are opening back up in some California counties — bars, gyms and movie theaters, to name a few — it can be easy to lose track of just what stage of reopening California as a whole is in. Officially, California is still in Stage 2 of reopening from the shutdown prompted by the coronavirus pandemic. Some counties have permission to move ahead quickly through Stage 2. “There is not yet a timeline for moving to Stage 3 statewide. California is currently in Stage 2, and counties with attestations are able to open some activities and businesses under Stage 3 by following the guidance issued by the state,” according to a statement from the California Department of Public Health. Read more from Andrew Sheeler of the Sacramento Bee.
In related news from the Los Angeles Times: L.A. County Reports 1,003 Additional Coronavirus Cases, 17 More Deaths
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
Los Angeles Times:
Passengers Flew Into LAX With COVID-19 In March; Public Wasn't Warned
When American Airlines flight 341 to Los Angeles lifted off the tarmac at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport on a cloudy Thursday in mid-March, much of the country was already on coronavirus lockdown. The flight was far from full, but the 49 passengers and eight crew shared restrooms, cabin air and a narrow aisle for the six-hour trip. Though no one knew it then, a man in first class, a retired Manhattan surgeon, was infected with the virus. The day after the flight, he was rushed by ambulance to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center with a high fever and phlegmy cough. (Ryan and Feldman, 6/14)
Sacramento Bee:
Coronavirus Updates: Sacramento County CA Infections Spike
Amid a nationwide spike in coronavirus cases, Sacramento County added 37 confirmed infections Sunday morning. Sacramento County health officials raised the tally to 1,753 on Sunday, up from 1,716 cases Saturday. Since Thursday, 83 new cases have been added. (Moleski, 6/14)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Rare, Super Coronavirus Antibodies Likely To Yield Vaccine, Say Stanford, UCSF Experts
The discovery of antibodies that block the most infectious elements of the coronavirus is helping Bay Area scientists unlock the many mysteries of human immunity, and could be crucial in the development of a vaccine. Epidemiologists have found “neutralizing antibodies” in fewer than 5% of COVID-19 patients, but the ones they are now attempting to isolate are unique in their ability to prevent SARS-CoV-2 — the specific coronavirus that causes the illness — from entering human cells. (Fimrite, 6/15)
San Francisco Chronicle:
The Doctor Is In, But Coronavirus Changes The Look And Feel Of The Office Visit
Doctors’ offices are slowly reopening as California loosens restrictions put in place to halt the spread of the coronavirus, but the patient experience may never be the same even after the virus is under control. Although health care was deemed essential and most medical practices remained open, California doctors had to cancel or delay all elective surgeries and non-urgent health care starting in mid-March when Gov. Gavin Newsom put the stay-at-home order in place. (Fimrite, 6/14)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Don’t Want A Long Swab Up Your Nose? Bay Area Coronavirus Test Sites Are Trying Alternatives
When Myles Cooper went in for a recent coronavirus test, a health care worker stuck a long, flexible swab deep into his nostril, spun it around gently for 10 seconds, and pulled it out from all the way in the back of his throat. “My eyes started watering, I had to sit there for 30 seconds until I could see,” said Cooper, 37, who lives in San Francisco. Cooper, who tested negative, is one of millions of people who have gotten tested for the coronavirus with a long, uncomfortable nasopharyngeal swab, which has been the standard way to test for respiratory illnesses. (Ho, 6/15)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Bay Area Public Schools Struggling To Respond To Next Big Health Crisis: Hungry Kids
Barely two weeks into the coronavirus shelter-in-place order, teachers and administrators noticed a crisis unfolding at Oakland’s Esperanza Elementary School. Four out of 5 families at the school reported at least one parent out of work. Restaurants were closing, construction jobs had temporarily stopped, and caretakers and house cleaners were idled. As students and their parents slid deeper into poverty, school officials saw a level of desperation that seemed to have no end and no bottom. It had gripped the quiet East Oakland neighborhood surrounding Esperanza, and quickly spread throughout much of the Bay Area. (Swan, 6/14)
CalMatters:
Mask Vendor Sues Bank Over Lost Deal With California
The collapse of its deal to sell California $609 million worth of N95 masks has caused a medical supply company “enormous harm,” trashing the reputations of its politically-connected founders and triggering death threats, criminal investigations and cancellation of numerous contracts, according to a new lawsuit. The allegations are contained in the suit Blue Flame Medical filed today against Chain Bridge Bank, a Virginia-based bank that was involved in a $456.9 million wire transfer from the state of California to Blue Flame. (Rosenhall, 6/12)
Los Angeles Times:
Clowns Find New Ways To Bring Joy To Kids Amid Coronavirus
Guilford Adams makes children laugh. That’s been his job for nearly two decades. But that was before the novel coronavirus hit, changing not only his profession but his humor as well. On the first Monday in June, as he filled a large green suitcase with the props he would need to try to entertain 10 fidgety preschoolers at a Glendale day-care center for nearly an hour, Adams was worried his act would no longer work. Would the kids understand the jokes he must now shout through a face mask? Could they follow the silly magic tricks and sleight of hand from a socially safe distance? Would they even want the balloon animals once they had been scrubbed with a disinfectant? (Baxter, 6/15)
Sacramento Bee:
CA Online COVID-19 Marketplace Invaded By Hucksters, Scams
In early April, Gov. Gavin Newsom launched a website where people and companies could help California gear up for the coronavirus pandemic. The portal was designed as a marketplace for middlemen, manufacturers and business giants to pitch deals and donations with the state, which was scrambling to obtain medical supplies to fight COVID-19. For some, the site was a chance to clear out their closets. (Pohl and Sabalow, 6/15)
San Francisco Chronicle:
‘How Would I Lecture With A Mask On?’ Bay Area Professors Weigh Risk Of Returning To Classroom
As colleges in the Bay Area and across the country prepare for a fall term amid the coronavirus pandemic, faculty members wrestle with daunting challenges — including the health risks and logistical hurdles of potentially returning to the classroom. Ramona Naddaff, associate professor of rhetoric at UC Berkeley, mostly contemplates how to turn her classes into an engaging online experience. Naddaff assumes she will teach remotely this fall, partly because she cannot wrap her mind around resuming in-person teaching. (Kroichick, 6/15)
Fresno Bee:
Fresno County Coronavirus Update June 13: 69 New Cases
Fresno County has 69 additional cases of the coronavirus, its Department of Public Health reported Saturday. That brings Fresno County’s total to 2,547 positive test results for COVID-19 since the region’s first case was reported March 6. In addition, three more patients Saturday were listed as having been hospitalized at some point because of the coronavirus. In all, Fresno County has had 261 hospitalizations. (Anteola, 6/13)
Sacramento Bee:
Placer Supervisor Compares Coronavirus Mask To AIDS Ribbon
A member of Placer County’s Board of Supervisors broke with messaging from California and local health officials in a recent social media post that criticized the use of face masks as a legitimate form of protection against COVID-19. Kirk Uhler, who represents Granite Bay and portions of Roseville, compared coronavirus face masks to AIDS awareness ribbons popularized at the height of the epidemic as a symbol of support for survivors. (Moleski, 6/13)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Lose Your Job And Need Health Insurance? Here Are Some Options
Employees who lose jobs that came with health coverage have several options when it comes to staying insured, but here’s a new wrinkle that’s flown under the radar. Responding to the unemployment tsunami stemming from the coronavirus, the Department of Labor issued guidance on May 4 that gives laid-off workers a vastly expanded period of time in which to choose and pay for Cobra coverage. (Pender, 6/13)
San Francisco Chronicle:
3 Big California Police Unions Release National Reform Plan To Remove Racist Officers
Three major police unions in California introduced a reform agenda Sunday to improve outcomes between police officers and their communities and “root out any racist individual” from their ranks. The San Jose Police Officers’ Association, the San Francisco Police Officers Association and the Los Angeles Police Protective League outlined the plan in a full-page advertisement published Sunday in The Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, Los Angeles Times and Washington Post. (Sanchez, 6/14)
Los Angeles Times:
LAPD Violence Against George Floyd Protests Erodes Reforms
May Day, 2007, began peacefully in Los Angeles. It ended as another dark, violent chapter for the city’s Police Department. As annual immigrant rights demonstrations wound down, marchers gathered at MacArthur Park. When a small group of agitators threw bottles and other objects, disorganized police responded with shocking force on the entire crowd. Officers in riot gear swept through the park, firing hard projectiles and beating people. The ruthlessness — televised live — left nearly 250 protesters injured. The city was outraged. (Rubin, 6/14)
Los Angeles Times:
Inside The Case For Defunding Police In Schools
In the midst of the 1980s war on drugs and in the wake of devastating mass school shootings throughout the country, bolstering school police in Los Angeles was seen as a safety imperative by many educators and parents. But for the last decade, a number of student advocacy groups have pushed the school board to reduce police presence in their schools, saying Black and Latino children are targeted for discipline more than others. (Kohli and Blume, 6/15)
Sacramento Bee:
CA Could Have A Right To Housing Law To Help Homeless
Before the coronavirus sickened nearly 150,000 Californians and crashed the economy, Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers pledged to solve what was just months ago the state’s most pressing crisis: homelessness. Assembly Democrats recommitted themselves last week to that promise, passing bills that would create a right-to-housing law by 2026, speed construction of emergency shelters and provide more oversight of how government agencies spend money meant to get people off the streets. (Wiley, 6/15)
San Francisco Chronicle:
UCSF Hospital Revamp Plan Creates Ill Will In The Neighborhood
The University of California San Francisco touts its plan to build a new 1.5 million-square-foot hospital and research facility at its Parnassus Heights campus as a cure for both the antiquated condition of its current buildings and a severe shortage of beds that is forcing it to turn away about 3,000 patients annually over the past few years. The first phase of the plan, which has already received a $500 million pledge from the Helen Diller Foundation, “is intended to ensure that UCSF Medical Center can meet the growing — and currently unmet — demand for the complex adult care UCSF provides in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond,” according to UCSF spokeswoman Jennifer O’Brien. (Dineen, 6/14)