Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Nursing Home Outbreak Spotlights Coronavirus Risk In Elder Care Facilities
The spread of coronavirus disease to a skilled nursing facility in Washington state underscores the risk the deadly new virus poses in elder care facilities, where illnesses caused by more common pathogens, like seasonal influenza, often spread rapidly. (JoNel Aleccia, )
California Confirms At Least 5 New Coronavirus Cases As U.S. Reports 2 Deaths: Bay Area health officials announced five new coronavirus cases Sunday, reinforcing warnings from the Centers for Disease Control that the outbreak may become a pandemic. The diagnoses include two East Bay health care workers who probably have the virus, public health officials in Alameda and Solano counties said. In Santa Clara County, officials with the Public Health Department identified three new cases Sunday, bringing the county’s total number to seven. One case is an adult woman with chronic health conditions who is hospitalized, the county said in a statement. The other two are a husband and wife who recently traveled to Egypt. Both individuals are hospitalized, and the husband has chronic health issues. Meanwhile, since a COVID-19 patient was admitted to UC Davis Medical Center on Feb. 19, 124 nurses and health care workers who were at high risk of having been exposed to the coronavirus were told by the hospital to quarantine themselves at home. The workers are being paid during this period. Read more from Tatiana Sanchez of the San Francisco Chronicle, Ariana Remmel of KQED, and Soumya Karlamangla of the Los Angeles Times.
California Bracing For An Outbreak: Public health departments in the Bay Area say they’re corralling resources for the upcoming challenges. School and college officials are preparing for a growing likelihood that the highly contagious virus will disrupt learning and spark panic in young people and their naturally protective caretakers. Businesses and churches, concert halls and sporting arenas, public transit agencies and airports all are bracing for potential crisis levels of illness. “I would assume that in this country, we’ll be pretty far out in front of this,” said Dr. George Rutherford of UCSF.
Read more from Erin Allday of the San Francisco Chronicle; Ricardo Cano, Felicia Mello and Elizabeth Aguilera of CalMatters; and Tatina Sanchez and John King of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Handling Of Quarantines, Hospitalizations And Testing Practices For California Cases Put Under Microscope: Sharp questions are being asked about the timeline between the arrival of hundreds of people at Travis Air Force Base and the coronavirus infection of a woman who lived in the same county as the military installation. For investigators, that timeline could shed light on how the disease is spreading and whether federal authorities botched the re-entry process for those returning from China. For others, the sequence of events is too coincidental to be ignored. Did health authorities allow the Travis evacuees to bring COVID-19 to California — and for those who came in contact with them to spread it? Meanwhile, the Solano County woman’s case prompted federal health officials on Thursday to revise guidelines that will increase the number of people who should be tested, adding criteria that would have caught this mysterious case.
Read more from Jason Pohl, Francesca Chambers, Darrell Smith and Cathie Anderson of the Sacramento Bee; Bill Chappell and Selena Simmons-Duffin of NPR; and Lisa M. Krieger and Annie Sciacca of the Bay Area News Group.
In related news on California and the coronavirus:
Los Angeles Times: Could The Coronavirus Hit California’s Homeless Population? Health Officials Are Worried
Los Angeles Times: How This Coronavirus Kills Its Victims
Los Angeles Times: Q&A: I Have A Cough And Fever. Should I Get Checked For Coronavirus?
KQED: What Californians Need To Know About The Coronavirus
Sacramento Bee: Long Before Coronavirus, Bubonic Plague Panicked California. A Cover-Up Toppled The Governor
The Mercury News: California Man With Coronavirus: It’s Been Easier Than Having A Cold
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:
L.A.'s Top Homeless Services Agency Could Be In For Overhaul
Given its name, it’s not surprising that many view the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority as a one-stop shop for solving the county’s homelessness crisis. Yet it’s the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services that tends to people on the streets with physical ailments and the Department of Mental Health that serves mentally ill homeless people. And it’s the city that has taken the responsibility of building permanent supportive housing, and it’s the county that funds the services. And the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that works with homeless veterans. (Smith and Oreskes, 3//2)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Is This Normal? New Tool Helps Parents Assess Child's Development, Identify Delays
It's a situation countless parents of young children encounter — you suspect your child could be hyperactive only to be told by relatives to relax. "He's just a boy," they say. Or you've tried potting training for months and are getting nowhere. Is that normal? Now local parents have a resource to go to with those questions. (3/1)
The Bakersfield Californian:
A Tough Job But Someone's Got To Do It: Therapy Dogs Help Relieve Stress Around Kern County
Nobody is excited to visit the dentist's office. The very thought of going to the dentist's office can send just about anyone into a panic attack. There is an individual who has made it his mission to relieve some of the fear of a routine checkup. Hugo, a maltipoo, is afraid of just about everything except for humans. When someone visits Dr. Reza Moghbel's office, Hugo is the first to greet them. (West, 3/1)
Sacramento Bee:
Which Workers Have The Longest Lifespans? Teachers
Two years ago, the California State Teachers’ Retirement System recognized the trend when it adjusted its mortality tables, acknowledging that both male and female retirees were living about two to three years longer on average than the pension fund’s previous model projected. That means the pension fund has to manage money wisely to make sure retirees can count on their benefits for decades to come. “Monitoring life expectancy of CalSTRS members is extremely important for the long-term sustainability of the system, and CalSTRS actuarial staff monitors changes on an annual basis,” said CalSTRS spokesman Thomas Lawrence. (Sheeler, 3/2)