Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Keeping The COVID Plague At Bay: How California Is Protecting Older Veterans
Even as COVID-19 has ravaged nursing homes around the country, California has managed to keep the virus at bay at its eight state-run homes for frail and older veterans. What exactly went right? (Dan Morain, )
‘An Arm And A Leg’: Health Care Takes A Financial Hit In The Midst Of Pandemic
In the first quarter of 2020, half the country’s economic devastation happened in the health care sector. Much of the slowdown came after hospitals postponed elective surgeries and as Americans skipped routine doctor’s office visits. (Dan Weissmann, )
Newsom Administration Threatens To Block Aid For Rural Counties Disobeying Stay-At-Home Orders: Mark Ghilarducci, director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, sent nearly identical letters dated May 7 to Yuba, Sutter and Modoc counties, where local officials lifted restrictions and allowed gyms, restaurants, shopping malls, hair salons and other businesses to open their doors again, ahead of the state’s plans. Ghilarducci said disaster funding is predicated on jurisdictions needing help in extraordinary circumstances, and if the counties believe there’s no emergency and choose to defy the governor’s order, then they won’t be able to prove they need such funds. In a joint statement, the counties said they are “working to do what is best for the overall health of our communities and coordinating with governor’s representatives on achieving balance with his order,” and look forward to discussing their Stage 2 application. Read more from Taryn Luna of the Los Angeles Times.
California’s Cases, Death Totals Still Rising Faster Than Researchers Expected: Cases and deaths in the state have remained relatively flat in recent weeks, with some areas, including Los Angeles County, continuing to see rapid growth. Researchers are now predicting that California could see more than 6,000 COVID-19 deaths by the end of August, up about 1,420 from projections they released last Monday. It’s the fifth-largest increase in projected death tolls among U.S. states, after Pennsylvania, Illinois, Arizona and Florida. California added 2,244 coronavirus cases and 64 related deaths on Saturday. About 40% of the new cases — 907 — were reported by Los Angeles County, as were 45 of the new deaths, or about 70% of the statewide death toll. Read more from Alex Wigglesworth, Laura King and Richard Winton of the Los Angeles Times.
Even Wealthy Hospitals Are Struggling To Keep Heads Above Water: Since the shutdown, hospital revenue has dried up, with procedures from allergy shots to $68,000 knee-replacement surgeries halted. And hospitals throughout the Bay Area have found themselves in the unprecedented position of having few customers — not even many with COVID-19. MarinHealth, Kaiser Permanente, Sutter Health, UCSF and St. Joseph Health in the North Bay are among many hospital operators that have spent considerably more this spring, while earning considerably less. Only now, as the number of new coronavirus cases seems to have roughly plateaued across the Bay Area even with expanded testing, are hospitals slowly reintroducing regular surgeries and medical care, and beginning to assess the damage. Read more from Mallory Moench of the San Francisco Chronicle.
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
San Francisco Chronicle:
California Is Ramping Up Antibody Tests. The Technology Is Promising, But Big Questions Remain
California public health officials have begun distributing tens of thousands of coronavirus antibody tests from Abbott Laboratories to more than a dozen labs across the state as counties prepare to reopen and allow people to return to work, school and recreation. Other testing and health service companies are promoting antibody testing as a way to help people feel safer, get back to work and establish “a path toward normalcy for Americans.” (Dizikes, 5/9)
San Francisco Chronicle:
How Close Are Bay Area Counties To Meeting State Criteria For Reopening? Nowhere Near
Bay Area counties are nowhere near meeting the governor’s criteria for reopening some parts of the state ahead of others. Even though most of the region was planning to move at a slower pace anyway, the gaps between who’s ready and who’s not underscore just how varied the coronavirus outbreak has been across California. (Allday and Palomino, 5/8)
Sacramento Bee:
Protesters Descend On Capitol In Sacramento On Saturday
Dozens of demonstrators in militia clothing descended Saturday on the west side of the state Capitol, one of at least three groups protesting California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s coronavirus stay-at-home order in downtown Sacramento. A group calling itself the 2nd Regiment of the California State Militia held a silent vigil on the sidewalk, where three other big demonstrations have been held in recent weeks. More than 75 California Highway Patrol officers stood guard behind steel barricades that were set up Thursday to keep a large group from entering the Capitol grounds. (Stanton and Kasler, 5/9)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Dozens Rally At SF City Hall To Get Coronavirus Restrictions Dropped
Supporters of the movement to reopen California by abandoning restrictions to slow the spread of the coronavirus rallied Saturday in front of San Francisco City Hall, but their numbers were modest and their actions as mellow as the noontime sunshine. That stood in stark contrast to recent rallies in Michigan, where some showed up with rifles — and in Sacramento on Saturday, where a cluster of anti-shutdown demonstrations included dozens of people in camouflage uniforms standing in silent protest while California Highway Patrol officers blocked access to the Capitol grounds. (Cabanatuan, 5/9)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Nearly 50% Of State’s COVID-19 Deaths Are Residents, Staff At Nursing, Care Homes
Residents and staff in California skilled nursing and senior residential facilities account for nearly half of the state’s COVID-19 deaths, data shows. The state departments of public health and social services released cumulative data on Friday revealing the extent to which the potentially deadly coronavirus has swept through congregate homes for the most vulnerable. (Bauman, 5/8)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. Nurse Dies After Treating A Coronavirus Patient
The decision that Celia Marcos made, the one that would ultimately steal years from her life, had been hard-wired after decades working as a nurse. On the ward that she oversaw at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, a man with COVID-19 had stopped breathing. Marcos’ face was covered only with a thin surgical mask, and obtaining a more protective N95 mask before entering his room would have wasted valuable time, her colleagues say. (Karlamangla, 5/10)
Los Angeles Times:
Amid Coronavirus, Newsom's Social Media Raises Awareness, His Profile
The first California governor to fully embrace social media while in office and unleash it as an extension of the bully pulpit, Newsom has capitalized on viral moments, enlisting celebrities as his surrogates to persuade the state’s residents to abide by his stay-at-home order and touting his frequent television appearances to discuss the pandemic on Facebook and Twitter. Though they might seem to be impromptu missives fired off at all hours of the day, Newsom’s tweets and other social media posts are part of a well-oiled machine, written and at times meticulously planned by staff and paid political advisors. (Willon, Lu and Stoudt, 5/10)
CalMatters:
New California Child Care Website Comes Up Short
The state's new child care portal to help essential workers find child care during the pandemic lacks key information, including many providers' names, available slots, violations and cost. But a more elaborate site is to launch in July. (Aguilera, 5/10)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Bay Area Cities Face Grim Financial Outlook Amid Budget Slashing. Here’s What They Are Planning To Cut
The economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic is leaving deep scars on the budgets of Bay Area cities. While the newest round of health orders that took effect last week across much of the region relaxed restrictions for some businesses, efforts to stop the spread of the virus by sheltering in place and shuttering most commercial activity have walloped cities across the board. Sales tax revenues have plunged, as have hotel tax receipts, and income from parking, tourism and other funding sources. That has forced cities to confront difficult, complex spending choices while dealing with a still-unfolding pandemic as pressure mounts to reopen. (Fracassa and Swan, 5/10)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. County: 18 More Coronavirus-Related Deaths, 484 New Cases
Los Angeles County public health officials on Sunday reported 484 new cases of COVID-19 and 18 coronavirus-related deaths. Long Beach, which has its own health department, reported an additional 17 cases and one new death, bringing the county’s total to 31,694 cases and 1,531 deaths. “Each day, we report these numbers knowing that there are people who are grieving their loved ones who have passed away from COVID-19,” Barbara Ferrer, the county public health director, said in a statement. “To all of you, we are so deeply sorry for your loss.” (Wigglesworth, 5/10)
Sacramento Bee:
Coronavirus Cluster In Pasadena Traced To Birthday Party
A birthday party in Pasadena, California, after a stay-home order sent at least five guests home with an unwelcome gift — the COVID-19 virus, city officials say. “One person showed up to the party exhibiting symptoms and joking she may have the virus,” Lisa Derderian, spokeswoman for the city of Pasadena, said in an email, the Los Angeles Times reported. “The aftermath affected several others who became seriously ill because of one person’s negligent and selfish behavior,” Derderian said, according to the publication. (Sweeney, 5/10)
Los Angeles Times:
An Economic Tsunami Could Soon Thrust Half A Billion People Into Extreme Poverty
It seemed like Silvanah Lima was finally getting ahead. Born and raised in Brazil’s drought-ridden northeast, she moved with her partner to Rio de Janeiro in 2018, in search of work. He was hired as a janitor; she began selling meals on the street, and soon they were bringing in $280 a month — enough to start saving to one day build a house back home. The novel coronavirus pushed that dream out of reach. Lima, who has diabetes and heart problems, putting her at higher risk of dying if she contracts the virus, stopped working once the pandemic took hold in her sprawling slum, known as the City of God. (Linthicum, Bulos and Ionova, 5/11)
San Francisco Chronicle:
San Francisco’s Coronavirus Job Losses Pile Up, And This May Be Just The Start
More than 166,000 people work at San Francisco businesses that have fully or partially closed under the city’s shelter-in-place order, and the hours they’ve lost have resulted in an estimated $879 million-a-month plunge in wages, according to a new survey by the city controller’s office. They work at places that were “either forced to shut down or forced to change the business model in a way that will reduce revenues, like restaurants having to do takeout only,” said Ted Egan, the city’s chief economist. (Matier, 5/10)
Sacramento Bee:
Great Recession Prompted CA State Worker Furloughs. What Now?
The last time California faced a massive budget deficit, the governor soon started talking about furloughs. Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed unpaid days off for state workers in 2008, when the state faced a roughly $40 billion deficit. On Thursday, the Department of Finance projected a $54 billion deficit, raising questions about where the state will look to reduce spending this time around. (Venteicher, 5/11)
San Francisco Chronicle:
How To Lure Back California Workers Making More On Unemployment Than They Did On The Job
As employers plan to ramp up or reopen, some are realizing that low- to middle-wage workers might not want to be called back because they are making more money on unemployment than they did working, thanks to the extra $600 per week everyone on unemployment is getting from April through the end of July from the federal government under the Cares Act. A handful of Republican senators, including South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham, threatened to hold up the Cares Act, saying that giving people more than 100% of their wages could create “a strong incentive for employees to be laid off instead of going to work.” They all ended up voting for the bill. (Pender, 5/9)
Los Angeles Times:
Coronavirus: Black Angelenos Fear Another Tuskegee Experiment
The invitation to participate in a COVID-19 antibody study arrived in Jacquelyn Temple’s inbox early last month. Initially, the 72-year-old Leimert Park resident felt hope. She wondered whether the study and accompanying blood test could answer why she had been experiencing months of respiratory problems, even through her coronavirus test had come back negative. Maybe, she thought, the test would reveal that she had been exposed and recovered. Then she was hit with what she calls “a Tuskegee moment.” (Jennings, 5/10)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Coronavirus And Eye Care: Bay Area Experts Weigh In On Glasses, Contacts And Foggy Lenses
From obsessively washing your hands to rigorously disinfecting your groceries, the coronavirus pandemic has introduced inconveniences to our daily routines. For the 2 out of 3 people around the world who wear corrective eyewear, it has brought on a series of additional problems. Should you wear glasses or contacts? Should you still schedule routine eye care appointments? And now that face coverings are necessary, what’s the best way to prevent foggy lenses? (Vaziri, 5/10)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Bay Area Baby’s Case May Be First That Links COVID-19 To Kawasaki Disease
Dr. Veena Jones was on her morning commute from her home in Menlo Park to her office at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto when she learned of lab test results that might have caused her to swerve off on El Camino Real if she hadn’t already been driving cautiously in the slow lane. The 6-month old patient she was on her way to release after treatment for a rare inflammatory condition called Kawasaki disease had tested positive for the coronavirus. It was March 16, just before the widespread shelter-in-place order and long before there was any reason to consider a link between COVID-19 and the feverish and inflammatory symptoms of Kawasaki Disease. (Whiting, 5/10)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Newsom’s Mystifying Claim That California’s First Community COVID-19 Case Came From A Nail Salon
On Thursday, when asked why personal services such as barbers and spas would not open in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom stated that the first community transmission of the coronavirus in the state came from a nail salon. On Friday, he repeated the claim. His comments have caused a stir, shining a spotlight on an industry run predominantly by women and foreign-born residents that has been hurting since the shelter-in-place shutdown. But is Newsom’s comment accurate? Publicly released data about a Santa Clara County case and records reviewed by The Chronicle raise questions. (Gafni, 5/10)
CalMatters:
Why Is The Coronavirus Deadly For So Many Blacks In Los Angeles?
Spread of the virus has been fairly egalitarian among races. But the death toll is hitting L.A. County's black residents the hardest. (Duara, 5/9)
Fresno Bee:
As Temps Rise, So Does Desire To Escape Coronavirus Lockdown
Temperatures approached 100 degrees in some parts of the Valley on Saturday, but that did little to keep some people from taking an opportunity to get out of their houses and into the sunshine after seven weeks of sheltering in place during the coronavirus pandemic. As more businesses got the green light from state and local leaders to begin restricted reopening with social-distancing requirements, Fresno area residents made the best of a limited situation. (Sheehan, 5/9)
Fresno Bee:
Fresno County Short Of Key California COVID-19 Reopening Goals
New benchmarks issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state Department of Health Services set forth a path for California counties to enter the next phase of reopening their economies from a coronavirus lockdown at a faster pace than the state as a whole. But under the criteria announced Thursday, Fresno County has considerable ground to make up before it can begin allowing a larger array of businesses to reopen while maintaining social distancing measures to prevent a resurgence of COVID-19 infections. “The state has laid out a very detailed framework,” said Dr. Rais Vohra, Fresno County’s interim health officer. “We have a lot of work to do.” (Sheehan, 5/9)
Fresno Bee:
Tulare County Reports More Than 5 Dozen Coronavirus Cases
Tulare County health officials reported 66 new cases of people who tested positive for COVID-19, including two more deaths associated with complications from the disease. The new cases bring the total confirmed coronavirus cases to 1,079, including 46 deaths, in Tulare County since the county’s first cases were reported in mid-March, said Jacob Jimenez, a TulareWorks family advocate for the county’s Health and Human Services Agency. (Sheehan, 5/9)
Sacramento Bee:
New Free Sacramento County COVID-19 Testing Locations Opening
Sacramento County is ramping up coronavirus testing capacity, with plans to open three new COVID-19 testing walk-up clinics in underserved communities by the end of next week. The additional testing sites will be a key way for public health officials to track and tamp down on new potential coronavirus outbreaks, as California begins to slowly ease stay-at-home restrictions. Last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state should hit 60,000 to 80,000 daily tests before reopening businesses. (Yoon-Hendricks and Bizjak, 5/9)
Sacramento Bee:
California Prisons Sell Masks, Sanitizer To Government
A California prison agency that relies on inmate labor is selling hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of masks and sanitizer to state government agencies, charging prices that give it a profit of about 80 cents a mask. The California Prison Industry Authority is selling cloth barrier masks for up to $3.10 each to at least 14 state departments in the last three weeks, according to procurement records. By contrast, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration is buying surgical masks, which can be disposable after one use, from Chinese manufacturer BYD for 55 cents each, according to contracts his administration released this week. (Venteicher, 5/10)
Los Angeles Times:
Stir-Crazy Californians Are Crowding Arizona's Lake Havasu
Every year, the seasons in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., are marked by the arrival and departure of tourists. The retirees with second homes fly down in the fall and leave in April, right around the time spring breakers descend upon Lake Havasu, the 19,300-acre turquoise oasis that straddles the California-Arizona border. (Newberry, 5/11)
Los Angeles Times:
Coronavirus Adds New Hurdles For Those With Health Issues
After nearly six years waiting for a kidney transplant, Amar Abu-Samrah found out late last year that she was near the top of the list. In mid-March, the coronavirus outbreak forced the transplant center to postpone most procedures. Since then, Abu-Samrah, 24, has been trying to limit her potential for exposure to the novel coronavirus as much as possible: She’s doing more doctor appointments over the phone and avoiding hospital waiting rooms when she goes in for lab work. The Westminster resident, who lives with her parents, is even limiting contact with family members to mealtimes, knowing her kidney failure puts her at high risk if she contracts COVID-19. (John, 5/11)