Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Medicare Open Enrollment Is Complicated. Here’s How to Get Good Advice.
It’s a complex program with many options — as well as confusing rules and nuances. Here’s how to get reliable guidance. (Bernard J. Wolfson, )
Governor, Family Under Quarantine After COVID Exposure: Gov. Gavin Newsom and his family are under quarantine after learning Friday evening that three of his children were exposed to a California Highway Patrol officer who tested positive for the coronavirus, the governor’s office said late Sunday. Newsom and his family tested negative for the virus Sunday morning. Read more from the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle and Sacramento Bee.
LA Homicides Rise To Highest Level in 11 Years: Amid a rash of weekend gun violence, Los Angeles early Sunday reached a bloody benchmark not seen in a decade: 300 homicides. The city has not surpassed 300 killings since 2009. Read more from the Los Angeles Times.
Below, check out the roundup of California Healthline’s coverage. For today's national health news, read KHN's Morning Briefing.
More News From Across The State
Bay Area News Group:
Bay Area County Hits A Record As California Coronavirus Cases Surge
San Mateo County recorded the most coronavirus cases it has logged since the start of the pandemic on Saturday as California and the Bay Area experienced a surge just days before major holiday traveling begins for many. Public health officials are strongly encouraging people to stay home for Thanksgiving and Christmas as coronavirus cases continue to surge nationwide. In California last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom instituted new restrictions subjecting most of the state to a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew in an effort to slow the spread. (Toledo, 11/22)
Sacramento Bee:
Kaiser Permanente Begins Testing Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate On Adolescents
Parents of some teenagers in the Sacramento region already have begun signing their children up for trials of the COVID-19 vaccine candidate produced by drugmakers Pfizer and BioNTech. In a video news conference, Kaiser Permanente announced Friday afternoon that it had begun to administer the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine candidate to adolescents in Sacramento and Santa Clara as part of the Phase 3 trial. (Anderson, 11/20)
Fresno Bee:
Fresno County Official: COVID-19 Vaccines Not Confirmed
Fresno County’s top health official said he’s hopeful vaccines are coming to the region next month — but he has gotten no confirmation that’s happening from state officials. Interim Health Officer Rais Vohra’s comments Friday appear to contradict comments this week from some members of Fresno City Council, who seemed confident vaccines were coming next month. (Miller, 11/20)
Southern California News Group:
The Next Big COVID Challenge? Keeping Vaccines Cold
Some are bigger than the fridge in your kitchen. Others are as small as the cooler you lug to the beach. They’re way colder than the Arctic, in extremely high demand and absolutely essential for getting the first wave of some coronavirus vaccines — “the proverbial light at the end of this very long, dark tunnel,” as Gov. Gavin Newsom said — from the manufacturer into the bodies of those who need protection. Most of these specialized freezers cost $7,000 to $15,000 each, with the most imposing models topping out at $26,000 — and California governments and health care providers are snapping them up as they lay the complex groundwork for a massive COVID-19 vaccination campaign that, they hope, marks the beginning of the pandemic’s end. (Sforza, 11/22)
San Francisco Chronicle:
More Than 200 Workers Test Positive For Coronavirus At Golden Gate Fields
The coronavirus has raced through Golden Gate Fields in the past week, infecting more than 200 people despite a shutdown of all racing at the Bay Area’s only horse track. Berkeley health and Golden Gate Fields officials announced Friday night that all employees who live or work at the track have been tested and that the screenings will continue. (Cabanatuan, 11/22)
Bay Area News Group:
Coronavirus: More Than 200 Cases Reported At Bay Area Horserace Track
Golden Gate Fields, the Bay Area’s major horse racing track, is experiencing a “significant outbreak” as cases of COVID-19 rise at an alarming rate across California. More than 200 people at the racetrack that is located along the shoreline of San Francisco Bay have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, Berkeley public health officials and track operators said in a joint news release. (Almond, 11/21)
Los Angeles Times:
Protesters Gather In O.C. In Defiance Of Coronavirus Curfew
A couple hundred protesters, many donning bright red caps and waving American flags, gathered Saturday night at Huntington Beach Pier in defiance of the state’s coronavirus curfew that went into effect at 10 p.m. Under the new stay-at-home order issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom, most nonessential activity is prohibited outside the home from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Many protesters said this restriction goes against their civil liberties. (Xia, 11/22)
Fresno Bee:
Is Anyone Enforcing COVID-19 Curfew In Fresno? Here’s Who
State alcohol officials say they will be enforcing Gov. Gavin Newsom’s curfew in Fresno and other parts of the central San Joaquin Valley, where municipalities have told their law enforcement not to. Leaders in Fresno, Merced, Kings and Tulare have told police officers to stick to their normal patrol and enforcement duties as the curfew or limited stay-at-home order goes into effect at 10 p.m. Saturday. (Miller, 11/21)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Despite Another Single-Day COVID Record, Many San Diegans Stick To Holiday Travel Plans
San Diego County reported yet another single-day record of COVID-19 cases Saturday, with 1,478 new infections and six new deaths.It’s the second single-day record in a row; the county reported 1,091 cases Friday. Despite the uptick and a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warning, about 30,000 people will fly in and out of San Diego International Airport each day during Thanksgiving week, according to the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. (Wosen, 11/21)
LA Daily News:
East San Fernando Valley: A ‘Perfect Storm’ For Alarming Coronavirus Spread
Janet Marinaccio watched as the stream of people wrapped around the block. Alongside, the line of cars stretched for more than 2 miles. Why the clamor? At the end of the lines sat 500 boxes of free food from the nonprofit she leads. “There’s far more people here than I think anybody imagined,” said Marinaccio, President and CEO of MEND (Meet Each Need with Dignity), which hosted the drive along with Pacoima Neighborhood Council and Assemblywoman Luz Rivas. “People are struggling. That’s the reality.” (Rosenfeld and Carter, 11/20)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
County Tries New Strategy To Cut Number Of Latinos Getting COVID-19
Latinos in Sonoma County have been infected by COVID-19 at a rate more than three times that of other residents, an entrenched problem rooted in longstanding inequities that has endured more than eight months into the pandemic. County leaders have been unable to significantly lessen the blow (Johnson, 11/21)
LA Daily News:
Wave Of Test Sites Swoop In, Responding To Deepening San Fernando Valley Coronavirus Crisis
Public officials have begun pouring more resources into the northeast San Fernando Valley, where several neighborhoods have topped the list of areas with the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the county, starting with ramped up testing. The recent surge in the county’s caseload has stunned officials and triggered tougher rules on businesses and individuals alike. In recent weeks, a nearby drive-thru site at Hansen Dam has been in high demand, with Mayor Eric Garcetti’s office increasing the hours into the evening two weeks ago. This week, amid news that one Valley neighborhood, Pacoima, has been ranked No. 1 in the daily rate of cases countywide, the mayor announced that he planned to open a “super walk-up” site that is expected to have a capacity to do 3,000 tests per day, as well as administer 300 to 500 flu shots. (Chou, 11/20)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Free COVID-19 Testing To Be Held At Bakersfield College
Bakersfield College's Panorama campus will be the site of free COVID-19 testing from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday. The self-swab tests will be offered in the parking lot at Haley Street and University Avenue. No appointment is necessary. The Kern County Latino COVID-19 Task Force, in collaboration with Kern County Public Health Services Department and the Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, is hosting the testing. (11/22)
Fresno Bee:
Want To Get Tested For COVID-19 In Fresno Before Thanksgiving? Here Are Your Options
Fresno County health officials warn against gathering for Thanksgiving but do recommend getting tested for coronavirus routinely. Fresno County Department of Public Health has created a COVID-19 testing web page that serves as a one-stop shop for testing locations. There is a calendar that shows daily testing events on that page, as well. (Calix, 11/20)
Fresno Bee:
Fresno Catholic Bishop Warns Against Coronavirus Vaccines
In the 12-minute video, during which the bishop quotes from the church’s Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith and also from the TV series “Star Trek,” [Bishop Joseph] Brennan said the church is not against vaccines created by good, ethical science. He had recently received a flu shot, and has taken shots to protect against pneumonia and the shingles. But Catholics must “always and only pursue vaccines that are ethical and morally acceptable,” and that the use of fetal stem cell material at any stage of a vaccine’s development means it would be off limits to Catholics. (Tehee, 11/20)
Bay Area News Group:
‘We Have No Business Taking Victory Laps:’ Just As Conditions Were Improving, Second Wave Of COVID-19 Strikes California Nursing Homes
Despite remaining sequestered inside their walls for more than eight months, almost totally isolated from family members and the outside world, residents of long-term care facilities across California now face another dangerous spread of the coronavirus in their midst. By Thursday evening the number of active COVID-19 cases within skilled nursing facilities reached at least 1,543, more than double the number at the start of this month, according to data published by the state health department. (Sciacca, 11/21)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Rare Coronavirus-Related Inflammatory Syndrome Strikes A Sebastopol Girl
Devi Katz and her 2-year-old daughter, Alma, were recently standing in line at the post office in Sebastopol when the toddler began screaming, “No shot, no shot! ”In Alma’s eyes, Katz saw the lingering fear and trauma from her hospital treatment over the summer for a rare coronavirus-related (Espinoza, 11/22)
Bay Area News Group:
49ers Beat Reporter Cam Inman Shares His COVID-19 Experience
Day 4 of my COVID-19 battle is when my chest tightened, as if by a woodshop vise. Sleeping more than a couple hours wasn’t possible. Turning on my side wasn’t working. This wasn’t going well. (Inman, 11/22)
Bay Area News Group:
What The Science Says About Coronavirus, Cold Weather, And Steps You Can Take To Stay Safe
As the weather cools, COVID-19 is only surging hotter across the country. With safer, outdoor gatherings less viable, people inevitably flock for warmth and shelter — and its more conducive environment for viral transmission. But there is new evidence of another factor driving the surge: This new coronavirus also thrives in colder conditions, as well as at extreme relative humidities. That can further guide public health measures, as well as your own personal actions through what has been billed as a long, dark winter. (Webeck, 11/21)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
We’re Closer Than Ever To A COVID-19 Vaccine. That Has Some San Diegans Of Color Concerned
Jackie Gooden isn’t against vaccines. The La Mesa resident works for Scripps Health, where she helps check in and schedule patients. She’s religious about making sure her young son and daughter have gotten all their shots. But this time feels different. Gooden, who is Black and Latina, wishes she could get clear answers to a few pressing questions about the push for a COVID-19 vaccine. “What’s the rush of getting this out? And what’s the rush of getting communities of color (involved)?” Gooden said. “That’s a big red flag.” (Wosen and Lopez-Villafana, 11/22)
Los Angeles Times:
Hospitals Brace For COVID Surge, Fearing Shortages, Burnout
Since the middle of October, doctors and nurses at Loma Linda University Medical Center had been warily watching news reports of a spike in COVID-19 patients in the Midwest. They knew that, sooner or later, their own hospital would be hard hit. They just didn’t know when. Last week, they found out. In one 24-hour period, 15 COVID-19 patients were admitted to Loma Linda in what Dr. Michael Matus, chief of hospitalist medicine, described as “a huge rush of patients.” (La Ganga and Mejia, 11/22)
Orange County Register:
COVID-19 Outbreak At Concordia University Infects Almost 50 Students, 16 Employees
Nearly 50 students and 16 employees have tested positive for COVID-19 at Concordia University in Irvine, the school’s coronavirus dashboard for active cases showed on Saturday, Nov. 21.One day after the university confirmed a COVID-19 outbreak, its dashboard for active cases showed that 49 on-campus students and 16 on-campus employees have tested positive for COVID-19. (Albano, 11/21)
Sacramento Bee:
COVID-19: Sacramento State Moves More CSU Classes Online
Sacramento State will further reduce the number of people on campus for the rest of the fall 2020 semester due to a rise in COVID-19 cases in the capital region. University President Robert S. Nelsen announced Friday that many classes that have been held face-to-face this semester would switch to online, effective Monday. (Burke, 11/22)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
A Cellphone-Based COVID Alert Soon Will Be Available To UC San Diego Health Users
About two weeks after 18-year-old Philip Tajanko moved into his UC San Diego dorm room, he tested positive for COVID-19. He has no idea where he caught the disease. Tajanko isn’t alone. Many people diagnosed with COVID-19 don’t know where they came down with the illness, making it nearly impossible for county disease detectives to track down everyone who may have been exposed. (Winkley, 11/21)
Orange County Register:
Unresponsive, Elderly Patient Spent Two Hours In Loma Linda VA Waiting Room Before Death
An unresponsive patient who was at least 90 years old sat for two hours in the Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Veterans Hospital emergency department waiting room last year before having vitals taken and then quickly dying in an examination room, federal officials say. In a 24-page report, the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Office of Inspector General said the hospital, which is part of the VA Loma Linda Health Care System, did not require the emergency department’s “first look” nurse to obtain or document vital signs in assessing and prioritizing patients. (Schwebke, 11/21)
Fresno Bee:
Pandemic Drinking Causes Fresno Spike In Deadly Liver Disease
By now you’ve probably seen the memes on social media about drinking alcohol to cope with the stresses of the coronavirus pandemic. A Fresno doctor issued a warning about the serious consequences of coping with pandemic stress by drinking, and she painted a scary picture of what’s she’s seeing in the hospital. UCSF Fresno gastroenterologist and hepatologist Dr. Marina Roytman said since the start of the coronavirus pandemic she has seen in Fresno an “unprecedented” number of cases of acute alcoholic hepatitis. (Calix, 11/21)
Sacramento Bee:
Rise In Rare, Severe Gonorrhea Complications Concerns California Health Officials
After months of reports on COVID-19, the California Department of Public Health has issued a warning about a different concerning disease: gonorrhea. CDHP has received multiple reports of a severe form of gonorrhea called disseminated gonococcal infections (DGI), which is a rare and severe complication of untreated gonorrhea. The complications are preventable through treatment of gonorrhea but Dr. Erica Pan, the acting State Public Health Officer, is concerned that many cases of the sexually transmitted disease have gone undiagnosed and untreated due to people not getting care or testing during the coronavirus pandemic. (Burke, 11/21)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Valley Of Hope Gala Raises $108K For American Cancer Society Programs In Kern County
The Valley of Hope Gala that raises money for the American Cancer Society went virtual this year. Even though it wasn't the large outdoor event it typically is, organizers say that local donors stepped up for their annual fundraiser and raised $108,000. (Gallegos, 11/20)
Bay Area News Group:
Rally Calls For Attention To Medical Case Of East Bay Murder Defendant
Several dozen supporters on Sunday demanded the release of an 18-year-old man being held on a murder charge at the Martinez Detention Facility, alleging Tyejaun Shepherd is not receiving proper medical care for a deteriorating condition. Shepherd’s mother, Lavette Alexander of Richmond, led the rally to call attention to health care issues at the Contra Costa County jail, organizers said. Shepherd is charged with murder in the September shooting death of Kevin Santisteban, 24, on Interstate 80 in San Pablo. Alexander said that her son entered jail last month and suddenly developed a severe stutter, loss of mobility on his right side and memory loss. (Almond, 11/22)
San Francisco Chronicle:
No Doggies In The Window As S.F. Christmas Tradition Goes Virtual At Union Square
No puppies will climb over each other in the windows at Macy’s in San Francisco this season, and there will be no kittens rolling around. Instead, when the SPCA’s annual Holiday Windows exhibit opens Tuesday, people pressed against the glass will see orphan pets doing what they always do — but on video monitors. (Whiting, 11/22)
Bay Area News Group:
How Bay Area Dentists Have Adjusted Their Practices During A Pandemic
With everyone wearing masks, shields and gowns, the waiting room closed and magazines nowhere in sight, your next trip to the dentist might be a little jarring. Although many businesses have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, dentists have faced some of the biggest challenges because numerous procedures routinely use instruments that can create droplets and aerosols, posing potential risks of transmission. (Prieve, 11/22)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Fourth West Nile Virus Case Reported In Kern
A fourth West Nile Virus case was reported in Kern County this week by the California Department of Public Health, which updates cases weekly on its website. The county's first case of 2020 was reported on Oct. 6. (11/20)