Latest California Healthline Stories
Daily Edition for Thursday, July 30, 2020
California Sets COVID Record—Again: For the third time in the past week, California set a new record for daily deaths from COVID-19 on Wednesday, sparing few corners of the state. Six counties reported at least 10 fatalities, including 51 in Los Angeles. The seven-day average climbed higher than it has ever been, 119 deaths per day over the past week, even as the number of new cases has plateaued around 9,215 per day, with another 10,006 reported on Tuesday. The state previously set a daily record last Wednesday, then broke that mark the next day. Read more from Evan Webeck of The Mercury News.
Daily Edition for Wednesday, July 29, 2020
Newsom Blocks Funds For Defiant Cities: Gov. Gavin Newsom is using new powers to withhold money from two cities in California’s Central Valley that are defying his health orders by allowing all businesses to open during the pandemic. Newsom blocked nearly $65,000 from Atwater in Merced County and more than $35,000 from Coalinga in Fresno County, the first installments of $2.5 billion in federal funds that cities and counties across the state risk losing if they don’t toe the line on coronavirus safeguards. The city councils in both cities met Monday and stuck with their resolutions. Read more from Don Thompson of The Associated Press.
Daily Edition for Tuesday, July 28, 2020
Smoke From Burning Ship Likely Contained Toxic Chemicals, Health Officials Say: Air sampling recently revealed that the Navy ship that burned in San Diego Bay early this month blanketed nearby communities with smoke containing toxic chemicals. As black smoke poured off the USS Bonhomme Richard, people in portside communities complained of headaches and nausea, and residents as far north as Escondido reported smelling smoke from the blaze. The findings from the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District contradict statements by the Navy that “there’s nothing toxic in there.” Testing found more than a dozen potentially harmful substances, such as benzene, chloromethane and acetonitrile. Read more from Joshua Emerson Smith of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Daily Edition for Monday, July 27, 2020
Stop Partying At Lake Merritt, Oakland Officials Warn: Oakland officials pleaded with residents Friday to stop gathering at Lake Merritt as hundreds more Alameda County residents tested positive and pushed the number of coronavirus cases to more than 10,000 — the first Bay Area county to reach that milestone. Although city officials outlawed vendors and weekend parking at parks in May, they have not enforced the ban. Nearly 60 vendors sold food, alcohol, cannabis and merchandise at Lake Merritt last weekend, and people showed up by the hundreds. “It’s exploded,” said Joe DeVries, an assistant to the city administrator. He said the city will first warn, then fine, vendors who show up by slapping administrative penalties on their vehicles. Read more from Sarah Ravani of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Daily Edition for Friday, July 24, 2020
Nursing Home Inspectors Say They Weren’t Tested For COVID: Since early in the COVID-19 pandemic, California health officials have required nursing homes to bar entry to outsiders who might bring the coronavirus in with them. But there’s one group California health officials have knowingly sent from nursing home to nursing home without first testing them for the lethal virus: state inspectors. In interviews, eight registered nurses working as inspectors said they are exposed to the virus on an almost-daily basis and that they could easily be spreading the disease. Read more from Jack Dolan and Brittny Mejia of the Los Angeles Times.
Daily Edition for Thursday, July 23, 2020
A Grim Milestone For California: It was a bad day for the state's fight against the coronavirus. First, California surpassed New York for the highest number of aggregate cases in the country. Then, Gov. Gavin Newsom reported a record number of new daily cases, with 12,807 Californians testing positive, according to Wednesday’s latest figures. “It’s another reminder, if I need to remind anybody, of the magnitude of the impact the virus continues to have,” Newsom said. California is No. 1 in part because it is the most populous state but also because millions of residents can't or won't social distance or wear a mask. Read more from Mallory Moench of the San Francisco Chronicle and Luke Money and James Rainey of the Los Angeles Times.
Daily Edition for Wednesday, July 22, 2020
Huntington Beach Becomes Bastion Of Resistance: More than any other place in California, Huntington Beach has come to symbolize resistance to many of the coronavirus safety rules government officials have imposed in recent months. “I don’t believe the rates are rising,” said resident Brad Colburn, 58. “They’re inflated. It’s another way of shutting everything down … of the Democrats trying to get what they want.” Colburn said he has yet to wear a mask outside of shopping. Read more from Jake Sheridan of the Los Angeles Times.
Daily Edition for Tuesday, July 21, 2020
California Sues To Keep Protections For LGBTQ Residents: California joined a lawsuit with 22 other states against the Trump administration on Monday seeking to protect anti-discrimination language in the Affordable Care Act that the White House last month moved to eliminate. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and others have accused the Department of Health and Human Services of trying to roll back parts of the rule that shield LGBTQ, pregnant and non-fluent people from losing out on health care. The rule, Becerra said, is “mean and unconstitutional” and “unbelievably immoral.” The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Read more from Matt Kristoffersen of the Sacramento Bee.
Daily Edition for Monday, July 20, 2020
L.A. ‘On The Brink’ Of More Shutdowns, Mayor Warns: L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti delivered a fresh warning Sunday during an appearance on CNN that the city was “on the brink” of imposing new restrictions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Los Angeles County public health officials on Sunday reported 2,848 newly confirmed cases. Even without Garcetti’s intervention, a series of state-imposed restrictions recently took effect, including a ban on indoor restaurant dining and the closing of bars, malls and other retailers in L.A. County and other counties on the state’s watch list. Read more from Howard Blume and Alex Wigglesworth of the Los Angeles Times.
Daily Edition for Friday, July 17, 2020
Fresh Air? Check. Social Distancing? Check. But Yosemite, It Turns Out, Isn’t Immune To COVID: Like a lot of the rural West, Yosemite National Park stood as a safe haven from the coronavirus. No park employees or residents tested positive. No visitors reported being sick. But this week, lab analysis of sewage from Yosemite revealed the presence of the virus. Dozens of people in Yosemite Valley are believed to have been infected. “It’s one thing to live in denial: We live in the mountains, no one’s sick,” said Eric Sergienko, the health officer for Mariposa County, who is overseeing coronavirus testing in the Yosemite area. “But we can now confirm it’s here.” Read more from Kurtis Alexander of the San Francisco Chronicle.