Latest California Healthline Stories
Daily Edition for Monday, June 1, 2020
Protests In California Create Perfect Environment For Second COVID Wave With Black Americans Most Vulnerable, Experts Say: The collision of long-standing anger over police killings of Black Americans and the newer threat of the COVID-19 pandemic have become a joint crisis in Los Angeles and across the country. The coronavirus has been especially devastating to black communities, with black people making up a disproportionate share of COVID-19 deaths. Now people are being faced with a dilemma: How to weigh the risks of protesting during the pandemic.
Daily Edition for Friday, May 29, 2020
In Counties That Reopened Earliest, Coronavirus Cases Are Climbing Again: Sonoma County was one of the first regions in California to begin reopening after months of restrictions aimed at controlling the spread of the coronavirus. Now, the county has reported 203 new cases of the virus in the last 14 days, doubling its case rate in that time from 20 per 100,000 residents to 41 per 100,000, the county’s health officer, Dr. Sundari Mase, said. And rural Lassen County, which had been one of only two California counties untouched by COVID-19, halted its reopening and ordered restaurants, retail shops and other venues to shut down after reporting its first five cases this week.
Daily Edition for Thursday, May 28, 2020
As Nation Marks 100,000 Deaths, California Hits 100,000 Cases Milestone: Two different totals surpassed that milestone on Wednesday. After roughly 10 weeks of growth — explosive at some points, steadier at others — the U.S. death toll from the coronavirus surpassed 100,000 on Wednesday, according to data maintained by Johns Hopkins University. The tally comes four months after federal officials confirmed the first known case in the country. Almost simultaneously, Johns Hopkins showed California reaching a total of 100,000 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the highly contagious virus. “The reality is this pandemic has just begun, it hasn’t ended,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said during his daily coronavirus briefing on Tuesday. “And while we are moving forward because of stabilization, because of the good work that’s been done by health officials all across this nation, all across the state of California, specifically to suppress the spread of this virus by no stretch of the imagination, is this virus behind us.” Read more from Michael McGough of the Sacramento Bee.
Daily Edition for Wednesday, May 27, 2020
California Assembly Criticizes Newsom’s ‘Devastating’ Budget Cuts: The California Assembly slammed Gov. Gavin Newsom’s budget proposal, criticizing his proposed cuts to health care and other programs during a rare meeting that allowed them to question the administration directly. “The cuts to our seniors, our children and our women are devastating,” said Assemblywoman Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, a Democrat from Orinda. “Is that who we are as a state?” Assemblyman Adam Gray, D-Merced, said it was wrong for Newsom to slash health care spending during a pandemic. But Gray was one of the few lawmakers to offer an alternative plan, proposing the Legislature legalize sports betting as a way to generate an extra $2 billion to help eliminate some of the proposed $14 billion in cuts. Newsom’s plan attempts to close a projected $54 billion budget deficit brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, and lawmakers acknowledged they’ll have to make difficult choices. Read more from The Associated Press and Katie Orr of KQED.
Daily Edition for Tuesday, May 26, 2020
Californians Flocked To Beaches, Parks Over Memorial Weekend: Health officials had previously said Memorial Day weekend would be a big test of whether California can ease stay-at-home restrictions while continuing to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Overall, officials said there were no major problems are beaches, though some places like the Venice Boardwalk saw dense crowds with some not wearing masks. Officials closed Eaton Canyon Natural Areas & Trails for the rest of the Memorial Day weekend amid concerns that crowded conditions could pose health risks. State officials have now cleared 47 counties to resume in-restaurant dining and in-store shopping. Among the latest were Orange and Riverside, two of California’s largest population centers.
Daily Edition for Friday, May 22, 2020
California’s Death Toll Passes 2,000 As State Starts To Reopen: More than 40 of California’s 58 counties have now been approved to expand retail operations as their virus conditions improved, with more expected to reopen their economies in the coming days. But officials expect the progress to be slower in Los Angeles County, which accounts for nearly 60% of the state’s total deaths and almost half of the more than 86,000 confirmed infections. The county’s death toll rose Thursday to 2,016, with more than 42,000 confirmed cases. “This is a very sad milestone for us,” county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said. Read more from Luke Money, Rong-Gong Lin II and Hannah Fry of the Los Angeles Times.
Daily Edition for Thursday, May 21, 2020
Nearly 124,000 People Have Signed Up For Covered California Plans During Crisis: According to the state health care marketplace, 123,810 people have sought insurance during Covered California’s special open-enrollment period. The exchange is generally open from Oct. 15 to Jan. 31, but it extended the period amid the crisis. “When the worst is happening in people’s personal economic lives, we want to make sure that Californians know they can have the peace of mind that comes with quality health care coverage,” Covered California Executive Director Peter Lee said in a statement. Californians previously could sign up for health insurance through the marketplace outside of the annual open-enrollment period because of a “qualifying life event,” such as losing coverage, moving, getting married or having a baby. The special enrollment period, which extends through the end of June, is available to people who were unaware of available premium subsidies or the new state penalty for not having health insurance. Read more from Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Daily Edition for Wednesday, May 20, 2020
DOJ Warns Newsom That California's Reopening Plan Unfairly Discriminates Against Churches: The measures Gov. Gavin Newsom enacted to slow the spread of the coronavirus and his plans to unwind them may discriminate against religious groups and violate their constitutional rights, the Justice Department warned in a letter Tuesday. Eric S. Dreiband, an assistant attorney general and the head of the Justice Department’s civil rights division, said Newsom had shown “unequal treatment of faith communities” in restricting their abilities to gather and ultimately reopen. “Simply put, there is no pandemic exception to the U.S. Constitution and its Bill of Rights,” Dreiband wrote. Under Newsom’s plan counties will be allowed to let some businesses and activities start up more quickly than state rules currently allow, but the governor said it would be weeks before religious services could resume. Read more from John Wildermuth of the San Francisco Chronicle; and Matthew Ormseth and Alex Wigglesworth of the Los Angeles Times.
Daily Edition for Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Newsom Eases Rules For When Counties Can Reopen, Clearing Path For Most Areas To Lift Restrictions: Gov. Gavin Newsom today eased the rules for when counties can reopen restaurants and stores, clearing the way for 53 of 58 California counties to qualify under the new coronavirus standards. Some eligible counties may not choose to pick up the pace for restarting their economies. But those that do must show that hospitalizations and new coronavirus infections are holding steady or dropping. They also will need adequate contact tracing, testing capacity, hospital beds and personal protective equipment to cope with any new outbreaks.
Daily Edition for Monday, May 18, 2020
Bay Area Counties Had Been In Lock-Step When It Came To Shut Down. Now They’re Taking Divergent Paths: Even as Bay Area cases crossed the 10,000 mark last week, variations in how the pandemic has affected the nine counties were thrown into stark relief, especially with regard to a new California directive allowing regions to reopen their economies at their own pace. Suddenly the three North Bay counties that have been less dramatically affected by the virus than their southern siblings are straining to push ahead toward reopening. And the remaining six counties — the ones that collectively issued the first shelter-in-place orders in the United States on March 16 — are lagging behind. Only Santa Clara County — hit earliest and hardest of the Bay Area counties — has not publicly discussed plans to budge from strict shelter-in-place restrictions that allow for only essential businesses and some outdoor-only operations. Read more from Erin Allday of the San Francisco Chronicle.