All Stanford Students Must Test Weekly For Covid: Stanford University will require all students to take a weekly covid test, regardless of their vaccination status, becoming one of the first campuses in the country with such a mandate. Read more from the Bay Area News Group and San Francisco Chronicle. In related news: Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday formally announced that all teachers would be required to get a covid vaccine. Comprehensive coverage, below.
California’s Top Court Sides With Newsom Over Pandemic Powers: The California Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to consider reining in Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s emergency powers during the pandemic, leaving in place a lower court’s ruling that the governor acted within his authority. The justices unanimously denied the petition filed by two Republicans. Read more from AP and the Sacramento Bee.
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
San Francisco Chronicle:
California To Become First State In Nation To Require Vaccines Or Testing For Teachers, School Staff
California’s 600,000 teachers and other school staff must be vaccinated or submit to weekly testing, a first-in-the nation requirement Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday morning in Oakland. The order will fully take effect Oct. 15, two months into the school year for some school districts. But the governor said he believes many school districts will set a deadline prior to that, which San Francisco and Oakland have already done. (Tucker, 8/11)
The Bakersfield Californian:
CDPH Says School Staffers Must Receive COVID Vaccination Or Receive Weekly Testing
The California Department of Public Health issued a new order on Wednesday stating that K-12 school staff members must show proof that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or be tested weekly. Gov. Gavin Newsom said the order is meant to give parents confidence that their children will be safe as they return. (Gallegos, 8/12)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
All Public And Private School Staff Must Now Get Vaccinated Or Test Weekly For COVID-19
Gov. Gavin Newsom is ordering all public and private school staff to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing — a mandate that San Diego school leaders say may not directly affect most educators, the vast majority of whom are already vaccinated. The policy is not new for San Diego Unified School District, which has already been requiring school staff to undergo regular COVID-19 testing since it reopened in April. San Diego Unified staff are allowed to skip the testing if they prove they are vaccinated. (Taketa, 8/11)
CalMatters:
Vaccines Or Regular Testing Required For California Teachers
After months of reluctance, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday mandated that all California school employees be vaccinated for COVID-19 or be tested weekly. This is the first such statewide mandate for teachers in the country. Until now, Newsom stopped short of such a requirement: He spent the past several months voicing confidence in school safety protocols like increased ventilation and masking, while urging all school employees to be vaccinated. (Hong, 8/11)
Bay Area News Group:
California Extends Statewide COVID Vaccine Or Test Order To Teachers, Staff
California will be the first state in the country to require public and private school teachers and staff to either be vaccinated or tested weekly for COVID-19, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday as many of the state’s 6.1 million students return to classrooms for the fall term amid a sharp rise in infections. "We think this is the right thing to do and a sustainable way to keep schools open,” Newsom said at a news conference at Carl B. Munck Elementary School in Oakland. (Woolfolk, 8/11)
Orange County Register:
In Orange County, Reactions Run The Gamut To New Vaccine Mandate For Teachers
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new order requiring teachers and employees to be vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing was welcomed by many Orange County educators and parents as a necessary tool in protecting students – and lambasted by others as government overreach. “I am thrilled that he is mandating this for school personnel because they are in a public place and I am worried about their health, as well as the health of the kids who are too young to be vaccinated,” said Kimberley Harvie, a Laguna Hills mom of an incoming second-grader at Oxford Preparatory Academy in Mission Viejo. (Kopetman, 8/11)
Modesto Bee:
Stanislaus Educators React To Teacher Vaccine Or Test Mandate
Teachers must receive the COVID-19 vaccine or undergo weekly testing, according to a statewide policy Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday. The Modesto Teachers Association supports Newsom’s vaccine mandate, union President Doug Burton said in a statement. “We believe the vaccines are safe and effective, and science has shown that the best way to ensure the safety of our students until a vaccine is approved for their age group is to make sure the adults around them are vaccinated,” the statement said. “Also, the mandate allows an option for those who choose not to be or are unable to be vaccinated.” (Isaacman and Bollag, 8/11)
The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat:
Sonoma County School Leaders, Parents Embrace New Vaccine Mandate For Campus Staff
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new order requiring all K-12 school staff to provide proof of vaccination or submit to weekly coronavirus testing came as welcome news Wednesday to many Sonoma County school district administrators and union officials, parents and community leaders. (Tornay, 8/11)
KQED:
How To Keep Your Child Safe From The Delta Variant
It's inevitable that when kids mix as they head back to school, germs spread. And in a pandemic year fueled by the delta variant, some of those germs may cause COVID-19. The CDC has advice for keeping your child protected from this highly contagious version of the coronavirus now and this fall: Mask up in schools and other crowded venues, and make sure everyone age 12 and older in the family gets a COVID-19 shot. But what if your kids are younger than that? What if they develop symptoms or come into contact with someone who tests positive for the coronavirus? (Huang, 8/11)
Bay Area News Group:
Delta Variant Puts A Damper On Return To San Jose Schools As COVID Cases Rise
With thousands of San Jose students returning to the classroom next week, the long-awaited start of a fully in-person school year isn’t drumming up the level of excitement anticipated only a few months ago when an end to the coronavirus pandemic finally seemed in sight. A surge of COVID-19 cases spurred by the highly contagious delta variant has many parents worried, yet again, about how safe their children will be in classrooms. While San Jose Unified School District leaders say they’ve taken “every reasonable step to make schools safe,” some parents still say they have unanswered questions about what will happen when the inevitable occurs and kids are exposed to the circulating virus. (Angst, 8/12)
Berkeleyside:
Berkeley Moving Toward COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate For City Workers
Berkeley is moving to become the latest Bay Area city with a mandate that its workers get vaccinated against COVID-19.City Manager Dee Williams-Ridley wrote in a message to employees Wednesday afternoon that the city is meeting with labor groups to discuss a policy that would require all workers to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 15. (Savidge, 8/11)
The Press-Enterprise:
Beyond Wonderland Music Festival Will Require Coronavirus Vaccine Or Test For Entry
Festival promoter Insomniac has announced that it will require attendees to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus or provide a negative test result for its upcoming Beyond Wonderland festival in San Bernardino. The electronic dance music festival will take place at the NOS Event Center Aug. 27 and 28 after being rescheduled from its June dates due to the pandemic. (Franko, 8/11)
CapRadio:
Will I Need A Vaccine Passport To Do Fun Things? You Might In Some Parts Of The US
Ready to go out on the town before summer ends? In parts of the U.S., you might have to carry around your COVID-19 vaccine card or a digital copy to get into restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and music festivals. According to the Associated Press, after resisting the divisive concept of vaccine passports through most of the pandemic, some city and state officials and a fast-growing number of private venues are now requiring proof of immunization in certain public settings. (8/11)
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento Supervisor Casts Doubt On COVID Vaccine At Rally
Supervisor Sue Frost appeared at an anti-vaccine rally at a Roseville hospital this week where she lobbed criticisms at the federal government and denounced the COVID vaccine as “experimental.” Frost’s comments were in response to a FOX 40 reporter who covered the protest on Monday. A longer clip of her interview was later posted on Twitter, where the author of an anonymous account linked the extremist Proud Boys and a self-styled militia known as the Freedom Angels to the protest. (Finch II, 8/11)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Children Of Immigrants At The Heart Of Effort To Reach Oakland's Unvaccinated Communities
The woman with two bubbly children said she didn’t need the vaccine because God is protecting her. The man leaning on his cane at the bus stop said his adult daughter believes she will be implanted with a chip if she gets a shot. And the man perched outside the money transfer store said he would only get vaccinated if his employer forces him to. He worried about long-term side effects. That was some of the feedback that three outreach workers heard last week as they walked a vibrant commercial strip in East Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood trying to enlist holdouts to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. (Fernandes, 8/11)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Vaccine Canvass Will Cover 93301 And 93307 ZIP Codes
A neighborhood vaccine canvass provided by Bakersfield College nursing students, in partnership with Dignity Health and Kern Health Systems, will be held throughout the day Thursday in the 93301 and 93307 ZIP codes beginning at 11 a.m. (8/11)
Voice of OC:
OC Supervisors Bury Public COVID Updates, Shut Down Effort To Have Experts Answer Questions
As local coronavirus hospitalizations increase, most Orange County Supervisors continue shutting down public discussions and data presentations about the virus’ spread. At the direction of Chairman Andrew Do, OC is now the only major county in Southern California that is not providing public COVID updates at their public meetings, despite a 700% increase in local coronavirus hospitalizations since June when Do stopped the updates. Supervisor Katrina Foley, who has been pressing for public transparency, started presenting coronavirus updates on her own in recent weeks at the end of supervisors’ meetings, displaying the latest county health data and giving updates about her district. (Gerda, 8/11)
Orange County Register:
Coronavirus: Vaccination And Test Positivity Rates By ZIP Code In Orange County As Of Aug. 11
Orange County’s daily case rate went from 12.7 cases per 100,000 people last week to 19 per 100,000 this week, which would have been in the red tier (third most restrictive tier) of the California Department of Public Health’s four-tier color system, if it was still in place. The test positivity rate in the county is 8.3% (7-day average with 7-day lag), up from 6.9% last week, which would be in the orange or second tier. The average daily number of new cases in Orange County has slowly increased over the last two weeks – on July 18 it was 287 cases per day, then it rose to 666 per day on Aug.1. Last year, on Aug. 1, it was 413. The peak for the rate was 3,497 on Jan. 8. (Snibbe, 8/11)
Napa Valley Register:
City Of Napa Considering COVID-19 Safety Adjustments In Response To Delta Variant
The city of Napa is considering possible COVID-19 safety adjustments in response to the recent surge in positive cases caused by the highly infectious Delta variant. City manager Steve Potter didn't elaborate on what those adjustments could be in a Wednesday interview, but he said they could come as soon as next week. “If the positive test return rate and hospitalization rate continue to rise, then next week I will have to make some adjustments,” Potter said. (Booth, 8/11)
MediaNews:
28 Coronavirus Deaths Is Los Angeles County’s Highest Daily Toll Since May 1
Coronavirus has claimed 28 more lives in Los Angeles County, officials reported on Wednesday, Aug. 11, the largest daily human toll in the region since May 1. Leaders continued to scramble for mandates that push the entire region and the state toward what has been a thus-far elusive herd immunity. Wednesday’s deaths raised the total lost lives from the virus in the county to 24,833; the 3,498 new daily confirmed cases — most since early February — lifted that total to 1,335,332. (Carter, 8/11)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Kern Public Health Reports Four New Coronavirus Deaths, 355 New Cases Wednesday
Kern County Public Health Services reported four new coronavirus deaths and 355 new confirmed cases Wednesday. That brings the count of deaths to 1,433 and the confirmed cases since the pandemic began to 116,475. Forty one delta variant cases have been identified, and there have been 70 alpha variant cases. (8/11)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Is It Hard To Find A COVID-19 Test Right Now In San Francisco? I Tried - Here's What Happened
Demand for coronavirus tests has skyrocketed in San Francisco amid the delta variant surge, with the seven-day average number of tests collected in the city nearly doubling last month — from 2,862 on July 1 to 5,268 on Aug. 1, according to the city’s coronavirus dashboard. But many people are complaining that tests and appointments are harder to come by, especially since San Francisco closed its mass testing center at the Embarcadero when the state reopened in mid-June. (Echeverria, 8/11)
San Francisco Chronicle:
'Unlike Anything We've Seen': California Fire Officials Plead With Residents To Prepare For More Dangerous Wildfires
California fire officials pleaded with residents to remain vigilant over the next few months of the state’s fire season, pointing to “another bout” of weather conditions that could bring dry lightning to the Dixie Fire zone, which has already burned more than half a million acres. The forecast is a concern in the “near term,” Cal Fire Director Thom Porter said Wednesday afternoon, but added fire officials are aware that there is a “long peak season” still left in the year. Porter warned residents that officials will be “at this for months to come,” and urged residents to make sure they don’t create sparks that could ignite another blaze. (Hernández, 8/11)
Los Angeles Times:
More Than 550 Homes Have Been Destroyed By Dixie Fire
The second-largest wildfire in California history now also ranks among the state’s most destructive. Since igniting in Northern California nearly a month ago, the Dixie fire has leveled the Gold Rush town of Greenville and grown to more than 500,000 acres, destroying at least 1,045 structures in its fiery wake, according to fire officials. (Seidman, 8/11)
Sacramento Bee:
Dixie Fire Surpasses 500k Acres; River Fire Info
The Dixie Fire, the second-largest wildfire in California history, slowed slightly through the beginning of the week, providing a much needed respite for crews that have battled the blaze for nearly a month. A layer of smoke has sat on top of the fire since the weekend, helping to suppress its growth and keep winds at bay. But even with the mild weather, the fire swelled to over 500,000 acres Wednesday morning, and new estimates show it has destroyed over 1,000 buildings.(Davidson, 8/11)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Bay Area Air Quality Advisory Issued For Thursday As Wildfire Smoke Drifts South
Smoke drifting from wildfires burning in Northern California and southern Oregon will trigger an air quality advisory for the Bay Area on Thursday, though officials stopped short of issuing a Spare the Air alert. Skies could be smoky and hazy across the region Thursday as winds push the smoke billowing from wildfires south, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. (Fracassa, 8/11)
AP:
Northwest Sizzles As Heat Wave Hits Many Parts Of US
Volunteers and county employees set up cots and stacked hundreds of bottles of water in an air-conditioned cooling center in a vacant building in Portland, Oregon, one of many such places being set up as the Northwest sees another stretch of sizzling temperatures. Scorching weather also hit other parts of the country this week. The weather service said heat advisories and warnings would be in effect from the Midwest to the Northeast and mid-Atlantic through at least Friday. (Flaccus, 8/12)
AP:
Heat Wave Hits Northwest, Sending People To Cooling Centers
People headed to cooling centers Wednesday as the Pacific Northwest began sweltering under another major, multiday heat wave just over a month after record-shattering hot weather killed hundreds of the region’s most vulnerable people. Temperatures soared to 97 degrees Fahrenheit (36.1 Celsius) by the evening in Portland, Oregon. In a “worst-case scenario,” the temperature could reach as high as 111 F (44 C) in some parts of western Oregon this week before a weekend cooldown, the National Weather Service said. It’s more likely temperatures will rise to 100 F (38 C) or above for three consecutive days, peaking around 105 F (40.5 C) on Thursday. (Flaccus, 8/12)
The New York Times:
Hidden Toll Of The Northwest Heat Wave: Hundreds Of Extra Deaths
During the deadly heat wave that blanketed Oregon and Washington in late June, about 600 more people died than would have been typical, a review of mortality data for the week of the crisis shows. The number is three times as high as the states’ official estimates of heat-related deaths so far. It suggests that the true toll of the heat wave, which affected states and provinces across the Pacific Northwest, may be much larger than previously reported. This week, the region is once again steeling itself for extreme heat. (Popovich and Choi-Schagrin, 8/11)