Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
New California Law Makes It Easier to Get Care for Mental Health and Substance Abuse
The measure, which took effect Jan. 1, removes loopholes that made it easy for insurers to use arcane company guidelines to avoid paying for care. Patients now have an easier way to challenge those denials. (Bernard J. Wolfson, )
First Cases Of B.1.351 Variant Identified In Bay Area: Two cases of a coronavirus variant first found in South Africa have been identified in Alameda and Santa Clara counties, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday. They are the first two cases of the B.1.351 variant in California. Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle, San Diego Union-Tribune and Bay Area News Group.
Orange County Man Gets Covid Despite Being Fully Vaccinated: Gary Michael of Lake Forest says he received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine, the first Dec. 28 and the second Jan. 18. But he tested positive for covid Saturday when he went to the hospital for an unrelated health issue. Read more from The Mercury News/CNN, WILX and CBS LA.
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Have you tried to get a covid vaccine? Confusion over eligibility, technical glitches and shortages are just a few of the issues people face when trying to set up an appointment to get vaccinated against covid-19. Submit your stories.
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
LA Daily News:
Newsom: State Is Falling Short On Goals For Equitably Distributing Coronavirus Vaccine
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday, Feb. 10, said the state was lagging behind on assuring that vaccines were focusing sufficiently on communities hardest hit by the coronavirus, but he said his commitment to equitable distribution was “not rhetorical.” “We are falling short of our goals of making sure we are truly being equitable in the distribution of this vaccine,” said Newsom at a briefing held in the Central Valley, where efforts are underway to begin preparing for the phase of distribution when agricultural workers will be eligible to be vaccinated. (Carter, 2/10)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Valadao, McCarthy Sign Letter To Governor Urging More Vaccine Help In Central Valley
Regional politicians, including Rep. Kevin McCarthy and Rep. David Valadao, sent a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom and acting FEMA administrator Robert Fenton strongly urging the implementation of multiple COVID-19 vaccination sites in the Central Valley. According to a news release from Valadao’s office, Newsom has recently announced two community vaccination sites in Alameda and Los Angeles counties, regions that already have higher vaccination rates then those in the Central Valley. (2/10)
Southern California News Group:
Why Do Some California Counties Get COVID-19 Vaccines Into Arms Faster Than Others?
California is pushing shots into arms at a much faster clip than it was just a month ago — closing in on the national average, with vows to accelerate even further — but the pace of COVID-19 vaccinations varies greatly from county to county within the Golden State. A Southern California News Group analysis of state data found that smaller counties with fewer people and less complicated logistics are leading the pack in vaccinating their residents: Little Mono, with 14,526 residents, ranked No. 1, managing to vaccinate one out of every three residents. On its heels was tiny Alpine, population 1,209, getting shots into 27% of its residents. (Sforza, 2/11)
Los Angeles Times:
Second Vaccine Dose Early Or Delayed? Here's What CDC Says
There’s a lot of confusion out there about second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. The COVID-19 vaccine rollout has been chaotic in California. Guidance on how to get the second dose has changed from “you have to make your own appointment” to “we’ll tell you when to come back” to “OK, you should hear from us, but if you don’t, just come back.” The Los Angeles County department of public health admitted on Twitter that it had been stressful. People are also concerned about the timing of the second dose. Over at the L.A. Times tip line, we’ve been getting inquiries about second dose appointments that are not precisely timed after the first. (Roy, 2/10)
LA Daily News:
LA County Looks To Next Phase Of Vaccinations: Essential Workers
With coronavirus numbers still claiming disproportionately high numbers of Latino and Black lives, Los Angeles County officials on Wednesday said that workers in education, food, agricultural, and public safety will be eligible for vaccines within a couple of weeks, as the county moves into a new immunization phase. The announcement came as the county scrambles to get vaccines to the 80% of the county’s 65-and-older population who have not yet been vaccinated. So far, 20 % have received at least one dose of the required two, officials said. (Carter and Chou, 2/10)
Bay Area News Group:
Marin County To Widen Vaccine Access To 65-Plus Bracket
Marin County will expand the pool of people eligible for coronavirus vaccines to residents 65 and older beginning next week, the county’s public health officer said Monday. The change represents the first time that many of the the roughly 33,000 Marin residents between the ages of 65 and 74 will be able to book appointments to get vaccinated. The county has so far reserved its limited supply of vaccine doses for residents age 75 and older, in addition to people living in senior care centers, health care workers and other occupational groups. (Pera, 2/9)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. Private School Skips Ahead On Teacher COVID Vaccines
The Wesley School, a private academy in North Hollywood, has been able to get COVID-19 vaccinations for its teachers through what an announcement described as a “special program,” despite current Los Angeles County health department rules that say teachers are not yet eligible. School leaders wrote of their efforts in an email to parents — to reassure them that they were not putting staff at risk as the school gradually expands its in-person services to students. (Blume, 2/10)
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento Teacher Union Wants Vaccines Before Reopening
The teachers union in Sacramento City Unified School District released its framework for reopening for in-person learning on Tuesday, and the plan prioritizes offering the COVID-19 vaccine to all of its 4,500 district employees. “We couldn’t wait any longer for the district to begin the discussion,” SCTA President David Fisher said. “Our students deserve to know what to expect and with SCUSD’s vastly improved budget we can have a serious discussion about putting additional resources to improving services to students while ensuring that schools reopen safely.” (Morrar, 2/10)
LA Daily News:
Garcetti: Dodger Stadium Vaccine Site To Close For 2 Days, As ‘First-Dose’ Moderna Vaccine Runs Low
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Wednesday, Feb. 10, that the massive Dodger Stadium clinic will be closed for at least two days this week, with the city’s current supply of first-dose Moderna vaccines expected to run out. “This is an enormous hurdle in our race to vaccinate Angelenos,” Garcetti said during his evening briefing on Wednesday. “And unfortunately, it means that we will have to temporarily close Dodger Stadium and the other four non-mobile vaccination sites for two days, on Friday and Saturday.” (Chou, 2/10)
Los Angeles Times:
Shortage Of Vaccines Prompts Closure Of L.A.'s Inoculation Centers
Having exhausted its supply of first doses of the Moderna vaccine, the city will temporarily close its drive-through and walk-up vaccination centers, including the largest site at Dodger Stadium, Garcetti said. The centers will remain closed at least through Saturday. The mayor described the city’s vaccine supply as uneven and unpredictable: This week the city received 16,000 doses, only about 3,000 more than city officials have on average administered per day across the five inoculation sites, Garcetti said. By comparison, the city secured 90,000 doses last week and 29,000 the week before, he said. (Ormseth, 2/10)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
COVID-19 Vaccine Superstation To Open At Del Mar Fairgrounds Friday
San Diego County’s latest mass vaccination center will open Friday at a familiar setting for many: the Del Mar Fairgrounds. The news came as the region saw the total number of COVID-related hospitalizations hit 992 in Wednesday’s daily coronavirus tracking report from the county health department. It was the first time since Dec. 11, according to county records, that the closely-watched number has dipped below the 1,000 mark. (Wosen and Sisson, 2/10)
The Desert Sun:
COVID-19 Vaccine: Palm Springs Convention Center To Become Vaccination Site
The Palm Springs Convention Center will open as a COVID-19 vaccine site on Friday, according to Dr. Geoffrey Leung, Riverside University Health System-Medical Center chief of family medicine. The move will take some pressure off Riverside County's vaccination site in Indio. Clinics at the Palm Springs site will be operated by Curative Inc., and appointments will be scheduled through Curative's website. Information about when appointments could be booked was not immediately available. The convention center was previously used as a COVID-19 testing site, also operated by Curative. (Sestito, 2/9)
The Bakersfield Californian:
County Unveils Drive-Thru COVID-19 Vaccination Site At Fairgrounds, Awaits More Doses Before Its Launch
On Tuesday, the Kern County Public Health Services Department unveiled what will become a major part of its mass vaccination plan: its drive-thru facility at the Kern County Fairgrounds. (Gallegos, 2/9)
Fresno Bee:
Fresno Co. Mass Vaccination Site Not Yet Approved Says Gov. Newsom
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday during a press conference said Fresno County will get support to ramp up its existing COVID vaccination sites — though the county has not yet been approved for a mass vaccination center like those seen in the Bay Area. (Walker, 2/10)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
What To Know About Vaccinations At CVS, Walgreens In California
Starting Friday, COVID-19 vaccines will be available at some CVS pharmacies in California for those currently eligible in their county. The scheduling system will open Thursday, CVS says. The initial allocation to CVS is 250,000 doses, part of a partnership with the federal government. About 81,900 of those doses will be coming to California CVS pharmacies, to be administered in approximately 100 stores, possibly including the pharmacies inside Target stores. (Tseng, 2/10)
Orange County Register:
Pfizer Tells OC Officials It’s Safe To Use Vaccine Doses Affected By Refrigeration Issue
Roughly 6,000 doses of Orange County’s COVID-19 vaccine supply that may not have been at the recommended temperature because of a refrigeration issue are still safe to use, and the problem did not disrupt vaccinations at county sites on Wednesday, Feb. 10, officials said. County officials said the issue occurred Tuesday night at the Soka University vaccination site, and they held off administering those doses Wednesday “out of an abundance of caution” while they checked with the manufacturer. “After reviewing the details, the manufacturer advised that the temperature variance did not harm the vaccine’s safety or efficacy and provided confirmation that the vaccine is safe to dispense under the normal protocol,” the county said in a statement late Wednesday afternoon. (Robinson, 2/10)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Sonoma County Turns To Local Health Centers To Help Achieve Vaccine Equity
Late last June, Victor Arreola, a Healdsburg vineyard manager, contracted the coronavirus and ended up infecting his wife, two sons and a daughter. Although he was the only one in his family to suffer severe viral symptoms, that experience has haunted him. (Espinoza, 2/10)
Sacramento Bee:
How COVID Invaded Sacramento Jails, Triggering Outbreak
Last week, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office reported more than 170 cases in the general population at the Elk Grove facility. Two weeks prior, more than 190 cases were recorded at the Sacramento Main Jail — the most seen in a single week at the downtown facility. The outbreak in Elk Grove comes after months of what looked like a nearly flawless record of isolating new inmates and keeping the disease at bay in both facilities. But that record may have been an illusion. The sheriff’s department did not publicly record a single COVID-19 case at the Elk Grove facility from August to the end of December, which health experts say is an extremely unlikely scenario given the constant turnover of inmates and staff members. (Finch II and Pohl, 2/11)
San Francisco Chronicle:
COVID-19 Outbreak Infects 20 At Napa Senior Living Facility
A coronavirus outbreak has infected 20 residents and an undisclosed number of staff at Brookdale Napa, a senior living facility in Napa, according to data from the California Department of Social Services. The data, which was last updated Wednesday, showed that COVID-19 cases among residents had increased from the previous day but did not specify by how much. The data also showed that fewer than 11 staff members have active cases of coronavirus but likewise did not specify the number. (Bobrowsky, 2/10)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Coronavirus Surge At UC Berkeley Prompts Ban On Outdoor Exercise As Dorm Lockdown Continues
In response to UC Berkeley’s surge of coronavirus cases, the university has extended a lockdown on dorms, banned outdoor exercise and added more security guards to walk by residence halls. During the first week of February, 156 people at UC Berkeley tested positive for the virus, 95% of them undergraduates, according to data from UC Berkeley, which tracks virus cases among students, faculty and staff tested through the university’s health service. As a result, the university has a higher rate of coronavirus tests coming back positive than the city of Berkeley: 1.6% compared to 0.6%. (Bobrowsky, 2/10)
Los Angeles Times:
COVID-19 Outbreak Shutters San Francisco Catholic Church
A Bay Area Catholic church has temporarily closed after three priests and two caregivers to one of the pastors tested positive for the coronavirus last week. “Pray for us,” officials at Saints Peter and Paul Church in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco said in a note on the church’s website announcing it would shift daily services online and livestream them. (Lu, 2/10)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Mercy Announces Historic Gift For Southwest Hospital Expansion
Dignity Health announced a historic donation on Wednesday to its $300 million expansion of Mercy Southwest hospital, which is the only acute care hospital serving the area west of Highway 99 in Bakersfield. (2/10)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
San Diego Puts Brakes On Ambulance Provider Switch, Requests Deeper Analysis
San Diego leaders put the brakes on the city’s plan to switch ambulance providers Wednesday, delaying any potential switch until they can see a deeper analysis of the ambulance company that might take over. That analysis, which is expected to take a month, will include studying the company’s financial projections and its track record with labor negotiations. (Garrick, 2/10)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Some Medi-Cal Payments To Borrego Health Reinstated Amid Criminal Probe
State regulators have reinstated some payments to the Borrego Community Health Foundation but will continue withholding millions of dollars in billings for dental visits that are at the center of an ongoing criminal investigation led by the FBI. (McDonald, 2/11)
KQED:
New Bill Could Open Door To Abortions At Catholic Hospitals. It Could Also Jeopardize Care For Low-Income Californians
State lawmakers want to square conflicting health care values between public University of California hospitals and Catholic hospitals that collaborate on patient care, under a new bill introduced by Sen. Scott Wiener on Wednesday. Under longstanding agreements between UC Health and Catholic hospital systems like Dignity Health or St. Joseph Health, UC doctors and medical students who provide care inside Catholic hospitals must abide by Catholic Church directives that prohibit abortions, sterilizations, contraception, some end-of-life options and gender affirmation surgery. Sen. Wiener says this makes the public university system complicit in discriminating against women and transgender patients. (Dembosky, 2/11)
The Washington Post:
Removing A Condom Without Consent Would Be Illegal If This California Bill Passes
The act of removing a condom during sex without consent — also known as “stealthing” — could become illegal in the state of California. A bill introduced this week by California Assembly member Cristina Garcia (D) would classify nonconsensual condom removal as sexual battery and would allow a victim to pursue a claim for damages under the state’s civil code. If passed, experts say, the measure would be the first such law in any state to explicitly address nonconsensual condom removal. (Firozi, 2/10)
Los Angeles Times:
California Could Ease Limits On State's Aid-In-Dying Law
Five years after a California law allowed doctors to prescribe lethal doses of drugs to terminally ill people who want to end their lives, new legislation introduced Wednesday would make it easier for those who are dying to choose that option. The bill would speed up the process for patients whose physicians certify they are close to death, and require hospitals that don’t allow physicians to participate to provide patients with information on the law that could include where they can get assistance at another healthcare facility. (McGreevy, 2/11)
The Bakersfield Californian:
First Responders And Regular Joes And Janes Line Up To Donate Blood At Battle Of The Badges
Bakersfield Fire Department Capt. Codi Adams arrived ready at the Battle of the Badges Blood Drive, held Wednesday at the Bakersfield Museum of Art. "As first responders, this is something outside our normal duties that we can do to help the community. It's something extra," Adams said. "And the friendly competition is part of the fun." (Mayer, 2/10)