Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Technology Divide Between Senior ‘Haves’ and ‘Have-Nots’ Roils Pandemic Response
Older adults with the ability to use technology have more access to virtual social interactions and telehealth services, and more opportunities to secure essential supplies online. Those who don’t know how to use it or can’t afford it are at greater risk of social isolation, forgoing medical care and being without food or other necessary items. (Judith Graham, )
As Long Waits for Results Render COVID Tests 'Useless,' States Seek Workarounds
With COVID-19 tests bogged down in backlogs, some states that relied on private laboratories, such as Quest Diagnostics, are trying to adapt as caseloads rise. (Matt Volz and Phil Galewitz, )
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.
In related mask news:
California Extends Contract To Buy Medical Masks From Chinese Manufacturer;
Newsom And Hospitals At Odds Over Mask Supply For Health Care Workers
In Apparent First For Northern California, Nursing Home To Close Amid Pandemic: Stollwood Convalescent Hospital, a Woodland skilled nursing facility devastated by 17 coronavirus deaths in the earlier months of the pandemic, will close this fall. CEO Sean Beloud and other Stollwood officials decided to close the skilled-nursing facility and suspend its license effective Sept. 30. Beloud told the Sacramento Bee he has been in talks with each of the remaining 16 residents and their families. Read more from Michael McGough and Jason Pohl of the Sacramento Bee.
Below, check out the roundup of California Healthline’s coverage and the best of the rest of the news.
More News From Across The State
Los Angeles Times:
Employees Say 2 L.A. County Supervisors Put Health At Risk
Los Angeles County Supervisors Hilda Solis and Kathryn Barger have made clear their views on ways to minimize risky behavior during the pandemic. Residents are “safer at home,” both have repeatedly said at coronavirus news briefings since March. But some of their own employees say the supervisors have failed to keep them safe. (Cosgrove, 7/22)
San Francisco Chronicle:
San Quentin: Eighth Death Row Inmate Dies Of Suspected Coronavirus Infection
Condemned inmate John Beames died on Tuesday from a suspected case of COVID-19, marking the latest death in a coronavirus outbreak at San Quentin State Prison, officials said. Beames, a 67-year-old convicted child killer, died at a hospital outside the prison from “what appears to be complications related to COVID-19,” according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. (Bauman, 7/22)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Coronavirus: Santa Rita Jail’s Case Count Slows After Spike Among Inmates
A surge in the number of COVID-19 cases at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin appears to be coming under control, according to the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office. Jail officials on Wednesday reported 103 active cases among current inmates and 10 active cases among employees or contractors — a slight increase from Friday when 101 inmates and nine staff had the coronavirus. The jail, which has a population of 1,890 inmates, saw its biggest outbreak in coronavirus cases late last week with 40 new cases reported Thursday and an additional 55 confirmed Friday. To date, 178 people have contracted the virus at Santa Rita Jail, according to the Sheriff’s Office. (Cabanatuan, 7/22)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Coronavirus Cases Surge In Kern County; Officials Cite Increased Testing
Coronavirus cases in Kern County have shown a startling rise, from an average of around 150 new cases a day in mid-July to 1,120 new cases and 10 deaths on Wednesday, according to the county health department. Prior to July 17, the single-day high was 220. Now, the largely agricultural county’s total number of cases is 11,198 with 115 deaths out of a population of 900,000. San Francisco, which has around 880,000 residents, had 5,459 cases and 53 deaths as of Wednesday. (Echeverria, 7/23)
Fresno Bee:
Fresno County Adds 483 Cases Of COVID-19, Passing 11,000
Fresno County added 483 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, reaching a total of 11,412 infections since the start of the pandemic, according to numbers reported by the state. Wednesday was at least the fifth-straight day Fresno County reported more than 300 cases. With no new deaths reported on Wednesday, Fresno County remained at 104 fatal cases since March, the state Department of Public Health reported. At least 2,706 local patients have recovered from the virus. (Miller, 7/22)
Fresno Bee:
What Is The Coronavirus Infection Rate In Fresno County?
Fresno County reached a few unfortunate coronavirus milestones this week: 1% of the population has tested positive for COVID-19, and 1% of those infected have died. While the percentages may seem small, they translate to over 11,000 cases and 100 deaths in a county with roughly 1 million people. (Calix, 7/22)
San Francisco Chronicle:
San Francisco’s Ferry Building To Close Under Coronavirus Health Orders
San Francisco’s Ferry Building is closing 26 shops effective immediately Wednesday after the city ruled the famous food destination was a mall. Shops in the building’s expansive market hall which don’t have doors directly leading to outside of the building are prohibited from serving customers until further notice, according to a statement on its website. A recent California health order shut down malls and some other businesses in counties on the state watch list to curb the spike in coronavirus cases. San Francisco was recently put on the watch list. (Narayan, 7/22)
Sacramento Bee:
More Sacramento Target Workers Infected With COVID-19
Multiple workers at the Target store near Sacramento State have tested positive for COVID-19, the company confirmed Tuesday night, just days after confirming infections at another local store last week. The new string of confirmed infections comes as employees at retail stores and companies — deemed essential workers in the midst of a pandemic — have increasingly raised concerns about their risk of exposure to the virus. (Yoon-Hendricks, 7/22)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Plasma Needed From People Recovered From COVID-19
In an effort to save lives and help critically ill COVID-19 patients in local hospitals, Houchin Community Blood Bank is seeking people who have had the virus to donate plasma. More than 4,000 Kern County residents are now recovered from COVID-19 but only 100 people have donated convalescent plasma so far, according to a Houchin Community Blood Bank news release.
San Francisco Chronicle:
SF’s Malls Are Closed, But Smaller Stores Also Have Coronavirus Risks, Experts Say
In most of California, residents can’t go to gyms, bars, wineries, movie theaters, nail salons or barbershops. But people can still go shopping, despite the coronavirus pandemic. Though the state ordered malls shut for counties on its monitoring list on July 13, other indoor retail is allowed to operate with safety standards. (Narayan, 7/22)
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento Nail Salon Owners Fight Newsom COVID-19 Rules
Sacramento area nail-salon owners aren’t embracing the idea. Although Gov. Gavin Newsom declared this week that nail salons could operate outdoors during the coronavirus pandemic, salon owners say the governor’s overture is unworkable. (Kasler and Sheeler, 7/23)
Orange County Register:
Outdoor Haircuts In Orange County? It’s Complicated
This time around, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Monday, July 20, he was allowing hair salons, nail salons and massage parlors to offer services outdoors – typically prohibited by the state Board of Barbering and Cosmetology. Officials said they hoped to help get people back to work even in counties with a rising number of coronavirus cases – which include Orange County – while still curbing the spread of COVID-19. (Park, 7/22)
Los Angeles Times:
Afraid Returning To Work Will Bring COVID-19, Many Resist
Amid soaring infections and hospitalizations, Gov. Gavin Newsom this month again shut down a large swath of businesses across the state, including dine-in restaurants, bars, movie theaters, card rooms, gyms, hair salons and some offices. Nonetheless, thousands of employees who have been furloughed or able to work from home since March are being called back to physical workplaces. (Roosevelt, Martin and Avery, 7/23)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Bay Area Students Choose Gap Year Over Remote Or Unpredictable College Experience: ‘People Are Bailing’
Many students, wary of the virus forcing schools to pivot to distance learning, are choosing to delay the start of their college careers — even though the pandemic also has curtailed traditional gap-year adventures, such as international travel, and made jobs harder to land. (Kroichick, 7/23)
Los Angeles Times:
Mike Trout Is Nervous, But 'Obviously, I'm Playing'
For all Mike Trout has accomplished in the game — three American League MVP awards, rookie-of-the-year honors, eight straight All-Star appearances, seven Silver Sluggers — the Angels star is about to experience something more exhilarating than any emotion he’s felt on a baseball field. Trout’s wife, Jessica, is due to deliver the couple’s first child, a boy, on Aug. 3. “Realizing I’m having a child in a couple of weeks, it’s surreal,” Trout said on a videoconference call before Wednesday night’s exhibition game against the San Diego Padres in Angel Stadium. “When I first started dating Jess [in high school], we talked about having kids, and now it’s happening. (DiGiovanna, 7/22)