Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
COVID-19 Batters A Beloved Bay Area Community Health Care Center
Health clinics in isolated African American communities in the San Francisco Bay Area provide crucial services to neglected populations. But like thousands of other community clinics around the nation, their finances have been wrecked by the pandemic shutdown. (Rachel Scheier, )
‘We’re Still In The Middle Of The Woods’ Officials Say, But Reiterate Confidence With Reopening Strategy: As California coronavirus deaths and new cases continue to rise, officials say they have no plans now to slow the efforts. Despite the upward trajectory of cases and a growing death toll, there are no plans to reverse course, officials said. Gov. Gavin Newsom pointed to the state’s increased testing ability, hospital capacity and an available supply of ventilators — key metrics in the decision to ease statewide modifications — as reasoning for pressing ahead. State officials are working with county leaders to assess whether their jurisdictions are ready to move further into the reopening stage. Read more from Colleen Shalby of the Los Angeles Times.
Future Of Valuable Neighborhood Clinics In Doubt In Wake Of Coronavirus: Community health centers ― which provide medical services for 1 in 6 Californians ― have been forced to cancel in-person patient visits, and more than 200 of the clinics have closed since March. Despite several tranches of emergency government aid, the losses have forced widespread layoffs, said Carmela Castellano-Garcia, president of the California Primary Care Association. “When your patient numbers go down by 66%, and that’s your main source of revenue, it calls for some drastic measures, unfortunately,” said Brenda Crawford, interim chief executive of the Marin City Health and Wellness Center. In April, the clinic laid off 10 people ― almost a fifth of the staff ― just as an avalanche of data emerged showing the novel coronavirus wreaking a disproportionate burden of illness and death on Black communities. Read more from Rachel Scheier of the Los Angeles Times.
Testing Nursing Home Staff Remains Scattershot Despite It Being Crucial Component To Protecting Vulnerable Population: Norwalk County health officials, recognizing the threat posed by health care workers who frequently work at more than one home and may be infected but asymptomatic, vowed in late April to test residents and staff at all of the county’s nearly 400 skilled nursing facilities. A month later, the Los Angeles Times found, they had managed to finish the job at only about a third of them. As of Sunday, there were still 71 that had not tested everyone. At the end of May, Norwalk Skilled Nursing was among the homes county health officials had not gotten around to testing yet. More than half a dozen employees said the facility has suffered from a severe shortage of personal protective equipment and has allowed nurse aides to move back and forth between the “dirty” isolation unit meant to contain infected residents and the “clean” unit meant for those who weren’t sick yet. Read more from Jack Dolan and Brittny Mejia of the Los Angeles Times.
Below, check out the full round-up of California Healthline original stories, state coverage and the best of the rest of the national news for the day.
More News From Across The State
Sacramento Bee:
How Gavin Newsom Is Doing On Coronavirus Response Efforts
Over and over again in press briefings since California shut down to cope with the coronavirus outbreak, Gov. Gavin Newsom has pledged to do his best to “meet the moment.” His regular updates, streamed live on Facebook and Twitter, have prompted some to suggest he run for president. Others want to recall him from office entirely. Along the way, he rolled out multiple programs, partnerships and pledges in response to daily fluctuations in infections, hospitalizations, joblessness and deaths. (Bollag, 6/11)
Bay Area News Group:
Younger, Healthier Behind California's Spike In Cases?
New COVID-19 cases are rising across California as counties reopen, but the state isn’t seeing a similar spike in hospital visits and deaths from the disease, suggesting its progression may have entered a new phase. Experts aren’t quite sure what to make of the trend, but one surprising theory is gaining traction: that the people now getting sick are younger, healthier and less likely to suffer severe illness. (Woolfolk and Deruy, 6/11)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Santa Clara County Demands Major Hospitals Ramp Up Coronavirus Testing
Santa Clara County on Wednesday issued a new order demanding that Kaiser Permanente, Sutter Health and other major health care providers ramp up their coronavirus testing capacity to carry more of the burden that so far has fallen primarily on public health services. The new order, which takes effect June 15, requires that all hospitals and their associated clinics in the county offer testing to members who have symptoms of COVID-19 or have had contact with someone who tested positive, along with all frontline workers who may be regularly exposed to the coronavirus in the community. (Allday and Ho, 6/10)
San Francisco Chronicle:
SARS Antibodies Block Coronavirus Infections, Study Shows
Antibodies from people who recovered from SARS — a deadly respiratory disease caused by a coronavirus that emerged nearly 20 years ago — may be critical to fighting COVID-19, according to a study in the journal Nature. The peer-reviewed paper reveals how an antibody discovered in a person infected by the severe acute respiratory syndrome virus in 2003 acted as a potent blocker against SARS-CoV-2, the closely related coronavirus that causes COVID-19. (Dizikes, 6/11)
Los Angeles Times:
A Coronavirus Vaccine In 2020? Here's How It Could Happen
When President Trump announced last month that a vaccine against the new coronavirus could be available by the end of the year or sooner, his claim was met with a mix of hope and doubt. The search for vaccines often ends in failure, and the successful efforts have always taken years. So it seemed improbable, if not impossible, that researchers, who began working on vaccines for the new virus in January, could discover something so elusive and do it so quickly. (Rubin, 6/11)
Sacramento Bee:
CA Paid Law Firm Nearly $600,000 For Work On Three Contracts
Faced with two daunting legal problems over the past year — the COVID-19 pandemic and the bankruptcy of a major California utility, PG&E — the Newsom administration has relied on a single Los Angeles law firm. That business has been lucrative for the firm, O’Melveny & Myers LLP. In early March, the law firm signed a $596,000 contract with the California Office of Emergency Services to negotiate three emergency COVID-19 contracts on behalf of the state. Those transactions included leasing two COVID-19 field hospitals and negotiating with the Motel 6 chain to provide rooms for the homeless during the pandemic. (Kreiser, 6/11)
San Francisco Chronicle:
SF Doctor Shares Notes From Front Line: ‘It’s Really Heartbreaking’
Debbie Madhok is an emergency and intensive care unit physician at San Francisco General Hospital in the city’s Mission District, one of the neighborhoods hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic. As stay-at-home orders went into effect and case numbers started rising in the city, she started keeping daily journals on her iPhone, documenting thoughts and observations culled from her shifts treating coronavirus and ICU patients. (Vaziri, 6/10)
The Associated Press:
1.5 Million More Laid-Off Workers Seek Unemployment Benefits
About 1.5 million laid-off workers applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week, evidence that many Americans are still losing their jobs even as the economy appears to be slowly recovering with more businesses partially reopening. The latest figure from the Labor Department marked the 10th straight weekly decline in applications for jobless aid since they peaked in mid-March when the coronavirus hit hard. Still, the pace of layoffs remains historically high. (6/11)
Bay Area News Group:
Coronavirus: Santa Clara Co. Forces Hospitals To Expand Testing
Health officials in Santa Clara County had a message for healthcare systems and hospitals regarding the testing of people who believe they may be at risk of contracting the coronavirus: Do better, immediately. To get the point across, the county health officer, Dr. Sara Cody, issued an order Wednesday requiring the large healthcare systems in the county to provide immediate testing for high-risk patients. The county had recorded an average of about 2,350 tests per day over the past week, officials said, adding that the testing rate must increase. (Hurd, 6/10)
San Francisco Chronicle:
In A Surprise Move, State Courts Leave Coronavirus-Era Eviction Ban In Place
A statewide ban on evictions of renters remained in place Wednesday, as California judicial leaders, seemingly prepared to lift the moratorium they imposed two months ago, abruptly put the issue on hold to give lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom time to create a new plan. The Judicial Council, which makes policy decisions for the state’s courts, had scheduled a vote Wednesday on a proposal to allow evictions to resume after Aug. 3. But about an hour before the vote was to have been announced, Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, the council chair, announced a change of course. (Egelko, 6/10)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Tesla Keeps Employees In Dark On Coronavirus Risk: ‘Need To Know’ Only
Tesla told Alameda County officials that some of its Fremont workers have tested positive for the coronavirus, but details are scant and some employees in the sprawling manufacturing facility say the electric carmaker is not sharing information internally about the infections. “The worst thing they can do is not say anything,” said Branton Phillips, a materials handler who queues up parts for assembly on the manufacturing line producing Tesla’s Model S and Model X vehicles. “They said you don’t need to know unless you’re on the trace end of it,” referring to efforts to trace infected workers’ contacts. (DiFeliciantonio, 6/10)
Fresno Bee:
California Nursing Home Coronavirus Deaths, Patients, Workers
At least one health care worker at a nursing home in Fresno has died from COVID-19 – the first reported staff death at a skilled nursing facility in the central San Joaquin Valley, where patient cases and deaths also continue to rise. The state reported less than 11 health care worker deaths and 25 patient deaths – an increase of three since early June – at Dycora Transitional Health & Living-Fresno. (George, 6/11)
Fresno Bee:
COVID-19: Selma CA Schools Consider Two Day Fall Schedule
Summer has only begun, but school districts across the region are grappling with how to reopen safely and effectively in the fall. Many are planning for a two day a week schedule, with an option for full home learning for parents who choose. The Selma Unified School District unveiled an example of fall scheduling at Tuesday night’s board meeting. The schedule for all elementary, middle, alternative and high schools call for in-person classes two days a week, and distance learning from home the other three. Although nothing has been decided, and the district is still seeking student and parent input via a survey, the premise has left some parents wondering how they will return to work. (Panoo, 6/10)
Fresno Bee:
Fresno County COVID-19 Deaths And Cases Climb Another Day
Fresno County tallied another death on Wednesday related to the coronavirus as well as 32 new positive cases, according to health officials. That makes for 49 fatal cases related to COVID-19 in Fresno County, where 2,318 people have tested positive, the latest numbers show. The new numbers come the same day that counties around the state were notified that bars and gyms could prepare to open on Friday. The Fresno Chaffee Zoo is set to open the same day, though most family entertainment must stay shuttered another two weeks. (Miller, 6/10)
Sacramento Bee:
California Tribal Casino, Data Privacy Initiatives Want More Time
Initiative campaigns on sports betting and data privacy are suing California, arguing the state should modify deadlines to qualify for the ballot because the COVID-19 pandemic interfered with their ability to gather signatures. The campaign to legalize sports betting argues that it should be given more time to collect signatures to qualify for the 2022 ballot. (Bollag, 6/10)
Sacramento Bee:
Coronavirus: Sacramento County Death Toll Up To 62
Sacramento County public health officials on Wednesday reported another death from the coronavirus, the third disclosed this week and 62nd overall since the pandemic began impacting the region three months ago. The recently announced death happened May 30 in an unincorporated part of the county, according to the county’s COVID-19 dashboard, which was updated shortly before 10:30 a.m. As of Wednesday, 12 have died in unincorporated Sacramento County, 29 in the city of Sacramento, eight in Citrus Heights, seven in Rancho Cordova and three in each of Elk Grove and Folsom. (McGough, 6/10)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Four More COVID-19 Deaths, 72 New Cases Announced In Kern
Four new deaths from coronavirus and 72 new cases were reported by the Kern County Public Health Services Department Wednesday morning. That brings total deaths to 51 and total cases to 2,952. A total of 35,149 tests have been conducted so far with 31,418 negative and 778 pending. (6/10)
Bay Area News Group:
Coronavirus: California Justices End Emergency $0 Bail Order
A controversial statewide court order that provided bail relief to low-level arrestees — and keep them out of jails trying to tamp down COVID-19 spread — is set to expire after California’s judicial rule-makers voted to rescind the policy.In a vote announced late Wednesday afternoon, the Judicial Council, led by Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, chose 17-2 in favor of ending the $0 emergency bail schedule that has been in place since April 13. The order expires June 20, though individual county Superior Courts will have the discretion to institute their own local orders to preserve the policy. (Salonga, 6/10)
San Francisco Chronicle:
‘Defund The Police’: Advocates Say It Means Reimagining Policing, Not Getting Rid Of It
“Defund the police” is no longer just a slogan spray-painted across boarded-up storefronts or a theory supported by academics and community activists. The concept is now a movement being discussed on “Meet the Press” as part of the national conversation and pursued in cities across the nation — including San Francisco. But the rapid rise of “defund” ideas comes in the middle of a presidential campaign, widespread unrest and a pandemic that has the nation’s anxieties in overdrive. Its advocates worry that the timing leaves the concept vulnerable to attack for what they insist it’s not — eliminating police departments. (Garofoli, 6/10)
Los Angeles Times:
Disband The Police? Camden Already Did That
When Gabe Rodriguez started as a rookie cop in this impoverished New Jersey city, his training officer gave him a tip. If a comrade radios for backup, just park your patrol car in a vacant lot and let someone else handle it. The police had given up trying to control Camden’s rampant violent crime, so seven years ago the state gave up on the city’s police. Officials took the unprecedented step of disbanding the department and starting over. The old logo came off police headquarters and a new one went up in its place. (Megerian, 6/10)