Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
How Those With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Cope With Added Angst Of COVID
During the coronavirus pandemic, people with obsessive-compulsive disorder and other serious anxieties may struggle to distinguish concerns brought on by their conditions from the fears shared by the general public. But some patients say successful treatment has armed them to handle COVID-19’s uncertainties. (Elizabeth Lawrence, )
California Healthline's Daily Edition will not be published on June 19 in observance of Juneteenth. Look for it again in your inbox on June 22.
Newsom Weighs Statewide Order For Wearing Masks: Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration is considering a statewide order to require the use of masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, according to officials in several counties in contact with the state. The state is still closely monitoring counties whose numbers are more troubling than the statewide averages. Sen. Steve Glazer (D-Orinda) has been pushing for a statewide mask order, arguing it shouldn’t be a county choice. “It’s not like you have to cross a bridge to go from one county to the next,” he said. Read more from Sophia Bollag of The Sacramento Bee.
Despite Rise In Cases, Neighborhoods Are Coming Back To Life – But It’s Not Fancy: California reported a record number of new coronavirus cases Wednesday, eclipsing 4,000 new cases in a single day for the first time. Still, its neighborhoods are coming back to life, including the northeast corner of San Francisco, from the steep hills and downtown towers to the cafes of North Beach. But that storied stretch has a long way to go. Plywood and graffiti cover storefronts even as many restaurants begin putting out tables on the sidewalks and in the street. Nothing is fancy — not even close. “We’re trying things out,” said Olivier Azancot, owner of Cafe Bastille and B44. “That’s the best we can do.” Read more from John King and Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle.
In related news—
The San Francisco Chronicle: Virus Cases Spike As Contra Costa County Reopens
Los Angeles Times: O.C. Officials Monitoring Increase In ICU Hospitalizations From Coronavirus
Health Officials On Edge as People Protest Mask Orders Outside Their Homes: “My body, my choice,” read one of the protesters’ signs. Only, this wasn’t a rally for abortion rights. These demonstrators had gathered outside the home of the Contra Costa County public health officer to protest mask orders aimed at stemming the COVID-19 pandemic. “Your neighbor thinks he has the power,” a protester wrote in chalk, referring to health officer Chris Farnitano. Mask protesters say their calls for similar rallies outside the homes of public health officers are gaining traction. For many, it’s raising alarms. Read more from Melody Gutierrez 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
San Francisco Chronicle:
Bay Area Hospital Workers Exposed To Coronavirus Want More Testing For Themselves
More than two dozen Napa hospital workers are growing increasingly worried about the availability of coronavirus testing at Queen of the Valley Medical Center, the county’s largest health care provider. While the hospital contends it’s doing the best it can to protect its workers, many employees feel differently. The issue recently came to a head after seven workers, not wearing adequate personal protective gear, were exposed to a coronavirus patient. More health care workers who interacted with that patient, along with others who tested positive, contend that management did not respond with the proper level of care and testing, according to their labor union. (Moench, 6/17)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Bay Area Doctors Worry About Patients Skipping Preventive Medical Care During Coronavirus Pandemic
Robert Stratmore’s left knee is bone on bone. He has trouble walking long distances. His knee hurts when driving his stick-shift car through heavy traffic. He’s hunched over and needs shots of medication in his back to bring down the swelling. But until there’s a vaccine for the coronavirus, Stratmore doesn’t feel safe going into a skilled nursing facility to recover from knee-replacement surgery, which his doctor discouraged given the high rates of infections at some facilities. “I don’t really want to roll the die,” said the 73-year-old lawyer from Orinda. “I’m not enjoying the show, but it’s the cards you’re dealt, you have to live with them.” (Moench, 6/18)
CalMatters:
Nursing Home COVID-19 Data Is A 'Tangled Mess'
Even a top epidemiologist, let alone a family member, might find it hard to tell just how many of the New Vista Nursing and Rehabilitation Center’s elderly and frail residents fell ill or died of COVID-19 in recent weeks. County officials reported that 45 patients at the 121-bed nursing home in Los Angeles were infected. Eleven had died as of June 1. (Feder Ostrov, 6/17)
Fresno Bee:
California Pandemic Job Losses Hit Undocumented The Hardest
Nearly 360,000 undocumented workers have lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic in California, where the job recovery lags behind the rest of the country, a new analysis has found. Researchers with UC Merced’s Community and Labor Center on Tuesday released the policy report. The study shows undocumented workers in California continue to lose their jobs while other population groups see slow job gains nationally. (Amaro, 6/17)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Three Months In: 57 Have Died, More Than 3,500 Have Contracted Coronavirus In Kern
Three months since the first COVID-19 case was announced in Kern County, 57 people have died and 3,522 cases have been confirmed locally, according to the most recent figures released by the Kern County Public Health Services Department. That includes three new deaths from the virus and 60 new cases reported Wednesday morning. Close to 43,000 tests for the virus have been performed in that time. The vast majority — 38,595 — have been negative and 742 are pending. (6/17)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Kern Likely To Move In And Out Of Compliance With State's COVID-19 Thresholds
A new state monitoring program to measure coronavirus activity and preparedness in the state's 58 counties is causing some confusion and frustration locally. Kern County was in compliance with the state's various monitoring metrics at the start of last week, then fell out of compliance by week's end, landing on a state watchlist for county's with elevated disease spread and increasing hospitalizations. As of this week, county officials have said, Kern is no longer out of compliance, according to their calculations. But the California Department of Public Health still has the county listed as exceeding thresholds for certain metrics on its monitoring website. (Shepard, 6/17)
Fresno Bee:
Fresno County CA Has Triple-Digit Spike In New COVID-19 Cases
Fresno County reported 112 new cases of COVID-19 and four new deaths on Wednesday. The number of new cases reported on Wednesday was the second-highest daily total since Fresno County saw its first case in early March. On Monday, Fresno County reported 116 new cases, although that number accounted for new cases over the weekend. (Calix, 6/17)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Outlets At Tejon Holding Social Media Contest To Honor Healthcare Workers
The Outlets at Tejon are hosting a social media contest aimed to find three healthcare workers who dedicated themselves to helping others during the COVID-19 crisis, according to a news release. The “Fashion for the Frontline” contest will choose three winners to receive a $250 shopping spree at the outlets and a style consultation with Style Ambassador Laurie B Style. To nominate a healthcare hero, tag The Outlets at Tejon on Facebook or Instagram and share the reason they deserve a shopping spree. (6/17)
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento CA Offers Loans To Small Businesses Impacted By Covid
The Sacramento City Council is offering forgivable loans of up to $25,000 to small businesses and nonprofits affected by the coronavirus crisis. The council approved the $10 million Small Business Recovery Program on Tuesday night. The city is promising that at least 75 percent of the loans will go to businesses in economically disadvantaged areas. “This sends the right signal to our business community that help is on the way,” Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said. (Clift, 6/17)
Sacramento Bee:
Coronavirus CA: Sacramento Adds 4 Deaths, May Require Masks
Sacramento County officials, disclosing four new deaths and 67 fresh cases of the coronavirus, said Wednesday they might require residents to wear masks inside stores and other businesses as an added precaution. It marked the largest one-day increase since early May in fatalities as well as confirmed cases of COVID-19. County officials said they believe the increase in cases is being driven by private gatherings, such as birthday parties, as well as a major leap in the amount of tests being conducted. (McGough and Kasler, 6/17)
Sacramento Bee:
Face Masks Will Be Mandatory In Stanislaus County
Stanislaus County officials are developing a coronavirus health order that will make face coverings mandatory for residents. Kristin Olsen, chairwoman of the Board of Supervisors, disclosed the county’s plans during Wednesday’s update on the Stanemergency Facebook page. The county will implement the mandatory face covering order Monday. Details will be provided to the public by Friday, Olsen said. (Carlson and Tracy, 6/17)
Bay Area News Group:
Ex-Giant Huff Would Rather Die From Virus Than Wear A Mask
So you’re susceptible COVID-19? That’s your problem. That was the message delivered by former Giants outfielder and first baseman Aubrey Huff Tuesday on a video posted on his Twitter account under the heading “take your #coronavirus mask & stick it where the sun don’t shine.” Huff isn’t’ a “truther” denying the existence of a pandemic which has taken the lives of more than 440,000 people world-wide and more than 119,000 in the United States. He simply doesn’t like what the mask represents. (McDonald, 6/17)
San Francisco Chronicle:
While Some California Police Unions Promise Change, Others Seek To Undo Reforms
While three of California’s biggest local police unions are taking out full-page newspaper ads promising to back reforms, other law enforcement organizations have pumped more than $2 million into a November ballot measure that would partially overturn laws that some call models for reforming the criminal justice system. Police unions have contributed more than half the nearly $4 million raised for the Reducing Crime and Keeping California Safe Act campaign. The ballot initiative would roll back provisions in three measures that were aimed at reducing the state’s prison population, including Proposition 47, a voter-approved 2014 initiative that reclassified several felony crimes as misdemeanors. (Garofoli, 6/18)
Los Angeles Times:
School Police Defunding To Be Consider By L.A. School Board
The Los Angeles Board of Education next week will consider phasing out the school police, essentially eliminating the department over the next four years, a proposal that comes after more than a week of intensifying demands to do so by student advocacy groups and the leadership of the teachers union. Two other competing school board resolutions also call for a review of police operations, but not an outright termination of the department. (Blume, 6/18)