Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
In Face of COVID Threat, More Dialysis Patients Bring Treatment Home
Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, more patients are administering dialysis to themselves at home rather than receiving it in a clinic. Although home dialysis limits exposure to the virus, it comes with its own challenges. (Heidi de Marco, )
Disaster-Relief Teams Forced To Adapt: In Butte County — where the North Complex fire rages and the per capita coronavirus rate is 33% higher than Los Angeles County’s — evacuees are being housed in motel rooms. But Butte County is a rural area, and many motel rooms were already in use by people fleeing wildfires in neighboring counties. The coronavirus “has thrown a wrench into the well-oiled machines of congregate sheltering,” said Shelby Boston, who heads the Butte County Department of Employment and Social Services. Read more from the Los Angeles Times.
When Will The Unhealthy Air Improve?: After nearly three weeks of hazardous air quality, Wednesday marked the first respite for the Sacramento area. It’s a different story in the Sierra foothills, where the air remains smoky and unhealthy. Air quality index readings in Colfax and Auburn show the air is still “very unhealthy” and “unhealthy” respectively, with high levels of fine particulate matter containing soot and smoke. Read more from 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
The New York Times:
As Wildfires Rage, California Presses Insurers To Cut Rates
Faced with the twin climate crises of historic wildfires and spiraling insurance costs, California on Wednesday laid out new rules to make insurance more affordable in fire-prone areas. But the changes could backfire, experts say — pushing insurers to stop offering insurance in those areas and further imperiling communities on the front lines of climate change. The changes are the latest round in the struggle between California regulators and the insurance industry, which has experienced huge losses starting with the wildfires of 2017 and 2018. In response, insurers have begun refusing to write new coverage for homes in fire-prone areas and dropping existing customers, leaving private insurance hard to get in some places. (Flavelle, 9/16)
Fresno Bee:
Creek Fire Live Updates: More Than 1,000 Families Forced To Evacuate; Their Animals, Too
The Creek Fire that has burned parts of the Fresno and Madera counties’ foothills in the Sierra National Forest has caused the displacement of 2,672 people, according to Fresno County administrator Jean Rousseau. Those evacuation numbers were revealed during Wednesday’s news conference regarding the massive wildfire, which was at 228,025 acres with 18% containment. In all, a total of 1,024 families evacuated due to the Creek Fire. (Tehee, Tobias and Anteola, 9/16)
Fresno Bee:
Closing The Door To Smoky Skies: Improving Indoor Air Doesn’t Have To Knock The Wind Out Of You
Smoke-choked skies above a California on fire have rendered air quality unhealthy for weeks. In the Sacramento region, the sun has managed to peek out from the heavy haze of wildfires burning across the state, but maintaining and improving air quality indoors during this year’s destructive fire season remains a challenge. (Smith, 9/16)
Los Angeles Times:
California Is Beating Back The Coronavirus. Will It Last?
After months of bleak figures and forecasts, California now appears to be riding a wave of success beating back the coronavirus as officials express cautious optimism about what is next for the state. Hospitals across the state are treating the fewest patients with COVID-19 since April. The percentage of tests coming back positive for the virus is lower than ever, proof that the state has reined in a massive surge that began this summer. (Karlamangla, 9/17)
LA Daily News:
If No Post-Labor Day Coronavirus Surge, LA County Could Enter Less Risky Recovery Phase By October
Los Angeles County could move to the next, less risky tier of pandemic recovery by early October, if positive current trendlines hold, the county’s public health chief said on Wednesday, Sept. 16 — but only if Labor Day’s gatherings fail to fuel a COVID resurgence. County officials announced 31 more deaths Wednesday, for a total 6,303 people lost to the six-month outbreak. Also logged were 1,148 new cases, for a total of 256,148. (Carter, 9/16)
Sacramento Bee:
Folsom Prison Amid Large COVID-19 Outbreak
A major coronavirus outbreak that has lasted more than a month is growing rapidly again at Folsom State Prison, where more than 850 inmates and close to 40 prison staff have now tested positive for COVID-19 during the pandemic. More than half those inmate cases, 484 of them, are currently considered active, including 482 who’ve tested positive in the past two weeks, according to a Wednesday afternoon update to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s online COVID-19 tracker, up from 464 reported active cases a few hours earlier. (McGough, 9/16)
Bay Area News Group:
Coronavirus: Bay Area’s Deadliest Week Of Pandemic Fueled By Alameda County
An influx of fatalities in Alameda County has made the past week the deadliest of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Bay Area. The region neared a daily death record Tuesday with 37 fatalities from the virus reported between its nine counties, according to data compiled by this news organization, including a record 24 in Alameda County, which took the Bay Area’s seven-day average to a new high: more than 17 deaths per day, or a total of 121 over the past week. (Webeck, 9/16)
Fresno Bee:
COVID-19 Update: New Fresno County Cases, Infection Rate Down
Fresno County reported 80 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the county total to 27,312 since the pandemic’s outbreak. The update in new cases on Wednesday was a slight increase from Tuesday’s daily number of 36, but overall the county has been steadily decreasing in daily new infections. This means Fresno County could soon move into California’s red tier, according to the state’s color-coded system, which would allow the reopening of some businesses and, eventually, schools. (Lopez, 9/16)
Bay Area News Group:
Berkeley’s Gather Restaurant Reopens Today With New COVID-Era Concept
Like so many fine dining restaurants, Gather, the iconic farm-to-table restaurant in Berkeley, was forced to close when the coronavirus pandemic hit. But in its 10-year run, the restaurant had a reputation as the go-to spot for celebrating birthdays or enjoying a luxurious pre-theater meal — all while appealing to omnivores and vegetarians alike. (Yadegaran, 9/16)
Orange County Register:
Garden Grove Unified Reverses Plans For Returning To In-Person Instruction
Garden Grove Unified School District has reversed its reopening plans for starting in-person instruction next month. Orange County’s third largest district announced at its board meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 15, that it will no longer plan on returning students to campuses in October. (Albano, 9/16)
LA Daily News:
Teachers Contend With Stress As Distance Learning Endures
Like thousands of Southern California teachers, Quinones is grappling with this new reality. Distance learning and the COVID-19 pandemic that necessitated it have stretched many educators’ finances and psychological well-being. (Gorcey, 9/16)
Sacramento Bee:
California Teachers, Parents Don’t Want School Open With COVID
Just days before thousands of students in the Placer County community of Rocklin are scheduled to return to public school campuses, the district’s teachers union has filed a grievance that raises concerns about whether enough safety precautions are in place to keep students and teachers safe from COVID-19. The Rocklin Teachers Professional Association announced Wednesday it was filing the grievance against the Rocklin Unified School District after the district announced plans to reopen its hybrid model next Monday. (Morrar, 9/16)
KPBS:
County Explores 'Learning Hubs' As Option For Distance Learning Program
San Diego County will consider options for a child care/education program to help employees who have school-age children with distance learning, a supervisor's spokesperson said Wednesday. Supervisor Kristin Gaspar has proposed "learning hubs," that would "use city-owned spaces to provide community learning in partnership with community-based providers," according to her office. (9/16)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Coronavirus Outbreaks Hit 13 Sonoma County Child Care Centers
Sonoma County’s top public health official Wednesday revealed there’s been recent widespread outbreaks of the coronavirus at 13 preschool and home-based child care centers that have infected 62 people. (Espinoza, 9/16)
Orange County Register:
USC, UCLA Work Together To Get Clarity On Lifting Of Restrictions In L.A. County
An unprecedented situation called for an unusual maneuver. The athletic directors at USC and UCLA joined forces and held a joint Zoom call with Los Angeles County health officials Wednesday evening to clear a path for the football teams to begin practicing, according to sources familiar with the discussions. And it worked. “It was encouraging,” one source said. So encouraging that the teams are preparing to conduct full-squad practices once Pac-12 presidents approve that step, a move that could come as soon as Friday. (Wilner, 9/16)
LA Daily News:
Newsom: Announcement Coming ‘Very, Very Shortly’ On Reopening California Theme Parks
Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday an announcement will be coming “very, very shortly” on issuing COVID-19 guidelines that would allow California theme parks to safely reopen after more than six months of coronavirus closures. (Macdonald, 9/16)
LA Daily News:
Buena Park Calls On Newsom To Reopen Knott’s Berry Farm
The six-month closure of Knott’s Berry Farm has been “devastating” for the Buena Park theme park and a “disaster” for the city that depends on the 100-year-old institution to drive spending at area hotels, restaurants and businesses, according to Buena Park mayor Fred Smith. “Tourism is a big part of Buena Park’s economy,” Smith said during a press conference across from Disneyland. “Knott’s Berry Farm is the largest employer in our city. It is the largest source of tax revenue, drawing visitors from all the way around the world.” (Macdonald, 9/16)
LA Daily News:
Coronavirus: Gavin Newsom Says California Has No Restrictions Preventing Pac-12 Football’s Restart
Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday said there is nothing in the California guidance to prevent Pac-12 teams from playing, a statement that seemingly contradicts his own rules. “There is nothing in the state guidelines that denies the Pac-12 from having conference games,” Newsom said in response to a question from the Bay Area News Group. (Wilner, 9/16)
KQED:
Refusing To Wear A Mask In Berkeley Can Now Get You Fined $100
Going maskless in Berkeley could now get you fined. In an effort to crack down on those refusing to follow the city's mask and social distancing mandates, the Berkeley City Council passed an ordinance Tuesday night that allows enforcement officers to issue a $100 administrative citation if someone fails to comply after a warning. (Garces, 9/16)
Los Angeles Times:
Orange County Reports Its First West Nile Virus Death This Year
In the midst the COVID-19 pandemic and with the flu season around the corner, Orange County Health Care Agency officials Wednesday announced the county’s first fatality from the West Nile virus this year. That virus is the main cause of mosquito-related disease in the nation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and is usually spread by the “bite of an infected mosquito.” (Campa, 9/16)
LA Daily News:
Get A Flu Shot, Garcetti Urges Angelenos Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
Mayor Eric Garcetti urged all Los Angeles residents on Wednesday, Sept. 16, to get a flu shot before the typical season hits this fall to avoid possibly overwhelming hospitals with cases of influenza and COVID-19. (9/16)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Kern Awarded Nearly $15 Million In Program Rehabilitating Housing For The Homeless
Kern County was awarded just shy of $15 million by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday in the first round of awards in the program Homekey. The $600 million program is to purchase and rehabilitate hotels, motels, vacant apartment buildings and other properties and convert them into permanent, long-term housing for people experiencing or at-risk of experiencing homelessness, according to a news release. (9/16)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Rep. McCarthy Introduces Bill To Help Homeless Veterans
Bakersfield's Rep. Kevin McCarthy along with Mike Levin on Wednesday introduced the Reducing Veteran Homelessness Act of 2020 meant to give homeless veterans HUD-VA Supportive Housing program vouchers and supportive services. (9/16)