Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
California Expands Privacy Protection to Public Health Workers Amid Threats
Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom expanded a confidential address program to public health officials in the wake of ongoing threats made against them tied to pandemic safety precautions such as masks and stay-at-home orders. (Anna Maria Barry-Jester, )
In Los Angeles, Latinos Hit Hard By Pandemic’s Economic Storm
A new poll finds 71% of Latino households in Los Angeles County experienced serious financial problems because of the coronavirus. (Jackie Fortiér, LAist, )
Sale Of New Gas-Powered Cars Will End In 2035: California will ban the sale of new gasoline-powered passenger cars and trucks in 15 years, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday. The plan won’t stop people from owning gas-powered cars or selling them on the used-car market. Phasing out gas-powered cars will not only reduce the hazards posed by carbon emissions but will also serve as a catalyst to bring more green jobs to California, he said. Read more from the Los Angeles Times, AP, NPR and Washington Post.
What Does The Ban Really Mean For Car Owners? Can I keep my gas-powered car? Can I buy a new gas-powered car in another state and bring it back to California? Will more electric charging stations be added? The Sacramento Bee answers your questions.
California Healthline wants to hear about workplace COVID testing policies. Does your job require you to show up in person or is it transitioning away from remote work? Share your experiences here.
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
NPR:
1 In 7 Americans Have Experienced Dangerous Air Quality Due To Wildfires This Year
Wildfires near cities have become commonplace in the Western United States, but this year the reach and intensity of the dangerous air pollution they produce has been the worst on record. Many Americans in populous, urban areas endured smoke for longer than previous years. Some places experienced very unhealthy or hazardous air from wildfires for the first time ever recorded. (Carlsen, McMinn and Eng, 9/23)
The New York Times:
Is It Safe To Exercise If The Air Is Hazy With Wildfire Smoke?
Should we exercise outside when the air is smoky? With smoke and ash from major wildfires still blanketing portions of California and the Northwest and murky plumes wafting across the nation, that issue is top of the mind for many of us and likely to remain a concern well into the future. To learn more about exercise and smoke, I talked with pulmonologists, physiologists, biostatisticians and other scientists. What follows are their expert opinions about whether it might be better to stroll or streak through smoke; which masks help; when to move workouts indoors; and if we should bring our dogs along to exercise in the haze. (Reynolds, 9/23)
Los Angeles Times:
Yosemite To Reopen Friday With More Campsites Open
Yosemite National Park will reopen Friday, with scores of campsites available that have been closed all summer. The move, announced Wednesday, follows a Sept. 17 closure because of unhealthy air quality. The park reopens at 9 a.m. Friday. (Reynolds and Forgione, 9/23)
Bay Area News Group:
Developing Heat Wave Expected To Cook Bay Area This Weekend
Barometric pressure is beginning to build from Southern California and is spreading north. Wind gusts will start to increase, especially at night, further drying out vegetation. Temperature gauges will be rising rapidly. In short, hot weather will arrive this weekend, according to the National Weather Service, and the heat wave may last several days. (Hurd, 9/23)
LA Daily News:
With Coronavirus Transmissions Increasing, LA County Leery Of Reopening More Sectors
Los Angeles County public health officials presented data Wednesday, Sept. 23, showing that transmission rates were rising slightly and that while the county has done a great deal to bridge the racial and economic divides, the virus continued its disproportionate impacts. (Rosenfeld, 9/23)
Sacramento Bee:
500 Dead In 4-County Sacramento Region
Exactly 500 residents in the four-county Sacramento region have died of coronavirus as of Wednesday updates from those counties’ health offices. Sacramento County’s death toll increased to 399 in that morning’s data update. Another 101 have died among the three neighboring counties of Yolo (54), Placer (43) and El Dorado (four). (McGough, 9/23)
Ventura County Star:
COVID Update: Ventura County Adds 110 New Cases, Near Reopening Goals
Ventura County added 110 new cases of COVID-19 and no new deaths on Wednesday, edging the county closer to its reopening goals set by the state, according to the latest public health data. In an afternoon public briefing, Ventura County Director of Public Health Rigo Vargas said the county now stood at an average of 62 daily cases, the closest it has come to the goal of 60 daily new cases. The current total number of cases in the county is 12,385. (Childs, 9/23)
Fresno Bee:
Fresno County Adds 101 Cases Of COVID-19 In Midweek Update. Here Are The Latest Numbers
Fresno County reported 101 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday, bringing the county closer to nearly 28,000 cases. The total number of COVID-19 infections since March stands at 27,944. Seven people were released from the hospital, leaving 82, according to the county health department. (Rodriguez-Delgado, 9/23)
Bay Area News Group:
Bay Area Must Avoid ‘Mistake’ Of Reopening Too Fast, Health Official Warns
A top Bay Area health official warned Tuesday against repeating the “mistake” of reopening too quickly, even as schools may welcome students back for in-person instruction and California’s positivity rate falls to its lowest point so far in the pandemic. (Kelliher, 9/23)
Becker's Hospital Review:
Google Maps To Show COVID-19 Outbreaks
Google Maps unveiled a new feature on Sept. 23 that displays COVID-19 cases in a user's area. The new tool is embedded with Google Maps and is labeled "COVID-19 info." When activated, it shows a seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people for the area of the map being searched. (Drees, 9/23)
The Bakersfield Californian:
In Push To Reopen, Kern County Public Health Urges Residents To Get COVID-19 Tests
The Kern County Public Health Services Department sent another plea to residents, asking them to get tested for COVID-19 in part to help slow the spread of the virus and to also accelerate efforts in reopening the economy. (9/23)
San Francisco Chronicle:
‘The Surface Issue Has Essentially Gone Away’: Experts Revise Thinking On Coronavirus Transmission
We know the coronavirus spreads through person-to-person contact when an infected person coughs, sneezes, speaks, sings, or even breathes. But some early laboratory studies indicated that it is possible to get COVID-19 by coming into contact with infected particles that can survive on surfaces for days or weeks. ... As researchers learn more about SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, there is less concern about what scientists call fomite transmission. “The surface issue has essentially gone away,” said Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease doctor and researcher with UCSF. “The virus is spread primarily by massive shedding from the nose and mouth.” (Vaziri, 9/23)
Fresno Bee:
Operation Warp Speed Advisers Held Investments In COVID Vaccine Firms, Records Show
Several top officials leading the administration’s effort to develop a coronavirus vaccine at record speed had financial ties to the pharmaceutical companies now competing to develop the much-needed drug, according to disclosures released Tuesday. (Copp and Wilner, 9/22)
The Bakersfield Californian:
BCSD Unveils Plan To Gradually Reopen Its Doors For In-Person Learning
Bakersfield City School District released details about its plan to gradually open up its schools to special education, foster youth and homeless students, and English learners at a board meeting on Tuesday night. (Gallegos, 9/23)
LA Daily News:
LAUSD’s Beutner, Gonez Take Coronavirus Tests At Pacoima School As District’s Program Rolls Out
Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Austin Beutner and school board member Kelly Gonez to show off the district’s sweeping coronavirus testing program — by taking COVID-19 test themselves on Tuesday, Sept. 22 at Pacoima Middle School. (Reingewirtz, 9/23)
Bay Area News Group:
Quidel’s Antigen Tests Saved Pac-12 Football: A Deep Dive Into The Origin Of Their Relationship
When the Pac-12 announced its partnership with Quidel Corp. for point-of-care tests on Sept. 3 — the Thursday before Labor Day — commissioner Larry Scott described the deal as a “game changer” for the conference. Considering the sweeping consequences of not playing football this year, that was an understatement. The access to rapid-result COVID-19 antigen tests that could be administered before practice and games solved the first of two daunting challenges (keeping the players safe) and provided vital momentum to eventually clearing the second (convincing officials in California and Oregon to ease health restrictions). (Wilner, 9/23)
LA Daily News:
Garcetti Says USC Pharmacy School Teams Will Give Free Flu Shots Around LA In October
Teams from USC’s School of Pharmacy will administer free flu shots to people in Los Angeles beginning in October in anticipation of influenza season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Mayor Eric Garcetti said Wednesday, Sept. 23. (9/23)
Sacramento Bee:
Former Placer Health Officer Aimee Sisson Joins Yolo Office
Dr. Aimee Sisson, who resigned two weeks ago from her role as Placer County’s public health officer in protest of local leaders’ decision to no longer recognize COVID-19 as an emergency, has been named to the same position in nearby Yolo County. Yolo announced the selection of Sisson on Wednesday. She’ll be officially appointed next week during a supervisors meeting and begin her role as health officer in late October, the county said in a news release. The change comes following the retirement of Dr. Ron Chapman in June. (McGough, 9/23)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Lights, Camera, No Action: Insurance Woes Beset California’s Entertainment Industry Workers
Before the coronavirus pandemic shut down the entertainment industry in March, Jeffrey Farber had a steady flow of day jobs in film and television, including work on “Hunters” and “Blue Bloods.” But when theaters, movies and TV shows stopped production, not only did Farber lose his acting income, he also stopped accruing the hours and earnings he needed to qualify for health insurance through his labor union, SAG-AFTRA. Without the acting jobs, his insurance would be ending this month. (Andrews, 9/23)
Fresno Bee:
Gov. Newsom Told This California Town They’d Get Safe Drinking Water. It’s Been A Year
It’s been four years since safe drinking water flowed from the tap at Jovita Torres-Romo’s home. When the well at her rental house went dry in 2016, the only running water available to her family came through a hose stretched across the street from a neighbor’s house. “Just close your eyes and imagine you had no water for a day or even a week to do basic things like shower, wash your hands, and use the bathroom,” Torres-Romo told The Fresno Bee. “That was my life for three months.” (Giselle and Vaughn, 9/24)
LA Daily News:
American Cancer Society ‘Relay Across The Valley’ Fundraiser On Sept. 26
The American Cancer Society presents an opportunity to support cancer patients and raise funds for cancer research at the inaugural “Relay Across the Valley” run/walk event on Sept. 26. People come together as team members for an American Cancer Society “Relay for Life” event and usually walk a set course in segments often around a football stadium field. Due to the coronavirus pandemic this year and the need to observe social distancing, participants are asked to observe a one-to-six person maximum in a “pod of participation.” (Andres, 9/23)
Fresno Bee:
Día de los Muertos Won’t Be The Same In The Pandemic. Here Are Safe Ways To Celebrate
As Día de los Muertos approaches, a Sacramento organization is stepping in to provide an alternative way to celebrate in the midst of the COVID-19 health crisis a holiday when relatives and friends would normally gather in close quarters. Sol Collective launched a new digital platform that mimics the the altars families typically create for the holiday. The website, diadelosmuertosca.com/, invites anyone to share photos and memories of their family and friends. (Bojorquez, 9/24)
LA Daily News:
COVID Increases LA County Food Insecurity, Says USC Study
More than one in four Los Angeles County households experienced at least one instance of food insecurity from April to July 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic, overwhelmingly affecting women, low-income and unemployed residents — and Latinos, according to researchers at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. (9/23)
LA Daily News:
Orange County Doctor Pulls Out Gun During Anti-Mask Video, Hoag Hospital Rebukes Him
For the past few months, Newport Beach physician Jeff Barke – whose Orange County ties stretch from school boards to the Board of Supervisors – has captured the spotlight with his outspoken views on coronavirus precautions. Sporting a white lab coat or blue scrubs, the Rossmoor resident has led calls to reopen businesses and schools at rallies, on Twitter and in YouTube videos. He describes face mask mandates and stay-at-home recommendations with such terms as “tyrannical.” (Goulding and Kopetman, 9/23)
The Washington Post:
Apple Watch 6’s Blood Oxygen Sensor Is Unreliable And Misleading
Sometimes the new Apple Watch Series 6 reports my lungs and heart are the picture of health, pumping blood that’s 100 percent saturated with oxygen. At other times, it reports my blood oxygen is so low I might be suffering from emphysema. (I am not.) The watch can’t decide. This much is clear: Don’t buy one of these $400 devices in the hopes of monitoring your lung health. (Fowler, 9/23)
LA Daily News:
LA City Council Approves Funding For Renters’ Legal Defense Program
The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously Wednesday, Sept. 23, to authorize the use of more than $10.4 million for an emergency legal defense program to protect renters from eviction amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (Heinz, 9/23)
Sacramento Bee:
Thought No One Was Answering Calls At California’s EDD? You Were Nearly Right, Report Says
If you thought it was impossible to reach a human being about your California unemployment insurance claim in the last six months, you were nearly right, according to a recent report released by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration. No more than one in 1,000 callers per day have reached someone at the number the Employment Development Department has told people to call for help with their claims, leaving callers “without a statistically significant chance of being served,” according to a new report from a team of government executives Newsom appointed to address problems at the department. (Venteicher, 9/23)