S.F.'s Covid Case Rate Worse Than National Rate: The latest wave of coronavirus cases, fueled by the extra-infectious delta variant, has put San Francisco’s case rate above the national rate for the first time since March 2020. Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
In related news —
Schools Are Reopening, But Should They?: Covid infection rates in 19 California counties are so high they would have kept schools from reopening under state pandemic safety rules last spring. All but three of California’s 58 counties would now be in the most restrictive “purple tier” under the state’s retired reopening blueprint, an analysis shows. Read more from the Bay Area News Group. More back-to-school news, below.
Below, check out the roundup of California Healthline’s coverage. For today's national health news, read KHN's Morning Briefing.
More News From Across The State
CalMatters:
COVID Patients Have Doubled In California Hospitals
Propelled by the delta variant and large numbers of unvaccinated people, COVID-19 patients are flooding California hospitals at a rate not seen since last winter’s surge. Hospitalizations statewide have almost doubled in the past two weeks: 5,358 people were hospitalized with the disease on Sunday, compared to 2,781 on July 24. (Feder Ostrov and Ibarra, 8/10)
Los Angeles Times:
COVID-19 Hospitalizations Rise Sharply Across Southern California As Surge Continues
COVID-19 hospitalizations have essentially doubled across much of California over the last two weeks — a troubling trend officials say illustrates the pandemic’s continued potency amid an ongoing surge in infections. Increases of that magnitude have been seen in Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, state data show, straining healthcare systems to an extent not seen in months. (Money and Lin II, 8/9)
Orange County Register:
Coronavirus: L.A. County Reported 2,919 New Cases And Six New Deaths, Aug. 9
Los Angeles County public health officials reported2,919 new cases of the coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases to 1,329,262 as of Monday, Aug. 9. The total number of cases represents 13.3% of Los Angeles County’s population. Officials reported six new deaths linked to the coronavirus, for a total 24,783 deaths since tracking began. The total number of deaths represents 0.25% of Los Angeles County’s population. (Goertzen, 8/9)
Orange County Register:
OC Health Officials Brace As Rising COVID-19 Cases Put More People In The Hospital Again
Orange County’s medical care system is not now at a crisis point, officials say, but they’re closely watching the changing COVID-19 landscape and hoping it doesn’t reach one. After a winter surge of coronavirus infections that required adding fields tents to hold extra beds at several OC hospitals, vaccines became widely available and daily new cases declined, with the average staying in the double digits from mid-April to early July. But then hospitalizations began to rise, doubling over the past two weeks, going from 215 patients on July 27 to 453 patients as of Monday. (Robinson, 8/9)
The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat:
Sonoma County Reports 3 New COVID-19 Deaths As Hospital Cases Climb
Sonoma County on Monday reported three recent COVID-19 deaths, the latest fallout, health officials said, from an ongoing summer surge of virus cases and soaring hospitalizations involving severely ill patients. As of Sunday, there were 70 people with COVID-19 in local hospitals, including 17 shown in intensive care. Only during the winter’s deadly wave of cases were more local residents hospitalized with COVID-19 on any given day. (Espinoza, 8/9)
Santa Cruz Sentinel:
Santa Cruz County Records Two COVID Deaths, Stands By No Mask Mandate
For the first time since mid-May, Santa Cruz County recorded a COVID-19-related death in its data dashboard. On Monday, the county’s COVID-19 death toll increased from 207 residents to 209 residents. County officials were expecting this jump as they had been warned by local doctors that two recent deaths may have been caused, at least in part, by the virus. Death certificates confirmed the suspicion. (Hartman, 8/10)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Kern Public Health Reports No New Coronavirus Deaths, 903 New Cases Monday
Kern County Public Health Services reported no new coronavirus deaths and 903 new confirmed cases Monday. That brings the count of deaths to 1,428 and the confirmed cases since the pandemic began to 115,910. Forty delta variant cases have been identified, and there have been 70 alpha variant cases. (8/9)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Unauthorized Coronavirus Testing Site Shut Down In Marin County, Officials Say
Marin County health officials on Monday shut down what they said was an unauthorized coronavirus testing site in Fairfax, and said California officials are investigating the company over concerns also raised in Los Angeles and San Diego counties. Dr. Matthew Willis, Marin County’s health officer, told The Chronicle that a company called Community Wellness America was operating a testing site on a sidewalk across from a health food store in Fairfax on Friday. (Flores, 8/9)
Sacramento Bee:
Can California Reach COVID Herd Immunity With Delta Variant?
Once described as a kind of golden ticket out of the coronavirus pandemic, herd immunity refers to a state in which enough people in a community develop protection against a virus via vaccination or previous infection to the point that the entire population is considered immune. Earlier in the pandemic, epidemiologists often cited 60% to 70% of the worldwide population as the necessary goalpost for establishing herd immunity. But after a summer of relative optimism, the delta variant is driving up COVID-19 cases across the country. While the super-spreadable version of the virus is hitting unvaccinated populations hardest, so-called breakthrough cases – when vaccinated individuals test positive for COVID-19 – are contributing to concerns that we’re losing ground in the fight against the coronavirus. (Jasper, 8/10)
AP:
California To Offer Vaccine Incentive To Medicaid Population
California announced another round of coronavirus vaccine incentives on Friday, offering up to $50 apiece to more than 11 million people in the state who get their health insurance through Medicaid. The money is part of a new $350 million plan to get more of the state’s Medicaid population vaccinated as the state is seeing a surge of new cases attributed to the delta variant, a more contagious and dangerous version of the coronavirus. Medicaid is the joint state and federal health insurance program for people who are disabled or have low incomes. (Beam, 8/9)
San Francisco Chronicle:
In Conspiracy-Tinged Letters, 200 S.F. Employees Push Back On City's Vaccine Mandate
Nearly 200 San Francisco employees are attempting to rebuff the city’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate and other protocols like testing and mask wearing for city workers, submitting identical, conspiracy-tinged letters suggesting the city is infringing upon their “God-given and constitutionally secured” rights. The letters, which began streaming into San Francisco’s human resources department in late June, came after city officials announced they would require city employees — with certain exceptions — to get inoculated or risk losing their jobs. (Cassidy and Allday, 8/9)
Sacramento Bee:
CA Correctional Officers Union To Fight COVID Vaccine Orders
The union representing California state correctional officers plans to fight vaccination requirements for its members, according to a Friday memo. The California Correctional Peace Officers Association said in the emailed note to members that it would use “all the tools at its disposal,” including legal appeals and labor negotiations, to fight two recent efforts to mandate vaccinations. (Venteicher, 8/9)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Vaccination Mandates Spark Protest At Rady Children's
For the first time in San Diego County, the global pushback against vaccine mandates became visible Monday with more than 100 people protesting near Rady Children’s Hospital. The event, one of several held at children’s hospitals across the state, echoed similar events in big cities from Paris to Detroit as state and local governments and private companies begin requiring proof of vaccination from their employees as the Delta variant keeps case totals much higher than they were in the spring. (Sisson, 8/9)
Press-Enterprise:
Nurses Protest Mandatory Coronavirus Vaccinations At Riverside Rally
More than 100 people protested outside Riverside Community Hospital on Monday morning, Aug. 9, saying a state requirement that healthcare workers receive the coronavirus vaccine violates their rights. “We’re out today to rally the troops and gain some support for protesting the mandatory vaccine mandate from our governor and the California Department of Public Health,” said protest organizer Tara Stoddart, who said she works as an ICU nurse at Riverside University Health System Medical Center in Moreno Valley. “We’re here for freedom of choice.” (Yarbrough, 8/9)
Bay Area News Group:
Walnut Creek To Require Employees To Get Vaccinated
The city will require all its employees, contractors and volunteers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Aug. 16 or get tested every week, city officials said Monday. Refusal to comply with the order may lead to disciplinary action, starting with a warning and ending with unpaid leave or termination, the city said. (Mukherjee, 8/10)
Los Angeles Times:
What To Know As L.A. Considers More COVID Vaccine Mandates
Los Angeles’ battle against the Delta variant of the coronavirus is getting more aggressive. This week, both city and county leaders will consider vaccination mandates for many public places. Here is a breakdown of what officials are doing. (Money and Cosgrove, 8/9)
Los Angeles Daily News:
Should Gyms, Restaurants, Businesses Require COVID-19 Vaccination Proof? LA County Mulls Mandate
The possibility of coronavirus vaccine requirements to enter businesses and other public spaces across sprawling Los Angeles County loomed larger as Los Angeles County supervisors were braced to weigh such restrictions in an effort to reduce the spread of the surging delta variant at their Tuesday, Aug. 10, meeting. Since early July, the variant — much more contagious than the earlier Alpha version of the disease — has become the region’s predominant strain, representing nearly all sequenced cases recorded by Aug. 5 in the county of 10.3 million. (Carter, 8/9)
San Francisco Chronicle:
COVID In California: Vaccine Advisers Will Meet On Booster Shots Friday
Bay Area and California officials aren’t planning new COVID-19 lockdowns, saying that masking, testing and vaccinations are sufficient to avoid disruptive closures of businesses and schools despite the delta variant surge. Oakland Unified schools reopened to the refreshingly normal buzz and jitters of the first day of classes. Schools are on track to reopen in the Bay Area, but more local restaurants are closing temporarily because of breakthrough cases among vaccinated staff. Some local residents with breakthrough infections have shared their experiences with The Chronicle, reflecting on being among the low percentage of people to get sick despite getting their shots. (Vaziri, Buchmann, Beamish and Fracassa, 8/9)
Bay Area News Group:
Oakland Students Return To Campuses Amid National Surge Of COVID Cases
For Manzanita SEED Elementary school parent Karen Choury, the joy of seeing her 10-year-old daughter Max reconnect with classmates for her first day back at school Monday was tempered by the recent surge in COVID-19 cases. “This morning I dropped her off at school, and there were a lot of kids. They were all over each other, and they were masked, but you know, the big concern is that the cases are going up again,” Choury said. (Sciacca, 8/9)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Relief And Excitement, Amid Concern Over Delta Variant, As Oakland Unified Schools Reopen
The first day of in-person classes at Oakland Unified School District arrived Monday after 17 months defined by Zoom and learning from a distance. “I’m always nervous when school is starting,” said Amy Colt, a high school teacher at Oakland’s Skyline High School. Even though there are unknowns specific to the pandemic, she said nerves are normal before the first day. (Talley, 8/9)
KQED:
Bay Area Students Are Going Back To School. Are Families Ready?
Many Bay Area students are starting school this week, and in California, classes will mostly be in person. At the same time, COVID cases are rising due to the delta variant. But after a year of remote learning, families and students have mixed feelings about going back to school. (Katayama, McEvoy, Cruz Guevara and Montecillo, 8/9)
San Francisco Chronicle:
With Delta Rising, Thousands Of Parents In San Francisco, Across State Demand Distance Learning Option
Thousands of parents in San Francisco and across the state say they don’t want to send their kids back into classrooms this fall and are asking for online options as schools begin to reopen amid a new surge of the delta variant of COVID-19. The last-minute demands for distance learning come as districts are beginning to fully reopen schools for the first time in 18 months, an already complicated and evolving process amid changing health guidelines, including mask mandates, and daily updates on rising coronavirus cases in the community. (Tucker, 8/9)
Modesto Bee:
Modesto K-12 Students First Day Of School In Person
Thousands of Modesto-area students return to school buildings this week — some for the first time in a year and a half. Schools are offering full in-person learning amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, including an increase in cases among young children because of the delta variant. (Isaacman, 8/9)
Fresno Bee:
Clovis Unified Changes Mask Exemption Policy
After the California health department clarified that mask exemptions in K-12 schools could only be made by doctors — and not parents — Clovis Unified school officials announced Monday afternoon that it would follow protocol and not allow parents to exempt their children. Clovis Unified trustees voted on July 29 to let parents exempt their students from wearing masks for medical or mental health reasons. (Panoo, 8/9)
CalMatters:
Cal State Vaccination Requirement Creates Tight Deadline
California State University’s recent COVID-19 vaccine mandate leaves a lot of decisions up to each of its 23 campuses — so much so that at some, students could be unvaccinated and remain on campus a month or more into the fall term. The language of the interim mandate, made public July 27 and spelled out formally July 29, sounds black-and-white: If students want to attend classes in person or visit campus at all, they’ll have to be vaccinated or face possible academic and disciplinary consequences. (Zinshteyn, 8/10)
CapRadio:
Kids Are Being Treated For “Electronic Screen Syndrome” During The Pandemic
As we approach the beginning of a new school year, some parents are concerned their kids have spent too much time with screens during the pandemic and that they may not have the attention span or self-discipline needed to do well academically. Dr. Victoria Dunkley has been studying and treating kids for what she calls “Electronic Screen Syndrome” or ESS. She says the nervous system becomes overstimulated from too much gaming and social media. (8/9)
San Francisco Chronicle:
What We Know About The Delta Variant, Kids And Long COVID
One of the most concerning things about the highly contagious delta variant is its ability to infect children spared previous strains of the coronavirus. With pediatric COVID-19 cases rapidly rising in the Bay Area and elsewhere, anxiety is growing about little-researched long COVID in children, with physical and mental symptoms that can last for months or years. “As far as risk to kids for this variant, I don’t think we know yet what the longer-term implications will be,” said Dr. Sarah Doernberg, a parent and infectious disease expert with the University of California San Francisco. (Vaziri, 8/9)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Dixie Fire Growth Stalls, But Midweek Warming Trend Looms
Firefighters gained a slight upper hand Monday on the Dixie Fire, now the second largest wildfire in California’s history, though warmer weather conditions threatened to fuel more explosive behavior by midweek, officials said. The blaze, which started on July 13 and has burned through four counties, had a total acreage of 482,047 — slightly less than the previous day, but that discrepancy is due to more accurate mapping after the smoke cleared, said Hector Vasquez, a spokesman for the Forest Service. (Ravani, 8 /9)
Los Angeles Times:
Containment Of Massive Dixie Fire Weeks Away, Officials Say
It has been 26 days since the Dixie fire ignited in the dense forest of Plumas County. It has destroyed more than 400 structures and sent tens of thousands of residents fleeing for safety. And officials are warning that it could take several more weeks to contain the monstrous blaze, which is the second-largest wildfire in California’s recorded history. (Smith, 8/9)
Chico Enterprise-Record:
Dixie Fire Grows To 489,287 Acres, Expected Containment Date Now Unknown
Cal Fire reported that the Dixie Fire had grown to 489,287 acres Monday morning, however Cal Fire-Butte County Public Information Officer Rick Carhart said that due to better mapping by fire officials the size of the fire has been reduced to 482,047 acres. The fire is the second-largest fire in state history. Cal Fire said they have tracked 873 structures which have been destroyed by the fire, with 61 structures damaged. (Couchot, 8/10)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Fires Ravaging In Northern California Worsen Kern's Air Quality
Light brown air seeped into the San Joaquin Valley and Bakersfield over the weekend, prompting the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District to issue a health caution Friday that warned respiratory issues could be triggered for qualifying individuals. “The health caution will remain in place until the fires are extinguished, or until smoke is no longer affecting the Valley,” said the SJVAPCD in a news release. Bakersfield is no stranger to bad air quality days. The American Lung Association, in its State of the Air 2021 report, ranked Bakersfield number two on the list of cities most polluted by ozone and number one on the list of cities plagued yearly by particulate matter. (Desai, 8/9)
The New York Times:
The Ashes of the Dixie Fire Cast a Pall 1,000 Miles From Its Flames
Smoke from wildfires across western Canada, Oregon and California has stained the skies and fouled the air as far away as Iowa, Minnesota and even New York City. Recent research suggests that the smoke may actually grow more toxic as it ages, undergoes chemical changes and blows across the country, reacting with sunlight and other molecules floating in the air. Over time, smoke may form reactive compounds that can be especially damaging to the body once they are inhaled. (Albeck-Ripka, Fuller and Healy, 8/9)
The Washington Post:
Triple Digit Heat, ‘Dangerously Hot Conditions’ Brewing In Pacific Northwest
It’s been a summer marred by record-shattering, deadly heat in the Pacific Northwest and yet another significant heat wave is on the way. Triple-digit temperatures will roast cities like Portland, Ore., Medford and Spokane, while the risk of wildfires ramps up over the region. The forecast coincides with the release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s latest assessment review of climate science, which notes a firm link between human-caused global warming and top-tier heat events, like the late June episode that brought a high of 108 degrees to Seattle and 116 degrees in Portland. (Cappucci, 8/9)
Reuters:
Once-In-50-Year Heat Waves Now Happening Every Decade
Extreme heat waves that previously only struck once every 50 years are now expected to happen once per decade because of global warming, while downpours and droughts have also become more frequent, a U.N. climate science report said on Monday. The report found that we are already experiencing those effects of climate change, as the planet has surpassed more than 1 degree Celsius in average warming. Heat waves, droughts and torrential rains are only set to become more frequent and extreme as the earth warms further. (Spring, 8/9)
Reuters:
Lake Mead At A Low
About 25 million Americans depend on the reservoir at Lake Mead for their water, including residents of Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Tucson, Arizona, and Las Vegas. (Hart, 8/9)
AP:
Dry California Tourist Town To Guests: 'Please Conserve'
Tourists flock by the thousands to the coastal town of Mendocino for its Victorian homes and cliff trails, but visitors this summer are also finding public portable toilets and signs on picket fences pleading: “Severe Drought. Please conserve water.” Hotels have closed their lobby bathrooms and residents have stopped watering their gardens in the foggy outpost about 150 miles (240 kilometers) north of San Francisco after two years of little rain sapped many of the wells Mendocino depends on for potable water. (Rodriguez and Daley, 8/10)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Appeals Court Upholds $86 Million Award To Livermore Cancer Survivors Who Sued Monsanto Over Roundup
Finding that chemical giant Monsanto showed “conscious disregard for the safety of others,” a state appeals court upheld $86.2 million in damages Monday to a Livermore couple who developed cancer after spraying Monsanto’s Roundup, the world's most widely used herbicide, in their yards for 30 years. The verdict for Alva and Alberta Pilliod was the third by a Bay Area jury to find Monsanto at fault for knowingly marketing a dangerous product, and the third to be upheld by an appeals court. In a 2-1 ruling, the First District Court of Appeal in San Francisco said that despite federal regulators’ approval of Roundup, jurors were entitled to conclude that the company had evidence its herbicide could cause cancer and withheld that evidence from its customers. (Egelko, 8/9)
City News Service:
LA Court Filing Seeks To Bolster Protections For Children In Immigration Custody
The federal government continues to detain migrant children indefinitely in makeshift facilities that are unsafe, unsanitary and damaging to children’s physical and mental well-being, two immigrant rights groups alleged in a court filing on Monday, Aug, 9, that calls on a Los Angeles judge to enforce legal safeguards. The motion to enforce, filed in Los Angeles federal court, asks the court to enforce the landmark 1997 Flores Settlement Agreement, which established basic standards of care for children in immigration custody. (8/9)
Orange County Register:
City Of Hope Adds 7 Clinics With Acquisition Of Cancer-Focused Medical Group
Thousands of cancer patients in Orange and Los Angeles counties will now have access to the renowned treatment and research of City of Hope, the organization’s leaders said in announcing the center that is investing $1 billion into a new Orange County complex is also expanding to clinics throughout the area. In its effort to extend its reach further into Orange County and make better accessible its elite cancer care, the Duarte-based treatment and research center said it had acquired Pacific Shores Medical Group, a Long Beach-based cancer center with facilities in Orange and Los Angeles counties. (Sheets, 8/9)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Riding High On Record Revenue, San Diego Sequencing Giant Illumina Hopes To Acquire Grail By Year’s End
San Diego sequencing giant Illumina posted a record $1.13 billion in revenue during its second quarter, driven by growing demand to use DNA sequencing for everything from diagnosing rare diseases to tracking the spread of the coronavirus. Illumina’s revenue has hit record levels for back-to-back quarters, with the company reporting about $1.1 billion during the first quarter of 2021. In a call with investors on Thursday, executives announced that they now expect total revenue for the year to reach $4.28 billion to $4.34 billion, compared to $3.24 billion in 2020, with earnings per share of $4.69 to $4.89. (Wosen, 8/9)
Los Angeles Daily News:
West Hills-Based Pharmavite Acquires Urinary Health Brand Uqora
West Hills-based vitamins and supplement-maker Pharmavite has acquired San Diego biotech company Uqora Inc. as part of expanding and diversifying its product offerings addressing women’s urinary health issues. Uqora is based in San Diego and produces products for urinary tract infection relief for women along with proactive care supplements. (Grigoryants, 8/9)