KQED: Newsom Says California Still Not Receiving Nearly Enough Vaccine Doses, Even As Coronavirus Cases Plummet
California is not receiving nearly enough COVID-19 vaccine to meet overwhelming demand, and that won't change in the near term, Gov. Gavin Newsom conceded Monday. About 800,000 Californians are fully immunized now but millions of others who are eligible have yet to get their first doses. Newsom said the state received just over 1 million doses of vaccine last week and the next weekly shipment will be only slightly larger.“We need to see that ramped up," Newsom said during a news conference at San Diego's Petco Park, which is serving as a mass vaccination center. “We’re going to need to see more doses coming into the state of California in order to keep these mass sites operational and to keep things moving.” (2/8)

Capital Public Radio/KXJZ: Newsom Says California Must 'Go Where People Are' To Address Vaccine Inequities
As California continues to alter its vaccination rollout and stay behind its goals, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday that the state is taking more steps to increase the number of people inoculated, including the upcoming third-party partnerships with Blue Shield and Kaiser Permanente. Newsom said the at-cost partnerships between two of the state’s largest health care providers is “on schedule” and is expected to begin on Friday. In the agreement, Blue Shield would oversee the distribution of the vaccine to counties, health partners and pharmacies. Meanwhile, Kaiser Permanente will assist the state in the vaccination effort under an emergency contract. (Hooks, 2/8)

Bay Area News Group: Californians With Disabilities To Get Dedicated COVID-19 Vaccine Plan 
This week, both county and state officials are discussing best practices around vaccinating those with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their caregivers against COVID-19. An email from Santa Cruz County Health Officer Dr. Gail Newel hinted at a reformed Phase 1b that clearly outlines the necessity to prioritize the population. (Hartman, 2/9)

San Diego Union-Tribune: Gov. Newsom Visits Petco Park Vaccination Superstation, Praises San Diego's Efforts 
California Gov. Gavin Newsom visited the Petco Park Vaccination Superstation on Monday, where more than 5,000 San Diegans from eligible groups are vaccinated each day. Newsom’s visit included a tour of the site and was used in part to congratulate leadership and volunteers in San Diego, which launched the state’s first vaccination superstation last month. (Mapp, 2/8)

Ventura County Star: COVID-19 Vaccinations Offered For Vets At Oxnard VA Clinic
Ventura County veterans eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations are baring their arms at the Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic in Oxnard. Officials announced late Friday shots had begun that day at 1690 Universe Circle site with 228 first doses of the Pfizer vaccine administered. (Kisken, 2/8)

Fresno Bee: Fresno To Be Home To Mass Vaccination Site, Official Says 
Fresno will get one of the state’s mass COVID-19 vaccination sites similar to those in Oakland and San Diego, a spokesperson for Assembly member Joaquin Arambula confirmed Monday. (Miller, 2/8)

Santa Rosa Press Democrat: Safeway Pharmacies Add To County’s Vaccine Capacity
Eleven pharmacy sites will help increase the county’s output to 2,000 doses a day. Sites in Petaluma and Windsor are slated for this week. (Barber, 2/8)

San Francisco Chronicle: Here Are The Mass COVID Vaccination Sites Open Or Planned Across The Bay Area
Mass vaccination sites are a crucial piece of California’s efforts to speed up its sluggish coronavirus vaccine rollout, including one at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara scheduled to open Tuesday, and another at the Oakland Coliseum expected to open Feb. 16. Levi’s Stadium will be the largest of the sites in California that aim to administer thousands of doses a day, as health officials race to complete as many inoculations as possible before new virus variants make COVID-19 even more widespread or render the vaccines less effective. (Hwang, 2/9)

San Diego Union-Tribune: County Provides COVID Vaccines, Testing, Antibody Therapy At Former Palomar Hospital 
The former Palomar Medical Center in downtown Escondido will fall to the wrecking ball some time in the future, but its final months will be spent once again performing life-saving duties. Diane Hansen, president and CEO of Palomar Health, said the aging building may be the first site in the country to offer coronavirus testing, COVID-19 vaccines and antibody therapy in a single facility. (Warth, 2/8)

The Bakersfield Californian: Vaccination Efforts Grind On With Limited Supply 
As vaccination efforts continue in Kern County, public health officials say low supply of the vaccine is the main issue standing in the way of getting more shots administered. (Shepard, 2/8)

Los Angeles Times: Second Doses Of COVID-19 Vaccines Hard To Come By In L.A. County
Most of Los Angeles County’s supply of COVID-19 vaccine will be needed for second doses into next week, as even stepped-up shipments will be insufficient to break the bottleneck of people needing to complete their inoculation regimen, officials said. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said Monday that about 55% of the doses expected this week will be needed for second shots — which are required a few weeks after people initially roll up their sleeves. (Money and Lin II, 2/9)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. Latino, Black Seniors Trail Whites In COVID-19 Vaccine
Black, Latino and Native American seniors in Los Angeles County are receiving COVID-19 vaccinations at a lower rate than white, Asian American and Pacific Islander seniors, according to data released Monday. The findings raised new concerns about inequity in the troubled rollout of vaccines for those 65 and older and added pressure on county leaders to do a better job of getting communities of color immunized. Only 7% of Black residents age 65 and over have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, the lowest percentage of any racial and ethnic group and less than half the comparable figure for white senior residents. About 9% of Native American seniors and 14% of Latino seniors have received at least one dose. (Lin II, Money and Cosgrove, 2/8)

Sacramento Bee: Will California Students Need COVID Vaccines To Attend School?
“Eventually, we want to get kids vaccinated,” said Bradley Pollock, a professor of epidemiology and chairman of the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of California Davis School of Medicine. “The problem is that it’s going to take some time to get to the point where we can do that, because you have to have the efficacy and the safety data generated to be able to do that.” The authorization of two coronavirus vaccines, from Moderna and Pfizer, marked a huge turning point in the pandemic. But under emergency authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the vaccines are only approved for adults and older teens. Pfizer’s vaccine is authorized for ages 16 and up, while Moderna’s is authorized for those 18 and older. (Korte, 2/9)

Los Angeles Times: Beutner: 25,000 COVID Vaccines May Reopen Elementary Schools
Supt. Austin Beutner said Monday that vaccinating 25,000 teachers and staff could lead to the reopening of elementary schools for a quarter of a million students as soon as state guidelines allowed, as the L.A. schools chief renewed his request for immediate access to the immunizations for educators. Beutner stopped short of saying vaccines were a precondition for reopening, instead calling them “a critical piece to this reopening puzzle.” The L.A. teachers union, which is currently negotiating with the district on reopening issues, has said that vaccines are a prerequisite to their return. (Blume, 2/8)

San Francisco Chronicle: Push To Reopen Schools As California Coronavirus Numbers Improve
California officials painted a cautiously hopeful picture of the pandemic on Monday, the day after reporting the lowest single-day case total in more than two months and as the state prepared to open its largest mass vaccination site at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara County on Tuesday. But even as COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths dropped dramatically over the past month and vaccination numbers continued to improve, California’s outlook remains hampered by uncertain vaccine supply and the increasing spread of new variants of the coronavirus that could lead to another surge. (Moench, 2/8)

Sacramento Bee: Essential Work, Big Families Put CA Latinos At Risk Of COVID
A new study shows that Latinos working in essential sectors and living in larger households during the coronavirus pandemic may contribute to why they continue to face higher rates of COVID-19 infections and deaths. “Latinos have the highest labor force participation of any group and large, big supportive families, but crammed into very small households,” said to Dr. David E. Hayes-Bautista, an author of the study and director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at UCLA. “COVID is just loving this is. It’s very opportunistic.” Throughout the pandemic, Latinos have faced the brunt of the virus’ health and financial toll. Many have continued work in agricultural, hospitality and sanitation fields, where remote work is not possible, in order to keep food on the table. (Bojórquez, 2/9)

The Bakersfield Californian: Houchin Community Blood Bank Seeks Uptick In Convalescent Plasma 
Houchin Community Blood Bank is looking to increase the local supply of the COVID-19 antibody. According to a news release from Houchin, the blood bank will be screening all blood donations for the COVID convalescent plasma until the end of March. The plasma helps others inflicted with COVID-19 fight the virus and increases their chances of survival. (2/8)

LA Daily News: COVID Q&A: How Effective Is Your Mask? How To Protect Against Contagious Variant
Amid a slow vaccine rollout and expanding reports of a highly contagious new variant of the COVID-19 virus, masks are increasingly recognized as a critical tool in slowing the pandemic. But how do you choose? One year into the pandemic, there are still no filtration standards or labeling requirements. Masks range from hospital-caliber N95s to silky Mickey Mouse gaiters.  They may not fit. They may filter poorly. (Krieger, 2/8)

LA Daily News: L.A. County Hospitals Decompress As Coronavirus Continues Gradual Slowdown 
Many Los Angeles County hospitals are beginning to gradually return to normal, although patient levels still remained relatively high, health officials said Monday, Feb. 8. This was a welcomed sign of relief, officials said, after hospitals were stretched to their limits for weeks in response to a historic surge in new coronavirus patients that peaked a month ago. But it did not mean the county was completely out of the woods yet, officials warned. (Rosenfeld, 2/8)

San Francisco Chronicle: After Abuse Probe, Another Sequel-Run Program That Housed California Youth Will Close
One of the nation’s largest youth residential treatment programs is shutting down after California officials, prompted by a Chronicle and Imprint investigation into rampant abuse allegations, decided to stop sending vulnerable children there. The closure of Clarinda Academy — the flagship facility of Sequel Youth & Family Services, a for-profit company based in Alabama — marks the second Sequel campus to shut down in as many weeks. (Palomino, Tiano and Dizikes, 2/8)