Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
California Is Overriding Its Limits on Nurse Workloads as Covid Surges
As covid patients flood California emergency rooms, hospitals are increasingly desperate to find enough staffers to care for them all. But some nurses worry hospitals will use the pandemic as an excuse to permanently roll back their hard-won nurse-patient ratios. (April Dembosky, KQED, )
New Covid Strain Spreading In California: Another coronavirus variant is spreading across California, health officials warned Sunday. The variant, labeled L452R, is different from the B.1.1.7 variant first found in the United Kingdom. Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, LA Daily News, Bay Area News Group and The Washington Post.
In related news —
Another New Covid-19 Variant Discovered In L.A. Might Be Vaccine Resistant, Researcher Says
Big Batch Of Moderna Vaccines Shelved In San Diego: Health care providers have been instructed to stop using a batch of Moderna’s covid vaccine after a “higher than usual” number of people had apparent allergic reactions at San Diego County’s drive-through vaccination site at Petco Park. Read more from the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Orange County Register and CNN.
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
San Francisco Chronicle:
California Has Nearly 2 Million Unused Doses Of Vaccine Even As Demand Soars. Here’s Why
Across California, a vast number of coronavirus vaccine doses are locked up in cold storage. But last week, when Santa Clara County asked for 100,000 doses to ramp up vaccine distribution, the state offered only a fraction of that amount: 6,000 doses. The disconnect between the county’s request and the state’s response underscores the largest and most mystifying problem in California’s badly fumbled immunization rollout: How can California simultaneously have not enough vaccine to meet demand while so many doses remain unused? (Ho and Allday, 1/16)
Sacramento Bee:
Why California Trails Most Of U.S. In COVID-19 Vaccinations
The Sacramento Native American Health Center had vaccinated most of its staff against COVID-19 and was ready to move on to hundreds of sick and elderly clients. But last week Sacramento County health officials vetoed the idea. The county had yet to finish giving shots to other healthcare workers and residents of long-term care facilities, who got top priority under California’s system for vaccinations. The Native American clinic’s clients would have to wait. “That’s all the information I got. I didn’t get any specific dates,” said Wendy Calderon, the center’s director of health services. (Kasler, Bollag, Yoon-Hendricks, Pohl and Bizjak, 1/15)
LA Daily News:
LA County Residents 65 And Older Can Get Coronavirus Vaccines Starting Thursday
As debate over the slower-than expected rollout heated up anew, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Hilda Solis on Monday, Jan. 18 ordered that coronavirus vaccines be made available to residents 65 years of age and older beginning Thursday, Jan. 21. (Rosenfeld and Carter, 1/18)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. County To Let Residents 65 And Up Get COVID-19 Vaccines
Amid widespread confusion over when and how senior citizens can get the coronavirus vaccine, Los Angeles County supervisors are urging that people 65 and older be inoculated immediately. In an executive order late Monday, Hilda Solis, chairwoman of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, directed county health officials to make COVID-19 vaccination appointments available to residents 65 and older beginning Thursday. “The COVID-19 vaccine rollout has been an enormous undertaking, especially during an unprecedented surge where cases, hospitalizations, and deaths continue to skyrocket,” Solis said in a statement. “However, if we are to ever get out of this dark winter, it is critical that we make headway vaccinating people 65 years of age and older as soon as possible.” (Xia, 1/18)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
San Diego County Residents 75 And Older Can Now Get COVID Vaccine
San Diego County on Monday extended eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine to residents 75 and older because of a recent slowdown in vaccination appointments. “We took this action today to add individuals 75 years of age and older because they are at the greatest risk,” said Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county’s public health officer, in a statement. (Taketa, 1/18)
Los Angeles Times:
The Confusing, Frustrating Ordeal As Older Californians Search Out COVID-19 Vaccine
Since Gov. Gavin Newsom announced last week that Californians 65 and older would now be eligible for vaccination, officials statewide have been flooded with calls from Golden State seniors, amid a spike in hospitalizations and deaths after the holidays. The problem is that there are more people who want to be inoculated, and who are brimming with questions, than there is vaccine to do the critical job. The result? Widespread confusion, particularly in Los Angeles County, which has lost more residents to COVID-19 than any other in this hard-hit state. People 65 and older make up about 75% of all COVID-19 deaths nationwide, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (La Ganga and Xia, 1/19)
LA Daily News:
5 Vaccination Mega-Centers Open In L.A. County Today – But Are There Enough Doses To Stock Them?
Fueled by an increasingly uncertain supply of much-coveted coronavirus vaccines, Los Angeles County aimed to roll out five new large-scale vaccination centers, all at high-profile settings around the region, on Tuesday, Jan. 19. The array of new vaccination centers will be in addition to the giant parking-lot clinic at Dodger Stadium — perhaps the largest vaccination site in the nation — and 75 smaller sites the county is already operating. (Rosenfeld and Carter, 1/19)
Fresno Bee:
Here’s The Schedule For Fresno COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic
Vaccinations against the COVID-19 virus are available this week at the Central High East campus in Fresno for healthcare workers and those 75 years of age and older. The coronavirus vaccination clinic started Monday. It’s off Tuesday and Wednesday then resumes Thursday and Friday, David Phillips of United Health Centers said in a news release. Officials say appointments are not necessary, but they are encouraged. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The campus is at 3535 N. Cornelia Avenue, and the vaccinations will take place in the Aquatics Complex parking lot. (Guy, 1/18)
Orange County Register:
Vaccine Super Site At Disneyland To Close Tuesday Due To Strong Winds
A high wind warning has prompted public health officials to close Orange County’s first mass vaccination site for Tuesday, Jan. 19. The National Weather Service warned Monday that “damaging winds” up to 50mph are expected to blow through Orange County and the Inland Empire from early Tuesday through late Wednesday, a clear threat to the tented vaccination center set up in one of Disneyland’s parking lots. “Those with appointments for Tuesday will be notified of their rescheduled appointment through Othena.com,” the county’s Health Care Agency tweeted. (Wheeler, 1/18)
Modesto Bee:
Update: Stanislaus County To Close COVID Vaccine Clinics Due To State Warning
Stanislaus County officials announced Monday afternoon that the vaccination clinics at Modesto Centre Plaza and California State University, Stanislaus will be closed effective Tuesday. Citing a state alert about a block of Moderna vaccine, the county Health Services Agency said in a 3:15 p.m. news release it won’t be holding COVID-19 vaccination clinics until further notice. “Stanislaus County will not have enough vaccines to operate community vaccination clinics at this time,” the news release said. The county said it was not able to guarantee vaccine availability after state health officials issued a warning about a block of Moderna vaccine, which possibly caused an allergic reaction in some people who were vaccinated at a community clinic in San Diego. (Carlson, 1/18)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
191 San Diego Fire-Rescue Personnel Decline COVID-19 Vaccine So Far
Nearly 200 San Diego Fire-Rescue personnel have so far turned down a COVID-19 vaccine, showing reluctance as health officials scramble to protect frontline workers like firefighters from the highly infectious coronavirus. As of Wednesday, 191 personnel had declined to take the vaccine; 895 had gotten the shot, according to department figures. (Hernandez, 1/17)
Bay Area News Group:
Variant COVID-19 Virus Vs. Vaccine: A Race Against New Strains
Every virus mutates. But the longer it is allowed to multiply, the more mutations it accumulates and the better the odds it will learn to evade detection. That’s why, especially in the face of worrisome new COVID-19 viral variants, a fast and effective vaccination campaign is so essential. “The take-home message is that we’re really in a race now, and really this only increases our urgency to mass vaccinate the population and protect the population before additional variants may evolve and emerge,” said Dr. Charles Chiu of UC San Francisco, whose lab is collaborating with the state’s Department of Public Health to seek and sequence viruses. (Krieger, 1/18)
AP:
California Becomes First State To Top 3 Million Virus Cases
California on Monday became the first state to record more than 3 million known coronavirus infections. The grim milestone, as tallied by Johns Hopkins University, wasn’t entirely unexpected in a state with 40 million residents but its speed stunning. The state only reached 2 million reported cases on Dec. 24. The first coronavirus case in California was confirmed last Jan. 25. It took 292 days to get to 1 million infections on Nov. 11 and 44 days to top 2 million. (Jablon, 1/18)
San Francisco Chronicle:
California Braces For Troubling New Variant As U.S. Nears 400,000 Deaths
As the United States approached an unfathomable 400,000 deaths from COVID-19 and passed 24 million total cases on Monday, infectious disease experts warned that a new variant found in California could make an already crushing surge even worse. California was nearing 3 million total cases on Monday, which would make it the first state to reach that sober benchmark. Though there are signs that cases and hospitalizations are leveling off across the state, the virus remains widespread in the state with more than 40,000 new cases reported daily. (Vaziri, 1/18)
CBS News:
Backlog Of Bodies Caused By COVID-19 Forces California Air Quality Agency To Suspend Cremation Limits
The lack of storage space for those who have died of the coronavirus forced the agency which regulates air quality across the Southland to issue an emergency order Sunday night lifting the limit on the number of cremations allowed. The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued the emergency order temporarily suspending permit requirements for crematoriums. CBS Los Angeles reports the order was issued at the request of both the Los Angeles County coroner's office and the L.A. County Department of Public Health. (1/18)
CNN:
Air Quality Regulator Temporarily Suspends Cremation Limits For LA County Amid 'Backlog' From Pandemic
As Los Angeles County battles against the unrelenting coronavirus, an air pollution control agency says it has temporarily suspended limits on cremations in order to assist crematoriums in the county with a "backlog" caused by the pandemic. The South Coast Air Quality Management District said in a news release Sunday that permits for crematoriums usually contain limits on the number of human remains that can be cremated each month, based on the potential impact they will have on air quality. (Humayun and Maxouris, 1/18)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Increasing COVID-19 Deaths Strain Morgues, Funeral Homes
As COVID-19 deaths climb locally, funeral homes, crematories and others in the business of caring for the dead are feeling the strain. Deaths are mounting following a major uptick in virus cases locally that started after Thanksgiving. The official death toll from COVID-19 in Kern County — 565 as of Monday — typically lags behind actual deaths due to processing of death certificates and is expected to climb steeply in the coming weeks. A California Department of Public Health forecasting tool predicts Kern will see 200 more deaths in the next 30 days, bringing the total to 765 by Feb. 17. (Shepard, 1/18)
Bay Area News Group:
Coronavirus: Scientists Say California’s Massive Winter Infection Wave Has Crested
The wave of coronavirus outbreaks that swept California and the rest of the country the last two months, filling hospitals and morgues and prompting new rounds of government restrictions, appears to have crested, scientists say — a hopeful sign the worst of the pandemic may be past. (Woolfolk, 1/18)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Cautious Optimism That Post-Holiday Surge Is Leveling Off Meets Frustration Over COVID-19 Vaccine Supply
San Diego County’s latest coronavirus report offered some hope that the current uptick in cases and hospitalizations might be reaching a plateau. On Friday, the county reported 2,695 new COVID-19 cases, 32 deaths and 337 hospitalizations. Months ago, those figures would have been shocking. Lately, they’ve become par for the course. (Wosen, 1/15)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
As Virus Spreads Unchecked, 6 More Inmates At Donovan State Prison Succumb To COVID-19
Six more inmates have died from COVID-19 at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility over the past 10 days, pushing the total number of fatalities to 15 since the pandemic erupted and tying the Otay Mesa prison for the third-deadliest lockup in the state. (McDonald, 1/18)
Fresno Bee:
ECMO Therapy Saves Pregnant Clovis Woman From Coronavirus
A 39-year-old mother-to-be of twins survived coronavirus and was discharged Monday afternoon from Community Regional Medical Center in downtown Fresno. Dallas Selling of Clovis, who is 27 weeks pregnant, received 49 days of care. Critical to her survival, hospital spokesperson Mary Lisa Russell said, was ECMO therapy. (1/18)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
WWII Vet, 95, Returns Home After COVID-19 Scare
It’s been more than 70 years since Richard Marshall flew missions over Germany as a World War II fighter pilot, but he still has some fight left in him. “I’m great,” he said Friday while waiting to be discharged from the Villas at Poway, a skilled nursing facility where he had been recovering from COVID-19 for about a month. “I feel wonderful. I’m getting better each day.” (Warth, 1/16)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Hospital Sending Stable COVID-19 Patients Home Early To Free Up Beds
Dr. Sarah McMurray keeps a big plastic box filled with the supplies she needs to treat COVID-19 patients in the back of her four-wheel drive SUV. From hand sanitizer to specimen-collection containers, there is just so much more that is needed when making house calls for those sent home early after coronavirus hospitalization. (Sisson, 1/16)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
An Angel On His Shoulder: Team Nursing Helps Hospitals Survive During Surge
Midafternoon, one of the three intensive care patients assigned to nurse Jim Hayes was doing well enough that they were ready to transfer to a room with a lower level of care. But that did not mean there would be much time with the other two patients. “Within another hour and a half or so, I’ll get an admission,” Hayes said. “There are five people in the ER right now who are waiting to come up here, and there are no beds. ”This moment, he said Thursday afternoon, can be the most dangerous. (Sisson, 1/17)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Hospice Caregivers Face Struggle To Maintain Mental Health As Pandemic Wears On
Caring for her wife during the pandemic has been difficult for Cheryl Knapp, as friends and family aren’t able to visit and lend a hand as often as they once could. The Escondido resident started dating Sue Whitfield, now 80, soon after they met at a Christmas party in 1983, while Knapp was using a leg brace and holiday-decorated crutches to recover from a mountaineering accident. Whitfield told Knapp that anyone who could make their crutches look festive must have a good sense of humor, a trait the pair mutually shared. (Mapp, 1/19)
Fresno Bee:
Visalia Plastic Surgeon Sued For Breast Augmentation Incident
A Tulare County woman has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against a plastic surgeon for puncturing her lungs during a breast augmentation surgery. Tracy Thomas has accused former Dr. Robert Yoho of negligence, gross negligence and willful misconduct. She said the failed procedure led to physical injury, mutilation and permanent lung/breathing problems. She is suing for damages. (Rodriguez, 1/19)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
San Diego Foundation Provides $300,000 In COVID Relief To Black, Latino, Asian Businesses
Businesses owned by Black, Latino and Asian people in San Diego will share in $300,000 in grants over the coming weeks to help them overcome hardships they’ve endured because of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Warth, 1/19)
Politico:
Pandemic Reveals Tale Of 2 Californias Like Never Before
The tale of two Californias has never been clearer. As Bay Area tech workers set up home offices to avoid coronavirus exposure, grocers, farm workers and warehouse employees in the Central Valley never stopped reporting to job sites. Renters pleaded for eviction relief while urban professionals fled for suburbs and resort towns, taking advantage of record-low interest rates to buy bigger, better homes. Most of the state’s 6 million public school children are learning remotely, while affluent families opted for private classrooms that are up and running. California has long been a picture of inequality, but the pandemic has widened the gap in ways few could have imagined. (Mays, 1/17)