Digital Covid Vaccine Portal Hits Snag: When California officials unveiled a new system to provide digital covid-19 vaccine records last week, they billed it as a convenience. But the state has received nearly 70,000 troubleshooting forms submitted online by residents looking to correct or complete their information. Read more from the Los Angeles Times and San Diego Union-Tribune.
Delta Variant Rising Fast In California, Experts Warn: The highly infectious delta coronavirus variant is escalating in California, with cases more than doubling in the past month and tripling in one Bay Area county, according to genomic sequencing results reported by state and local public health departments. Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle. Continued coverage, 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
AP:
US Hits Encouraging Milestones On Virus Deaths And Shots
COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. have dipped below 300 a day for the first time since the early days of the disaster in March 2020, while the drive to put shots in arms hit another encouraging milestone Monday: 150 million Americans fully vaccinated. The coronavirus was the third leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2020, behind heart disease and cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But now, as the outbreak loosens its grip, it has fallen down the list of the biggest killers. (Kunzelman, 6/21)
The Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
18 Cases Of The Highly Transmissible Delta COVID-19 Variant Detected In Sonoma County
Sonoma County public health officials on Monday said they have detected 18 cases of the delta strain, a more contagious mutation of the coronavirus that is spreading rapidly across the United States and has already led to some European officials reinstating or extending pandemic restrictions. The delta variant, first identified in India in December, is believed to be 50% more transmissible than the UK variant, which itself was 50% more transmissible than the early strain of coronavirus, said Dr. John Swartzberg, a UC Berkeley infectious disease expert. (Espinoza, 6/21)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Kern Public Health Reports 17 New Coronavirus Cases Monday
Kern County Public Health Services reported 17 new coronavirus cases Monday, and no new deaths. That brings the county's case count since the pandemic began to 110,799. There have been 1,404 deaths. Public Health reports that 40,329 people have recovered from the illness, and 68,177 people are presumed to have recovered. (6/21)
Los Angeles Times:
Black, Latino Residents See Less Progress In Coronavirus Rates In LA
In a sobering sign of the unequal health outcomes of the pandemic, coronavirus case rates are improving at a slower pace for Black and Latino residents of Los Angeles County than for white and Asian American residents. When calculated over a two-week period, coronavirus case rates for Black residents dropped by 13% over the past month and by 22% for Latino residents, while falling by 33% for white and 45% for Asian American residents. (Lin II and Money, 6/22)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Holland America Returning To San Diego After 18-Month Absence But You’ll Need A COVID Shot To Cruise
Come September, Holland America ships will once again become a familiar presence in San Diego Bay as the cruise line restarts sailings to Mexico, Hawaii and the California coast following an 18-month absence caused by the pandemic. The cruise line announced Monday that it is scheduling 43 calls — all with fully vaccinated passengers — in San Diego over the seven-month period between September of this year and April 2022. That’s a 20 percent increase over the city’s last full sailing season in 2018-19. (Weisberg, 6/21)
Bay Area News Group:
Summer School Enrollment Spikes After Year Of Distance Learning
Across the Bay Area, after more than a year of online learning, families are clamoring like never before for space at summer schools, which are bursting with record enrollments in the urgency for kids to catch up academically and socially from the COVID school shutdowns. (Selig, 6/21)
Sacramento Bee:
Updates On Masks, Fall 2021 Schedule In Sacramento Schools
Students have zipped their backpacks shut for the last time after a challenging school year marked by Zoom calls, hybrid schedules and time spent away from teachers and friends. And while summer plans may still be uncertain for some families as COVID-19 restrictions are being lifted, most local districts have announced schools will largely be back on full, in-person schedules in the fall. (Morrar, 6/21)
Bay Area News Group:
San Jose SP2 Restaurant Beat Santa Clara County COVID Fines
Two months ago, this news organization revealed that the county has fined approximately 400 businesses a total of $6 million — dwarfing the enforcement activity of any other county in the region. Now, a new look at the system shows that more than a quarter of those businesses have challenged their fines under the county’s appeal process, but still haven’t been granted a day “in court.” (Angst, 6/21)
USA Today:
Birthday Parties May Have Increased COVID Spread, New Study Finds
Kids' birthday parties may be partly to blame for increased coronavirus transmission rates, a new study shows. The study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine on Monday, gathered private health insurance data from 2.9 million U.S. households from Jan. 1 to Nov. 8, 2020. In counties with high rates of transmission, households were 31% more likely to test positive for the virus that causes COVID-19 within two weeks after someone had a birthday. In households where a child’s birthday occurred, there were 15.8 more positive coronavirus tests per 10,000 people than in households that didn’t. When adults had a birthday, there were just 5.8 more positive tests in the following two weeks. (Avery, 6/21)
Los Angeles Times:
COVID-19 Might Shrink Parts Of The Brain, Scientists Say
A new study suggests that COVID-19 might shrink parts of the brain. The study‘s results were mentioned by former Food and Drug Administration commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb on the Sunday news program “Face the Nation” on CBS as another example of why it is so important that unvaccinated people get inoculated. The results also underscore how evidence is mounting that people can still suffer from illness related to COVID-19 many months after infection, a condition known as “long COVID.” (Lin II, 6/21)
Fox News:
Rare COVID-19-Linked Syndrome In Kids Possible In Adults Too, Case Report Notes
While research into the specific cause of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is ongoing, a new case report suggests that it may also appear in adults who have a history of COVID-19 diagnosis or exposure. In a case report involving a 60-year-old Canadian man, doctors suggest that age should not limit the potential diagnosis. The man, whose case was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, sought medical treatment at a hospital for prolonged shortness of breath, high fever, swelling and severe fatigue. His medical history included a positive SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis four weeks prior to the new symptoms, and subsequent testing detected an enlarged heart and lung swelling. He had not received a COVID-19 vaccine and no known comorbidities. (6/21)
The Bakersfield Californian:
BC To Host COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic At NOR Veterans Hall
Bakersfield College will host a vaccine clinic at the Kern County NOR Veterans Hall on Wednesday in an effort to increase vaccine distribution in the community. "Distributing vaccinations throughout the county has been and continues to be a community effort and this partnership is designed to bring the vaccine to those men and women who have given of themselves for our community and our nation," Kern County Veterans Service Officer Joshua Dhanens said in a news release from Bakersfield College. (6/21)
Sacramento Bee:
CA Economy Recovers After Pandemic But Problems Remain
Practically everywhere he goes these days, Gov. Gavin Newsom seems to brag about California’s economy — how well it withstood the COVID-19 pandemic, its performance compared to rivals like Texas, and the stunning boom that’s still to come. The reality is somewhat complicated. (Kasler, 6/21)
Sacramento Bee:
CA’s Big Budget Surplus A Tempting Target For DC Lawmakers
California’s $75 billion budget surplus is proving to be an alluring target for Washington lawmakers scrambling to find a way to pay for a national infrastructure improvement plan. California officials say they not only need the federal COVID money Washington has been sending since the pandemic drove the economy into a tailspin last year, but most has already been spent or is being included in the budget for fiscal 2021-22, which begins July 1. (Lightman, 6/22)
The New York Times:
California Plans Rent Forgiveness Using Federal Stimulus Surplus
Swimming in cash from an unexpected budget surplus and federal stimulus money, California is planning rent forgiveness on a scale never seen before in the United States. A $5.2 billion program in final negotiations at the State Legislature would pay 100 percent of unpaid rent that lower-income Californians incurred during the pandemic and would be financed entirely by federal money. The state is also proposing to set aside $2 billion to pay for unpaid water and electricity bills. (Fuller, Dougherty and Heyward, 6/21)
CalMatters:
California Eviction Moratorium: Will It Be Extended?
The state’s eviction freeze will likely be extended past June 30, and lawmakers could finish haggling over details this week. The big issues include how long the extension will last and how much rent relief will cover. (Tobias, 6/21)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Surviving COVID And Contraction, Minor League Baseball Makes A Comeback In San Jose
When Major League Baseball subsequently detailed a plan last winter to eliminate 42 affiliates, the surviving 120 farm teams wondered: Could they be next to go? It was clear they had no leverage. Without fans in the stands, minor league teams faced staggering financial losses that raised questions about how they’d settle debts and pay employees. But just like their players, who exist on meager wages and accommodations chasing a big-league call-up, minor league front offices are resilient. After 20 months of empty stadiums, they’re back doing what they do best: preparing prospects for the majors and providing communities with affordable, family-friendly entertainment. (Letourneau, 6/21)
CapRadio:
Some Californians Could See Lower Health Care Costs Under Federal Stimulus Provision
Californians who buy health insurance through the state’s Covered California exchange could see their monthly payments go down this summer due to a provision in the most recent federal COVID-19 stimulus. The American Rescue Plan, the $1.9 trillion federal stimulus package designed to help those who suffered economically during the COVID-19 pandemic, ensures that people who sign up through the exchange pay no more than 8.5% of their household income on their health insurance premiums. (6/21)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Palomar Doctors Protest Contract Change
Palomar Health doctors took to the sidewalks Monday morning to protest a contracting change that some said could spread physicians too thin at the North County medical provider’s hospitals in Escondido and Poway. In a statement, Palomar confirmed that it has “reached an understanding” with Emergent Medical Associates and another medical group called Benchmark to replace Vituity, the private group that has provided emergency medical personnel “for more than 40 years,” supplying Palomar with hospitalists for eight years and intensivists for six years. (Sisson, 6/21)
LA Daily News:
$5 Million Given To CDU Program That Aims To Increase Black And Latino Medical Student Graduates
As part of its $155 million commitment to attract physicians to underserved areas, L.A. Care Health Plan announced Monday, June 21 that it is giving $5 million to help fund the creation of a South L.A. medical school program focused on serving under-resourced communities. The donation will support the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, an historically black private medical school in Willowbrook that trains 28 medical students each year through a partnership with UCLA that was formed following the 1965 Watts riots. (6/21)
AP:
For Calif. COVID Nurses, Past And Present Collide
In early 2020, when the coronavirus began making it difficult for many people around the world to breathe, hospitals became a central front against a disease that, more than a year later, has killed nearly 4 million human beings and counting.At one hospital in Mission Viejo, Calif., a team of nurses and doctors were recruited for what became the Isolation Intensive Care Unit. Many volunteers at Providence Mission Hospital had come from cardiac and surgical intensive care units, where they deal with death and trauma each day. (Prengaman, 6/21)
Los Angeles Daily News:
15-Year-Old Santa Clarita Native Graduates From UC Irvine, Eyes Medical School
When Kylie Munson first started college, her mom would walk her to the classrooms at Los Angeles Mission College, then wait, patiently, outside on a bench until she finished. She was 11 at the time, taking classes with peers much older – ones who could at least drive themselves to school. Munson, now 15, walked the stage at UC Irvine last week, clad in cap and gown to collect her undergraduate diploma. The Santa Clarita native studied biological sciences, and sees more education in her future, hoping to attend medical school next year. (Sheets, 6/21)
NBC News:
Since 9/11, Military Suicides Dwarf The Number Of Soldiers Killed In Combat
Since 9/11, four times as many U.S. service members and veterans have died by suicide than have been killed in combat, according to a new report. The research, compiled by the Costs of War Project at Brown University, found an estimated 30,177 active duty personnel and veterans who have served in the military since 9/11 have died by suicide, compared with 7,057 killed in post 9/11 military operations. The figures include all service members, not just those who served in combat during that time. The majority of the deaths are among veterans who account for an estimated 22,261 of the suicides during that period. (Kube, 6/21)
Stars and Stripes:
Lawmakers Reintroduce Brandon Act To Offer Troops Confidential Access To Mental Health Care
After a failed attempt last year, lawmakers reintroduced a bill Wednesday that would allow service members to quickly seek mental health care in confidence by using a safe word. The bill, titled the Brandon Act, was named for Brandon Caserta, a 21-year-old sailor who died by suicide June 25, 2018, at Naval Station Norfolk, Va. A command investigation into Caserta’s death determined that belligerent and brash leadership of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 28 contributed to his decision to end his own life. He felt alone, stuck and afraid of retaliation, his parents said. (Wentling, 6/16)
LA Daily News:
LA Public Health Announces Study Into Inglewood Oil Field Health Impacts
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced on Monday, June 21, it will conduct a second study, led by UCLA research teams, into the health impacts of living near the Inglewood Oil Field. UCLA teams will develop and implement the assessment, which will take into consideration residents’ distance from oil fields in an effort to better understand how community health is impacted. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health will develop the assessment’s protocols in conjunction with UCLA before a review by a Community Advisory Board. The study’s findings will be made available to the public. (6/21)
Los Angeles Times:
Court Blocks Overturning Of California Assault Weapons Ban
A federal appeals court decided Monday to put on hold a judge’s decision to overturn California’s 30-year-old ban on assault weapons, but the legal fight could continue for months and may be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. In a brief order, a three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay of Judge Roger T. Benitez’s June 4 decision, in which he likened an AR-15 semiautomatic to a Swiss Army knife and called it “good for both home and battle.” (Dolan, 6/21)
Los Angeles Times:
Evacuations Orders Issued For Vallejo Wildfire
A wildfire in the city of Vallejo on Monday night has triggered evacuation orders. Shortly after 9 p.m., the Vallejo Firefighters Assn. wrote on Twitter that there was a three- to five-acre fire in South Vallejo. (Miller, 6/21)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Willow Fire Smoke Is Drifting Over The Bay Area. Where Does Air Quality Stand?
Monterey County fire crews continued battling a wildfire burning in the Los Padres National Forest that has grown to 2,392 acres over the weekend. The Willow Fire was first reported Friday about seven miles west of the Arroyo Seco Campground at the national forest. As of Sunday, the blaze was 0% contained. (Flores, 6/21)
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento Volunteer Group Helps Feed, Care For Homeless
Since the coronavirus pandemic struck last spring, a small army of volunteers in a group called Sacramento Solidarity of Unhoused People (Sac SOUP) have been dispatching to encampments across the area to provide food, water, supplies and medical care to the homeless. (Clift, 6/22)