Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
For EMTs, There’s No ‘Rule Book’ For Facing A Pandemic And Protests At Once
Emergency medical technicians, who have been on the front lines against the coronavirus, also play a key role in helping provide care during protests sparked by the death of George Floyd. (Carmen Heredia Rodriguez, )
Newsom’s $1B Mask Deal Moves Forward After Firm Granted Safety Certification: Gov. Gavin Newsom’s medical mask deal with a Chinese manufacturer will proceed after the company succeeded in obtaining federal safety certification, following two missed deadlines. Newsom’s office said the N95 masks, part of a $990 million deal, will be distributed to medical workers and others on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. California will likely begin receiving the first shipments of N95 masks in a matter of days, officials said. “This new supply of N95 masks, as well as the surgical masks this contract has already provided, are game-changing and play a crucial role in our state’s public safety and reopening strategy,” Newsom said in a statement. Read more from Dustin Gardiner of the San Francisco Chronicle and Sophia Bollag of the Sacramento Bee.
LA Officials Try To Strike Right Balance As They Reopen City, But Rising Cases Spark Concerns: With businesses reopening and people beginning to get back to old routines, Los Angeles County is entering a perilous phase of the fight against the coronavirus: Trying to boost the battered economy without sparking new outbreaks. One concerning sign is that the coronavirus transmission rate in Los Angeles County — the California epicenter of COVID-19, with more than 2,600 deaths — appears to be climbing again. But authorities also say it is still possible to strike the right balance between reopening society and strict safety rules. “This is not an impossible task,” Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said Monday. “This is entirely possible: To be able to reopen and do it in a manner that continues to slow the spread. ... It’s essential that we make progress on our reopening.” Read more from Rong-Gong Lin II, Collee Shalby and Iris Lee of the Los Angeles Times.
Strict Lockdown Measures Helped Prevent 1.7M Cases In California, Study Finds: If California had not imposed any infection control measures, the state would have seen about 1.7 million more cases than the actual 16,500 cases in the state on April 6. Because confirmed cases are just a fraction of overall infections — testing captures some but not all cases — the researchers estimate that the policies collectively helped avert or delay 530 million infections in the six countries that they studied, including 60 million in the U.S. The study is one of the first to measure the effectiveness of shelter-in-place and other shutdown policies meant to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Read more from Catherine Ho of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Below, check out the full round-up of California Healthline original stories, state coverage and the best of the rest of the national news for the day.
More News From Across The State
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. County Coronavirus Deaths Spike Over The Weekend
In the last two days, Los Angeles County officials announced 81 new coronavirus-related deaths, the highest total reported over a weekend in more than a month. The highest weekend total of deaths was previously reported April 18-19, when 105 deaths were announced. Officials also reported 3,000 new cases on Saturday and Sunday. (Shalby, 6/8)
Sacramento Bee:
California AG Warns Of Fake Coronavirus Contact Tracer Scam
Scam artists are using the coronavirus outbreak to swindle Californians into giving up personal information, according to the California Department of Justice. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra on Monday issued a consumer alert warning that scammers may attempt to contact you while posing as COVID-19 contact tracers. These scammers ask for personal information, such as your Social Security number or financial information. (Sheeler, 6/8)
San Francisco Chronicle:
UCSF Genome Detectives Track Down Origins Of Bay Area Coronavirus
COVID-19 patients in the Bay Area and on the Grand Princess cruise ship that docked here had strains of the coronavirus that originated in locations from China to Europe, underscoring the global nature of the virus and the fact that California might have been able to stop its spread with earlier interventions. Those are among the discoveries by UCSF researchers who sequenced the genomes of 36 patients from nine Northern California counties and the Grand Princess. Their paper, published in Science magazine on Monday, provides a detailed look at how coronavirus came to California. (Said, 6/8)
Los Angeles Times:
The Coronavirus Entered Northern California From Many Places
In nine Bay Area counties where the coronavirus set down roots early, visitors arriving directly from China were only one of several sources of spread within the community. Strains of the virus that had come by way of Europe were also widely evident. And a cluster of cases that put down roots in Santa Clara County sent out tendrils to neighboring San Mateo County and the more distant Solano County. But no single source of infection appears to have played a larger role in seeding the region’s coronavirus outbreak than the Grand Princess cruise ship, which sailed from San Francisco to Mexico and Hawaii twice in February and March. (Healy, 6/9)
San Francisco Chronicle:
200 Chino Inmates Transferred To San Quentin, Corcoran. Why Weren’t They Tested First?
Prisoners at the California Institution for Men in Chino — home of the deadliest coronavirus outbreak in the state’s prisons — were not tested for the virus for weeks before nearly 200 were transferred by bus to other facilities, including one in the Bay Area, The Chronicle has learned. At least 16 of the transferred prisoners have now tested positive for the virus, raising fears that they could spread it inside facilities that for months had beaten back their own outbreaks. (Cassidy and Fagone, 6/8)
CalMatters:
On Hold: Loan Repayment For Medi-Cal Doctors, Dentists Awaits Final Budget Plans
San Bernardino County is home for Dr. Brian Savino. It is also an area of California with a pressing need for medical providers. Savino, an emergency room doctor, would like to serve the place he grew up for as long as he can. But owing around $200,000 in student debt is a heavy weight — that’s a $3,200 payment every month, he said. Seeking relief, he applied this year to a new state loan repayment program for doctors and dentists. (Ibarra, 6/8)
Sacramento Bee:
Extra Jobless Payments Of $600 To Expire, Bonuses Considered
In a few weeks, that extra $600 a week that California’s unemployed workers now get will be gone — and it’s unlikely Washington will revive it. To encourage people to return to work, Republican lawmakers and the White House are considering a plan to pay newly employed workers a bonus of $450 to $600 weekly for a few weeks. (Lightman, 6/9)
Sacramento Bee:
California Court Leaders Vote On Emergency Coronavirus Rules
California courts leaders will decide whether to end temporary emergency rules implemented throughout the state’s judicial system to slow the coronavirus spread, including a mandate that suspended cash bail for suspected lower-level offenders. The decision to temporarily end cash bail was a move that was heavily criticized by law enforcement officials in California as accused suspects were released from jail as they awaited criminal prosecution only to be arrested on suspicion of other crimes soon after. (Ahumada, 6/8)
Los Angeles Times:
Salinas Farmworkers Crowd Homes, Spreading Coronavirus
A bed fills most of the room that Odilia Leon shares with her five children. In one corner, a dresser spills over with clothes. For the cramped room in a two-bedroom unit behind a house in east Salinas, she pays $1,050 a month. It’s what she can afford as a fieldworker picking strawberries, her job for the last nine years. A couple with three children rents the other room. In all, 11 people share a living room and kitchen. There is one bathroom. Every day, Leon, 40, is gripped with fear that she could bring home the coronavirus, infect her children and possibly spread it to the rest of the household. The couple in the other room also works to cover their half of the rent, she said. (Gomez, 6/9)
San Francisco Chronicle:
California’s Guide To Reopening Schools Prompts More Questions Than It Answers
California school district officials knew reopening schools this fall for the state’s 6 million students, in an ongoing pandemic, wouldn’t be easy or inexpensive. But for some, it feels all but physically and financially impossible after reading the 62-page, how-to guide released by the state Monday. (Tucker, 6/8)
Fresno Bee:
Fresno Coronavirus Cases, Hospitalizations Climb Again
Three more COVID-19 deaths in Fresno County were reported since the weekend, and nearly 100 new cases were reported. That brings Fresno’s deaths up to 46 and total positive cases to 2,216. Tulare County reported a similar uptick on Monday, with 2,220 total cases. Fresno also saw a slight increase in the number of patients who are hospitalized after testing positive for the coronavirus. (Calix, 6/8)
Fresno Bee:
Fresno Not Meeting Key Coronavirus Benchmarks Set By State
Fresno County is on a special state watch list for the coronavirus after surpassing an 8% positive test rate. California health officials attribute the increased transmission to outbreaks at skilled nursing facilities and Avenal State Prison since several prison staffers live in Fresno County. (Calix, 6/8)
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento County Reports 2 Deaths
Sacramento County’s coronavirus death toll has reached 61 after two new deaths were reported Monday morning by local public health officials. One of the deaths came in the city of Sacramento and the other in Rancho Cordova, according to the county’s online dashboard for COVID-19, the disease caused by the highly contagious virus. The county infection total is also quickly approaching 1,600, as 19 more lab-confirmed cases were added to the tally in Monday’s daily update for a new total of 1,588. (McGough and Yoon-Hendricks, 6/8)
Sacramento Bee:
Domestic Violence May Be Up During Sacramento COVID-19 Order
Michele had a sinking feeling. She was on a plane to San Diego, headed to a wedding on March 7, and noticed a girl near her kept coughing... By the time she returned to Sacramento a few days later, Michele was more sick than she had ever been... And so she quarantined in her Carmichael apartment with her husband of nearly five years. He had physically abused her in the past, Michele later told sheriff’s deputies, and was working from home. (Clift, 6/9)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Contra Costa County To Allow Bars, Gyms, Indoor Dining To Reopen July 1
Dining-in restaurants, bars, gyms, museums and indoor religious services can open up in Contra Costa County on July 1, health officials said on Monday. Hair salons and barbershops can reopen June 17, according to the county’s updated COVID-19 response plan. Some indoor leisure activities, like arcades, billiards and bowling alleys, can also return at the start of July, with social distancing restrictions in place. Hotels will once again be available for tourism and individual travel. (Vaziri, 6/8)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Yosemite To Reopen Thursday In Time For High Season, But You’ll Need A Reservation
Yosemite National Park will reopen to the public on Thursday after closing more than 2½ months ago because of the coronavirus outbreak — but expect some changes in the name of visitor safety. The park, with its towering waterfalls and rugged glacial canyons, is one of the busiest in the nation, and its closure at the cusp of the summer season, like many of the nation’s big parks, has been a sore point for travelers and the tourist economy. (Alexander, 6/8)
Datebook:
Movie Theaters Can Reopen Friday In Many California Counties, With Major Changes
Movie theaters can begin reopening Friday, June 12, in California counties that have met state criteria for managing the coronavirus pandemic — which excludes most of the Bay Area. State public health officials released guidelines Monday, June 8, that will transform the moviegoing experience, including requiring theaters to limit showings to 25% of capacity or a maximum of 100 attendees, whichever is lower. (Koseff, 6/8)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. Police Killings: Tracking Homicides In Los Angeles County Since 2000
In the aftermath of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, The Times has compiled a database of cases where people died at the hands of law enforcement in Los Angeles County. Since 2000, there have been nearly 900 killings by local police that were ruled a homicide by county medical examiners. Almost all of the dead were men, nearly 80% were black or Latino. More than 98% were shot to death. Criminal charges are rare. In nearly all cases, the use of force was deemed legally justified by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office, which conducts an investigation into each incident. (6/9)
Los Angeles Times:
LAPD To Halt Use Of Carotid Restraints; L.A. County Sheriff's Department Pledges To Restrict Use
The Los Angeles Police Department on Monday instructed officers not to use carotid restraints, chokeholds that restrict or block blood flow to the brain, pending a review by the city’s Police Commission. The restraint can render people unconscious or, as in the case of George Floyd, who was pinned to the ground by his neck for nearly nine minutes, it can prove fatal. (Ormseth and Tchekmedyian, 6/8)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Protesters Demand Justice, Answers In Killing Of Erik Salgado, Oakland Resident Shot By CHP
The Oakland intersection where a 23-year-old man was fatally shot by California Highway Patrol officers transformed on Monday into a rally seeking justice for Erik Salgado — the latest Bay Area man killed by law enforcement. Signs proclaiming “Justice for Erik Salgado,” flowers and candles decorated the intersection at 98th Avenue and Cherry Street where the fatal shooting occurred Saturday night. (Kawahara and Bauman, 6/8)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Trial Underway In SF Could Remove Fluoride From Drinking Water
About 200 million Americans, nearly two-thirds of the population, drink water containing fluoride to fight tooth decay. That could be changed by a case now on trial in a San Francisco federal court. Consumer groups including Food and Water Watch, the Fluoride Action Network and Moms Against Fluoridation contend recent studies show that when pregnant women drink fluoridated water, their children are significantly more likely than others to suffer neurological damage, including reduced IQs and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. (Egelko, 6/8)