As Dire National Warnings Are Issued, How Is California Faring? “I do feel like the pandemic is over,” one Californian told the Los Angeles Times, with more schools, businesses and outdoor spaces reopening. "Not so fast," says state public health officials who are increasingly worried that spring break and holidays could unwind California’s hard-won gains against covid-19. Read more from the Los Angeles Times.
And jump below for more coverage of urgent pleas from President Joe Biden and CDC Director Rochelle Walensky related to covid-19 precautions.
Covid Relief Funds To California Clinic Garner HHS Scrutiny: Federal officials flagged to investigators payments to a California outpatient clinic that received more government funds for treating uninsured covid-19 patients than all but one medical provider in the U.S., a person familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal. Elite Care Medical Group Inc. has received about $81 million under a relief program meant to ease financial strains on hospitals and doctors caring for Covid-19 patients who can’t pay their own bills, according to government data updated March 25. Melanie Evans from The Wall Street Journal has more.
More News From Across The State
AP:
Biden, CDC Director Warn Of Virus Rebound If Nation Lets Up
President Joe Biden and a top health official warned that too many Americans are declaring virus victory too quickly, appealing for mask requirements and other restrictions to be maintained or restored to stave off a “fourth surge” of COVID-19. The head of the CDC said she had a feeling of “impending doom” if people keep easing off. The double dose of warnings on Monday came even as Biden laid out hopeful new steps to expand coronavirus vaccinations, with all adults to become eligible over the next five weeks. Biden announced plans to expand the number of retail pharmacies that are administering vaccines, and investments to help Americans get to vaccination sites. But the optimism was tempered by stark warnings about the potential for another wave of cases. (Miller, 3/29)
ABC7 San Francisco:
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki Talks California's Vaccine Supply, Hate Against Asian Americans
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki had an honest conversation with ABC7's Kristen Sze about topics including more vaccines for California and stopping hate against Asian Americans. "The White House is trying to make it easy as possible to get the vaccine," Psaki said. "Equity is at the center of strategy and how to best reach communities as they are making sure they are reaching people and the White House make assessments about what is working and what is not working. More vaccines will be shipped to California in hopes of getting everyone vaccinate." (3/29)
The Desert Sun:
California Has Second-Lowest Rate Of COVID-19 Spread Compared To Other States
California reported the second-lowest rate of COVID-19 spread compared to other states in the week ending Sunday, but a top United States public health official on Monday described a "recurring feeling I have of impending doom" as infections once again are on the rise across the nation. California ranked 49th among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. Across the country, 34 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before. The U.S. has surpassed 30 million coronavirus cases. (3/29)
NBC 7 San Diego:
San Diego Infectious Disease Expert Expects COVID-19 ‘Mini Surge’ After Spring Break
Spring break arrived right as San Diegans’ COVID-19 restrictions were eased into California’s red tier, but that doesn’t mean we should let down our guard. Medical experts say the signs are all positive in the battle against the coronavirus, but the path to healthy living isn’t completely clear. More people are getting their vaccinations, but as people get out to celebrate spring they need to be mindful that COVID-19 is still out there. (Ash, 3/29)
Bay Area News Group:
Bay Area COVID Reopening: Three More Counties Set For Orange Tier
Wineries in the Napa and Livermore valleys could soon host indoor tastings. And the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk will add its bowling alley to the list of attractions it’s set to reopen later this week. That’s because Alameda, Santa Cruz and Napa counties are expected to move into the orange tier of California’s COVID-19 reopening plan on Wednesday, as infection rates continue to fall across the greater Bay Area and state as a whole. (Savidge, 3/30)
Napa Valley Register:
Napa County Reports Uptick In New COVID-19 Cases
Napa County reported 48 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, the highest start-of-the-week total in six weeks. While still low compared to over-the-weekend totals in November, December, January and February, 48 cases are more than twice as many as just two Mondays ago, March 15, when 19 cases were reported. Forty-eight cases is more than half the 89 cases reported for all of last week. (Courtney, 3/29)
Los Angeles Times:
California COVID Vaccine Demand Is Spiking. Is There Enough?
California is days away from dramatically expanding who is eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. But will there be enough doses to go around? Not immediately. But officials are growing more optimistic that the scarcity that has caused so much frustration will soon morph into abundance — turbo-charging the inoculation campaign. (Smith, Money and Shalby, 3/29)
Bay Area News Group:
Californians Ages 50 And Up Can Get A COVID Vaccine Starting Thursday. Here’s What You Need To Know.
An additional 7.6 million Californians will be eligible to start booking COVID-19 vaccine appointments later this week. But whether they’ll be able to secure an appointment right away or weeks from now will depend on where a person lives and how many doses will be available there. Starting Thursday, Californians ages 50 and up in all 58 counties can officially get vaccinated through regular channels such as public health departments and health care providers. And two weeks later, on April 15, all Californians 16 and older will become eligible for a vaccine. (Angst, 3/29)
Sacramento Bee:
CA Expands Eligibility Soon As US Cases Spike
State health officials earlier in the month put an emphasis on administering more doses in the lowest quartile of California’s Healthy Places Index, which measures quality and availability of health care in ZIP codes based on a number of factors including poverty rates. The state announced a doubling of allocations to this lowest quartile, which as of early March had received about 17% of California’s total administered doses compared to 34% for the top quartile. (McGough, 3/29)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Sonoma County To California Officials: Send Us More Vaccine
Warning that coronavirus vaccine shipments to Sonoma County are scheduled to drop in the coming weeks, the Board of Supervisors called on state health officials to increase the county’s supply of the vaccine. “Significant resources have been directed to expanding our capacity to equitably distribute vaccines,” board chair Lynda Hopkins wrote to state officials in a letter released Monday. “It is disappointing that this effort has been met with a decreasing supply of vaccines for our community.” (Barber, 3/29)
Los Angeles Times:
Officials Are Getting Creative To Vaccinate Homebound Seniors
A quick jab, and the gates of freedom opened. “You mean I can actually go out?” said Lillian “Lili” Shaw, not just a little awestruck, after getting the COVID-19 vaccine in the dining room of her Glendale home. “I’ve been stuck for a year in this prison. ”Frail from advanced age and severe arthritis, among other ailments, Shaw stayed shut up during the pandemic. A caregiver brought her groceries. Friends didn’t or couldn’t visit. She was scared to get the vaccine, and her daughter advised her not to because of her health problems. But waking up every day alone, “‘I’m going cuckoo,’” she told herself. “‘I have lost it.’” (Seidman, 3/30)
San Francisco Chronicle:
How California's Vaccine Expansion Affects Sign-Ups At CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid And Safeway
The remaining California adults who will soon become eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine will have to wait to schedule an appointment through CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid and Safeway until their specific eligibility dates in April. President Biden on Monday said that 90% of adults in the U.S. will be eligible for a vaccine by April 19. The announcement came days after Gov. Gavin Newsom announced vaccines will be available to Californians 50 or older starting April 1 and those 16 and older as of April 15. (Flores, 3/29)
The Sacramento Bee:
Roseville CA COVID-19 Vaccine Site To Close For Anime Event
The Roseville site that serves as Placer’s main county-run vaccination center will be closed this Thursday and Friday as the venue hosts an anime event. A county webpage showing dates and times for COVID-19 vaccine appointments available at The Grounds, formerly the Placer County Fairgrounds, says the clinic will be closed April 1 and April 2 due to an “event at venue.” (McGough, 3/29)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
San Diego’s COVID-19 Vaccine Supply Growing Days Before Eligibility Expansion
Days before all Californians 50 and up become eligible for a coronavirus vaccine, the region’s supply of doses is steadily increasing. Last week’s vaccine supply rose 23 percent compared with the week before, according to county spokesperson Mike Workman, who did not provide a precise number of doses. But based on previous figures he has shared with The San Diego Union-Tribune, it’s likely that around 110,000 doses flowed into the county. (Wosen, 3/29)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Vaccine FOMO Sets In As Bay Area Residents Wait For Their Turn
The other day, Sharon Gillenwater made an early morning trip to the Moscone Center vaccination center. She didn’t have an appointment for the vaccine — at 55 years old, she wasn’t eligible. But she really, really wanted one, and a friend of hers had done the same thing the day before, managed to get herself on a wait list and, later that night, got her first dose of the vaccine. After an hour, though, the news wasn’t great: The list was full, the site was overwhelmed. So Gillenwater did what any rational person would do: “I drove straight to my doctor and got my shingles vaccine. I’m six years overdue.” At least it was a vaccine and, more critically, it meant that Gillenwater, who lives in Noe Valley, would have to wait at least two weeks before she could start hunting again for the coronavirus vaccine. Anything to take the edge off. (Kost, 3/29)
San Jose Mercury News:
With 20,000 Open Appointments, Contra Costa County Will Expand COVID Vaccines To Residents 16 And Up
A week after opening up coronavirus vaccine appointments to residents and workers ages 50 and older, Contra Costa County officials are already planning to dramatically expand the eligible age group since it has 20,000 shot slots available. Contra Costa Health Services spokesperson Will Harper said Monday the county expects to expand vaccine eligibility to anyone who is 16 or older and lives or works in the county later this week. “It depends on how many requests we get from those currently eligible, which is why we encourage them to get their appointments now,” Harper said. (Angst, 3/29)
The New York Times:
In San Francisco, Turmoil Over Reopening Schools Turns A City Against Itself
The pandemic has brought grinding frustrations for parents, educators and students across the country. But perhaps no place has matched San Francisco in its level of infighting, public outrage and halting efforts to reopen schools. In February, the city sued its own school system, which has been entirely remote for a year, and board of education, charging they were violating state law by not resuming in-person instruction. (Fuller and Taylor, 3/29)