Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
‘We Miss Them All So Much’: Grandparents Ache As The COVID Exile Grinds On
The pandemic has forced millions of families to weigh the risks of vulnerable grandparents getting too close to their beloved grandchildren — against the heartache of staying away. (JoNel Aleccia, )
Californians Flocked To Beaches, Parks Over Memorial Weekend: Health officials had previously said Memorial Day weekend would be a big test of whether California can ease stay-at-home restrictions while continuing to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Overall, officials said there were no major problems are beaches, though some places like the Venice Boardwalk saw dense crowds with some not wearing masks. Officials closed Eaton Canyon Natural Areas & Trails for the rest of the Memorial Day weekend amid concerns that crowded conditions could pose health risks. State officials have now cleared 47 counties to resume in-restaurant dining and in-store shopping. Among the latest were Orange and Riverside, two of California’s largest population centers.
In the Bay Area, officials said most visitors to outdoor spaces did a good job in keep space between them. “People are happy to have a place to go, and they’ve fallen with the program,” said Ian McLorg, a chief ranger at Marin County Parks. “People are being really mindful of social distancing. People are bringing coverings with them.”
Read more from Alex Wigglesworth and Andrew Turner of the Los Angeles Times and Lauren Hernandez of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles County reported 1,047 new COVID-19 cases and 12 more deaths on Monday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 46,018 and fatalities to 2,116. The number of cases statewide is nearing 100,000. Read more from Tony Barboza of the Los Angeles Times.
Churches, Other Places Of Worship Can Open At 25% Capacity, Newsom Says After Facing Push Back: Gov. Gavin Newsom and California health officials on Monday released guidelines for places of worship to reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic, while “strongly” recommending that churches continue to hold services remotely. For at least the first 21 days after each county revises its public health order to allow church activity to resume, the state is requiring that places of worship “limit attendance to 25 percent of building capacity or a maximum of 100 attendees, whichever is lower.” After those three weeks, the state and county public health departments will consult and review the effect of this limit and reassess. Some of the pandemic’s worst cluster outbreaks have been traced back to church services, but the issue has become a hot-button topic with even President Donald Trump weighing in. Read more from Michael McGough of the Sacramento Bee; Monte Morin of the Los Angeles Times; Trisha Thadani of the San Francisco Chronicle; and Ben Christopher of CalMatters.
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:
Coronavirus Widens Healthcare Divide Between Red, Blue States
Jenny Morones and Courtney Marrs are both working mothers. Both labor to raise three children on low incomes. Both fled abusive relationships. But because Morones lives in California — a state that expanded its safety net through the Affordable Care Act — she has health coverage. It protected her from financial ruin last year when a severe infection put her in the hospital. Marrs lives in Texas, which refused to expand Medicaid through the healthcare law. That’s left her and hundreds of thousands of other Texans uninsured. Lack of coverage has forced Marrs to forgo asthma inhalers and dental work on a molar she said was broken in a domestic dispute. “I’ve been living on Orajel,” she said. (Levey, 5/25)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Crowdsourced COVID Near You Website Generates Map Of Coronavirus Spread
Maps showing the spread of COVID-19 are invaluable for public health researchers, health care professionals and policymakers. Most are generated based on statistics reported to the government. A new website, covidnearyou.org, asks everyday people to join in self-reporting coronavirus symptoms, using crowdsourcing to help picture where the disease is spreading or receding. Its real-time data help compensate for the fact that testing is still not sufficiently widespread. “There is so much value to be gained by engaging the public directly in public health,” said Dr. Mark Smolinski, president of nonprofit Ending Pandemics, which partnered with Harvard and Boston Children’s Hospital on the site. (Said, 5/25)
CalMatters:
Lobbying On California Coronavirus Contracts Can Stay Secret
A common thread runs through at least four of the companies Gov. Gavin Newsom has tapped to help respond to the coronavirus pandemic: a Sacramento lobbyist named Mark Weideman. His firm represents BYD, an electric bus maker that landed a $1 billion contract to produce medical masks for California; Bloom Energy, which the state is paying $2 million to refurbish ventilators; Blue Shield, the health care behemoth that dominates the task force Newsom assembled to increase testing for COVID-19; and NextGen America, the progressive advocacy group headed by Tom Steyer, whom Newsom named as the co-chair of his economic recovery team. (Rosenhall, 5/26)
San Francisco Chronicle:
California’s Proposition 13 Ballot Fight Intensifies With Coronavirus Pandemic
A proposed change to California’s sacrosanct Proposition 13 that seeks to raise $12 billion annually for schools and local government was already primed to be one of the hottest battles on the November ballot before the coronavirus pandemic hit. But the financial damage brought on by the disease is transforming the fight over a measure that would raise property taxes for many businesses into a struggle over the future of California. (Garofoli, 5/26)
Sacramento Bee:
Senior Services, Health Care To Be Cut In California Budget
Newsom’s revised budget plan, announced earlier this month, seeks to close a projected $54.3 billion budget deficit brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. It includes about $646 million in proposed cuts that worry seniors and their advocates because they would reduce health care options and access to programs that allow elderly residents to stay at home and out of nursing homes, which have been hotbeds for COVID-19 outbreaks. (Chen, 5/26)
Sacramento Bee:
California Veterans Home Could Close In Newsom Budget Cuts
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to close a $54 billion state budget deficit includes one small but difficult cut for an under-used state veterans home in the Mojave Desert. Now, residents and workers at the Barstow Veterans Home are rallying to prevent the facility from being eliminated in the state budget. They have some help from state lawmakers, who in a committee have already asked Newsom to find an alternative spending cut. (Sheeler, 5/25)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Coronavirus Has Amplified Issues For Older Bay Area Adults, But They’re Still Living Life
Like everyone, CJ Peoples says he’s had to make major adjustments to maintain his well-being during the coronavirus crisis. Taking classes and being a part of groups at the Curry Senior Center in the Tenderloin was a key part of retired life for Peoples, 65. He was even a part of the center’s weekly podcast, “Revolting Seniors.” With the center now closed, many of its resources have moved online or to the phone, which does little to help his social life. (Bravo, 5/26)
Sacramento Bee:
Sutter: Black Patients Get Coronavirus Test At Later Stage
The chief medical officer for Sutter Health is seeing a worrisome trend when it comes to COVID-19 diagnoses. According to data reviewed by Dr. Stephen Lockhart, African Americans were almost three times more likely than their non-Hispanic white peers to learn they had the coronavirus-caused illness through an emergency room or hospital test. The black patients also were far more likely to be admitted for care, leading Lockhart and research scientist Kristen Azar to postulate that they may be seen with more serious cases or at a more advanced stage than white patients. (Anderson, 5/25)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Bay Area Search For Coronavirus Drugs Extends Far Beyond Remdesivir
Remdesivir, the antiviral drug made by Foster City’s Gilead Sciences that has recently shown promise in treating COVID-19 patients, will likely not turn the tide of the coronavirus pandemic on its own. Doctors in the Bay Area know that, which is why they’re studying a host of other potential treatments that could be used to alleviate the worst symptoms of COVID-19 or keep people out of the hospital entirely. And the scope of the local research seems to be broadening. (Morris, 5/25)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Language Interpreters Prove Crucial In Bay Area COVID-19 Cases
The COVID-19 patient was gasping for breath. As her oxygen levels dropped, the ER team at San Francisco General Hospital knew she needed to be intubated and placed on a ventilator. They called a Cantonese interpreter to explain the gravity of the situation and what to expect. (Said, 5/24)
Los Angeles Times:
Coronavirus: Meatpackers Demand Farmer John Plant Be Closed
The union that represents workers at a Vernon meatpacking plant where at least 153 have come down with COVID-19 called Monday for the immediate closure of the facility, saying there was no evidence measures taken to control the coronavirus were working. The outbreak at the Farmer John plant, a division of Smithfield Foods that produces Dodger Dogs and other pork products, is by far the largest in Los Angeles County to occur outside of a nursing home, prison or other residential setting, according to data from the county’s Public Health Department. (Ryan, 5/25)
CalMatters:
UC Fall 2020 Reopening Decision To Come Mid-June
University of California students eager to return to classrooms in the fall will have to wait until mid-June to learn if courses will resume in person. “These decisions must all be made in the context of local, state and federal public health restrictions,” UC President Janet Napolitano said Wednesday. “I anticipate, however, that most if not all of our campuses will operate in some kind of hybrid mode.” (Zinshteyn, 5/22)
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento Area Schools To Share Guidelines For Reopening
Sacramento-area school officials are nearing a decision on when campuses will reopen in the fall, along with a detailed list of safety measures that will be taken to keep children separated and classrooms clean. But as parents grow anxious about the start of the 2020-21 school year, some are telling school leaders they may continue to educate their children at home or enroll them in independent study, charter or private schools. (Morrar, 5/23)
Fresno Bee:
Avenal Prison Fuels Coronavirus Surge In Kings County
Kings County reported 130 additional positive test results for the coronavirus on Sunday, its highest number in a single day, spurred mostly by an outbreak at Avenal State Prison. Health officials said in an early-evening news release that 115 cases are among inmates at the prison. The source of infection for the other 15 cases is under investigation. (Valenzuela, 5/24)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Restaurants Reopening After Shutdown Face Challenges Over Masks, Money
After struggling for weeks to find an affordable supply of face masks for her restaurant employees at Chicken as Cluck in San Francisco, Bua Vanitsthian recently decided to save money by making her own washable and reusable versions. It was a choice driven by her restaurant’s diminishing finances, and it foreshadowed a problem thousands of Bay Area restaurant owners are just starting to face. (Phillips, 5/26)
Sacramento Bee:
Coronavirus: Davis Family Focuses On ‘Decontamination’
Irina Okhremtchouk drops everything when her husband arrives home from work. She makes sure their preschool son is secluded away and doesn’t come out to greet his father, and then she focuses solely on what she calls “decontamination. ”The couple formulated the routine over one or two days, even detailing what her husband should do with the shoes he wears daily while working as a critical care doctor and caring for patients who have COVID-19. (Anderson, 5/25)
Sacramento Bee:
Eaton Canyon Shuts Down As Crowds Form Before Memorial Day
A popular California hiking spot tried to welcome guests over Memorial Day weekend, but “overwhelming” crowds caused it to shut down again, the county parks department said. Eaton Canyon Natural Areas and Trails opened up before Memorial Day weekend with several safety precautions, LA County Parks said on Facebook. Days after it reopened, crowds caused it to shut down again. “Eaton Canyon Natural Areas and Trails are closed for the rest of today and for Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, due to overwhelming crowds that were not following the COVID-19 public health requirements,” the county parks and recreation department said. (Capron, 5/25)
Sacramento Bee:
California Retail Can Open For In-Store Shopping Statewide
The California Department of Public Health announced Monday that retail stores statewide can now open for in-store shopping as long as they follow state guidelines to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection for workers and customers. State health officials on Monday also announced guidelines for in-person protests and events designed for political expression. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office has faced protests regarding the stay-at-home order, which has been in place since March 19. (Ahumada, 5/25)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Coronavirus Anxiety Driving You To The Brink? Listen To Your Friend With OCD
As a San Francisco teen who has suffered mightily from obsessive compulsive disorder, Kathryn Booth can tell you harrowing stories — including days when her need for academic perfection became so intense that she couldn’t finish writing the letters of her own name. But when Booth looks back someday on her greatest struggles with OCD, the coronavirus era likely won’t even register. While stressing that the current pandemic has been a horrible time for the nation, she feels uniquely equipped to handle the emotional challenges we all face. (Hartlaub, 5/25)