- California Healthline Original Stories 4
- Billions in Public Money Aimed at Curing Homelessness and Caring for ‘Whole Body’ Politic
- Newsom’s Record on Covid Is Both an Advantage and Liability in Tight Recall Race
- How Rape Affects Memory, and Why Police Need to Know About That Brain Science
- Delta Cutting 'Like a Buzzsaw' Through Oregon-California Border Counties
- Coronavirus 11
- Vaccines 2
Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Billions in Public Money Aimed at Curing Homelessness and Caring for ‘Whole Body’ Politic
California is embarking on a five-year experiment to infuse its health insurance program for low-income people with billions of dollars in nonmedical services spanning housing, food delivery and addiction care. Gov. Gavin Newsom said the goal is to improve care for the program’s sickest and costliest members and save money, but will it work? (Angela Hart, )
Newsom’s Record on Covid Is Both an Advantage and Liability in Tight Recall Race
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s pandemic policies are effectively on California’s Sept. 14 recall ballot — and the electorate views them with a mix of resentment, gratitude and disillusionment. (Rachel Bluth and Samantha Young and Heidi de Marco and Angela Hart, )
How Rape Affects Memory, and Why Police Need to Know About That Brain Science
How a sexual assault survivor is questioned by police can greatly influence the ability to access memories of the traumatic incident. Better interview techniques might help solve more cases. (Sammy Caiola, Capital Public Radio, )
Delta Cutting 'Like a Buzzsaw' Through Oregon-California Border Counties
Zoom in on states with overall good vaccination rates and you see a checkerboard effect, with rural areas far lagging urban zones. That’s allowed the pandemic to rage in places like Jackson County, Oregon, overwhelming hospitals. (Erik Neumann, Jefferson Public Radio, )
Mu Variant Found In LA County: A new coronavirus variant was detected in 167 people over the summer in Los Angeles County, officials said. The B.1.621 variant, known as mu, was mostly detected in July, according to analyses completed between June 19 and Aug. 21, the Department of Public Health said. Read more from the Los Angeles Times.
Hospitals Inundated With Covid Cases, Belligerent Patients: Scripps Health reported Monday that its hospitals collectively reported the largest number of covid-related deaths seen in a single day over the weekend, with none of the patients fully vaccinated. In addition, there has been a shift in the overall attitude of patients, chief medical officer Dr. Ghazala Sharieff said. “We’ve had patients calling our staff liars when they give them the results of their covid tests,” she said. Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune.
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:
ICU Bed Shortage In California's Central Valley Region Reaches Critical Surge Level
Hospitals in 12 counties of California’s Central Valley region are so strapped for intensive care beds, due to the influx of COVID-19 patients, that state health officials announced a surge order Friday requiring other hospitals to accept their transfer patients. The order is triggered when a region has less than 10% of staffed adult ICU beds available for three consecutive days. The California Department of Public Health said Friday was the first triggering of the state hospital surge order. It comes as the highly infectious delta variant of the coronavirus continues its rapid spread and covers the San Joaquin Valley counties of Calaveras, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, San Benito, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tulare and Tuolumne, according to the California Department of Public Health. (Hernández, 9/3)
Los Angeles Times:
ICU Beds In San Joaquin Valley Drop To Concerningly Low Levels
The share of available intensive care beds has dropped to concerningly low levels in the San Joaquin Valley, prompting state health officials to implement COVID-19 hospital surge protocols aimed at alleviating the strain on healthcare facilities. Under a state health order issued last month, additional measures are imposed when a region’s hospitals report having less than 10% of their cumulative staffed adult ICU beds available for three straight days. (Money, 9/3)
City News Service:
Sign Of Hope Endures: Coronavirus Hospitalizations Keep Falling In LA County
The number of coronavirus patients in Los Angeles County hospitals continued to fall on Monday, Sept. 6 — declining from 1,480 on Sunday to 1,463, according to the latest state figures. The number of those patients in intensive care also declined, from 433 to 412. The latest figures came as county health officials reported 11 additional deaths associated with the virus and 1,540 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the county totals to 1,420,560 cases and 25,456 fatalities since the pandemic began. (9/6)
CapRadio:
Children Making Up A Higher Percentage Of Sacramento County COVID-19 Cases
Children are making up a higher percentage of COVID-19 cases in Sacramento County, though health officials say some of the transmission is happening in the community and not just within schools. Children are accounting for around 20% of new cases, Sacramento County Public Health Officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye said Thursday, compared to around 16% since the start of the pandemic. (9/6)
VC Star:
COVID-19 Infections Rise In Kids; Hospitalizations Rare In Ventura County
Parental angst is rising across Ventura County and the nation. At 20 county-run primary care clinics, COVID-19 infections among kids 5 to 11 leaped 30-fold from June to August. The age group now makes up 25% of positive COVID tests in the clinic system. Pediatricians at some private clinics say their cases of child infections — once almost nonexistent — have also increased as part of a national rise driven largely by the easily spread of the delta variant and the unavailability of vaccines for children under 12. (Kisken, 9/4)
Palo Alto Daily News:
Bay Area Parents Fume As Schools Send Healthy Kids Home After COVID Exposure
Viviane Safrin's third-grade son, Levi, spent much of what should have been a school day Friday morning at home putting together a space puzzle and bouncing on the couch. Dan Lee took his restless son, Yaichiro, who's in Levi's class, out to San Francisco's Stow Lake. Where the boys really wanted to be was their classroom at San Francisco Unified's Clarendon Elementary, where their teacher is said to be fantastic. But their parents said the school sent the whole class home to quarantine Thursday after someone tested positive for COVID-19, even with no sign of illness. (Woolfolk, 9/5)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Masks. School Lunch. Sleepovers. Here's How Bay Area Experts Recommend Keeping Kids Safe In The Delta Era
Here’s the latest advice from experts on protecting children, especially those younger than 12 who do not yet have access to coronavirus vaccines, during the delta surge. (Vaziri, 9/6)
CIDRAP:
How California Dealt With COVID-19 Oxygen Supply Issues
As the COVID-19 pandemic hit California, its healthcare facilities started having oxygen supply problems: Too many people were needing ventilatory support too quickly. While some rationing and troubleshooting did have to occur, the state was largely able to create a centralized request and allocation system, which included regional oxygen depots, procurement contracts, and tip sheets on oxygen safety and conservation. (McLernon, 9/3)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
San Diego County's Campaign To Fight Medical Falsehoods Gains Momentum
The hundreds who lined up this week to condemn a Board of Supervisors resolution declaring medical misinformation a public health crisis argued it was an attempt to stifle free speech. But the nation’s public health community appears to be rallying around San Diego County’s unprecedented 3-2 decision to challenge what they say is a growing body of COVID-19 falsehoods that are eroding confidence in vaccines and perpetuating the spread of the virus. (Sisson, 9/4)
Los Angeles Times:
COVID-19 Affects College Football Powerhouses And Their Fans
Last year, college football was a letdown for fans in Texas and across the nation. COVID-related cancellations in the five elite college football conferences, known as the Power Five, meant 285 games compared with 453 in 2019. Capacity limits for many of the games that were played have left students, alumni and other football fanatics desperate to resume tailgating and other in-person traditions this weekend. But COVID-19 still complicates game day, nowhere more than in the South. COVID-19 vaccination rates have lagged and hospitalizations have surged, filling intensive care units in Alabama, Louisiana, Florida, Texas and other states that are home to powerhouse college football teams. (Hennessy-Fiske and Jarvie, 9/4)
Bay Area News Group:
COVID-19's Evolutionary Tree Of Life Built By Bay Area Experts
As new generations of the COVID-19 virus multiply across the globe, a team of UC Santa Cruz computational experts is bringing order to chaos. Combining the astounding power of new software and gene sequencing, they are building the world’s largest and most comprehensive “tree of life” to track the evolutionary trajectory of the virus. This week, the California Department of Public Health announced it will enlist the project to more quickly detect where and when a dangerous variant arrives in the state or emerges here afresh. (Krieger, 9/5)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Should You Get A Booster Given Global Vaccine Shortages? Here's What Ethicists Say
Ever since vaccines arrived less than a year ago, the concept of global equity has raised myriad ethical questions about a country’s obligations to its citizens versus its obligations to the world. The discussion around boosters is the latest flashpoint in that ongoing conversation. The Biden administration indicated last month that boosters might be available to all Americans by Sept. 20. It appears to be scaling back its plans a bit, with reports this week that the boosters would be widely available soon only for those who got their first two shots from Pfizer-BioNTech. People who have weakened immune systems due to certain conditions, such as being the recipient of an organ transplant, are already eligible for an extra shot. (Kost, 9/4)
Orange County Register:
Breakthrough: When The Fully Vaccinated Get COVID-19 Anyway
When summer began, delta was still just an airline. Coronavirus restrictions had vanished and fully vaccinated folks felt liberated — hopping on planes to visit loved ones, munching popcorn in real movie theaters, peeling masks off with the giddy confidence that looser public health recommendations gave them. It felt, for a blissful few weeks, that the COVID-19 shots were like armored shields, protecting them. “We were told these vaccines were like unicorn farts,” said Andrew Noymer, an epidemiologist and demographer at UCI Irvine. “The CDC missed another opportunity to be realistic in its messaging. They’re not exactly magic.” (Sforza, 9/5)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. Teachers Union Drops Demand For Student Vaccine Mandate, But Wants Strict Quarantines
The Los Angeles teachers union has dropped its demand for mandating that eligible students receive a COVID-19 vaccine, but the move appears to be more about bargaining strategy rather than a lack of support for the move. The latest contract proposal, dated Sept. 2, also lays out a plan that would lead to additional and possibly longer coronavirus-related quarantines for students and staff. (Blume, 9/3)
Bay Area News Group:
Alameda Students Now Must Wear Masks Indoors And Outdoors
Students now must wear masks both indoors and outdoors while on school grounds, a requirement that goes beyond state guidelines for public safety. Unvaccinated students also must get tested up to two times each month for COVID-19, trustees with the Alameda Unified School District decided unanimously during a special session on Thursday. (Hegarty, 9/3)
Capital & Main:
Why One California School District Mandates COVID Vaccinations For Students
Situated about 11 miles west of downtown Los Angeles and five miles from Venice Beach, Culver City is something of an outlier in the COVID-19 public school conversation. Its vaccination rates, both overall and for those ages 12-17, are significantly higher than local or state averages. Its school district isn’t large; Culver City Unified totals roughly 7,100 students in grades K through 12. That’s about 1/90th the enrollment of the Los Angeles Unified School District. Why, then, are so many people watching Culver City so closely? (Kreidler, 9/1)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Kern County Superior Court To Require Masks
Anyone, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status, entering a Kern County Superior Court building as of Tuesday must now wear an approved face mask that completely covers the nose and mouth of the wearer. According to the courts, a mask should be secured to the head, with ties or ear loops. A mask should fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face. Masks do not include face shields, gaiters, bandanas or scarves, according to a court news release. (9/6)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. Firefighters, Police Officers Challenge Vaccine Mandate
Los Angeles firefighters and police officers who are angry over City Hall’s new requirement that employees be vaccinated against COVID-19 are mounting an offensive. Firefighters 4 Freedom, a group of Los Angeles city firefighters, was launched recently “to stop the mandated vaccinations for all city employees as well as the citizens of this great country,” according to its website. “We want to bring education and truth to the people without being censored.” (Smith, 9/3)
CapRadio:
California’s Community Colleges Divided On Vaccine Mandates For Students
Students returning for in-person classes at California’s publicly-owned four-year colleges and universities this fall will be required to show proof of vaccination. Most students attending community college in California won’t have the same safeguards. Of the 75 California community college districts, Sierra College in Rocklin is among the 41 districts that are not requiring students to be vaccinated as they return to on-campus classes. (Fletcher and Salanga, 9/2)
Modesto Bee:
How Will COVID Mask Order Be Enforced In Stanislaus County?
Stanislaus County health officials are stressing education, over enforcement, for businesses and county residents who are expected to comply with a public health order requiring everyone to wear a mask in indoor public settings, regardless of vaccination status. The county and cities have authority to handle enforcement if business owners and residents do not comply with the order, which was issued just before the Labor Day weekend. (Carlson, 9/4)
Politico:
Newsom's Closing Message: More People Will Die If I'm Recalled
Republicans harnessed pandemic anger months ago to qualify the recall election against California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Now the Democrat is banking on a pandemic strategy of his own to save his job. After tiptoeing around Covid-19 issues early this summer, Newsom is issuing mask and vaccine mandates and taking a tough-on-the-virus approach in the final stretch of the recall campaign. (Mays, 9/3)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Hospitals Feel Pandemic's Financial Fallout
Local hospitals have suffered in some cases heavy financial hits from the pandemic, with most of Kern's largest medical centers taking in less money on a per-patient basis than they did during the first quarter as compared with a year earlier, according to state records that reflect the crisis's monetary toll on the county's health care system. (Cox, 9/4)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Healthcare District Declines To Fund Grant Request To Provide Narcan To Schools
The Governing Board of the Grossmont Healthcare District recently granted nearly $350,000 to 11 entities, but the elected officials declined a grant request from a local nonprofit that is seeking to make Narcan available in some East County high schools. The district annually gives out thousands of dollars to local agencies that work to better the health of the community. Among those receiving funding in the latest round of grants were the East County Transitional Living Center ($35,000 for a medical van), La Maestra Family Clinic ($35,000 toward diabetes treatment and prevention) and The Burn Institute ($34,000 for East County programming). (Pearlman, 9/6)
Modesto Bee:
Heat Advisory For Stanislaus County Extended Through Thursday
A National Weather Service heat advisory for the Valley, from north of Redding to south of Merced County, has been extended until Thursday because of triple-digit highs and warm overnight lows. For Modesto, highs are predicted to be near 101 degrees Tuesday and near 102 Wednesday and Thursday. Overnight lows are expected to be in the low 70s. (Farrow, 9/6)
Sacramento Bee:
100 Degree Heat Wave Forecast For Sacramento, Central Valley
Downtown Sacramento roasted under yet another 100-degree day on Sunday, the start of yet another heat wave that is prompting yet another days-long heat advisory from the National Weather Service. The temperature is forecast to hit 100 degrees in Sacramento on Tuesday. It’ll be even worse on Wednesday, closer to 105 degrees. More of the same Thursday. And basically the same again on Friday. (Pohl, 9/6)
San Francisco Chronicle:
15 Small Fires Break Out Around Healdsburg On Monday Night
Numerous small fires broke out in Sonoma County on Monday night on the outskirts of Healdsburg. State Sen. Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, told The Chronicle that 15 fires had started in the area over several hours Monday evening. (Galbraith and Johnson, 9/6)
CapRadio:
Caldor Fire Updates: Evacuation Orders Downgraded For City Of South Lake Tahoe
A day after downgrading evacuation orders for the nearly 22,000 residents of South Lake Tahoe, fire officials continued to open up areas on the west side of the fire around Grizzly Flats, and expanded the open areas of Highway 50. "Along the [Highway] 50 corridor, these unburned pockets are looking really good," said Erich Schwab, a Cal Fire incident commander. "That allowed us to lift those evacuation orders almost all the way to Ice House." (9/6)
Reveal:
Fighting Fire With Fire
Year after year, wildfires have swept through Northern California’s wine and dairy country, threatening the region’s famed agricultural businesses. Evacuation orders have become a way of life in places like Sonoma County, and so too have exemptions to those orders. Officials in the county created a special program allowing agricultural employers to bring farmworkers into areas that are under evacuation and keep them working, even as wildfires rage. It’s generally known as the ag pass program. Reporter Teresa Cotsirilos investigates whether the policy puts low-wage farmworkers at risk from smoke and flames. (9/4)
CalMatters:
988 Crisis Hotline: California To Spend $20 Million To Create It
Soon, Californians will be able to dial a new three-digit number when seeking help for a mental health crisis. After weeks in which funding to make the hotline work in California seemed uncertain, the state Department of Health Care Services announced late today that it would spend $20 million to help support the 9-8-8 network — billed as a “robust statewide call center” designed to be an alternative to 9-1-1 calls. (Wiener, 9/2)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Kern County Spotlights Mental Health Throughout September To Break Stigma
Several mental health facilities throughout Bakersfield have announced a series of events to recognize National Suicide Prevention and Recovery Month throughout September. Some events scheduled by Kern Behavioral Health & Recovery Services include a vigil at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 10 to honor the memory of those who have died by suicide. It will take place at Kern Behavioral Health & Recovery Services Center, located at 2001 28th St. (Desai, 9/5)