Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
As Cases Spike, California Pauses Multimillion-Dollar Testing Expansion
California is cutting off funding for COVID-19 testing just when counties say they need more resources in rural and disadvantaged areas. (Angela Hart and Rachel Bluth, )
‘I Couldn’t Let Her Be Alone’: A Peaceful Death Amid the COVID Scourge
For three years, staffers at UCLA Health have been quietly fulfilling final wishes for dying patients in the intensive care unit. Amid the isolating forces of the pandemic, their work has become all the more meaningful. (JoNel Aleccia, )
Editor's Note: California Healthline's Daily Edition is off for the rest of the week. Check for it next in your inbox on July 6.
Californians Headed To New York Will Have To Quarantine: New York, New Jersey and Connecticut added travelers from California to its quarantine list Tuesday morning, and visitors will be expected to isolate themselves for two weeks upon arrival. The order does not apply to essential workers or people who are just passing through the states, such as drivers stopping at rest stops or people experiencing an airline layover. California, which on Tuesday broke a record for the most cases reported in a single day — 8,610 — is among 16 states now under such travel restrictions. Enforcement, however, varies from state to state, with New York taking a hardline approach that includes monitoring flight logs and asking travelers to fill out questionnaires on airplanes. Read more from John Campbell of the Ventura County Star and Andrew Sheeler of the Sacramento Bee.
Sudden Rise In Hospitalizations Worries Health Officials In San Francisco: San Francisco saw a 49% spike in hospitalizations over the last week as patients from San Quentin prison and Imperial County were transferred to city hospitals — a dramatic change from previous weeks, when hospitalizations stayed relatively stable or decreased. “We’re on high alert not just as a city but also as a region,” said Dr. Tomas Aragón, health officer for the city and county of San Francisco. He added: “The next several days are going to be really critical.” Read more from Catherine Ho and Alexei Koseff 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:
A Third Day Of Coronavirus Surges In L.A. County Brings Alarm
Officials reported 45 more COVID-19-related deaths and 2,779 more cases. Monday brought L.A.'s highest single-day tally, which pushed the county past 100,000 infections. “The L.A. County community needs to come together again to slow the spread of COVID-19, and we need to act with haste and urgency,” L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement. (Shalby and Money, 7/1)
Los Angeles Times:
California Fights To Prevent July 4th Coronavirus Disaster
State and local governments planned more restrictions Tuesday as coronavirus cases continued to spike and officials became increasingly alarmed that the July 4th holiday weekend could bring a wave of new infections that could overwhelm hospitals. “I think it is a critical moment for the public health message to be given out and heard,” said Dr. Robert Kim-Farley, medical epidemiologist and infectious diseases expert at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. (Luna, Sheridan and Lin II, 7/1)
Sacramento Bee:
Coronavirus: July 4 Concern As Surge In Cases Continues
Ahead of a major holiday weekend and with numbers surging, Gov. Gavin Newsom says California will tighten its coronavirus restrictions and look to more strictly enforce them, with more specific announcements coming Wednesday. An ongoing, two-plus-week spike in COVID-19 activity has pushed California’s hospitalization and ICU totals to all-time highs. That includes the capital region, where Sacramento County’s total for confirmed patients in hospital beds has almost tripled in the past 14 days. (McGough, 6/30)
Ventura County Star:
Ventura County Beach Closures For 4th Of July Weekend Expected
Ventura County will close local beaches over July Fourth weekend as coronavirus infections continue to rise locally and statewide. The countywide beach closure will run from 5 a.m. Friday through 5 a.m. Monday and includes parking lots and restrooms, public health officials said late Tuesday. Fireworks displays also have been canceled throughout the county. (Carlson, 6/30)
Fresno Bee:
Coronavirus Shows No Sign Of Slowing Down In Fresno, Valley
Almost 200 new confirmed coronavirus cases were reported Tuesday in Fresno County, pushing the county over the 5,000-case mark and launching the central San Joaquin Valley to more than 13,000 since the first COVID-19 cases were reported less than four months ago. Fresno County’s Department of Public Health said test results came back positive for 197 people since Monday. One more person died from complications of the respiratory disease caused by the virus. (Sheehan, 6/30)
Ventura County Star:
Coronavirus Ventura County: 186 New Cases Reported, 1 Additional Death
After recording 186 new cases and one additional death, Ventura County reached 2,926 cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, according to public health data. The latest cases are among 2,290 people tested, a positive case rate of approximately 8%. The number of people to be tested for coronavirus is now 61,135 in a county of approximately 850,000. (Childs, 6/30)
Sacramento Bee:
West Sacramento Wrestles With Rising COVID-19 Caseload
Few communities are immune to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, it seems. That’s of little consolation to Mayor Christopher Cabaldon of West Sacramento, where infection rates have risen dramatically in the past two weeks. “The situation is very problematic,” Cabaldon said Tuesday. “It’s no comfort that it’s the case across the region and across the state.” (Kasler, 6/30)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Coronavirus Test Positivity Rates Are Rising Across California. What Does That Mean?
As coronavirus cases surge again across California, many counties have paused or rolled back their reopening plans. Among the key factors driving officials’ decisions are record-breaking days of new confirmed cases and higher positive test rates. On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the state’s percentage of people who tested positive had climbed to its highest level in months: 5.9%. (Vainshtein, 6/30)
San Francisco Chronicle:
The 3 Big Reasons For Bay Area’s Coronavirus Surge, According To Health Experts
What’s behind the surge in statewide cases and hospitalizations, and are the same forces at work in the Bay Area? Health reporter Erin Allday discussed the recent trends in an episode of The Chronicle’s Fifth and Mission podcast, and while she emphasized that it’s hard to say just how much we know right now, health officials are citing three main reasons. (6/30)
Fresno Bee:
Bar Closure Confusion In Fresno County, Some Still Open
Two days after bars in Fresno County were ordered closed, confusion was spreading over just which bars that applied to and if the county would enforce it. On Sunday, Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered bars closed in seven counties, including Fresno, Tulare and Kings in the central San Joaquin Valley, due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases. Most bars in Fresno closed. (Clough, 6/30)
Fresno Bee:
Fresno Plans To Spend COVID-19 Relief On South Side
The Fresno City Council on Tuesday approved a plan for spending federal COVID-19 relief money, which will add a significant amount of funding to the city’s poorest southern neighborhoods. The council’s plan for the $92.8 million includes spending on two health clinics for southwest and southeast Fresno, a food distribution program and an expansion of testing for the coronavirus, to name a few efforts. (Miller, 6/30)
Sacramento Bee:
Inmate With COVID-19 Symptoms Could Go To ICE Custody
Advocates are calling on California Gov. Gavin Newsom to release an immunocompromised Cambodian American refugee from state prison, where he is scheduled to be transferred to ICE custody on Wednesday despite being granted parole four months earlier. Chanthon Bun, 41, was granted parole by Newsom in February, a move that should have granted his immediate release. But because he is not a U.S. citizen, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities requested to hold him in custody at San Quentin for eventual transfer to ICE detainment and deportation. (Wong, 6/30)
Fresno Bee:
Coronavirus: Fresno County Doctor Warns To Wear Masks
The doctor in charge of Fresno County’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic issued one of his most direct pleas to date to residents Tuesday as the novel coronavirus continues to spread throughout the community: “Get a mask and start using it.” If people don’t take that direction to heart, the county could see a situation that becomes “very tragic” in July based on the substantial increase in the number of confirmed COVID-19 infections, deaths and hospitalizations among residents over the past couple of weeks. (Sheehan, 6/30)
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento City Council To Consider Police Changes
The Sacramento City Council will Wednesday consider whether to overhaul the city’s 911 system and hire an inspector general for police oversight. The meeting will take place at 5 p.m. Wednesday and will be livestreamed on the city’s website. (Clift, 6/30)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Santa Clara County Offers Road Map For Reopening Schools As Surge Continues
Health officials in Santa Clara County gave schools a road map for reopening for in-person instruction, but added a big asterisk that they should be ready to resume instruction remotely if coronavirus conditions demand shutdowns. The document released Tuesday afternoon offers district officials flexibility in adopting plans for reopening schools, allowing for variances depending on the age of students. But it also outlines a list of requirements schools must follow if they decide to bring students back. (Tucker, 6/30)
San Francisco Chronicle:
In California’s Hardest-Hit County, Fear And Death Mix With Anger
Customers trickle into the Calipatria Queen Market as cashier Terry Aguilera and her regulars talk about how the coronavirus pandemic is ravaging their sleepy town 40 miles north of the Mexican border. Speaking through a face mask, Aguilera shares updates about who has gotten sick, who’s been moved to the intensive care unit and who they’ve buried in the last week. (Gardiner, 7/1)
Sacramento Bee:
Nursing Board Executives Falsified Data To Auditor
Executives at the state Board of Registered Nursing falsified data in reports to the California State Auditor to make it look like the board was properly managing nursing investigations when it wasn’t, the auditor announced Tuesday. The board is responsible for investigating misconduct by nurses and can take disciplinary action including suspending nurses’ licenses. The auditor found in 2016 that the board was assigning too many cases to each of its investigators and that investigations were often taking more than three years, even in cases including allegations of patient harm. (Venteicher, 6/30)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Bay Area Vs. Los Angeles: Unemployment Hitting Hardest In Southern California
The lowest unemployment rates in California are in five Bay Area congressional districts, while eight of the 10 hardest-hit districts are in Los Angeles County, evidence that the coronavirus is treating regions of the state very differently. (Wildermuth, 6/30)
San Francisco Chronicle:
SF Real Estate Groups Sue City Over Pandemic Eviction Law They Say Goes ‘Too Far’
A collection of real-estate industry and landlord groups have filed a lawsuit seeking to block a new city ordinance that prevents landlords from evicting tenants due to back rent or penalties accrued during the coronavirus health emergency. The lawsuit — filed by the San Francisco Apartment Association, the San Francisco Association of Realtors, Coalition for Better Housing and Small Property Owners of San Francisco Institute — seeks to overturn the COVID-19 Tenant Protection Ordinance that Mayor London Breed signed into law Friday. (Dineen, 6/30)