How Does California’s Pandemic Response Compare To Other States?: With its color-coded tier system, California’s approach has been more cautious than most other states. On Tuesday, after Texas declared it will fully reopen and also rescind mask mandates, California Gov. Newsom criticized the move as “absolutely reckless.” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
CDC To Loosen Restrictions For Those Who Have Been Vaccinated: People who have been fully vaccinated against covid-19 may soon be cleared to gather in small groups without masks, according to federal officials. The CDC guidance could be released as early as Thursday. Read more from the Los Angeles Times and Politico.
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
Fresno Bee:
Coronavirus Update: California To Receive 320,100 Doses In First Johnson & Johnson Shipment
The first shipments of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to California will be a little short of projections, but still will boost the supply headed to California by about 20%. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has referred to the single-shot vaccine as a “game-changer,” said last week that the state expected to receive around 380,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. It will be 320,100, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But that is more than any state – Texas is second with 219,200 and Florida is third with 175,100 – and coupled with first- and second-dose shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines will add more than 1.9 million vaccine doses to be distributed to vaccine providers including county health departments and hospital systems. (Kuwada, 3/2)
Bay Area News Group:
New COVID-19 Vaccine Type Is On The Way, But May Not Mean People Can Pick Their Shot
With doses of a new vaccine possibly arriving in California within days, health officials are pondering how best to deploy the still-scarce resource – and whether to offer people a choice in the type of shot they get. The federal Food and Drug Administration gave emergency authorization to Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine on Saturday, Feb. 27, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday said the state could receive about 300,000 doses of it this week. But it’s not clear whether the millions of residents still waiting to be inoculated will get to select among the new J&J vaccine and the ones from Pfizer and Moderna that have been in use since mid-December. (Robinson, Sforza and Rosenfeld, 3/2)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Sutter Health Cancels Second Doses Of Coronavirus Vaccine At Santa Rosa Clinic
Sutter Health is canceling appointments for second doses of coronavirus vaccine, signaling another step backward in the effort to immunize Sonoma County against the most deadly human pathogen in a century. The Sacramento-based health care system, which provides care for 3 million people in Northern California and operates a regional hospital in Santa Rosa, is in danger of having to wipe out more than 90,000 vaccination appointments across its system through March 9, including 40,000 second doses, Sutter media relations director Angeline Sheets said Tuesday. (Barber, 3/2)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Kern County Vaccinations Slowly But Steadily Increase
When Kern County debuted its mass vaccination site in January, COVID-19 vaccines were coming in from the state at a trickle at just 300 doses a day. Those numbers have slowly but steadily ticked up thanks to additional allotments from the state. Next week, the county plans to offer the most it ever has at the fairgrounds: 5,600 doses for the week or about 1,100 doses a day. That's still a far cry from the 5,000 doses a day that the county says the site is built to handle. But the additional allotments from the state are welcome as those who work in agriculture, food, education, child care and emergency service workers have begun to receive their first vaccines the last two weeks, along with residents over 65 years old who are continuing to receive their first and second vaccines. (Gallegos, 3/2)
Bay Area News Group:
New Federal COVID Vaccine Site In East Oakland Opens For Underserved Community
The roughly 500 people inoculated at the Eastmont Town Center on Monday and Tuesday received the first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, which is being supplied by Alameda County Public Health Department. Caretakers, educators, emergency service workers, farmworkers, health care workers and other eligible walk-ups over the age of 65 who show up between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. until Friday, March 5, will be expected to return in about 21 days to this site or another for their second and final dose of the vaccine. (Bouscher, 3/2)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Adventist Health Debuts Mobile Unit As Part Of Effort To Vaccinate Hard-To-Reach Areas
Kern County’s rural vaccination effort got a much needed boost this week with the debut of a new Adventist Health mobile unit. Funded by a $200,000 contribution from Chevron, the mobile unit will travel to far-flung parts of Kern County, taking the vaccination process to individuals who might find it difficult to travel to the metropolitan areas where vaccines are more plentiful. Stemming from Adventist’s mobile child immunization unit, the new mobile clinic began to be developed more than a year and a half ago as part of an effort to bring cancer screenings and other health procedures to rural areas. (Morgen, 3/2)
LA Daily News:
Call For An Appointment At COVID-19 Vaccine Pop-Up Sites For Northeast San Fernando Valley Residents
COVID-19 vaccination pop-up sites will be offered to residents of Los Angeles City Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez’s district in the northeast San Fernando Valley over the next three weeks, starting Tuesday. And you don’t have to constantly refresh a website to get an appointment. You can call a local telephone number. The sites are open for residents who are part of eligible groups, including people over the age of 65, food service workers, farm workers, animal agriculture workers, emergency services workers, education and childcare workers, health-care workers and residents of long-term care facilities. (3/2)
Bay Area News Group:
COVID: 30,000 On Waitlist To Get Vaccinated In Contra Costa County
The waitlist for a first dose of the coronavirus vaccine in Contra Costa County has risen to about 30,000 residents amid a supply shortage that has plagued distribution around the Bay Area. In an effort to boost its outreach, the county will open a new vaccination site at San Ramon’s Diablo Valley College campus. San Ramon is among the Contra Costa County cities and communities with the third lowest percentage of residents who have received their first dose. (Mukherjee, 3/2)
Fresno Bee:
COVID-19: Vaccine Signup System Muddled For Fresno Residents
As community organizations, retail chain pharmacies, healthcare providers and others ramp up their capacity to provide coronavirus shots, the options available for Fresno County residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19 continue to increase. But that abundance continues to generate confusion for people who aren’t quite sure where to turn for their vaccine. The state’s fledgling MyTurn system, envisioned as something of a one-stop shop for making appointments for a shot for counties across the state, is experiencing growing pains. And even when it reaches maturity – expected in the next month or so – MyTurn likely still won’t be a comprehensive collection of all the outlets for coronavirus vaccines. (Sheehan, 3/2)
LA Daily News:
Areas Hardest Hit By COVID-19 In LA County Are Least Likely To Be Vaccinated
In the push to inoculate as many people as possible with a limited supply of coronavirus vaccine, public health officials in Los Angeles County have noticed a disturbing trend they say is indicative of the coronavirus pandemic overall and the health care system in general. Those in communities hit hardest by the coronavirus were now the least likely to be vaccinated, and those disparities fell largely along both economic and racial lines. Among the top 10 communities with the highest rates of coronavirus cases — places such as downtown Los Angeles, San Fernando and Pacoima — have some of the lowest vaccination rates, averaging about 10% of the population there. (Rosenfeld, 3/2)
Fresno Bee:
New COVID-19 Outreach Campaign Connects With Bilingual LGBTQ Californians
A California LGBTQ advocacy group is launching a bilingual text messaging and social media campaign to connect gay people of color with up-to-date information on COVID-19 and vaccines. The effort by Equality California, the California Department of Social Services and the Center at Sierra Health Foundation is intended to reach a community that disproportionately is suffering the pandemic’s health and economic consequences. “We understand how critical accurate information is when it comes to combating COVID-19,” said Rick Chavez Zbur, executive director of Equality California Institute, at a press conference announcing the effort. “That’s our goal to ensure LGBTQ+ Californians have access to accurate information, resources and support.” (Bojorquez, 3/2)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Court Workers, Judges, Lawyers Now Can Get Vaccine Under Change Made Quietly By County Last Week
Judges, some criminal defense lawyers and court employees can now get the COVID-19 vaccine in San Diego County after county health officials quietly included them late last week in the recent expansion of those eligible to get the shot. The decision means more than 2,000 county employees, including 1,200 court workers, 968 employees of the District Attorney’s Office and about 400 in the Office of the Public Defender, are now eligible to get the vaccine. So are about about 120 private criminal defense lawyers who represent indigent defendants in San Diego federal court, and prosecutors and staff in the federal U.S. Attorney’s Office. (Moran, 3/2)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Four Bay Area Counties Are Stuck In The Purple Tier. Here's When They Might Move To Red
Four Bay Area counties remained in the most restrictive category of California’s reopening plan Tuesday after failing to meet the state’s criteria to start loosening coronavirus rules. Alameda, Contra Costa, Solano and Sonoma did not meet the state requirements necessary to emerge from the purple tier, the most restrictive category. Indoor shopping will continue to be permitted in those areas at 25% capacity, but most other business operations will continue to be outdoor only. (Mishanec, 3/2)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
San Diego Still In The Purple Tier As Seven Peers Go To Less-Restrictive Red
San Diego County once again found itself outside the select group of California counties promoted to the less-restrictive red tier Tuesday. Though its case rate fell once again, the number still has not hit the lows seen in the seven counties, including Napa, San Francisco and Santa Clara, that climbed up a rung in the state’s four-level reopening system. Those regions regain the ability for some businesses and organizations to resume indoor operations and for upper-grade schools to bring kids and teachers back to campuses. (Sisson and Wosen, 3/2)
AP:
San Francisco, Santa Clara, Napa Counties Move To Less Restrictive Reopening Tier
Indoor dining, movie theaters, gyms and museums can reopen — with strict limitations — within 24 hours in San Francisco, Mayor London Breed triumphantly proclaimed on Tuesday, as she announced the county's move into the red, less-restrictive, reopening tier.Officials in Santa Clara and Napa counties on Tuesday also announced their advancement into the state's second-most restrictive operating tier.“This is the beginning of a new day in San Francisco,” Breed said from Pier 39, an area popular with tourists in picturesque Fisherman's Wharf. (Har, 3/2)
Bay Area News Group:
COVID Leaves Some Bay Area Domestic Violence Victims With Nowhere To Go
The coronavirus pandemic is forcing some Bay Area survivors of domestic violence to make a dangerous choice: stay with their abusers, or wind up on the streets. Shelters for victims of intimate partner abuse have had to reduce their capacity to combat the spread of COVID-19, exacerbating what was already a shortage of beds at a time when reports of domestic violence are on the rise. As the pandemic drags on, shelters around the region are scrambling to rent motel rooms for victims fleeing violence. But that’s getting harder as emergency funding runs out. Now, some organizations are having to do the unthinkable — turn victims away. (Kendall, 3/3)
The Bakersfield Californian:
After 'Insane' Few Months, Emergency Medical System In Kern Shows Signs Of Recovery
Emergency medical services workers may finally get to breathe a sigh of relief after Kern County’s emergency medical services system finally hit levels not seen since the early part of the coronavirus winter surge. In another sign that COVID-19 is declining, Kern County Public Health Services has returned the county’s EMS System Surge Plan to the lowest of four tiers due to improvement in 911 call volume, increased ambulance availability, lower offload times and percentage of staff impacted by COVID-19. Enacted as COVID-19 cases were skyrocketing at the end of December, the plan was meant to protect the county’s medical system as patients threatened to overwhelm it. Using lessons learned from the summer surge, the plan allowed the county to remain self-sufficient throughout the worst of the winter surge. (Morgen, 3/2)
Stat:
Amazon Care’s Medical Partner Quietly Files To Operate In 17 More States
The clinical provider for Amazon Care, the tech giant’s virtual-first medical platform, is quietly gearing up to do business in 17 additional states, according to public documents viewed by STAT. Since 2018, Amazon has contracted with a Washington-based medical practice called Care Medical to offer staff in Washington state a combination of virtual and in-person visits through Amazon Care. (Brodwin, 3/3)
LA Daily News:
LAPD’s SMART Teams Responding To More Calls After Deployment Change, Commander Says
The specially trained unit of Los Angeles Police Department officers charged with de-escalating encounters with people with mental illnesses is asking for more officers as the city tries to change the way police respond to such incidents. A commander for LAPD’s Mental Evaluation Unit on Tuesday said it currently has 63 officers who deploy in 12 teams, called SMART units, across the city per day, waiting for requests to help respond to calls involving people in mental health crises. The number of officers needs to almost double to 152 to fill out plans to expand the program to 34 teams, said Lt. Kelly Muniz in a meeting with Los Angeles police commissioners. She said L.A. County Mental Health Department clinicians who partner up with the SMART units also need to have their team grow, from 29 on staff now to 60. (Cain, 3/2)
Stanford Today:
With Donor Gifts, Stanford Expands Efforts To Address Student Mental Health And Well-Being
Bolstered by recent philanthropy, Stanford is working to expand the mental health and well-being resources available to Stanford undergraduate, graduate and professional school students. Under the guidance of Bina Pulkit Patel, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) has expanded the range of services available to students. Among the new gifts is an endowed directorship for Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) – among the first of its kind for a college counseling center. The directorship provides a permanent source of funding for this key leadership position. Other gifts are funding a health communications specialist focused on getting information to students, four new well-being coaches, services for students struggling with alcohol and other drug use, and research to measure the effectiveness of interventions that focus on mental health and well-being. This support, coupled with resources provided by the university, has significantly expanded available services for students. (Mineta and Harris, 3/2)