Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
As Broad Shutdowns Return, Weary Californians Ask ‘Is This the Best We Can Do?’
California’s ping-ponging approach to managing the pandemic — twice reopening large portions of the service sector economy only to shut them again — has residents and business owners on edge. But experts say the push and pull on businesses may be what success looks like in much of the U.S. for months to come, given COVID-19’s pervasive spread. (Anna Maria Barry-Jester and Jenny Gold, )
LA County Sets COVID Curfews: With coronavirus surging, Los Angeles County Public Health officials tightened restrictions on Tuesday, including curfews on restaurants, wineries and bars, while ordering new caps on social gatherings, officials said. They stopped short of full stay-home orders. Read more from the Bay Area News Group and Los Angeles Times.
LAX Opens COVID Testing Sites: Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday morning launched interim testing sites at three terminals as a precursor to an on-site rapid-testing lab, set to open the first week of December. The tests available at the current sites cost $150 and provide results within 24 hours to those who opt to take them. Read more from the Los Angeles Times and LA Daily News.
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
The New York Times:
F.D.A. Authorizes The First At-Home Coronavirus Test
A handful of other tests have been cleared by the F.D.A. for at-home collection of samples, which are then shipped to a lab for processing. But Lucira’s test is the first to remove the need for an intermediary. (11/18)
ABC News:
Pfizer Vaccine 95% Effective In Final Analysis, Plans To Seek Emergency Authorization 'Within Days'
If the FDA gives the vaccine the green light, Pfizer will likely make history as the first company with an FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine. ... It’s not known yet what level of immunity or how long the immunity lasts after receiving the vaccines. Trial volunteers will be followed for two years to answer questions like durability of protection. (Salzman, 11/18)
Fresno Bee:
Fresno County Getting Coronavirus Vaccines In December, City Councilmembers Say
Fresno County expects to get 100,000 vaccinations for the coronavirus by mid-December, according to city leaders who met with Fresno County health officials this week. The limited vaccinations would be given out in waves first to frontline workers, nursing home employees and other vulnerable patients, according to Fresno City Council members Miguel Arias, Esmeralda Soria and Luis Chavez. (Miller, 11/17)
Los Angeles Times:
Young People Are Spreading Coronavirus In L.A., But Older And Sicker Suffer The Most
Coronavirus is again surging in Los Angeles County, and that has prompted calls for people to stay home as much as possible and led to discussions about a possible curfew or additional restrictions on businesses. The disease is spiking across the county, affecting all age groups, but some remain most vulnerable. While the age of COVID-19 patients has declined, older people are still dying at very high rates from the illness. (Lin II, 11/17)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Amid COVID-19 Travel Warnings, California Lawmakers Fly To Hawaii
Legislators from California and other states are gathering for an annual conference in Maui this week despite a spike in COVID-19 cases in the Golden State that resulted in travel warnings by health officials. (McGreevy, 11/17)
Sacramento Bee:
Here Is The COVID-19 Data California Used To Demote Sacramento Area To Purple Tier
Gov. Gavin Newsom for months had compared California’s reopening from coronavirus restrictions to a “dimmer switch” — a process that would involve mostly gradual shifts to looser or tighter protocols depending on the trajectory of COVID-19 in any given part of the state. The metaphor has changed. After more than three months of updating tiers on a weekly basis and moving California’s 58 counties at a deliberate pace through four levels of restrictions, the state’s color-coded framework had to be used instead as an “emergency brake” this week, Newsom announced, due to an intense and fast-developing surge in infections. (McGough, 11/17)
Fresno Bee:
Back To Purple-Tier COVID-19 Restrictions Means Outdoor Dining Only For Local Restaurants
Local eateries try and make the best of Fresno County’s purple-tier COVID-19 designation, forcing restaurants to go to outdoor-only dining. Customers and a manager, voice their opinions on the restrictions, Nov. 16, 2020. (Walker, 11/17)
Fresno Bee:
Fresno County Supervisors Won’t Enforce Purple Tier 1 Rules
After Fresno County slid back into the purple tier of California’s coronavirus restrictions, two Fresno County supervisors said county officials again will rely on voluntary compliance from businesses rather than enforcing the guidelines. Fresno County Supervisors Nathan Magsig and Buddy Mendes both said Tuesday they support voluntary compliance from businesses and will focus on ensuring hospitals have capacity for COVID-19 patients and relieving business-related costs. (Calix, 11/17)
Los Angeles Times:
Orange County Frustrated With Move To Purple COVID-19 Tier
In a sign of the continued political polarization surrounding COVID-19, officials in Orange County are expressing frustration following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision to move the region into the most restrictive reopening tier amid a dangerous new surge in coronavirus infections statewide. Conservative county leaders have long been at odds with the Democratic governor over the restrictions imposed on businesses, public spaces and activities, but it now appears that clash will stretch into the holiday season as California enters what could be its most challenging chapter of the pandemic. (Money, 11/17)
Orange County Register:
Orange County To Provide Thousands Of Free In-Home Kits To Test Spit For Coronavirus
Orange County leaders announced a new initiative Tuesday, Nov. 17, to hand out do-it-yourself kits to test saliva for the coronavirus in a push to curb spread at inevitable holiday gatherings. Starting next week, the county, in partnership with Aliso Viejo-based testing lab Ambry Genetics, will make 11,000 spit testing kits available for Orange County residents to do themselves at home, which officials say are just as accurate as the ubiquitous nasal swab tests. (Wheeler and Robinson, 11/17)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Kern County Supervisors Approve $25 Gift Cards For COVID Tests
Receiving a $25 Visa gift card in exchange for a coronavirus test will be the new reality for some in Kern County after a Tuesday vote by the Board of Supervisors. In a unanimous decision, the governing body approved the testing incentive, which is aimed at increasing the county’s testing numbers. Because Kern County’s testing rate falls below the state average, the COVID-19 metric tracked by the state is artificially increased. Bringing up testing will reduce the state’s penalty, potentially allowing Kern County to allow more business and social activity. (Morgen, 11/17)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Boys & Girls Club And Jim Burke Ford Will Hand Out Free Masks On Friday
The public will be able to pick up free packs of 20 single-use masks at three sites in Bakersfield on Friday. Staff from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Kern County and Jim Burke Ford will pass out 20 medical-grade disposable face masks produced by Ford and the UAW to residents who drop by distribution centers. (11/17)
Redlands Daily Facts:
New Coronavirus Treatment Could Help Slow Hospitalization Surge In Southern California
With the number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals growing across Southern California and the country, doctors are getting another tool that could help reduce the surge. San Bernardino County announced Friday, Nov. 13, that the federal government is funding distribution of a new antibody treatment, called Bamlanivimab, and that the county’s public health department will receive 484 units of the drug this week. The drug will be distributed to emergency rooms and skilled nursing facilities, according to county officials. (Iyer, 11/17)
Bay Area News Group:
Santa Clara County Health Officer ‘Extraordinarily Distressed’ By Rising Rates Of COVID-19
Sharp upticks in transmission of COVID-19 around Gilroy and East San Jose are driving the steepest increase seen yet in Santa Clara County, health officer Dr. Sara Cody said Tuesday. In an update with the Board of Supervisors, Cody said she was “extraordinarily distressed” by increasing cases and hospitalizations in the county, and that they are occurring in the same communities that were hit hardest by the initial wave of cases — further widening the racial disparity the virus’s victims. (Webeck, 11/17)
Modesto Bee:
Stanislaus County Restaurants Prepare For COVID-19 Winter
As Stanislaus County moved back this week into the most-restrictive purple tier because of the scope of its continued COVID-19 outbreaks, eateries had to stop serving in their indoor dining rooms starting Tuesday at noon. With a long, cold and possibly flu-enhanced winter season ahead, it’s unclear when they might be able to reopen to the warmth of inside dining again. (Rowland, 11/17)
Orange County Register:
Telecom Employees In Tustin Required To Return To Office Hit With COVID
Last week, after a two-week coronavirus-related shutdown, employees once again filed into the Tustin AT&T call center. Much has changed. Now, the 150 men and women who provide customer service pause for temperature checks before entering – no more “honor system” of self-evaluations. And they must wear face masks, even while speaking with customers on the phone. (Goulding, 11/17)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Free Webinar Will Address Ways To Avoid Pandemic Burnout
Tips for helping employees avoid pandemic-related burnout will be discussed during a free, hourlong webinar starting at noon Wednesday. Event host Kelly Bearden, director of Cal State Bakersfield's Small Business Development Center, plans to speak with author and speaker Lorna Kibbey, owner of Lorna Kibbey Leadership Solutions, about five ways business owners can keep their workers motivated during the pandemic. (11/17)
KQED:
This Map Shows The COVID-19 Risk For Gatherings In Each California County
As Thanksgiving draws closer and a huge proportion of California's population moves back to the most restrictive COVID-19 guidelines due to a rapid uptick in cases, many people are finding themselves making tough decisions about whether or not to visit family for the holidays. Nonessential travel outside of California was already strongly discouraged by Gov. Gavin Newsom's recent travel advisory, which asks people to self-quarantine for 14 days after arriving from another state or country. This state guidance comes on the heels of recommendations released by Bay Area health officials, which state that "traveling outside the Bay Area will increase your chance of getting infected and spreading the virus to others after your return." (Severn, 11/17)
Bay Area News Group:
Coronavirus: Eight More Myths Debunked
Eight months into the pandemic, myths and misconceptions still abound about COVID-19. The World Health Organization (WHO) continues to update its page dedicated specifically to coronavirus myth-busting. Check out the latest: (Vongs, 11/17)
Bay Area News Group:
‘It’s Literally At Record Levels’: Prosecutors Up And Down California Say They’ve Seen A Rise In Domestic Violence Amidst The Pandemic
State and federal prosecutors across California are trying to raise awareness about a disturbing trend that has held across the state since the start of the pandemic: domestic violence appears to be going up, as avenues for victims to report it are closing. (Gartrell, 11/17)
Fresno Bee:
California Domestic Violence Workers Balance Work, COVID-19
Accustomed to solving one crisis after another, workers at WEAVE, My Sister’s House and other agencies addressing domestic violence adopted radical changes in how they served people in the face of statewide orders for residents to shelter in place to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. Initially, they did so with the thought that they could go back to the old way of working once “things got back to normal,” said Jacquie Marroquin, the program director for the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence. (Anderson and Amaro, 11/18)
Bay Area News Group:
Coronavirus: Alameda County Appoints Health Officer
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors appointed interim health officer Dr. Nicholas Moss to lead the county’s public health department, officials said Tuesday. Moss began serving as the department’s interim director in July after California Gov. Gavin Newsom chose Dr. Erica Pan to become state epidemiologist, as well as naming her deputy director at the state health department’s center for infectious diseases. (Kelly, 11/17)
Los Angeles Times:
Ventura County Declares Racism A Public Health Crisis
The Ventura County Board of Supervisors has unanimously approved a resolution declaring racism a public health crisis. Spurred by the recent killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd — and by a nationwide history of discrimination and oppression against Black people, Indigenous people and other people of color — the resolution was the result of a months-long collaboration between county officials and community groups. (Smith, 11/17)
Sacramento Bee:
What Changes In CA Food Bank Could Mean For Food Insecurity
Come Jan. 1, many of California’s food banks will get food distributed from a new organization, which promises cost savings that could result in more supplies for the facilities, more frequent delivery and a “produce mobile” with fresh fruits and vegetables. But Sacramento-based California Emergency Foodlink, the current entity in charge of distributing the food, is asking the federal government to stop the change. The state used a flawed and biased method to pick the new organization, a Foodlink representative said in his October letter to the federal government. (Park, 11/18)
KQED:
Seniors Making It Through Pandemic With A Little Tech And A Lot Of Wisdom
On the rare occasion she leaves her room, Diane Evans uses a walker to gingerly navigate San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood. Most days, the 74-year-old wears a multicolored head scarf, extra large T-shirt and plaid pajama pants. Deprived of classes and shared meals at the senior center she calls home, she is alone most of the time, beset by numerous health problems and severe clinical depression. (McClurg, 11/17)
Los Angeles Times:
Two LAPD Officers Sue Over 'Blue Flu' Discipline After Calling Out Sick Over July 4 Holiday
Two Los Angeles police officers have alleged in separate lawsuits that they were illegally disciplined by LAPD commanders after being wrongly accused of faking an illness as part of a “Blue Flu” protest action over the July 4 weekend. Officers Ryan Putman and Meggan Stroup each allege in lawsuits filed in California Superior Court last week that they had legitimately fallen ill and properly used their sick leave to call out, but were nonetheless rounded up with hundreds of other officers who called out sick and punished for a protest they had nothing to do with. (Rector, 11/17)
NPR:
Deep Sleep Protects Against Alzheimer's Disease, Growing Evidence Shows
During deep sleep, the brain appears to wash away waste products that increase the risk for Alzheimer's disease. A host of new research studies suggest that this stage of sleep — when dreams are rare and the brain follows a slow, steady beat – can help reduce levels of beta-amyloid and tau, two hallmarks of the disease. (Hamilton, 11/17)
Capital Public Radio/KXJZ:
‘It Is Inhumane’: Advocates For Sacramento Homeless Say Criteria For Opening Warming Centers Must Change
Temperatures dropped into the mid-30s on three unseasonably cold nights in downtown Sacramento last week, leaving homeless residents like Greg Tarola shivering and desperate. “You’re strictly on your own. Pray for God that he comes through because you’ve got nothing,” said Tarola. The 64-year-old was seated on a sidewalk in Sacramento’s River District Tuesday morning, hours before the rain arrived. (Nichols, 11/17)