Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Californians Asked to Pony Up for Stem Cell Research — Again
More than a decade of research tied to California’s stem cell agency hasn’t yielded many cures or much revenue. But backers of a ballot initiative that asks voters for billions more in funding say the work is vital for patients and the scientific community. (Rachel Bluth, )
California Bucks National COVID Trend: While new cases of coronavirus and hospitalizations spike in the majority of the U.S., infections in California are decreasing or flat. “The decisions made during summer and the end of summer are paying off,” Ryan Panchadsaram, COVID Exit Project co-founder, told the San Francisco Chronicle. The state has also reached a low-point in positivity rates, the Bay Area News Group reports. Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. Mark Ghaly called the state’s progress “tremendous” in a virtual brief Tuesday. Get more details from the San Francisco Chronicle and Bay Area News Group.
Path To Reopening Theme Parks, Sports Arenas Outlined: California's health secretary, Dr. Mark Ghaly, announced Tuesday new requirements for large theme parks to reopen. Disney called the guidelines "unworkable." Meanwhile, California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new guidelines will allow for fans at outdoor sporting events in some counties. But several key ones don't meet the mark. All such entertainment venues remain closed at the moment. The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times and CNBC have more on future theme park reopenings. And for details on sports reopening plans, check out stories from the San Diego Union-Tribune and the Bay Area News Group.
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:
Coronavirus Spreading ‘Uncontrollably’ In Much Of U.S. — But Not California. Here’s Why
Seven months into the pandemic, the coronavirus is spreading rampantly across much of the U.S. — with California a very notable exception. More than half of all states now fall into the “uncontrolled spread” category, according to data gathered by the COVID Exit Strategy. California, by contrast, is one of eight states where transmission is decreasing or flat. (Vainshtein, 10/20)
Bay Area News Group:
California’s Positivity Rate Ties All-Time Low
Even as new cases of COVID-19 flowed in faster Monday than over the weekend, pushing the daily average back above 3,000, the rate of tests to come back positive in California reached a low point Monday it has matched on just one prior day of the pandemic. Of the roughly 850,000 coronavirus tests administered in the state over the past week, 2.4% have been positive, a drop of three-tenths of a point in the past week, according to data from the COVID Tracking Project. The positivity rate in California fell below 3% on Sept. 20 and hasn’t risen past it since. On Oct. 7, it fell to 2.4% for the first time but has fluctuated between 2.5-2.7% in the nearly two weeks since. (Webeck,10/20)
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento County Workers Alarmed By COVID-19 Outbreaks
The chair of the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors lashed out at the county’s top administrators Tuesday, following an embarrassing episode last week in which a county department head tested positive for the coronavirus after an indoor meeting for top managers — most of whom did not wear masks. The incident forced some of those in attendance to quarantine for 14 days and revealed that even as the county imposed stringent rules to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, its top leaders did not always follow them. As a result, the board of supervisors held the regular meeting over teleconference Tuesday. (Finch and Bizjak, 10/21)
Los Angeles Times:
Young Adults Still Driving COVID-19 Cases In L.A. County
Adults under age 50 continue to be a significant driver of Los Angeles County’s stubbornly high coronavirus case rate, accounting for almost three-fifths of confirmed infections, officials said this week. (Money, 10/20)
The latest tier-status updates --
San Diego Union-Times:
San Diego County Teeters On The Edge Of The Red Tier In Latest State Report
San Diego County narrowly remained in the second-least-restrictive level of the state’s reopening system in the latest report from the California Department of Health Tuesday. San Diego received an adjusted score of 7 cases per 100,000 residents, the limit for remaining in its current tier, color-coded red. If not for another week of robust testing, the unadjusted result would have started the two-week process of falling to the most-restrictive purple level in which coronavirus transmission is considered “widespread.” Exactly that result happened Tuesday with Riverside and Shasta counties falling to purple after two consecutive weeks with case rates greater than 7. (Sisson and Cook, 10/20)
Bay Area News Group:
San Francisco Enters Least-Restrictive Tier In California’s Reopening System
San Francisco on Tuesday became the first major jurisdiction in California to advance into the state’s least-restrictive yellow reopening tier, Dr. Mark Ghaly, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, said in a series of announcements. In a statement, Mayor London Breed said capacity at most already-open businesses could expand to 50% beginning Nov. 3, as well as a loosening of a number of other restrictions on the more immediate horizon. (Webeck, 10/20)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Why Sonoma Is The Only Bay Area County Stuck In The Strictest Reopening Tier
California has achieved notable success corralling the coronavirus pandemic while cases have again surged nationwide. The Bay Area in particular is a standout, with eight of nine counties progressing to less-restrictive levels in the state’s four-tier reopening system. The exception: Sonoma County, still stuck in the purple tier indicating “widespread” virus risk. It’s one of just 12 counties in California with that designation, which places tight restrictions on businesses and other public activity. (Hwang, 10/21)
Bay Area News Group:
Coronavirus Map: Here’s Every California County Tier Assignment
San Francisco County was the only additional one of California’s 58 counties moved on Tuesday, Oct. 20, to the least restrictive, yellow tier of the state’s coronavirus tracking system. Counties are assigned to a tier based on metrics showing the speed and the spread of the virus in their borders, and each Tuesday the state updates their status. (Snibbe, 10/21)
Ventura County Star:
Coronavirus: Ventura County's Case Rate Drops But Not Enough To Reach New Targets
Public health officials say the upcoming holidays could trigger a coronavirus surge – one that could possibly derail efforts to reopen. There is some good news, however. Ventura County has shown it can make it through a holiday without a surge, county public health officer Dr. Robert Levin said Tuesday. Plus, now people have some options to get together outdoors with family and friends. That is, up to three households under certain conditions. Levin urged people to plan, follow guidance and be careful. (Carlson, 10/20)
In county tallies --
LA Daily News:
LA County Reports 713 New Coronavirus Cases, But Tech Issues Keep The Numbers Low
San Luis Obispo Tribune:
SLO County CA Adds 31 Cases Of COVID-19
Ventura County Star:
Ventura County COVID-19 Update: 131 New Cases Over Weekend
Los Angeles Times:
Disneyland, California Theme Parks Get Path To Reopening
It might be many months before major parks are allowed to welcome guests again. Based on an Orange County official’s projections, Disneyland probably won’t open before summer — news that incensed park executives and local officials. The protocols announced Tuesday require large parks to wait longer than smaller ones. A large park, defined as one with a capacity of more than 15,000 visitors, can reopen once coronavirus transmission in its home county has fallen enough for the county to reach Tier 4 — the state’s least-restrictive designation. A small park, meanwhile, can welcome guests once its home county reaches Tier 3, the second-least-restrictive level. (Martin, 10/20)
Bay Area News Group:
California OKs Fans In Sports Stadiums: What Does It Mean For Bay Area Pro Teams?
California continued to loosen its COVID-19 restrictions Tuesday, announcing that counties in the moderate and minimal risk tiers on the reopening system could hold outdoor professional sports events with a limited number of spectators in attendance. But not in Santa Clara County, which criticized the state’s guidelines in announcing that no spectators will be permitted at San Francisco 49ers and San Jose Earthquakes games this year. Santa Clara and Alameda counties are in the orange tier (Tier 3), while San Francisco on Tuesday moved into the yellow, or minimal, risk level (Tier 4). (Almond and Nowels, 10/21)
LA Daily News/Orange County Register:
Rams, Chargers Fans Still Shut Out As State Unveils New Coronavirus Guidelines
The state of California issued new coronavirus guidelines Tuesday for a return of fans to professional sports held in outdoor stadiums. But don’t expect to watch your favorite teams playing in person at SoFi Stadium, Banc of California Stadium or Dignity Health Sports Park any time soon. Effective immediately, fans will be allowed in limited numbers to attend games in outdoor stadiums for the first time since the pandemic shut down pro sports around North America in March. But there is a catch –and a big one, as far as Los Angeles County is concerned. Teaford, 10/20)
KCRA:
‘We Might Be Able To Make It’: Tattoo, Piercing Shops Allowed To Operate In California's Most Restrictive Tier
As California continues to reopen, top health officials are allowing personal care services to operate indoors with restrictions in the most restrictive tier. According to the state, the new guidance applies to esthetic, skin care, electrology, nail services, body art professionals, tattoo parlors, piercing shops and massage therapy in a non-health care setting. (Maher, 10/21)
CalMatters:
Good Policy Or Ballot Blackmail? Why Union Is Behind Prop. 23
For the second time in as many elections, California voters are caught in the middle of a fight between private dialysis companies and a union with a history of taking its battles to the ballot. The question: Is the union effectively using its power to boost health care and its membership, or is it resorting to electoral blackmail? (Rosenhall, 10/20)
Politico:
California Wants Court To Force Republicans To Divulge Ballot Box Details
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra is pursuing a court order to wring more information from the California Republican Party about its unofficial ballot collection boxes. Becerra wants the California GOP to share the locations of the boxes and the identity of voters who have used them. In a court filing, Becerra argued that such information is critical to ensuring that votes are counted and that the California Republican Party is abiding by election laws governing how it collects ballots. The filing says the Republican Party has refused to share the information requested. (White, 10/20)
Sacramento Bee:
Fact Check: Did Sacramento Council ‘Resist’ Mask Ordinance?
A mailer sent to Sacramento residents this month says Mayor Darrell Steinberg wanted to require residents to wear masks in early May, but that the City Council prevented him from doing so. The mailer makes the case for why residents should vote for Measure A, which would make the mayor the most powerful position in the city. (Clift, 10/21)
The New York Times:
Presidential Elections May Be Bad For Your Health
The stress of presidential elections may increase the incidence of heart attacks and strokes, researchers report. Scientists tracked hospitalizations for acute cardiovascular disease in the weeks before and after the 2016 presidential election among about three million adults who were enrolled in the Kaiser Permanente Southern California health care system. (Bakalar, 10/20)
AP:
Worsening Opioid Crisis Overshadowed In Presidential Race
Like millions of Americans, Diane Urban watched the first presidential debate last month at home with her family. When it was over, she turned off the television and climbed into the bed her 25-year-old son Jordan used to sleep in. It was where she found Jordan’s lifeless body after he overdosed on the opioid fentanyl one morning in April 2019. After watching President Donald Trump target the son of former Vice President Joe Biden for his history of substance abuse, Urban was reminded again of the shame her son lived with during his own battle with addiction. (Amiri and Mulvihill, 10/21)
San Francisco Chronicle:
San Quentin Must Release Or Transfer Half Its Prisoners Because Of Lack Of COVID Care, Court Rules
Finding that state officials have acted with “deliberate indifference” to the health of prisoners at San Quentin — where 75% of them have tested positive for the coronavirus and 28 have died — a state appeals court took the unprecedented step Tuesday of ordering at least half of the prison’s 2,900 inmates transferred or released. (Egelko, 10/20)
SF Gate:
Newsom Tells Calif. To Not Expect 'Mass Availability' Of Vaccine Until 2021
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday under the best-case scenario, an extremely limited supply of a COVID-19 vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration will be available by November or December, countering President Donald Trump's repeated assurance to the American people that a vaccine could be widely available before the year's end. Newsom expects California to receive 1 to 2 million doses in the first vaccine delivery, and this would be the amount needed to inoculate people working in the health care system. (Graff, 10/19)
San Diego Union-Times:
Two From San Diego Named To Governor's COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Panel
Two San Diego physicians are among 11 experts statewide tasked with determining the quality of any new coronavirus vaccines released in the United States. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the COVID-19 Scientific Safety Review Workgroup Monday, promoting the panel as an independent body capable of scrutinizing the trial results and risk assessments associated with any vaccine approved for release by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (Sisson, 10/19)
MedicalNewsToday:
Spiraling Healthcare Costs Of Wildfire Smoke In California
According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, since the start of 2020, there have been more than 8,500 wildfires across the state, incinerating more than 4.1 million acres of land. At the time of writing, 6 of the 20 largest wildfires in the state’s history have occurred in 2020, including the largest on record, known as the August Complex, which has been burning since the middle of August. (Kingsland, 10/21)
NPR:
COVID-19 Death Rates Are Going Down, And Not Just Among The Young And Healthy
Two new peer-reviewed studies are showing a sharp drop in mortality among hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The drop is seen in all groups, including older patients and those with underlying conditions, suggesting that physicians are getting better at helping patients survive their illness. "We find that the death rate has gone down substantially," says Leora Horwitz, a doctor who studies population health at New York University's Grossman School of Medicine and an author on one of the studies, which looked at thousands of patients from March to August. (Brumfiel, 10/20)
ProPublica:
The EPA Refuses To Reduce Pollutants Linked To Coronavirus Deaths
In April, as coronavirus cases multiplied across the country, the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rejected scientists’ advice to tighten air pollution standards for particulate matter, or soot. In the next few weeks, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler likely will reaffirm that decision with a final ruling, despite emerging evidence that links particulate pollution to COVID-19 deaths. (Song and Younes, 10/21)
CIDRAP:
Studies Offer Little Hope For Tocilizumab In Treating COVID
JAMA Internal Medicine today published a trio of studies on use of the immunosuppressive drug tocilizumab in COVID-19 patients with pneumonia, one of them a large US observational study that suggested some promise and two randomized clinical trials from Italy and France that found no benefit. The first study involved 3,924 adult COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) at 68 hospitals in the United States from Mar 4 to May 10. (Van Beusekom, 10/20)
Nature:
How Obesity Could Create Problems For A COVID Vaccine
Researchers are still unsure whether or not obesity will affect vaccine efficacy. And there might be ways to counteract problems if they arise. But scientists are also concerned that clinical trials might not be well designed to capture such issues promptly. “It‘s something the experts need to really look at,” says Ryan. (Ledford, 10/20)
LA Daily News:
California Gig Workers Hit Hard During Coronavirus Pandemic, Says UCLA Study
A UCLA study published Monday found that 80% of gig workers cannot meet household expenses and nearly half received no personal protective equipment from gig companies during the pandemic, worsening conditions for an already struggling segment of the workforce. The crisis points to a need for structural change in the industry, according to the report, a collaboration between the UCLA Labor Center, a unit of the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, and SEIU United Healthcare Workers West. (10/19)
CalMatters:
Mutual Aid: When Neighbors Look To Each Other For Pandemic Relief
The mutual aid movement has sprung up across California as networks offer food and other forms of relief. But it’s too soon to tell if these groups will stick around beyond the pandemic. (Mayorquin, 10/20)
San Francisco Chronicle:
S.F.’s Homeless, Mentally Ill And Drug Addicted Are Struggling More Than Ever. When Will Help Arrive?
San Francisco has made “significant progress” in helping those struggling with mental illness and drug use since the city began an effort last year to fix the system that serves them, the Department of Public Health said Monday .But that doesn’t exactly match the reality on the streets. Those with extreme mental illness are still cycling from the hospital to the sidewalk. More people are dying of overdoses than ever — and more are being saved from them — as the powerful opioid fentanyl continues to devastate the city. Meanwhile, case managers and social workers say the pandemic has made it even harder for the city’s most vulnerable to get the help they need. (Thadani, 10/20)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Oakland Restricts Locations Where Homeless Encampments Can Set Up
The Oakland City Council unanimously approved a controversial policy Tuesday that restricts homeless people living in encampments from sleeping in parks and near homes, businesses and schools but allows them to set up camp elsewhere. Under the policy, city staff will not cite or arrest anyone for camping and will instead help with making sure people follow the rules. (Ravani, 10/20)
Los Angeles Times:
California Homeless Student Numbers Surge Past 269,000
There were at least 269,000 K-12 students in California experiencing homelessness at the end of the 2018-19 school year — enough children and teens to fill Dodgers Stadium five times over — and that number was likely a gross underestimate, a UCLA report said. (Newberry, 10/21)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Kern Supervisors Reject Nonprofit For Million Dollar COVID-19 Contract Over Support For Defunding Police
Facebook posts calling for defunding local law enforcement agencies have prevented a local nonprofit organization from receiving more than $1 million for a coronavirus outreach initiative. During Tuesday’s board meeting, supervisors called out the “political agenda” of Building Healthy Communities Kern, a community-based nonprofit that advocated on Facebook for the Kern High School District Police Department and the Bakersfield Police Department to be defunded. (Morgen, 10/20)
Bay Area News Group:
Trustees Who Oversee Alameda County's Public Health Hospitals Ordered To Resign
The Board of Supervisors are demanding the resignation of all the trustees that help oversee Alameda County’s public hospitals, part of a shake-up that will include reviewing how the system is governed. The board’s decision Tuesday follows 3,000 nurses and other health care workers walking off the job for five days over what they allege has been Alameda Health System’s bad faith during contract talks and its failure to protect them and patients amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (Hegarty, 10/21)
AP:
California School Fined For Violating Court COVID-19 Order
A California private school has been ordered to pay $15,000 for defying a judge’s order to close classrooms and stop in-person teaching, in what may be the first judgment of its kind against a California school for violating health orders aimed at slowing the spread of coronavirus. Tuesday’s decision in the Fresno County Superior Court ends a nearly three-month legal battle between Immanuel Schools, a private K-12 Christian school in California’s Central Valley, and county and state officials. (Gecker, 10/21)
San Francisco Chronicle:
How Close Are S.F. Schools To Reopening? District Officials Unveil Website With Details
San Francisco families can now see how close the city’s school district is to meeting the requirements to reopen classrooms to students. The summary: The district isn’t very close. (Tucker, 10/20)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Kernville Union School District Staff Member Tests Positive For Coronavirus
The superintendent for Kernville Union School District says that one of its staff members tested positive for coronavirus .A letter was sent out to parents and posted on the district's website identifies the individual as someone who was at Kernville Elementary. "The staff member did not contract COVID while on campus," Steve Martinez, superintendent for the district in the Kern River Valley, wrote in an email to The Californian. (Gallegos, 10/20)
The California Health Report:
For Medically Fragile Children, Pandemic-Induced Supply Shortages Continue
Suppliers and parents began reporting shortages — most notably of ventilator circuits — early in the pandemic. Now, they say the problem is ongoing and kids are paying the price. (Boyd-Barrett, 10/21)
CNN:
Flu Shot Effectiveness: Get Good Sleep To Increase Its Power, Experts Say
We all know how much better we feel after a good night's sleep. It turns out that sleep may be vital to arm us in the fight against influenza and Covid-19. Medical professionals are recommending that people make sure to get their flu shots this year, in part because some Covid-19 and flu symptoms are similar. A flu shot reduces the likelihood that your symptoms (if you get sick) are from the flu. (Lyons and Lamotte, 10/21)
Bay Area News Group:
California Pastors Question Health Officials’ Treatment Of Churches During Coronavirus Pandemic
Pastors from around Southern California gathered at a Dana Point restaurant Tuesday afternoon to share their experiences dealing with public health departments’ treatment of churches with regard to COVID-19 restrictions. The meeting, organized by Asian Industries B2B, a Christian business networking group, was closed to the media because several pastors who were present have lawsuits pending against public health agencies over the issue of religious freedom and were not comfortable speaking on the record, said Marc Ang, founder of the group. (Bharath, 10/21)
LA Daily News:
LA Philharmonic Association Cancels Remainder Of Walt Disney Concert Hall Season Because Of Coronavirus
After canceling its summer seasons at the Hollywood Bowl and the Ford Amphitheater earlier this year due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association has scrapped all of the remaining concerts scheduled for the 2020-21 season at Walt Disney Concert Hall through June 9, 2021. The LA Phil, which programs a variety of concerts and other performances at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and the Ford, announced the latest cancelation in a press release Oct. 20. (Guzman, 10/20)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
At A Beloved Petaluma Pumpkin Patch And Corn Maze, Tradition Thrives Despite Pandemic
Jim Groverman said he doesn’t know if people have ever seemed more grateful for his pumpkin patch than in the fall of 2020. “People are thanking us for being open,” the fourth-generation Sonoma County farmer said Tuesday, seated on a bale of hay in a precious spot of late morning shade. “Because it gives them something to do. ”To be sure, some aspects of the experience at Groverman’s Petaluma Pumpkin Patch, home of the Amazing Corn Maze, are altered to accommodate needed safety measures during the ongoing pandemic. A few annual activities hosted on the property were scrapped altogether. But with additional sanitizing of shared wheelbarrows and tables, and roving monitors who ensure visitors remain masked and more than 6 feet apart, the frivolity of pumpkin-hunting and maze exploration has been able to continue for its 29th year relatively uninhibited. (Tornay, 10/21)