Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
As Fires and Floods Wreak Havoc on Health, New Climate Center Seeks Solutions
The climate change center at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health plans to study and help implement policies for slowing climate change and adapting to it. (Bernard J. Wolfson, )
Is A COVID Surge Coming? Two weeks after the Labor Day holiday, health officials worry that the same patterns from Memorial Day and the Fourth of July are emerging. On multiple days last week, L.A. County reported more than 1,000 new cases of the coronavirus, an uptick from the week prior. There isn’t yet enough data to draw clear conclusions, but the “troubling trend” echoes what happened earlier this year, said L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer. Read more from the Los Angeles Times.
Trick-Or-Treating Not Recommended This Year, CDC Says: Nearly two weeks after health officials in Los Angeles County walked back a ban on trick-or-treating, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued new guidelines on how to celebrate Halloween safely. No big surprise: Door-to-door trick-or-treating, trunk-or-treating and crowded parties are not recommended. Also no-nos: indoor haunted houses where people will be crowded and screaming, which could send infectious particles flying. The CDC also warned that a costume that covers your face isn’t a replacement for a mask that covers your mouth and nose. Read more from CNN, The Fresno Bee, NPR and People.
Below, check out the roundup of California Healthline’s coverage and the best of the rest of the news.
More News From Across The State
Bay Area News Group:
Smoke From California Fires May Have Killed More Than 1,000 People
The heavy smoke from wildfires that choked much of California in recent weeks was more than an inconvenience. It was deadly. And it almost certainly killed more people than the flames from the massive fires themselves, health experts say. (Rogers, 9/23)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Poor Air Quality To Return To Kern County, Air District Says
The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District has announced air quality will worsen in a number of regions, including Kern County, as the week progresses. Ongoing wildfires are the cause of the worsening air quality, which has been relatively good over the last few days. As the haze from the wildfires returns, the district is urging residents to stay indoors to reduce their exposure to particulate matter. (9/22)
LA Daily News:
These Healthy Foods Can Help Protect Against The Effects Of Smoky Air This Fire Season
This year’s fire season has been catastrophic in California and beyond. The resulting hazy and smoky air poses serious health concerns for people even well outside of the fire zones. As fire season gets longer and more severe year after year, we face increasing negative health consequences of breathing in this bad air. It’s more important than ever to choose foods to help promote healthy lung function right now. (Weintraub, 9/22)
LA Daily News:
Procession Honors Firefighter Who Died In El Dorado Fire
A solemn procession from San Bernardino to Orange took place Tuesday morning, Sept. 22 for Charles Edward Morton, the 39-year-old crew boss with the Big Bear Hotshots who died last week in the San Bernardino Mountains while fighting the El Dorado fire. (Rasmussen, Rokos and De Atley, 9/22)
The Desert Sun:
El Dorado Fire: Sheriff's Department Investigating Firefighter's Death
The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department is handling the investigation of how a firefighter died last week while battling the El Dorado Fire, which continues to burn in the San Bernardino National Forest for its third week. The firefighter was Charles Morton, 39, the Big Bear Interagency Hotshot Squad boss, the San Bernardino National Forest said in a statement Monday night. He died while "engaged in fire suppression operations" late Thursday, the statement said. (Atagi and Powers, 9/21)
LA Daily News:
Coronavirus State Tracker: California Has 15,164 Deaths, U.S. Passes 200K On Sept. 22
According to the California Department of Public Health several counties were lowered to less restrictive levels of the state’s monitoring system on Tuesday, Sept. 22. Riverside County was the only Southern California county to move; it was lowered from the most restrictive purple tier to red. Once a county’s tier has changed it must remain there for three weeks. (Snibbe, 9/22)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Bay Area’s Coronavirus Numbers Stabilize As U.S. Death Toll Surpasses 200,000
The U.S. marked a bleak milestone Tuesday, surpassing 200,000 deaths attributed to the coronavirus. But as case counts rise in several states and fears mount over a coming surge, infection and mortality rates have leveled off in California and the Bay Area. (Vaziri, 9/22)
AP:
California Reopens More Widely As Infections Hit Lowest Rate
More of California was cleared to reopen additional businesses Tuesday, including most of the San Francisco Bay Area and one of Southern California's largest counties, as coronavirus infection rates have fallen to their lowest level of the pandemic. (Melley, 9/22)
LA Daily News:
Los Angeles County Closer To Red Tier As Case Rates Decline
Los Angeles County moved a step closer Tuesday, Sept. 22, to advancing to the next coronavirus tracking tier in the state’s reopening blueprint, which would mean more businesses could open indoors again and capacity could expand for some of those open already. (Rosenfeld, 9/22)
Bay Area News Group:
San Mateo, Alameda Counties Move Up In State’s COVID-19 Reopening Plan
As coronavirus case rates continued falling in most of California, San Mateo and Alameda counties moved to the next level in the state’s phased coronavirus recovery plan Tuesday, clearing the way for restaurants, gyms and other businesses to bring their patrons back inside. (Kendall and Kelliher, 9/22)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Sonoma County Reports Six More Virus-Related Deaths, Bringing Total To 120
Sonoma County health officials on Tuesday reported six more residents have died from complications of the coronavirus, increasing the pandemic death toll to 120. The six fatalities include five senior care home residents and are the first area deaths reported in a week. (Espinoza, 9/22)
Fresno Bee:
Fresno Reaches Mark, Awaits Go For Expanded Reopening From Coronavirus Limits
Fresno County’s continued improvement in reducing the number of new coronavirus cases, and a shrinking percentage of people who are testing positive for the virus, have put the county on the brink of being able to reopen or expand operations at a greater number of businesses as soon as next week. (Sheehan, 9/22)
Fresno Bee:
COVID-19 Update: Fresno Adds 74 New Cases, Valley Reaches 900 Deaths
The California Department of Public Health on Tuesday reported Fresno County added 74 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and seven deaths, bringing the total to 27,843 infections and 362 deaths since the pandemic began. (Lopez, 9/22)
LA Daily News:
Disneyland Demands Newsom Reopen California Theme Parks Now: ‘It’s Time’
A fed up Disneyland is demanding that Gov. Gavin Newsom reopen California theme parks now after more than six months of coronavirus closures and a lack of guidance from the state on safely reopening the major tourist destinations. (MacDonald, 9/22)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Planet Fitness Obtains 'Essential Business' Classification, Reopens Ahead Of Other Gyms
After obtaining certification as essential businesses, Planet Fitness franchises in Kern County have been allowed to open for indoor workouts, even as other gyms are restricted to outdoor activity only. (Morgen, 9/22)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Group Of Sonoma County Gyms Support Lawsuit To Restart Indoor Workouts
A group of Sonoma County fitness centers have thrown their support behind a lawsuit alleging gyms and workout studios are being unfairly targeted by the state during the pandemic and are demanding to be allowed to reopen indoors. (Varian, 9/22)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Kern Supervisors Approve Resolution Demanding Newsom Stop Moving COVID-19 Goalposts
Kern County Supervisors approved a resolution demanding Gov. Gavin Newsom institute a number of changes to the state’s coronavirus monitoring system that would bring more clarity and participation to counties across California. (Morgen, 9/22)
Ventura County Star:
State Leader Says Ventura County's COVID Restrictions Will Not Ease Despite Requests
California's Health & Human Services leader said Tuesday Ventura County's COVID-19 metrics will not be adjusted to allow the region to meet benchmarks for a tier with less restrictions. County officials have approached state officials about the possibility of modifications or credit that would help the county meet measurements for a red tier that allows places of worship, restaurants and other businesses to operate indoors with restrictions. (Kisken, 9/22)
LA Daily News:
State Clears Nail Salons To Reopen, But L.A. County Still Restricts Them
Nail salon operators who have been fighting to reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic scored a major victory on Tuesday, Sept. 22, when the state authorized the businesses to resume limited operations, but don’t expect them to immediately open in Los Angeles County. Individual counties can impose stricter regulations than the state, based on local COVID-19 data. (9/22)
Bay Area News Group:
California Couple Who Contracted COVID-19 Aboard Ship Sues Princess Cruises
An Alhambra couple and their cousin are seeking more than a $1 million in damages from Princess Cruises, alleging the company failed to take steps that would have prevented them from contracting COVID-19 in March aboard a ship that sailed from Sydney, Australia. (Schwebke, 9/23)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Santa Rosa Police Department Fined $32,000 Over Workplace Coronavirus Outbreak, Detective’s Death
California’s workplace safety agency announced a $32,000 fine against the Santa Rosa Police Department on Tuesday, citing the department’s failure to safeguard its employees from the coronavirus, which afflicted at least nine Santa Rosa officers in the earliest weeks of the pandemic (Chavez and Carter, 9/22)
EdSource:
California Sees Steep Drop In Reports Of Child Abuse Since School Campuses Closed
No group in California reports more suspected cases of child abuse than teachers. And with teachers no longer seeing students in-person every day in most parts of the state, advocates say thousands of cases of child abuse may be going unreported. From April through August, reports of suspected child abuse statewide dropped 28% compared to reports during those same months in 2019, according to data from the California Department of Social Services provided to EdSource. (Jones, 9/23)
Fresno Bee:
Dozens Of Schools In Fresno County Area Granted COVID-19 Waivers To Reopen Campuses
More than two dozen elementary schools in the central San Joaquin Valley area have been granted COVID-19 waivers to reopen campuses, according to a list updated Tuesday by the California Department of Public Health. (9/22)
San Francisco Chronicle:
New Tracker Lets You See Which S.F. Schools Are Ready To Reopen For In-Person Learning
The first San Francisco students will head back to class for in-person learning Wednesday after health officials granted permission for two private schools to reopen with pandemic protocols in place. Another 41 other sites are waiting for word after applying to reopen, a process parents and the public can now track through an online dashboard launched Tuesday, health officials said. (Tucker, 9/22)
Orange County Register:
UC Irvine To Test Students Living On Campus Weekly For COVID-19
A majority of classes at UC Irvine will be taught remotely when the fall term starts Oct. 1, but that doesn’t mean the campus is empty of students. With about 3,600 students already living in campus accommodations and another 3,500 expected to move in by the end of the month, the school launched a coronavirus testing program recently to make sure every student gets a test before school starts – and university officials plan to require weekly testing after that. (Robinson, 9/22)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Babies Born To Mothers With COVID-19 ‘Generally Do Well,’ UCSF Study Says
Babies born to mothers infected with COVID-19 generally do well, according to a new UCSF study that examined infants during their first eight weeks of life. The study found “few adverse outcomes” and no reports of pneumonia or lower respiratory tract infection through the first eight weeks of age for babies born to women with COVID-19, UCSF officials said in a statement on Tuesday. The study analyzed 263 infants born to 179 mothers who tested positive for COVID-19 and 84 mothers who tested negative, officials said. The babies were born at more than 100 hospitals across the country. (Hernandez, 9/22)
Los Angeles Times:
Little Saigon's Secret To COVID-19 Prevention: Respect
Dr. Quynh Kieu has a three-part theory to explain why Little Saigon has been relatively successful in stemming the COVID-19 pandemic. One factor is a months-long project to test 1,900 people for free in the sprawling Vietnamese American community that spans the cities of Westminster and Garden Grove, as well as parts of Fountain Valley and Santa Ana. It’s believed to be among the first ethnic-specific testing effort in the nation. A second factor is luck. And a third, said the Fountain Valley pediatrician, is a host of ingrained cultural habits: respect for authorities, reverence for elders and a belief in the importance of the collective welfare. (Do, 9/22)
San Francisco Chronicle:
S.F. Mandates Daily Hotel Cleaning, Even After Coronavirus Pandemic
San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Tuesday to make mandatory daily cleanings of hotel rooms permanent beyond the coronavirus pandemic. A 60-day emergency ordinance passed in July established the measures before hotels reopened and was strongly supported by Unite Here Local 2, the union that represents hotel workers. Hotel owners sued to invalidate the requirements in July. (Li, 9/22)
Bay Area News Group:
Berkeley First To Pass ‘Healthy Checkout’ Ordinance At Grocery Stores
The city of Berkeley may be the first in the nation, if not the world, to pass a policy that will eliminate junk food and unhealthy items at grocery store check-out lines. (Ruggiero, 9/22)
Los Angeles Times:
2 Marines At Camp Pendleton Arrested On Federal Drug Charges
Two U.S. Marines at Camp Pendleton were arrested Tuesday by federal agents after being indicted in a drug-dealing conspiracy that included the sale of oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl that led to the fatal overdose of another Marine. Lance Cpls. Anthony Ruben Whisenant, 20, and Ryan Douglas White, 22, are among five defendants expected to make their initial appearances Tuesday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. (Winton, 9/22)
Los Angeles Times:
Program To House Homeless People In Hotels Is Ending
One hotel emptied its rooms in late August. Another did so last week. A third is winding down this week. It’s the beginning of the end for L.A. County’s Project Roomkey, the $100 million-plus program to repurpose hotels and motels emptied by the coronavirus as safe havens for homeless people. (Smith and Oreskes, 9/22)
Bay Area News Group:
Contra Costa Extends Ban On Rent Increases, Evictions
Renters in Contra Costa County will be protected for at least a few more months from certain evictions and rent increases during the coronavirus pandemic. (Sciacca, 9/22)
LA Daily News:
Hearing Set For Landlords’ Fight Against LA Ban On Evictions, Rent Increases
An October hearing is set in which Southern California’s largest landlord organization will urge a federal judge to put an immediate halt to the city’s eviction ban and rent freeze enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic. (9/22)