Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
‘Religious’ Exemptions Add Legal Thorns to Looming Vaccine Mandates
No major religion’s teachings denounce vaccination, but that hasn’t kept individual churches and others from providing religious “cover” for people to avoid submitting to vaccination as a workplace requirement. (Mark Kreidler, )
California Bill Would Outlaw ‘Stealthing’: California lawmakers moved to make the state the first to outlaw “stealthing,” which is removing a condom without permission during intercourse. Legislators sent Gov. Gavin Newsom a bill on Tuesday adding the act to the state’s civil definition of sexual battery. It makes it illegal to remove the condom without obtaining verbal consent.
The Bill Also Would Worsen Penalties For Spousal Rape: Also Tuesday, the state Senate moved to treat the rape of a spouse the same as the rape of a non-spouse. California is one of 11 states that distinguish between the two. Read more about the bill from AP.
In covid updates —
Covid Sick-Leave Policy Expires This Month: California’s special covid-19 sick-leave policy is set to expire Sept. 30, a change that is raising fears of new disruptions for communities of color and others disproportionately affected by the coronavirus. Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
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
Los Angeles Times:
California Tames COVID Surge; Low-Vaccine Areas Still At Risk
Coronavirus cases are showing new signs of slowing across many parts of the state, led by improvements in Southern California and the San Francisco Bay Area, while other areas of rural Northern California and the Central Valley continue to struggle with much higher rates of hospitalizations, according to a Los Angeles Times data analysis. Over the last month, new daily coronavirus cases in California have been generally stable, hovering between 12,000 and 15,000 a day, according to the analysis. And as of Monday, COVID-19 hospitalizations across California had fallen for six consecutive days — by 8% — from the summertime high recorded on Aug. 31. (Lin II and Money, 9/7)
Los Angeles Times:
California's Central Valley Overwhelmed By COVID-19 Delta Surge
Hospitals in California’s Central Valley are increasingly overwhelmed by the fourth surge of the COVID-19 pandemic, with officials scrambling to transfer some critically ill patients more than 100 miles away because local intensive care units are full. The San Joaquin Valley, the Sacramento area and rural Northern California are now the regions of the state being hit the hardest by COVID-19 hospitalizations on a per capita basis, according to a Los Angeles Times analysis. The regions have lower vaccination rates than in the highly populated, coastal areas of Southern California and the San Francisco Bay Area. (Lin II and Money, 9/8)
City News Service:
Coronavirus Infections Among LA County Healthcare Workers Declining
Southland hospitals continued seeing drops in the number of COVID-positive patients on Tuesday, Sept. 7, while infections among health care workers in Los Angeles County have also been trending downward after two months of increases over the summer. According to state figures, there were 1,433 patients in COVID-19 in county hospitals as of Tuesday, a drop of 30 from a day earlier. There were 415 people being treated in intensive care, up slightly from 412 on Monday. (9/7)
Orange County Register:
Orange County Reported 1,651 New Cases Over The Holiday Weekend And 20 More Deaths
The OC Health Care Agency reported 1,651 new cases of the coronavirus over the holiday weekend, increasing the cumulative total since tracking began in the county to 288,601 as of Tuesday, Sept. 7. The seven-day average of 412 new daily cases is down 42% from the Aug. 11 high of 774 a day. There have been 7,166 new infections reported in the last 14 days. (Goertzen, 9/7)
Fresno Bee:
COVID-19 Strains Hospital ICU Resources In Fresno Region
Hospitals in Fresno County and across the central San Joaquin Valley continued to see the effects of an ongoing summer surge in COVID-19 cases over the Labor Day weekend – including a crisis of capacity to handle critically ill patients in need of treatment in intensive-care units. On Monday, hospitals in Fresno, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced and Tulare counties were providing inpatient care for more than 750 patients with confirmed cases of coronavirus. That’s more than 10 times the number of cases that hospitals were caring for on July 1, before the latest upswing in cases and hospitalizations took off. (Sheehan, 9/7)
Redlands Daily Facts:
Coronavirus Hospitalizations Starting To Drop In Riverside County
The number of coronavirus patients in Riverside County hospitals is beginning to fall, though the county currently has the second highest number of hospital patients in the state. According to data released Monday, Sept. 6, COVID-19 hospitalizations, which had been between 660 and 675 for more than a week, have been under 620 for the last three days. (Iyer, 9/7)
The Bakersfield Californian:
1,911 New COVID-19 Cases, 3 New Deaths Reported Over Labor Day Weekend
Kern County Public Health reported 1,911 new coronavirus cases and three new deaths on Tuesday in an update that accounted for all data that came in over the Labor Day weekend. Since the start of the pandemic, 128,770 Kern County residents have been infected with COVID-19 and 1,485 have died. (9/7)
Los Angeles Times:
How NFL Survived COVID Season Without Utilizing Secret Plan
Beyond fans returning to stadiums and authentic cheers instead of simulated noise, the NFL is kicking off the 2021 season with something it didn’t have last fall — a pandemic playbook that’s proven. As other leagues staged abbreviated seasons and quarantined their players in hopes of shielding them from COVID-19, the NFL navigated its way through an entire schedule, postponing when necessary, continually adjusting safety protocols, but never canceling a game. (Farmer, 9/7)
CapRadio:
Several Unemployment Benefits Expired This Week For Californians
Several unemployment benefits expired this week for thousands of Californians, including an additional $300-a-week in supplemental income and also benefits for gig workers. Daniela Urban at the Center for Workers Rights in Sacramento says she’s been hearing from many people who are now panicked. “Certainly the loss of the extra $300 a week of benefits, which there doesn’t seem to be any replacement for, impacts claimants’ day-to-day personal finances and will continue to make it a struggle for them to provide for their basic needs,” she said. (9/7)
Axios:
Biden Administration Announces Aid For Farm And Food Workers
The Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday that it will invest $700 million in grant funding to help farmworkers, meatpacking workers and front-line grocery workers cover health and safety costs incurred due to COVID-19. The program expands pandemic agriculture aid, which has until now largely benefited farm owners, to include the primarily immigrant, low-income workforce, Bloomberg reports. (Saric, 9/7)
Orange County Register:
Hunger Remains An Issue And Could Get Worse, Even As Economy Improves
Cars snaking through parking lots and seemingly endless lines of people waiting for boxes of groceries were poignant symbols of hardship as the pre-vaccine pandemic chewed up 2020 and ground into 2021. Now, those scenes of desperation have diminished — if not disappeared — as the economy has started to recover. And because it’s not as visible it might seem to outsiders that food insecurity is no longer a problem. Not so, say people who feed the hungry in Orange County. (Walker, 9/7)
The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat:
Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office Reports 70% Of Staff Is Now Vaccinated
The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday said at least 70% of its full-time workers are vaccinated, providing the first snapshot of how the county’s largest law enforcement agency is complying with a countywide health order that requires public safety workers to get vaccinated for COVID-19 or submit to weekly testing. (Espinoza, 9/7)
Sacramento Bee:
Does Moderna COVID Vaccine Offer More Protection Than Pfizer?
People who received the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine had “slightly higher” antibody levels than those who received the Pfizer, now formally called Comirnaty, shot, according to a new small study. While both vaccines insert molecules called mRNA that teach our bodies how to produce coronavirus antibodies, the Moderna shot uses more than three times the amount of mRNA than the Pfizer vaccine. This, the University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers say, could explain their findings. (Camero, 9/7)
Sacramento Bee:
How To Convince Someone To Get Vaccinated In Sacramento
At the end of the presentation, the questions came fast. Is there any data for pregnant women? Are we considered fully vaccinated after two shots or just after the booster? If someone’s tested positive, how long after can they get vaccinated safely? This is an online vaccine influencer training session, attended by more than 60 community members and hosted by Sacramento County in partnership with Sac Collab, a group of nonprofits helping public health officials get COVID-19 information and resources to neighborhoods particularly hit by the virus. (Yoon-Hendricks, 9/8)
Marin Independent Journal:
Marin Schools Log 71 COVID-19 Cases In First Three Weeks
Three weeks into the new school year, Marin County Public Health has investigated 71 positive COVID-19 cases, four of which are suspected of being in-school transmissions, a top county official reported Tuesday. The rest are thought to have come from community spread outside of the classroom, said Dr. Lisa Santora, Marin deputy public health officer. (Brenner, 9/8)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. Unified Board Leaning Toward COVID Vaccine Mandate
A clear majority of Los Angeles Board of Education members either favor or lean toward requiring eligible students to be vaccinated against COVID-19, as education officials across the state grapple with a measure that could help prevent school infections and keep classrooms open, but would probably ignite pushback. School board President Kelly Gonez said that such a mandate would be a wise step to take “within a reasonable timeline.” Although the board could make a student vaccine mandate decision relatively soon, its effective date would depend on many factors, including allowing time for education efforts and outreach to families, she said. (Blume and Newberry, 9/8)
Sacramento Bee:
Lead Proponent Of CA Recall Against Gavin Newsom Has COVID-19
Orrin Heatlie, the retired Yolo County sheriff’s sergeant who started the recall movement last year, confirmed to The Sacramento Bee that he tested positive for the virus and has been isolating while recovering. ... Heatlie on Tuesday said he is not against vaccines, but rather is for personal choice. “I am not anti-vaccine. My daughter and my wife are both fully vaccinated, and I’m not against people getting vaccinated, but I am all for personal choice and people’s right to make an informed decision,” he said. (Korte, 9/7)
Los Angeles Times:
Newsom Recall Leader Orrin Heatlie Has Contracted COVID-19
Orrin Heatlie, a retired Yolo County sheriff’s deputy who helped launch the effort to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom, says he has contracted COVID-19. Heatlie told The Times on Tuesday that his symptoms were mild, that he didn’t need hospitalization and that he was at home recovering. (Yee, 9/7)
Modesto Bee:
911 Service Interrupted For 13 Hours In Stanislaus County
The director of the Stanislaus Regional 911 center said interruptions in the emergency call system Sunday and early Monday were caused by an AT&T phone company outage. Wendy Silva, executive director of the regional 911 service, said she is asking AT&T for a more detailed explanation for the outage, which lasted from 5:26 p.m. Sunday to 6:33 a.m. Monday. (Carlson, 9/7)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
A New San Diego Biotech Bets Big On RNA Medicines
Replicate Biosciences emerged from stealth mode on Wednesday with an ambitious vision for how RNA treatments can combat cancer, autoimmune disease and inflammatory disorders. It’s a goal that seems more attainable after the success of Pfizer and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines, according to Nathaniel Wang, Replicate’s CEO. Both shots use RNA to teach the immune system to mount a response against the coronavirus and have been shown to be safe and effective in hundreds of millions of people. (Wosen, 9/8)
The Wall Street Journal:
Theranos Founder Elizabeth Holmes’s Trial Set To Begin
Prosecutors and defense lawyers are scheduled to deliver opening statements Wednesday in the highly anticipated criminal trial of Theranos Inc. founder Elizabeth Holmes, who faces federal charges of defrauding patients and investors with claims of revolutionary blood-testing technology. The opening remarks in court will be the first opportunity for the former chief executive’s lawyers and the prosecutors with the U.S. attorney’s office in the Northern District of California to influence the jury in a trial expected to last more than three months. Ms. Holmes rose to fame as a Stanford University dropout who founded what appeared to be a cutting-edge health company, which was valued at more than $9 billion before imploding over questions about its technology. (Randazzo, 9/8)
NBC News:
Theranos' Blockbuster Trial Starts Wednesday. Whose Story Will The Jury Believe?
The blockbuster trial of Elizabeth Holmes, Theranos’ founder and former CEO, begins Wednesday in a tale that has spawned a book, a documentary, a miniseries and a coming movie — and put Silicon Valley itself on trial. The elements of captivation for, of all things, a high-tech blood-testing startup are clear. It is rare for a CEO — let alone a former billionaire female CEO — to face trial and 20 years in jail. The case has already been marked by head-turning, last-minute revelations and allegations. And Holmes’ meteoric rise to black-turtlenecked cover girl and media darling is matched only by her catastrophic fall from grace. (Popken, 9/7)
CNN:
Elizabeth Holmes' Trial Set To Begin With Opening Statements
Elizabeth Holmes and the US government are set to face off in a San Jose federal courtroom in the long-awaited criminal trial of the founder and former CEO of Theranos. In opening arguments Wednesday and throughout the trial, the government will seek to convince jurors that the Stanford University dropout, who for a time had been hailed as the next Steve Jobs, intended to mislead investors, patients, and doctors about the capabilities of her company and its proprietary blood testing technology in order to take their money. (O'Brien, 9/8)
AP:
Elizabeth Holmes' Trial To Dissect Downfall Of A Tech Star
Just six years ago, Elizabeth Holmes seemed destined to fulfill her dream of becoming Silicon Valley’s next superstar. She was the subject of business magazine cover stories describing her as the youngest self-made female billionaire in history, former President Bill Clinton was reverently quizzing her about her thoughts on technology, and then Vice President Joe Biden was hailing her ideas as an inspiration. Now Holmes is about to head into a San Jose, California, courtroom to defend herself against criminal allegations depicting her as the devious mastermind of a fraud that duped wealthy investors, former U.S. government officials and patients whose lives were endangered by a blood-testing technology that never came close to fulfilling her bold promises. (Liedtke, 9/8)
ABC7 San Francisco:
Here's What We Could Expect In Trial Of Theranos Founder Elizabeth Holmes
Legal Analyst and former federal prosecutor Gil Soffer spoke to ABC7's Amanda del Castillo with his take on what we could see play out in court. "The leading defense we're going to see is that she did not intend to defraud anybody," Soffer said. "The government has to prove that she did. We'll likely hear two arguments in support of that defense. First, she was surrounded by people far more seasoned and experienced than she was...so she relied on them to tell her whether the company was acting fraudulently." Soffer also says we might hear a defense that Holmes was sexually and emotionally abused by her then-boyfriend, Ramesh Balwani, who is the COO of Theranos. (del Castillo and Davis, 9/4)
The Daily Beast:
Elizabeth Holmes Trial Dredges Up Toxic Memories For Theranos Workers
In the summer of 2014, Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes was at the height of her power. The media and her cadre of distinguished supporters were hailing the self-made billionaire as the next Steve Jobs, someone set to revolutionize the world of medicine with a device that could run hundreds of blood tests—all with the prick of a finger. But behind this dazzling facade, all was not well. As federal prosecutors would later allege, the Silicon Valley tech firm, its evangelizing inventor, and her one-time boyfriend were peddling snake oil: Theranos’ device simply did not work. (Briquelet and Kirsch, 9/8)
The Wall Street Journal:
The Trial Of Elizabeth Holmes: Who’s Who In The Theranos Case
Theranos Inc. founder Elizabeth Holmes is facing a criminal trial in federal court in San Jose, Calif., on charges that she defrauded investors and patients by lying about the accuracy of her company’s finger-prick blood-testing technology. She has pleaded not guilty to charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Here are some of the major players in the trial and the events leading up to it. Most of the people declined to comment or couldn’t be reached. (9/7)
CNN.com:
Timeline: The Rise And Fall Of Elizabeth Holmes
Elizabeth Holmes, the founder and former CEO of failed biotech startup Theranos, went from being hailed as the next Steve Jobs to facing up to 20 years in prison over federal fraud charges. How did Holmes get here? A Stanford University dropout, Holmes — inspired by her own fear of needles — started the company at the age of 19, with a mission of creating a cheaper, more efficient alternative to a traditional blood test. Theranos promised patients the ability to test for conditions like cancer and diabetes with just a few drops of blood. She attracted hundreds of millions of dollars in funding, a board of well-known political figures, and key retail partners. (O'Brien, 9/8)
NPR:
Medical Journals Say Climate, Not COVID-19, Is Top Public Health Threat
The rapidly warming climate is the "greatest threat" to global public health, more than 200 medical journals are warning in an unprecedented joint statement that urges world leaders to cut heat-trapping emissions to avoid "catastrophic harm to health that will be impossible to reverse." The editorial, which was published in leading journals such as The Lancet, The New England Journal of Medicine and the British Medical Journal, says the world can't wait for the COVID-19 pandemic to pass before addressing climate change. (Sommer, 9/7)
NPR:
Research Finds Wildfire Smoke Makes Indoor Air Unhealthy Too
When wildfire smoke descends over a city or town, as it does increasingly often for tens of millions of people in the American West, public health officials have a simple message: Go inside, shut doors and windows. Limit outdoor activities. New research shows that may not be enough to protect a person's health. A series of studies looking at crowdsourced indoor air quality during wildfire smoke events has found that the most insidious part of wildfire smoke — microscopic particles so small they can infiltrate a person's bloodstream, exacerbating respiratory and cardiac problems — can seep through closed doors and shuttered windows, making air hazardous in homes and businesses. (Rott, 9/7)
KQED:
Going Home After Caldor Fire Evacuation: A Checklist For Tahoe Communities
On Sunday, the 22,000 residents of South Lake Tahoe were allowed to return to their homes a week after being ordered to evacuate as the Caldor Fire crossed the Sierra Nevada. And as fire crews continue working to contain the fire, more evacuation orders may be lifted in the region. But even if a community is spared from a fire's direct path, returning to one's home after a wildfire can be tough — practically and emotionally. (Cabrera-Lomelí and Lam, 9/7)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Call 988: How Will California Pay For The New Crisis Hotline?
Soon, Californians will be able to dial a new three-digit number when seeking help for a mental health crisis. While 988 will premiere nationwide by July, the funding California needs to make the help line work successfully remains uncertain. As the legislative session winds down, mental health advocates are struggling to find the $50 million they estimate is needed to support the call centers and related crisis response services. A bill that would impose a fee on phone lines in California — both cell phones and landlines — stalled earlier in the summer, and legislators are scrambling to find alternatives. (Wiener, 9/7)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Should San Francisco Be Lowering The Speed Limit On Its Most Dangerous Streets?
Fast-moving traffic, wide corridors and high population density have made the Tenderloin the home of some of San Francisco’s most dangerous streets for pedestrians and cyclists. Every one of the streets in this neighborhood, among the city’s densest, belongs to the “high injury network” of roads that account for most of San Francisco’s traffic deaths and injuries. So, in March the city made subtle but significant changes on 17 corridors crossing through the Tenderloin when it reduced speed limits from 25 to 20 mph. (Cano, 9/7)
Modesto Bee:
Modesto-Area Rental Assistance Program Seeks State’s Help
A housing program by Stanislaus County and Modesto has spent about 11% of its $16.4 million to help low-income tenants catch up on their past-due rent and utilities. This comes as California’s ban on evictions during the pandemic is set to expire Sept. 30, and the program, which was launched in late February, has several thousand applications it needs to finish processing. That is why local officials are turning to California for help. (Valine, 9/7)
San Francisco Chronicle:
S.F. Slows Down Plan To Convert Japantown Hotel Into Homeless Housing Amid Resistance
San Francisco officials are putting the brakes on plans to turn a tourist hotel in Japantown into housing for more than a hundred homeless people, after droves of neighbors complained about the proposal. Many Japantown community leaders, business owners and residents oppose the purchase, worried that losing one of two hotels in the neighborhood will hurt local businesses. (Thadani, 9/7)
The Washington Post:
Mexico Decriminalizes Abortion, A Dramatic Step In World’s Second-Biggest Catholic Country
Mexico’s supreme court voted Tuesday to decriminalize abortion, a striking step in a country with one of the world’s largest Catholic populations and a decision that contrasts with tighter restrictions introduced across the border in Texas. Ten supreme court judges ruled unconstitutional a law in northern Coahuila state that imposed up to three years of prison for women who underwent illegal abortions, or people who aided them. The 11th judge was absent during the vote. The ruling is binding on other states. “Today is a watershed in the history of the rights of women and pregnant people, above all the most vulnerable,” Chief Justice Arturo Zaldívar said. (Sheridan and Chaoul, 9/7)