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Not a subscriber? Sign up | | | | Daily Edition | | | Latest From California Healthline: How To Avoid Coronavirus? Lessons From People Whose Lives Depend On It As the new coronavirus continues its spread through the U.S., the general public can look for guidance from millions of Americans with weakened immune systems who long ago adopted the rules of infection control that officials tout to avoid contagion. (Anna Maria Barry-Jester, 3/11) The 'Cat Is Out Of The Bag': California Shifts Focus From Containment To Slowing Down Spread: Coronavirus cases have blown up across Northern California in the past week, and counties increasingly are refocusing from aggressive containment of the disease to acceptance that it's in the community and their limited resources are better spent on slowing its spread. For example, effective immediately, people in Sacramento County were told that they should not quarantine themselves if they've been exposed to the COVID-19. Instead, they should go into isolation only if they begin to show symptoms of the respiratory virus, the county's health department says. On Tuesday, Sacramento County reported its first death, and the third in the state. The victim was over the age of 90 with underlying health problems and was a resident of an assisted living facility. The same day, the county announced it would no longer conduct extensive investigations on every new case of COVID-19 — the disease caused by coronavirus — and that people who have contact with a known case will no longer be asked to quarantine for two weeks. In the Bay Area — where roughly 100 cases have been reported so far, about two-thirds of them in the past week — actions to curb further spread have ranged from an outright ban on large gatherings in Santa Clara County to more measured recommendations that older and more vulnerable residents avoid crowds and stay at home. Read more from Erin Allday of the San Francisco Chronicle; Alexandra Yook-Hendricks, Theresa Clift and Jason Phol of the Sacramento Bee; Sammy Caiola of Capital Public Radio; Rhonda Lyons and Ana B. Ibarra of CalMatters; and Bill Chappell of NPR. Newsom Touts Partnerships With Testing Labs As Demand Outstrips Supply: California recently partnered with its first commercial COVID-19 testing lab and is expecting two more to come online this month, including one in Sacramento, significantly increasing the number of tests the state can process. "When those two labs come online, we will have the capacity on a daily basis just in Quest commercial support in California to process in excess of 5,000 tests," Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday. Read more from Chris Hagan of Capital Public Radio and Kevin Stark of KQED. Nurses Union, Other Health Care Providers Sound Alarm About Potential Safety Flaws: From internal conversations to calls for action from their unions, nurses, first responders and hospital staffers have sounded the alarm, raising questions about the safety protocols and spotlighting flaws and lags in response, in this state and nationally. "Nurses are eager to take care of patients and make sure that our communities are safe, but we need the right staffing, equipment, supplies, communication and training to do this safely," Deborah Burger, president of the National Nurses United, which represents about 150,000 nurses around the country, said during a public health roundtable earlier this week. Read more from Ana B. Ibarra of CalMatters. Below, check out the full round-up of California Healthline original stories, state coverage and the best of the rest of the national news for the day. More News From Across The State Sacramento Bee: Newsom: Coronavirus Patients Quarantined In California Hotels
Coronavirus patients who are not sick enough to need hospital care but could be contagious are being quarantined in hotels in San Mateo and Monterey counties, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday. The hotels are "100 percent secure, 100 percent segregated from the general public," Newsom said during a news conference at the Capitol. (Bollag, 3/10) Bay Area News Group: Two More COVID-19 Cases Found In Santa Clara County
Two more people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Santa Clara County, officials said Tuesday, raising the county's total number of confirmed cases to 45. The Santa Clara County Public Health Department did not release any more details about the cases on Tuesday afternoon, including the patients' ages or how the people may have contracted the virus. (Kelliher, 3/10) Bay Area News Group: San Jose: Three TSA Agents Test Positive For COVID-19
Three Transportation Security Administration officers at Mineta San Jose International Airport have tested positive for COVID-19, the agency said in a statement late Tuesday. According to the agency, the officers are receiving medical care and all TSA employees they have come into contact with over the past 14 days are quarantined at home. (Green, 3/10) The Beach Reporter: More LAX Screeners In Self-Quarantine Amid Coronavirus Fears; Airport Workers Urge More Training
Additional screeners at Los Angeles International Airport are in self-quarantine and may be at risk of developing the new coronavirus because of their interaction with two screeners who tested positive last week for COVID-19, according to a statement from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Several screeners have been directed to self-quarantine for 14 days beginning March 3, or their last day of potential exposure to COVID-19.," Press Officer Richard Quartarone said in a statement without offering more specifics. (Rosenfeld, 3/11) San Francisco Chronicle: Bay Area College Campuses Become Ghost Towns As Classes Go Online To Combat The Coronavirus
In her Stanford University dorm room not long before noon, Olivia Arballo Saenz admitted she was still in her pajamas. Her next class — Race and the War on Drugs — was in about 30 minutes, but to attend, she just had to turn on her computer. Like dozens of universities and colleges across the state and country, Stanford has canceled all events and in-person classes to combat the spread of the coronavirus, shifting to online instruction for the remainder of the winter quarter, which ends this week. (Tucker, 3/10) San Francisco Chronicle: Bay Area Nursing Homes Ban Or Restrict Visits To Limit High Coronavirus Risk
Nursing homes and senior care facilities in the Bay Area and beyond are banning or restricting visitors in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus — a dramatic step they hope will protect a population most vulnerable to infection, but that could take a heavy toll on families. It comes amid growing concerns that the virus, which has killed more than 4,200 people worldwide, may eventually spread into senior communities, where the risk of death is significantly greater. That concern became a horrifying reality for patients in the Life Care Center of Kirkland in Washington, where 19 deaths are connected to a coronavirus outbreak. (Sanchez, 3/11) San Francisco Chronicle: SF Unveils Temporary RV Housing For Homeless In Need Of Coronavirus Quarantine
San Francisco officials are working to make several temporary housing options available to healthy or mildly ill people who have tested positive for the new coronavirus but can't safely self-quarantine because they're homeless or living in close quarters with others. As they brace for more confirmed coronavirus cases in San Francisco, city officials said Tuesday they're making around 30 recreational vehicles available to act as temporary "isolation housing" for those who don't need to be hospitalized. The RVs, many of which were being driven to San Francisco Tuesday morning, are being staged in the Presidio. (Fracassa, 3/10) San Francisco Chronicle: Coronavirus Aid: SF Seeks To Help Renters, Workers, Small Businesses Devastated By Outbreak
San Francisco officials are seeking to help renters, small businesses and workers hurt by the coronavirus outbreak that's damaging the local economy. Supervisors announced legislation Tuesday that would ban residential evictions for nonpayment of rent due to loss of income from the new coronavirus. They also are proposing legislation to create a fund that would help small businesses suffering from the outbreak pay their rent. (Li, 3/10) Bay Area News Group: Coronavirus: Cal Journalism Students Told To Self-Quarantine
Two dozen UC Berkeley journalism students are under orders to self-quarantine following possible exposure to coronavirus at a conference in New Orleans last week, this news organization has learned. A person who attended the 2020 National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting Conference tested "presumptively" positive for COVID-19 when they returned home, said Graduate School of Journalism Dean Edward Wasserman in an email to students Tuesday. (Green, 3/11) Sacramento Bee: UC Davis To Cancel In-Person Final Exams Over Coronavirus
UC Davis is canceling its in-person final exams for the winter quarter, telling students they can take such tests online or complete work in other ways as the university joins others nationwide grappling with how to address the coronavirus pandemic. The university announced Tuesday that students can complete their finals work through take-home exams or other assignments, or by dropping the final exam and being graded on work they already have completed. (Stanton, 3/10) Santa Cruz Sentinel: UCSC Cancels Classes, Santa Cruz County Declares Emergency Over Coronavirus
UC Santa Cruz suspended in-person classes and Santa Cruz County declared a local emergency Tuesday as fears of the spread of coronavirus mount in the region. In-person classes at UCSC will be suspended from Wednesday through April 3, according to a campus message from Chancellor Cynthia Larive. Lectures and seminars will be offered through alternate means, such as remote conferencing. Students were encouraged to return to their permanent residences to study remotely until in-person classes resume. (Ibarra, 3/11) San Francisco Chronicle: Coronavirus: Two Who Attended RSA Conference In SF Have Tested Positive
Two employees of Foster City cybersecurity company Exabeam tested positive for the novel coronavirus after returning from the RSA Conference at the Moscone Center last month. "Currently, there is not a known direct link or official governing body communicating back to RSA Conference that these individuals had symptoms at (the) conference or attended during the incubation period," organizers wrote on the conference website. (DiFeliciantonio, 3/10) San Francisco Chronicle: SF's South Park Cafe Closed After Brex Employee Tests Positive For Coronavirus
San Francisco's South Park Cafe, the neighborhood restaurant run by the corporate-card startup company Brex, was closed Monday — as was the company's San Francisco office — after a Brex employee tested positive for coronavirus. The cafe is located in the city's South Park neighborhood, a hub for local venture capital and tech companies. (Phillips, 3/10) San Francisco Chronicle: Coronavirus Delivers Final Blow To AL's Deli, Now Closed In San Francisco
Aaron London's stuffed latke pockets and herbed falafel salads are no more. London closed his first foray into the fast-casual realm, AL's Deli in San Francisco's Mission District, over the weekend after just eight months in business. The final blow was the coronavirus. (Bitker, 3/10) The California Health Report (healthycal.org): As Coronavirus Spreads, Asian Americans Report Spike In Racism
Several weeks ago Carl Chan went to a store in Oakland. Chan felt like he had to cough — he suffers from serious allergies — and raised his arm to cover his mouth. He then saw another customer standing near him bolt out of the shop. "That hurt," said Chan, who is also president of Oakland's Chinatown Chamber of Commerce. "I've seen people coughing that are not Chinese, and it's no problem. But any time you see myself or another Asian coughing, there's a strong reaction." (Kandil, 3/9) San Francisco Chronicle: SF Archdiocese Shutters 90 Schools After Student Tests Positive For The Coronavirus
The Archdiocese of San Francisco announced the closure of all its schools after a student tested positive for the coronavirus. The 90 schools in San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin counties will shut down Mar. 12 through Mar. 25, said Pamela Lyons, superintendent of schools in a letter to families Tuesday. (Tucker, 3/10) Fresno Bee: Coachella, Stagecoach Postpone Due To Coronavirus Outbreak
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has announced its postponement due to the coronavirus outbreak. The 2020 Coachella festival, originally scheduled for the weekends of April 10 and April 17 in Indio, California, will now be held the weekends of Oct. 9 and Oct. 16, the festival said. It's the first time since the festival's inaugural year in 1999 it won't be held in the spring. (Stunson, 3/10) Fresno Bee: Walt Disney World And Disneyland Respond To Coronavirus
Disneyland and Walt Disney World are taking "preventative measures" against the coronavirus outbreak, the company said. "We are carefully monitoring the evolving coronavirus situation and are in regular contact with health agencies for information and guidance," the company said on its website. "Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort are open and welcoming guests and we continue to implement preventive measures in line with the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as state and local health agencies." (Lin, 3/10) Fresno Bee: Coronavirus Fears Affect CA Basketball Tournament In Lemoore
The state junior college basketball tournament this weekend in Lemoore will be played without spectators because of the coronavirus outbreak. The California Community College Athletic Association made the decision Tuesday in collaboration with host West Hills College-Lemoore, West Hills Community College District leadership, the men's and women's basketball coaches' associations and recommendations from the Kings County Department of Public Health as the virus, also known as COVID-19, continues to spread around the world. (Galaviz, 3/10) Fresno Bee: Parlier Unified Closing Schools Due To Coronavirus Concerns
Parlier Unified is closing two of its schools the remainder of this week due to concerns of the coronavirus. The school district announced Tuesday evening that Parlier High and Brletic Elementary will be closed until Monday after the Fresno County Department of Health identified that a Parlier Unified student recently traveled to an area of risk for the coronavirus COVID-19. The Fresno County Department of Health stated that the student is "an extremely low risk." (Anteola, 3/10) Sacramento Bee: Cal State Bans Travel But Sports Aren't Yet Affected
All California State universities have instituted a travel ban effective immediately due to the coronavirus threat, according to a memo posted Monday by Steve Relyea, the chief financial officer for the system. The directive bans nonessential domestic travel. Campus presidents are free to determine what that means. The ban extends to the end of May. (Davidson, 3/10) Sacramento Bee: CA Can't Hire Prison Psychiatrists. Suicides Are Climbing
A 24 percent pay bump offered three years ago failed to convince enough psychiatrists to go to work in California's prisons, where inmate suicides reached record highs last year, according to prison and union officials. Lawmakers and unions agree the record 38 suicides recorded last year reflect fundamental problems in the state's correctional system, and that a lack of psychiatrists contributes to the problems. (Venteicher, 3/11) San Francisco Chronicle: Doctors' Group Wants Processed Meats Added To California's Cancer-Warning List
California requires Proposition 65 cancer warnings on hundreds of products, ranging from tobacco and gasoline to beer and french fries. But there are no warnings on processed meats, like hot dogs, corned beef and bacon, despite an international agency's findings in 2015 that those foods cause cancer in humans. A doctors' group is going to court Wednesday to try to cure that omission. (Egelko, 3/11) The Associated Press: Lawsuit Seeks To Require LA To Provide Beds For Homeless
A federal lawsuit filed Tuesday seeks to force Los Angeles officials to provide thousands of shelter beds in an effort to stem what it described as the unfolding "human tragedy" of people living in squalor on the streets. While once largely confined to the notorious Skid Row neighborhood, encampments have spread countywide. Freeway overpasses are lined with tents, and it's a common sight to see someone pushing a shopping cart filled with belongings through downtown and even suburban neighborhoods. (Weber, 3/10) | | | | | |
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