Theres good data showing that, yes, it might miss some people who are infected, but its very good at picking up people who are infected and can infect other people because they have a higher viral load. 1. California COVID-19 tests are in high demand with the winter surge. Yes. A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The plate intersection runs up the western coast of North America all the way to . ], Experts have also criticized the process for allowing poorer and harder-hit communities to be bypassed, even while state officials have repeatedly said equity is a North Star.. RELATED: Here's what it will take to reopen the Bay Area. Want to submit a guest commentary or reaction to an article we wrote? This story has been corrected to show that the earlier San Clemente slide occurred in March, not this month. // Associated Press, California budget surplus could lead to early CalPERS debt payments. After California detected the first case of the omicron variant in the U.S., Gov. A previous light at the end of the tunnel turned out to be a freight train called Delta.. The coronavirus bottom line:As of 9 p.m. Tuesday night, California had1,037,978 confirmed coronavirus casesand18,299 deathsfrom the virus, according toaCalMatters tracker. All Rights Reserved. Dr. Robert Wachter, chair of the UC San Francisco Department of Medicine, said even if Omicron tends to produce less severe disease, a much higher rate of transmission could still lead to far more people sick than would be expected for earlier variants, and still result in overwhelmed hospitals. He tested positive over the weekend, but his symptoms were not serious. Dont count on it. By contrast, Riverside Countys rate is 13, Fresno Countys is 18 and San Bernardino Countys is 19. // Sacramento Bee, How Newsoms proposed budget could help ports shore up supply chain, reduce pollution. As California enters its third shutdown of the pandemic, is it better prepared to tamp down the spread of the virus and handle the economic fallout than it was when Gov. Officials are concerned that lower vaccination rates in areas, like the Central Valley, could result in a winter coronavirus surge. By subscribing, I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. [CalMatters], A grandmother who lives in a tract home in Pinole is challenging a real estate giant under a law that is meant to prevent profiteering during the pandemic. By Kara Manke| July 20, 2021July 22, 2021, Shoppers wear masks inside of The Cool store Monday, July 19, 2021, in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles, where public health officials recently reinstated an indoor mask mandate due to an uptick in COVID-19 cases. Jack Is Back! Santa Clara County on Monday backed off from a booster mandate for health care workers at the request of already strained hospitals. Sign up for our free newsletters to follow the issues you care about the most. Authorities have stressed vaccinations, booster shots and various safety protocols such as mask-wearing in public indoor places as the best way to fight Omicron, adding that they dont see a need for another lockdown. Still, rather than focusing on new restrictions, were really focusing an all out effort to let the public know how important it is to get a booster. // Mercury News, Environmentalists sue Point Reyes National Seashore over cattle ranches. Education. [See scenes from the depths of Los Angeless surge.]. Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. As coronavirus ravages Californias psychiatric hospital system, the Department of State Hospitals has found itself enmeshed in a web of lawsuits one asking it to release patients, another asking it to admit more. East Izhar on Instagram: " #camila #name #names #singleneedle # . There are a lot of vaccinated people now being exposed to this highly infectious virus, so we are going to expect an uptick in the vaccinated cases. Some experts think it would help to make some adjustments, but many health experts are also emphasizing the importance of seeing family and friends. Californias affordable housing shortage is due in part to the states failure to develop a well-coordinated plan, which allowed a state agency to mismanage and ultimately lose $2.7 billion that could have financed thousands of affordable housing units, according to a scathing report the state auditor released Tuesday. Are we seeing an uptick in breakthrough cases? While Omicron is expected to result in more breakthrough infections among vaccinated people compared to earlier variants making them more vulnerable to being contagious and suffering mild symptoms its likely that they will largely still be protected against severe illness and death. And once you finish your plan, compare it to those created by others and share it on social media. Photo by Raquel Natalicchio for CalMatters, cancelling or postponing certain surgeries, with more than 62,000 students and staff testing positive for COVID, Troy Flint, spokesman for the California School Boards Association, backed off from a booster mandate for health care workers, a state-funded single-payer health care system, primed for a health care collision course, an investigation from CalMatters Jocelyn Wiener, Ashley Hoffman, a California Chamber of Commerce policy advocate, his priorities for spending Californias massive budget surplus, this super-fun Surplus Spender game created by CalMatters John Osborn DAgostino, argues Cris Steller, executive director of the California Artisanal Distillers Guild, writes Karen Pank, executive director of the Chief Probation Officers of California, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. Gavin Newsom pressed the panic button on Monday and locked down his state again. To learn more about the dangers posed by the Delta variant and its effect on the future of the pandemic, Berkeley News spoke with Maya Petersen, chair of the biostatistics division at UC Berkeleys School of Public Health and an expert in infectious diseases and epidemiology. In addition, after Omicron blows over, theres a reasonable chance that there might be enough immunity in the population so that coronavirus transmission gets low enough to minimize the risk of another variant. Leaving aside the question of severity, it certainly poses more danger to those who are unvaccinated. Societally, all the various things that I mentioned to help mitigate transmission will help protect the unvaccinated, as well: Get yourself vaccinated, make sure people have access to testing, provide supportive response to positive tests, continue contact tracing and expand the use of rapid tests. New developments are posing both good news and bad news. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters. Four residential units in an adjacent building were initially red-tagged as unsafe and then overnight all 24 units were evacuated because the hillside continued to move, said Mayor Chris Duncan. And indeed, thats what were seeing. And nearly 4,000 prison workers were COVID-positive on Tuesday, a more than 212% increase from the beginning of the month. "Three states will get us better infrastructure, better education and lower taxes," he said. Gavin Newsom says he is prepared to "revert back" to more stringent coronavirus restrictions, if necessary, as California continues to see a rise in COVID-19 cases. Kate Brown on Tuesday threw their weight behind a controversial $450 million plan to remove four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River, signing a deal that holds their two states financially liable for any unexpected costs or damages in the course of demolition. As individual counties reached certain case thresholds, they were allowed to move through the tiers, a system introduced in August when the state was grappling with an alarming rise in new cases. I think thats really important for people to be aware of. Heres a look at where the state stands on three key fronts: testing, the economy and education. Court ruling affects only San Diego Unified, but could influence challenges to COVID-19 vaccine mandates elsewhere, including in L.A. Unified. Some experts say its concerning when the rate is 5 or greater. would have to shut down again under Glazer's . California Today goes live at 6:30 a.m. Pacific time weekdays. Its relatively cheap and very, very fast. The number of Californians being infected and hospitalized with COVID-19 has crept up over the past two weeks, increasing fears of a winter surge. Testing is also important, and I dont think we should neglect the role of testing just because we have vaccines. But that doesnt mean the vaccines arent working, and it doesnt mean theyre not working as well. Please contact CalMatters with any commentary questions: commentary@calmatters.org, Emily Hoeven wrote the daily WhatMatters newsletter for three years at CalMatters . While the law provides people with a path to own the homes they rent, coming up with the money to purchase them remains a challenge for many. California Governor Gavin Newsom violated parents' rights when he ordered all schools to shut down due to COVID, a federal court ruled on Friday. A third Pfizer dose, however, raises that effectiveness back up to 76%, Rutherford said. They now face a Jan. 31 deadline to pass the Assembly at which point the state Senate would take them up for consideration. The split could also potentially give more . In San Francisco, 45% of children in this age group have received at least one dose of vaccine, compared to 21% in L.A. County and 10% in San Bernardino County. Newsom cited heightened anxiety and the 53 new cases in the state. We would expect to have some breakthrough cases that result in severe disease because, again, the vaccines are very, very effective, but theyre not perfect. A number of Bay Area counties quickly followed suit, issuing strong recommendations, including for those who are vaccinated. Since then, California has toggled among various levels of restriction as cases have surged, receded and then surged again, overwhelming hospitals in the winter, even as other states have allowed full reopenings. He also pointed out that last year we didnt have much of a flu season. In this photo, people check-in for their COVID-19 vaccine at a pop-up clinic offering. Tips, insight or feedback? Citing data from the University of Hong Kong, although Omicron appears to be more infectious to the airways, it appears be less infectious toward lung tissue, said Dr. Charles Chiu, an infectious disease specialist at UC San Francisco, at the town hall. "Escheat" simply means that the deceased's property will revert to the state. But nevertheless, there will be more people coming into hospital, Chin-Hong suggested. Mr. Newsom and other state leaders emphasized that the state needed to have the ability to quickly reimpose emergency measures if hospitals started to fill up. The San Francisco Bay Area has some of the highest vaccination rates in state, and officials there believe that could help slow Omicron. The answer is yes. And I think thats a reasonable precaution. But places with relatively more staffed hospital beds and higher vaccination rates will be better equipped to handle more COVID-19 patients. The San Joaquin Valleys hospitals have been overwhelmed since the Delta surge began; the Bay Areas hospitals have not sounded similar alarms. // Daily News, San Diego Board of Supervisors chooses Nathan Fletcher to chair a second year. They include: 2. The vaccines are fantastic, but actually having laboratory testing that can effectively reach people, combined with effective contact tracing, can go a long way. Newsom enacted a number of . Built in the Spanish Colonial Revival style in the late 1920s, it eventually became a cultural center in the 1980s. Why is Frank McCourt really pushing this? Newsom directed all 58 counties to close bars and shutter indoor restaurants, movie . All along, Newsom has asserted the emergency order opens up access to goods and emergency services for the state and health authorities. A potential problem could result if far too many workers are out sick at the same time, meaning officials may need to shorten the time period infected people are put under isolation to keep hospitals running. The Central Valley has always been hit so hard by a lot of waves, and given its relative lack of vaccination uptake, thats going to give them less insurance for whats coming up.. Included are meditations on grief and depression, but also resilience, personal transformation and love. So, we have vaccination, and thats great. Help us understand the vaccine rollout in California by telling us about how you found your shot, or an appointment for a loved one. In France, if you want to go to a nightclub or a bar or restaurant or an event, you have to show proof of vaccination, which I think drove up vaccination rates, but also could act to mitigate transmission. Did you spend hours refreshing a county appointment site for a parent or grandparent? Im really interested to see where that goes, as well. Hospitalizations are spiking. School closures and shifts to remote instruction are quickly becoming less common as COVID case rates drop in many states. California Gov. But as California saw a dramatic surge in Covid cases in recent weeks, Governor Gavin Newsom issued stricter shutdown orders that again restricted businesses and put an end to outdoor dining. Newsom and Oregon Gov. (This article is part of the California Today newsletter. Gavin Newsom on Monday ordered massive swaths of California's economy to close back down, largely reverting the state to where it was in March, as a surge in coronavirus patients pushes rural hospitals to the brink. With more than 20 million vaccines administered across the state, it is time to turn the page on our tier system and begin looking to fully reopen Californias economy, Gov. President Bidens promise to end the pandemic is being tested by the Omicron variant, which is spreading rapidly through the country. We can also continue to work to overcome barriers to vaccination that still exist, including working closely with communities to ensure that access is optimized and that very legitimate questions about the vaccines are answered by trusted sources. Jill Cowan grew up in Orange County, graduated from U.C. // San Francisco Chronicle. West Contra Costa Unified, which reopened Tuesday after closing for two days with no instruction, is now requiring employees to wear KN95 masks and students to wear surgical masks. More by Emily Hoeven, Gov. California conducted an average of 156,000 daily tests over the past two weeks, compared to 114,000 at the same point in July and about 1,900 in early April, state data show. But in California, cases have been declining since hitting a peak early this year, with an average of around 2,700 new cases a day now, the lowest figure since June. In terms of boosters, I dont think we know enough yet about how immunity wanes to know whether or not there will be a role for boosters. Its unvaccinated people who will still be at highest risk for requiring hospitalization and dying. I think rapid antigen testing is underused in this area. (AP photo by Marcio Jose Sanchez). Tax (or dont) Californians as you like, and pour money into whatever pot you want just remember that the state cant run a deficit! And for children, in particular, masking works. It may not fix the problem, but you might find some comfort in reading about how we have all hit a wall. There remains much unknown about Omicron, but experts say it has the potential to overwhelm hospitals, particularly in areas with low vaccination rates. SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. (AP) A landslide in Southern California has closed a historic cultural center, shut down rail service in the area and forced the evacuation of nearby residences, officials . But the deal is fiercely opposed by Siskiyou County residents, who recreate in the lakes created by the dams and say their property values will drop once theyre removed. You can find our submission guidelines here. // San Francisco Chronicle, Paleontologists discover three new species of extinct walruses in Orange County. Data on severe disease among vaccinated people is more limited. San Diego Healths chief information officer, predicted continued frustration as more people become eligible but supply is not available to meet demand., [Track coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and the vaccine rollout across California. On March 19, 2020, Gov. // San Francisco Chronicle, Redwood forest owned by King Tut of Hoarders in Santa Cruz Mountains begins new chapter. Todays executive order stretches declaration through March 31, 2022, at which time it will have been in effect for more than two years.