Sign up for our free newsletters. I think its been used to mean all sorts of different things, which is causing confusion. A state of emergency throughout California has been declared by Governor Gavin Newsom to support residents up and down the state as they continue to weather severe winter storms. // Science Daily. 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. Gavin Newsom says, Although individual counties have the authority to enforce certain health requirements, the governor said the more important tool for enforcing those protocols lies with the "moral persuasion each and everyone one of us has as individuals to be good examples. Los Angeles Unified, the states largest, reopened Tuesday but, with more than 62,000 students and staff testing positive for COVID, nearly 2,000 district employees had to step in to keep things running. Will California shut down again? A number of Bay Area counties quickly followed suit, issuing strong recommendations, including for those who are vaccinated. Meanwhile, California community colleges have seen a 9% drop in enrollment, potentially decreasing the number of students who go on to earn bachelors degrees, CalMatters Emma Hall and Tess Kazenoff report. On Wednesday, the governor shared a stunning view of the surging coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. // San Francisco Chronicle, Redwood forest owned by King Tut of Hoarders in Santa Cruz Mountains begins new chapter. Los Angeles County cuts hours for some businesses to limit virus spread. While most large states have one department that handles affordable housing funding, California has five and they report to different elected officials, meaning no one oversees the entire system, the Los Angeles Times reports. There are also regional differences in uptake of vaccines among those age 5 to 11. The highly contagious Delta variant now accounts for nearly 83% of California's sequenced coronavirus cases up from 53% in late June and just 6% in late May. Removing the dams will restore a 400-mile salmon run, a win for commercial fishermen and the Karuk and Yurok tribes, which have long relied on the runs to feed their families. Some experts say its important to be safe but also not to overreact to an Omicron surge, such as deciding to shut down schools. California Gov. That said, its not as dire as it might seem. But that doesnt mean the vaccines arent working. Los Angeles County on Tuesday urged residents to postpone nonessential gatherings and avoid some activities. California sits uniquely at the intersection of two major plates, the Pacific Plate and North American Plate. WATCH: Here's a breakdown of Newsom's four stage plan to reopening California, Time magazine unveils list of '100 Most Influential People', SF apartment residents recap ordeal with days-long power outage, CA influencer convicted of lying about kids' attempted kidnapping: DA. California COVID cases, hospitalizations tick up amid winter warnings. In this photo, people check-in for their COVID-19 vaccine at a pop-up clinic offering. Were you forwarded this email? The plate intersection runs up the western coast of North America all the way to . The San Joaquin Valleys hospitals have been overwhelmed since the Delta surge began; the Bay Areas hospitals have not sounded similar alarms. 4.1K views, 50 likes, 28 loves, 154 comments, 48 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from 7th District AME Church: Thursday Morning Opening Session "Escheat" simply means that the deceased's property will revert to the state. He tested positive over the weekend, but his symptoms were not serious. Now, 20 months later, conditions have changed dramatically. New data released by Ipsos this morning has shown that around 55% of Britons expect the Tories to lose seats on Thursday, with 45% expecting Labour to pick up support. California Today goes live at 6:30 a.m. Pacific time weekdays. Its relatively cheap and very, very fast. Projected losses from a major California earthquake soar. Economy. Maya Petersen: We definitely know that the Delta variant is substantially more transmissible than the original variant that was circulating. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. Whats happened with Delta, and why the pictures changed so much, is that its so much more transmissible. California plans to lift all its coronavirus restrictions on June 15, provided there are enough Covid-19 vaccines available for anyone age 16 or older and hospitalizations remain low and stable . Its about our ability to add tools to the tool kit.. I think we have to be really careful about our use of the term herd immunity. Subscribe to CalMatters newslettershere. Photo by Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP Photo/Pool, unexpectedly high number of inconclusive test results, a Tuesday report from the state Department of Finance, State Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, CalMatters Emma Hall and Tess Kazenoff report, Audrey Dow of the Campaign for College Opportunity, tracking the states coronavirus hospitalizations by county, according to a scathing report the state auditor released Tuesday, an eviction moratorium that expires in February, Ann Lyles of the California Association of Psychiatric Technicians, long relied on the runs to feed their families, Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa, who represents the Klamath area, Glen Spain of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermans Associations, writes Albert Camarillo, a Stanford University professor of American history, argues Isaiah Madison of Livable California, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. And according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of Monday, 34 percent of the states total population has received at least one vaccine shot, and 18 percent are fully vaccinated. The vaccines are fantastic, but actually having laboratory testing that can effectively reach people, combined with effective contact tracing, can go a long way. // Mercury News, The true story behind the West Coasts only native oyster. Gov. Theres been so much confusing media coverage around this question, so I hope I can help clarify. The number of patients hospitalized with the virus has gone up 29% in just two weeks, from 3,177 to 4,095. // Associated Press, California budget surplus could lead to early CalPERS debt payments. But nevertheless, there will be more people coming into hospital, Chin-Hong suggested. Weve seen those trends, not dissimilar to last year., The governor pointed out that cases have begun to rise again in places like Riverside and San Bernardino (not to mention Los Angeles, where daily new infections were about 700-1,000 per day a week ago and rose to 1,497 today). A federal judge could rule as early as Thursday on the matter. All along, Newsom has asserted the emergency order opens up access to goods and emergency services for the state and health authorities. Weve had so much rain, unprecedented amounts of rain in the last several months, that these hillsides are very unstable, Katrina Foley, a member of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, told KABC-TV. RELATED: Here's what it will take to reopen the Bay Area. Restaurants are also shuttering across the state, and the mayors of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland and San Rafael recently joined 21 others across the country in begging Congress to provide emergency relief to stave off permanent closures and catastrophic economic impacts. // Los Angeles Times, Several California lawmakers emerge as apparent attendees of Maui conference. Also:CalMatters regularly updates this pandemic timeline tracking thestates daily actions. // Sacramento Business Journal, University of California agrees to $73 million sex abuse settlement. It may be more transmissible, but once it actually affects an individual, its possible that its less likely that it infects lung tissue, causing the kind of breathing problems that lead to death, Chiu said. He also pointed out that last year we didnt have much of a flu season. Allow direct-to-consumer shipping for craft distillers: State lawmakers should seize the opportunity to modernize Californias alcohol shipping laws, argues Cris Steller, executive director of the California Artisanal Distillers Guild. 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. Tell us what you want to see: CAtoday@nytimes.com. Two other school districts in the state, in Bloomberg and Waskom, shut down temporarily after the first week of classes because too many staff members were out with COVID-19. As of February 28, 2023, the Governor terminated the state's COVID-19 State of Emergency. // Politico, The strange saga of San Francisco principals being ordered back to empty schools. 2023 Deadline Hollywood, LLC. ICU hospitalizations are also on the rise: 18% in 14 days. This virus has thrown us for a loop so many times, Chiu said. According to the L.A. Department of Public Health, the patient was not vaccinated against the flu and tested negative for Covid multiple times while sick. Yet the hospitals are also under pressure in court to admit more patients namely, mentally ill inmates from the state prison system, through which coronavirus has spread rapidly, Lee Romney reports for CalMatters. // California Healthline, UCSF COVID doctor: Hospital surge isnt what you may think. tiers that have for months dictated so much about our lives, provided there are enough Covid-19 vaccines available for anyone age 16 or older, But in California, cases have been declining, as of Monday, 34 percent of the states total population, implement a stay-at-home order last year, on March 19. Today, were starting with some big news: There will be no green tier after all. We have vaccines.. 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. We can keep kids & teachers safe in schools, Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, tweeted. Todays executive order stretches declaration through March 31, 2022, at which time it will have been in effect for more than two years. And the state may help cover some employers costs: In the absence of new federal funding to assist small businesses with COVID sick leave requirements, I support augmenting the governors budget to add state funding for this purpose, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon said. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. And I think thats a reasonable precaution. My colleagues put together thoughts from readers on what may be different about our lives from before. What does it mean for L.A.? Governor Gavin Newsom today extended for the third time the state of emergency in California related to the threat that Covid poses. [Axios], Robot lawn mowers are on the horizon. 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. Gavin Newsom participates in a ribbon cutting ceremony at a new coronavirus testing facility on Oct. 30, 2020, in Valencia. And as we are want to be reminded and should be reminded, last year we had a challenging winter, particularly down here in Southern California. L.A. and Orange counties, whose vaccination rates are somewhere in between, may see an impact that falls in the middle. Rapid testing in the schools I also think has a lot of potential, including the ability to rule out COVID fast and to make sure that kids who just have a cold dont miss school unnecessarily. In the U.S., it has ripped through unvaccinated communities, and many vaccinated individuals now question if theyre at higher risk of rare breakthrough infections. Indeed, Los Angeles County confirmed the first flu-related death of the 2021-22 influenza season today. More by Emily Hoeven, Long lines of people wait for more than two hours for a COVID-19 test at a testing site in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles on Jan. 5, 2022. After California detected the first case of the omicron variant in the U.S., Gov. COVID-19 RISK CALCULATOR: Quiz yourself on the safest, most dangerous things you can do as CA reopens. That meant that counties like San Francisco, Alameda and Contra Costa, which have had a local indoor mask mandate since summer, were allowed to retain a relaxed rule that allows offices and gyms to make mask wearing optional if everyone inside is fully vaccinated. The one thing you should take away with this from today is to go get boosted today, Rutherford said. And nearly 4,000 prison workers were COVID-positive on Tuesday, a more than 212% increase from the beginning of the month. Tips, insight or feedback? Over the past year, California has become a high-profile case study of the ways in which reopening a vast economy can be more complex, unequal and politically fraught than shutting one down. 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. Among all 50 states, California has the. I know everyones tired and wants this to be over. // SFGATE, Inmate slayings reported at two California prisons over weekend. ], 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.. Yes. I certainly wouldnt want to rule out that boosters will have an important role to play. Some experts say its concerning when the rate is 5 or greater. Emailemily@calmatters.org. Newsom announced the state's largest single-day increase Wednesday of new confirmed coronavirus cases, 12,807, and California has surpassed New . Her reporting, essays, and opinion columns have been published in San Francisco Weekly, the Deseret News, the San Francisco The platform is designed to engage citizens and government leaders in a discussion about what needs improvement across the country. This is not March 2020. The threat of flooding continues as the massive mountain snowpack left by the storms begins to melt. California Governor Gavin Newsom violated parents' rights when he ordered all schools to shut down due to COVID, a federal court ruled on Friday. We thought we had things under control, and then along came Delta. 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. Im really interested to see where that goes, as well. Dont count on it. Sign up for California Today here and read every edition online here. Meanwhile, students and teachers in both Oakland and San Francisco Unified are threatening sickouts, saying they wont show up to school without heightened health and safety protocols. 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. 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 totally noninvasive. California reported 3,716 new cases on Wednesday and 134 new deaths. Meanwhile, cities are expanding their testing efforts ahead of Thanksgiving though health officials worry many residents are getting tested to justify going to parties or traveling. 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. And once you finish your plan, compare it to those created by others and share it on social media. It isnt just unvaccinated workers, though: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, should quarantine for 5 days after testing positive a rule that California recently, and controversially, made optional for health care employees amid a severe staffing shortage. This story has been corrected to show that the earlier San Clemente slide occurred in March, not this month. 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. 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. Even more serious is the trend when it comes to hospitalizations. The country is facing a possible fourth surge of the virus, and there are concerns about the spread of virus variants. One piece of bright news: The state collected $11 billion more in revenue for the first four months of the fiscal year than originally projected, according to a Tuesday report from the state Department of Finance. I think thats really important for people to be aware of. Before Delta came along and became predominant, the levels of vaccination plus prior immunity that wed achieved in the Bay Area were looking excellent, in terms of driving the epidemic down. Gavin Newsom announced that schools serving more than 5 million students across the state will not be reopening for in-person instruction this fall. Old Tavern Bar & Grill is closing from Tuesday until Friday to let staff get tested and deep-clean the bar's interior. I have a 6-year-old and a 10-year-old, and thats what they wear to school and indoors in public places and will continue to do so. Newer models of lawn equipment, using batteries or electricity, are quieter and greener, and might even manage themselves. 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. December 1, 2021 / 4:18 PM / CBS Sacramento. New COVID-19 cases in California: from 4,230 on Sunday, to 5,019 on Monday and 7,149 on Tuesday.