California Coronavirus Updates: California Shifting From Mass Vaccination Websites To Hyper-Native Approaches

Find an updated count of COVID-19 cases in California and by county on our tracker here.

Latest Updates

California moving from mass vaccination sites to hyper-local approaches

Travis Air Force Base shipping medical supplies, COVID tests to India

Why COVID-19 vaccine patents are so contentious

Sacramento County ‘hopeful’ about moving to orange tier in June, officials say

California State Fair postponed, Cal Expo to remain vaccination site

COVID-19 By The Numbers

Monday, May 10

9:17 a.m. : California moving from mass vaccination sites to hyper-local approaches

California is shifting away from mass vaccination sites after administering more than 30 million doses.

Instead, the state will target hard-to-reach populations and people hesitant about the vaccine.

“We know when we stand up clinics in partnership with trusted locations in communities like churches and schools, we know that builds confidence in people to get vaccinated,” said Sami Gallegos, spokesperson for the state’s Vaccinate all 58 campaign.

“And we also know that there are access barriers to traveling to those large vaccination sites. So the state’s really been making this transition to community clinics over the last month or so,” Gallegos said.

California will spend more than $85 million on grants for community organizations to help with outreach. The state is also working on expanding at-home vaccination services for home-bound residents.

9:14 a.m.: Travis Air Force Base shipping medical supplies, COVID tests to India

Fairfield’s Travis Air Force Base is supporting the delivery of medical supplies to India where COVID-19 cases are skyrocketing.

California is donating more than a-thousand oxygen-related pieces of equipment. On CapRadio’s Insight, California’s Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis said the federal government is coordinating the operation.

“It includes not just the oxygen equipment that we are giving, but it includes 15 million N95 masks, one million rapid COVID tests, 20,000 treatments of Remdesivir and the actual airlift is coming out of Travis Air Force Base,” Kounalakis said.

The COVID-19 crisis is getting worse in India and hospitals are stretched beyond capacity. New cases are staying well over 300,000 every day.

9:10 a.m.: Why COVID-19 vaccine patents are so contentious

The Biden administration’s call to lift patent protections on COVID-19 vaccines to help distribute more globally has drawn praise from countries and health advocates.

But, according to the Associated Press, the plan has run into some resistance from the pharmaceutical industry and others who say that it will “hurt innovation.”

Patents are to prevent competitors from emulating a company’s discovery and launching a rival product. In the U.S., patents on medicines last about 20 years from when they are filed, which happens once a drugmaker thinks it has a lucrative drug. Since it takes about a decade to get a drug approved, companies enjoy nearly a dozen years of competition-free sales.

However, drugmakers often find ways to change the product or widen its use to secure additional patents to extend their monopoly for many more years.

Drugmakers and their trade groups spend millions every year lobbying governments to maintain the status quo on patents. Why? In a word, money. In the U.S., pharmaceutical companies can charge whatever they want for their medicines. They typically raise prices twice a year, often doubling or tripling them during a drug’s patent-protected years.

If the patents are lifted, there’s no precedent for vaccines. Two decades ago, World Trade organization members passed a temporary waiver allowing less wealthy countries to import affordable generic drugs for HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria amid health crises. Eventually, that waiver was made permanent.

Drugmakers say that waiving patents won’t get life-saving vaccines into developing countries faster since creating the vaccines is more complex than following a cooking recipe. There’s little specialized factory space, equipment, and highly trained employees to produce the inoculations in many of the countries asking for vaccine assistance.

Friday, May 7

6:32 p.m.: Sacramento County ‘hopeful’ about moving to orange tier in June, officials say

Sacramento is one of just a dozen California counties remaining in the red, or second-most restrictive, COVID-19 reopening tier. Health officials said Thursday that they’re hopeful the county can move up to the orange tier by June 15, the same day California is set to reopen and end the tier system.

Less restrictive tiers allow more businesses to open at greater capacity. But in Sacramento the case rate is still a concern — 7.5 cases per 100,000 people, as compared to 4.2 cases per 100,000 people statewide. To move to the orange tier, Sacramento County must bring its case rate down to somewhere between 2 and 6 cases per 100,000 people.

Dr. Olivia Kasirye, public health officer for Sacramento County, says new, more infectious variants “could be contributing to the stagnation in cases.”

She also says people are not getting tested for COVID-19 as often as they used to, which affects tier status.

Officials also said there are no Sacramento ZIP codes that are close to reaching herd immunity, or having about 70% of residents immunized. In certain north and south Sacramento neighborhoods, less than 20% of people have been fully vaccinated.

Thursday, May 6

6:52 p.m.: California State Fair postponed, Cal Expo to remain vaccination site

Cal Expo officials said Wednesday it’ll remain a mass vaccination site through the summer with the hope of allowing events to open with larger capacity later this year.

“The more people we can get vaccinated the more the event business can come back,” Cal Expo CEO Rick Pickering said. He said this year’s state fair will be delayed and likely slimmed down.

Since March 2020, health officials at the site have vaccinated a quarter-million people.

“That would be the equivalent of half of the population of Sacramento or 16% of the county of Sacramento,” Pickering said.

While demand for the vaccine is dropping across the country, Pickering said there is more work to be done as the county’s focus shifts to inoculating school-age children.

9:29 a.m.: From 3 feet of distance to 6 feet: How the pandemic might have affected our personal space bubbles

Face-to-face meetings are creeping back into our lives after more than a year of social-distancing. A steep decline in coronavirus transmission rates plus an increasing number of vaccinations are just two of the biggest reasons why.

But how comfortable will you or others be with this shift back to in-person social interaction?

Researchers say that the personal-space boundary in the U.S. before the pandemic was about 3 feet with strangers and a little more than 2 feet with an acquaintance. But now, a year of staying 6 feet apart could have you feeling crowded — even if others are maintaining what used to be considered an acceptable distance.

CapRadio’s Randol White spoke with Cal State Northridge Communications Studies Professor Kathryn Sorrells to see how the pandemic may have changed what we consider comfortable.

“I know a number of people I’ve talked to, even as we open up,” Sorrells said. “There’s a little hesitancy, like ‘Do I remember how to engage with people in that way?’ I think that probably if it’s a year or a year and half … we’ll shift back into the old patterns because those are much more deeply ingrained.”

9:14 a.m.: Can COVID-19 affect my period? Scientists are looking into it.

It’s not yet known if COVID-19 vaccines can affect your period, but researchers are starting to study the issue.

According to the Associated Press, vaccines are designed to activate your immune system, and some experts wonder if that could temporarily disrupt menstrual cycles. So far, reports of irregular bleeding have been anecdotal. It’s difficult to draw any links to the vaccines since anything from stress, diet and exercise could affect periods.

There’s also a lack of data tracking changes to menstrual cycles after vaccinations in general.

Dr. Jen Gunter, an obstetrician and gynecologist in the San Francisco Bay area, says a link is possible since the uterine lining, which is shed during a period, contains immune cells that help protect the uterus.

Even if scientists do eventually find a link between the COVID-19 vaccines and short-term changes in bleeding, experts say that would be no reason to avoid getting inoculated.

“The benefits of taking the vaccine certainly way outweigh putting up with one heavy period, if indeed they’re related,” said Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, a gynecologist and professor at the Yale University School of Medicine.

9:08 a.m.: US unemployment claims call to pandemic low of 498,000

The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid fell last week to 498,000, according to the Associated Press.

It’s at the lowest point since the pandemic struck 14 months ago and a sign of the job market’s growing strength as businesses reopen and consumers step up spending.

Applications declined 92,000 from a revised 590,000 a week earlier. The number of weekly jobless claims — a rough measure of the pace of layoffs — has declined significantly from a peak of 900,000 in January as employers have ramped up hiring.

However, the pace of applications is still well above the roughly 230,000 level that was common before the COVID-19 outbreak ran through the economy in March of last year.

Wednesday, May 5

5:45 p.m.: California appeals court upholds Newsom’s pandemic emergency powers 

A California appeals court has upheld Gov. Gavin Newsom’s emergency powers during the coronavirus pandemic.

Three judges from the 3rd District Court of Appeal in Sacramento today overturned a lower court saying Newsom overstepped his authority. The case emerged from a lawsuit by two Northern California state lawmakers.

Republican Assemblymembers Kevin Kiley and James Gallager said Newsom issued emergency orders in what amounted to a one-man rule. Newsom did everything from halt evictions to allow marriages to be conducted by video or teleconference.

The appeals court agreed that the governor acted within the broad emergency authority granted him amid the crisis.

Kiley and Gallagher said they would appeal to the state Supreme Court. 

5:42 p.m.: COVID-19’s U.S. toll expected to wane dramatically by end of July

Teams of experts are projecting that COVID-19′s toll on the U.S. will wane dramatically by the end of July, according to research released by the government today.

But they also warn a “substantial increase” in hospitalizations and deaths is possible if unvaccinated people do not follow basic public health guidelines such as wearing a mask and social distancing.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention paper included projections from six different research groups.

5:32 p.m.: US backs waiving COVID-19 vaccine intellectual property protections

The Biden administration is throwing its support behind efforts to waive intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines to speed up to the end of the pandemic.

According to the Associated Press, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced the government’s position in a Wednesday statement amid World Trade Organizations talks over easing global trade rules. This would enable more countries to produce more life-saving vaccines.

Tai says, “The Administration believes strongly in intellectual property protections, but in service of ending this pandemic, supports the waiver of those protections for COVID-19 vaccines.”

She cautions that it will take time to reach the required global “consensus” to waive the protections under WTO rules.

11:14 a.m.: Sacramento County stays in red tier

As state officials announced COVID-19 tier changes Tuesday, Sacramento County remained in the state’s red coronavirus risk tier.

Sacramento moved out of the state’s most restrictive purple tier into the red tier on March 16, where it has stayed since.

As of Tuesday, the county had 7.7 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents, a 2.8% test positivity rate over the past 7 days and a 4% test positivity rate for the state’s health equity quartile. In order to move into the less restrictive orange tier, counties need to have less than 5.9 new cases a day per 100,000 residents, a test positivity rate below 4.9% for the whole county, and a test positivity rate below 5.3% for the health equity quartile.

Yolo and El Dorado counties are currently in the less restrictive orange tier, while Placer County is also in the red tier.

11:02 a.m.: Nearly one-third of Californians fully vaccinated

Nearly a third of Californians have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of May 4, according to NPR’s state vaccine tracker.

In California, 32.1% of all residents have either received one shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, or both shots of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. Additionally, 49.9% of the state’s population has received at least one dose of a vaccine.

Currently, not all Californians are eligible to get the vaccines, as the shots are not approved for people under age 16 yet. But that may change soon, as Pfizer expects the FDA to approve its vaccine for use in children ages 12-15, according to NPR.

According to the California Department of Public Health, 31,027,617 vaccines have been administered in the state.

​Tuesday, May 4

6:40 p.m.: California urges people to vacation in state, boost tourism

California tourism leaders are urging residents to spend their pent-up travel dollars exploring their home state as coronavirus case numbers stay low.

The tourism industry is reeling from a steep decline in revenue, plummeting from $145 billion in 2019 to $65 billion last year.

The state of nearly 40 million people has been among the most conservative in the U.S. with strict restrictions in place to curb the pandemic. It’s gradually reopening but tourism revenue is not expected to top pre-pandemic levels until 2024.

Tourism officials are calling on Californians to do their patriotic duty and vacation within the state to bolster the industry.

6:34 p.m.: Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates launch Sac-Bike-Match 

If you’re in the market for a new bike, you may have to wait a while. There’s a nationwide shortage because of the pandemic and predominantly shipping out of China and Asia. 

The Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates, or SABA, has launched a program called Sac-Bike-Match. They’re asking people to donate old bikes. SABA will then match those bikes with essential workers once they’ve been reconditioned at the Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen repair site in midtown.   

“We’re in partnership with them and we wrench those bikes, make sure that they’re in great working order and then we match them up with somebody else and get them on the road,” said Debra Banks. 

May is National Bike Month. It’s mostly virtual in Sacramento again this year because of the pandemic, but SABA is hoping to host a few rides in small groups.

 

 

6:30 p.m.: All Nevada counties granted local authority over COVID-19 restrictions

All of Nevada’s 17 counties have been granted local authority over COVID-19 restrictions.

The latest addition came yesterday when Washoe County commissioners approved a revised plan for the Reno-Sparks area and successfully submitted the necessary endorsements to the state’s mitigation task force.

Masks remain mandatory. Control over all other COVID-19 measures began May 1 in all of Nevada’s other counties under local plans.

Washoe County’s new plan eliminates capacity limits effective June 1, unless there’s a big spike in the new cases. In the meantime it allows full capacity in businesses with enough space to still comply with six-feet social-distancing.

9:25 a.m.: Pandemic led to 30% increase in worker deaths in certain California industries

During the first 10 months of the coronavirus pandemic, California saw a 30% increase in the deaths of essential workers in 10 industries, according to a new study by U.C. Merced’s Community and Labor Center.

The U.C. study found that overall deaths among Californians aged 18-65 increased by 25% in 2020. Workers accounted for 87% — or more than 14,000 — of those additional deaths.

Dr. Edward Flores, who helped direct the study, said that the pandemic just exposed previously existing inequalities in the workplace.

“There’s a need for better awareness for the rights that workers have, of their ability to take sick leave, to file a complaint in regards to health and safety conditions,” said Flores.

The most affected groups of workers came from industries such as warehouses, agriculture, restaurants and food services, and grocery stores. Among the 10 industries with the highest death increases were nursing care, landscaping, and building services like janitorial and security work.

9:07 a.m.: FDA could OK Pfizer vaccine for teens by next week

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to authorize Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for kids ages 12 to 15 by next week, setting up shots for many before the start of the next school year.

According to the Associated Press, the update comes from a federal official and a person familiar with the vaccine approval process.

The FDA action would be followed by a federal vaccine advisory committee meeting to discuss whether to recommend the shot for 12- to 15-year olds. Then the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would act on the committee’s recommendation. Those steps could be completed in a matter of days.

Monday, May 3

3:30 p.m.: Children now account for 22% of new COVID-19 infections in US

The number of children contracting COVID-19 in the U.S. is much lower than the record highs set at the start of the new year, but children now account for more than a fifth of new coronavirus cases, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

This number is based on states that release their data by age, but still, it’s a statistic that’s surprised many — just one year ago, child COVID-19 cases only made up around 3% of the U.S. total.

Now, children represent 22.4% of the new cases reported in the past week as of this Monday. The cases account for 71,659 out of 319,691 cases. The latest report, drawn from data collected through April 29, illustrates how children’s share of coronavirus infections has grown in recent weeks.

There seems to be several factors why — particularly high vaccination rates among older Americans lowers the number of adults getting sick. But other dynamics are also in play, from new COVID-19 variants to the loosening of restrictions on school activities.

It’s also worth noting that for the vast majority of the pandemic, the age group with the highest case rates has been 18 to 24 year-olds in the U.S.

3:22 p.m.: Las Vegas convention center will transform into drive-thru vaccine clinic

Health officials say they hope to administer more than 1,000 doses a day of coronavirus vaccines to Las Vegas-area residents once the first big drive-thru COVID-19 shot clinic opens Tuesday at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

According to the Associated Press, the Southern Nevada Health District on Monday said the goal is for 60% of the eligible population to receive at least one dose. If they reach that goal, that would meet a goal the Clark County Commission set for fully reopening casinos and businesses without social distancing rules. However, masks would still be required.

To date, the percentage of state residents who have gotten at least one shot is 47%.

3:10 p.m.: UN inks Moderna deal to provide 500 million doses globally

Moderna and vaccine promoter Gavi have announced a deal by which the pharmaceutical company will provide up to 500 million coronavirus vaccines, according to the Associated Press.

The U.N.-backed program will ship the doses to clinics and vaccination centers in low- and middle-income countries by the end of 2022.

The advance purchase agreement comes just days after the World Health Organization announced the emergency approval for the Moderna vaccine that will pave the way for its rollout in the U.N.-backed COVAX program.

However, deliveries of the vaccines are not set to begin until the fourth quarter of this year, and the vast majority of the doses in the deal — 466 million — are planned for only next year.

9:39 a.m.: Las Vegas hitting jackpot as pandemic-weary visitors return

Las Vegas has been jammed lately with pandemic-weary tourists looking for excitement and entertainment.

According to the Associated Press, on Saturday, casino capacity limits on the Strip increased again to 80%, while person-to-person distancing drops to 3 feet. However, masks are still required.

The boom began as casino occupancy went from 35% to 50% on March 15 under state health guidelines. Analysts point to pent-up demand, available rooms and federal coronavirus relief checks.

Economic markers are now ringing up a revival on the neon resort corridor that was ghostly quite a year ago. Casinos have also reported four slot jackpots worth upward of $1 million in the last week.

9:15 a.m.: Public transit tries to woo back riders

As President Joe Biden urges more federal spending on public transportation, transit agencies decimated by COVID-19 are struggling to figure out how to win back passengers.

According to the Associated Press, commuting patterns are changing as work-from-home arrangements show signs of becoming a longer-term trend, and riders are still hesitant to return to potentially crowded spaces on buses and trains.

Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan would provide $85 billion over eight years to update and replace subway cars and repair aging tracks and stations. Of that amount, $25 billion would go to expanding bus routes and rail lines. Another $25 billion would pay to convert gasoline- and diesel-powered mass transit buses to zero-emission electric vehicles.

Even with the country slowly opening up again, transportation officials say it could take years to get riders back. Transit agencies are trying different approaches to win over riders, from reduced fares to shiny new bus stops and even shifting transit schedules around to accommodate more passengers due to the pandemic shift away from 9-to-5 work.

9:07 a.m.: US to start global COVID-19 vaccine distribution talks

Two White House officials say the U.S. trade representative will begin talks on COVID-19 vaccine distribution around the world, according to The Associated Press.

The trade representative will begin talks in the world Trade Organization on ways to overcome intellectual property issues that are keeping poorer countries from making their own generic version of critically needed COVID-19 vaccines.

White House chief of staff Ron Klan said trade representative Katherine Tai will be starting talks with the trade organization to get the vaccine more widely distributed, licensed and shared.

Klain and national security advisor Jake Sullivan said the Biden administration will have more to say on the matter in the coming days.

Sunday, May 2

10:40 a.m.: Personal income jumped over 21% in March as the government sent out relief payments 

Americans’ personal incomes jumped 21.1% in March, according to the Commerce Department. This is the biggest increase on record as the government sent out $1,400 relief payments as part of the $1.9 trillion coronavirus rescue effort.

Personal spending also jumped by 4.2%, and wealthier Americans are also increasing spending. 

Read more here.

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