Here are your daily facts, news, and information on COVID-19

Cal OES Update:

• April 7, 2020 – pdf
• Key messages – link

Governor Updates:

• Today at Noon: Governor Gavin Newsom will provide an update on the state’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The update will be streamed at the @CAgovernor Twitter page and California Governor Facebook page.
• Section 36.00 – Letter to Legislature: California Office of Emergency Services, Increase of Emergency Funding for COVID-19 Response – pdf
• Governor Newsom Issues Executive Order to Help State Procure Necessary Medical Supplies – link
  • Masks, gloves, eye protection, gowns, and other critical materials that protect public health sold to or purchased by the State are exempt from sales and use taxes.
• Governor Newsom Signs Executive Order to Expand Support for Vulnerable Populations – link
• Resources for emotional support and well-being – link
• California Surgeon General’s Playbook: Stress Relief during COVID-19 – link

Important Updates:

• Local governments that have COVID-19 recovery related questions, please email: disasterrecovery@caloes.ca.gov

News Highlights:

• California to spend nearly $1B for 200 million marks per month
• California won’t be lifting coronavirus stay-at-home rules anytime soon
• What California is doing right in responding to the coronavirus pandemic
• California still way behind in coronavirus testing despite recent advances
• California lends 500 ventilators to 4 states, 2 territories
• California still sifting through racial data to determine coronavirus impacts
• Health professionals warn of ‘explosion’ of coronavirus cases in minority communities
• Sacramento County extends stay-at-home order through May 1
• The United States counted its highest coronavirus-related death toll in a single day on Tuesday, with 1,997 fatalities, bringing the total to nearly 13,000
• Pelosi and Schumer seek huge spending increases for hospitals, local aid and food stamps as coronavirus talks intensify
• Hospitals say feds are seizing masks and other coronavirus supplies without a word
• Trump removes independent watchdog tasked with overseeing coronavirus emergency funds
• Treasury seeks $200 billion more for small business coronavirus aid
• Some Swedish hospitals have stopped using Chloroquine to treat COVID-19 after reports of severe side effects
• Paris bans daytime outdoor exercise
• Wuhan outbound travel ban lifted
• The Judicial Council yesterday barred courts from enforcing eviction orders against renters for any cause
• Acting Navy chief Thomas Modly resigned on Tuesday following nearly a week of controversy about his dismissal of USS Theodore Roosevelt Captain Brett Crozier
• A second potential COVID-19 vaccine, backed by Bill and Melinda Gates, began clinical human testing yesterday
• British PM Johnson’s condition is stable and he is breathing without assistance following his admission to the intensive care unit

News Articles:

California:

• Mental health challenges + Sustainable housing fund + ‘Give for a Gay’ blood donation — California Gov. Gavin Newsom took some time at the beginning of his #NewsomAtNoon press conference Tuesday to acknowledge something that we’re all feeling, some more than others: That staying at home for an extended period of time takes its toll on mental health. Sac Bee — 4/8/20

• California to spend nearly $1B for 200 million masks per month — “We’ve been competing against other states, against other nations, against our own federal government for PPE — coveralls, masks, shields, N95 masks — and we’re not waiting around any longer,’’ Newsom told MSNBC host Rachel Maddow on Tuesday night. Politico — 4/8/20

• California won’t be lifting coronavirus stay-at-home rules anytime soon. Here’s why — Even as California sees glimmers of hope amid the coronavirus outbreak, authorities warn that the Golden State won’t be getting back to normal anytime soon.  Officials expect months more of some social distancing policies and warn that lifting the strict rules too early could worsen the health crisis. The public should realize that coronavirus cases are likely to rise when stay-at-home orders are eased, officials said. LA Times — 4/8/20

• What California is doing right in responding to the coronavirus pandemic — “When we write this history and look at the tens of thousands of lives in California that will have been spared, I think there will be lots of factors that went into it,” said Dr. Robert Wachter, professor and chair of the Department of Medicine at University of California, San Francisco. “The most important was that leaders of all types — whether they were in government or in businesses — took it seriously, believed that this was a real risk and did the right thing early.” CNN — 4/8/20

• Why New York has 12 times as many coronavirus deaths as California —California, the nation’s most populous state, was among the first to report cases. The first possible case of community transmission in the US was reported in California on February 26; the state reported its first death on March 4. New York lagged by days, reporting its first community transmission case on March 3 and first death on March 14. But just over a month after California’s first coronavirus death, as of April 8, the state has seen more than 17,000 cases and about 450 deaths — while New York state has more than 140,000 cases and about 5,500 deaths. Vox — 4/8/20

• California still way behind in coronavirus testing despite recent advances — As of Tuesday, California said it had results for 143,172 tests — or 362 per 100,000 people. That’s a sharp increase from two weeks ago when just 39 of every 100,000 residents had been tested. Yet for all its deep sources of innovation, the state is behind the national average of 596 tests per 100,000, according to the COVID Tracking Project. In New York, which has far more people hospitalized with severe symptoms, testing has reached 1,748 of every 100,000. LA Times — 4/8/20

• Newly eligible California workers in limbo over unemployment benefits — It could be weeks or longer before those newly-eligible workers get help as states await clarification from the Labor Department about precisely who qualifies and what documentation is required, and states then race to modify their existing unemployment insurance systems to include the expanded pool of recipients. LA Times — 4/7/20

• California lends 500 ventilators to 4 states, 2 territories — The White House said Monday that 500 ventilators on loan from California will be shipped to Nevada, Maryland, Delaware, the District of Columbia, the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam as the nation faces a crush of coronavirus-related hospitalizations. AP — 4/7/20

• Could a blood test for coronavirus antibodies get California back to normal? Lots of questions remain — Blood tests for antibodies to the novel coronavirus will be “foundational, fundamental,” to sending Californians back to work, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Monday. But medical experts caution that there’s still a lot we don’t know about whether the tests are reliable enough to ensure people’s safety. CalMatters — 4/7/20

• California still sifting through racial data to determine coronavirus impacts — The California counties that did release data lacked ethnic information for a sizable share of coronavirus cases — including more than half in Los Angeles County — an indication that background data was not collected uniformly as the state scrambled to expand its testing capabilities through different public and private labs. Politico — 4/7/20

• The virus casts a shroud over American civic life — The public access shutdown comes just as local officials make unprecedented decisions about health care and how to disburse billions of dollars in federal aid. And it could undermine years of hard-won victories on access to information, some transparency advocates say, with now-temporary restrictions enduring even after this crisis has receded. Politico — 4/7/20

• Shopping in LA? Cover your face or get tossed, Garcetti orders — Starting at midnight Friday morning, customers entering locations like grocery stores, pharmacies, hotels, taxis and ride-hailing vehicles will be required to wear a cloth mask. Businesses can refuse service to any resident who doesn’t comply with the mandate. Politico — 4/8/20

• Consider pulling residents from nursing homes over coronavirus, says county health director — More than 120 nursing facilities and other communal living institutions in Los Angeles County alone are suspected of having coronavirus infections, including a home in Redondo Beach where four people have died and 38 others have confirmed cases. LA Times — 4/7/20

• Coronavirus updates: 11 deaths in central San Joaquin Valley; When will we see the peak? — The number of deaths in the central San Joaquin Valley related to the conoranvirus and the respiratory illness COVID-19 has doubled since Friday. Fresno County confirmed a second death Monday afternoon. The same day, health officials in Merced announced the first coronavirus-related death in that county, while to the south Tulare County confirmed its sixth death. Fresno Bee –4/7/20

• Coronavirus cases climb in Inland Empire as San Bernardino County death toll doubles — Coronavirus cases have steadily risen this week in the Inland Empire, with an overall case count surpassing 1,000. Riverside County continues to see an uptick in the number of people infected with the coronavirus even as it implements unprecedented rules to stop the spread. Officials reported 799 cases and 19 deaths Sunday; that number jumped to 946 confirmed cases and 25 deaths Monday. Sixty people have recovered from the illness. Los Angeles Times –4/7/20

• Coronavirus treatment could be paid by Medicaid under bill from Rep. Gil Cisneros — Every American diagnosed with coronavirus could be eligible for Medicaid, so that the subsidized healthcare plan would pay for all related testing and treatment, under a bill proposed Tuesday by Rep. Gil Cisneros, D-Yorba Linda. OC Register — 4/7/20

• MTS to cut service as bus driver tests positive for coronavirus — Officials said transit ridership is down 65 percent, but many San Diegans are still using buses and trolleys. The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System plans to cut service on buses and trolleys starting April 13 to help limit the exposure of drivers and other staff to coronavirus. MTS had its first staff member, a minibus driver, test positive for coronavirus over the weekend. All bus and trolley drivers have access to masks, gloves and sanitizer. San Diego Union Tribune –4/7/20

• Field Medical Station created at Enloe Rehabilitation Center in response to COVID-19 — FEMA has delivered hospital beds to Butte County to create a Field Medical Station (FMS) at the Enloe Rehabilitation Center in Chico. This site is designed to expand medical surge capacity as needed in response to the coronavirus pandemic. As a field medical station, it will extend the county’s capacity to treat patients requiring hospitalization. The Enloe Rehabilitation Center will be converted and outfitted with 125 field hospital beds. Action News Now –4/6/20

• Sacramento County Extends Stay-At-Home Order Through May 1 — The new order sets new social distancing protocols for essential businesses, restricts access to recreation facilities, clarifies essential activities and travel, and prohibits all non-essential gatherings of any number of people. CBS Sacramento –4/7/20

• Suspicious package left at Roseville church that received backlash for hosting in-person service — Roseville police and the FBI are investigating a suspicious packaged that was sent to a megachurch that has continued in person services despite the statewide stay at home orders. The package, which police later determined was not an “explosive threat,” was sent to the Abundant Life Church on 700 block of Atlantic Street in Roseville on Tuesday, just days after the church’s most recent service. ABC 10 –4/7/20

• Virtual open houses, masked notaries: How you can still buy a home in a pandemic — The novel coronavirus has shut down large swaths of the U.S. economy, leading to millions of layoffs and the closure of bars, malls and events. And it has slammed the real estate industry. Applications for loans to purchase a home have plunged, and deals are falling out of escrow. But sales activity hasn’t completely stopped, at least not yet. Those who are determined can still buy a home. They just have to navigate the strangest market ever. Los Angeles Times –4/7/20

National:

• U.S. suffers record deaths, and small businesses struggle to secure loans — The United States counted its highest coronavirus-related death toll in a single day on Tuesday, with 1,997 fatalities, bringing the total to nearly 13,000 on Wednesday morning, according to the latest figures in a New York Times database. The U.S. currently has at least 397,754 positive cases across every state, Washington, D.C. and four territories. NY Times — 4/8/20

• Big banks took “free money’ in 2008. They’re turning their backs now on small businesses, SBA official says — The comments from SBA Nevada district director Joseph Amato offer a rare candid glimpse behind the scenes at the frustrations federal officials face as they work with banks to quickly ramp up one of the most ambitious economic stimulus programs in American history. The webinar features Amato talking candidly about the $349 billion program on a Zoom teleconference that was recorded and provided to The Post.  Washington Post — 4/8/20

• Pelosi and Schumer seek huge spending increases for hospitals, local aid and food stamps as coronavirus talks intensify — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer called Wednesday for hundreds of billions of dollars for hospitals, state and local governments, and food stamp recipients in response to the Trump administration’s urgent request for $250 billion more for small businesses. Washington Post — 4/8/20

• U.S. Stocks Rise After Bout of Volatility — The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 180 points, or 0.8%, a day after giving up a 4.1% advance to close 0.1% lower. The S&P 500 rose 0.7%, and the Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.7%. “A vacuum of data is leading to this volatility, rather than a shift in sentiment,” said Edward Park. deputy chief investment officer at Brooks Macdonald. WSJ — 4/8/20

• The New Cocktail Hour: Your Governor’s Daily Coronavirus Briefing — Live state updates on the pandemic become must-see TV and make unlikely stars of local official. WSJ 4/7/20

• Trump botched the coronavirus crisis. But will Gavin Newsom’s praise help re-elect him? — Newsom’s in a tough position, and he’s right to avoid unnecessary conflict with Trump. Great diplomacy, however, requires a grasp of subtlety. It’s possible to stroke Trump’s ego without covering up his catastrophic errors. Can Newsom temper his collegiality with reality? Or will his overdone applause come back to bite Democrats in November? Sac Bee — 4/7/20

• Hospitals say feds are seizing masks and other coronavirus supplies without a word — Although President Trump has directed states and hospitals to secure what supplies they can, the federal government is quietly seizing orders, leaving medical providers across the country in the dark about where the material is going and how they can get what they need to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. — LA Times — 4/7/20

• Walgreens to offer drive-thru testing at 15 locations in seven states — In a press release, the company said that it would open testing centers in fifteen new locations, including new locations in Illinois and six other states: Arizona, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Tennessee and Texas. The company opened its first drive-thru location on March 21, and will use the tests touted by White House officials including President Trump developed by Abbott Labs, which can return accurate coronavirus test results in minutes. The Hill -4/7/20

• Trump criticizes WHO, calls it ‘very China centric’ — The WHO has faced growing criticism from conservatives over its response to the novel coronavirus as the United States grapples with the global pandemic. Critics have blamed the organization for leaving other nations unprepared for the virus and some allege the organization helped China conceal the extent of the outbreak. The criticism has come as Trump received scrutiny himself for downplaying the threat from the virus early on. The Hill –4/7/20

• Shkreli seeks prison release to conduct research for coronavirus cure — Biotech entrepreneur Martin Shkreli called for his temporary release from prison on Tuesday in an 11-page scientific paper posted to a pharmaceutical company’s website. In the paper, Shkreli asks for a three-month furlough from his prison sentence in order to assist in the development of a cure for the coronavirus, a disease that has caused a global pandemic and has infected tens of thousands in the United States. The Hill –4/7/20

• Trump removes independent watchdog tasked with overseeing coronavirus emergency funds — President Donald Trump has removed the acting Inspector General for the Defense Department, Glenn Fine, as chair of the newly created Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, which is tasked with overseeing $2 trillion in emergency coronavirus funding. Late last month, a group of independent federal watchdogs tapped Fine, a career official, to lead the group tasked with preventing “waste, fraud, and abuse” in the use of coronavirus relief money. CNN –4/7/20

• New York’s Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine to become a field hospital — The “mother church” of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, and the seat of its bishop, will be able to hold at least 200 patients. nine medical tents will be set up inside the church’s nave —where thousands of chairs normally seat worshipers — by the end of the week. The cathedral’s crypt, which runs below the 600-foot-long nave, will act as a “staging area” for medical personnel. CBS News –4/7/20

• Treasury seeks $200 billion more for small business coronavirus aid — The Treasury Department will ask Congress for $200 billion more to aid small businesses, according to a person familiar with the matter, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senate could act as soon as this week to provide additional money. Businesses have rushed to tap the $350 billion Paycheck Protection Program that was part of the massive $2.2 trillion stimulus passed by Congress in response to the economic crisis spawned by the coronavirus pandemic. Orange County Register –4/7/20

• Trade Adviser Warned White House in January of Risks of a Pandemic —The warning, written in a memo by Peter Navarro, President Trump’s trade adviser, is the highest-level alert known to have circulated inside the West Wing as the administration was taking its first substantive steps to confront a crisis that had already consumed China’s leaders and would go on to upend life in Europe and the United States. New York Times –4/6/20

• New York reports highest single-day virus death toll — The 731 deaths reported brought the total to 5,489 deaths and 138,836 infections. BBC News –4/7/20

• Etsy encourages sellers to make face masks — As the US struggles to fill a coronavirus-driven demand for more personal protective equipment, Etsy, the online seller of homemade goods, is encouraging its network of sellers to make face masks. The move comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an updated set of guidelines on wearing face coverings in public, including homemade face masks. CNET –4/7/20

• New Research Links Air Pollution to Higher Coronavirus Death Rates — Coronavirus patients in areas that had high levels of air pollution before the pandemic are more likely to die from the infection than patients in cleaner parts of the country, according to a new nationwide study that offers the first clear link between long-term exposure to pollution and Covid-19 death rates. New York Times –4/7/20

• MLB: 30 teams in Arizona to end coronavirus hiatus just a ‘potential option’ — Multiple sources reported Monday that Major League Baseball and its players’ union had discussed a plan to start the 2020 season as early as May by moving all 30 teams to Arizona where games would be played in the 10 spring training ballparks there as well as the Arizona Diamondbacks’ home stadium, Chase Field, and possibly college facilities. No fans would be allowed and players would live in virtual isolation — going only from the ballpark to their hotel and back — possibly for as long as four months. Orange County Register –4/7/20

Global:

• Japan Firms to Shut With Emergency Decree, 7-Elevens Stay Open — Japanese companies prepared to close retail stores, restaurants, movie theaters and offices, while expanding work-from-home policies, after the government declared a state of emergency in major metropolitan areas. Bloomberg –4/7/20

• Some Swedish Hospitals Have Stopped Using Chloroquine to Treat COVID-19 After Reports of Severe Side Effects — According to the national paper Expressen, hospitals in the Västra Götaland region are no longer offering the antimalarial medication, with side effects reported to include cramps and the loss of peripheral vision. Newsweek –4/6/20

• Paris bans daytime outdoor exercise — The new rules are in force between 10:00 and 19:00 local time, and come into effect on Wednesday. Mayor Anne Hidalgo and the chief of police said this would restrict people to exercise “when the streets are generally at their quietest”. In total, 8,911 people have died there, and the number of confirmed cases is almost at 100,000. BBC News –4/7/20

• Chernobyl’s on Fire. Great. — A fire that now covers about 50 acres has broken out within the uninhabited exclusion zone around Chernobyl. Radiation readings around the area are almost five times what’s considered safe, and more than 16 times normal. Radioactive fires aren’t the only problem that Ukraine’s emergency services are dealing with right now: Nearly 1,500 cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in the country. Epidemiologists in the country expect 80% of the population to get COVID-19, 20% of whom will require hospitalization. Luckily, the radiation from the fires around Chernobyl haven’t wafted over to the country’s more populated regions. VICE News –4/7/20

• Wuhan outbound travel ban lifted — The months-long lockdown in the city of Wuhan in China’s Hubei province – where the coronavirus pandemic started – has been lifted. Anyone who has a “green” code on a widely used smartphone health app is now allowed to leave, for the first time since January. Train, road and rail connections have now been re-established. It comes as China reported no deaths on Tuesday, the first time since it began publishing figures. BBC News –4/7/20

• Mafia plots post-coronavirus pounce — Throughout their 150-year history in the south of Italy, the country’s organized crime syndicates have turned a profit from emergencies such as earthquakes and cholera outbreaks by sourcing agricultural workers, fixing construction contracts or siphoning off funds meant for city sanitation. The coronavirus epidemic sweeping across Europe is providing the mafia with another profitable business opportunity — and not just in Italy. Politico –4/7/20

• Finland rolls out random nationwide testing for coronavirus antibodies —Finnish health officials will begin offering voluntary tests for coronavirus antibodies this week as the country seeks to determine how many asymptomatic carriers may be in the country. Finland has confirmed more than 2,300 cases of the disease, with just 34 deaths reported from the virus inside the country. The Hill –4/7/20

• Turkey’s Covid-19 infection rate rising fastest in the world — Turkey’s number of coronavirus infections is increasing by more than 3,000 a day, reaching 30,217 since the first case was confirmed four weeks ago. Reported fatalities remain much lower than other badly hit countries, at 649, but the infection figures suggest Turkey has the fastest rising number of confirmed cases in the world. The Guardian — 4/7/20

For more resources and information on COVID-19:

• CA COVID-19 Response Website: link
• California Department of Public Health: link
• Centers for Disease Control: link
• California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services: link
• Employment Development Department (EDD) link
• Labor Workforce and Development Agency: link
• Tips for prevention: English | Spanish