As a third of hospitals report critical staffing shortages, California’s health department is considering issuing an order postponing many elective surgeries. Many procedures, including a lung transplant, already have been canceled.
Barbara Feder Ostrov
Posted inHealth & Wellness
The Lambda COVID variant is in California: 5 things to know
Experts think Lambda is more infectious than the original coronavirus behind COVID-19 but less infectious than the Delta variant that’s raging across the state and country. There are also signs it could be more resistant to vaccines, though more study is needed.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
California first in nation to mandate vaccinations for health care workers
Medical workers must complete their inoculations by Sept. 30 under the order issued Thursday. California also ordered all visitors at hospitals and other medical facilities to be vaccinated or test negative for COVID-19 beginning next Wednesday.
Posted inCOVID Today
COVID cases surging in California a month after reopening
A month after California’s reopening lifted most pandemic restrictions, COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are rising, worrying public health officials as they contend with the more infectious Delta variant and the lagging pace of vaccinations in some communities.
Posted inCOVID Today
The cost of fighting COVID in California (where 63,000 people have died): At least $12.3 billion
An influx of taxpayer money has paid for everything from masks, hospital beds and student laptops to extra workers for unemployment hotlines and tracing contacts.
Posted inCOVID Today
County health agencies — fighting disease — also have to fight for state funds
As the governor and lawmakers wrangle over the budget, local public health departments are underfunded and overwhelmed. Outdated equipment and insufficient staff hamper handling of everything from asthma to syphilis.
Posted inVaccine Watch
Willing to help but nowhere to go: State’s recruitment of COVID-19 volunteers fell short
More than 251,000 Californians signed up on MyTurn to volunteer at vaccine clinics. But only 379 people have been able to book shifts through the state’s problem-plagued website.
Posted inVaccine Watch
Pediatricians can bypass MyTurn as they vaccinate children
In an effort to accelerate vaccination of teens, California health officials say they will allow pediatricians to obtain doses without going through the state’s problematic registration site. Children ages 12 to 15 may become eligible for COVID-19 vaccines next week.
Posted inVaccine Watch
State’s ‘MyTurn’ website bypassed for most vaccine appointments
Billed as a one-stop shop, California’s $50 million site has instead created nonstop problems. Only 27% of vaccinations booked each day use MyTurn.
Posted inVaccine Watch
Blue Shield CEO: Vaccine appointments may be backed up for several weeks
The CEO of Blue Shield predicts it will take until the end of April to ease California’s backlog. “When you make millions of people eligible overnight, there’s not millions of appointments immediately available,” he told CalMatters.