COVID PM: Newsom opens up the stimulus vault again; kids as young as 12 can now get Pfizer

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It was another busy day on the pandemic beat. Here are your COVID PM storylines for Monday, May 10 …

On the stimulus front

Newsom promises additional $600 stimulus checks for Californians, $1,100 for families: Under the governor’s proposal, which still requires approval from the Legislature, households earning up to $75,000 in adjusted gross income will be able to receive the second round of stimulus payments. The expanded program would provide financial assistance to two-thirds of Californians. More from the LA Times here.

Am I eligible for the proposed $600 stimulus checks in California? What you need to know: Families who file with an identification number and receive CalEITC have been eligible for up to $1,200 in the first round. The state said this month that so far 2.5 million Golden State Stimulus payments worth $1.6 billion have been issued. The Times has the key points of the new plan here.

On the vaccine front

Eighth graders in San Diego County join a sit-in to protest virtual learning. A fuller return to in-person learning could be one of the benefits of offering COVID-19 vaccines to younger teens. (Elizabeth Marie Himchak / Pomerado News)

COVID-19 vaccine is now available to kids as young as 12. Here’s why that matters: Vaccine hesitancy is making herd immunity for COVID-19 seem more elusive than ever. Could that change once the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is authorized for children as young as 12? The Times digs into that here.

An anti-vaccine message appears on a southbound Highway 1 overpass in Santa Cruz last week. Credit: Provided photo

Shorter lines and TikTok ads: California’s push to beat vaccine hesitancy: Like swing voters in an election, those who have yet to be vaccinated will determine the outcome of the United States’ vaccination campaign, including how quickly the spread of the virus will stall and to what extent the disease will calcify into a long-term threat. More from the Times on that here.

On the pandemic life front

People with bouquets — Andrea Fabian, 4, of Inglewood carries flowers while walking with her mother, Amelia Cruz, along San Pedro Street. There are several factors driving the flower shortage, many of which can be tied to the COVID-19 pandemic, industry experts said. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Do I still need to wear a mask outdoors? There is a growing debate: As COVID-19 vaccinations increase and nationwide case rates continue to decline, the country’s top health experts are considering whether and when face mask guidelines can become more lenient. “We do need to start being more liberal as we get more people vaccinated,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.” But Fauci also cautioned that we’re not there yet from a vaccination perspective. More on the issue from the Times here.

On the local front

READ THE STORY: Watsonville Community Hospital reaches preliminary agreement for sale to avoid closure Credit: Nick Ibarra / Lookout Santa Cruz

A well-earned week of gratitude for nurses, doctors: Watsonville Hospital set to dole out the appreciation: National Nurses week is May 6-12, and National Hospital Week is May 9-16, so WCH is combining them, along with celebrating a belated Doctor’s Day, which was March 30. More from Lookout’s Laurel Bushman here.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is now open: How to schedule, and what to expect from, a visit: The Monterey Bay Aquarium has reopened, and visits there are almost back to normal, with a few key differences. The Seymour Marine Discovery Center also is beginning to resume operations but in a more limited way. More from our Mallory Pickett here.