Coronavirus updates: Rent, unemployment woes loom over Californians amid pandemic
California set a new record Wednesday for its highest reported COVID-19 death toll in a single day with 197 dead.
Though some of those deaths may have occurred several days or weeks ago because of the verification process used by local health officials, the new numbers underline the ongoing severity of the pandemic.
Though new infections are not growing with the alarming speed they did in late June and early July, parts of California are still experiencing COVID-19 surges.
The Central Valley, as well as parts of Southern California like Imperial County, are seeing a dramatic increase in COVID-19 patients entering local hospitals. In the Sacramento region, Placer and Yolo counties reported fewer than 10 adult ICU beds available.
California reported nearly 10,200 new cases of COVID-19 Thursday morning, bringing the state total now to more than 485,000 infections, according to the latest state public health data. Another 194 deaths were reported Thursday, bringing the death toll in the state to 8,909.
Deaths have dramatically increased from the flat-line levels in May and June: As of Wednesday, an average of 109 people died from the virus in California every day over the last two weeks. Two weeks ago, about 83 people died every day on average over a two-week period.
For the last two weeks, the positivity rate — the portion of tests returning positive — has remained around 7.5%. That suggests that coronavirus cases are still steadily increasing across the state.
But some parts of the state are seeing a worrying number of positive results returning, particularly in the Central Valley, with Fresno at over 10.7% and Tulare over 17.7%.
The World Health Organizations suggests a rate of lower than 5% before reopening the economy, and California puts individual counties on notice when they hit 8% or higher.
At least 6,700 people are in hospital beds with COVID-19 and about 30% of them are in intensive care units, according to state public health data released Thursday morning. The number of people hospitalized with the virus is likely higher than that, because historical data from some facilities was not included in the state’s daily release because of a reporting issue.
The continued growth in new infections and hospitalizations comes as thousands of Californians still struggle to secure unemployment benefits, and renters worry about looming rent payments Aug. 1.
Black, Latino Californians worry about making rent payments amid pandemic
Latino and Black tenants in California are much more worried than their white and Asian counterparts about paying their rent in the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic, according to data taken by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The fears reflect the disproportionate economic impact of the pandemic Latino and Black communities. The Black and Latino unemployment rates have been significantly higher the white unemployment rate, and those groups have also had higher COVID-19 infection rates.
For now, many Californians at risk of missing rent cannot be evicted. Gov. Gavin Newsom has extended local governments’ ability to ban evictions until Sept. 30. The California Legislature is also considering multiple bills to extend that ban on evictions further.
But eviction bans don’t ease the burden of owing rent payments eventually, meaning debts can pile up. And not all cities are taking up Newsom’s call to extend local eviction moratoriums.
Congress is currently negotiating a coronavirus relief package that seems likely to include another $1,200 stimulus payment to single people making less than $75,000 and $2,400 to couples making less than $150,000.
In March, Congress increased unemployment payments by $600 weekly, but that has expired.
California unemployment backlog to take months to process
Gov. Gavin Newsom doesn’t expect California to work through a backlog of unemployment insurance claims for two more months, despite a push to hire thousands of temporary workers and improve state technology.
Newsom announced new efforts Wednesday aimed at speeding up the process within the Employment Development Department, which has struggled to keep up with a surge of claims since the coronavirus outbreak arrived in March.
The department has processed 8 million unemployment insurance claims since then and distributed about $49 billion in benefits, according to a state press release Wednesday.
Yet nearly 1 million claims that might be eligible for payment are sitting in a backlog. The state’s efforts will focus on eliminating the backlog of those “actionable” claims by the end of September, according to the release.
The department is hiring 5,300 temporary employees, according to the release. The state has redirected 1,300 state workers from within EDD and from other departments to help, along with paying consultant Deloitte to augment a call center.
Dozens infected with COVID-19 at California youth prisons
The state adult prison system has seen thousands of inmates released early as the coronavirus has surged through those institutions.
That’s led some families and advocates to wondering why California isn’t willing to do the same for incarcerated youth offenders. There are around 775 teens and young adults in the facilities. Forty-seven inmates infected with COVID-19 represent 6% of the population.
“Why not the youth?” Jane Faalataina, whose son tested positive for COVID-19. “The youth are as important as adults. If you’re releasing adults … with COVID, why not for all?”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has not commented on releasing the state’s youth offenders early. Officials with the Department of Juvenile Justice deferred questions about releasing inmates to Newsom’s office, which didn’t comment Wednesday.
Federal funds withheld for Central Valley cities defying state health orders
Two Central Valley cities that have defied state health orders by allowing all businesses to operate during the pandemic will not receive a portion of federal funds, the Associated Press reports.
Gov. Gavin Newsom is withholding nearly $65,000 from Atwater in Merced County and more than $35,000 from Coalinga in Fresno County — the first installments of $2.5 billion in federal funds — for failing to follow state health orders.
The new powers were granted to Newsom when the new state budget took effect earlier this month. Atwater and Coalinga lost the first one-sixth of their money but can get the rest if they back down, Office of Emergency Services spokesman Brian Ferguson told the AP.
Both cities have opted to stick with their resolutions defying state health orders.
Who’s social distancing? Depends on income, study finds
How much are Americans staying home or maintaining social distancing? It depends heavily on income, a new UC Davis study suggests.
Published Thursday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study found that wealthier communities decreased their mobility “significantly more” than poorer communities, based on anonymized data from mobile device location pings from across the United States captured between January and April 2020.
The study found that while there was substantial social distancing after the stay-at-home orders were issued, it “dramatically increases in intensity with income.”
By mid-March, there was about a 25-percentage-point jump of the wealthiest communities staying completely at home, compared to a 10 percentage point increase in staying at home in the poorest ones, the study found.
Coronavirus death toll tops 150,000 in US
Coronavirus has killed more than 150,000 people in the United States, Johns Hopkins University reports.
The U.S. reached the grim milestone Wednesday, six months after the first COVID-19 case was reported in the country.
Coronavirus has killed more Americans than every war since the start of the Korean War combined, Time reports. It also has killed more Americans than World War I and every previous flu pandemic in the 20th century except the 1918 pandemic, which killed 675,000 in the U.S.
“COVID-19 has changed our world,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization, BBC News reported. “It has brought people, communities and nations together, and driven them apart.”
Positive COVID-19 test delays Republic FC match
Hours after Republic FC’s match against Orange County SC was postponed Wednesday night due to a positive COVID-19 test by a previous opponent, The San Diego Union-Tribune, citing an unnamed Sacramento source, said multiple LA Galaxy II players tested positive for the coronavirus. Galaxy II’s last game was at home against Sacramento on Saturday.
After that match, Republic FC went through weekly COVID-19 tests that have been a part of the club’s protocols since the United Soccer League reboot.
“All I can tell you is there were individuals within the covered personnel list for the clubs that had positive COVID-19 tests,” Ryan Madden, the USL’s vice president for communications, told the Union-Tribune. “Whenever there is a positive test, we have conversations with the two teams to gauge their comfort level with the match proceeding. It’s ultimately the league’s decision, but it’s done in consultation with the teams.”
As a part of the USL health and wellness protocols, everyone on the covered list — which includes players, coaches and staff — are tested weekly. After Saturday’s match, everyone on the covered list had their COVID-19 test come back negative. The disease can take days to show up in a test, however.
“We received news a short time (before the game) that a previous opponent tested positive,” Republic FC President Ben Gumpert said Wednesday. “Even though we’ve gone through all the correct protocols and continued to we did not receive any positive tests on our team — as well as Orange County.”
Since July 13, nine USL games have been postponed due to COVID-19. For now, Sac Republic is scheduled to play San Diego Loyal SC on Saturday. Because of the possible exposure to the coronavirus, Republic FC’s players and staff were tested again Thursday.
Latest Sacramento-area COVID-19 cases and deaths
The six-county region of Sacramento, El Dorado, Placer, Yolo, Sutter and Yuba has seen 14,813 cases of the coronavirus as of Thursday. The virus has killed a total of 194 in the region.
Sacramento County reported 150 new cases Thursday morning. The total number of infections in the county is now 9,664. The death toll in the county is currently 127. At least 277 patients with COVID-19 are in hospitals, and 83 of them are receiving intensive care.
Yolo County has reported a total of 1,494 cases and 41 deaths. On Thursday afternoon, the county reported 18 new COVID-19 cases but no new deaths. The county on Wednesday reported 29 new cases and two more deaths due to the virus. As of Thursday morning, there were 11 patients in hospitals in Yolo County, five of whom were in intensive care. The county had four ICU beds remaining, according to state data.
Placer County has reported 1,822 cases and 15 deaths, including 36 more infections Thursday. There are 59 people hospitalized in the county because of the virus and 12 are being treated in ICUs. The county has two more adult ICU beds available.
El Dorado County has reported a total of 613 cases and one death from COVID-19. On Thursday, the county reported 24 new cases and no new deaths. As of Thursday morning, three infected people in the county were hospitalized; two of them were in intensive care, according to state data. The county reported 10 new cases on Wednesday. Nearly half of the total number of cases have been reported in the Lake Tahoe region.
Sutter County has reported a total of 755 COVID-19 cases and six deaths due to the virus. The county added 24 cases to its total Thursday evening, but no new deaths. The county reported 32 new cases Wednesday and 34 new cases Tuesday, along with two new deaths this week. Eleven infected people in the county were hospitalized Thursday, and seven of them were in intensive care.
Yuba County has reported a total of 465 COVID-19 cases and four deaths due to the virus. On Thursday evening, the county reported 23 new cases after adding a record-high 26 new cases to its total Wednesday. No new deaths were reported Thursday. The county reported one new death Wednesday. Six infected people in the county were hospitalized Wednesday, and one of them was in intensive care.
Latest coronavirus numbers worldwide
Worldwide, more than 17.2 million people have been infected with the coronavirus and over 671,000 people have died as of Thursday night, according to data maintained by Johns Hopkins University.
The United States accounts for the largest share of infections for any country, with nearly 4.5 million cases and more than 152,000 deaths.
Brazil follows, with more than 2.6 million infections and over 91,000 deaths. India is third in cases at nearly 1.6 million and sixth in deaths with nearly 35,000. More than 46,000 have died in the United Kingdom, exactly 46,000 in Mexico and over 35,000 in Italy.
What is COVID-19? How is the coronavirus spread?
Coronavirus is spread through contact between people within 6 feet of each other, especially through coughing and sneezing that expels respiratory droplets that land in the mouths or noses of people nearby.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it’s possible to catch the disease COVID-19 by touching something that has the virus on it, and then touching your own face, “but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.”
Symptoms of the virus that causes COVID-19 include fever, cough and shortness of breath, which may occur two days to two weeks after exposure.
Most people develop only mild symptoms, but some people develop more severe symptoms, including pneumonia, which can be fatal. The disease is especially dangerous to the elderly and others with weaker immune systems.
This story was originally published July 30, 2020 at 7:57 AM.