SACRAMENTO, Calif. — ABC10 is following the latest coronavirus statistics and vaccine news for the Sacramento region and the state of California.
This blog will be updated throughout the day with the latest COVID-19 news. Click HERE to learn when and where you can sign-up to get the coronavirus vaccine near you.
Sacramento City Unified to host COVID vaccine clinics for teachers starting next week
Sacramento City Unified has announced plans to host a series of COVID-19 vaccine clinics for teachers starting Friday, February 9. The first clinic will be hosted in partnership with Dignity Health.
According to the Sacramento City Unified School District, the vaccination events will have a limited number of vaccines each day. Officials say they will "carefully plan" registration appointments.
The school district says they will provide a link for school staff to schedule their vaccine appointment next week.
"Over the course of the next few weeks, depending on who signs up, we believe we can provide access to the vaccine to all interested Sac City Unified employees," the school district said.
For more information about the clinics and how people can sign up to volunteer to help, visit https://www.scusd.edu/vaccinations.
State releases latest COVID-19 statistics
On Friday, the state of California announced a state total of 3,381,615 confirmed cases of COVID-19. There were also 546 deaths reported, bringing the total up to 46,002 deaths.
High-risk patients as young as 16 could soon receive vaccine
According to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), health care providers will be allowed to give the COVID-19 vaccine to high-risk patients as young as 16 years old beginning March 15.
Currently, vaccines can be distributed to those who qualify in Phase 1A and Phase 1B in Tier 1. High-risk patients include those battling one or more of the following severe health conditions:
- Cancer, current with debilitated or immunocompromised state
- Chronic kidney disease, stage 4 or above
- Chronic pulmonary disease, oxygen dependent
- Down syndrome
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant
- Pregnancy
- Sickle cell disease
- Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies (excludes hypertension)
- Severe obesity (Body Mass Index ≥ 40 kg/m2)
- Type 2 diabetes mellitus with hemoglobin A1c level greater than 7.5%
The CDPH also say if as a result of a developmental or other severe high-risk disabilities, one or more of the following applies:
- The individual is likely to develop severe life-threatening illness or death from COVID-19 infection
- Acquiring COVID-19 will limit the individual’s ability to receive ongoing care or services vital to their well-being and survival
- Providing adequate and timely COVID care will be particularly challenging
The list of people eligible may change as more scientific evidence is made available and the California Department of Health analyzes more state-specific data.
California has been plagued by vaccine shortages and Ghaly acknowledged he's not sure how long it will take for the federal supply of shots to meet demand.
Some fitness trainers got vaccine as 'health care workers'
Some fitness trainers in California were able to get vaccinated against COVID-19 after state health officials created a loophole that helped them qualify as health care workers. KGO-TV reports that in January, the California Department of Public Health released updated guidelines on vaccination allocation that classified outdoor recreation as health care, the first tier eligible to get the vaccine along with people over 75. Some fitness clubs jumped at the chance of getting their employees vaccinated. But last Friday, state health officials updated the rules and they no longer include outdoor recreation as health care.
PG&E extending customer protections to June 30 due to COVID-19
Due to the ongoing pandemic, Pacific Gas and Electric is extending certain customer protections. These protections include a moratorium on service disconnections due to non-payment and pausing verification and re-enrollment for California Alternate Rates for Energy Program (CARE) and Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA) Program (FERA).
The protections were set to expire on April 16, 2021 but will now be extended until June 30, 2021.
Sacramento County teachers can begin to receive vaccinations on Feb. 16
Teachers across Sacramento County will begin receiving COVID vaccinations starting on Feb. 16, 2020, the Sacramento County Public Health Department (SCPH) announced.
The effort is being made in coordination with the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE), the county’s 13 local school districts, private school entities, and healthcare partners, SCPH said in a press release on Friday.
Access will be dependent on the availability of vaccine doses, SCPH said.
“Vaccinating our educators and childcare providers is an important step in the effort to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and help return our communities back to their normal lives,” Sacramento County Public Health Officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye said. “While the effort will be slow, every person that gets vaccinated is a step in the right direction.”
Earlier this week, Gov. Gavin Newsom said, following guidance from the CDC and the Biden administration, he felt it was safe to open schools in the state without requiring teacher vaccinations. The Sacramento City Teachers Association pushed back on that idea.
Nursing students at Sierra College assist with vaccine distribution
Kaiser Permanente opened a COVID-19 vaccination clinic Friday morning in partnership with Sierra College in Rocklin. Anyone 75 years old and older is eligible to be vaccinated. All vaccinations are by appointments only.
Officials at the college are expected to vaccinate around 300 people Friday and Saturday. Eventually, with available supply, this Rocklin site could give up to 1,500 vaccinations a day.
Nursing students at Sierra College will help out in administering vaccinations.
Determining how to distribute vaccines
As California scrambles to vaccinate people, counties and vaccine providers are complaining about a lack of supply. Deciding where scarce shots go is a process that involves federal, state and local governments.
The federal government gives states an allocation each week, then the state uses county requests and a formula to determine how to distribute them. Counties then decide how much each provider gets.
GOP's Kevin McCarthy attended son's wedding during shutdown
House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy attended his son’s wedding in December with a small group of family members, at a time when California residents were being urged to avoid social gatherings because of the risk of spreading coronavirus.
Video of the Dec. 5 event in coastal San Luis Obispo County posted online by the congressman shows 13 guests at the outdoor ceremony, none appearing masked. Wedding ceremonies were allowed at the time in the county outdoors, but receptions were banned. McCarthy says that a planned 300-person wedding was scaled back because of the pandemic and only the couple’s parents, grandparents, and sisters attended.
Resources guide for California families
- San Joaquin County Help: A Resource Guide for Struggling Families and Individuals
- Yolo County Help: A Resource Guide for Struggling Families and Individuals
- Stanislaus County Help: A Resource Guide for Struggling Families and Individuals
- Sacramento County Help: A Resource Guide for Struggling Families and Individuals
- Q&A: Why wear a mask after you've been vaccinated?
- Can my employer require the COVID-19 vaccine? | Q&A with workers rights attorney
- El Dorado County Help: A resource guide for struggling families and individuals
- Northern California Help: A resource guide for struggling Families and individuals
