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.
San Joaquin County clinic series vaccinates 2,300 school employees
School employees across San Joaquin County are being vaccinated against the coronavirus. In the latest clinic series, the San Joaquin County Office of Education upped their vaccination total to 2,300.
The clinic series is expected to deliver about 11,000 first doses of the vaccine through March 3.
"As educators, it is our goal for all classrooms to be open to in-person instruction. Vaccination of school employees removes a barrier and brings us closer to that goal," said Jane Steinkamp, SJCOE Assistant Superintendent of Educational Service and chairperson of the SJCOE Vaccination Distribution Task Force. "It's not the only step, but it’s a significant step. No matter where a school is in its process of resuming or increasing in-person instruction, the vaccination of school employees can help that process move forward."
These vaccine clinics are invitation only. Only pre-registered employee can schedule an appointment. For more information on the clinics, click HERE.
34,000 COVID vaccine doses to Sacramento delayed by winter storms
Winter storms across the central and eastern United States have played havoc with shipments of COVID-19 vaccine doses to Sacramento County.
The delay shorted the county some 34,000 doses, according to the Sacramento County Public Health Office. Those doses are expected to arrive throughout the week.
The SCPH said it has scaled vaccinations to those needing second doses, however, they say some second dose appointments could be impacted if there are further delays.
California OKs $600 stimulus payments for 5.7 million people
The California Legislature has approved $600 payments for about 5.7 million people. Gov. Gavin Newsom has said he will sign the legislation into law.
People with low to moderate incomes will be eligible to get the money. That includes people who claim the California earned income tax credit on their tax returns.
In general, those people make $30,000 or less per year.
Immigrants who pay taxes using an individual taxpayer identification number and make $75,000 a year or less after deductions would also get the money. People who receive assistance from state programs benefiting low-income families and people who are blind and disabled are also eligible.
Newsom pledges more vaccines for Central Valley farmworkers
Gov. Gavin Newsom says more vaccines are headed to California's vast Central Valley, an agricultural region that's been hit hard by coronavirus.
In the small farming city of Arvin on Monday, Newsom said that 11 mobile clinics will open in the region later this week. The facilities are designed to vaccinate people, mostly farmworkers, who don't have transportation to larger vaccination sites or can't navigate the state's online signup portal.
He says the state is also sending 34,000 extra vaccine doses there from a pharmacy that wasn't using them quickly enough. The shift in allocations comes as California moves beyond inoculating health care workers to include food and farm workers and teachers.
California releases latest COVID statistics
California has 3,446,611 confirmed coronavirus cases to date, according to the latest figures released by state health officials.
The 7-day positivity rate is 3.0% and the 14-day positivity rate is 3.3%.
There have been 47,320,802 tests conducted in the state – an increase of 277,454 in the last 24 hours, according to health officials. Officials say 7,437,925 vaccine doses have been administered, so far, statewide.
The death toll from COVID-19 in California stands at 49,338.
Inspectors find 'deficiencies' at virus test lab
California health officials say inspectors found “significant deficiencies” at the state's new coronavirus testing laboratory.
The state said in a preliminary report Monday that a fraction of 1% of the more than 1.5 million tests performed at the Valencia Branch Laboratory have had problems. But Health Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said “one incorrect test result is one too many.” Massachusetts-based diagnostics company PerkinElmer, which operates the lab under a $1.4 billion state contract, says the deficiencies found in a December inspection “have long since been resolved.” The state health department also is investigating whistleblower allegations of incompetence and mismanagement, including reports of workers sleeping on the job. The company says those concerns are ”misplaced.”
Kaiser announces more vaccines coming
Kaiser Permanente announces in an email to patients over the weekend that California is increasing its weekly vaccine allocation. In the coming week, the medical provider expects to receive "20% of California's vaccine supply."
"And, as the state receives more vaccine from the CDC, we expect our supply to continue rising to help us vaccinate the 1 in 4 Californians who are Kaiser Permanente members, as well as residents of the broader communities we serve," the email said.
With vaccine supply slowly growing, Gov. Newsom points to Long Beach as model for schools reopening
Long Beach plans to reopen schools for grades K - 5 on March 29, and Governor Newsom says it is in part because of the city's leadership in vaccinating teachers.
"Almost to the day that the governor and the state said you can start vaccinating teachers, Long Beach moved and started vaccinating teachers, and that's allowed us to have a plan to reopen schools safely this upcoming month," Mayor Robert Garcia said.
Newsom and other local officials applauded the regions efforts in a press conference on Monday morning. Long Beach Supervisor Janice Hahn was one of those officials, pointing to the Mayor's own family history with the virus and his subsequent response as inspiring.
"You know, we've lost almost 20,000 souls to this virus here in LA County. Two of those were his [Mayor Garcia's] parents. And the grief that he must have felt, and yet, every single day showed up to continue to advocate for testing and vaccines so other families would not experience the grief that he did. That's inspiring. That's a hero to me," Hahn said.
Newsom acknowledged the slow vaccine rollout during the conference, but said that supply is also steadily growing week by week. The state received roughly 1.3 million doses last week, 1.4 million this week, and is expecting to receive about 1.5 million next week. The single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine is also expected to be approved sometime this week, bringing even more hope for an influx of supply.
Gov. Newsom visits vaccination clinic in Southern California today
California's governor streamed his visit to a Long Beach vaccination site Monday as he provided an update on the state's fight against COVID-19 and the latest news on vaccine administration. Around 12:30 p.m., Gov. Newsom will be in Kern County to provide an update on the vaccination efforts in the Central Valley.
On Sunday, Gov. Newsom stopped by a FEMA-run mobile vaccination sites in Boyle Heights and Inglewood on Sunday.
On Twitter, Newsom said the state has now administered over 7.3 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine, with hospitalizations and ICU capacity down dramatically since earlier in the year.
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
- Where to find help in Placer County: A resource guide for struggling individuals and families
- Northern California Help: A resource guide for struggling Families and individuals
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