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.
California education workers to receive at least 10% of the state's COVID-19 vaccine supply
At least 10% of California's COVID-19 vaccine supply, about 75,000 doses a week, will be given to education workers starting on March 1.
Education workers include teachers, paraprofessionals, bus drivers, child care workers and administrators. The state will prioritize vaccines for counties and schools with higher proportions of students from low-income families, English learners and homeless youth.
Governor Gavin Newsom released a statement that education professionals deserve to be prioritized for the vaccine.
"Our top priority is getting students back in the classroom as safely and quickly as possible, and the expanded access to vaccines will build on the momentum and confidence that we can do so with urgency," Newsom said.
Sacramento County inmates will begin getting vaccines
The Sacramento County Health Officer will begin vaccinating inmates after a recent COVID-19 outbreak. The county said it will begin with higher risk inmates, but the rollout may take time due to a scarce supply.
Vaccinations will at first focus on floors and housing areas where there may be a high concentration of:
- Housing units with medical or special needs patients
- Age 65 or older
- Housing units where there is inmate movement throughout the facility, such as Honors dorm and workers.
- Inmates needing a 2nd dose
“Incarcerated people deserve the same level of timeliness, and care that communities outside receive when it come to access to the COVID-19 vaccine," said Rena Karefa-Johnson, Essie Justice Group Director of Campaigns & Advocacy. "Instead of medical coercion, there should be thorough education and explanation. Still, a vaccine is no substitute for what the compounding crises of mass incarceration and the Covid-19 pandemic truly require which are immediate large-scale releases of incarcerated people, especially of old, aging, and medically vulnerable people.”
Latest California COVID statistics shows bump in death rate due to LA County backlog
Thursday’s COVID-19 statistics released by the state shows 1,114 deaths from the virus – a 2.2% bump in the day-to-day numbers – but officials say that high figure is due to a newly counted backlog from LA County.
The LA County backlog totaled 806 previously uncounted COVID deaths, according to the state.
The state total on Thursday stood at 3,460,326 confirmed cases of COVID-19, down 0.1% from Wednesday.
The state has also administered at least 8,003,120 vaccines to date.
Yolo County develops private clinics for agriculture workers
Yolo County held two separate clinics for agriculture workers in West Sacramento and Woodland this week. The county said they had 700 doses to give out, but it was unclear whether they administered all 700 in their news release.
The county said they've been trying to bring equity to farm workers by switching between cities and communities.
"These private clinics also allow workers to get vaccinated without needing to go online, know English, or compete with others as many of these ag workers work from sun up to sun down or have limited internet skills," said Jenny Tan, Yolo County Public Information Officer.
COVID-19 testing lab firm sues California whistleblower
A whistleblower who accused a COVID-19 testing lab in California of improper work is being sued by the company for violating a confidentiality agreement.
PerkinElmer Inc. sued Mahnaz Salem in federal court in Los Angeles on Monday. The lawsuit alleges she breached a contract that barred her from disclosing proprietary information. The company has a $1.4-billion COVID-19 testing contract with the state. Salem was laboratory services manager at its Valencia testing laboratory.
California's Department of Public Health is investigating. PerkinElmer says it has corrected problems.
Backlogged cases push state coronavirus deaths past 50,000
California's coronavirus death toll has topped 50,000 as Los Angeles County updated its count using backlogged records. The nation's most populous county on Wednesday reported 806 deaths that occurred during a fall and winter virus surge and 136 new deaths. Johns Hopkins University put the state's death figure at 50,890.
The state hit the 40,000 mark on Jan. 30. But its COVID-19 infection and death rates have begun to taper off. The new figures come days after the U.S. recorded a half-million deaths from the pandemic.
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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