BLOG
NEWS & LEGAL
INFORMATION

Jacob’s Journal – Weekly News Rewind (10/18-10/24) COVID Economy Woes: California Unemployment Claims Rocket Higher Thursday, October 21 (The Mercury News) – According to the U.S. Labor Department, 80,700 first-time unemployment claims were filed in California during the week ending October 16, the most in six months (the week ending April 3). The number was up from the 63,100 initial claims filed the week ending October 9. Nationwide, there was a decrease in claims from

Nearly 40% of California State Workers Are Unvaccinated Against COVID Despite Newsom Order Friday, October 15 (The Sacramento Bee) – Data from California’s Human Resources Department reveal only about 62% of state workers have received a COVID-19 vaccination as of October 7. In July, Governor Gavin Newsom ordered workers to be vaccinated or submit to regular testing. The rate remains low compared to the general state population, of which 72% are vaccinated. Caltrans reported a

Jacob’s Journal – Weekly News Rewind (09/20-09/26) California Now Requires Proof of COVID Vaccine or Negative Test at Indoor ‘Mega’ Events; Here’s What to Know Wednesday, September 22 (KTLA 5) – A state mandate issued this week requires attendees of large indoor events in California to have proof they are vaccinated against COVID-19 or have had a negative coronavirus test 72 hours before the event. When introduced on August 18, it was the first such

Jacob’s Journal – Weekly News Rewind (09/13-09/19) California First to Drop High COVID Transmission Status, Has Lowest Case Rate in U.S. Wednesday, September 15 (Newsweek) – On Wednesday, a map by the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed California as the only state below a high level of community COVID-19 transmission. Every other state was shown in red, meaning community transmission levels averaged 100 or more cases per 100,000 people over seven

California’s Central Valley Overwhelmed by COVID-19 Delta Surge Wednesday, September 8 (Los Angeles Times) – The fourth surge of the COVID-19 pandemic has hit California’s Central Valley especially hard, and many hospitals are overwhelmed with critically ill patients. Some patients must be transported over 100 miles because local intensive care units are full. These trends are affecting the San Joaquin Valley, Sacramento, and rural Northern California. Monthly COVID-19 deaths here have tripled between July and

Riverside County Becomes County with the 2nd Highest COVID Hospitalizations in California Tuesday, August 31 (KESQ) – On Tuesday, Riverside County officials reported 3 new COVID-related hospitalizations, bringing the current total to 664. This is the most since February 12, 2021 and the county now has the second most COVID hospitalizations in California. At 1,699, Los Angeles County has the most hospitalizations in the state. In Riverside County, 6 more patients were admitted to the

Jacob’s Journal – Weekly News Rewind (08/23-08/29) COVID Burnout: Nurse Shortages in California Reaching Crisis Point Thursday, August 26 (Fort Bragg Advocate-News) – Nurses across California are leaving their high-pressure jobs to change careers, retire early, or take on less demanding assignments. Staffing shortages are affecting many hospitals, including one in Eureka where four emergency room nurses have quit in the past month. At Scripps hospitals in San Diego, job openings have increased 57% since

Jacob’s Journal – Weekly News Rewind (08/09-08/15) California Orders All Teachers to Be Vaccinated or Face Testing Thursday, August 12 (The New York Times) – On Wednesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom ordered all teachers and school staff to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination, or face weekly testing. This is the first such mandate in the nation and applies to public and private schools serving students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The policy goes into effect

Millennials Hit with Biggest Increase In California Covid Cases Wednesday, August 4 (The Guardian) – Since early June, infections in young adults in California have jumped 554%, according to epidemiologist George Lemp. Millennials, or those between the ages of 18 and 34, had the highest climb in COVID-19 infections, while the next highest were those between ages 35 and 49. Officials are stressing the importance of getting vaccinated as a similar trend has been seen

Jacob’s Journal – Weekly News Rewind (07/26-08/01) New Pushes of Masks: Vaccines Highlight Urgent Battle to Slow Corona Virus Thursday, July 29 (Los Angeles Times) – State officials unveiled new rules this week, urging even fully vaccinated individuals to wear masks indoors while in pubic, as the coronavirus surge in California worsens. They are also urging more people to get vaccinated to protect against the highly contagious Delta variant. Providers administered over 64,000 vaccines a

Jacob’s Journal – Weekly News Rewind (08/16-08/22) Raging Wildfires Linked to Thousands of COVID-19 Cases and Hundreds of Deaths in 2020, Study Says Tuesday, August 17 (USA Today) – Hundreds of thousands of people and billions of dollars in insured losses have resulted from the record-setting 2020 wildfire season. In addition, researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found a connection between high levels of fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) and the number

California Doctor Faces Federal Charges in Fake COVID-19 Vaccine Scheme Thursday, July 15 (CNN.com) – The U.S. Department of Justice announced that a licensed naturopathic doctor from Northern California was arrested Wednesday for running a fake COVID-19 immunization and vaccine card scheme. Juli A. Mazi, 41, is facing one charge of wire fraud and one count of false statements related to health matters, the Justice Department said. According to prosecutors, the Napa woman sold homeoprophylaxis immunization

As Delta Variant Grows More Prevalent, L.A. County Reports Largest Daily Increase in Coronavirus Cases Since April Thursday, July 1 (KTLA 5) – On Thursday, Los Angeles County reported 506 new infections, the highest daily number since mid-April, while the number of delta variant cases reported doubled to 245. The variant accounted for 44% of all cases sequenced in labs, according to county health officials. L.A. County public health Director Barbara Ferrer said there’s been

Delta COVID-19 Variant a Growing Concern in Los Angeles County Tuesday, June 22 (Fox 11) – On Sunday, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Heath reported 258 cases of COVID-19 and three new deaths, bringing the totals to 1,247,618 cases and 24,441 fatalities in the county. State figures revealed 213 people hospitalized on Sunday, down from 219 on Saturday; the number of COVID patients in intensive care rose to 45. The highly transmissible Delta

LA County Sees Alarming Spike in Corona Virus Cases Wednesday, July 21 (Los Angeles Times) – On Wednesday, public health officials reported 2,551 new coronavirus infections in Los Angeles County, which is the highest total since early March. The report coincides with increased transmission of the Delta variant and a pattern of overall increased transmission since California’s June 15 reopening. The average case rate among unvaccinated residence, for the week of July 7 to 14,

California Turns a Page on the Pandemic, Lifting Most COVID Restrictions Wednesday, June 16 (NBC Los Angeles) – At midnight, most COVID-19 restrictions were lifted in California. Billed as the state’s “Grand Reopening”, Tuesday marked the end of state rules on social distancing and limits on capacity at restaurants, bars, gyms, stadiums, and other locations. However, some measures will remain in place for large indoor concerts, sporting events, and gatherings of over 5,000 people. Masks

Fauci Warns Delta Variant Still a Threat to US, Appears to Infect Younger People More Than Others Wednesday, June 9 (ABC 7) – On Tuesday, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci warned of the threat of COVID-19 variants and that they are a reason more people need to be vaccinated. Overall cases have declined 94% since January as vaccinations have been administered. New case numbers are at the lowest since March

LA Clinicians Rush to Vaccinate Community as Delta Variant of COVID Spreads Wednesday, July 7 (CBS Los Angeles) – On Wednesday, Bell Gardens Veterans Park clinicians said the push to get more people vaccinated against COVID-19 is more important than ever, as the number of Delta variant cases increases. The variant is spreading rapidly across Los Angeles County, the Department of Public Health said. It now makes up about half of cases in the area.

Moderna Seeks Full FDA Approval for Its COVID-19 Vaccine Tuesday, June 1 (NBC Los Angeles) – Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine was previously cleared for emergency use by the FDA and in other countries, but the company has revealed it has begun seeking full U.S. regulatory approval for the its use in adults. On Tuesday, the company announced beginning a “rolling submission” of data to the FDA on studies of its two-dose mRNA vaccine. Over 124 million

California to offer $116 Million in COVID Vaccine Prize Money Thursday, May 27 (CNBC) – On Thursday, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a total of $116.5 million in prize money to get millions more people vaccinated in California before June 15, when the state is set to fully reopen. The prize money, and single vaccine prize of $1.5 million, are the largest in the country. Additional prizes include $50,000 to another 30 people each, and $50

Newsom Defies CDC Guidance, Will Wait Until June 15 to Ditch COVID-19 Mask Mandate Monday, May 17 (KUSI) – Officials announced on Monday that California will wait until June 15 to begin following federal guidelines that no longer require fully vaccinated individuals to wear face coverings. According to California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly, California plans to fully reopen the economy on that date if positive trends continue. The U.S. Centers for

L.A. County to Offer Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine to Children Ages 12 to 15 Starting Thursday Wednesday, May 12 (KTLA 5) – On Wednesday, officials announced Los Angeles County will begin providing Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to children ages 12 to 15 on Thursday, May 13. The decision comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed the Food and Drug Administration’s recommendation to expand emergency use of the vaccine. According to the L.A. County Public

Los Angeles Prepares to Vaccinate Kids Ages 12-15 As FDA Approval For Teens Nears Monday, May 3 (Deadline.com) – In light of word that the Food and Drug Administration was preparing to authorize use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to kids 12 to 15 years old, officials in Los Angeles said Monday they were prepared to act once the FDA granted approval. Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer discussed plans to administer vaccines

LA to Administer 150K COVID Vaccines This Week; Increase Partially Due to City Resuming Administration of J&J Vaccine Monday, April 26 (ABC 7) – On Sunday, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced nearly 150,000 first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines could be administered at city vaccination sites this week. The city expected to receive nearly 42,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine and over 63,000 does of Pfizer, while 29,000 doses of the Johnson &