California Coronavirus: What To Know Sunday, Aug. 23

CALIFORNIA — After weeks of surging COVID-19 cases, the outbreak is starting to slow in California, with the average daily number of new cases dropping 7 percent in the last week.

As of Sunday, the Central Valley remained the state's hot spot. Elsewhere, several counties are poised to drop off the state's watch list. Two counties dropped off the COVID-19 watch list in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday. San Diego and Placer counties were removed after showing the required improvements over three consecutive days. Napa county followed on Friday, and Orange County officials anticipated being dropped from the watch list as early as Sunday. San Francisco is also expected to come off the list in the coming days.

There are now 40 counties on the monitoring list.

According to Gov. Gavin Newsom, a6.6% positivity rate of those tested had been recorded over a two week period. Hospitalizations were also down by 17% in the last 14 days.

Health and Human Services Director Points To Drop In Child Vaccinations

At a routine news conference, Health and Human Services Director Dr. Mark Ghaly offered an ominous glimpse into the fall flu season. California has seen a steep drop in kids vaccinated compared to last year which could present a buffet of contagious diseases other than influenza and COVID-19 this fall.

"California is running at only two-thirds the vaccination level we were at the same point in 2019," Ghaly said at the conference.

Ghaly, who is also a pediatrician, pointed out that when social distancing begins to ease, infants and children who are not vaccinated for diseases like measles and whooping cough could be vulnerable. Adults who aren't vaccinated may also become vulnerable to diseases like shingles and pneumonia.

Read the full story here.

San Diego Removed From California COVID-19 Watchlist

San Diego County has officially been removed from the state's COVID-19 monitoring list, a county official confirmed shortly after noon Tuesday, setting in motion a 14-day countdown that could see K-12 students back in the classroom as soon as Sept. 1, depending on the guidance of individual school districts.

The announcement follows six straight days of San Diego County public health officials reporting a case rate of fewer than 100 positive COVID-19 tests per 100,000 people.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday that it was "very likely" the county would come off the state's monitoring list by Tuesday.

Read the full story here.

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There were more than 5,633,879 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States and 175,588 deaths as of Thursday, according to Johns Hopkins University. At least 11,992 of those deaths were in California. The U.S. has the most confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths in the world.

Who has been diagnosed with coronavirus in California?

Total number of cases (Johns Hopkins University): 665,508 as of Friday

Total deaths reported (Johns Hopkins University): 12,143 as of Friday

Case breakdown by age, per the California Department of Health (totals may be outdated):

• Age 0-17: 65,360 cases
• Age 18-49: 395,106 cases
• Age 50-64: 124,841 cases
• Age 65 and older: 70,688 cases
• Unknown/Missing: 897 cases

Gender of confirmed positive cases:

• Female: 330,632 cases
• Male: 319,444 cases
• Unknown/Missing: 6,816 cases

The latest live updates from across California are as follows:

Saturday, 8:11 p.m.: LA's Coronavirus Death Toll Is High, But The Spread Is Slowing
Los Angeles County reported another 48 people lost to COVID-19 Saturday, but there is reason to hope that fewer will die in the coming days.

Saturday, 6 p.m.: OC Is Poised To Exit The State Watch List And Reopen Schools

If the latest metrics tracking the coronavirus continue to decline, Orange County could see widespread school reopenings in September.

Saturday, 5 p.m.: 27 Schools Approved To Reopen As Outbreak Slows In San Diego
Now off the state's watch list, San Diego County continues to see the spread of the coronavirus slow.

Friday, 6:54 p.m.: Riverside County Elementary Schools Can Now Seek Reopening
The "waiver" program was announced earlier this month by Gov. Gavin Newsom, and on Friday the county began the local rollout process.

Friday, 4:22 p.m.: Culver City Could Add Even More Outdoor Dining Amid Pandemic

Culver City Council will consider a temporary lane closure to help expand outdoor dining space in the pandemic.

Friday, 4:14 p.m.: Riverside County's Jobless Rate Shows Improvement Amid Pandemic
Some sectors of the regional economy have returned to semi-normalcy.

Friday, 1:49 p.m.: Riverside Community Hospital Sued Over Coronavirus Concerns

The civil suit stems from what the plaintiffs allege were months of errant practices that raised COVID-19 infection dangers.

Thursday, 11:29 p.m.: SF Muni Resuming Operations Suspended For 5 Months: Coronavirus

Take a look at the list of Muni metro and bus lines restarting this Saturday.

Thursday, 10:03 a.m.: Teenage Girl Dies Of Coronavirus In Orange County
Orange County Health Care officials confirmed the first pediatric death as a result of coronavirus. A teenage girl died of COVID, Wednesday.

Thursday, 7:05 a.m.: Venice Art Crawl Celebrates 10 Years: Virtual Party In Pandemic
Watch the virtual performances and meet Venice artists live Thursday night in a special live event.

Wednesday, 4:34 p.m.: Alameda County Coronavirus: Still On Unlocked Watch List
Alameda County has been on the Watch List since July 12. The latest death toll, plus how many cases in Fremont.

Wednesday, 4:18 p.m. Lucinda Williams To Headline Free BeachLife Fest Livestream

BeachLife Fest will host a free livestream Thursday, featuring artists Lucinda Williams, Josh Heinrichs, The Aquadolls and Timmy Curran.

Wednesday, 12:06 p.m.:UC Berkeley: Student Depression, Anxiety Soaring During Pandemic, Survey Finds

The number of students who screened positive for anxiety disorder Increased 50% over 2019.at 4:34pm

Tuesday, 4:15 p.m.: San Diego County Removed From State Watch List

K-12 students could be back in the classroom as soon as Sept. 1, depending on the guidance of individual school districts.

Tuesday, 3:54 p.m.: Popular Palo Alto Restaurant Shutters, Reimagines Future
Vina Enoteca announced plans to keep its business going through as it formulates a vision for “Vina 2.0.”

Tuesday, 3:26 p.m.: LA Gatherings Could Threaten Coronavirus Recovery, Trends Improve

Los Angeles County health officials are warning against large gatherings, parties or indoor church services during the pandemic.

Tuesday, 1:27: Beach Closures Coming Labor Day To Unincorporated Santa Cruz Co.
Beaches in unincorporated Santa Cruz County will close early Saturday morning to Monday evening on Labor Day weekend, supervisors voted.

Tuesday, 3:38 p.m.: Face Mask Billboards, Signs Blanket PS: 'We Mean Business'
A highly visible new public education campaign entitled “PS Keeping You Safe” has launched in Palm Springs.

Tuesday, 12:42 p.m.: CCS High School Football Season Could Be Cancelled

The future of this school year’s season hinges on being able to start practices by mid-December, The Mercury News reports.

Tuesday, 8:24 a.m.: Photo: Muscle Beach Still Closed, Caution Tape Waves In The Wind

Iconic Muscle Beach in Santa Monica remains closed during the pandemic.

Monday, 6:29 p.m.: Trump Adds Controversial Stanford Doc To Coronavirus Task Force

Dr. Scott Atlas has no background in epidemiology and no expertise in public health or infectious diseases.

Monday, 4:58 p.m.: Orange County Coronavirus Counts: Hospitalizations, Deaths Down

Across the county, an estimated near 35,000 residents have recovered from Coronavirus. Over 550,000 COVID-19 tests have been conducted.

Monday, 2:25 p.m.: More Indoor Services May Resume In Santa Cruz Co.; Latest Count

While another five counties were added to the monitoring list, Santa Cruz County was the only one to be removed from the list.

Monday, 2:08 p.m.: Culver City Residents Can Apply For LA County Rent-Relief Program

Applications are available beginning Monday for Los Angeles County residents, including Culver City residents.

Monday, 1:55 p.m.: How To Apply For The LA County Rent-Relief Program
Applications are available beginning Monday for Los Angeles County residents, including Santa Monica residents.

Monday, 1:48 p.m.: LA County Rent-Relief Program: Applications Open

Applications are available beginning Monday for Los Angeles County residents, including people in Redondo Beach.

Monday, 11:38 a.m.: Santa Monica Schools Push Back Start Date

Santa Monica schools will start two days later this August.

Monday, 10:11 a.m.: ZJ Boarding House Closing After 32 Years In Santa Monica

Santa Monica surf shop ZJ Boarding House will close Sunday after 32 years.

Monday, 11:25 a.m. Parking Enforcement Relaxed In Culver City Due To Pandemic

To encourage people to continue staying home during the pandemic, parking enforcement will be relaxed through Sept. 8 in Culver City.

Sunday, 3:13 a.m.: San Diego Sees Decline In Positive COVID-19 Tests

The county reported fewer than 100 positive coronavirus tests per 100,000 people for four days in a row.

Saturday, 4:18 p.m.: 2,103 New Coronavirus Cases In LA County; 35 More Deaths

Los Angeles County has now confirmed 220,762 cases of COVID-19, while at least 5,245 people have died. Catch up on the latest news.

Saturday, 12:40 p.m.: Judge Rules In Favor Of Grace Community Church's Indoor Services

The Sun Valley church can hold indoor services if attendees wear masks and stay at least six feet apart, a judge has ruled.