latimes--2020-05-12--From botox clinics to wellness spas, antibody tests become the rage. Are they the real thing?

At a flotation therapy studio in Marina Del Rey , the sensory deprivation tank is empty , but antibody tests for the coronavirus are selling at $ 149 .
Customers of a botox clinic in Venice don ’ t even have to get out of their cars to get tested ; a worker collects blood samples with the prick of a finger .
A banner for a clinic in Las Vegas advertises antibody tests and throws in a doctor visit for $ 169 .
And $ 125 antibody tests have recently been added to the menu at a chiropractic clinic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and nonsurgical face-lifts .
The test-takers , from nurses and firefighters to the unemployed , seek a sense of certainty .
They ache to know whether a flu they had was in fact COVID-19 , the disease caused by the novel coronavirus .
Some hope a positive result means they can throw out their masks .
Others want certificates showing employers they are immune and can go back to work .
Not so fast , experts say .
In the time of pandemic , opportunities can swing open for the nimble entrepreneur : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to beauty and wellness treatments now offer peace of mind through antibody testing .
But misplaced trust in the tests , expert say , could be jeopardizing public health at large .
The tests don ’ t necessarily tell people whether they are immune to COVID-19 because scientists haven ’ t confirmed whether the antibodies even prevent re-infection .
Most of the more than 200 tests on the market haven ’ t been cleared by regulators , and many could be faulty or of unknown origin , experts say .
Across the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for offering dubious antibody tests .
For several weeks , the Food and Drug Administration had allowed manufacturers to market antibody tests without supplying evidence that they are accurate .
There is no FDA-approved test for antibodies related to COVID-19 .
And only 12 tests have been granted emergency authorization , which meets a lower standard .
Last week the agency , after heightened scrutiny from lawmakers , tightened its policies on unregulated tests , requiring manufacturers to promptly send in data proving their products are effective and apply for emergency authorization .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ clinic and chiropractic clinic , the tests being offered are under review for such authorization .
Jim Flanigan , executive vice president of the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science , expressed concern about the confusing nature of the regulations .
“ It truly could be snake oil , ” he said of antibody tests that don ’ t have FDA authorization .
“ Without that , people can claim whatever they like and there seems to be no recourse.
” Antibody tests are different than the nasal or oral swab exams that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ known as serology tests , antibody tests signal whether a patient has been exposed to the virus in the past .
Sometimes patients sit for a traditional blood draw that fills a whole vial and is shipped to a lab .
Other times patients have their finger pricked for a single drop that ’ s analyzed in about 10 minutes .
Antibody testing plays an important role in large studies because those can give a wide snapshot of the spread of the disease .
But experts are skeptical about the tests being marketed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on everything from Instagram to roadside tents .
Many of them are made in the U.S. , but products from other countries have also entered the market , including some from China that have raised serious concerns over their quality .
At least one major pharmacy chain , Walgreens , is offering antibody tests , in partnership with LabCorp , that have received emergency authorization from the FDA .
At smaller clinics , though , it can be difficult for the average consumer to find out who makes the test being offered and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hydration Services , which operates an IV therapy lounge in Woodland Hills , sells a rapid finger-stick blood test for $ 125 .
The venue specializes in hooking people up to IVs for “ beauty drips ” or “ wellness drips ” of vitamins but doesn ’ t normally provide blood testing .
The owner , Dwayne Mariner , a registered nurse , said a local vendor sold him the tests , which he believes were made in Asia and bear the name iCare .
He said they have only about 70 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ manufacturers that have received emergency authorization from the FDA .
“ Clinically , you could use this as a guideline for being out in public .
Maybe you don ’ t need a mask while you ’ re walking around the neighborhood ” if you test positive for antibodies , he said .
Mariner said he does not advise his patients on how to interpret the results and acknowledged the tests haven ’ t been rigorously inspected .
Still , he suggested that patients who test positive for antibodies could use the information @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a COVID-19 vaccine , once one is available .
“ It gives someone more peace of mind if they didn ’ t want to get the vaccine anyway , ” he said .
His comments are disputed by experts .
It ’ s likely that people with positive antibody tests will still need the vaccine because scientists have not established that antibodies confer any immunity to COVID-19 .
At the HOT Clinic , an IV therapy center in Encino , operations manager Edward Zaghikian said previously symptomatic patients who test negative for an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the presence of antibodies , then get tested again with the same results , can present the information to an employer showing they ’ re safe to return to work .
“ You could take a calculated risk that it could be OK to come back to work , ” said Zaghikian , whose company has administered about 1,500 of its $ 95 rapid antibody tests .
He reasoned that a positive antibody test would mean the person has some immunity , and a negative result would mean they were never exposed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disease experts warn against this logic .
Just because someone had not previously been exposed to the virus doesn ’ t mean they won ’ t be in the future .
The antibody tests shouldn ’ t be used to make any life decisions , they say .
“ I think it is unwise for places to sell [ the tests ] because we do not know what the results of the test mean or what to do with that information , ” said Davey Smith , a professor of medicine and head @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health .
Danielle Ompad , a professor of epidemiology at New York University , said the setting where people get tested matters , including whether healthcare professionals are on hand to explain what the test results mean for their patients going forward .
“ If your chiropractor doesn ’ t normally do diagnostic testing , you shouldn ’ t be getting these tests done there , ” she said .
And because there are potential flaws in this first generation of antibody tests , she said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ received emergency authorization from the FDA .
Few tests being marketed — including ones from established labs — have such authorization .
A $ 249 antibody test at Next Health , a longevity center in Los Angeles , hasn ’ t been cleared by the FDA .
The test ’ s manufacturer , Vibrant America , a certified lab , validated the test internally and has an application for emergency authorization pending before the federal agency .
Darshan Shah , founder and chief executive of Next Health , says he ’ s offering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patients as much information as possible about their health during the pandemic .
Shah , a physician , acknowledged the tests don ’ t have huge clinical significance in signaling how patients should be treated going forward or whether they can take fewer precautions , but his clinic is working to facilitate possible plasma donation by those who test positive for antibodies .
A rapid blood test made by Phamatech , available at the Westside Walk-in Clinic in Venice , which focuses on botox and coolsculpting , also doesn ’ t have emergency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the clinic ’ s owner , said she felt confident in selling it because the manufacturer has a good track record in rapid tests and has also submitted its validation data to the FDA , awaiting authorization .
Ideally , Veal said , she would only offer a test that has received emergency authorization .
“ The problem is we are not in an ideal world right now .
The reality is if manufacturers are making a test with 95 % accuracy , why not offer it ?
” said Veal , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that she is open with her customers about the fact that the test is not FDA-approved .
Veal said some of her patients who test negative for the antibodies are disappointed that they have to continue wearing a mask .
She said she counsels clients they shouldn ’ t get rid of their masks no matter their results .
Results from antibody tests could be sent to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , but it ’ s unclear whether the agency is receiving results from all possible test administrators .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ be worth getting for individual patients , other than to satisfy their curiosity .
“ From a clinician ’ s perspective , [ the testing ] probably is not very useful right now , ” said Flanigan , of the laboratory science group .
“ I can not think of any circumstances under which people in massage parlors or float tank studios should be giving people antibody tests , ” he said .
Times researcher Scott Wilson and Times staff writer Sam Dean contributed to this report .

Phlebotomist Martun Srmikyan administers a drive-through antibody test to Leslie Anne at St. Leon Armenian Cathedral in Burbank, set up by The HOT Clinic, an IV therapy and hormone replacement center.
At a flotation therapy studio in Marina Del Rey, the sensory deprivation tank is empty, but antibody tests for the coronavirus are selling at $149. Customers of a botox clinic in Venice don’t even have to get out of their cars to get tested; a worker collects blood samples with the prick of a finger.
A banner for a clinic in Las Vegas advertises antibody tests and throws in a doctor visit for $169. And $125 antibody tests have recently been added to the menu at a chiropractic clinic in Florida that also offers libido-boosting vitamins and nonsurgical face-lifts.
The test-takers, from nurses and firefighters to the unemployed, seek a sense of certainty. They ache to know whether a flu they had was in fact COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Some hope a positive result means they can throw out their masks. Others want certificates showing employers they are immune and can go back to work.
Advertisement
Not so fast, experts say. In the time of pandemic, opportunities can swing open for the nimble entrepreneur: storefront clinics and fancy spas once dedicated to beauty and wellness treatments now offer peace of mind through antibody testing. But misplaced trust in the tests, expert say, could be jeopardizing public health at large.
The tests don’t necessarily tell people whether they are immune to COVID-19 because scientists haven’t confirmed whether the antibodies even prevent re-infection. Most of the more than 200 tests on the market haven’t been cleared by regulators, and many could be faulty or of unknown origin, experts say. Across the U.S., several sites have been shut down for offering dubious antibody tests.
For several weeks, the Food and Drug Administration had allowed manufacturers to market antibody tests without supplying evidence that they are accurate. There is no FDA-approved test for antibodies related to COVID-19. And only 12 tests have been granted emergency authorization, which meets a lower standard.
Phlebotomist Martun Srmikyan administers an antibody test to Kelli Draves at St. Leon Armenian Cathedral. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Last week the agency, after heightened scrutiny from lawmakers, tightened its policies on unregulated tests, requiring manufacturers to promptly send in data proving their products are effective and apply for emergency authorization. At the flotation therapy studio, botox clinic and chiropractic clinic, the tests being offered are under review for such authorization.
Jim Flanigan, executive vice president of the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science, expressed concern about the confusing nature of the regulations. “It truly could be snake oil,” he said of antibody tests that don’t have FDA authorization. “Without that, people can claim whatever they like and there seems to be no recourse.”
Advertisement
Antibody tests are different than the nasal or oral swab exams that diagnose an active COVID-19 infection. Also known as serology tests, antibody tests signal whether a patient has been exposed to the virus in the past. Sometimes patients sit for a traditional blood draw that fills a whole vial and is shipped to a lab. Other times patients have their finger pricked for a single drop that’s analyzed in about 10 minutes.
Antibody testing plays an important role in large studies because those can give a wide snapshot of the spread of the disease. But experts are skeptical about the tests being marketed to individuals.
The tests are advertised on everything from Instagram to roadside tents. Many of them are made in the U.S., but products from other countries have also entered the market, including some from China that have raised serious concerns over their quality.
At least one major pharmacy chain, Walgreens, is offering antibody tests, in partnership with LabCorp, that have received emergency authorization from the FDA. At smaller clinics, though, it can be difficult for the average consumer to find out who makes the test being offered and whether it’s authorized.
Alpha Hydration Services, which operates an IV therapy lounge in Woodland Hills, sells a rapid finger-stick blood test for $125. The venue specializes in hooking people up to IVs for “beauty drips” or “wellness drips” of vitamins but doesn’t normally provide blood testing.
The owner, Dwayne Mariner, a registered nurse, said a local vendor sold him the tests, which he believes were made in Asia and bear the name iCare. He said they have only about 70% accuracy. iCare is not among the manufacturers that have received emergency authorization from the FDA.
“Clinically, you could use this as a guideline for being out in public. Maybe you don’t need a mask while you’re walking around the neighborhood” if you test positive for antibodies, he said.
Mariner said he does not advise his patients on how to interpret the results and acknowledged the tests haven’t been rigorously inspected. Still, he suggested that patients who test positive for antibodies could use the information to determine for themselves whether to get a COVID-19 vaccine, once one is available.
“It gives someone more peace of mind if they didn’t want to get the vaccine anyway,” he said.
His comments are disputed by experts. It’s likely that people with positive antibody tests will still need the vaccine because scientists have not established that antibodies confer any immunity to COVID-19.
At the HOT Clinic, an IV therapy center in Encino, operations manager Edward Zaghikian said previously symptomatic patients who test negative for an active infection and either negative or positive for the presence of antibodies, then get tested again with the same results, can present the information to an employer showing they’re safe to return to work.
“You could take a calculated risk that it could be OK to come back to work,” said Zaghikian, whose company has administered about 1,500 of its $95 rapid antibody tests. He reasoned that a positive antibody test would mean the person has some immunity, and a negative result would mean they were never exposed and are thus virus-free.
But infectious disease experts warn against this logic. Just because someone had not previously been exposed to the virus doesn’t mean they won’t be in the future. The antibody tests shouldn’t be used to make any life decisions, they say.
“I think it is unwise for places to sell [the tests] because we do not know what the results of the test mean or what to do with that information,” said Davey Smith, a professor of medicine and head of UC San Diego’s Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health.
Danielle Ompad, a professor of epidemiology at New York University, said the setting where people get tested matters, including whether healthcare professionals are on hand to explain what the test results mean for their patients going forward.
“If your chiropractor doesn’t normally do diagnostic testing, you shouldn’t be getting these tests done there,” she said.
And because there are potential flaws in this first generation of antibody tests, she said, people should stick to those that have received emergency authorization from the FDA.
Few tests being marketed — including ones from established labs — have such authorization.
A $249 antibody test at Next Health, a longevity center in Los Angeles, hasn’t been cleared by the FDA. The test’s manufacturer, Vibrant America, a certified lab, validated the test internally and has an application for emergency authorization pending before the federal agency.
Darshan Shah, founder and chief executive of Next Health, says he’s offering the test because he wants to give patients as much information as possible about their health during the pandemic. Shah, a physician, acknowledged the tests don’t have huge clinical significance in signaling how patients should be treated going forward or whether they can take fewer precautions, but his clinic is working to facilitate possible plasma donation by those who test positive for antibodies.
After doing a finger prick on a patient, Hannah Veal places the blood on the antibody testing device at a drive-through site in a parking lot behind the Westside Walk-in Clinic in Los Angeles. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
A rapid blood test made by Phamatech, available at the Westside Walk-in Clinic in Venice, which focuses on botox and coolsculpting, also doesn’t have emergency authorization from the FDA. Hannah Veal, the clinic’s owner, said she felt confident in selling it because the manufacturer has a good track record in rapid tests and has also submitted its validation data to the FDA, awaiting authorization.
Ideally, Veal said, she would only offer a test that has received emergency authorization.
“The problem is we are not in an ideal world right now. The reality is if manufacturers are making a test with 95% accuracy, why not offer it?” said Veal, a physician’s assistant, adding that she is open with her customers about the fact that the test is not FDA-approved.
Veal said some of her patients who test negative for the antibodies are disappointed that they have to continue wearing a mask. She said she counsels clients they shouldn’t get rid of their masks no matter their results.
Results from antibody tests could be sent to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but it’s unclear whether the agency is receiving results from all possible test administrators.
Experts say the tests may not even be worth getting for individual patients, other than to satisfy their curiosity.
“From a clinician’s perspective, [the testing] probably is not very useful right now,” said Flanigan, of the laboratory science group.
“I cannot think of any circumstances under which people in massage parlors or float tank studios should be giving people antibody tests,” he said.
Times researcher Scott Wilson and Times staff writer Sam Dean contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-05-12--People want beef. Ranchers have cows. Here's what's going wrong

There ’ s no shortage of demand for beef .
Prices are up .
Grocery stores are limiting how much each customer can buy .
Last week more than 1,000 Wendy ’ s restaurants ran out of hamburgers .
There ’ s also no shortage of cattle earmarked to be turned into beef .
But prices for those animals have dropped .
Sales are down .
At a recent livestock auction in the San Joaquin Valley , just a handful of buyers bothered to make an appearance .
The problem is in the middle of this pipeline : the crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these factories work closely together , and thousands nationwide have become infected with the novel coronavirus .
At least 20 have died .
As their workers fall ill , the plants have lowered capacity or temporarily shut down .
The plants ’ diminished capacity means some beef can ’ t get processed , and that has thrown cold water on the market for cattle : Why pay top dollar for the animals if you might not be able to sell them later ?
That ’ s a problem for California , the nation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a good year , commercial ranchers could aim to get more than $ 1 per pound for a premium calf .
Now , the expected price has dived 15 % to 25 % , said Mark Lacey , president of the trade group California Cattlemen ’ s Assn .
“ We ’ ve had some major droughts , we have had some bad market years , but this is unlike anything I ’ ve ever seen , ” said Megan Brown , a sixth-generation cattle rancher and manager of Brown Ranch in Plumas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the family history , nothing compares to this.
” The journey a hamburger takes from ranch to plate is long and winding .
Calf-producing ranchers , such as Brown and her family , are at the beginning of the chain .
Calves are typically kept with their mothers until they weigh 500 to 600 pounds .
Then they are sold to a stocker — a rancher who will continue to grow the cattle by feeding them grass until they reach about 900 pounds .
Then the cattle go to a feedlot to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , butchered at a meat processing plant and sold to wholesalers , supermarkets and restaurant chains .
The entire process — from farm to fork — can be likened to an hourglass shape , said Dave Daley , administrator for the Paul L. Byrne Memorial University Farm at Cal State Chico .
Processing plants are always the narrowest point ; if one shuts down — particularly a large one — it can back up the entire system .
The bottleneck at the plants has always been tight , “ but now it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
“ We have the supply of cattle at the upper end .
We ’ ve got to get it through the narrow constriction.
” The feedlots have been particularly slammed by the bottleneck .
With slowdowns at the processing plants , feed yard operators are forced to keep the cattle longer .
That means more feed and maintenance expenses .
A few months ago , cattle prices were $ 1.19 per pound for livestock slated for May and June delivery to meat processing plants .
The price has since dropped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jesse Larios , who operates two feed yards in Imperial County .
Larios said his cows are now worth less than what he paid for them .
Not taking into account what he has spent on feed and other expenses , he said he ’ s looking at a loss of $ 365 per cow — and he has thousands of them .
Larios said he ’ s not planning to buy any livestock in the next month .
There ’ s just too much uncertainty in the market , especially because feeders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ selling them to slaughter six months to a year later .
“ We are trying to learn and understand where this virus will be in that time frame , ” said Larios , who — following in the footsteps of his father and three uncles — has worked in feed yards for 22 years .
“ Will the restaurants reopen in six to 12 months ?
Will they serve the same amount of customers , or will they have social distancing ?
We can not purchase animals at the same capacity if we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rate will be.
” As feed yard operators halted purchases , commercial ranchers saw cattle prices fall .
That forced difficult choices : Keep cattle longer in hopes of a better market , racking up additional costs to feed the animals while waiting ?
Or sell immediately at a loss ?
Lacey , the trade group president , didn ’ t have much of an option .
Dry weather early this year at his family ’ s Lacey Livestock in Mono and Inyo counties meant less vegetation than usual grew in the pastures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drought in 2014 , Lacey recalled , cattle prices were much higher , so ranchers could afford to rent pasture land in other states and move their cattle there .
“ This time , that ’ s not the case , ” said Lacey , who serves as manager of his family ’ s business .
“ The prices just aren ’ t there.
” He managed to move some of his cattle to the Midwest and sold others , taking bigger losses than he expected .
Cattle are typically sold in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between seller and buyer or at auction .
On a recent Thursday at the Overland Stock Yard in the Kings County city of Hanford , the electric doors of a pen opened , and four calves scrambled onto a large floor scale , penned off from the rest of the room .
They were ushered around by a man with a long pole that was tipped with a red , clicking paddle .
As the cattle moved in formation around the pen , Dustin Burkhart , Overland Stock Yard ’ s auctioneer and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 30 people sat in the indoor amphitheater — socially distanced — ready to make their bids .
Scores of others watched online .
Eventually , 21,000 head of cattle were sold on the auction ’ s online platform .
“ Those are great numbers , ” said Jason Glenn , co-manager of the auction house , but there was a caveat : Those cattle won ’ t be ready for slaughter until 2021 .
For cattle that were closer to slaughter , it was a different story .
The auction house emptied out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Only 85 head of slaughter-ready cattle were shown , compared with the usual 300 to 400 .
Prices fluctuated between 46 cents and 55 cents per pound .
“ We ’ ve never seen anything like this , ” Glenn said .
“ Not after 9/11 .
Not after the last financial downturn .
Not ever.
” During the same week last year , the auction house processed roughly 670,000 cattle , he said .
This year , the weekly number was down to 425,000 .
Even before the coronavirus outbreak hit , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lot of cattle on the market .
The pandemic created more volatility , said Kate Miller , owner of IMB Cattle Co. in Arkansas , who has been in beef marketing for 10 years .
Other meat producers are also having a difficult time .
As coronavirus-related restaurant shutdowns slashed demand for pork products , and as slaughterhouses closed temporarily to slow the spread of COVID-19 among workers , some U.S. hog farmers — faced with a declining market and no room to hold additional hogs — have resorted to killing piglets .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ growth of cattle by pulling them off grain diets and putting them on a maintenance plan , Miller said , but that doesn ’ t work with pigs .
And once a hog reaches about 325 pounds , it is too large to be processed at a plant .
Pigs also tend to be slaughtered at a much younger age than cattle , meaning hog farmers have less time to manage the ongoing crisis .
Pigs can be ready for slaughter by six months of age , when they weigh about 280 pounds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ marketing program .
By contrast , most cattle are between 18 and 24 months old , said Wade Lacque , co-owner and manager of Orland Livestock Commission Yard in the Sacramento Valley .
Ranchers and feeders balked at the idea of killing cattle , noting that it would be a major financial loss since the animals are so expensive to raise .
As an alternative to selling at a loss at auction , Brown , the sixth-generation farmer , decided to try getting some of her animals slaughtered and selling the beef directly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Recently , she advertised a “ hamburger share ” on social media for friends , family and nearby residents .
Customers pay her directly via PayPal , and she delivers pounds of ground meat to their porches .
She gets the beef slaughtered and processed at a small U.S. Department of Agriculture facility that doesn ’ t handle the volume of meat that larger plants do .
The profit margins are “ a drop in the bucket ” compared to what her family usually makes at auction , and it takes a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the cows for processing , she said .
But it ’ s better than nothing at all , and she said she hopes it ’ ll lead to continued sales in the future .
After all , the farm-to-table movement has grown in strength lately .
In the past , she ’ d done a few beef shares but had only ever slaughtered a handful of older calves that weren ’ t fit to go to auction , like the smallest or one with a bad eye .
This is the first year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cream of the crop .
“ I don ’ t always make a lot of money , but it ’ s goodwill for the community , ” Brown said .
Like many other California cattle ranchers , Brown ’ s family has been in the business for a long time , about 100 years .
Their two ranches cover 4,000 acres .
“ It ’ s a lifestyle thing , ” said Lacque of the Orland Livestock Commission Yard .
“ People enjoy ranching ... being out in the open , in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the cattle.
” The third-generation auction-yard manager said he can ’ t count the number of phone calls he has received in the last month from ranchers seeking advice about what to do .
He says he doesn ’ t have any solid guidance because no one has been in this situation before , and it ’ s unclear what the future will bring .
Business has been tough for him , too .
The auction yard makes its money from commissions on sales , and for the last month it has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % of its normal volume of cattle .
“ It ’ s going to be a hard year , ” he said .
As for his customers , “ hopefully most of them will make it through and still be ranching next year .
I ’ m sure some of them won ’ t be.
” Rust reported from Hanford , Calif. , and Masunaga and Parvini from Los Angeles .

Samantha Masunaga, Sarah Parvini, Susanne Rust

There’s no shortage of demand for beef.
Prices are up. Grocery stores are limiting how much each customer can buy. Last week more than 1,000 Wendy’s restaurants ran out of hamburgers.
There’s also no shortage of cattle earmarked to be turned into beef.
But prices for those animals have dropped. Sales are down. At a recent livestock auction in the San Joaquin Valley, just a handful of buyers bothered to make an appearance.
The problem is in the middle of this pipeline: the crisis at meat processing plants.
Feeder cattle are moved into the Overland Stock Yard auction house holding area in Hanford. The cattle will be held in holding pens before the auction begins. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
Advertisement
Employees at these factories work closely together, and thousands nationwide have become infected with the novel coronavirus. At least 20 have died. As their workers fall ill, the plants have lowered capacity or temporarily shut down.
The plants’ diminished capacity means some beef can’t get processed, and that has thrown cold water on the market for cattle: Why pay top dollar for the animals if you might not be able to sell them later?
That’s a problem for California, the nation’s fifth-largest cattle-producing state. In a good year, commercial ranchers could aim to get more than $1 per pound for a premium calf. Now, the expected price has dived 15% to 25%, said Mark Lacey, president of the trade group California Cattlemen’s Assn.
“We’ve had some major droughts, we have had some bad market years, but this is unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” said Megan Brown, a sixth-generation cattle rancher and manager of Brown Ranch in Plumas and Butte counties. “Even in the family history, nothing compares to this.”
The journey a hamburger takes from ranch to plate is long and winding.
Calf-producing ranchers, such as Brown and her family, are at the beginning of the chain. Calves are typically kept with their mothers until they weigh 500 to 600 pounds. Then they are sold to a stocker — a rancher who will continue to grow the cattle by feeding them grass until they reach about 900 pounds.
Advertisement
At the Overland Stock Yard in Hanford, the daylong auction is done in sessions: one for choice feeder cattle, one online and one for cattle going to slaughter. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
Then the cattle go to a feedlot to be fattened up before being sold for slaughter, butchered at a meat processing plant and sold to wholesalers, supermarkets and restaurant chains.
The entire process — from farm to fork — can be likened to an hourglass shape, said Dave Daley, administrator for the Paul L. Byrne Memorial University Farm at Cal State Chico. Processing plants are always the narrowest point; if one shuts down — particularly a large one — it can back up the entire system.
The bottleneck at the plants has always been tight, “but now it is really tight because of COVID-19,” he said. “We have the supply of cattle at the upper end. We’ve got to get it through the narrow constriction.”
The feedlots have been particularly slammed by the bottleneck. With slowdowns at the processing plants, feed yard operators are forced to keep the cattle longer. That means more feed and maintenance expenses.
A few months ago, cattle prices were $1.19 per pound for livestock slated for May and June delivery to meat processing plants. The price has since dropped to 92 cents per pound, said Jesse Larios, who operates two feed yards in Imperial County.
Advertisement
Larios said his cows are now worth less than what he paid for them. Not taking into account what he has spent on feed and other expenses, he said he’s looking at a loss of $365 per cow — and he has thousands of them.
Larios said he’s not planning to buy any livestock in the next month. There’s just too much uncertainty in the market, especially because feeders typically buy cattle with an eye toward selling them to slaughter six months to a year later.
Several employees at the Central Valley Meat Co. in Hanford have tested positive for the coronavirus. The plant runs five days a week, processing 1,500 cattle a day. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
“We are trying to learn and understand where this virus will be in that time frame,” said Larios, who — following in the footsteps of his father and three uncles — has worked in feed yards for 22 years. “Will the restaurants reopen in six to 12 months? Will they serve the same amount of customers, or will they have social distancing? We cannot purchase animals at the same capacity if we aren’t sure what the production rate will be.”
As feed yard operators halted purchases, commercial ranchers saw cattle prices fall. That forced difficult choices: Keep cattle longer in hopes of a better market, racking up additional costs to feed the animals while waiting? Or sell immediately at a loss?
Lacey, the trade group president, didn’t have much of an option. Dry weather early this year at his family’s Lacey Livestock in Mono and Inyo counties meant less vegetation than usual grew in the pastures where his cattle graze.
During the drought in 2014, Lacey recalled, cattle prices were much higher, so ranchers could afford to rent pasture land in other states and move their cattle there.
Advertisement
“This time, that’s not the case,” said Lacey, who serves as manager of his family’s business. “The prices just aren’t there.” He managed to move some of his cattle to the Midwest and sold others, taking bigger losses than he expected.
Cattle are typically sold in a few ways: in a private treaty between seller and buyer or at auction.
On a recent Thursday at the Overland Stock Yard in the Kings County city of Hanford, the electric doors of a pen opened, and four calves scrambled onto a large floor scale, penned off from the rest of the room. They were ushered around by a man with a long pole that was tipped with a red, clicking paddle.
As the cattle moved in formation around the pen, Dustin Burkhart, Overland Stock Yard’s auctioneer and co-manager, started the bidding. Roughly 30 people sat in the indoor amphitheater — socially distanced — ready to make their bids. Scores of others watched online.
Eventually, 21,000 head of cattle were sold on the auction’s online platform.
Jason Glenn, co-manager of the Overland Stock Yard auction house, says: “We’ve never seen anything like this. Not after 9/11. Not after the last financial downturn. Not ever.” (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
“Those are great numbers,” said Jason Glenn, co-manager of the auction house, but there was a caveat: Those cattle won’t be ready for slaughter until 2021.
For cattle that were closer to slaughter, it was a different story. The auction house emptied out, with only seven buyers remaining. Only 85 head of slaughter-ready cattle were shown, compared with the usual 300 to 400.
Prices fluctuated between 46 cents and 55 cents per pound.
“We’ve never seen anything like this,” Glenn said. “Not after 9/11. Not after the last financial downturn. Not ever.”
During the same week last year, the auction house processed roughly 670,000 cattle, he said. This year, the weekly number was down to 425,000.
Even before the coronavirus outbreak hit, prices were distressed because there was a lot of cattle on the market. The pandemic created more volatility, said Kate Miller, owner of IMB Cattle Co. in Arkansas, who has been in beef marketing for 10 years.
Other meat producers are also having a difficult time.
As coronavirus-related restaurant shutdowns slashed demand for pork products, and as slaughterhouses closed temporarily to slow the spread of COVID-19 among workers, some U.S. hog farmers — faced with a declining market and no room to hold additional hogs — have resorted to killing piglets.
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It’s possible to slow the growth of cattle by pulling them off grain diets and putting them on a maintenance plan, Miller said, but that doesn’t work with pigs. And once a hog reaches about 325 pounds, it is too large to be processed at a plant.
Pigs also tend to be slaughtered at a much younger age than cattle, meaning hog farmers have less time to manage the ongoing crisis. Pigs can be ready for slaughter by six months of age, when they weigh about 280 pounds, according to the National Pork Board marketing program. By contrast, most cattle are between 18 and 24 months old, said Wade Lacque, co-owner and manager of Orland Livestock Commission Yard in the Sacramento Valley.
Ranchers and feeders balked at the idea of killing cattle, noting that it would be a major financial loss since the animals are so expensive to raise.
Dustin Burkhart, center, Overland Stock Yard auctioneer and co-manager, auctions off cattle for slaughter in front of very few buyers. The mounted head of a steer hangs in the back of the auction house. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
As an alternative to selling at a loss at auction, Brown, the sixth-generation farmer, decided to try getting some of her animals slaughtered and selling the beef directly to people who want to eat it.
Recently, she advertised a “hamburger share” on social media for friends, family and nearby residents. Customers pay her directly via PayPal, and she delivers pounds of ground meat to their porches.
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She gets the beef slaughtered and processed at a small U.S. Department of Agriculture facility that doesn’t handle the volume of meat that larger plants do.
The profit margins are “a drop in the bucket” compared to what her family usually makes at auction, and it takes a lot of time and work to deliver the cows for processing, she said. But it’s better than nothing at all, and she said she hopes it’ll lead to continued sales in the future. After all, the farm-to-table movement has grown in strength lately.
In the past, she’d done a few beef shares but had only ever slaughtered a handful of older calves that weren’t fit to go to auction, like the smallest or one with a bad eye. This is the first year she’s had access to the cream of the crop.
“I don’t always make a lot of money, but it’s goodwill for the community,” Brown said.
Like many other California cattle ranchers, Brown’s family has been in the business for a long time, about 100 years. Their two ranches cover 4,000 acres.
“It’s a lifestyle thing,” said Lacque of the Orland Livestock Commission Yard. “People enjoy ranching ... being out in the open, in the hills. Riding their horses and being with the cattle.”
The third-generation auction-yard manager said he can’t count the number of phone calls he has received in the last month from ranchers seeking advice about what to do. He says he doesn’t have any solid guidance because no one has been in this situation before, and it’s unclear what the future will bring.
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Business has been tough for him, too. The auction yard makes its money from commissions on sales, and for the last month it has sold only about 30% to 40% of its normal volume of cattle.
“It’s going to be a hard year,” he said. As for his customers, “hopefully most of them will make it through and still be ranching next year. I’m sure some of them won’t be.”
Cattle at Harris Feeding Co. in Coalinga, which covers over 800 acres and can raise up to 120,000 head of cattle at one time. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
Rust reported from Hanford, Calif., and Masunaga and Parvini from Los Angeles.


latimes--2020-05-12--As coronavirus deaths mount, California still very much in danger zone

Amid a growing clamor to further reopen a California economy devastated by the novel coronavirus , the state is facing one major obstacle that officials say has made swifter progress difficult .
The rate of COVID-19 deaths in California remains at a stubborn plateau .
Mirroring a trend seen nationally , California has not seen a dramatic and sustained decline in deaths over the past month , a Los Angeles Times analysis has found .
During the seven-day period that ended Sunday , from the virus — the second-highest weekly death toll in the course of the pandemic and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s toll .
The average of about 500 fatalities each week has continued over the past month .
COVID-19 cases shot up to a weekly record last week , with more than 13,000 new infections reported .
Increased testing may partly explain the increase .
Other indicators show that the coronavirus is exhibiting staying power .
Hospitalizations have persisted statewide , fueled by the situation in Southern California , the San Joaquin Valley and San Diego County .
The figures have state and local officials warning that it might take some time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in hot spots like Los Angeles County , which reported 39 more deaths Monday , for a total of 1,570 .
L.A. County has accounted for more than half of all COVID-19 deaths and nearly half of the cases in California .
Even as Gov .
Gavin Newsom has signaled a steady process for reopening the state , he has repeatedly emphasized that the death toll continues to climb .
“ I ’ ll remind people that think the big emergency is over ... [ that ] we can go back to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tell that to 92 families that were destroyed because they lost a loved one to this virus in the last 24 hours .
This , by no stretch of the imagination , is over , ” Newsom said last week .
The state ’ s death toll — which sits at more than 2,770 — is markedly lower than New York ’ s , with more than 26,000 dead , or New Jersey ’ s , with more than 9,000 .
But experts said there are many Californians who haven ’ t been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be a mistake to assume the state is out of the woods .
UC San Francisco epidemiologist and infectious disease expert Dr. George Rutherford , a former epidemic intelligence service officer with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , said California hasn ’ t overcome its first wave of cases .
“ As long as it ’ s going up , it has not ended , ” he said .
“ It ’ s got to come down for it to end.
” The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic appears @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the 1918 flu pandemic , which lasted only a month in the early summer and , according to Rutherford , faded as U.S. troops headed to Europe to fight in World War I .
The second wave , many times more deadly , started in the fall and continued as troops came home .
Today , experts say , a significant part of the population has chosen not to stay home or has been unable to do so because they ’ re essential workers .
A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , about two weeks into a regional stay-at-home order , 47 % of residents in five San Francisco Bay Area counties were still leaving their homes , down from 80 % in late February .
With California in the eighth week of its stay-at-home order , Newsom on Friday allowed some retail businesses to reopen for curbside service , as long as such activity didn ’ t violate stricter local health orders .
And local governments have allowed many beaches and trails to reopen , while requiring social distancing .
Los Angeles County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distancing rules Wednesday , allowing surfing , swimming , running and walking but banning biking , playing volleyball , sitting , sunbathing and picnicking .
Parking lots , bike paths , piers and boardwalks will remain closed .
Everyone will be required to wear masks and stay at least six feet away from others , officials said .
But local officials in the hardest-hit counties suggested a broader reopening would be slow in L.A. and the Bay Area .
“ It ’ s safer to stay at home , ” Barbara Ferrer , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said Monday .
“ This is our new normal .
It will go on for a while.
” With summer approaching , health officials on Monday urged the public to not take leisure trips , including weekend trips , while the pandemic continues .
“ We are , in fact , asking people in our health officer order to avoid nonessential travel , and we would ask that our neighbors across the state and across the country do the same , ” Ferrer said .
“ There ’ s probably very few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would like to see travel into their communities.
” “ It ’ s best for people to limit their travel to essential travel , ” added Dr. Grant Colfax , San Francisco ’ s director of public health .
“ This is not the time to go on a trip for recreation or vacation , even to visit family and friends.
” There is no mandatory 14-day quarantine for visitors coming to California , as is the case in Hawaii , where violations are punishable by a $ 5,000 fine and a year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people coming to L.A. County “ do self-quarantine when you come in [ and ] you do keep yourself away from other people … for that 14-day period.
” On Sunday , an influential coronavirus forecast projected a worsening death toll by early August .
The University of Washington ’ s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation now a California death toll of by early August , up from the forecast of 4,600 that was issued a week ago .
The state is among eight predicted to see the largest increases in projected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issued May 4 and updated Sunday .
This group also included Pennsylvania , Illinois , Arizona , Florida , Mississippi , Missouri and Connecticut .
As a whole , the U.S. is now projected to record more than 137,000 deaths by early August , up from a forecast of 134,000 issued last week .
The national death toll on Monday topped 80,600 .
“ We ’ re headed for potentially a very large outbreak in the fall , which will make whatever we ’ ve seen pale in comparison , ” Rutherford said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , that children could further spread the disease when they return to school .
Rutherford says there ’ s a risk that some states that are opening up too quickly will see a rising death toll — and the effects of the pandemic will .
Rutherford says society does need to reopen — it ’ s too destructive to continue to be closed — but it needs to be done carefully .
“ If we have a prolonged depression , that has tremendous costs in morbidity and mortality as well .
So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understand that we ’ re trading economy for lives , ” Rutherford said .
“ Make no mistake … the more the economy opens up , the more people are going to die , ” he added .
“ You have to be really careful to minimize that number and make sure it ’ s not on the backs of all the poor people who are doing the front-line jobs who are going to get the most exposed.
” Lin reported from San Francisco ; Lee and Shalby from Los Angeles .
Times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nelson contributed to this report .

Rong-Gong Lin II, Iris Lee, Colleen Shalby

Against the backdrop of the Queen Mary, socially distanced exercisers made their way along a Long Beach path that reopened Monday.
Amid a growing clamor to further reopen a California economy devastated by the novel coronavirus, the state is facing one major obstacle that officials say has made swifter progress difficult.
The rate of COVID-19 deaths in California remains at a stubborn plateau. Mirroring a trend seen nationally, California has not seen a dramatic and sustained decline in deaths over the past month, a Los Angeles Times analysis has found. During the seven-day period that ended Sunday, 503 people in California died from the virus — the second-highest weekly death toll in the course of the pandemic and a 1.6% increase from the previous week’s toll.
The average of about 500 fatalities each week has continued over the past month. COVID-19 cases shot up to a weekly record last week, with more than 13,000 new infections reported. Increased testing may partly explain the increase.
Other indicators show that the coronavirus is exhibiting staying power. Hospitalizations have persisted statewide, fueled by the situation in Southern California, the San Joaquin Valley and San Diego County.
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The figures have state and local officials warning that it might take some time to significantly relax stay-at-home rules, especially in hot spots like Los Angeles County, which reported 39 more deaths Monday, for a total of 1,570. L.A. County has accounted for more than half of all COVID-19 deaths and nearly half of the cases in California.
Even as Gov. Gavin Newsom has signaled a steady process for reopening the state, he has repeatedly emphasized that the death toll continues to climb.
“I’ll remind people that think the big emergency is over ... [that] we can go back to the way things used to be. ... Tell that to 92 families that were destroyed because they lost a loved one to this virus in the last 24 hours. This, by no stretch of the imagination, is over,” Newsom said last week.
The state’s death toll — which sits at more than 2,770 — is markedly lower than New York’s, with more than 26,000 dead, or New Jersey’s, with more than 9,000.
But experts said there are many Californians who haven’t been infected yet, and that it would be a mistake to assume the state is out of the woods. UC San Francisco epidemiologist and infectious disease expert Dr. George Rutherford, a former epidemic intelligence service officer with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said California hasn’t overcome its first wave of cases.
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“As long as it’s going up, it has not ended,” he said. “It’s got to come down for it to end.”
The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic appears different so far from the first wave of the 1918 flu pandemic, which lasted only a month in the early summer and, according to Rutherford, faded as U.S. troops headed to Europe to fight in World War I. The second wave, many times more deadly, started in the fall and continued as troops came home.
Today, experts say, a significant part of the population has chosen not to stay home or has been unable to do so because they’re essential workers.
A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study estimated that by April 1, about two weeks into a regional stay-at-home order, 47% of residents in five San Francisco Bay Area counties were still leaving their homes, down from 80% in late February.
With California in the eighth week of its stay-at-home order, Newsom on Friday allowed some retail businesses to reopen for curbside service, as long as such activity didn’t violate stricter local health orders. And local governments have allowed many beaches and trails to reopen, while requiring social distancing.
Los Angeles County beaches are expected to reopen with social distancing rules Wednesday, allowing surfing, swimming, running and walking but banning biking, playing volleyball, sitting, sunbathing and picnicking. Parking lots, bike paths, piers and boardwalks will remain closed. Everyone will be required to wear masks and stay at least six feet away from others, officials said.
But local officials in the hardest-hit counties suggested a broader reopening would be slow in L.A. and the Bay Area.
“It’s safer to stay at home,” Barbara Ferrer, the L.A. County director of public health, said Monday. “This is our new normal. It will go on for a while.”
With summer approaching, health officials on Monday urged the public to not take leisure trips, including weekend trips, while the pandemic continues.
“We are, in fact, asking people in our health officer order to avoid nonessential travel, and we would ask that our neighbors across the state and across the country do the same,” Ferrer said. “There’s probably very few places in the world right now that would like to see travel into their communities.”
“It’s best for people to limit their travel to essential travel,” added Dr. Grant Colfax, San Francisco’s director of public health. “This is not the time to go on a trip for recreation or vacation, even to visit family and friends.”
There is no mandatory 14-day quarantine for visitors coming to California, as is the case in Hawaii, where violations are punishable by a $5,000 fine and a year in prison. But Ferrer requested that people coming to L.A. County “do self-quarantine when you come in [and] you do keep yourself away from other people … for that 14-day period.”
On Sunday, an influential coronavirus forecast projected a worsening death toll by early August. The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation now forecasts a California death toll of more than 6,000 by early August, up from the forecast of 4,600 that was issued a week ago.
The state is among eight predicted to see the largest increases in projected cumulative deaths, according to a forecast issued May 4 and updated Sunday. This group also included Pennsylvania, Illinois, Arizona, Florida, Mississippi, Missouri and Connecticut. As a whole, the U.S. is now projected to record more than 137,000 deaths by early August, up from a forecast of 134,000 issued last week. The national death toll on Monday topped 80,600.
Experts expect the number of fatalities to grow nationally.
“We’re headed for potentially a very large outbreak in the fall, which will make whatever we’ve seen pale in comparison,” Rutherford said. It’s possible, he said, that children could further spread the disease when they return to school.
Rutherford says there’s a risk that some states that are opening up too quickly will see a rising death toll — and the effects of the pandemic will disproportionately hit Latinos and blacks .
Rutherford says society does need to reopen — it’s too destructive to continue to be closed — but it needs to be done carefully.
“If we have a prolonged depression, that has tremendous costs in morbidity and mortality as well. So it’s a trade-off: Just understand that we’re trading economy for lives,” Rutherford said.
“Make no mistake … the more the economy opens up, the more people are going to die,” he added. “You have to be really careful to minimize that number and make sure it’s not on the backs of all the poor people who are doing the front-line jobs who are going to get the most exposed.”
Lin reported from San Francisco; Lee and Shalby from Los Angeles. Times staff writers Phil Willon and Laura J. Nelson contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-05-11--Coronavirus cases continue to climb in Orange County

There are a number of reasons why Orange County continues to see new coronavirus infections , but there ’ s no evidence that the throngs of people who flocked to the region ’ s famed shoreline weeks ago have contributed to the caseload , officials said Monday .
“ As of now , that is not something we are pointing to as a cause of cases , ” said County Health Officer Dr. Nichole Quick .
The crowds over the weekend of April 25 and 26 — either a prime example of what not to do or a blip that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on who you ask — prompted Gov .
Gavin Newsom to temporarily close the county ’ s beaches , a decision state officials said was meant to stave off potentially unsafe conditions that could worsen the spread of COVID-19 .
Quick , though , said “ correlation to the beach , that is not something that we have evidence of at this point.
” Regardless , Orange County has continued to see its weekly case count rise .
Between April 20 and 26 , the county confirmed 441 new COVID-19 cases .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and 787 the week after that .
Though its overall number of cases also continues to rise , neighboring Los Angeles County has seen a dip in how many new cases it ’ s confirmed week-to-week over the same time period .
Dr. George Rutherford , an epidemiologist and infectious disease expert at UC San Francisco , said he noticed a steep rise in Orange County ’ s cases in the days following the weekend of April 25 and 26 .
Further investigation is necessary to determine whether the beaches — most of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capacity — contributed to the spread of the coronavirus , however .
“ But you know , just us looking at it , there was a big jump in Orange County that was temporally consistent with possible transmission from that crowd event , ” Rutherford said .
Another factor is likely increased testing , though , as the county began notably ramping up its daily screening activity starting around April 28 .
“ As we test more , we ’ re likely to pick up more cases , ” Quick said .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are tested and come back positive “ has remained relatively stable and , overall , has been decreasing , which is good.
” “ As we loosen up any amount of the stay-at-home order or put more people to work , we do expect to see an increase in cases , ” she said .
“ So that would be something that would be expected.
” The Orange County Health Care Agency confirmed 55 new coronavirus infections Monday , boosting the region ’ s cumulative total to 3,557 .
The increase is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ single day since April 28 .
But the county also reported only 196 additional COVID-19 tests — the fewest in any one day for which data are available .
As of the latest update , 196 people were hospitalized countywide and 77 of them were in intensive care .
Though health officials say maintaining physical distancing and avoiding gatherings are key to fighting COVID-19 , Orange County hasn ’ t been immune from crowds .
About 1,500 demonstrators flocked to the Huntington Beach Pier on Saturday to call for an end to coronavirus-related @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sizable protest in the city in as many weeks .
Some businesses also have reopened their doors in defiance of state health orders .
One , Nomads Canteen in San Clemente , has recently offered dine-in service despite the state ’ s prohibition .
When it comes to compliance , Orange County Executive Officer Frank Kim said the approach has been education , rather than bringing down the hammer .
“ We ’ re not out here really trying to work with a heavy hand , ” he said Monday .
“ We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going on with each of these entities and working with them to see voluntary compliance.
” Other factors also can fuel increases in COVID-19 activity .
The city of Newport Beach said its local case count recently spiked “ due to , in large part , outbreaks inside a small number of local care facilities where patients and staff have tested positive.
” “ County public health officers and Newport Beach Fire Department officials have met with the CEOs , head nurses and other top staff at the facilities to ensure that best @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spread of the virus , ” city officials said in a statement .
Newport Beach spokesman John Pope declined to identify where the outbreaks have occurred or say how many cases have been reported in those facilities .
But between Friday and Sunday , the city ’ s COVID-19 case count jumped from 105 to 130 — an increase he said is “ largely attributable ” to the local care facilities .
“ Our residents would be understandably curious as to why there was such a big spike , and we didn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ why it might have occurred , ” he said .

Some beach-goers actively use the beach while others relax on the beach, despite Gov. Newsom’s active-use-only order, in Huntington Beach.
There are a number of reasons why Orange County continues to see new coronavirus infections, but there’s no evidence that the throngs of people who flocked to the region’s famed shoreline weeks ago have contributed to the caseload, officials said Monday.
“As of now, that is not something we are pointing to as a cause of cases,” said County Health Officer Dr. Nichole Quick.
The crowds over the weekend of April 25 and 26 — either a prime example of what not to do or a blip that was blown out of proportion, depending on who you ask — prompted Gov. Gavin Newsom to temporarily close the county’s beaches, a decision state officials said was meant to stave off potentially unsafe conditions that could worsen the spread of COVID-19.
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Quick, though, said “correlation to the beach, that is not something that we have evidence of at this point.”
Regardless, Orange County has continued to see its weekly case count rise.
Between April 20 and 26, the county confirmed 441 new COVID-19 cases. That figure jumped to 664 the following week and 787 the week after that.
Though its overall number of cases also continues to rise, neighboring Los Angeles County has seen a dip in how many new cases it’s confirmed week-to-week over the same time period.
Dr. George Rutherford, an epidemiologist and infectious disease expert at UC San Francisco, said he noticed a steep rise in Orange County’s cases in the days following the weekend of April 25 and 26.
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Further investigation is necessary to determine whether the beaches — most of which have since reopened in a limited capacity — contributed to the spread of the coronavirus, however.
“But you know, just us looking at it, there was a big jump in Orange County that was temporally consistent with possible transmission from that crowd event,” Rutherford said.
Another factor is likely increased testing, though, as the county began notably ramping up its daily screening activity starting around April 28.
“As we test more, we’re likely to pick up more cases,” Quick said.
She added that the percentage of people who are tested and come back positive “has remained relatively stable and, overall, has been decreasing, which is good.”
“As we loosen up any amount of the stay-at-home order or put more people to work, we do expect to see an increase in cases,” she said. “So that would be something that would be expected.”
The Orange County Health Care Agency confirmed 55 new coronavirus infections Monday, boosting the region’s cumulative total to 3,557.
The increase is the smallest number of new cases in a single day since April 28. But the county also reported only 196 additional COVID-19 tests — the fewest in any one day for which data are available.
The county’s death toll remained unchanged at 76.
As of the latest update, 196 people were hospitalized countywide and 77 of them were in intensive care.
Though health officials say maintaining physical distancing and avoiding gatherings are key to fighting COVID-19, Orange County hasn’t been immune from crowds.
About 1,500 demonstrators flocked to the Huntington Beach Pier on Saturday to call for an end to coronavirus-related economic and social restrictions — the second sizable protest in the city in as many weeks.
Some businesses also have reopened their doors in defiance of state health orders. One, Nomads Canteen in San Clemente, has recently offered dine-in service despite the state’s prohibition.
When it comes to compliance, Orange County Executive Officer Frank Kim said the approach has been education, rather than bringing down the hammer.
“We’re not out here really trying to work with a heavy hand,” he said Monday. “We’re trying to understand what is going on with each of these entities and working with them to see voluntary compliance.”
Other factors also can fuel increases in COVID-19 activity. The city of Newport Beach said its local case count recently spiked “due to, in large part, outbreaks inside a small number of local care facilities where patients and staff have tested positive.”
“County public health officers and Newport Beach Fire Department officials have met with the CEOs, head nurses and other top staff at the facilities to ensure that best practices are in place to mitigate further spread of the virus,” city officials said in a statement.
Newport Beach spokesman John Pope declined to identify where the outbreaks have occurred or say how many cases have been reported in those facilities. But between Friday and Sunday, the city’s COVID-19 case count jumped from 105 to 130 — an increase he said is “largely attributable” to the local care facilities.
“Our residents would be understandably curious as to why there was such a big spike, and we didn’t want people to speculate as to why it might have occurred,” he said.


latimes--2020-05-12--Republican Mike Garcia leads in race to fill Democrat Katie Hill's seat

Republican Mike Garcia jumped to an early lead Tuesday over Democrat Christy Smith in the runoff for a House seat in the Los Angeles suburbs , raising GOP hopes of flipping a blue California Congressional District for the first time since 1998 .
Early results in the election to fill the remainder of Rep. Katie Hill ’ s first term showed Garcia , a defense industry executive , ahead of Democratic state Assemblywoman Smith of Santa Clarita by 12 percentage points , with 76 % of precincts reporting .
The final tally in the nearly all mail-in ballot contest won @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — ballots postmarked by Tuesday and received by end of day Friday will be counted .
But Garcia ’ s lead suggests the 25th Congressional District , which includes Palmdale , Porter Ranch , Santa Clarita , Simi Valley and part of Lancaster , is within his party ’ s reach .
“ I ’ m proud of the results so far , and look forward to hopefully declaring victory very soon , ” Garcia said on a call with supporters and the media on Tuesday night .
Smith said in a statement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to call the race .
In the weeks leading up to the election , both parties acknowledged the race would be competitive , despite Democrats ’ 6.6-point voter registration advantage .
Lower turnout elections like Tuesday ’ s runoff tend to draw an older and whiter electorate , usually to the advantage of Republicans .
The coronavirus outbreak also put an end to traditional campaigning and get out the vote efforts such as door knocking and rallies .
Both candidates have alluded to the pandemic in their ads : Garcia accused Smith of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emergency management committee in Sacramento to respond to COVID-19 , and Smith criticized his opposition to the Affordable Care Act and tied him to President Trump , who endorsed him , and his response to the virus .
If Garcia does prevail , he ’ ll go to Washington to fill Hill ’ s seat , while also campaigning for the Nov. 3 general election to win a new term that begins January 2021 .
Hill resigned in October 2019 after nude photos of her were leaked and she was accused of having @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a violation of House ethics rules .
She has denied the allegation .
It ’ s unclear whether the uncounted ballots include enough last-minute Democratic votes to change the outcome of the final results , as has happened in past California House races .
As of Tuesday afternoon , 45 % of registered Republicans , 31 % of registered Democrats and 22 % of independents had returned their ballots , according to Political Data Inc. , an election analysis firm .
The initial count released by election officials Tuesday night included 139,000 votes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sent to every registered voter in the district , though not all ballots will be returned .
There were seven vote centers in Los Angeles County and two in Ventura County , as well as more than two dozen vote-by-mail drop boxes .
By mid-afternoon Tuesday only 200 voters had visited the in-person voting centers at the Simi Valley Public Library and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Ventura County .
Regardless of Tuesday ’ s outcome , Democrats say Smith will fare better in November , when the presidential election will boost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seat in 2018 , when Hill beat former Rep. Steve Knight by nearly 9 percentage points .
Smith , a former school board member , quickly became the party ’ s favorite to take Hill ’ s place .
In 2018 she beat a Republican incumbent to win her assembly district , which overlaps with 60 percent of the 25th Congressional District .
Despite a crowded Democratic field in the March 3 primary , she easily advanced to the May 12 runoff .
Garcia beat Knight to come in second .
In the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both candidates have been backed by prominent figures in their parties .
Smith has been endorsed by former President Obama , Hillary Clinton and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren .
In addition to Trump , Garcia has been backed by former U.N .
Ambassador Nikki Haley and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy .

Republican Mike Garcia and Democrat Christy Smith were competing in a congressional race that both sides rated a toss-up.
Democrat Christy Smith has conceded to Republican Mike Garcia in the election to fill former Rep. Katie Hill’s seat, marking the first time the GOP has flipped a blue California congressional district since 1998.
Garcia, a defense industry executive, was ahead of Smith, a state Assemblywoman from Santa Clarita, by double digits in early returns.
“While it’s critical that we ensure every vote is counted and recorded, we believe that the current tally shows Mike Garcia is the likely victor in the May 12 special election,” Smith wrote in statement posted to Facebook. “As such, I’d like to congratulate him.”
The final tally in the nearly all mail-in ballot contest won’t be available for several days — ballots postmarked by Tuesday and received by end of day Friday will be counted. The 25th Congressional District includes Palmdale, Porter Ranch, Santa Clarita, Simi Valley and part of Lancaster.
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The district was in Republican hands for decades until the 2018 midterm election, when a blue wave netted Democrats 40 seats nationwide.
“I’m proud of the results so far, and look forward to hopefully declaring victory very soon,” Garcia said on a call with supporters and the media on Tuesday night.
In the weeks leading up to the election, both parties acknowledged the race would be competitive, despite Democrats’ 6.6-point voter registration advantage. Lower turnout elections like Tuesday’s runoff tend to draw an older and whiter electorate, usually to the advantage of Republicans.
Politics During the pandemic, Republicans see a rare political opportunity in California For the first time in over 20 years, the GOP could flip a California House district — and vote-by-mail may benefit the Republican in Tuesday’s special election for the seat vacated by Katie Hill.
The coronavirus outbreak also put an end to traditional campaigning and get out the vote efforts such as door knocking and rallies. Both candidates have alluded to the pandemic in their ads: Garcia accused Smith of failing to use her position leading an emergency management committee in Sacramento to respond to COVID-19, and Smith criticized his opposition to the Affordable Care Act and tied him to President Trump, who endorsed him, and his response to the virus.
Garcia will go to Washington to complete Hill’s term, which ends in January 2021, while also campaigning for the Nov. 3 general election for a new term. Smith and Garcia are competing in that race as well.
Hill resigned in October 2019 after nude photos of her were leaked and she was accused of having an affair with a congressional staffer, a violation of House ethics rules. She has denied the allegation.
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There were seven in-person vote centers in Los Angeles County and two in Ventura County, as well as more than two dozen vote-by-mail drop boxes. By mid-afternoon Tuesday only 200 voters had visited the in-person voting centers at the Simi Valley Public Library and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Ventura County.
Do you live within CA-25 district boundaries but you’re not registered? Head over to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley to #registerthenvote! #VCElections will be here until 8pm. More than 100 voters have cast their vote curbside today. 🗳 pic.twitter.com/9VjhpLF1HN — VC Clerk Recorder (@VCClerkRecorder) May 12, 2020
Democrats say Smith will fare better in November, when the presidential election will boost turnout.
But even as Democrats expressed confidence about November, some said the party’s complacency blew a chance to win the seat Tuesday and put Garcia back on his heels.
“No excuses,” said Bob Mulholland, a veteran California political strategist and member of the Democratic National Committee. Democrats, he said, “were too full of themselves” and “they let Christy Smith down.”
That said, Mulholland went on, the dynamic will be different come the fall, giving Democrats the chance for a do-over of sorts. “By October, Garcia will have a Trump tattoo on his forehead,” Mulholland said, and — given the president’s overwhelming unpopularity in the state — “Democrats had better not fail.”
California Millions skipped California’s 2020 primary. Will coronavirus change who votes in November? In all, 46.89% of registered voters cast ballots in the March 3 primary, which was moved up from June with hopes that turnout would be high and presidential candidates would be forced to address issues mattering most to Californians.
Smith, a former school board member, quickly became the party’s favorite to take Hill’s place. In 2018 she beat a Republican incumbent to win her assembly district, which overlaps with 60 percent of the 25th Congressional District. Despite a crowded Democratic field in the March 3 primary, she easily advanced to the May 12 runoff. Garcia beat Knight to come in second.
In the weeks leading up to the race, both candidates have been backed by prominent figures in their parties. Smith has been endorsed by former President Obama, Hillary Clinton and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. In addition to Trump, Garcia has been backed by former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield.


latimes--2020-05-12--After seventh coronavirus death at Terminal Island, congresswoman says inmates lack protection

Days after a seventh inmate at the Terminal Island federal prison died from a coronavirus-related illness , a U.S. congresswoman emerged from the San Pedro lockup Tuesday saying she was disturbed by what see saw inside and that detainees are desperate for protective equipment .
After touring the facility , Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán peeled off a suction cup mask , gown and protective visor that allowed her to step into isolation areas of one of the nation ’ s largest spread of the coronavirus and described inmates screaming for help .
Many in the highly infectious units were supplied @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I was there , I would hear the inmates screaming that were in isolation units , ” Barragán said .
“ ‘ Saying , ‘ Turn on the air , get us some air , help me , I need to make a call.
’ ” The low-security dockside prison houses just over a thousand medically vulnerable inmates and more than 700 have tested positive for the coronavirus .
Only the federal prison in Lompoc has documented more virus-infected inmates .
“ I am very concerned about what I saw in there , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no physical distancing happening ... what we are being asked to do isn ’ t happening in there.
” Over the weekend , a 70-year-old man who was serving a 26-month sentence for tax fraud died from COVID-19-related conditions .
Scott Douglas Cutting Sr. , who had preexisting medical conditions , was placed on a ventilator April 15 at a nearby hospital and died Saturday .
“ You get a three-year sentence for a tax charge , it shouldn ’ t be a death sentence , ” Barragán said .
Every inmate in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus , and the L.A. County Department of Public Health and federal officials released new statistics Tuesday showing 552 inmates have recovered after testing positive , The Bureau of Prisons in recent weeks has expanded housing into a manufacturing facility at the prison , putting up military tents to distance inmates from one another .
But Barragán described how some initially negative inmates have since tested positive and they were living in the same housing as those not infected .
Barragan said the masks inmates are using are flimsy , and she saw @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of infection , they should be given more protective N95 masks , she said .
Bureau of Prison officials declined as a matter of policy to comment on discussions with Barragán .
But correctional union leaders at the prison said rigid masks such as the N95 contain metal that inmates could use to pick locks or make a weapon .
About 15 prison staff members have been infected as well as the wife and child of a correctional officer , a union official said .
“ It is worrisome , ” said John @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Council of Prison Locals 33 .
“ It is prison , it is extremely difficult to social distance within a prison.
” Barragán said only six inmates have been released under a directive by U.S. Atty .
Gen. William P. Barr to assign medically vulnerable low and minimum-risk inmates to home confinement , and those number should increase .
“ We are not talking about violent murders .
We ’ re talking about people who have a tax case or drug charge , ” she said .

Days after a seventh inmate at the Terminal Island federal prison died from a coronavirus-related illness, a U.S. congresswoman emerged from the San Pedro lockup Tuesday saying she was disturbed by what she saw inside and that detainees were desperate for protective equipment.
After touring the facility, Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán peeled off the suction-cup mask, gown and protective visor she’d worn while stepping into isolation areas at the site of one of the nation’s most intense outbreaks of the coronavirus and described inmates as screaming for help. Many in the units for highly infectious inmates were supplied with just cloth masks.
“While I was there, I would hear the inmates screaming that were in isolation units,” Barragán said. “Saying, ‘Turn on the air, get us some air.’ ‘Help me, I need to make a call.’”
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The low-security dockside prison houses just over a thousand medically vulnerable inmates, and more than 700 have tested positive for coronavirus infection. Only the federal prison in Lompoc has documented more virus-infected inmates.
“I am very concerned about what I saw in there,” she said. “There is no physical distancing happening. ... What we are being asked to do isn’t happening in there.”
Over the weekend, a 70-year-old man who was serving a 26-month sentence for tax fraud died from COVID-19-related conditions. Scott Douglas Cutting Sr., who had preexisting medical conditions, was placed on a ventilator April 15 at a nearby hospital and died Saturday.
“You get a three-year sentence for a tax charge,” Barragán said. “It shouldn’t be a death sentence.”
Every inmate in the facility has been tested for COVID-19, and the L.A. County Department of Public Health and federal officials released new statistics Tuesday showing 552 inmates had recovered after testing positive.
The Bureau of Prisons in recent weeks has expanded housing into a manufacturing facility at the prison, putting up military tents to distance inmates from one another. But Barragán described how some inmates who initially tested negative had since tested positive and were living in the same housing as those not infected.
Barragan said the masks inmates were using were flimsy, and she saw inmates congregating together. Given the level of infection, they should be given more protective N95 masks, she said.
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Bureau of Prisons officials declined as a matter of policy to comment on discussions with Barragán.
But correctional union leaders at the prison said rigid masks such as the N95 contained metal that inmates could use to pick locks or make a weapon.
About 15 prison staff members have been infected as well as the wife and child of a correctional officer, a union official said.
“It is worrisome,” said John Kostelnik, western regional vice president of Council of Prison Locals 33. “It is prison; it is extremely difficult to social distance within a prison.”
Barragán said only six inmates had been released under a directive by U.S. Atty. Gen. William P. Barr to assign medically vulnerable low and minimum-risk inmates to home confinement, and those numbers should increase.
“We are not talking about violent murders,” she said. “We’re talking about people who have a tax case or drug charge.”


latimes--2020-05-12--Gym, motorcycle dealer, hair salon among 60 businesses charged with violating stay-at-home rules

The owners of 60 businesses including car washes , gyms and hair salons across Los Angeles deemed nonessential by the city but still remain open are now facing criminal charges for violating the mayor ’ s stay-at-home order .
Los Angeles City Atty .
Mike Feuer revealed the latest round of the crackdown on businesses flouting Mayor Eric Garcetti ’ s Safer at Home order by staying open .
Dozens of businesses have been identified by Los Angeles police as keeping open despite being told to close .
Police investigators have turned over evidence against at least 79 businesses identified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ businesses seemingly ignoring Garcetti ’ s order has risen steadily as the shutdown drags on and many small business owners struggle to keep operating .
While Gov .
Gavin Newsom has begun some phased reopening , L.A. County ’ s Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer has said the county ’ s stay-at-home orders will “ with all certainty ” be extended for the next three months .
Feuer on Tuesday said Garcetti made it clear that only essential businesses , such as healthcare providers , organizations serving vulnerable populations and grocery stores , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The prosecutor noted the advice of Dr. Anthony Fauci , the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , had warned Tuesday of the danger of reopening early and in these cases , Feuer said , illegally .
“ As Dr. Fauci warned this morning , all our hard work to slow the spread of COVID-19 could be squandered if businesses violate the rules and open prematurely , ” Feuer said .
“ Of course all of us want to get back to work and return to our routines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with businesses that are struggling so much right now .
But we will get our economy going sooner if all of us have the discipline to follow the rules now .
“ So as we begin the task of carefully reopening Los Angeles , my office will continue to be vigilant in enforcing the Safer at Home Order , ensuring that nonessential businesses open only after our health experts say it ’ s safe to do so , ” Feuer said .
Each owner of the 60 businesses faces a criminal misdemeanor charge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to operate .
Among them is a San Fernando Valley Harley-Davidson dealer , an Egyptian artifacts store and a dozen smoke shops .

L.A. City Atty. Mike Feuer revealed the latest round of businesses targeted in a crackdown on those that flout the city’s Safer at Home order.
The owners of 60 businesses across Los Angeles, including car washes, gyms and hair salons, that have been deemed nonessential by the city but still remain open are now facing criminal charges for violating the mayor’s stay-at-home order.
Los Angeles City Atty. Mike Feuer revealed the latest round of the crackdown on businesses flouting Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Safer at Home order by staying open. Dozens of businesses have been identified by Los Angeles police — investigators have turned over evidence against at least 79 identified by the department.
The number of businesses seemingly ignoring Garcetti’s order has risen steadily as the shutdown drags on and many small-business owners struggle to stay afloat. Although Gov. Gavin Newsom has approved of some phased reopening of the local economy, L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer has said the county’s stay-at-home orders will “with all certainty” be extended for the next three months.
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City Atty. Feuer on Tuesday said Garcetti had made it clear that only essential businesses, such as healthcare providers, grocery stores and organizations serving vulnerable populations, could remain open during the COVID-19 emergency. The prosecutor said there was danger, as noted by Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, in reopening early —
and, Feuer said, illegally in these cases.
“As Dr. Fauci warned this morning, all our hard work to slow the spread of COVID-19 could be squandered if businesses violate the rules and open prematurely,” Feuer said. “Of course all of us want to get back to work and return to our routines, and I’m extremely sympathetic with businesses that are struggling so much right now. But we will get our economy going sooner if all of us have the discipline to follow the rules now.
“So as we begin the task of carefully reopening Los Angeles,” Feuer added, “my office will continue to be vigilant in enforcing the Safer at Home Order, ensuring that nonessential businesses open only after our health experts say it’s safe to do so.”
Each owner of the 60 businesses faces a criminal misdemeanor charge, and the businesses could lose their licenses to operate. Among them is a San Fernando Valley Harley-Davidson dealer, an Egyptian artifacts store and a dozen smoke shops.


latimes--2020-05-12--Earthquake: 3.2 quake shakes near Palm Springs

A magnitude 3.2 earthquake was reported Tuesday evening at 6:31 p.m. Pacific time eight miles from Palm Springs , according to the U.S. Geological Survey .
The earthquake occurred 13 miles from Palm Desert , 14 miles from La Quinta , 15 miles from Rancho Mirage and 17 miles from Cathedral City .
In the past 10 days , there have been five earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby .
An average of 234 earthquakes with magnitudes between 3.0 and 4.0 occur per year in California and Nevada , according to a recent three year data sample .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 6.2 miles .
Did you feel this earthquake ?
Consider reporting what you felt to the USGS .
Even if you didn ’ t feel this small earthquake , you never know when the Big One is going to strike .
Ready yourself by following our five-step earthquake preparedness guide and building your own emergency kit .
This story was automatically generated by Quakebot , a computer application that monitors the latest earthquakes detected by the USGS .
A Times editor reviewed the post before it was published .
If you ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , visit our list of frequently asked questions .

A magnitude 3.2 earthquake was reported Tuesday evening at 6:31 p.m. Pacific time eight miles from Palm Springs, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The earthquake occurred 13 miles from Palm Desert, 14 miles from La Quinta, 15 miles from Rancho Mirage and 17 miles from Cathedral City.
In the past 10 days, there have been five earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby.
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An average of 234 earthquakes with magnitudes between 3.0 and 4.0 occur per year in California and Nevada, according to a recent three year data sample.
The earthquake occurred at a depth of 6.2 miles. Did you feel this earthquake? Consider reporting what you felt to the USGS.
Even if you didn’t feel this small earthquake, you never know when the Big One is going to strike. Ready yourself by following our five-step earthquake preparedness guide and building your own emergency kit.
This story was automatically generated by Quakebot, a computer application that monitors the latest earthquakes detected by the USGS. A Times editor reviewed the post before it was published. If you’re interested in learning more about the system, visit our list of frequently asked questions.