latimes--2020-03-27--Fearing coronavirus will sicken their families, doctors are begging for more armor

Dr. ’ twin girls cry most mornings when she goes to work .
They ’ re 9 , old enough to know she could catch the coronavirus from her patients and get so sick she could die .
Kiss shares that fear , and worries at least as much about bringing the virus home to her family — especially since she depends on a mask more than a week old to protect her .
“ I have four small children .
I ’ m always thinking of them , ” said the 37-year-old family physician , who is based in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asthma .
“ But there really is no choice .
I took an oath as a doctor to do the right thing.
” Kiss ’ concerns are mirrored by dozens of physician parents from around the nation in begging that the remainder of the relevant personal protective equipment be released from the Strategic National Stockpile , a federal cache of medical supplies , for those on the front lines .
They join a growing chorus of American healthcare workers who say they ’ re battling the virus with far too little armor as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ equipment , known as PPE , or rely on homemade substitutes .
Sometimes they must even go without protection altogether .
“ We are physically bringing home bacteria and viruses , ” said Dr. Hala Sabry , an emergency medicine physician outside Los Angeles who founded the Physician Moms Group on Facebook , which has more than 70,000 members .
“ We need PPE , and we need it now .
We actually needed it yesterday.
” The danger is clear .
A March 21 editorial in the Lancet said 3,300 healthcare workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ China as of early March .
At least 22 died by the end of February .
The virus has also stricken healthcare workers in the United States .
On March 14 , the American College of Emergency Physicians announced that two members — one in Washington state and another in New Jersey — were in critical condition with COVID-19 .
At the private practice outside Los Angeles where Kiss works , three patients have had confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began .
Tests are pending on 10 others , she said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more potential cases based on symptoms .
Ideally , Kiss said , she ’ d use a fresh , tight-fitting N95 respirator mask each time she examined a patient .
But she has had just one mask since March 16 , when she got a box of five for her practice from a physician friend .
Someone left a box of them on the friend ’ s porch , she said .
When she encounters a patient with symptoms resembling COVID-19 , Kiss said , she wears a face shield over her mask @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between treating patients .
As soon as she gets home from work , she said , she jumps straight into the shower and then launders her scrubs .
She knows it could be devastating if she infects her family , even though children generally experience milder symptoms than adults .
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , her daughter ’ s asthma may put the girl at greater risk of a severe form of the disease .
Dr. Niran Al-Agba of Bremerton , Wash. , said she worries “ every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus home to her family .
“ I ’ ve been hugging them a lot , ” the 45-year-old pediatrician said in a phone interview as she cuddled one of her four children on her lap .
“ It ’ s the hardest part of what we ’ re doing .
I could lose my husband .
I could lose myself .
I could lose my children.
” Al-Agba said she first realized she ’ d need N95 masks and gowns after hearing about a COVID-19 death about 30 miles away in Kirkland @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to order them , but they were sold out .
In early March , she found one N95 mask among painting gear in a storage facility .
She figured she could reuse the mask if she sprayed it with a little isopropyl alcohol and also protected herself with gloves , goggles and a jacket instead of a gown .
So that ’ s what she did , visiting symptomatic patients in their cars to reduce the risk of spreading the virus in her office and the need for more protective equipment for other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ donations of such equipment .
Someone left two boxes of N95s on her doorstep .
Three retired dentists dropped off supplies .
Patients brought her dozens of homemade masks .
Al-Agba plans to make these supplies last , so she ’ s continuing to examine patients in cars .
In the March 19 letter to Congress , about 50 other physicians described similar experiences and fears for their families , with their names excluded to protect them from possible retaliation from employers .
Several described having few or no masks or gowns .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for COVID-19 because there is not enough protective gear to keep workers safe .
One described buying N95 masks from Home Depot to distribute to colleagues ; another spoke of buying safety glasses from a local construction site .
“ Healthcare workers around the country continue to risk exposure — some requiring quarantine and others falling ill , ” said the letter .
“ With emergency rooms and hospitals running at and even over capacity , and as the crisis expands , so does the risk to our healthcare workers .
And with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is even greater.
” Besides asking the government to release the entire stockpile of masks and other protective equipment — some of which has already been sent to states — the doctors requested it be replenished with newly manufactured equipment that is steered to healthcare workers before retail stores .
They called on the U.S. Government Accountability Office to investigate the distribution of stockpile supplies and recommend ways to ensure they are distributed as efficiently as possible .
They said the current system , which requires requests from local , state and territorial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could cause significant harm to the health and welfare of the general public.
” At this point , Sabry said , the federal government should not be keeping any part of the stockpile for a rainy day .
“ It ’ s pouring in the United States right now , ” she said .
“ What are they waiting for ?
How bad does it have to get ?
” Laura Ungar writes for Kaiser Health News ( KHN ) , a nonprofit news service covering health issues .
KHN is an editorially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente .

Dr. Jessica Kiss has had just one N95 respirator mask since March 16, when she got a box of five for her practice from a physician friend. “I have four small children,” says the 37-year-old California family physician, who has one daughter with asthma. “I’m always thinking of them.”
Dr. Jessica Kiss ’ twin girls cry most mornings when she goes to work. They’re 9, old enough to know she could catch the coronavirus from her patients and get so sick she could die.
Kiss shares that fear, and worries at least as much about bringing the virus home to her family — especially since she depends on a mask more than a week old to protect her.
“I have four small children. I’m always thinking of them,” said the 37-year-old family physician, who is based in Los Angeles and has one daughter with asthma. “But there really is no choice. I took an oath as a doctor to do the right thing.”
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Kiss’ concerns are mirrored by dozens of physician parents from around the nation in an impassioned letter to Congress begging that the remainder of the relevant personal protective equipment be released from the Strategic National Stockpile, a federal cache of medical supplies, for those on the front lines.
They join a growing chorus of American healthcare workers who say they’re battling the virus with far too little armor as shortages force them to reuse personal protective equipment, known as PPE, or rely on homemade substitutes. Sometimes they must even go without protection altogether.
“We are physically bringing home bacteria and viruses,” said Dr. Hala Sabry, an emergency medicine physician outside Los Angeles who founded the Physician Moms Group on Facebook, which has more than 70,000 members. “We need PPE, and we need it now. We actually needed it yesterday.”
The danger is clear. A March 21 editorial in the Lancet said 3,300 healthcare workers were infected with the COVID-19 virus in China as of early March. At least 22 died by the end of February.
The virus has also stricken healthcare workers in the United States. On March 14, the American College of Emergency Physicians announced that two members — one in Washington state and another in New Jersey — were in critical condition with COVID-19.
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At the private practice outside Los Angeles where Kiss works, three patients have had confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began. Tests are pending on 10 others, she said, and they suspect at least 50 more potential cases based on symptoms.
Ideally, Kiss said, she’d use a fresh, tight-fitting N95 respirator mask each time she examined a patient. But she has had just one mask since March 16, when she got a box of five for her practice from a physician friend. Someone left a box of them on the friend’s porch, she said.
When she encounters a patient with symptoms resembling COVID-19, Kiss said, she wears a face shield over her mask, wiping it down with medical-grade wipes between treating patients.
As soon as she gets home from work, she said, she jumps straight into the shower and then launders her scrubs. She knows it could be devastating if she infects her family, even though children generally experience milder symptoms than adults. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, her daughter’s asthma may put the girl at greater risk of a severe form of the disease.
Dr. Niran Al-Agba of Bremerton, Wash., said she worries “every single day” about bringing the COVID-19 virus home to her family.
“I’ve been hugging them a lot,” the 45-year-old pediatrician said in a phone interview as she cuddled one of her four children on her lap. “It’s the hardest part of what we’re doing. I could lose my husband. I could lose myself. I could lose my children.”
Al-Agba said she first realized she’d need N95 masks and gowns after hearing about a COVID-19 death about 30 miles away in Kirkland last month. She asked her distributor to order them, but they were sold out. In early March, she found one N95 mask among painting gear in a storage facility.
She figured she could reuse the mask if she sprayed it with a little isopropyl alcohol and also protected herself with gloves, goggles and a jacket instead of a gown. So that’s what she did, visiting symptomatic patients in their cars to reduce the risk of spreading the virus in her office and the need for more protective equipment for other staffers.
Recently, she began getting donations of such equipment. Someone left two boxes of N95s on her doorstep. Three retired dentists dropped off supplies. Patients brought her dozens of homemade masks. Al-Agba plans to make these supplies last, so she’s continuing to examine patients in cars.
In the March 19 letter to Congress, about 50 other physicians described similar experiences and fears for their families, with their names excluded to protect them from possible retaliation from employers. Several described having few or no masks or gowns.
Two said their health centers stopped testing for COVID-19 because there is not enough protective gear to keep workers safe. One described buying N95 masks from Home Depot to distribute to colleagues; another spoke of buying safety glasses from a local construction site.
“Healthcare workers around the country continue to risk exposure — some requiring quarantine and others falling ill,” said the letter. “With emergency rooms and hospitals running at and even over capacity, and as the crisis expands, so does the risk to our healthcare workers. And with a shortage of PPE, that risk is even greater.”
Besides asking the government to release the entire stockpile of masks and other protective equipment — some of which has already been sent to states — the doctors requested it be replenished with newly manufactured equipment that is steered to healthcare workers before retail stores.
They called on the U.S. Government Accountability Office to investigate the distribution of stockpile supplies and recommend ways to ensure they are distributed as efficiently as possible.
They said the current system, which requires requests from local, state and territorial authorities, “may create delays that could cause significant harm to the health and welfare of the general public.”
At this point, Sabry said, the federal government should not be keeping any part of the stockpile for a rainy day.
“It’s pouring in the United States right now,” she said. “What are they waiting for? How bad does it have to get?”
Laura Ungar writes for Kaiser Health News (KHN), a nonprofit news service covering health issues. KHN is an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.


latimes--2020-03-27--Former L.A. Councilman Mitchell Englander to plead guilty in corruption case

The federal corruption case against former Los Angeles Councilman Mitchell Englander had all the elements of an overheated crime novel : envelopes of cash , a trip to a Las Vegas casino , a female escort sent to a hotel room .
And now , it will have a guilty plea , according to paperwork filed by the U.S. attorney ’ s office on Friday .
Englander , 49 , reached a plea agreement this week in an obstruction-of-justice case that centered on his acceptance of money , hotel rooms and other gifts during trips to Las Vegas and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reserve officer will plead guilty to one count of scheming to falsify material facts .
Prosecutors charged Englander with lying to FBI agents as they investigated allegations that he received cash payments , expensive “ bottle service , ” escort services and other freebies from a businessman with companies in Southern California .
Friday ’ s court filing marks a turning point in a wide-ranging federal corruption probe of City Hall , with prosecutors securing their first guilty plea from an elected city official .
Englander resigned from public office two years ago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him about the Vegas trip .
Prosecutors have also filed a case alleging that an unnamed councilman attempted to secure a $ 500,000 bribe from a real estate developer .
The government ’ s description of that official — identifying him as a council member who was facing term limits , sat on the planning committee and was working to have a relative succeed him in office — made clear it is Councilman Jose Huizar , whose home and offices were raided by FBI agents in 2018 .
A search warrant filed that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been seeking evidence of possible crimes involving Councilman Curren Price and current or former aides to Councilman Herb Wesson and Mayor Eric Garcetti .
Janet I. Levine , Englander ’ s attorney , said the former councilman “ accepts full responsibility for his actions and is contrite and embarrassed by his conduct.
” “ With the help and support of his family and friends , he will continue to move forward and look for new ways to contribute to his community , ” she said .
Levine declined to comment on whether Englander @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As part of the plea agreement , the U.S. attorney ’ s office will dismiss the remaining counts in the indictment against Englander at his sentencing .
Federal prosecutors also have agreed not to seek a sentence of imprisonment above 36 months .
Englander represented the northwest San Fernando Valley from 2011 to 2018 , heading up the council committee that deals with public safety .
In June 2017 , he received an array of gifts from a businessman while on a trip to Las Vegas with two city staffers , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to documents filed as part of the plea agreement .
Those gifts included $ 10,000 in cash for Englander .
Hotel rooms , dinner , drinks and $ 24,000 in bottle service at a nightclub were provided to Englander and the others on the trip , according to the indictment .
The businessman also paid for two female escorts during the trip , instructing one of the escorts to go to Englander ’ s room , according to federal filings .
The businessman did not know whether Englander took advantage of those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ later took another envelope of cash from the businessman — this time containing $ 5,000 — during a trip to a casino near Palm Springs .
Prosecutors allege the businessman had been seeking help from Englander and other city officials in marketing his products — cabinetry and electronic equipment used in homes — to developers pursuing big real estate projects in Los Angeles .
While at the casino outside Palm Springs , Englander introduced the businessman to an unnamed real estate developer over lunch , according to court records .
After the lunch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the businessman to learn more about his products , prosecutors said .
The businessman later began cooperating with the FBI , recording conversations with Englander and taking photos of messages sent by the councilman while he was using a phone app that encrypts and automatically deletes texts .
Prosecutors said that after they contacted Englander to ask about the trip , he instructed the businessman to provide false and misleading information to FBI agents .
Englander told the man not to say anything about escort services and said he should falsely state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for his hotel room and dinner in Las Vegas , according to investigators .
Using recordings and captured text messages , investigators concluded Englander had lied to them during three separate interviews conducted between October 2017 and December 2018 .
In one interview , conducted in February 2018 , they tabulated at least five false statements from the former councilman , who now lives in Santa Monica , according to the indictment .
Before winning public office , Englander served as chief of staff to Councilman Greig Smith , who also represented the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week , Smith said he personally felt hurt by the revelations in the Englander case .
“ I ’ m really embarrassed [ by ] what he did , ” Smith said .
“ Because it reflects on me .
He damaged all of us.
” Englander is the first elected official to face criminal charges at City Hall since former Councilman Richard Alarcon , who spent nearly a decade defending himself in a case that centered on whether he lied about where he lived .
Alarcon was found guilty of perjury and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was cleared years later , when an appeals court threw out the conviction , saying the judge had issued improper instructions .
Prosecutors ultimately declined to retry the case .
The court has not scheduled a date for Englander to enter his guilty plea , according to the U.S. attorney ’ s office .

David Zahniser, Dakota Smith, Joel Rubin

The federal corruption case against former Los Angeles Councilman Mitchell Englander had all the elements of an overheated crime novel: envelopes of cash, a trip to a Las Vegas casino, a female escort sent to a hotel room.
And now, it will have a guilty plea, according to paperwork filed by the U.S. attorney’s office on Friday.
Englander, 49, reached a plea agreement this week in an obstruction-of-justice case that centered on his acceptance of money, hotel rooms and other gifts during trips to Las Vegas and the Palm Springs area. The onetime LAPD reserve officer will plead guilty to one count of scheming to falsify material facts.
Prosecutors charged Englander with lying to FBI agents as they investigated allegations that he received cash payments, expensive “bottle service,” escort services and other freebies from a businessman with companies in Southern California.
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Friday’s court filing marks a turning point in a wide-ranging federal corruption probe of City Hall, with prosecutors securing their first guilty plea from an elected city official. Englander resigned from public office two years ago, after FBI agents had begun asking him about the Vegas trip.
Prosecutors have also filed a case alleging that an unnamed councilman attempted to secure a $500,000 bribe from a real estate developer. The government’s description of that official — identifying him as a council member who was facing term limits, sat on the planning committee and was working to have a relative succeed him in office — made clear it is Councilman Jose Huizar, whose home and offices were raided by FBI agents in 2018.
A lawyer for Huizar declined to comment.
A search warrant filed that same year indicated that investigators also have been seeking evidence of possible crimes involving Councilman Curren Price and current or former aides to Councilman Herb Wesson and Mayor Eric Garcetti.
Janet I. Levine, Englander’s attorney, said the former councilman “accepts full responsibility for his actions and is contrite and embarrassed by his conduct.”
“With the help and support of his family and friends, he will continue to move forward and look for new ways to contribute to his community,” she said.
Levine declined to comment on whether Englander will help investigators with the ongoing probe. As part of the plea agreement, the U.S. attorney’s office will dismiss the remaining counts in the indictment against Englander at his sentencing.
Federal prosecutors also have agreed not to seek a sentence of imprisonment above 36 months.
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California FBI corruption probe goes beyond L.A. Councilman Jose Huizar to include other City Hall figures An ongoing FBI investigation into Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar is part of a broader corruption probe in which agents are seeking possible evidence involving Councilman Curren Price and a senior aide to Council President Herb Wesson, as well as several other city officials and business figures, according to a federal search warrant.
Englander represented the northwest San Fernando Valley from 2011 to 2018, heading up the council committee that deals with public safety. In June 2017, he received an array of gifts from a businessman while on a trip to Las Vegas with two city staffers, a lobbyist and a real estate developer, according to documents filed as part of the plea agreement.
Those gifts included $10,000 in cash for Englander. Hotel rooms, dinner, drinks and $24,000 in bottle service at a nightclub were provided to Englander and the others on the trip, according to the indictment.
The businessman also paid for two female escorts during the trip, instructing one of the escorts to go to Englander’s room, according to federal filings. The businessman did not know whether Englander took advantage of those services, the document said.
Englander later took another envelope of cash from the businessman — this time containing $5,000 — during a trip to a casino near Palm Springs.
Prosecutors allege the businessman had been seeking help from Englander and other city officials in marketing his products — cabinetry and electronic equipment used in homes — to developers pursuing big real estate projects in Los Angeles.
While at the casino outside Palm Springs, Englander introduced the businessman to an unnamed real estate developer over lunch, according to court records. After the lunch, the developer expressed interest in meeting with the businessman to learn more about his products, prosecutors said.
The businessman later began cooperating with the FBI, recording conversations with Englander and taking photos of messages sent by the councilman while he was using a phone app that encrypts and automatically deletes texts.
Prosecutors said that after they contacted Englander to ask about the trip, he instructed the businessman to provide false and misleading information to FBI agents. Englander told the man not to say anything about escort services and said he should falsely state that he had tried to provide reimbursement for his hotel room and dinner in Las Vegas, according to investigators.
Using recordings and captured text messages, investigators concluded Englander had lied to them during three separate interviews conducted between October 2017 and December 2018. In one interview, conducted in February 2018, they tabulated at least five false statements from the former councilman, who now lives in Santa Monica, according to the indictment.
Before winning public office, Englander served as chief of staff to Councilman Greig Smith, who also represented the northwest Valley. In an interview this week, Smith said he personally felt hurt by the revelations in the Englander case.
“I’m really embarrassed [by] what he did,” Smith said. “Because it reflects on me. He damaged all of us.”
Englander is the first elected official to face criminal charges at City Hall since former Councilman Richard Alarcon, who spent nearly a decade defending himself in a case that centered on whether he lied about where he lived.
Alarcon was found guilty of perjury and voter fraud charges in 2014. But he was cleared years later, when an appeals court threw out the conviction, saying the judge had issued improper instructions. Prosecutors ultimately declined to retry the case.
The court has not scheduled a date for Englander to enter his guilty plea, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.


latimes--2020-03-27--California once had mobile hospitals and a ventilator stockpile. But it dismantled them

They were ready to roll whenever disaster struck California : three 200-bed mobile hospitals that could be deployed to the scene of a crisis on flatbed trucks and provide advanced medical care to the injured and sick within 72 hours .
Each hospital would be the size of a football field , with a surgery ward , intensive care unit and X-ray equipment .
Medical response teams would also have access to a massive stockpile of emergency supplies : 50 million N95 respirators , 2,400 portable ventilators and kits to set up 21,000 additional patient beds wherever they were needed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of avian flu , then-Gov .
Arnold Schwarzenegger announced the state would invest hundreds of millions of dollars in a powerful set of medical weapons to deploy in the case of large-scale emergencies and natural disasters such as earthquakes , fires and pandemics .
“ In light of the pandemic flu risk , it is absolutely a critical investment , ” he told a news conference .
“ I ’ m not willing to gamble with the people ’ s safety.
” The state , flush with tax revenue , soon sank more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospital program and a related Health Surge Capacity Initiative to stockpile medicines and medical gear for use in outbreaks of infectious disease , according to former emergency management officials and state budget records .
But the ambitious effort , which would have been vital as the state confronts the new coronavirus today , hit a wall : a brutal recession , a free fall in state revenues — and in 2011 , the administration of a fiscally minded Democratic governor , Jerry Brown , who came into office facing a $ 26-billion deficit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the state cut off the money to store and maintain the stockpile of supplies and the mobile hospitals .
The hospitals were defunded before they ’ d ever been used .
Much of the medical equipment — including the ventilators , critical life-saving tools that are in short supply in the current pandemic — was given to local hospitals and health agencies , former health officials said .
But the equipment was donated without any funding to maintain them .
The respirators were allowed to expire without being replaced .
Together , these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more rapidly respond as its COVID-19 cases exploded .
The annual savings for eliminating both programs ?
No more than $ 5.8 million per year , according to state budget records , a tiny fraction of the 2011 budget , which totaled $ 129 billion “ When you ’ re stretched , prevention and readiness , future needs — unfortunately , that ’ s what gets cut , ” said state Sen. Richard Pan of Sacramento , chairman of the Senate Health Committee , who fought the cuts as a first-term assemblyman .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ forced to ration their inadequate supply of N95 masks , and hospitals are rushing to rent ventilators in anticipation of a severe shortage as COVID-19 caseloads grow .
A nursing union , National Nurses United , organized a protest earlier this month over inadequate safety equipment ; in a survey , only 55 % of their members said they had access to N95 masks .
Dr. Howard Backer spent years preparing the state for a flu pandemic and then watched it all fall apart .
Backer had worked as an emergency room physician @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s chief medical consultant on disaster preparedness efforts , and later associate secretary for emergency preparedness , under Schwarzenegger .
“ We began doing various kinds of disaster planning around infectious agents , ” he recalled .
First smallpox ; then anthrax ; then H5N1 , or bird flu ; and , more broadly , “ pandemic influenza.
” As part of that effort , starting in 2006 , he helped develop and implement the state ’ s drive to stockpile emergency medical resources .
After Schwarzenegger left office , Backer was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Medical Services Authority , the state agency overseeing the mobile hospitals , just as they were defunded .
“ It ’ s the nearsightedness of political decision-making , ” said Backer , who retired last year .
“ If you talked to the experts , we knew that pandemics were going to come around.
” Now , it ’ s here , with California under sweeping stay-at-home orders as one of the global hotspots of the COVID-19 pandemic .
“ These supplies were exactly for this scenario , ” he said .
Through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ governor , declined to be interviewed for this story .
Officials in the state Department of Finance declined to comment .
Officials with the state Public Health Department declined interviews and provided only brief written answers to some questions , declining to provide a full accounting of the stockpile .
Jennifer Lim , acting chief deputy director for the Emergency Medical Services Authority , said by email that after the mobile hospital program was defunded , the state had “ redesigned ” it , converting the units into what she called “ mobile @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the California National Guard , and another was broken up into parts and distributed to local agencies .
Only one shelter was kept by the state .
“ The purpose of the redesign is to modify and expand the potential uses of the equipment into general staging , stabilization , and shelter capacity , ” she said .
The conversion was effectively a downgrade .
Lim acknowledged that the shelters lack “ biomedical equipment and medical supplies.
” They are essentially high-end tents , Backer said , a far cry from mobile hospitals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at least 600 COVID-19 cases at a time today .
In addition to the hospitals , the state had stockpiled enough supplies to set up 21,000 beds to provide medical care to patients in alternative care sites such as community centers and gymnasiums .
With the funding cut , the state gave away some of the supplies and even considered disposing of what couldn ’ t be given away , Backer said .
In the end , Backer said he ’ s not sure what happened to it all , and the California @ @ @ @ @ @ @ questions about what became of the alternative care site supplies .
A little over a week ago , Gov .
Gavin Newsom warned that in a worst-case scenario , 25 million Californians could be infected with the new coronavirus by mid-May .
He said the state is scrambling to increase its inventory of 90,000 hospital beds by 50,000 .
Newsom asked the U.S. Navy to bring the 1,000-bed hospital ship Mercy to Los Angeles for help during the crisis .
It arrived on Friday .
In televised remarks Monday , Newsom said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around the state and is eyeing convention centers , motels and state university dormitories for use as hospital wards .
One such lease , in Daly City , may cost the state as much as $ 3.2 million a month for 177 beds .
“ That ’ s what those alternative care site beds were for , ” Backer said .
At its height , the state ’ s stockpile held more than 50 million N95 respirators , but without continued funding , that supply dwindled .
Some were used during California ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ others went past their expiration date .
As the coronavirus arrived in California , that supply was down to 21 million .
Now there is an urgent demand for respirators to protect healthcare workers from becoming infected by their patients .
Earlier this month , California ’ s Public Health Department announced that it would be releasing millions of respirator masks from the stockpile , but warned that some are past their expiration date and thus “ are approved for use only in limited , low-risk circumstances , ” not for treating patients @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the department said all 21 million are past their expiration date .
The department said it now had 900 ventilators “ on hand , ” but didn ’ t clarify what that means .
That ’ s 1,500 fewer than the original stockpile .
California is now trying to procure more .
In his Monday remarks , Newsom said Tesla auto magnate Elon Musk had obtained 1,000 ventilators and delivered them for use in Los Angeles .
And the governor said the state was now seeking to purchase another 500 million N95 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We don ’ t rush to do everything overnight to have assets sitting there for the surge , ” Newsom said .
“ This is done in a very sequential way and a very methodical way and a very deliberative way.
” Schwarzenegger was in his second year as California governor when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005 .
The tremendous suffering caused by the disaster troubled him , recalled Dr. Cesar Aristeiguieta , who was Schwarzenegger ’ s emergency medical director from 2005 to 2007 and is now an emergency physician @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very concerned by the images he was seeing on TV , ” he said .
“ He wanted to do something to prepare the state for future calamities.
” One strategy Schwarzenegger greenlit was the mobile hospitals .
“ They were not like a ‘ M*A*S*H ’ tent on TV , ” said Aristeiguieta , who supervised the startup of the program .
“ They were fully insulated , HVAC-equipped , semi-permanent tents .
They had ventilators , a full complement of medications , and they would roll out in 18-wheelers with [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had sleeping quarters for the staff — really comprehensive.
” Other features included an emergency room , an intensive care unit , an operating room and surgical wards , according to state records .
The mobile hospital program was created with earthquakes in mind — the 1994 Northridge earthquake in the San Fernando Valley had killed at least 57 and injured about 9,000 .
The governor ’ s Health Surge Capacity Initiative , including the stockpiles of respirators and ventilators , was geared toward a flu pandemic .
The state Legislature allocated $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ records show .
The mobile hospitals took up a lot of warehouse space and had to be kept in deployable condition .
As for the health department ’ s 2,400 portable battery-powered ventilators , ongoing maintenance was critical , according to Lori Johnson , who worked for Cardinal Health , which sold the machines to the state .
She recalled that staff had to routinely service and clean machines and recharge batteries to ensure the ventilators would be ready in an emergency .
Other gear had to be regularly maintained , and some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reached their expiration dates .
Maintenance and storage costs for the programs were about $ 5.8 million a year , according to state records — $ 1.7 million for the hospitals and $ 4.1 million for the medical stockpile .
Then the 2008 recession clobbered the state budget , and some lawmakers joined Brown ’ s finance officials in questioning spending on emergency preparedness .
The funding to maintain the hospitals and the stockpile of medical supplies was zeroed out in 2011 .
In a budget message that year , Brown said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ a potential influenza pandemic which did not occur.
” The Emergency Medical Services Authority was given a year to try to find another funding source to keep the hospitals going .
Backer scrambled to save them by reaching out to the private sector but was unable to raise the money .
“ We really tried hard to convince people that this is a worthwhile investment , ” Backer said .
“ It was quite disappointing.
” Then-Assemblyman Bill Monning , a Democrat from Carmel , suggested the state should sell its unneeded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say this not intending to be funny , ” the Sacramento Bee quoted him as saying .
Monning , now a state senator , did not respond to an interview request .
Eventually , the ventilators and much of the other medical equipment were given away — donated to county health departments and local hospitals , said Daniel Smiley , who was then chief deputy director in the emergency medical office .
What exactly happened to the 2,400 ventilators isn ’ t clear .
Several dealers who buy and sell used medical equipment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s ventilators ended up being resold by hospitals and nursing homes to other dealers , who then likely shipped them out of the United States .
Dr. Lewis Rubinson , chief medical officer at Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey and an authority on the availability of medical ventilators , said California was not alone .
Rubinson , who led a 2010 study quantifying how many ventilators were available at hospitals throughout the country , said several other states also decided to save on the costs of maintaining and storing their stockpiled ventilators @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , nursing homes and other facilities .
Had the state kept its ventilators and maintained them , most would still be in good working order today , according to several experts from the ventilator and healthcare industries .
A stockpile of 2,400 well-maintained ventilators would be a valuable asset for any state in its fight to treat patients with COVID-19 , Rubinson said .
“ I would say that a number of them are really kicking themselves , ” Rubinson said .
California ’ s economy rebounded , and soon the state had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s administration didn ’ t restore the emergency programs .
At a 2015 hearing , state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson , a Santa Barbara Democrat , pressed emergency officials on why they weren ’ t seeking money to rebuild the mobile hospital program .
“ You know , we never know when the next disaster is going to occur , ” she said .
“ But if these things have been mothballed , there are going to be a lot of questions asked .
”

A ventilator on display. California built a stockpile of ventilators and other medical equipment in preparation for an emergency, such as a pandemic, but dismantled it years ago.
They were ready to roll whenever disaster struck California: three 200-bed mobile hospitals that could be deployed to the scene of a crisis on flatbed trucks and provide advanced medical care to the injured and sick within 72 hours.
Each hospital would be the size of a football field, with a surgery ward, intensive care unit and X-ray equipment. Medical response teams would also have access to a massive stockpile of emergency supplies: 50 million N95 respirators, 2,400 portable ventilators and kits to set up 21,000 additional patient beds wherever they were needed.
In 2006, citing the threat of avian flu, then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced the state would invest hundreds of millions of dollars in a powerful set of medical weapons to deploy in the case of large-scale emergencies and natural disasters such as earthquakes, fires and pandemics.
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“In light of the pandemic flu risk, it is absolutely a critical investment,” he told a news conference. “I’m not willing to gamble with the people’s safety.”
The state, flush with tax revenue, soon sank more than $200 million into the mobile hospital program and a related Health Surge Capacity Initiative to stockpile medicines and medical gear for use in outbreaks of infectious disease, according to former emergency management officials and state budget records.
But the ambitious effort, which would have been vital as the state confronts the new coronavirus today, hit a wall: a brutal recession, a free fall in state revenues — and in 2011, the administration of a fiscally minded Democratic governor, Jerry Brown, who came into office facing a $26-billion deficit.
And so, that year, the state cut off the money to store and maintain the stockpile of supplies and the mobile hospitals. The hospitals were defunded before they’d ever been used.
Much of the medical equipment — including the ventilators, critical life-saving tools that are in short supply in the current pandemic — was given to local hospitals and health agencies, former health officials said. But the equipment was donated without any funding to maintain them. The respirators were allowed to expire without being replaced.
Together, these two programs would have positioned California to more rapidly respond as its COVID-19 cases exploded. The annual savings for eliminating both programs? No more than $5.8 million per year, according to state budget records, a tiny fraction of the 2011 budget, which totaled $129 billion .
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“When you’re stretched, prevention and readiness, future needs — unfortunately, that’s what gets cut,” said state Sen. Richard Pan of Sacramento, chairman of the Senate Health Committee, who fought the cuts as a first-term assemblyman.
Now, many California hospitals are being forced to ration their inadequate supply of N95 masks, and hospitals are rushing to rent ventilators in anticipation of a severe shortage as COVID-19 caseloads grow. A nursing union, National Nurses United, organized a protest earlier this month over inadequate safety equipment; in a survey, only 55% of their members said they had access to N95 masks.
Preparing for a pandemic
Dr. Howard Backer spent years preparing the state for a flu pandemic and then watched it all fall apart.
Backer had worked as an emergency room physician for 25 years before becoming the state’s chief medical consultant on disaster preparedness efforts, and later associate secretary for emergency preparedness, under Schwarzenegger.
“We began doing various kinds of disaster planning around infectious agents,” he recalled. First smallpox; then anthrax; then H5N1, or bird flu; and, more broadly, “pandemic influenza.”
As part of that effort, starting in 2006, he helped develop and implement the state’s drive to stockpile emergency medical resources.
After Schwarzenegger left office, Backer was appointed by Brown to head the Emergency Medical Services Authority, the state agency overseeing the mobile hospitals, just as they were defunded.
“It’s the nearsightedness of political decision-making,” said Backer, who retired last year. “If you talked to the experts, we knew that pandemics were going to come around.”
Now, it’s here, with California under sweeping stay-at-home orders as one of the global hotspots of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“These supplies were exactly for this scenario,” he said.
Through a spokesperson, Brown, the former governor, declined to be interviewed for this story. Officials in the state Department of Finance declined to comment. Officials with the state Public Health Department declined interviews and provided only brief written answers to some questions, declining to provide a full accounting of the stockpile.
Jennifer Lim, acting chief deputy director for the Emergency Medical Services Authority, said by email that after the mobile hospital program was defunded, the state had “redesigned” it, converting the units into what she called “mobile medical shelters.” One was given to the California National Guard, and another was broken up into parts and distributed to local agencies. Only one shelter was kept by the state.
“The purpose of the redesign is to modify and expand the potential uses of the equipment into general staging, stabilization, and shelter capacity,” she said.
The conversion was effectively a downgrade. Lim acknowledged that the shelters lack “biomedical equipment and medical supplies.” They are essentially high-end tents, Backer said, a far cry from mobile hospitals that he said could have been treating at least 600 COVID-19 cases at a time today.
In addition to the hospitals, the state had stockpiled enough supplies to set up 21,000 beds to provide medical care to patients in alternative care sites such as community centers and gymnasiums.
With the funding cut, the state gave away some of the supplies and even considered disposing of what couldn’t be given away, Backer said. In the end, Backer said he’s not sure what happened to it all, and the California Department of Public Health did not answer questions about what became of the alternative care site supplies.
A little over a week ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom warned that in a worst-case scenario, 25 million Californians could be infected with the new coronavirus by mid-May. He said the state is scrambling to increase its inventory of 90,000 hospital beds by 50,000.
Newsom asked the U.S. Navy to bring the 1,000-bed hospital ship Mercy to Los Angeles for help during the crisis. It arrived on Friday.
In televised remarks Monday, Newsom said the state will lease beds in struggling hospitals around the state and is eyeing convention centers, motels and state university dormitories for use as hospital wards. One such lease, in Daly City, may cost the state as much as $3.2 million a month for 177 beds.
“That’s what those alternative care site beds were for,” Backer said.
At its height, the state’s stockpile held more than 50 million N95 respirators, but without continued funding, that supply dwindled. Some were used during California’s wildfires and not replaced, and others went past their expiration date. As the coronavirus arrived in California, that supply was down to 21 million.
Now there is an urgent demand for respirators to protect healthcare workers from becoming infected by their patients. Earlier this month, California’s Public Health Department announced that it would be releasing millions of respirator masks from the stockpile, but warned that some are past their expiration date and thus “are approved for use only in limited, low-risk circumstances,” not for treating patients with COVID-19.
In response to questions, the department said all 21 million are past their expiration date.
The department said it now had 900 ventilators “on hand,” but didn’t clarify what that means. That’s 1,500 fewer than the original stockpile.
California is now trying to procure more. In his Monday remarks, Newsom said Tesla auto magnate Elon Musk had obtained 1,000 ventilators and delivered them for use in Los Angeles. And the governor said the state was now seeking to purchase another 500 million N95 respirators on the open market.
“We don’t rush to do everything overnight to have assets sitting there for the surge,” Newsom said. “This is done in a very sequential way and a very methodical way and a very deliberative way.”
Surge capacity
Schwarzenegger was in his second year as California governor when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005. The tremendous suffering caused by the disaster troubled him, recalled Dr. Cesar Aristeiguieta, who was Schwarzenegger’s emergency medical director from 2005 to 2007 and is now an emergency physician in Houston.
The governor “was very concerned by the images he was seeing on TV,” he said. “He wanted to do something to prepare the state for future calamities.” One strategy Schwarzenegger greenlit was the mobile hospitals.
“They were not like a ‘M*A*S*H’ tent on TV,” said Aristeiguieta, who supervised the startup of the program. “They were fully insulated, HVAC-equipped, semi-permanent tents. They had ventilators, a full complement of medications, and they would roll out in 18-wheelers with [a Highway Patrol] escort. They had sleeping quarters for the staff — really comprehensive.”
Other features included an emergency room, an intensive care unit, an operating room and surgical wards, according to state records.
The mobile hospital program was created with earthquakes in mind — the 1994 Northridge earthquake in the San Fernando Valley had killed at least 57 and injured about 9,000. The governor’s Health Surge Capacity Initiative, including the stockpiles of respirators and ventilators, was geared toward a flu pandemic. The state Legislature allocated $214 million in startup costs, state records show.
The mobile hospitals took up a lot of warehouse space and had to be kept in deployable condition. As for the health department’s 2,400 portable battery-powered ventilators, ongoing maintenance was critical, according to Lori Johnson, who worked for Cardinal Health, which sold the machines to the state. She recalled that staff had to routinely service and clean machines and recharge batteries to ensure the ventilators would be ready in an emergency.
Other gear had to be regularly maintained, and some supplies had to be replaced as they reached their expiration dates. Maintenance and storage costs for the programs were about $5.8 million a year, according to state records — $1.7 million for the hospitals and $4.1 million for the medical stockpile.
Then the 2008 recession clobbered the state budget, and some lawmakers joined Brown’s finance officials in questioning spending on emergency preparedness.
The funding to maintain the hospitals and the stockpile of medical supplies was zeroed out in 2011. In a budget message that year, Brown said the programs had been set up to counter “a potential influenza pandemic which did not occur.”
The Emergency Medical Services Authority was given a year to try to find another funding source to keep the hospitals going. Backer scrambled to save them by reaching out to the private sector but was unable to raise the money.
“We really tried hard to convince people that this is a worthwhile investment,” Backer said. “It was quite disappointing.”
Then-Assemblyman Bill Monning, a Democrat from Carmel, suggested the state should sell its unneeded medical equipment on eBay. “I say this not intending to be funny,” the Sacramento Bee quoted him as saying. Monning, now a state senator, did not respond to an interview request.
Eventually, the ventilators and much of the other medical equipment were given away — donated to county health departments and local hospitals, said Daniel Smiley, who was then chief deputy director in the emergency medical office.
Ventilators dispersed
What exactly happened to the 2,400 ventilators isn’t clear. Several dealers who buy and sell used medical equipment said they recall many of California’s ventilators ended up being resold by hospitals and nursing homes to other dealers, who then likely shipped them out of the United States.
Dr. Lewis Rubinson, chief medical officer at Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey and an authority on the availability of medical ventilators, said California was not alone. Rubinson, who led a 2010 study quantifying how many ventilators were available at hospitals throughout the country, said several other states also decided to save on the costs of maintaining and storing their stockpiled ventilators by instead donating the machines to hospitals, nursing homes and other facilities.
Had the state kept its ventilators and maintained them, most would still be in good working order today, according to several experts from the ventilator and healthcare industries. A stockpile of 2,400 well-maintained ventilators would be a valuable asset for any state in its fight to treat patients with COVID-19, Rubinson said.
“I would say that a number of them are really kicking themselves,” Rubinson said.
California’s economy rebounded, and soon the state had a budget surplus. But Brown’s administration didn’t restore the emergency programs. At a 2015 hearing, state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, a Santa Barbara Democrat, pressed emergency officials on why they weren’t seeking money to rebuild the mobile hospital program.
“You know, we never know when the next disaster is going to occur,” she said. “But if these things have been mothballed, there are going to be a lot of questions asked.”


latimes--2020-03-27--Crime falls sharply in March due to coronavirus restrictions, LAPD and sheriff report

Crime in Los Angeles fell sharply in March as the city imposed strict new rules on residents and businesses to slow the spread of the coronavirus .
Violent offenses in the city dropped 14 % and property crime declined 12 % through March 25 compared with the same period last year , according to figures from the Los Angeles Police Department .
The department had reported single-digit reductions before this month .
Homicides have dropped slightly so far this month from 15 to 12 , department figures show .
Robberies were down 22 % along with an 11 % decrease @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fell 18 % and burglaries were down 7 % .
The only categories to see increases were vehicle theft , up 10 % , and rape , which ticked up 2 % during that time .
The downward trend occurred as Mayor Eric Garcetti ordered nonessential businesses to shut down and told residents to stay home .
L.A. County imposed similar restrictions , and the Sheriff ’ s Department also reported a drop-off in crime .
LAPD Assistant Chief Robert Arcos said criminal activity is declining as fewer people venture out of their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restaurants .
“ Suspects for the most part are opportunists and they are looking at those locations , looking for that activity and looking for that victim , ” said Arcos , who heads the department ’ s patrol operations .
“ When you remove those things from that equation , it ’ s not surprising to start to see these types of decreases.
” It ’ s a unique moment for policing in L.A. , he said .
The only comparable times Arcos could recall were the aftermath of the 1994 Northridge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were sent to the city to quell violence and looting during the 1992 riots .
“ It ’ s at the top of list for being unprecedented , ” said Arcos , a 32-year veteran with the department .
In areas patrolled by L.A. County deputies , violent offenses have dropped 10 % and overall crime has fallen 6 % so far this year compared with last year , according to Sheriff Alex Villanueva .
The nation ’ s largest sheriff ’ s department had reported small declines before this month .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incidents may increase as the outbreak continues .
“ With so many people living in cramped , close quarters with nothing to do and nowhere to go — that will be a challenge , ” he said .
“ We exhort everybody who is at home to reach out , use a phone , use a computer and find ways to interact with others and alleviate some of the tension and boredom that can set in.
” Peter Moskos , criminology professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weather typically leads to less criminal activity .
“ If you are inside you ’ re not going to get robbed on the street , it ’ s really that simple , ” Moskos said .
“ Everyone hunkered down at home is going to lower the crime rate.
” Arrests by LAPD officers dropped 14 % the first half of March compared with the same period last year , The Times reported last week .
Moskos said a decline in arrests will probably result in fewer recorded incidents because many crime statistics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officers may be more hesitant to make arrests because it requires close contact with a suspect , he said .
“ Cops are worried about catching the bug and bringing it back home .
They are trying to practice social distancing as much as everyone else .
That changes policing because certainly arrests are a hands-on job , ” Moskos said .
So far , 15 LAPD officers have tested positive for the virus , including four members of the senior command staff , according to the department .
Arcos said officers are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who have communicable diseases and have personal protective equipment and testing available .
Still , officers are rightfully concerned about their own safety and their loved ones ’ , he said .
“ I think that ’ s something that weighs on them .
What could happen to their families when they come home from work ?
Could they potentially have been exposed ?
Those are all realistic questions that they have to work through , ” Arcos said .
“ It ’ s in the back of their minds just like anyone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is creating different degrees of anxiety .
”

LAPD reported a large decline in crime in March that experts say is tied to the city’s coronavirus shutdown.
Crime in Los Angeles fell sharply in March as the city imposed strict new rules on residents and businesses to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Violent offenses in the city dropped 14% and property crime declined 12% through March 25 compared with the same period last year, according to figures from the Los Angeles Police Department. The department had reported single-digit reductions before this month.
Homicides have dropped slightly so far this month from 15 to 12, department figures show. Robberies were down 22% along with an 11% decrease in aggravated assaults. Meanwhile, thefts fell 18% and burglaries were down 7%. The only categories to see increases were vehicle theft, up 10%, and rape, which ticked up 2% during that time.
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The downward trend occurred as Mayor Eric Garcetti ordered nonessential businesses to shut down and told residents to stay home.
L.A. County imposed similar restrictions, and the Sheriff’s Department also reported a drop-off in crime.
LAPD Assistant Chief Robert Arcos said criminal activity is declining as fewer people venture out of their homes to shop or visit bars and restaurants.
“Suspects for the most part are opportunists and they are looking at those locations, looking for that activity and looking for that victim,” said Arcos, who heads the department’s patrol operations. “When you remove those things from that equation, it’s not surprising to start to see these types of decreases.”
It’s a unique moment for policing in L.A., he said. The only comparable times Arcos could recall were the aftermath of the 1994 Northridge earthquake and when thousands of military troops were sent to the city to quell violence and looting during the 1992 riots.
“It’s at the top of list for being unprecedented,” said Arcos, a 32-year veteran with the department.
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In areas patrolled by L.A. County deputies, violent offenses have dropped 10% and overall crime has fallen 6% so far this year compared with last year, according to Sheriff Alex Villanueva. The nation’s largest sheriff’s department had reported small declines before this month.
But Villanueva said he worries that domestic abuse incidents may increase as the outbreak continues.
“With so many people living in cramped, close quarters with nothing to do and nowhere to go — that will be a challenge,” he said. “We exhort everybody who is at home to reach out, use a phone, use a computer and find ways to interact with others and alleviate some of the tension and boredom that can set in.”
Peter Moskos, criminology professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, likened the current situation to how inclement weather typically leads to less criminal activity.
“If you are inside you’re not going to get robbed on the street, it’s really that simple,” Moskos said. “Everyone hunkered down at home is going to lower the crime rate.”
Arrests by LAPD officers dropped 14% the first half of March compared with the same period last year, The Times reported last week.
Moskos said a decline in arrests will probably result in fewer recorded incidents because many crime statistics are compiled from arrest records. And officers may be more hesitant to make arrests because it requires close contact with a suspect, he said.
“Cops are worried about catching the bug and bringing it back home. They are trying to practice social distancing as much as everyone else. That changes policing because certainly arrests are a hands-on job,” Moskos said.
So far, 15 LAPD officers have tested positive for the virus, including four members of the senior command staff, according to the department.
Arcos said officers are trained in how to deal with people who have communicable diseases and have personal protective equipment and testing available. Still, officers are rightfully concerned about their own safety and their loved ones’, he said.
“I think that’s something that weighs on them. What could happen to their families when they come home from work? Could they potentially have been exposed? Those are all realistic questions that they have to work through,” Arcos said.
“It’s in the back of their minds just like anyone else who is going through this and it is creating different degrees of anxiety.”


latimes--2020-03-27--San Bernardino reports third coronavirus death

San Bernardino County reported a third death linked to the coronavirus Thursday night .
The number of confirmed cases has tripled this week to at least 55 , up from 17 Monday .
The increase is largely because of expanded testing , health officials say .
The three deaths include two men — a 50- and a 46-year-old — who both had underlying health conditions .
The third death was of an 89-year-old woman who also had underlying health conditions , according to local reports .
To date , at least 674 people have been tested for COVID-19 in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thursday , 8.2 % of them have tested positive , the majority of whom have been men , the county reports .
San Bernardino County ’ s public health department will conduct a drive-thru testing site Friday .
The event is available by appointment only , and according to the website , none are currently available .
In addition to new testing measures , county officials are continuing to warn the public to social distance and avoid crowds .
“ We continue to urge everyone to take the stay-at-home order very seriously , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health officer .
Meanwhile , a Kaiser Permanente medical facility in San Bernardino recently closed after the medical group announced that it was shutting down some buildings , consolidating locations , postponing appointments and moving many to virtual visits amid an increase in COVID-19 cases .
The move came in an effort to protect staff and Kaiser members , support a potential increase in the number of people who need hospitalization , conserve personal protective equipment and protect against possible staffing shortages .

San Bernardino County has reported three deaths linked to the coronavirus.
San Bernardino County reported a third death linked to the coronavirus Thursday night.
The number of confirmed cases has tripled this week to at least 55, up from 17 Monday. The increase is largely because of expanded testing, health officials say.
The three deaths include two men — a 50- and a 46-year-old — who both had underlying health conditions. The third death was of an 89-year-old woman who also had underlying health conditions, according to local reports.
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To date, at least 674 people have been tested for COVID-19 in the county. According to a dashboard released Thursday, 8.2% of them have tested positive, the majority of whom have been men, the county reports.
Tracking the coronavirus in California The latest maps and charts on the spread of COVID-19 in California.
San Bernardino County’s public health department will conduct a drive-thru testing site Friday. The event is available by appointment only, and according to the website, none are currently available.
In addition to new testing measures, county officials are continuing to warn the public to social distance and avoid crowds.
“We continue to urge everyone to take the stay-at-home order very seriously,” said Dr. Erin Gustafson, acting health officer.
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Meanwhile, a Kaiser Permanente medical facility in San Bernardino recently closed after the medical group announced that it was shutting down some buildings, consolidating locations, postponing appointments and moving many to virtual visits amid an increase in COVID-19 cases.
The move came in an effort to protect staff and Kaiser members, support a potential increase in the number of people who need hospitalization, conserve personal protective equipment and protect against possible staffing shortages.


latimes--2020-03-27--Hospital ship Mercy, with 1,000 beds, will help ease L.A.'s healthcare strain amid crisis

Los Angeles County hospitals at near capacity may see relief this weekend as patients who have tested negative for the novel coronavirus will begin transferring to the Navy hospital ship Mercy , which docked at the Port of Los Angeles on Friday .
Navy officials say it will be up to local and state officials to decide who will be transferred , and those patients will have to undergo screening before being allowed on board .
Emergency medical service workers transporting patients will be prohibited from entering the ship and will also be subject to screenings .
Officials said they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patients would receive visitors .
During a new conference at the port , Gov .
Gavin Newsom said the arrival of the ship from San Diego could not have come at a better time , as health experts expect local hospitals to see a surge in the number of patients with COVID-19 , the disease caused by the virus .
“ I want to thank the president personally on behalf of a grateful region , on behalf of a grateful state , for sending this ship and the incredible resources that reside within @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Newsom said .
The Mercy has roughly 800 medical staffers , 1,000 hospital beds and 12 operating rooms .
The ship will house patients who do not have COVID-19 in an attempt to free up regional hospital beds for those who do .
Some patients who are already hospitalized in Los Angeles County will be transferred to the ship for ongoing treatment , port officials said Thursday .
L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti said ship will be the largest hospital in Los Angeles and will bring much needed hospital beds amid the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ This will be a COVID-19 free bubble , ” Garcetti said .
Whether a patient is taken to the ship directly from an accident or from a hospital , he said , one less bed taken up at L.A. hospitals means another bed in the ongoing fight against coronavirus .
“ So this ship is truly mercy on the water ... and the expression of who we are as Americans and as people at this moment.
” Newsom said earlier this week that California would need 50,000 hospital beds for coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 20,000 beds his administration had forecast last week .
The governor said the state ’ s 416 hospitals were doubling so-called surge plans to 40 % of their capacity , which includes providing 30,000 new beds across the system .
Newsom last week asked the Department of Defense to deploy the Mercy and two mobile hospitals to California to help accommodate the expected surge in hospitalizations of residents stricken by the novel coronavirus .
Although the Mercy is staffed with naval medical personnel , they will be working under guidance from the Federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said Capt .
Dan Cobian , commander of Destroyer Squadron 21 .
“ Our role is really to work underneath the umbrella of FEMA and the state and local health authorities , ” Cobian said .
“ We intend to be ready to receive patients the day after we arrive.
” Rear Adm. Tim Weber , commander of Naval Medical Forces Pacific , said the crew aboard the Mercy is serving a “ higher calling.
” “ With COVID-19 , Navy medicine , as in any time our country calls , is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in time of need , ” Weber said .
Times staff writer Wigglesworth reported from Los Angeles , and Union-Tribune staff writer Dyer reported from San Diego .

Ruben Vives, Alex Wigglesworth, Andrew Dyer

A crowd gathers to watch the arrival of the USNS Mercy hospital ship at the Port of Los Angeles. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)
A crowd gathers to watch the arrival of the USNS Mercy hospital ship at the Port of Los Angeles. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)
The U.S. Navy hospital ship Mercy arrives at the Port of Los Angeles. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
Los Angeles County hospitals at near capacity may see relief this weekend as patients who have tested negative for the novel coronavirus will begin transferring to the Navy hospital ship Mercy, which docked at the Port of Los Angeles on Friday.
Navy officials say it will be up to local and state officials to decide who will be transferred, and those patients will have to undergo screening before being allowed on board. Emergency medical service workers transporting patients will be prohibited from entering the ship and will also be subject to screenings.
Officials said they have yet to determine whether or how patients would receive visitors.
During a new conference at the port, Gov. Gavin Newsom said the arrival of the ship from San Diego could not have come at a better time, as health experts expect local hospitals to see a surge in the number of patients with COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.
“I want to thank the president personally on behalf of a grateful region, on behalf of a grateful state, for sending this ship and the incredible resources that reside within this ship to the state of California,” Newsom said.
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The Mercy has roughly 800 medical staffers, 1,000 hospital beds and 12 operating rooms.
The ship will house patients who do not have COVID-19 in an attempt to free up regional hospital beds for those who do. Some patients who are already hospitalized in Los Angeles County will be transferred to the ship for ongoing treatment, port officials said Thursday.
L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti said ship will be the largest hospital in Los Angeles and will bring much needed hospital beds amid the city’s fight against the coronavirus.
“This will be a COVID-19 free bubble,” Garcetti said. Whether a patient is taken to the ship directly from an accident or from a hospital, he said, one less bed taken up at L.A. hospitals means another bed in the ongoing fight against coronavirus. “So this ship is truly mercy on the water ... and the expression of who we are as Americans and as people at this moment.”
Newsom said earlier this week that California would need 50,000 hospital beds for coronavirus patients, a significant increase from the 20,000 beds his administration had forecast last week. The governor said the state’s 416 hospitals were doubling so-called surge plans to 40% of their capacity, which includes providing 30,000 new beds across the system.
Newsom last week asked the Department of Defense to deploy the Mercy and two mobile hospitals to California to help accommodate the expected surge in hospitalizations of residents stricken by the novel coronavirus.
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People watch the arrival of the Navy hospital ship Mercy in San Pedro. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)
Although the Mercy is staffed with naval medical personnel, they will be working under guidance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and local health authorities, said Capt. Dan Cobian, commander of Destroyer Squadron 21.
“Our role is really to work underneath the umbrella of FEMA and the state and local health authorities,” Cobian said. “We intend to be ready to receive patients the day after we arrive.”
Rear Adm. Tim Weber, commander of Naval Medical Forces Pacific, said the crew aboard the Mercy is serving a “higher calling.”
“With COVID-19, Navy medicine, as in any time our country calls, is delivering medical power to assist our communities in time of need,” Weber said.
Times staff writer Wigglesworth reported from Los Angeles, and Union-Tribune staff writer Dyer reported from San Diego.


latimes--2020-03-27--A visual look at the coronavirus pandemic

Venice residents Emily Berry and Gavin Kelley take a break at Venice Beach .
Berry , a cocktail waitress at @ @ @ @ @ her job due to the coronavirus outbreak and Kelley , a manager at a performing @ @ @ @ @ on music , said that he still has a job and that classes at the @ @ @ @ @ coming Monday .

As we all adjust to our new lives under the umbrella of the coronavirus, Los Angeles Times photographer Luis Sinco gives us a look at downtown Los Angeles with the spotlight on Broadway.


latimes--2020-03-27--Coronavirus spotlight: Long Beach

Coronavirus spotlight: Long Beach

As we all adjust to our new lives under the umbrella of the coronavirus , Los Angeles Times photographer Luis @ @ @ @ @ at Long Beach .

Gov. Newsom has issued a stay-at-home order and all nonessential businesses are closed due to the coronavirus outbreak. So what does it look like outside — from above?