latimes--2020-03-24--Financially strained and low on supplies, community clinics help fight the coronavirus

Three days ago , Precious Williams began to feel sick .
The young pregnant mother had a runny nose , a sore throat and shortness of breath — just some of the symptoms associated with novel coronavirus .
Concerned for her unborn child , the 22-year-old went to the Watts Health Center in South L.A. like she always has for her medical needs .
“ I ’ ve been coming here since I was a child , ” she said .
“ It ’ s where I ’ ve gotten all my shots , where I got all my dental @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are very important for people around here , ” she added .
Since the outbreak of COVID-19 , community clinics and health centers in Los Angeles County have helped mitigate the spread of the virus and prevented sick patients from overwhelming hospitals , which don ’ t have enough beds , staffing or protective gear to treat a flood of patients .
Community clinics that typically handle primary care including checkups and prescribe patients insulin for diabetes or medicines for their high blood pressure have been canceling their regular appointments and seeing more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus .
Clinic leaders say they know they play an important role in reducing the impact on overloaded hospitals , but worry about not being able to provide the necessary primary care to their communities .
Plus , clinic healthcare workers say they too are running low on masks , gowns and other equipment they need to protect staff against the novel coronavirus .
Even for them , a virus surge could eventually force them to close their doors .
Intensive care beds at Los Angeles County ’ s emergency-room hospitals are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as those facilities have doubled the number available for COVID-19 patients , according to data obtained by The Times .
That is why public and health officials ordered Californians to stay home in an effort to create social distance among people to help “ flatten the curve ” of the disease ’ s spread and provide much needed relief to hospitals .
“ Even if half of Californians end up with the coronavirus , if it ’ s spread out over six months , then it ’ s more likely there will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospitals to treat everybody who is at that level of need , ” said Steven Wallace , a professor in the community health sciences department at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health .
“ If it all happens in six weeks , then the lines at the clinics will look like the lines out of Costco.
” The Watts Health Center had been open for only an hour when Williams and nine others sought urgent-care services on a recent rainy Thursday morning .
They all reported having flu-like symptoms ; more patients @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Community clinics and health centers are a vital part of the country ’ s healthcare system but the current crisis has created revenue and resource challenges .
“ The normal routine of a community health center is very different than what they ’ re being asked to do right now , ” Wallace said .
“ They ’ re set up for primary care , they ’ re set up for a child coming in with an earache or an adult coming in for diabetes .
They ’ re not set up for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t have a stockpile of masks for their providers to wear , ” he added .
In Los Angeles County , more than 350 community clinics and health centers provide primary care and preventive services to 1.7 million patients a year , many of whom live in poverty or are uninsured , said Louise McCarthy , president of Community Clinics Assn .
of Los Angeles County , a coalition of private and non-private community centers .
Unlike hospitals , clinics aren ’ t equipped to have ventilators , but they do have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and health centers are facing a shortage of such kits and other supplies .
“ There are not enough masks , there are not enough gloves , gowns , goggles and all of that , ” McCarthy said .
“ It ’ s a challenge .
Every day we ’ re trying to get a delivery of supplies.
” She said some facilities have to turn to private sellers such as Amazon to obtain supplies , spending more than what they normally would .
And with a small stock of test kits , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
Dr. Sion Roy , president of the Los Angeles County Medical Assn.
, said the physicians group has tapped into membership dues to purchase $ 100,000 worth of masks and other personal protective equipment for doctors and nurses .
The association is working with vendors to set up a more efficient supply chain and has asked any of its 7,000-plus member physicians to apply for financial assistance for the supplies on its website .
“ We are just trying to do whatever we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a real challenge , ” Roy said .
“ Across the county and across the nation , it ’ s a crisis.
” McCarthy said many of the clinics and health centers have had to scale back services and tell patients not to come to the clinic or center unless they ’ ve been told to by their doctor or if they have an emergency .
“ But that means they have seen a significant drop in the numbers of visits they have per day and that then connects us to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get paid by the visits , ” she said .
“ If you ’ re not providing visits , you ’ re not getting paid and how do you pay your staff ?
” Public health officials have urged doctors to take visits over the phone or video conference .
But for federally qualified clinics and health centers getting reimbursed by Medi-Cal , the state ’ s version of Medicaid , that is currently not available .
McCarthy said state and federal officials are working to make it possible .
She said she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closing in the end if the situation doesn ’ t change .
“ It ’ s really scary times for us right now , ” she said .
“ We want to be open to the public and provide services and make sure patients get everything they need but also make sure our employees stay employed and have the health benefits we provide and the income that we provide them so they can pay their rent.
” Doctors and nurses at clinics and health centers said they worry about the impact this crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have made a priority in low-income communities , where diabetes , mental health issues , heart disease and other problems are common .
The outbreak has forced the Watts Health Center , one of seven clinics operated by the Watts Healthcare Corp. , to make organizational shifts while putting a strain on the clinic .
Dr. Roderick Seamster , president of the corporation , said the clinics are still seeing patients diagnosed with HIV , diabetes and parents who need WIC , the federal nutritional program for women , infants , and children @ @ @ @ @ @ @ screening of patients and staff at every entrance .
Many of the patients are told to sit outside if they have symptoms of the flu .
Seamster said the clinics are located in low-income neighborhoods , including housing projects such as Nickerson Gardens , Jordan Downs and Imperial Courts .
The Watts Health Center provides an array of services , including dental , vision , pediatrics and a substance abuse program The center has two mobile units that provide free HIV testing and mammograms , both of which have been placed on hold @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distress the center has faced , Seamster said it has not turned anyone away .
The clinic has about 30 kits to test for the coronavirus .
So far , based on the criteria it is following , the clinic has performed very few tests — and none have turned up positive for the virus .
“ Even if we don ’ t have enough resources , we share the ability to refer patients to a coalition of clinics , ” he said .
“ We look out for each other to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ white triage tent outside the Watts Health Center , Williams , the young expectant mother , sat on a blue chair wearing a surgical mask .
Nearby , three children were coughing while two teens sat leaning forward with their heads down , each suffering from a sore throat .
Struggling to breathe , Netia Jones , 58 , said she had asthma and needed a nebulizer that the clinic had .
“ I don ’ t want to be here because of the virus , ” she said , breathing heavily .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Nearby , slouched on a chair and wearing a mask , was Ada Gomez , 59 , who came to the clinic to get a second opinion about her illness .
She had a dry cough , a fever and the sore throat .
She went to St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood , worried that she was infected with the coronavirus , but the doctors told her she didn ’ t meet the criteria for testing and to stay home .
Gomez said she wanted to get a second opinion from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have great doctors here , ” she said .
“ I ’ ve been coming here for four years .
”

Precious Williams, 22, pregnant and suffering from cough and sore throat, is checked at a screening station for COVID-19 set-up in Watts Health Center in South Los Angeles.
Three days ago, Precious Williams began to feel sick. The young pregnant mother had a runny nose, a sore throat and shortness of breath — just some of the symptoms associated with novel coronavirus.
Concerned for her unborn child, the 22-year-old went to the Watts Health Center in South L.A. like she always has for her medical needs.
“I’ve been coming here since I was a child,” she said. “It’s where I’ve gotten all my shots, where I got all my dental done — everything.”
Ada Gomez, 59, suffering from low fever, cough and sore throat, at COVID-19 screening station set-up in Watts Health Center, Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
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“These clinics are very important for people around here,” she added.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, community clinics and health centers in Los Angeles County have helped mitigate the spread of the virus and prevented sick patients from overwhelming hospitals, which don’t have enough beds, staffing or protective gear to treat a flood of patients.
Community clinics that typically handle primary care including checkups and prescribe patients insulin for diabetes or medicines for their high blood pressure have been canceling their regular appointments and seeing more patients with symptoms that match those of the coronavirus.
Clinic leaders say they know they play an important role in reducing the impact on overloaded hospitals, but worry about not being able to provide the necessary primary care to their communities.
Plus, clinic healthcare workers say they too are running low on masks, gowns and other equipment they need to protect staff against the novel coronavirus. Even for them, a virus surge could eventually force them to close their doors.
Intensive care beds at Los Angeles County’s emergency-room hospitals are already at or near capacity, even as those facilities have doubled the number available for COVID-19 patients, according to data obtained by The Times.
That is why public and health officials ordered Californians to stay home in an effort to create social distance among people to help “flatten the curve” of the disease’s spread and provide much needed relief to hospitals.
Advertisement
“Even if half of Californians end up with the coronavirus, if it’s spread out over six months, then it’s more likely there will be appointments and walk-in clinics and ventilators at hospitals to treat everybody who is at that level of need,” said Steven Wallace, a professor in the community health sciences department at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. “If it all happens in six weeks, then the lines at the clinics will look like the lines out of Costco.”
The Watts Health Center had been open for only an hour when Williams and nine others sought urgent-care services on a recent rainy Thursday morning. They all reported having flu-like symptoms; more patients would come later in the day.
Healthcare workers check patient Netia Jone at a screening station for COVID-19 set up at the Watts Health Center. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Community clinics and health centers are a vital part of the country’s healthcare system but the current crisis has created revenue and resource challenges.
“The normal routine of a community health center is very different than what they’re being asked to do right now,” Wallace said. “They’re set up for primary care, they’re set up for a child coming in with an earache or an adult coming in for diabetes. They’re not set up for a contagious pandemic.”
“They don’t have a stockpile of masks for their providers to wear,” he added.
In Los Angeles County, more than 350 community clinics and health centers provide primary care and preventive services to 1.7 million patients a year, many of whom live in poverty or are uninsured, said Louise McCarthy, president of Community Clinics Assn. of Los Angeles County, a coalition of private and non-private community centers.
Unlike hospitals, clinics aren’t equipped to have ventilators, but they do have test kits. But McCarthy said clinics and health centers are facing a shortage of such kits and other supplies.
Dr. Oliver Brooks looks on as healthcare worker Lucy Arias checks a patient for fever at a coronavirus screening center at Watts Health Center. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
“There are not enough masks, there are not enough gloves, gowns, goggles and all of that,” McCarthy said. “It’s a challenge. Every day we’re trying to get a delivery of supplies.”
She said some facilities have to turn to private sellers such as Amazon to obtain supplies, spending more than what they normally would. And with a small stock of test kits, doctors reserve testing based on the criteria set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dr. Sion Roy, president of the Los Angeles County Medical Assn., said the physicians group has tapped into membership dues to purchase $100,000 worth of masks and other personal protective equipment for doctors and nurses.
The association is working with vendors to set up a more efficient supply chain and has asked any of its 7,000-plus member physicians to apply for financial assistance for the supplies on its website.
“We are just trying to do whatever we can do to help, but it is a real challenge,” Roy said. “Across the county and across the nation, it’s a crisis.”
McCarthy said many of the clinics and health centers have had to scale back services and tell patients not to come to the clinic or center unless they’ve been told to by their doctor or if they have an emergency.
“But that means they have seen a significant drop in the numbers of visits they have per day and that then connects us to a revenue problem, which is that clinics get paid by the visits,” she said. “If you’re not providing visits, you’re not getting paid and how do you pay your staff?”
Public health officials have urged doctors to take visits over the phone or video conference. But for federally qualified clinics and health centers getting reimbursed by Medi-Cal, the state’s version of Medicaid, that is currently not available. McCarthy said state and federal officials are working to make it possible. She said she worries that some clinics may end up closing in the end if the situation doesn’t change.
“It’s really scary times for us right now,” she said. “We want to be open to the public and provide services and make sure patients get everything they need but also make sure our employees stay employed and have the health benefits we provide and the income that we provide them so they can pay their rent.”
Doctors and nurses at clinics and health centers said they worry about the impact this crisis will have on the preventive care they have made a priority in low-income communities, where diabetes, mental health issues, heart disease and other problems are common.
Precious Williams, 22, pregnant and suffering from cough and sore throat, puts on a face mask at a station set up for COVID-19 screening at Watts Health Center. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
The outbreak has forced the Watts Health Center, one of seven clinics operated by the Watts Healthcare Corp., to make organizational shifts while putting a strain on the clinic.
Dr. Roderick Seamster, president of the corporation, said the clinics are still seeing patients diagnosed with HIV, diabetes and parents who need WIC, the federal nutritional program for women, infants, and children. They’ve implemented a strict screening of patients and staff at every entrance. Many of the patients are told to sit outside if they have symptoms of the flu.
Seamster said the clinics are located in low-income neighborhoods, including housing projects such as Nickerson Gardens, Jordan Downs and Imperial Courts. The Watts Health Center provides an array of services, including dental, vision, pediatrics and a substance abuse program The center has two mobile units that provide free HIV testing and mammograms, both of which have been placed on hold because of the coronavirus.
Despite the distress the center has faced, Seamster said it has not turned anyone away. The clinic has about 30 kits to test for the coronavirus. So far, based on the criteria it is following, the clinic has performed very few tests — and none have turned up positive for the virus.
“Even if we don’t have enough resources, we share the ability to refer patients to a coalition of clinics,” he said. “We look out for each other to get it done.”
As rain pelted the white triage tent outside the Watts Health Center, Williams, the young expectant mother, sat on a blue chair wearing a surgical mask. Nearby, three children were coughing while two teens sat leaning forward with their heads down, each suffering from a sore throat.
Struggling to breathe, Netia Jones, 58, said she had asthma and needed a nebulizer that the clinic had.
“I don’t want to be here because of the virus,” she said, breathing heavily. “I’m afraid of it.”
Nearby, slouched on a chair and wearing a mask, was Ada Gomez, 59, who came to the clinic to get a second opinion about her illness. She had a dry cough, a fever and the sore throat. She went to St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, worried that she was infected with the coronavirus, but the doctors told her she didn’t meet the criteria for testing and to stay home.
Gomez said she wanted to get a second opinion from doctors at the clinic.
“We have great doctors here,” she said. “I’ve been coming here for four years.”
Times staff writer Ben Poston contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-03-24--Coronavirus hospitalizations climbing sharply in L.A., likely the approaching wave

A steep rise in people being hospitalized with COVID-19 in Los Angeles County likely signals the approach of a wave of extremely sick patients that could overwhelm hospitals in the coming weeks , experts say .
As of March 6 , five people in the county had been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19 .
Two weeks later , on Friday , that figure had jumped to 48 .
By Monday , the total had climbed to 90 .
Though the raw numbers remain relatively low , the rate of increase has set many doctors and nurses on edge after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in China , Italy and now New York City .
Medical providers in L.A. County say they have noticed a steady flow of COVID-19 patients into their ERs in recent days and are rushing to draft policies to handle the tough decisions they anticipate making in the coming weeks as the outbreak surges and they contend with a limited number of beds , equipment and staff .
“ We don ’ t have much time , ” said ER physician Dr. Marc Futernick , who works at a downtown L.A. hospital .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make really soon before we are in the throes of the tsunami.
” In other places where the disease has been widespread , the number of sick patients has doubled in days , and then doubled again , and again .
Judging L.A. County ’ s outbreak by case numbers alone is unreliable since not everyone who is sick has been tested for the virus and the criteria for who gets tested change regularly , experts say .
Epidemiologists say the number of people hospitalized reveals more about the outbreak ’ s projected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ likely to be missed .
“ One can expect that these numbers of cases of hospitalizations and deaths will continue , ” said UCLA epidemiologist Dr. Robert Kim-Farley .
“ I think we will continue to see this doubling , if you will , every three or four days.
” Officials said Monday that 536 people in L.A. County have tested positive for the virus .
In California overall , 1,733 people have been confirmed to have COVID-19 , about 4 % of the cases nationwide so far , officials said Monday .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in L.A. County have reported that a handful of COVID-19 patients have been admitted to their wards .
At UCLA , a total of 16 patients had been hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Sunday .
“ It hasn ’ t been overwhelming , ” said Futernick , regional medical director for VEP Healthcare , which provides staffing to ERs , ICUs and other medical facilities .
“ They are definitely coming.
” At most local hospitals , there isn ’ t much room for new patients .
Gov .
Gavin Newsom said Monday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ needed statewide to cope with the outbreak .
In L.A. County , 90 % percent of ICU beds are already occupied , even with facilities in recent days doubling the number of available beds for patients .
A nurse at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood said the hospital has admitted a few COVID-19 patients , but it isn ’ t full yet .
Yet fear has increased among staff since a patient died of COVID-19 at the hospital over the weekend , said the nurse , who like others interviewed for this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because he didn ’ t have authorization from his employer .
His family is worried about his safety , he said .
“ They ’ re calling constantly , texting constantly , asking ‘ Can ’ t you just quit ?
’ and I don ’ t blame them , ” he said .
“ It ’ s spooky .
I can see it in [ my colleagues ’ ] eyes — the fear — in the physicians and nurses and other staff .
Every patient that comes in , you don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has killed seven people in L.A. County , which has been spared compared with other places .
Santa Clara County , which has one-fifth the population L.A. County , has had 13 deaths .
The Seattle area has seen 87 people die of the disease .
In New York City , 99 people had died as of Monday .
Many in L.A. fear a situation like in New York , now the epicenter of the national outbreak , where hospitals are struggling to find beds and ventilators for patients and masks and gowns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus .
In New York City , approximately 1,800 people had been hospitalized for COVID-19 and 12,339 people have been confirmed to have the disease , Mayor Bill De Blasio said Monday .
“ We ’ re seeing milestones in the growth of this disease that are just absolutely staggering , things we could not have imagined just a week or two ago , ” De Blasio said at a news conference .
California has implemented some of the strictest social distancing measures in the nation and closed businesses and schools in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the disease .
Newsom on Monday said that crowds at state parks had prompted him to shut down parking lots to deter people from congregating there .
Such measures to reduce the spread of disease will eventually slow the rate of new cases , but not immediately , experts say .
The effects of the shutdowns could take longer than a month to be felt , since people who fell sick before they went into effect could now be passing the virus to their families and other limited contacts , said University of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could still rapidly accelerate — not necessarily flatten out — because it ’ s representing what happened before we went into more stringent social isolation , ” he said .
“ After about two weeks , we will start to really see the impact of our physical distancing measures , ” said Kim-Farley of UCLA , noting that the longest it can take for someone to develop symptoms of the virus is about 14 days .
Shutdowns appeared to have worked in China , though it is unclear what will happen as people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
In Italy , which has also resorted to widespread lockdowns , a slowdown of case numbers has yet to be seen , probably because the measures were implemented too late .
“ It was way widespread in the community before the physical distancing measures were put into place , ” he said .
“ I would be expecting that within another week or two ... the number of deaths will slow down ...
I think it was just getting behind the curve on that.
” Awaiting such a surge in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ describe as unparalleled anxiety .
A doctor at a major L.A. hospital said she is terrified by the lack of planning , communication with staff and availability of medical gear .
She said providers exposed to the virus at her hospital can ’ t get tested .
“ We ’ re kind of just flying by the seat of our pants , ” she said .
“ This is the worst thing I think any of us have encountered.
” An ER doctor at a different L.A. hospital compared her anxiety now to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You always think about if someone comes in with a gun and where would you go and where would you hide , ” she said .
“ But this is actually giving me some chest pressure that I haven ’ t felt before — that heaviness just weighing on you.
” Times staff writer Taryn Luna , in Sacramento , contributed to this report .

A steep rise in people being hospitalized with COVID-19 in Los Angeles County likely signals the approach of a wave of extremely sick patients that could overwhelm hospitals in the coming weeks, experts say.
As of March 6, five people in the county had been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19. Two weeks later, on Friday, that figure had jumped to 48. By Monday, the total had climbed to 90.
Though the raw numbers remain relatively low, the rate of increase has set many doctors and nurses on edge after watching the disease’s alarming trajectory in China, Italy and now New York City.
Medical providers in L.A. County say they have noticed a steady flow of COVID-19 patients into their ERs in recent days and are rushing to draft policies to handle the tough decisions they anticipate making in the coming weeks as the outbreak surges and they contend with a limited number of beds, equipment and staff.
“We don’t have much time,” said ER physician Dr. Marc Futernick, who works at a downtown L.A. hospital. “These are decisions that we need to make really soon before we are in the throes of the tsunami.”
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In other places where the disease has been widespread, the number of sick patients has doubled in days, and then doubled again, and again. Judging L.A. County’s outbreak by case numbers alone is unreliable since not everyone who is sick has been tested for the virus and the criteria for who gets tested change regularly, experts say.
Epidemiologists say the number of people hospitalized reveals more about the outbreak’s projected path, since those cases are less likely to be missed.
“One can expect that these numbers of cases of hospitalizations and deaths will continue,” said UCLA epidemiologist Dr. Robert Kim-Farley. “I think we will continue to see this doubling, if you will, every three or four days.”
Officials said Monday that 536 people in L.A. County have tested positive for the virus. In California overall, 1,733 people have been confirmed to have COVID-19, about 4% of the cases nationwide so far, officials said Monday.
Over the last week, many hospitals in L.A. County have reported that a handful of COVID-19 patients have been admitted to their wards. At UCLA, a total of 16 patients had been hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Sunday.
“It hasn’t been overwhelming,” said Futernick, regional medical director for VEP Healthcare, which provides staffing to ERs, ICUs and other medical facilities. “They are definitely coming.”
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At most local hospitals, there isn’t much room for new patients. Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday that 50,000 additional hospital beds would be needed statewide to cope with the outbreak. In L.A. County, 90% percent of ICU beds are already occupied, even with facilities in recent days doubling the number of available beds for patients.
A nurse at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood said the hospital has admitted a few COVID-19 patients, but it isn’t full yet.
Yet fear has increased among staff since a patient died of COVID-19 at the hospital over the weekend, said the nurse, who like others interviewed for this article spoke on the condition of anonymity because he didn’t have authorization from his employer.
His family is worried about his safety, he said.
“They’re calling constantly, texting constantly, asking ‘Can’t you just quit?’ and I don’t blame them,” he said. “It’s spooky. I can see it in [my colleagues’] eyes — the fear — in the physicians and nurses and other staff. Every patient that comes in, you don’t know.”
So far, COVID-19 has killed seven people in L.A. County, which has been spared compared with other places. Santa Clara County, which has one-fifth the population L.A. County, has had 13 deaths. The Seattle area has seen 87 people die of the disease. In New York City, 99 people had died as of Monday.
Many in L.A. fear a situation like in New York, now the epicenter of the national outbreak, where hospitals are struggling to find beds and ventilators for patients and masks and gowns for staff to protect themselves from the virus.
In New York City, approximately 1,800 people had been hospitalized for COVID-19 and 12,339 people have been confirmed to have the disease, Mayor Bill De Blasio said Monday.
“We’re seeing milestones in the growth of this disease that are just absolutely staggering, things we could not have imagined just a week or two ago,” De Blasio said at a news conference.
California has implemented some of the strictest social distancing measures in the nation and closed businesses and schools in a desperate attempt to slow the spread of the disease. Newsom on Monday said that crowds at state parks had prompted him to shut down parking lots to deter people from congregating there.
Such measures to reduce the spread of disease will eventually slow the rate of new cases, but not immediately, experts say.
The effects of the shutdowns could take longer than a month to be felt, since people who fell sick before they went into effect could now be passing the virus to their families and other limited contacts, said University of Minnesota epidemiologist Ryan Demmer.
“Things could still rapidly accelerate — not necessarily flatten out — because it’s representing what happened before we went into more stringent social isolation,” he said.
Other epidemiologists offered more optimistic outlooks.
“After about two weeks, we will start to really see the impact of our physical distancing measures,” said Kim-Farley of UCLA, noting that the longest it can take for someone to develop symptoms of the virus is about 14 days.
Shutdowns appeared to have worked in China, though it is unclear what will happen as people continue to go back to work, he said. In Italy, which has also resorted to widespread lockdowns, a slowdown of case numbers has yet to be seen, probably because the measures were implemented too late.
“It was way widespread in the community before the physical distancing measures were put into place,” he said. “I would be expecting that within another week or two ... the number of deaths will slow down ... I think it was just getting behind the curve on that.”
Awaiting such a surge in L.A. County has providers feeling what they describe as unparalleled anxiety. A doctor at a major L.A. hospital said she is terrified by the lack of planning, communication with staff and availability of medical gear. She said providers exposed to the virus at her hospital can’t get tested.
“We’re kind of just flying by the seat of our pants,” she said. “This is the worst thing I think any of us have encountered.”
An ER doctor at a different L.A. hospital compared her anxiety now to fears of a mass shooting.
“You always think about if someone comes in with a gun and where would you go and where would you hide,” she said. “But this is actually giving me some chest pressure that I haven’t felt before — that heaviness just weighing on you.”
Times staff writer Taryn Luna, in Sacramento, contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-03-24--Guests at Trump National Golf Club disco party get coronavirus

On a Sunday evening two weeks and an eternity ago , Susan Brooks celebrated her 70th birthday , disco style , in the upstairs ballroom at the Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes .
There were local politicos , hors d ’ oeuvres , dancing and a lingering , if not overriding , worry of the novel coronavirus , which on March 8 had yet to paralyze daily life in Southern California .
There was also , it turns out , the virus itself .
Brooks learned a week later a party-goer had tested positive for COVID-19 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She soon tested positive herself , along with three other guests .
The party , which was first reported by the South Bay-based Easy Reader News , has sparked a minor firestorm in Rancho Palos Verdes , where Brooks is a fixture in local politics and was once the city ’ s mayor .
It underscores that in a pandemic , certain motions of daily life no more extraordinary and no less cherished than a birthday party can turn perilous , seeding a crowd with a sickness that blooms as the party breaks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work — everywhere .
Brooks referred questions to her daughter , Meredith Brooks , who said they followed the advice that public health officials had issued at the time , telling guests to stay home if they showed any signs of being ill. She stressed that Southern California now — businesses shuttered , residents under a stay-at-home advisory , “ social distancing ” embedded in the lexicon — is a far different world from the one in which she celebrated her mother ’ s birthday two weeks ago .
“ Weddings were going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Parties were going on that weekend .
Life was going on as normal — it was the last normal weekend we had , but it was a normal weekend.
” Two days before the party , Susan Brooks had asked her friend , Janice Hahn , the Los Angeles County supervisor , if she should cancel it .
No , Hahn told her — but do send “ a very strong email ” warning guests to stay home if they feel sick .
Brooks emailed her guests : To anyone with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or other flu-like symptoms , “ please stay home and rest , ” she wrote .
“ This is especially important considering our age group .
We love you and will miss you , and will celebrate together soon.
” The evening of March 8 , Brooks rang in her eighth decade with a 1970 ’ s-themed party at the Trump National Golf Club , a course perched on bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean .
Hahn said she arrived determined not to shake hands , tap toes or bump fists or elbows with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attitude among other revelers : They passed around a single microphone to toast Brooks , and seemed to go out of their way to flout admonishments from public health officials against shaking hands and hugging , Hahn said .
“ It was , ‘ Oh , this is media pollution , you ’ re overblowing this , ’ ” she recalled .
“ I remember going home that night feeling a little bit ashamed.
” A week later , Brooks ’ guests got another email .
This one began , “ Urgent Message.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 .
Five people who attended the party have tested positive , including Brooks , according to her daughter .
Another 10 people have reported feeling ill but have not been tested , she said .
John Cruikshank and Eric Alegria , Rancho Palos Verdes ’ mayor and mayor pro tem , respectively , attended the party .
Cruikshank tested positive for COVID-19 , according to a city news release .
A city spokeswoman said he was resting and unavailable to answer questions about the party or how he had secured a test @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not tested , although he has “ chosen to self-quarantine , ” the news release said .
He declined an interview request , writing in an email he was “ tied up in meetings.
” Hahn said she was not tested because she showed no symptoms .
On the advice of Gov .
Gavin Newsom , she went into self-quarantine on March 16 .
Meredith Brooks said she hopes people take her mother ’ s party as a cautionary tale , one that demonstrates how easily the virus can spread , how quickly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials can change , and why people need to follow it .
“ It ’ s not that we didn ’ t think this was serious , ” she said .
“ We just know much more now than we did then .
”

On a Sunday evening two weeks and an eternity ago, Susan Brooks celebrated her 70th birthday, disco style, in the upstairs ballroom at the Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes.
There were local politicos, hors d’oeuvres, dancing and a lingering, if not overriding, worry of the novel coronavirus, which on March 8 had yet to paralyze daily life in Southern California.
There was also, it turns out, the virus itself. Brooks learned a week later a party-goer had tested positive for COVID-19, the infection caused by the coronavirus. She soon tested positive herself, along with three other guests.
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The party, which was first reported by the South Bay-based Easy Reader News, has sparked a minor firestorm in Rancho Palos Verdes, where Brooks is a fixture in local politics and was once the city’s mayor.
It underscores that in a pandemic, certain motions of daily life no more extraordinary and no less cherished than a birthday party can turn perilous, seeding a crowd with a sickness that blooms as the party breaks up, carrying it home, to work — everywhere.
Brooks referred questions to her daughter, Meredith Brooks, who said they followed the advice that public health officials had issued at the time, telling guests to stay home if they showed any signs of being ill. She stressed that Southern California now — businesses shuttered, residents under a stay-at-home advisory, “social distancing” embedded in the lexicon — is a far different world from the one in which she celebrated her mother’s birthday two weeks ago.
“Weddings were going on that weekend,” she said. “Parties were going on that weekend. Life was going on as normal — it was the last normal weekend we had, but it was a normal weekend.”
Two days before the party, Susan Brooks had asked her friend, Janice Hahn, the Los Angeles County supervisor, if she should cancel it. No, Hahn told her — but do send “a very strong email” warning guests to stay home if they feel sick.
Brooks emailed her guests: To anyone with a cough, fever, runny nose or other flu-like symptoms, “please stay home and rest,” she wrote. “This is especially important considering our age group. We love you and will miss you, and will celebrate together soon.”
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The evening of March 8, Brooks rang in her eighth decade with a 1970’s-themed party at the Trump National Golf Club, a course perched on bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Hahn said she arrived determined not to shake hands, tap toes or bump fists or elbows with anyone. But she recalled a blasé attitude among other revelers: They passed around a single microphone to toast Brooks, and seemed to go out of their way to flout admonishments from public health officials against shaking hands and hugging, Hahn said.
“It was, ‘Oh, this is media pollution, you’re overblowing this,’” she recalled. “I remember going home that night feeling a little bit ashamed.”
A week later, Brooks’ guests got another email. This one began, “Urgent Message.” A party-goer had tested positive for COVID-19. Five people who attended the party have tested positive, including Brooks, according to her daughter. Another 10 people have reported feeling ill but have not been tested, she said.
John Cruikshank and Eric Alegria, Rancho Palos Verdes’ mayor and mayor pro tem, respectively, attended the party. Cruikshank tested positive for COVID-19, according to a city news release. A city spokeswoman said he was resting and unavailable to answer questions about the party or how he had secured a test. Alegria showed no symptoms and was not tested, although he has “chosen to self-quarantine,” the news release said. He declined an interview request, writing in an email he was “tied up in meetings.”
Hahn said she was not tested because she showed no symptoms. On the advice of Gov. Gavin Newsom, she went into self-quarantine on March 16.
Meredith Brooks said she hopes people take her mother’s party as a cautionary tale, one that demonstrates how easily the virus can spread, how quickly the advice of public health and government officials can change, and why people need to follow it.
“It’s not that we didn’t think this was serious,” she said. “We just know much more now than we did then.”


latimes--2020-03-24--Meet the journalist and director behind Netflix's 'The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez'

It began , as great journalism often does , with a source .
When longtime journalist Lowell Bergman recruited former Times reporter Garrett Therolf to the Investigative Reporting Program that he founded at the University of California Berkeley with the idea of turning Therolf ’ s work into documentaries , it seemed a “ distant ” notion , Therolf says .
That is , until his reporting on another subject led him to reconsider what the form could bring to the case of Gabriel Fernandez , the Palmdale 8-year-old whose abuse , torture and 2013 murder at the hands of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ failures within the Los Angeles County Dept .
of Children and Family Services and other county departments .
“ I remember I was driving in Mississippi and talking to a source on another story , and Gabriel ’ s story had always stuck with her , ” Therolf remembers .
“ She planted the seed in my head that a docuseries might be a good idea for a number of reasons ” — the intimacy of the camera , the importance of character and the opportunity to explore the issues raised by Gabriel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And so the concept for Netflix ’ s harrowing six-part docuseries “ The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez ” was born .
All Therolf needed now was a director .
His Investigative Reporting Program colleague Janice Hui recommended Brian Knappenberger , the documentarian behind “ The Internet ’ s Own Boy , ” about the life and tragic death of open-internet advocate Aaron Swartz , and “ Nobody Speak , ” about press freedom under President Trump .
Therolf flew to L.A. to persuade the filmmaker , fresh off an appearance for “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ With Seth Meyers , ” to consider the project .
After Therolf introduced Knappenberger to Gregory Merritt and Darlene Starr , two of the social workers involved in Gabriel ’ s case , the director was sold .
“ The social workers had been demonized in the press .
We play some of the clips from [ KFI AM 640 radio ’ s ] ‘ Gary and Shannon ’ show , and that was maybe a lighter touch than some days .
They really were looked at as evil here .
And when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anything but , ” Knappenberger says .
“ Something clicked there .
While they clearly made egregious errors … it ’ s also clear that it doesn ’ t stop with them.
” Thanks to the unusual decision by L.A. County Superior Court Judge George Lomeli to grant the production team permission to film inside the courtroom , the narrative backbone of the series is the murder trial of Isauro Aguirre , Gabriel ’ s mother ’ s boyfriend .
But Therolf ’ s reporting , and local journalism more broadly , not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which opens and closes on a shot of The Times ’ former home in downtown Los Angeles .
It is , in a sense , the hero of it .
“ It ’ s a very challenging beat , and to a large degree , a lot of the stories [ Therolf ] did were just the act of his own perseverance — getting judges to let him into juvenile court , which we rarely get to do ; really digging and digging and digging and getting documents to show the kind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are not publicly available , ” says Shelby Grad , The Times ’ deputy managing editor for California/Metro .
He added that very few reporters in the U.S. cover child welfare , and even fewer do it full-time .
“ Journalism is one of the things that ’ s needed to expose these things because it ’ s a system involving children , involving things that are by their nature private , and so it ’ s very easy for people not to know.
” “ The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez ” not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ prior reporting , it also builds on it .
As the series proceeds , the structure comes to resemble that of “ The Wire , ” the byzantine drama created by another former newspaper journalist , David Simon , about the life of Baltimore , which focuses on a different city institution in each of its five seasons .
Gabriel ’ s case becomes the jumping-off point for examinations of Maximus , a third-party contractor in child welfare and other local government functions , and the use of algorithms to help social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on their caseload — both of which have implications that reach far beyond the Fernandez family or even L.A. County .
“ You ’ re going toward the complexity , but you also don ’ t want to leave viewers in a morass , ” Therolf says of the documentary ’ s structure , pointing out that one in seven children in California , and one in three black children , are reported to the child abuse hotline before the age of 5 .
“ You want to clarify how these systems work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ segments of our community are going through all the time , yet even for the clients the system is mysterious.
” Whether the style of “ The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez ” is as clarifying as its journalism is more contentious .
Though the series has received generally positive reviews , critics including The Times ’ Robert Lloyd and Slant Magazine ’ s Ed Gonzalez have suggested that its score , title sequence and use of reenactments — drawing on the “ true crime ” aesthetic developed by “ The Jinx : The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” “ Making a Murderer ” and other entries in the increasingly ubiquitous genre — might run closer to entertainment than education .
While both Therolf and Knappenberger dismiss the comparison to “ The Jinx , ” the director acknowledges that the series plays on our expectations about “ true crime.
” “ What we ’ re doing is hijacking that to do something entirely different , ” Knappenberger says , emphasizing that his ultimate interest was accuracy .
“ I think we ’ re using some similar visual style in order to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kind of blunt .
I also don ’ t think it ’ s that controversial anymore .
We live in a maelstrom of images and different parts and fragments of stories , and I think audiences are aware of and savvy about that stuff.
” Therolf compares the reenactments in “ The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez ” to The Times ’ use of an artist ’ s renderings in its coverage of the manhunt for ex-LAPD officer Christopher Dorner in 2013 .
“ Newspapers , magazines , documentaries are often confronted with , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that happened in the past , where cameras were not rolling ?
’ I don ’ t see that as controversial in any way.
” Though this more serious — and prestigious — form of “ true crime ” is not without its pitfalls and blind spots , Grad rightly notes that it ’ s an improvement over the genre ’ s earlier , more salacious iterations .
“ If ‘ Dateline ’ were to do this story , they would have basically said , ‘ Here ’ s two evil parents who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says , referring to the NBC newsmagazine .
“ What this documentary did , which I think is why it ’ s going to have so much influence down the road , is that it was starting from that point .
Yeah , they killed their child , but really it ’ s about how it happened , and the breakdowns in the system that allowed it to happen.
” No matter your opinion of its style or structure , it ’ s incontrovertible that “ The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , has brought near-unprecedented attention to what Therolf describes as the chaos of the child welfare system .
It ’ s work that ’ s not nearly finished : With the family ’ s blessing , the IRP has established Gabriel ’ s Fund to support continued reporting on vulnerable children .
Therolf and Knappenberger also say they ’ re open to the possibility of returning to the subject , perhaps by turning a similar lens on the cases of Anthony Avalos or Noah Cuatro — two other boys in the Antelope Valley @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In the meantime , Gabriel ’ s story has still not been fully told .
A number of key government sources declined to be interviewed for the documentary , disappointing the filmmakers .
“ I ’ ll be really direct , ” Therolf says .
“ We still have a long list of pressing , urgent questions for the Dept .
of Children and Family Services and the Board of Supervisors that they have not answered.
” That ’ s the thing about great journalism , on screen or in newsprint : It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quit .
”

It began, as great journalism often does, with a source.
When longtime journalist Lowell Bergman recruited former Times reporter Garrett Therolf to the Investigative Reporting Program that he founded at the University of California Berkeley with the idea of turning Therolf’s work into documentaries, it seemed a “distant” notion, Therolf says.
For the record: An earlier version of this story misidentified the title of director Brian Knappenberger’s previous project. It is “Nobody Speak,” not “Nobody Speaks.”
That is, until his reporting on another subject led him to reconsider what the form could bring to the case of Gabriel Fernandez, the Palmdale 8-year-old whose abuse, torture and 2013 murder at the hands of his mother and her boyfriend exposed systemic failures within the Los Angeles County Dept. of Children and Family Services and other county departments.
“I remember I was driving in Mississippi and talking to a source on another story, and Gabriel’s story had always stuck with her,” Therolf remembers. “She planted the seed in my head that a docuseries might be a good idea for a number of reasons” — the intimacy of the camera, the importance of character and the opportunity to explore the issues raised by Gabriel’s death in even greater detail.
Advertisement
And so the concept for Netflix’s harrowing six-part docuseries “The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez” was born. All Therolf needed now was a director.
His Investigative Reporting Program colleague Janice Hui recommended Brian Knappenberger, the documentarian behind “The Internet’s Own Boy,” about the life and tragic death of open-internet advocate Aaron Swartz, and “Nobody Speak,” about press freedom under President Trump. Therolf flew to L.A. to persuade the filmmaker, fresh off an appearance for “Nobody Speaks” on “Late Night With Seth Meyers,” to consider the project. After Therolf introduced Knappenberger to Gregory Merritt and Darlene Starr, two of the social workers involved in Gabriel’s case, the director was sold.
“The social workers had been demonized in the press. We play some of the clips from [KFI AM 640 radio’s] ‘Gary and Shannon’ show, and that was maybe a lighter touch than some days. They really were looked at as evil here. And when you meet them, they’re anything but,” Knappenberger says. “Something clicked there. While they clearly made egregious errors … it’s also clear that it doesn’t stop with them.”
Family photo of Gabriel Fernandez. (Netflix)
Thanks to the unusual decision by L.A. County Superior Court Judge George Lomeli to grant the production team permission to film inside the courtroom, the narrative backbone of the series is the murder trial of Isauro Aguirre, Gabriel’s mother’s boyfriend. But Therolf’s reporting, and local journalism more broadly, not only provides an entree into the story, which opens and closes on a shot of The Times’ former home in downtown Los Angeles. It is, in a sense, the hero of it.
“It’s a very challenging beat, and to a large degree, a lot of the stories [Therolf] did were just the act of his own perseverance — getting judges to let him into juvenile court, which we rarely get to do; really digging and digging and digging and getting documents to show the kind of cracks in the system that just are not publicly available,” says Shelby Grad, The Times’ deputy managing editor for California/Metro. He added that very few reporters in the U.S. cover child welfare, and even fewer do it full-time. “Journalism is one of the things that’s needed to expose these things because it’s a system involving children, involving things that are by their nature private, and so it’s very easy for people not to know.”
Advertisement
“The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez” not only reflects Therolf’s and others’ prior reporting, it also builds on it. As the series proceeds, the structure comes to resemble that of “The Wire,” the byzantine drama created by another former newspaper journalist, David Simon, about the life of Baltimore, which focuses on a different city institution in each of its five seasons. Gabriel’s case becomes the jumping-off point for examinations of Maximus, a third-party contractor in child welfare and other local government functions, and the use of algorithms to help social workers determine next steps for the children on their caseload — both of which have implications that reach far beyond the Fernandez family or even L.A. County.
Pearl Sinthia Fernandez, 34, in court as she was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for her role in the death of her 8-year-old son, Gabriel Fernandez. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
“You’re going toward the complexity, but you also don’t want to leave viewers in a morass,” Therolf says of the documentary’s structure, pointing out that one in seven children in California, and one in three black children, are reported to the child abuse hotline before the age of 5. “You want to clarify how these systems work. ... This is something that huge segments of our community are going through all the time, yet even for the clients the system is mysterious.”
Whether the style of “The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez” is as clarifying as its journalism is more contentious. Though the series has received generally positive reviews, critics including The Times’ Robert Lloyd and Slant Magazine’s Ed Gonzalez have suggested that its score, title sequence and use of reenactments — drawing on the “true crime” aesthetic developed by “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst,” “Making a Murderer” and other entries in the increasingly ubiquitous genre — might run closer to entertainment than education. While both Therolf and Knappenberger dismiss the comparison to “The Jinx,” the director acknowledges that the series plays on our expectations about “true crime.”
“What we’re doing is hijacking that to do something entirely different,” Knappenberger says, emphasizing that his ultimate interest was accuracy. “I think we’re using some similar visual style in order to draw people in, just to be kind of blunt. I also don’t think it’s that controversial anymore. We live in a maelstrom of images and different parts and fragments of stories, and I think audiences are aware of and savvy about that stuff.”
Prosecutor Jonathan Hatami in “The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez.” (Netflix)
Therolf compares the reenactments in “The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez” to The Times’ use of an artist’s renderings in its coverage of the manhunt for ex-LAPD officer Christopher Dorner in 2013. “Newspapers, magazines, documentaries are often confronted with, ‘How do we visually depict something that happened in the past, where cameras were not rolling?’ I don’t see that as controversial in any way.”
Though this more serious — and prestigious — form of “true crime” is not without its pitfalls and blind spots, Grad rightly notes that it’s an improvement over the genre’s earlier, more salacious iterations.
“If ‘Dateline’ were to do this story, they would have basically said, ‘Here’s two evil parents who killed their son,’” he says, referring to the NBC newsmagazine. “What this documentary did, which I think is why it’s going to have so much influence down the road, is that it was starting from that point. Yeah, they killed their child, but really it’s about how it happened, and the breakdowns in the system that allowed it to happen.”
No matter your opinion of its style or structure, it’s incontrovertible that “The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez,” with Netflix’s megaphone behind it, has brought near-unprecedented attention to what Therolf describes as the chaos of the child welfare system. It’s work that’s not nearly finished: With the family’s blessing, the IRP has established Gabriel’s Fund to support continued reporting on vulnerable children. Therolf and Knappenberger also say they’re open to the possibility of returning to the subject, perhaps by turning a similar lens on the cases of Anthony Avalos or Noah Cuatro — two other boys in the Antelope Valley to suffer similar fates to Gabriel.
Family and friends attend a memorial service for Gabriel Fernandez in 2013. (Los Angeles Times)
In the meantime, Gabriel’s story has still not been fully told. A number of key government sources declined to be interviewed for the documentary, disappointing the filmmakers.
“I’ll be really direct,” Therolf says. “We still have a long list of pressing, urgent questions for the Dept. of Children and Family Services and the Board of Supervisors that they have not answered.”
That’s the thing about great journalism, on screen or in newsprint: It doesn’t know the word “quit.”


latimes--2020-03-24--Lopez: Here's what to do if you think you have the coronavirus

So you ’ ve got some aches and pains , a rattling cough , and you ’ re beginning to panic because the problem could be you know what .
Should you take an aspirin , call your doctor or get yourself to the nearest hospital as soon as possible ?
In the swirl of information about the coronavirus and with the death toll mounting by the hour , it can be hard to know the right response , and even harder to stay calm .
So I reached out to an old friend for some straight talk .
Dr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center , and he ’ s one of thousands of heroic medical staffers worldwide trying to stem the spread of the pandemic , sometimes at great personal risk .
We don ’ t know how bad things will get , Morocco said , but it ’ s critical to limit the spread of the virus by honoring the calls for social distancing — and by not rushing to the hospital if we feel a bit under the weather .
“ Right now , we ’ re still seeing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saying they want testing and need treatment that doesn ’ t exist , ” Morocco said .
None of that is helping , he said .
It doesn ’ t help already-stressed hospitals and medical staffs , and it doesn ’ t help patients who probably don ’ t have the virus and certainly don ’ t belong in the hospital .
That ’ s where the truly sick people are , Morocco says , so steer clear if you can .
Even for most people with coronavirus , Morocco said , an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You ’ ve got to be really sick , he said , to go to the ER .
He understands the anxiety out there , though , especially since coronavirus can look and feel a lot like flu .
( The coronavirus cough feels like a dry burn , he said ) .
So how do you determine when to seek help , or when you need hospitalization ?
“ If you ’ re unable to get out of the Barcalounger and walk three steps to the bathroom , ” Morocco said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immediate help .
“ If you can ’ t think clearly and can ’ t breathe and speak normally … that ’ s a reason to come in.
” Otherwise , Morocco said , you ’ re better off staying home .
Even if you do have the coronavirus .
Don ’ t take chances , and seek medical help if necessary .
But unless symptoms are severe enough to require a ventilator or urgent medical procedures , Morocco suggests that you set up a “ sick ” room at home to distance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still eat and drink , those are good signs , Morocco said .
And he advised that you do what grandmas did back in the day .
Make some chicken soup , because water and salt make for a good IV fluid .
And put some bleach into a bucket and use it to sterilize everything .
Since it ’ s always good to get a second opinion , I also checked in with Dr. Joe Risser in San Diego , who has been screening patients with coronavirus-like symptoms and determining whether they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 100 % with Morocco .
Sick patients may just have the flu , he said , and even if it ’ s the coronavirus , staying home might be the best plan unless symptoms are severe .
And yet there ’ s so much anxiety , patients are needlessly worrying themselves and taking risks by visiting a clinic that , even though sanitized regularly , is still full of sick people .
“ This might sound a little harsh , but I think there are some people who want to be the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus .
You really get that impression from people who have no symptoms but say , ‘ Well , I just want to know , ’ ” said Risser , one of 12 physicians at San Diego Family Care .
Risser said he has had some patients test positive , but with too few tests to test everyone , he ’ s following the guidelines , which means he ’ s telling many patients they don ’ t need to be tested .
“ The state recommends people not be tested unless they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Risser , a preventive medicine specialist .
“ I can ’ t tell you how many times people tell me they have a fever and I ask how high it is .
They say it is 99 or 100 , and the next question I ask is , ‘ Do you have a thermometer ?
’ They say no and when you ask how they knew , the response is … it felt like a hundred , ” Risser said .
Risser , a clinical researcher , has been checking reliable medical sources @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus , and he made a trenchant observation .
As of Monday , 378,000 people worldwide had tested positive for the coronavirus and 16,500 had died .
By contrast , in the current flu season in the United States alone , 360,000 people have gotten sick and 22,000 have died .
They aren ’ t equivalent , of course , since the coronavirus seems to be far deadlier than flu , and since there is no vaccine or treatment yet .
“ As a preventive medicine doctor , it drives me bananas that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flu shot , ” Risser said .
“ People are asking when we ’ re going to get a coronavirus vaccine .
Well , we have a flu vaccine now and I talk to people until I ’ m blue in the face about getting a flu shot.
” Risser had a few optimistic notes , saying the pandemic might help the medical community develop better forms of telemedicine , so patients can get needed advice when they can ’ t or shouldn ’ t visit a clinic or hospital .
And he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ California Gov .
Gavin Newsom ’ s prompt call for everyone to stay home will limit the spread of the virus .
When he first reached out to me by email last week , Risser said friends , family and patients have thanked him for being on the front lines .
“ I don ’ t feel deserving of so much gratitude , ” he wrote , saying that lots of people in various walks of life have sacrificed and pulled together .
“ I ’ m doing what I signed up to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doesn ’ t mean the rest of us shouldn ’ t be grateful to those who devote themselves to helping the sick , the frail , the injured and the dying .
The nightly shows of public support for the profession in parts of Europe have been inspiring at a time when our vulnerability has been laid bare .
When I met Morocco , he had given up a career as an actor and screenwriter to attend medical school after getting into a serious car accident .
He was inspired by an emergency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ helped save his life .
I spent his last night of school with him , watching him work a shift in the County-USC emergency room and helping a medical team that saved the life of a gunshot victim .
He ’ s worked in a lot of emergency rooms since then , and for a while would get off work as medical supervisor on the set of the TV show “ ER ” and drive to a real emergency room to pull another shift .
Monday morning , he thought back on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ This moment , ” Morocco said , “ this kind of moment , is the reason I decided to become a doctor .
”

So you’ve got some aches and pains, a rattling cough, and you’re beginning to panic because the problem could be you know what.
Should you take an aspirin, call your doctor or get yourself to the nearest hospital as soon as possible?
In the swirl of information about the coronavirus and with the death toll mounting by the hour, it can be hard to know the right response, and even harder to stay calm. So I reached out to an old friend for some straight talk.
Advertisement
Dr. Mark Morocco works in the emergency room at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, and he’s one of thousands of heroic medical staffers worldwide trying to stem the spread of the pandemic, sometimes at great personal risk.
We don’t know how bad things will get, Morocco said, but it’s critical to limit the spread of the virus by honoring the calls for social distancing — and by not rushing to the hospital if we feel a bit under the weather.
“Right now, we’re still seeing way too many people showing up … saying they want testing and need treatment that doesn’t exist,” Morocco said.
None of that is helping, he said. It doesn’t help already-stressed hospitals and medical staffs, and it doesn’t help patients who probably don’t have the virus and certainly don’t belong in the hospital. That’s where the truly sick people are, Morocco says, so steer clear if you can.
Even for most people with coronavirus, Morocco said, an ICU bed isn’t necessary. You’ve got to be really sick, he said, to go to the ER. He understands the anxiety out there, though, especially since coronavirus can look and feel a lot like flu. (The coronavirus cough feels like a dry burn, he said).
So how do you determine when to seek help, or when you need hospitalization?
“If you’re unable to get out of the Barcalounger and walk three steps to the bathroom,” Morocco said, you’re sick enough to get immediate help. “If you can’t think clearly and can’t breathe and speak normally … that’s a reason to come in.”
Otherwise, Morocco said, you’re better off staying home.
Even if you do have the coronavirus.
Don’t take chances, and seek medical help if necessary. But unless symptoms are severe enough to require a ventilator or urgent medical procedures, Morocco suggests that you set up a “sick” room at home to distance yourself from others.
If you can still eat and drink, those are good signs, Morocco said. And he advised that you do what grandmas did back in the day. Make some chicken soup, because water and salt make for a good IV fluid. And put some bleach into a bucket and use it to sterilize everything.
Advertisement
Since it’s always good to get a second opinion, I also checked in with Dr. Joe Risser in San Diego, who has been screening patients with coronavirus-like symptoms and determining whether they need to be hospitalized.
Risser agreed 100% with Morocco. Sick patients may just have the flu, he said, and even if it’s the coronavirus, staying home might be the best plan unless symptoms are severe. And yet there’s so much anxiety, patients are needlessly worrying themselves and taking risks by visiting a clinic that, even though sanitized regularly, is still full of sick people.
“This might sound a little harsh, but I think there are some people who want to be the first on the block to test positive for coronavirus. You really get that impression from people who have no symptoms but say, ‘Well, I just want to know,’” said Risser, one of 12 physicians at San Diego Family Care.
Risser said he has had some patients test positive, but with too few tests to test everyone, he’s following the guidelines, which means he’s telling many patients they don’t need to be tested.
“The state recommends people not be tested unless they’re moderately sick,” said Risser, a preventive medicine specialist.
“I can’t tell you how many times people tell me they have a fever and I ask how high it is. They say it is 99 or 100, and the next question I ask is, ‘Do you have a thermometer?’ They say no and when you ask how they knew, the response is … it felt like a hundred,” Risser said.
Risser, a clinical researcher, has been checking reliable medical sources for all the latest statistics on the coronavirus, and he made a trenchant observation. As of Monday, 378,000 people worldwide had tested positive for the coronavirus and 16,500 had died. By contrast, in the current flu season in the United States alone, 360,000 people have gotten sick and 22,000 have died.
They aren’t equivalent, of course, since the coronavirus seems to be far deadlier than flu, and since there is no vaccine or treatment yet.
“As a preventive medicine doctor, it drives me bananas that people don’t get a simple flu shot,” Risser said. “People are asking when we’re going to get a coronavirus vaccine. Well ,we have a flu vaccine now and I talk to people until I’m blue in the face about getting a flu shot.”
Risser had a few optimistic notes, saying the pandemic might help the medical community develop better forms of telemedicine, so patients can get needed advice when they can’t or shouldn’t visit a clinic or hospital. And he thinks there’s a good chance California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s prompt call for everyone to stay home will limit the spread of the virus.
Dr. Matthew Abinante, left, prepares to take drive-up swab samples in Huntington Beach (Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)
When he first reached out to me by email last week, Risser said friends, family and patients have thanked him for being on the front lines. “I don’t feel deserving of so much gratitude,” he wrote, saying that lots of people in various walks of life have sacrificed and pulled together. “I’m doing what I signed up to do.”
Maybe so, but that doesn’t mean the rest of us shouldn’t be grateful to those who devote themselves to helping the sick, the frail, the injured and the dying. The nightly shows of public support for the profession in parts of Europe have been inspiring at a time when our vulnerability has been laid bare.
When I met Morocco, he had given up a career as an actor and screenwriter to attend medical school after getting into a serious car accident. He was inspired by an emergency room doctor and a trauma surgeon who helped save his life.
I spent his last night of school with him, watching him work a shift in the County-USC emergency room and helping a medical team that saved the life of a gunshot victim. He’s worked in a lot of emergency rooms since then, and for a while would get off work as medical supervisor on the set of the TV show “ER” and drive to a real emergency room to pull another shift.
Monday morning, he thought back on the car accident that inspired his career change.
“This moment,” Morocco said, “this kind of moment, is the reason I decided to become a doctor.”
steve.lopez@latimes.com


latimes--2020-03-24--California is way behind in testing and tracking coronavirus. It's a big problem

In the race to expand testing for the novel coronavirus and track the results , California has fallen behind New York and other hot-spot states as an assortment of public and private groups pursue testing programs in an uncoordinated fashion .
A fragmented landscape akin to an orchestra playing without a conductor has emerged with public officials at the city , county and state levels scrambling to come up with testing options and priorities .
At the same time , various universities and an increasing number of private , for-profit labs have developed their own testing schemes .
The result @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the virus in California .
Public health experts warn that a robust , coordinated testing program is crucial so the state knows not only who is infected but how quickly and where the virus is spreading in order to effectively deploy limited resources , such as protective equipment , ventilators and medical staff .
“ We are cobbling together various approaches , ” said Susan Butler-Wu , an associate professor of clinical pathology at USC ’ s Keck School of Medicine and a director of a clinical microbiology lab in Los Angeles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discombobulated ... .
I think 100 % that the system is broken.
” Certainly , Butler-Wu said , California is not alone , as the failure of federal health officials to establish a coordinated , nationwide testing strategy has given rise to a similar mishmash of testing options around the country .
The impact , however , has been particularly blunt here , where the sheer size of the state and the large number of testing operations have exacerbated the problem .
In California , there are at least 22 state laboratories , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tests .
It is unclear how testing at those sites is being tracked , in part because Gov .
Gavin Newsom has not provided details .
Newsom said Monday that part of the problem has been an inability by the state to accurately collect all test results .
He has deflected , however , questions about California ’ s overall testing capacity and whether it could have ramped up more quickly .
By Sunday afternoon , approximately 26,400 tests had been conducted in the state , which has about 40 million people , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tally .
The total was an increase of just 200 tests from the day before .
By contrast , New York , which has half as many residents and is grappling with the nation ’ s largest number of COVID-19 cases , had performed more than 78,000 tests as of Monday , according to the COVID Tracking Project , an independent group .
Based on population size , California ’ s official test numbers are not at the bottom of the state rankings , but it is below the national average of nearly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to a Los Angeles Times analysis of testing numbers tracked by the group .
California also lags behind other states that have experienced large outbreaks of the virus , including Louisiana and Washington .
The United States as a whole was slow to ramp up testing for the virus after a test designed by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was found in early February to be flawed .
Federal regulators then kept other labs from designing and using their own tests until Feb. 29 , when they belatedly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dozens of companies as well as public and private labs have designed tests .
But laboratories have struggled to process the sudden surge in demand .
In light of those backlogs , as well as shortages of materials needed to perform the tests , county health officials and hospitals around the state have largely stuck to guidelines from the CDC that reserve tests for those showing symptoms of the virus and at highest risk of contracting it .
Universities and other healthcare networks , such as UCLA , UC Davis and Kaiser Permanente @ @ @ @ @ @ @ although the number being performed remains relatively small .
And local authorities across the state have been left to try to boost their own capabilities .
Los Angeles County announced Monday it has secured 20,000 tests with a processing capacity of 5,000 tests per day .
The kits will be free , and healthcare workers and first responders will be given priority for testing .
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced a smaller testing program Monday for the city that will focus as well on first responders , but will also test some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infected .
L.A. Councilman David Ryu said city officials are in talks with a South Korean company that could make tens of thousands of tests available .
“ There are not enough supplies to meet the demand , ” Butler-Wu said .
“ It ’ s basically every system or hospital for itself and that is not what you want for a pandemic ... .
You need a coordinated system that is rolled out across the state , across the county.
” This piecemeal approach , said Harvard epidemiologist Michael Mina , is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and nationwide .
“ We have a decentralized healthcare system and we have no way to scale for government means , ” Mina said .
“ Everything is privatized , everything is individualized in our country and it ’ s become our Achilles ’ heel in this case.
” On Monday , when he was asked why fewer people are being tested in California compared with New York , Newsom said the state ’ s numbers do not include all tests being conducted .
“ We have a number of different test protocols @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the 26,400 number that you received this morning , ” Newsom told reporters .
The governor said the state would release more accurate figures on Wednesday that include data from more facilities now conducting tests .
The new number , he said , “ will substantially increase ” the current totals .
Newsom said as the state moves to increase testing , it will focus in part on community surveillance to better understand the scope of the crisis .
“ The bottom line for us is we want to know what the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We want to know if we ’ re bending the curve .
We want to know if our stay-at-home orders are effective .
That ’ s fundamentally the point of testing in terms of the broader sample.
” Mina echoed the importance of this approach , saying , “ We are flying blind through this tunnel at the moment , and we don ’ t know where we are in the epidemic curve.
” Newsom said the state has conducted so-called community surveillance testing in Santa Clara , Los Angeles and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tests have been “ very helpful ” and he expects to expand them throughout the state , but did not say what the tests had found .
Among the fragmented snapshots California is gathering are drive-up testing programs now in four counties , through a state partnership with a subsidiary of the Google tech empire .
The first week the project tested 1,200 people , prioritizing healthcare workers and initially including some people with no virus symptoms .
The state expanded the project over the weekend to Riverside and Sacramento counties .
Conducting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will not supplant traditional tests for people who show signs of infection or work in jobs with a high risk of exposure to the virus .
But with resources so limited , the two needs are in competition with each other .
While the governor is charged with protecting the broader health of the entire state , doctors are trying to treat patients and protect themselves .
With the lack of available tests , the two responsibilities are colliding .
That collision is playing out especially in hospitals in the Bay Area and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ numbers of infected people .
At L.A. County-USC Medical Center , for example , the slow pace of testing is exacerbating shortages in safety equipment medical staff wear to guard against becoming infected .
When it ’ s not clear someone with respiratory problems has COVID-19 , staff members have to behave as if they do , which means doctors , nurses , support staff and cleaners can waste precious protective gear while awaiting test results .
As of Friday , the turnaround time for tests was between five and seven days , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Health Services said .
In an effort to find a work-around , the county has purchased equipment to perform in-house testing , but is still a few weeks away from being able to do so , she said .

Joel Rubin, Anita Chabria, Taryn Luna, Melody Petersen, Paige St. John

California’s official numbers for coronavirus testing indicate the state’s rate is behind those of New York and other areas of the country.
In the race to expand testing for the novel coronavirus and track the results, California has fallen behind New York and other hot-spot states as an assortment of public and private groups pursue testing programs in an uncoordinated fashion.
A fragmented landscape akin to an orchestra playing without a conductor has emerged with public officials at the city, county and state levels scrambling to come up with testing options and priorities. At the same time, various universities and an increasing number of private, for-profit labs have developed their own testing schemes.
The result has been a confusing, incomplete picture of the virus in California.
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Public health experts warn that a robust, coordinated testing program is crucial so the state knows not only who is infected but how quickly and where the virus is spreading in order to effectively deploy limited resources, such as protective equipment, ventilators and medical staff.
“We are cobbling together various approaches,” said Susan Butler-Wu, an associate professor of clinical pathology at USC’s Keck School of Medicine and a director of a clinical microbiology lab in Los Angeles. “The whole thing is badly discombobulated.... I think 100% that the system is broken.”
Certainly, Butler-Wu said, California is not alone, as the failure of federal health officials to establish a coordinated, nationwide testing strategy has given rise to a similar mishmash of testing options around the country. The impact, however, has been particularly blunt here, where the sheer size of the state and the large number of testing operations have exacerbated the problem.
In California, there are at least 22 state laboratories, seven hospitals and two private outfits conducting tests. It is unclear how testing at those sites is being tracked, in part because Gov. Gavin Newsom has not provided details.
Newsom said Monday that part of the problem has been an inability by the state to accurately collect all test results. He has deflected, however, questions about California’s overall testing capacity and whether it could have ramped up more quickly.
By Sunday afternoon, approximately 26,400 tests had been conducted in the state, which has about 40 million people, according to the state’s official tally. The total was an increase of just 200 tests from the day before.
By contrast, New York, which has half as many residents and is grappling with the nation’s largest number of COVID-19 cases, had performed more than 78,000 tests as of Monday, according to the COVID Tracking Project, an independent group.
1 / 29 Workers at the Ralphs grocery store in Westchester measure out social distancing guidelines for its customers with markers every six feet and limiting the number of customers it allows in to shop. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times) 2 / 29 At Echo Park Lake, friends gather with their dogs and enjoy a Sunday afternoon in the park. Social distancing and home isolation remain in effect due to the coronavirus. (Carolyn Cole/Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times) 3 / 29 During the coronavirus pandemic, people continue to walk and ride their bikes along the path at Junipero Beach in Long Beach. (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times) 4 / 29 People run and walk on the Veterans Parkway in Manhattan Beach even with signage saying the space is closed to help minimize the spread of the coronavirus. (Dania Maxwell/Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times) 5 / 29 Jesus Mendoza sells roses on the sidewalk in downtown Los Angeles. Mendoza said his business was overwhelmed by hundred of boxes of roses they could not sell. (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times) 6 / 29 Riverside County medical personnel administer a coronavirus test to a driver at a drive-though testing facility at Diamond Stadium in Lake Elsinore. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times) 7 / 29 Drivers line-up to get a coronavirus test administered by Riverside County medical personnel at a drive-though testing facility at Diamond Stadium in Lake Elsinore. Those tested have symptoms or have had a risk of exposure. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times) 8 / 29 Xiao Ping, holding a tray of eggs, looks back at the long line of egg buyers on Saturda morning in Chino. Spooked by coronavirus people from nearby Inland Empire cities started lining up early morning at Maust’s California Poultry in Chino. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times) 9 / 29 Spooked by coronavirus fears, people from nearby Inland Empire cities lined-up to buy eggs at Maust’s California Poultry in Chino. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times) 10 / 29 The sparsely trafficked intersection of the 101 and 110 freeways in downtown Los Angeles is seen in a drone image. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 29 School buses sit idle since all schools have been closed in Los Angeles County. The image was taken by drone. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 29 In this drone image, the Westfield Topanga mall parking lot sits empty, as new regulations have closed all indoor shopping centers in Canoga Park. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 29 Vehicles flow smoothly along Interstate 5 and the 110 Freeway in Los Angeles in this drone image. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 29 The city of Santa Monica has closed the Santa Monica Pier, and few people were on the beach Friday. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 29 Shops are shuttered on historic Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times) 16 / 29 The intersection of the 101 and 110 freeways in downtown Los Angeles. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times) 17 / 29 Hollywood Blvd. is devoid of the usual crowds as most shops are closed. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times) 18 / 29 Hollywood Blvd. is devoid of the usual crowds as most shops are closed. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times) 19 / 29 On the first day of L.A.’s ‘Safer at Home,” most major avenues and streets in downtown Los Angeles have very little traffic. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times) 20 / 29 Empty streets in downtown Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times) 21 / 29 The main entrance to Union Station is closed. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times) 22 / 29 Union Station was restricted to only ticketed passenger and main entrance closed. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times) 23 / 29 Commuter protect themselves with a face mask while riding a bus at El Monte Metro Station. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times) 24 / 29 Salvation Army volunteer Christina Cuevas sets up cots for homeless at Westwood Recreation Center in Westwood. (Brian van der Brug/Brian van der Brug/Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times) 25 / 29 Popular shopping destination Rodeo Drive is all but deserted as retail shops are shuttered in Beverly Hills. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times) 26 / 29 The Apple store is among all the stores which have closed during the coronavirus outbreak in Newport Beach. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times) 27 / 29 With all the stores closed, Fashion Island is a ghost town except for an occasional customer getting food for take-out Newport Beach. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times) 28 / 29 People walk the beach, but maintain “social distancing” during the coronavirus outbreak at Crystal Cove in Newport Beach. (Gina Ferazzi/Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times) 29 / 29 During the coronavirus epidemic people continue to walk, ride thier bikes, and play basketball at Junipero Beach in Long Beach. (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)
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Based on population size, California’s official test numbers are not at the bottom of the state rankings, but it is below the national average of nearly 90 tests performed for every 100,000 residents, according to a Los Angeles Times analysis of testing numbers tracked by the group. California also lags behind other states that have experienced large outbreaks of the virus, including Louisiana and Washington.
The United States as a whole was slow to ramp up testing for the virus after a test designed by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was found in early February to be flawed. Federal regulators then kept other labs from designing and using their own tests until Feb. 29, when they belatedly relaxed their rules.
Since then, dozens of companies as well as public and private labs have designed tests. But laboratories have struggled to process the sudden surge in demand.
In light of those backlogs, as well as shortages of materials needed to perform the tests, county health officials and hospitals around the state have largely stuck to guidelines from the CDC that reserve tests for those showing symptoms of the virus and at highest risk of contracting it.
Universities and other healthcare networks, such as UCLA, UC Davis and Kaiser Permanente, have developed their own tests, although the number being performed remains relatively small.
And local authorities across the state have been left to try to boost their own capabilities. Los Angeles County announced Monday it has secured 20,000 tests with a processing capacity of 5,000 tests per day. The kits will be free, and healthcare workers and first responders will be given priority for testing.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced a smaller testing program Monday for the city that will focus as well on first responders, but will also test some residents considered at high risk of becoming infected. L.A. Councilman David Ryu said city officials are in talks with a South Korean company that could make tens of thousands of tests available.
“There are not enough supplies to meet the demand,” Butler-Wu said. “It’s basically every system or hospital for itself and that is not what you want for a pandemic.... You need a coordinated system that is rolled out across the state, across the county.”
This piecemeal approach, said Harvard epidemiologist Michael Mina, is a key problem with testing in California and nationwide.
“We have a decentralized healthcare system and we have no way to scale for government means,” Mina said. “Everything is privatized, everything is individualized in our country and it’s become our Achilles’ heel in this case.”
On Monday, when he was asked why fewer people are being tested in California compared with New York, Newsom said the state’s numbers do not include all tests being conducted.
“We have a number of different test protocols that are underway that are not part of the 26,400 number that you received this morning,” Newsom told reporters.
The governor said the state would release more accurate figures on Wednesday that include data from more facilities now conducting tests. The new number, he said, “will substantially increase” the current totals.
Newsom said as the state moves to increase testing, it will focus in part on community surveillance to better understand the scope of the crisis.
“The bottom line for us is we want to know what the spread is,” Newsom said Saturday. “We want to know if we’re bending the curve. We want to know if our stay-at-home orders are effective. That’s fundamentally the point of testing in terms of the broader sample.”
Mina echoed the importance of this approach, saying, “We are flying blind through this tunnel at the moment, and we don’t know where we are in the epidemic curve.”
Newsom said the state has conducted so-called community surveillance testing in Santa Clara, Los Angeles and Orange counties. The governor said the tests have been “very helpful” and he expects to expand them throughout the state, but did not say what the tests had found.
Among the fragmented snapshots California is gathering are drive-up testing programs now in four counties, through a state partnership with a subsidiary of the Google tech empire. The first week the project tested 1,200 people, prioritizing healthcare workers and initially including some people with no virus symptoms. The state expanded the project over the weekend to Riverside and Sacramento counties.
Conducting random sample tests, Newsom said, will not supplant traditional tests for people who show signs of infection or work in jobs with a high risk of exposure to the virus.
But with resources so limited, the two needs are in competition with each other. While the governor is charged with protecting the broader health of the entire state, doctors are trying to treat patients and protect themselves. With the lack of available tests, the two responsibilities are colliding.
That collision is playing out especially in hospitals in the Bay Area and Los Angeles, which have the highest numbers of infected people.
At L.A. County-USC Medical Center, for example, the slow pace of testing is exacerbating shortages in safety equipment medical staff wear to guard against becoming infected. When it’s not clear someone with respiratory problems has COVID-19, staff members have to behave as if they do, which means doctors, nurses, support staff and cleaners can waste precious protective gear while awaiting test results.
As of Friday, the turnaround time for tests was between five and seven days, a spokeswoman for the county Department of Health Services said. In an effort to find a work-around, the county has purchased equipment to perform in-house testing, but is still a few weeks away from being able to do so, she said.
Times staff writer Harriet Ryan contributed to this report.