SACRAMENTO — A pair of advisory committees is making potential life-and-death decisions starting Wednesday over who's next in line for scarce coronavirus vaccines that aren't expected to be universally available to California's nearly 40 million residents until sometime deep into next year. Should teachers be among the chosen few? Farmworkers?...
Tom Cruise Launches Expletive-Laden Rant Over Social Distancing on ‘Mission Impossible’ Set
LONDON — Tom Cruise has launched an expletive-laden rant at colleagues on the set of his latest "Mission: Impossible" movie, after he reportedly spotted two workers failing to respect social distancing rules. In audio released by the Sun tabloid, the 58-year-old Hollywood star can be heard warning that anyone caught...
Negotiators Near Agreement on Stimulus Checks in COVID-19 Aid Bill
WASHINGTON — Top congressional leaders are nearing agreement on a long-delayed COVID-19 relief package, hoping to seal a deal as early as Wednesday that would extend aid to individuals and businesses and help ship coronavirus vaccines to millions. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., a coauthor of a $908 billion bipartisan package,...
As Virus Surges, Fresno Hospital Adds Beds. State Has Makeshift Morgues Standing By.
Hospitals are filling up so fast in California that officials are rolling out mobile field facilities and scrambling to hire more doctors and nurses to prepare for an expected surge in coronavirus patients. Fresno's Community Regional Medical Center is rushing 50 beds into a building near the hospital and bringing...
Can California Protect COVID-19 Vaccine From Cheaters and Fraudsters?
What seemed like a Herculean task just months ago is now here: the COVID-19 vaccine. For the next several weeks, vaccines will be available in limited amounts in California and across the nation — and only to high-risk individuals, with supply expected to ramp up in the months to come....
Over-the-Counter Home Test for COVID-19 Gets Green Light
WASHINGTON — The first home test for COVID-19 that doesn't require a prescription will soon be on U.S. store shelves. U.S. regulators Tuesday authorized the rapid coronavirus test, which can be done entirely at home. The announcement by the Food and Drug Administration represents another important — though incremental —...
Hopeful Sign: Midwestern States See Drop in New Virus Cases
After a punishing fall that left hospitals struggling, some Midwestern states are seeing a decline in new coronavirus cases. But the signs of improvement are offset by the infection's accelerating spread on both coasts. States including Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Nebraska have seen decreases in the number of people testing...
What Does Poll Show About Vaccines, Mask Mandate and a Replacement for Harris’ Senate Seat
Californians overwhelmingly want Gov. Gavin Newsom to appoint the best person possible to fill Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ Senate seat regardless of race or sex, and people are more overwhelmed by living with COVID-19 than they expected, according to a recent poll by Public Policy Polling. Though the governor wrestles with whom...
Pandemic Backlash Jeopardizes Public Health Powers, Leaders
Tisha Coleman has lived in close-knit Linn County, Kansas, for 42 years and never felt so alone. As the public health administrator, she’s struggled every day of the coronavirus pandemic to keep her rural county along the Missouri border safe. In this community with no hospital, she’s failed to persuade her neighbors...
US Vaccinations Ramp Up as 2nd COVID-19 Shot Nears
WASHINGTON — Hundreds more U.S. hospitals geared up to vaccinate their workers Tuesday as federal regulators issued a positive review of a second COVID-19 vaccine that's likely to soon boost the nation’s largest vaccination campaign. The Food and Drug Administration said its preliminary analysis confirmed the effectiveness and safety of...