California coronavirus updates: The latest on the pandemic

Ariel Garcia, 5, receives a COVID-19 vaccination at the La Clinica de la Raza community vaccination site in Oakland on Jan. 4, 2022. Martin do Nascimento/CalMatters

Education

The battle over vaccine rules for kids reignites in California

Lawmakers want to create stricter vaccine mandates, especially for children. They anticipate an especially fierce fight in the coming months.

By

Joe Hong

and

Elizabeth Aguilera

• January 27, 2022

Coronavirus

Omicron blazes through California child care providers already reeling from COVID

Child care centers were already struggling prior to the omicron variant. Now a dire situation has gotten even worse.

By

Elizabeth Aguilera

• January 26, 2022

C Transit driver Brandi Donaldson is photographed at a bus stop near her home in Rodeo on Jan. 24, 2022. Photo by Martin do Nascimento/CalMatters

Coronavirus

Transit worker shortage ripples through California economy

So many employees are sick with COVID or scared to come into work that it's disrupting public transit service. That is having an impact on the workforce and the economy.

By

Sameea Kamal

• January 25, 2022

Roxanna Torres prepares a to-go order at Baker & Commons in Berkeley on Jan.19, 2022. Photo by Martin do Nascimento/CalMatters

Coronavirus

6 things to know about omicron’s risks on the job

With 7 million Californians infected, how risky is it to work? When is it safe for omicron-infected workers to return?

By

Ana B. Ibarra

• January 21, 2022

Sonia Vasquez and her daughter Angelique Sepulveda leave a back-to-school clinic for COVID-19 testing, vaccines, and free backpacks in Los Angeles on Aug. 12, 2021. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

Coronavirus

Amid low COVID vaccine rates, more California children hospitalized in omicron surge

The number of California children diagnosed with COVID-19 during the omicron variant surge has "skyrocketed," challenging earlier notions that the coronavirus largely bypassed children. Child vaccination rates are relatively low, and children who contract COVID-19 could be at increased risk for rare conditions and diabetes.

By

Elizabeth Aguilera

• January 17, 2022

Diane Ahern swabs herself for COVID-19 at a testing site at the Long Beach Airport in Long Beach on Jan. 11, 2022. “I need to get tested every three days to be able to visit my parents at their retirement home,” Ahern said. “I’m nervous.” Photo by Pablo Unzueta for CalMatters

Coronavirus

Free tests? As COVID surges, rapid results cost up to $300

Although state and federal rules require COVID tests to be free or covered by health insurance, people often have to pay hundreds of dollars upfront.

By

Ana B. Ibarra

• January 14, 2022

A patient with COVID-19 is treated by staff in the intensive care unit at Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Orange on July 23, 2021. REUTERS/Omar Younis

Coronavirus

California hospitals predict COVID crisis will last 4-6 weeks

California hospitals are expecting COVID-19-infected patients to triple by the end of January, with the surge expected to last until the end of February.

By

Kristen Hwang

• January 13, 2022

A service worker at Chalio Mexican Restaurant in East Los Angeles on May 26, 2021. Legislators are discussing supplemental paid sick leave for COVID-19. Photo by Lucy Nicholson, Reuters

Politics

Will COVID sick leave return to California?

Gov. Gavin Newsom, Democratic leaders in the Legislature and labor unions are negotiating how to bring back extra paid sick leave for COVID. One big issue: Will businesses get state help to offset their costs?.

By

Sameea Kamal

• January 12, 2022

Patients are held in the hallway as St. Mary Medical Center responds to a surge in COVID-19 cases in Apple Valley, on January 12, 2021. Photo by Mike Blake, Reuters

Coronavirus

California weighs order canceling elective surgeries as COVID depletes hospital staffs

As a third of hospitals report critical staffing shortages, California’s health department is considering issuing an order postponing many elective surgeries. Many procedures, including a lung transplant, already have been canceled.

By

Barbara Feder Ostrov

• January 9, 2022

Florinda Matias Pablo receives a COVID-19 vaccination at the La Clinica de la Raza community vaccination site in Oakland on Jan. 4, 2022. Martin do Nascimento/CalMatters

Coronavirus

Unboosted: California COVID-19 booster rate falls below 40% in most counties

In 19 California counties, less than a third of vaccinated residents are boosted. In some counties, it's less than 25%. One health official blames "pandemic fatigue."

By

Kristen Hwang

and

Ana B. Ibarra

• January 7, 2022