California coronavirus updates: The latest on the pandemic

Dr. Shura Alexis Moreno has an office visit with patient Carlos Altamirano at Gabriel Medical Center in East Los Angeles on Sept. 14, 2021. Dr. Moreno was one of the COVID-19 patients to receive a lung transplant. Photo by Jessica Pons for CalMatters

Health

Trump clawed back billions in federal health grants. Here’s how much California is losing

The Trump administration clawed back hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to California health agencies, likely affecting investigations into disease outbreaks and other public health services.

By

Kristen Hwang

• March 27, 2025

Mario Ramirez Garcia, 10, works on schoolwork at home on April 23, 2021. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

Commentary

California has seen too many debacles. Prolonged school closures may be the worst

California’s educational achievement crisis is negatively impacting the futures of millions of kids and the state’s economy. That would have been a better topic for the nothingburger special legislative session Gov. Gavin Newsom called on gas prices.

By

Dan Walters

• October 16, 2024

LAUSD Board Member Tanya Ortiz Franklin helps students on the first day back at school for LAUSD students following the COVID-19 remote school period in Los Angeles on Aug. 16, 2021. Photo by Lucy Nicholson, Reuters

Education

Trump-appointed judges revive lawsuit against L.A. schools’ COVID vaccine mandate

Courts recently have tossed lawsuits challenging expired COVID-19 rules. A panel on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals restored a case against the Los Angeles Unified School District, allowing employees to sue to prevent future vaccine mandates.

By

Carolyn Jones

• June 7, 2024

Mario Ramirez Garcia, 10, attends online class in the bedroom he shares with his sister on April 23, 2021. “It’s funner in real school,” said Mario of distance learning. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

K-12 Education

These fed-up parents fought California’s pandemic schooling and won. Now what?

A recent legal settlement directs $2 billion to California schools to help students recover from learning loss. The lawsuit claimed remote learning was so ineffective that thousands of students were denied their right to an education.

By

Carolyn Jones

• February 16, 2024

A kitchen staffer works behind the counter of a restaurant in Los Angeles on June 8, 2021. Photo by Pablo Unzueta for CalMatters

Justice

Got COVID from a loved one who was at work? Their employer owes you nothing, California court rules

A Bay Area woman sued her husband's employer after she became infected with COVID-19. The California Supreme Court found that giving her workers' comp could set a precedent that would imperil the system.

By

Nigel Duara

• July 6, 2023

The offices of the Employment Development Department in Sacramento on Jan. 10, 2022. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

Economy

California’s COVID unemployment reckoning goes national

As Congressional factions volley responsibility for pandemic breakdowns, Silicon Valley’s home state leads off a new book about “why government is failing in the digital age.”

By

Lauren Hepler

• June 12, 2023

Mindy Lym has been living with long COVID since the summer of 2022. After months of bed rest, she's now living in Camas, Washington, where her symptoms are improving but are still a day to day challenge. Photo by Celeste Noche for CalMatters

Health

Long COVID in California: ‘A pandemic of loneliness and social isolation and rejection’

As many resume their pre-pandemic lives, those with long COVID struggle with debilitating symptoms. In California, there are no legislative proposals to help despite long wait times for care and expensive treatments.

By

Kristen Hwang

• April 27, 2023

Beth Kenny at Crab Cove in Alameda, Calif., on Friday on Apr. 8th, 2023. Photo by Felix Uribe for CalMatters

Coronavirus

The California mask mandate is gone. Now some patients fear for their health.

The state ended masking and vaccination requirements, including in high-risk settings such as health care facilities. Some patients with chronic illnesses say they may avoid treatment rather than risk contracting COVID-19.

By

Kristen Hwang

• April 11, 2023

Eddie Daniels administers rapid COVID-19 tests at Greater St. Paul Church in downtown Oakland on Jan. 4, 2022. Martin do Nascimento, CalMatters

Coronavirus

COVID disparities grow as California ends state of emergency

As public health funding winds down, gaps in vaccination rates are increasing. Particularly for booster doses, the gap among racial and ethnic groups is widening significantly.

By

Kristen Hwang

• February 28, 2023

A staff member of Total Testing Solutions Covid-19 testing site in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles checks in a patient that had been waiting over two hours in a long queue of cars for a COVID-19 test on Jan. 5, 2022. Raquel Natalicchio for CalMatters

Coronavirus

State COVID testing sites begin to close

As the state prepares to end the state of emergency, those sites with less demand will close first.

By

Kristen Hwang

• January 19, 2023