In California: Most agencies aren't tracking race, ethnicity of coronavirus patients
Are Latinos, African Americans and Asians dying at higher rates from the coronavirus? The data in the Golden State is pretty limited. And Quibi's here, ready to find out just how many streaming services we'll pay for. Plus: I talk to a senior in San Diego County about probably spending her final high school days at home.
It's Arlene Martínez with news for Wednesday.
But first, he never really liked that device to help with his sleep apnea. So he and others in the Bay Area got busy converting them to use as ventilators to help COVID-19 patients breathe.
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We don't know the race or ethnicity of over 6 in 10 coronavirus cases
Black Americans are dying of the coronavirus at much higher rates compared with other Americans in some major cities, but most federal officials and states are not keeping track or releasing racial data on coronavirus victims, raising concerns about care for the nation's most vulnerable populations.
In California, it's difficult to say what's happening with historically disenfranchised populations, because data is only available for around 37% of all cases, Gov. Gavin Newsom said during his Wednesday news briefing.
Of that 37% — or 6,306 of California's 16,957 total cases — 30% are Latino, 6% are black and 14% are Asian. In terms of deaths based on the limited information the state has, 29% were Latino, 3% were black and 16% were Asian, Newsom said.
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On Tuesday, Los Angeles County released information that showed 17% of deaths were African Americans, though they comprise just 9% of residents.
"...Based on initial data the virus is disproportionately killing African Americans here in Los Angeles County, a reminder that while this virus has narrowed our sights on the immediate challenge before us, long-term racial disparities still exist," Mayor Eric Garcetti told Politico.
Also during Wednesday's briefing, Newsom said no fewer than 10 people are calling coroners' offices and hospitals to get the racial and ethnic data of cases.
He said the state is preparing to spend $1.4 billion on personal protective equipment as part of a new plan to use California's "nation-state" status to order supplies from around the world during the coronavirus pandemic.
Here are some other top headlines:
Residents of a skilled nursing facility in Riverside must move after a dozen employees missed two straight days of work. The center has 90 beds and 34 residents. Five other employees had previously tested positive for COVID-19.
Meanwhile, a nursing home in Visalia has 44 cases, which is more than half of the city's cases, and nearly a third of Tulare County's 135 cases. A resident who died there Tuesday became the county's seventh death from coronavirus.
The rate of tuberculosis in Imperial County — the state's most impoverished county — is at 25 per 100,000 people, more than eight times the national average. That could complicate the rural region's ability to prepare for and respond to the coronavirus.
Riverside County health officials say ICU beds could be at capacity by next week, as the numbers of cases grow faster than expected.
Anaheim city staff are renting out local motel rooms and converting a thrift store into a shelter for homeless people who need to be isolated during the pandemic.
As early as this week, some people could start getting their federal stimulus checks, which top out at $1,200 per person, or $2,400 per couple.
I've had this question for weeks: Does getting takeout risk lives or save restaurants? The NY Times' California restaurant critic writes about it.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders won California, but it wasn't enough. On Wednesday, he dropped out of the race.
China lifted a two-month coronavirus lockdown in the origin city of Wuhan, so when will the U.S.? Testing remains too far behind to know for sure, Harvard epidemiologist Marc Lipsitch told the USA TODAY Editorial Board on Wednesday. “If we relax restrictions ... there’s every reason to expect a resurgence of cases and we’re back in the same problem,” he said.
Quibi + Hollywood take a ride
Quibi, short for Quick Bites, launched this week with the goal of offering bite-sized, theater-grade movies for your phone.
It debuted with around 50 programs, a collection of short-form series, news and reality and movies in chapters, and no program will ever be longer than 10 minutes.
Here's some of what LA Times said about it: "Indeed, with four 'movies in chapters' available off the bat — and many more in the works from A-list filmmakers such as Guillermo del Toro, Steven Soderbergh, Sam Raimi and Steven Spielberg — one could argue that the company is unleashing one of the boldest cinematic experiments in memory, one that could either expand the possibilities of the art form for the TikTok generation or, more pessimistically, hasten its demise.
And USA Today's bottom line: There's no real reason for it to exist.
On Day 1, 300,000 signed up for Quibi, which is free for 90 days and $4.99 after that ($7.99 for an ad-free experience). That compares with the 4 million who signed up for Disney+ on its launch day.
Read this, laugh at that
Renowned chef Alice Water and her daughter Fanny Singer will join Los Angeles Times Book Club readers on April 21 for a virtual meet-up. Singer just released her book, "Always Home," about growing up in the center of California cuisine.
And if you like book clubs, the Times' one is focused on authors and stories about SoCal and the West. You can sign up here.
Jack Black joins TikTok and 49 other things that could help take your mind off things (l laughed just scrolling the list).
'I would like it to go back to normal'
Keiana Flud, 17, is a senior at Rancho Bernardo High School in San Diego County. Like thousands of students across the state, she'll spend the final months of her high school career at home with her family. Her last day on campus was March 16; she figured she'd be gone maybe three weeks.
Instead, the school has closed indefinitely. With the state's expectation that coronavirus cases will peak during the last two weeks of May, it seems likely classes won't resume by June (other districts have said they'll close for the rest of the academic year).
Last week, the prom dress Keiana had ordered before sheltering in place arrived. Her mom wanted photos, so she put on the floor-length lavender gown.
In the fall, Flud plans to start at the nursing program at Cal State University in San Marcos but for now, she's wrapping up school online. We chatted by email about the experience of probably spending her last high school days social distancing.
The interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Q: What was the first week being away from school like? And now?
My first week of being away from school was nice because I didn't have any responsibilities, and it was nice to get away from school-related stress. Now I really miss school and my friends, and just having a daily routine.
How have you been keeping in touch with friends?
I've been keeping in touch through social media like Instagram and Snapchat.
Is there an event, in particular, you were looking forward to?
I was really looking forward to prom and our senior class Disneyland trip.
Second-semester senior year used to be a time to kind of kick back, have fun. How was yours shaping up so far?
My second semester was fairly easy. I liked being in classes with all of my senior friends and just not having so much to do.
Q: How did you think you'd be spending your last few months of high school?
I would have been at school with my friends, going to prom, going to Disneyland with the rest of the seniors, senior picnic, going to grad night and most importantly rehearsing for our graduation. I would be hanging out with my boyfriend (who I haven’t seen in person since the start of quarantine), going to the mall and out to eat. I would be hanging out with my other friends too.
I was looking forward to going to Disneyland with my boyfriend and friends because it would only be the seniors without any parents. I was looking forward to having all my friends sign my yearbook and just having the last couple weeks with all my friends and boyfriend. My sister graduated last year and I was looking forward to all the activities that she got to do.
Q: What’s been the hardest part of all of this?
A: The hardest part of this is not graduating because it is what I have been looking forward to since I was young. It has also been hard not seeing my boyfriend ... I haven’t seen him since the quarantine started.
It is hard doing home school because you don’t get the one-on-one instruction that you normally do. Also, some of the teachers don’t know how to work the computer and they aren’t teaching us like normal. It is hard being locked up with my family when usually I am out with my friends or boyfriend.
Q: So no final decision has been made on prom or graduation or senior week activities. What would you like to see happen? Like, I can imagine a Zoom graduation would be hard.
A: I would like it to go back to normal. A Zoom graduation would not be an alternative. It is not the actual thing. I wouldn’t be physically with my friends experiencing it. Maybe they could postpone graduation for the summer, so we can have that experience. I would be happy if they could postpone all senior events.
Q: What are the top two or three things you plan to do once social distancing ends? I can imagine seeing your boyfriend may be one.
A: Yes, seeing my boyfriend. Go to the beach. Eat at a restaurant with my boyfriend. Drive over to see my boyfriend. Just hang out with my friends.
Here's Keiana in her prom dress:
In California is a roundup of news from across USA TODAY Network newsrooms. Also contributing: Politico, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Deadline.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus, high school, Quibi, nursing home, Riverside: Thurs news
