Newsom moves California to 'targeted' testing, enlists Musk and Cook in coronavirus fight
Source: LA Times
SACRAMENTO Californias battle to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus has been joined by some of the states most prominent technology companies, Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Saturday, while its health officials are looking to pay new attention to what he called targeted testing of the states residents.
Newsom, who has made late afternoon or evening updates to Californians a semi-regular occurrence in recent days, also praised offers of help from tech industry leaders and other business executives across the state. He said Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple, has pledged one million medical masks to be donated specifically to Californias coronavirus efforts. And he said manufacturers in Los Angeles garment district and in Northern California had reached out to sew additional masks if needed.
A key need in California and across the country is ventilators, necessary for some of the most serious COVID-19 patients, and the governor cited new efforts by two entrepreneurs to assist in producing the medical equipment. Newsom said that Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, Inc. and Space X, has promised to use the supply chains that support his companies for help in assembling ventilators. The governor also said that K.R. Sridhar, the CEO of Bloom Energy, agreed to help quickly modernize some 200 older ventilators that the state has on hand. The original manufacturer, Newsom said, had estimated doing so would take about a month.
K.R. sent me a photo today, Im not making this up, of 24 specific ventilators that he got done in just a few hours, the governor said. Youre already seeing this manifest certainly in the state of California and Ive got to imagine that its replicated in other parts of the country.
Read more: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-03-21/california-needs-more-targeted-coronavirus-testing-says-gov-gavin-newsom
He also said that many corporations and wealthy individuals have asked how they can help.
Some have chartered personally paid for planes to fly to China to pick up supplies.
He seemed quite taken aback by the huge outpouring of assistance that is flowing in in the last 24 hours.
Freethinker65
(10,048 posts)Gets off his ass and does something for the rest of the country. Not all States have as much pull with high tech and industry as California.
relayerbob
(6,555 posts)sakabatou
(42,174 posts)Hekate
(90,793 posts)Raine
(30,540 posts)praised each other.
Hekate
(90,793 posts)But regardless of how he behaves, others know him for what he is: petty, vengeful, bullying, sadistic -- in other words, someone who would punish an entire state of 40 million people if he took offense at our governor. Our governor doesn't have to kiss ass, but politeness is always safe.
Raine
(30,540 posts)out of Trump and if it means being polite so be it.
Hekate
(90,793 posts)calimary
(81,461 posts)After all, Californias economy ranks with other countries, not just other states. Last statistic Im aware of was - its got either the fifth or sixth largest economy in the world.
Ill always love it.
BamaRefugee
(3,487 posts)TeamPooka
(24,254 posts)someday
emmaverybo
(8,144 posts)pat_k
(9,313 posts)Did he report this?
Or perhaps you can point me to where to find this.
Hekate
(90,793 posts)One of the ways Donald "Clusterfck" Trump is having his petty revenge on all things Californian early on was by sending almost no test kits to the largest state in the nation. If that wasn't quite the FU I don't know what would be.
I crossed my fingers and prayed our world-class universities would get on it -- and when Gov Newsom said they were working with him, I knew we were making progress.
pat_k
(9,313 posts)CA will need results to justify federal major disaster declaration for CA that could give the state access to a billion or more in aid.
DT declared one for NY on the number of cases detected, not the number of deaths or other measures.
I have little doubt that the rates of infection in NJ metro areas like Hoboken, Newark, etc (really just part of NYC metropolitan area) are the same as in NYC. They need the same emergency aid, but they don't have the testing results to prove it.
I would think the five UC medical centers across the state could process at least 2000 per day each (University of Washington labs in Seattle have been processing 2000-4000 per day).
That would go a long way to getting things ramped up.
Not to mention Standford medical center and others. (And of course there are private labs that are increasing capacity and speed.)
If shortages are on the sample collection side, not test processing, that needs to be addressed!
(e.g., where did those 500,000 test swabs the Air Force flew in from Italy go??)
SunSeeker
(51,694 posts)Saturdays CA testing figure stood at 25,200 with 12,700-plus of those tests still waiting for results. https://calmatters.org/health/coronavirus/2020/03/california-coronavirus-testing-insurance-locations-rules/
Here's a great website tallying the Covid-19 infection stats by each US state and each country: https://ncov2019.live/
pat_k
(9,313 posts)SunSeeker
(51,694 posts)I had misread the 12,700 pending results figure to be in addition to the 25,200, but it's actually a subset of the figure (in other words, we have only 25,200-12,700=12,500 test RESULTS):
Los Angeles County basically can't get tests:
The L.A. hospitals are already overwhelmed and don't have enough masks. An L.A. ER nurse is begging on local social media for people to sew her homemade fabric masks. That's desperation. As an L.A. area resident, I am genuinely scared.
pat_k
(9,313 posts)Last edited Sun Mar 22, 2020, 05:31 PM - Edit history (1)
If the effect of population density on the spread being seen in NY holds in CA, Los Angeles should be the focus of VERY intensive testing and containment efforts -- particularly very densely populated areas. For example:
Numbers are people per square mile.
Koreatown (43,000), Westlake (38,000), East Hollywood (31,000), Areas of Compton (highest at 32,000 per sq mi, moderate 15,000-20,000 per sq mi), Pico-Union (25,000), Maywood (23,000), Cudahy (21,000), Hollywood (22,000), Huntington Park (19,000), West Hollywood (18,297)...
Scroll down on this page for full list by neighborhood.
https://maps.latimes.com/neighborhoods/population/density/neighborhood/list/
(not loading right, but the table is intact at the bottom)
SunSeeker
(51,694 posts)pat_k
(9,313 posts)I don't think it would be unreasonable to expect the 5 major University of California medical centers to be capable of processing 5 times that (20,000 per day). (And given that the pop of CA is a little more than 5 times that of WA, that would bring CA "on par" with WA.)
Of course, our sample collection and test processing capacity in WA is still not high enough, but the current rate relative to the population makes for a good barometer of what CAN be done -- and what other states should be able to manage.
SunSeeker
(51,694 posts)emmaverybo
(8,144 posts)And my eyes hardly ever make tears
Leghorn21
(13,526 posts)He seemed quite taken aback by the huge outpouring of assistance that is flowing in in the last 24 hours. awwwwww
YEAH BABY
NBachers
(17,136 posts)SBoy
(92 posts)And get a response to help.
Dem2theMax
(9,653 posts)yuiyoshida
(41,861 posts)Keeping Californians safe!!
PufPuf23
(8,836 posts)Effective leadership rises to the top in crisis.
So could be positive for future leadership but also there are those pathologies that look on how they can profit and otherwise enhance their own position.
JudyM
(29,274 posts)Thekaspervote
(32,793 posts)That goes for gov Pritzker in Il and gov Cuomo in NY
These guys are doing an outstanding job. Gives the entire country hope.
Hekate
(90,793 posts)While Donald "Clusterfck" Trump is trying to kill us all, we have an outstanding state governor with intelligence and resources. Among those resources: billionaire entrepreneurs who recognize that they are Californians, too. I, for one, am grateful.
More people will live.
displacedtexan
(15,696 posts)always has virus news every morning, starting at 4:30am PST. They have a paid app, but the regular website & the regular app always carry the Governor & breaking news. They also have a Twitter feed you can check.
Hekate
(90,793 posts)C Moon
(12,221 posts)I remember someone on DU critically commenting on Newsom's decision to shut down places of gatherings (restaurants, bars, etc) as an "experiment." This is NOT an experiment: this is dealing with a new reality.
And MARK MY WORDS...Trump and the GOP are working on putting a stop to the amazing work by leaders like Newsom.
Upthevibe
(8,071 posts).......for many, many reasons.
SunSeeker
(51,694 posts)L.A. County put it more bluntly:
In a state of 40 million people, we've only been able to do 25,200 tests, and most of those (12,700) were done in just the past week and we still don't have the results back on those:
We're flying blind. Thanks to Trump.
Steelrolled
(2,022 posts)This is what I have been saying. There is no mystery as to how the disease is spreading.
We need to get fast results for people in hospitals as it will help free up space (if negative). People at home with mild symptoms are a low priority for a test, given where we are, because regardless of the outcome they will be advised to continue staying at home. Of course, we are people who go out and buy 40 roles of TP.
pat_k
(9,313 posts)... understand speed of spread in different areas for planning/preparation.
LA has so many VERY densely populated areas that are apparently being largely ignored. There is little doubt that the incidence and speed of spread in these areas is likely akin to NYC -- and the people who live there need to know it. They need to know they must be even more careful. Anyone who is able to self-quarantine in high incidence areas, should.
Without wider testing to get more meaningful numbers, you are leaving people with a false sense that "there aren't many cases around here."
Washington state has tested more than 27,000 to date (1 per 290 people).
17,000 of those were in the past week (March 15 to March 22)
Capacity is now up to about 4000 per day (at least an additional 28,000 tests expected this week)
CA has more than 5 times the population of WA. To be equivalent to WA, they should have run 135,000 test by now.
If I were in CA I would be demanding to know why the state is lagging so far behind.
There is nothing magical about WA. A vast majority of the tests were run through the University of Washington. Sample collection was the limiting factor last week (they had the capacity to process more). Collection was ramped up over the course of the week.
CA has 5 major University of California medical centers. I don't think it would be unreasonable to expect testing capacity to be about 5 times that of the University of Washington.
At a minimum, I would expect minimum initial capacity in CA to be 12,500 tests per day (5 x UW daily average last week) with a ramp up to 20,000 per day.
Steelrolled
(2,022 posts)Experts don't always agree on what the objective is, much less how to best achieve that objective.
All I can so for sure is that when this thing is starting to wind down, the blame game will start, with the new experts proclaiming what should've, would've, and could've been done.
pat_k
(9,313 posts)... for its colossal failures in the first seven, critical, weeks.
States have been moving at lightening speed for the past 3 to make up for the fallout of those failures.
I don't mean to "blame" CA for where they are. I'm sure you're right and they are dealing with barriers. Mainly, I am just very surprised they aren't in a lot better shape on implementing some sort of more widespread, systematic, testing. I'd be curious to hear what the barriers have been and why the UC medical centers don't appear to be "on the job."
Steelrolled
(2,022 posts)It would be fascinating to hear the arguments being made for different plans of action, including testing protocols.
I do predict calls for a new national policy on in-country sourcing of critical medical supplies. It would not be unlike what some countries did with food production, after WW2, when they realized the cannot always depend on other countries for food supplies. Of course this helped the growth in agricultural subsidies.
pat_k
(9,313 posts)I have a dream that perhaps more of the nation will come out of this with a new appreciation for how interconnected we are and how much we rely on each other, as well as an appreciation for the fact that any one of us can be thrown for a loop and need a hand up. "Social safety nets" aren't just for "those people." We are all vulnerable.
Perhaps out of that we will finally be able to build the necessary political will to make some fundamental changes for the better.
And when I really get to "dreaming," I wonder if perhaps more of the top 10% might even begin to make peace with making an annual, substantial, investment in the health of the nation in the form of a wealth tax. At this point, investing in building a more equitable, stable, and resilient social system and economy could be the most effective way for them to recoup losses. (Post related to that notion here.)
Lady_Chat
(561 posts)Trump can't stand California or New York, but he loves being praised, I see our Governor Cuomo doing the same. If our states get what they desperately need, I could care less what they say to him.
DBoon
(22,397 posts)"be nice to me or I poop in your shoes"
duforsure
(11,885 posts)And what a complete failure trump and pence are at handling this now. These two can't stop lying , and the American people are running from these two now from it. Lying like they are doing only makes this worse , but they don't care and continue to promote their propaganda over the truth in a National health and financial crisis . What a disgrace to this country. Calls for their resignations are now in order. Someone who is honest and capable should be in charge of this crisis now , not these two liars.If Senator Warren was put in charge the markets would react quite well knowing that, and preventing trump from being able to interfere in any way. People in Congress need to bypass these two embecile's and place her in charge with all the powers to do this now, because these two sure can't . This crisis is too important wasting time doing this,and make the American people feel confident again, and have real leadership heading this , not serial liars. Senator Warren is the most respected and capable trusted person to handle this now , not these two idiots who can't even practice good safety practices, or stop lying to the American people on this.
Bernardo de La Paz
(49,036 posts)Dem forever
(79 posts)Thump is way in over his head. So is pence. They both need to get the hell out of the way . Appoint one of the last experts from the last Ebola crisis immediately.
Alliepoo
(2,225 posts)Is doing a better job at managing this mess than Id have ever expected. I wish he would be more aggressive in shutting down non life sustaining businesses. Hes dragging his heels about it and he needs to get with it. This piecemeal approach is gonna cause more harm. Columbus and Cleveland are not small cities. Lots of spread could be avoided if hed just do it and do it now. I applaud Gov Newsome for what hes doing.
.. the very densely populated areas within Columbus and Cleveland.
If the trends seen in NY (cases per capita inside vs. outside NYC) hold elsewhere, densely populated areas are going to see many more cases per capita.
Some areas to watch -- and where more intense testing and containment efforts should be focused -- below (numbers of people per sq mi):
Columbus
Necko 47,000, Indiana Forest 24,000, North Campus 19,000, Luka Ravine 16,000, Old North Columbus 12,000, Weinland Park 11,000...
Cleveland
Old Brooklyn 32,000, Kamm's Corner 20,000, Mt. Pleasant, N Collinwood, Jefferson 17,000, W Blvd, Glenville, Puritas-Longmead 16,000...
iluvtennis
(19,871 posts)Steelrolled
(2,022 posts)1. They think creatively
2. They try
3. They don't worry about who gets the credit.
qwlauren35
(6,150 posts)Some of the 1% are pitching in. I feel really good about that.