COVID-19

MONTEREY COUNTY — Monterey County is making good on its commitment to invest up to $1 million to secure more Covid-19 rapid tests for the community, with the first direct purchases from this effort arriving last week. About 750 test kits were delivered last Wednesday,...

The delta variant is really throwing a wrench into our vaccinated summer. The super contagious strain of the coronavirus is spreading rapidly, leading, once again, to a rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths, prompting leaders to reverse course on guidance that if you’re inoculated, you...

CALIFORNIA — Before state officials announced that 40% of California's new vaccine doses would go to low-income communities, leaders were struggling to make good on promises to prioritize vulnerable Californians in the vaccine rollout. As my colleague Miriam Jordan recently wrote, farmworkers were among those...

Previous infection with the coronavirus appeared to provide stronger protection against the delta variant than did vaccination in a large sample of patients, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday. But in the long term, vaccination still offers the best defense against the...

CALIFORNIA — California will roll back its mask requirement next week for vaccinated residents in most indoor spaces, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday. The state implemented the mandate in mid-December as COVID-19 cases began to spike due to the highly infectious omicron variant, requiring residents...

State prison systems across the United States have begun allowing visitors for the first time since the pandemic started, presenting challenges for facilities that want to balance much-needed contact between inmates and their families with the need to limit the spread of COVID-19 in...

SALINAS VALLEY — Mee Memorial Healthcare System in King City has received a federal grant to help improve Covid-19 vaccine confidence throughout its service area in southern Monterey County, spanning more than 55 miles between Soledad and Bradley. Health Resources and Services Administration provided the...

CALIFORNIA — Dozens of times a day in COVID-19 wards across California, a scene like this plays out: A hospital chaplain watches as a death is announced by machine. Kristin Michealsen, a hospital chaplain in Los Angeles, stood at a man’s bedside, holding his hand....

MONTEREY COUNTY — Mee Memorial Hospital in King City will abide by recent state mandates that require hospital visitors to present proof of Covid-19 vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test taken within the past 72 hours. Dr. Joshua Deutsch, a physician from Mee Memorial, confirmed...

GREENFIELD — Assistance is now available for Greenfield residents who are eligible to get a Covid-19 vaccine but unable to access or complete the online process to register. The city has recently started a Vaccination Assistance Program. “Right now everything is online, and for a lot...