California Coronavirus Weekly Update

by | Jan 26, 2022 | C.A.R., TSBOR, TSMLS | 0 comments

Welcome to the 97th issue of the California Coronavirus Weekly Recap newsletter.  

​​​​​​In This Issue:

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The Economy & Your Finances: State rent relief will need more funds; state unemployment rises; EDD requiring proof of self-employmentCalifornia’s $5.2 billion rent relief fund is expected to run short of money, and though the state requested an additional $1.9 billion from the federal emergency rental assistance program, it received only an additional $62 million. Requests from landlords and tenants have now topped $6.9 billion, according to state data. Officials say some requests will likely be ineligible or duplicate submissions that will be denied. But some areas such as Oakland are starting wait lists in anticipation of demand exceeding the current supply. The federal government is expected to redistribute additional, unused funds this spring. The state estimates that the program has so far helped almost 250,000 families and distributed about $2.5 billion to landlords, and applications are still being accepted. 

California workers filed 62,969 claims for unemployment benefits last week, which was an increase of about 12,035 from the prior week, according to the California State Employment Development Dept. (EDD).  

The online portal for the California Mortgage Relief Grant Program has launched. The $1 billion program was designed to cover overdue mortgage payments for an estimated 20,000 to 40,000 California homeowners who faced pandemic-related financial hardship after Jan. 21 2020, and could not pay their mortgages. Those eligible for assistance include California residents at or below 100 percent of their county’s Area Median Income, who own a single-family residence, condominium or permanently affixed manufactured home and meet one of the following qualifications: are receiving public assistance; are severely housing burdened; or have no alternative mortgage workout options through their mortgage servicer. The program will fully cover up to $80,000 per household for those approved.

Although Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits have ended, the Employment Development Department (EDD) is requesting PUA recipients to provide documentation to prove that they were self-employed during the calendar year before and up to the start of their PUA claim. You may have to submit proof of self-employment even though PUA benefits have ended. You can upload the required documentation through the “Upload Employment Document” section on your UI Online homepage. Acceptable documents include state or federal tax identification numbers, business licenses, tax returns, business receipts or invoices, signed affidavits verifying self-employment status, contract agreements and bank statements from a business account showing self-employment. Providing more than one document may help support review of your proof of self-employment. Your deadline to submit the required documents will be on your UI Online homepage. You may be able to request more time if you have good cause, but if you don’t provide the required documentation by your due date, you may be required to repay any benefits determined to be an overpayment. 

​Sources: Mercury News, CA Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency, CA Mortgage Relief, EDD 
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The Market & Industry: CA home sales dipped slightly in December but annual sales strong; interest rates edge higher

California home sales and prices moderated in December as mortgage rates edged higher, but home sales for the entire year in 2021 recorded the strongest pace since 2009, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® said on Monday. Despite a slower sales pace in December, annual home sales rose to a preliminary 444,520 closed escrow sales statewide, up 7.9 percent from 2020. The statewide median price rose to $796,570, up 1.8 percent from November and 11.0 percent from the year prior. For the year as a whole, California set a new annual record median price of $786,750, an improvement of 19.3 percent over 2020. 

Interest rates continue to increase during the first month of 2022. The average 30-year fixed rate mortgage rose to 3.58 percent along with the 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage, while the 15-year fixed rate mortgage increased to 2.91 percent.
 
Sources: C.A.R., CNET
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Around the State: CA records more than 1 million COVID-19 cases in a week; wastewater tests and models show peak may be near; where to schedule a testing appointment 

California has recorded more than 7 million cases of COVID-19, including 1 million just in the past week, thanks to the Omicron variant’s increased infectivity rate that is three to four times higher than that of the Delta variant’s. However, there are signs that this wave of infection might be nearing its crest. Dr. Alexandria Boehm, a civil engineer and lead investigator at Stanford University’s Boehm Research Group at the Center for Innovation in Global Health, has been conducting tests of wastewater in Northern California that show that the amount of COVID-19 DNA in the sewage system is trending downward after reaching its peak in various locations (Palo Alto, San Jose, Sunnyvale, Gilroy, Silicon Valley, Sacramento and more) between Jan. 7 and 16. The data matches University of Washington models that predict that California’s surge will peak at the end of January. 

As of 7:33 a.m. today, there had been 7,185,522 reported cases of COVID-19 in the state, for a daily average of 103,828. This is 88.3 percent higher than two weeks prior. Hospitalizations statewide are rising steeply, at 14,639, an increase of 23.9 percent. ICU usage has also increased. Statewide, 21 percent of ICU beds are available. California has administered 66,528,014 doses of the vaccine, and 76.3 percent of residents have received at least one dose. Over the last seven days, an average of 152,624 vaccine doses have been given per day. Among all Californians, 68.5 percent are fully vaccinated.

To find a COVID-19 testing site near you and learn more about testing, go to the California state health dept.’s website on testing. To find a testing site near you, click here to search by address, city, county or ZIP code, or go to your local testing site such as your county health department. For information about county testing programs, search for “[your] county COVID testing.” Some COVID-19 testing information sites: San Diego County, Orange County, Los Angeles County, San Bernadino County, Riverside County, Santa Clara County, Alameda County, Sacramento County, Contra Costa County, Fresno County, San Francisco County. While instant tests are useful for gauging risk immediately before gathering with others, they are currently in high demand and often hard to find. The free PCR tests offered by the state are more accurate and reliable than instant tests and usually return results in 1-2 days.

Sources: Los Angeles Times, Stanford University, University of Washington, Calif. Dept. of Public Health, L.A. County Dept. of Public Health, San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency, Orange County Health Care Agency, San Bernadino County Dept. of Public Health, Riverside University Health System, County of Santa Clara Public Health Dept., Alameda County Health Care Services Agency Public Health Dept., Sacramento County Dept. of Health Services, Contra Costa Health Services, Fresno County Dept. of Public Health, San Francisco Dept. of Public Health
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Health Check-Up: Omicron’s first symptom not fever in the vaccinated, infects upper respiratory tract; website for free at-home tests opened a day early; DoD contracts with California companies to supply tests; as of Jan. 15, insurance must cover cost of at-home tests; where to schedule your booster appointment 

The rise of the Omicron variant has changed the main symptoms of COVID infection, according to Dr. Omai Garner, director of clinical microbiology for UCLA Health. The now-dominant Omicron variant presents differently in vaccinated and boosted individuals than previous variants did. Fever used to be a major indicator of a potential COVID infection, but Dr. Garner says that now initial symptoms in vaccinated people are likely to be cold-like symptoms, such as congestion and runny nose. So, if you’re vaccinated and experiencing what seem like ordinary cold symptoms, Dr. Garner recommends isolating and get tested for COVID. Researchers also suspect that initial viral loads are lower in people who are vaccinated, so that rapid antigen tests cannot detect infection until a few days in. The CDC advises that vaccinated people use rapid antigen tests at least five days after suspected exposure. Dr. Garner says that people who are unvaccinated are more likely to have fever as the first symptom, and they are more likely to produce a positive result on the rapid antigen test in the first few days. 

Other research shows that Omicron might be more likely to infect and replicate in cells in the throat and upper respiratory tract than prior variants. This is partly what helps the variant to spread so quickly. It also means that the variant is less likely to infect tissues deep in the lungs, which is why it generally produces less severe disease. Gigi Gronvall, PhD, associate professor of immunology at Johns Hopkins University, says that more study is needed to see whether COVID-19 PCR tests should be redesigned so that people swab their throats before also swabbing their noses. Currently, the tests have not been designed and should not be used in this way, according to the U.S. FDA. 

The federally backed website for ordering free, rapid COVID tests to be shipped to people’s homes anywhere in the United States went live a day early, yesterday, on Jan. 18, 2022. There are currently two websites, covidtests.gov or the U.S. Post Office site, and a toll-free telephone number will soon also be available. By early Tuesday afternoon, more than 500,000 people had visited the sites. Each residential address can receive one order, and each order contains one set of four rapid antigen tests. Orders will start shipping in late January, should take approximately 7-12 days to ship, and both the tests and the shipping are free. Rapid antigen tests are not as accurate as PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests, but unlike PCR test, they give instant results and they do not require 1-7 days for results to be processed in a lab. Rapid antigen tests are more easily prone to false negatives if taken before one’s viral load is high enough to be infectious, so that a negative result may only be good for 8 – 12 hours. A positive antigen test should be confirmed with a PCR test. Generally, rapid antigen tests can be stored prior to use between a few months and a year. Check the expiration date on the box and do not use tests after they have expired because they will not work. Also, check the storage instructions on the box, as some need to be stored in the refrigerator while others can be stored at room temperature. 

A number of California-based companies are contracted with the U.S. Dept. of Defense and the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services to deliver some of the first 500 million rapid antigen tests that the Biden administration promised to provide initially. California companies providing rapid antigen tests include Sunnyvale’s iHealth Labs, Manhattan Beach’s Revival Health Inc., Pleasanton’s Medea, Inc., San Diego’s Quidel Corp., and Santa Monica’s Intrivo Holdings Corp. Other companies providing the federal government with rapid antigen tests include Roche Diagnostics in Indianapolis; Abbott Rapid Dx North America, in Orlando, Fla.; OraSure Technologies in Bethlehem, Penn.; Atlantic Trading LLC in Austin, Tex.; and Goldbelt Security in Newport News, Virg. All the COVID-19 rapid antigen tests have been approved through an emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Biden has promised an additional 500 million tests to become available after the first 500 million. 

Additionally, as of Jan. 15, health insurance companies will be required to reimburse Americans for eight at-home antigen tests per person per month. Insurance companies can establish in-network pharmacies where the cost will be covered up front, and they can cap coverage at out-of-network retailers at $12 per test. If a medical provider has directed a person to undergo COVID-19 testing due to underlying health conditions or other factors, there is no limit on the number of tests covered. Anyone who does not have health insurance can access free kits at community health clinics and other local sites. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has information on how to avoid buying fake tests online. 

To get vaccinated or boosted, visit California’s vaccination website, myturn.ca.gov, which is offering appointments for people aged 5 and up. Vaccinations are also available at walk-in clinics, doctors’ offices and pharmacies. Some counties have their own vaccine scheduling or information websites, such as L.A. County’s scheduling site, San Francisco’s scheduling site, San Diego County’s information site, Orange County’s information site, and Sacramento County’s information site.

Sources:  UCLA Health, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Guardian, Johns Hopkins University, NBC Chicago, NBC News, CBS News, the White House, USPS, CNET, CNN, U.S. Federal Trade Commission, VeryWellHealth, MyTurn.gov, L.A. County Dept. of Public Health, SF.gov, San Diego County, Orange County, Sacramento County Dept. of Public Health