Gov. Gavin Newsom formally rescinded California’s COVID-19 state of emergency Tuesday, shifting the state’s strategy around the virus from response to preventing and assuaging future surges.
Newsom issued his initial statewide COVID emergency proclamation on March 4, 2020, which made it easier for local governments and the state to coordinate their pandemic response at a time when just a handful of cases had been confirmed statewide.
Since then, the state has confirmed 11.1 million COVID cases and more than 100,000 deaths. Nearly 73 percent of state residents have also completed their initial COVID vaccination series.
State officials have cited their SMARTER plan – standing for shots, masks, awareness, readiness, testing, education and pharmaceutical treatments, abbreviated as Rx – as the state’s strategy to mitigate the virus going forward.
“The state’s SMARTER Plan will maintain California’s operational preparedness to address the next phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and will continue to guide the state’s work to support communities across the state,” Newsom said Tuesday in a statement.
Newsom announced in October that the state of emergency would sunset at the end of February in an effort to give local health agencies time to respond to an anticipated spike in cases during and after the winter holidays.
While COVID cases, deaths and hospitalizations all rose statewide in late December and early January, each metric remained well below the winter surges from the prior two years that caused record-high case rates and hospitalizations.
Even with its SMARTER plan in place going forward, the state has not always met its stated goal of preventing COVID case and death disparities among different ethnic groups.
As of Feb. 23, Latino residents account for 44.5 percent of all confirmed cases statewide and 42 percent of the state’s COVID deaths, but make up just 38.9 percent of the state’s population, according to date from the California Department of Public Health.
The disparities are also found in vaccination rates, as 72.6 percent of white residents have completed their initial vaccination series, but Black and Latino residents both have vaccination rates hovering around 60 percent.
CDPH officials noted Tuesday that state residents will still be able to access COVID testing, vaccination and medication without an out-of-pocket cost through at least Nov. 11, 2023, six months after the federal COVID public health emergency ends.
After Nov. 11, residents with health insurance who seek in-network testing, vaccination and treatment services will also be able to do so without out-of-pocket costs, according to the CDPH.
Does this mean Gavin’s giving up the emergency powers he granted himself as well?
Interesting question, Miguel…here’s the proclamation ending the state of emergency, does it include those powers bestowed upon himself? It just indicates executive orders relating to this are also terminated…
https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/COVID-SOE-Termination-Proclamation-2.28.23.pdf?emrc=1db54f
All that destruction for a virus that has over a 98% survival rate, natural immunity is far superior. “Sudden death” amongst the young seems to have suddenly become the norm…the only thing their coordinated response did was to empower & enrich themselves while further dividing the country. Newsum & the counties are straight up TRASH!!!
1,091 days. Hard to believe he got away with it for so long.
Now Newsom will have to bide his time until the next politically advantageous disaster.
Gavin’s hoping everyone will forget by 2024 in case he’s the Democrat prick for President.
He’s grabbing money from somewhere doing this. Newsum only cares about lining his own pockets.
I will never understand how newsome got into the positions he has gotten into except that obviously the majority of all the voters in California are too stupid to realize what a snake in the grass, liar and cheater he is. I mean c’mon they still don’t see it, the amount of stupidity in this state is beyond belief.
I notice they still want to keep big pharma petroleum medicine in power. I heard yesterday that Merck has gone to India and is buying up all the companies making Ivermectin. Many have been buying this inexpensive drug from India.
Does he want us to continue to wear masks to show we hate Trump?
I expected a 3/11 or 3/22 date to pay homage to his handlers.
… so in defense of landlords that have been out thousands and sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars – can they start eviction being as though there is no emergency? They’ve been promised rent reimbursements going back a couple years and they haven’t seen a dime.
Newsom is so wanna be mafia he can’t see straight. He’s gotta ad a vowel on the end of his name to even possibly fit in for that.
Newsomroni
Newsomroni I like cause he’s a San Francisco treat.
Hey Ca you had your chance to recall the blubbering Bozo yet he stays put to continue his journey on the backs of stupid voters..
Spot on