Don’t expect ‘drastic changes’ to state watchlist

Newsom says backlog of 300,000 test records has been processed

As California works its way out of a backlog of coronavirus records and moves beyond the abrupt departure of its top public health official, Gov.

Gavin Newsom said Monday the snafu shouldn’t knock the state off its course to curbing the spread of the virus.

Still, he warned that Californians should not expect any “drastic changes” that will jettison counties off the state’s COVID-19 watchlist anytime soon.

The governor’s message comes about a week after officials said counties with encouraging tracking numbers had to stay on the watchlist for now because COVID-19 case counts and positive test rates weren’t 100% accurate as a result of the backlogged data. For those hoping to get back to their indoor gyms, malls or

schools soon, the message meant not so fast.

The list currently encompasses every county in the Bay Area and more than 90% of the state’s population.

“There will be some modifications, but I don’t expect dramatic changes in the monitoring list,” Newsom said during a news briefing Monday.

“This is the most critical time for this state to assert the kind of collective resolve that is required for meeting this moment, mitigating the spread and getting us back to some modified semblance of normalcy,” he later added.

About 14 days after the state’s tracking system began experiencing glitches,

Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said the state this weekend finished processing its backlog of about 300,000 lab records. Although those test results will take up to three days to be added to the state’s online case totals, Newsom said early indications show “encouraging signs” that mirror those he reported one week ago — just before he was alerted to the data glitches.

Hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients have declined 19% in the past two weeks and intensive care unit admissions dropped 13%, according to data gathered by the state. The reduction in hospitalizations was fueled in large part by two of the state’s largest cities — San Francisco and Los Angeles, which saw coronavirus patient hospital admission

declines of 26.6% and 15% respectively over the past week.

“The trend lines continue to look favorable,” Newsom said. “Hospitalizations don’t lie. ICU numbers don’t mislead. Those are factual and those are grounding in terms of our effort in this state.”

As of Monday, California has recorded more than 570,000 coronavirus cases and 10,400 deaths, according to data compiled by this news organization.

Peter Chin-Hong, a professor of medicine and infectious disease specialist at UC San Francisco, said the biggest casualty of the state’s data snafu is diminished public trust. But, he agreed with the governor that most of the signs still indicate California is on the right path to reducing the spread of the virus.

“Hospitalizations and

ICU admissions are kind of like the end of the cycle, so if those are showing a decline, it means that perhaps the decreases in test positivity rates and case numbers were a true indication — even if up to 300,000 results were not reported in time,” Chin-Hong said in an interview.

During the news briefing Monday, Newsom sidestepped questions about the abrupt resignation of California Department of Public Health Director Dr. Sonia Angell, who announced Sunday she was leaving her post amid the pandemic that has killed more than 10,000 Californians since March.

“To the extent that someone does resign, we accept that resignation if we feel it appropriate,” he said.

In response to multiple questions from reporters about her surprise departure,

the governor repeatedly thanked Angell for her service to the state and said he respected her resignation.

He did, however, confirm that the state’s Department of Public Health knew about the data glitches early. He added that it did not report the issue to him until about a week after they began.

Newsom appointed Sandra Shewry, an executive at the nonprofit California Health Care Foundation, to replace Angell as the acting director of the Department of Public Health and Dr. Erica Pan, whom Newsom appointed state epidemiologist in June, acting public health officer.

As for President Donald Trump, the governor had quite a bit to say.

Trump signed an executive order in recent days to add $400 a week to

payments for anyone on a state’s unemployment benefits. But as part of that deal, states would be required to cough up $100 of that amount.

Citing a need to substantially overhaul the state’s outdated Employment Development Department computer system in order to participate, Newsom said the president’s plan would cost California at least $700 million a week. To come up with the state’s share for the unemployment proposal, he said the state would have to make massive cuts to programs and services.

“That would create a burden the likes of which a state even as large as California could not absorb,” Newsom said. “… All of those burdens would create time delays and enormous consternation for millions of those who would seek those benefits.”