Monterey County COVID-19 Articles

Last November, Monterey County launched a Covid-19 Funeral and Burial Assistance program that offered $350,000 in financial aid to residents who had laid a loved one to rest because of the virus. Though the Federal Emergency Management Agency was offering…

Over a year after the Carmel City Council voted to end early pandemic-era outdoor dining parklets, councilmembers on Aug. 2 took a less strident approach toward unpermitted outdoor dining seating that has persisted—a staff report said nearly all of the…

After a historic drop in enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic, California community colleges are ramping up marketing efforts, spending more than $40 million in state and federal dollars to lure students back. Is it working?

Renter protections and eviction bans put in place for the COVID-19 pandemic have expired. By keeping them in place, California could slow the spread of homelessness. But that's not happening.

California still offers generous subsidies, but the rate hike signals that runaway health care costs are back after five years of low premium increases.

A Bay Area woman sued her husband's employer after she became infected with COVID-19. The California Supreme Court found that giving her workers' comp could set a precedent that would imperil the system.

On Friday, Feb. 17, Salinas-born illustrator Rick Law posted on Twitter that he is “sad to hear that it sounds like Salinas Valley Comic Con in my hometown of Salinas is not to be again.” Law, best known for his…

MONTEREY COUNTY — California Department of Public Health (CDPH) recently notified the Monterey County Health Department that utilization of Logistics Health Inc. (LHI) Covid-19 testing sites continues to decline in Monterey County, similar to other jurisdictions.  Consequently, CDPH and LHI …

Last year the Federal Emergency Management Agency launched a program to reimburse up to $9,000 of the cost of a funeral for a loved one lost to Covid-19, but it came with a catch. Namely the loved one applying had…

SALINAS — Hartnell College Board of Trustees voted to amend the board policy for students and employees requiring the Covid-19 vaccine.  Rather than requiring proof of vaccination to register for classes or to begin employment, the amended change “strongly recommends” …

Amoxicillin, the most widely prescribed antibiotic, is suddenly in short supply just as a wave of respiratory illnesses is sweeping California. What is causing the sudden shortage?

Significant levels of influenza combined with an early surge of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and an expected increase in Covid-19 cases post-Thanksgiving week have prompted the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula to bring back a symbol of the early…

After two seasons of worrying about a convergence of influenza and Covid-19 that never quite materialized thanks to social distancing, all signs are pointing to the flu returning to pre-pandemic levels, joined by new subvariants of Covid-19. The flu made…

MONTEREY COUNTY — Monterey County Health Department is partnering with local organizations to provide no-cost flu vaccination clinics at community-based locations throughout the county again this year. “Getting vaccinated is the single best step you can take to protect yourself …

MONTEREY COUNTY — Monterey County's Health Department has administered more Covid-19 vaccine doses to children ages 5-11 than any other local vaccine provider, county officials said Tuesday. As of Sept. 29, the Public Health and Clinic Services divisions of the …

Steven Carrillo, an active-duty Air Force servicemember, fell down a rabbit hole of Facebook extremism and became convinced he could start a new civil war. Then he turned his online obsession into real-life murder.

Following multiple deadline extensions and years of assistance amid the spread of the coronavirus, July 1 marked the end of pandemic-era eviction protections for tenants across California. The change opened those who had been impacted by the pandemic and could…

Sara Rubin here, thinking about the children—seriously. It’s been almost one month since the FDA on June 17 issued an emergency use authorization for Covid-19 vaccinations for children ages 6 months to 4 years old. (Previously, vaccines were approved only…

KING CITY — Monterey County has started the process of demobilizing Operation Oasis, its isolation housing program that assisted more than a thousand residents during the Covid-19 pandemic. As of June 24, referrals are no longer being made to Operation …

California is headed for a new COVID surge as BA.5, the most contagious variant of the virus yet discovered, arrives in the state, apparently causing an uptick in hospitalizations and deaths.