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Inmate lawsuits blame state for spreading infections | COVID-19 Updates in Northern California

The family blames a botched transfer of infected inmates to San Quentin State Prison that killed 28 inmates and a correctional officer last year.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — ABC10 is following the latest coron avirus statistics and vaccine news for the Sacramento region and the state of California.

This blog will be updated throughout the day with the latest COVID-19 news. Click HERE to learn when and where you can sign-up to get the coronavirus vaccine near you.

Updates from March 16 can be found here. 

PSA campaign launched by CDPH to increase trust in COVID-19 vaccines

The "Let's Get to ImmUnity" campaign was launched by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) as an effort to encourage communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 to get the vaccine. 

The $40 million campaign includes radio, print, tv and billboards. Health officials will also use social media advertising on websites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.

CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer Tomas Aragon said in a statement that the quicker people become immune, the quicker they could put the pandemic in the rearview mirror.

"This campaign reinforces the confidence medical and public health experts have in the three highly effective COVID-19 vaccines that are now available for Californians and helps map our path forward to we can all get back to seeing our family and friends, go to school and work and participate in sports," Aragon said. 

The “Let’s Get to Immunity” television ad is scheduled to run on March 22.

California has administered more than 13 million vaccines, Newsom says

Health officials in the Golden State have administered 13.1 million vaccines, according to a tweet from Governor Gavin Newsom.

Newsom says California administered nearly one million vaccines in the last 48 hours alone, a new record for the state.

Latest COVID statistics in California

On Wednesday, California officials provided an update on COVID-19 statistics in the state. Since the start of the pandemic, 3,532,496 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in California.

The state also reported 205 new deaths from COVID, bringing the total 55,577. The state reported at least 13,037,557 vaccine doses had been administered to Californians.

Solano County's upcoming vaccine clinic highlights expanding eligibility

A Wednesday vaccine clinic in Solano County catering in particular to aged 50+ childcare and adult daycare staff, school employees and healthcare workers is completely full, the county said.

Other people in various economic sectors in California, including food and agriculture, transportation and community services, are also eligible, reflecting the state's growing list of eligible industries. Wednesday's vaccine clinic is scheduled for the Solano County Fairgrounds, and the county said that those looking to be on top of the next clinic should sign up on this vaccine interest form to get priority notifications of future events.

Inmate lawsuits blame California for spreading infections

The family of a 61-year-old California inmate who died of the coronavirus sued state corrections officials Tuesday.

The family blames a botched transfer of infected inmates to San Quentin State Prison that killed 28 inmates and a correctional officer last year. His family’s attorneys said it’s the first such federal civil rights lawsuit stemming from officials’ decision to transfer 122 inmates from the California Institute for Men near Los Angeles to the prison north of San Francisco in late May. 

But a class-action lawsuit is pending in Marin County Superior Court on behalf of other San Quentin inmates infected in what state officials have acknowledged was a disastrous, if well-intended, transfer.

This comes following news that prison guards are refusing coronavirus vaccines at alarming rates. That's causing some public health experts to worry about the prospect of controlling the pandemic both inside and outside of prison. 

Infection rates in prisons are more than four times as high as in the general public. Prison staff helped accelerate outbreaks by refusing to wear masks, downplaying people’s symptoms and haphazardly enforcing social distancing and hygiene protocols in confined, poorly ventilated spaces ripe for viral spread.

Resources guide for California families

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