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| Inside the Bay Area’s Geriatric Homeless Shelter | Inside the Bay Area’s Geriatric Homeless Shelter |
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| Good morning. | Good morning. |
| (Here’s the sign-up, if you don’t already get California Today by email.) | (Here’s the sign-up, if you don’t already get California Today by email.) |
| Today, we have another dispatch from students at the University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, written by Jesse Bedayn and Brett Simpson: | Today, we have another dispatch from students at the University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, written by Jesse Bedayn and Brett Simpson: |
| OAKLAND — Anthony Deloney is homeless and 63 years old, a frightful combination in this pandemic. Yet this is how Mr. Deloney described his fate on a recent Thursday afternoon: “Every day the sun rises, there’s something for me to look forward to.” His hopefulness, it turned out, rested on a single lucky break that graced an otherwise hard-luck life. | OAKLAND — Anthony Deloney is homeless and 63 years old, a frightful combination in this pandemic. Yet this is how Mr. Deloney described his fate on a recent Thursday afternoon: “Every day the sun rises, there’s something for me to look forward to.” His hopefulness, it turned out, rested on a single lucky break that graced an otherwise hard-luck life. |
| Mr. Deloney had found refuge in the only homeless shelter in the Bay Area dedicated to serving seniors. | Mr. Deloney had found refuge in the only homeless shelter in the Bay Area dedicated to serving seniors. |
| There are some 28,000 homeless residents in this region. Thousands are senior citizens. Out of that population, just 11 homeless seniors — Mr. Deloney among them — found themselves quarantined inside St. Mary’s Center in downtown Oakland. They were watched and worried over by a vigilant, exhausted staff of mostly volunteers who worked around the clock in masks and gloves serving meals, delivering medicine, changing sheets, cleaning toilets, sanitizing surfaces and doing their utmost to make sure no one from the infected world beyond the center’s steel gates set foot inside. | There are some 28,000 homeless residents in this region. Thousands are senior citizens. Out of that population, just 11 homeless seniors — Mr. Deloney among them — found themselves quarantined inside St. Mary’s Center in downtown Oakland. They were watched and worried over by a vigilant, exhausted staff of mostly volunteers who worked around the clock in masks and gloves serving meals, delivering medicine, changing sheets, cleaning toilets, sanitizing surfaces and doing their utmost to make sure no one from the infected world beyond the center’s steel gates set foot inside. |
| [Read about an outbreak at San Francisco’s largest homeless shelter.] | [Read about an outbreak at San Francisco’s largest homeless shelter.] |
| “The good Lord takes care of the blind and crippled as well as the seniors,” Mr. Deloney said as he gave an impromptu tour of the center’s garden of blossoming trees and flowers. | “The good Lord takes care of the blind and crippled as well as the seniors,” Mr. Deloney said as he gave an impromptu tour of the center’s garden of blossoming trees and flowers. |
| “We don’t think about the virus in here,” he said. | “We don’t think about the virus in here,” he said. |
| But, in fact, the virus was about all Sharon Cornu could think about. As the executive director of St. Mary’s, Ms. Cornu was all too aware of how the novel coronavirus is ravaging places where the elderly live in close quarters. Only weeks ago, men in hazmat suits were carrying bodies out of a nursing home in nearby Hayward, where scores of residents were infected. | But, in fact, the virus was about all Sharon Cornu could think about. As the executive director of St. Mary’s, Ms. Cornu was all too aware of how the novel coronavirus is ravaging places where the elderly live in close quarters. Only weeks ago, men in hazmat suits were carrying bodies out of a nursing home in nearby Hayward, where scores of residents were infected. |
| She was no less fearful of what will happen if the virus begins to hopscotch through the Bay Area’s vast shadow world of homeless encampments. How long, she wondered, could shelters like St. Mary’s stay virus free? The question hit especially hard when officials disclosed that 96 residents in a homeless shelter in San Francisco had tested positive for Covid-19. In New York, at least 23 shelter residents have died from the outbreak. | She was no less fearful of what will happen if the virus begins to hopscotch through the Bay Area’s vast shadow world of homeless encampments. How long, she wondered, could shelters like St. Mary’s stay virus free? The question hit especially hard when officials disclosed that 96 residents in a homeless shelter in San Francisco had tested positive for Covid-19. In New York, at least 23 shelter residents have died from the outbreak. |
| “None of our procedures anticipated this scale of a global pandemic,” Ms. Cornu said. | “None of our procedures anticipated this scale of a global pandemic,” Ms. Cornu said. |
| The full weight and meaning of this realization first coalesced within Ms. Cornu in mid-March when the order came for the entire Bay Area to shelter in place. At the time, she had 30 homeless seniors in her care at St. Mary’s. They slept in cots a few feet from one another, and there wasn’t near enough space to enforce proper social distancing. | The full weight and meaning of this realization first coalesced within Ms. Cornu in mid-March when the order came for the entire Bay Area to shelter in place. At the time, she had 30 homeless seniors in her care at St. Mary’s. They slept in cots a few feet from one another, and there wasn’t near enough space to enforce proper social distancing. |
| [Track every confirmed coronavirus case in California by county.] | [Track every confirmed coronavirus case in California by county.] |
| So Ms. Cornu and her staff scrambled to move guests out of St. Mary’s and into every nearby single-room apartment they could find. They sought to reunify others with relatives. Although they could arrange spots for only 19 people, their efforts created enough room to position cots at a safe distance for the remaining 11. Ms. Cornu also had much of her staff work from home, leaving only a skeleton crew of people like Janny Castillo, who found herself choking back tears when they discussed how to protect those who remained. Once homeless herself, Ms. Castillo was terrified of carrying the disease into St. Mary’s. | So Ms. Cornu and her staff scrambled to move guests out of St. Mary’s and into every nearby single-room apartment they could find. They sought to reunify others with relatives. Although they could arrange spots for only 19 people, their efforts created enough room to position cots at a safe distance for the remaining 11. Ms. Cornu also had much of her staff work from home, leaving only a skeleton crew of people like Janny Castillo, who found herself choking back tears when they discussed how to protect those who remained. Once homeless herself, Ms. Castillo was terrified of carrying the disease into St. Mary’s. |
| “Homelessness is traumatic enough without a pandemic,” she said. “If I bring this virus back to our seniors, they probably won’t make it.” | “Homelessness is traumatic enough without a pandemic,” she said. “If I bring this virus back to our seniors, they probably won’t make it.” |
| Researchers estimate homeless seniors will be up to three times as likely to die if infected by Covid-19. This is because homeless seniors have higher rates of chronic illnesses, and their bodies seem to age faster on the street. (Many develop frailties commonly seen in people 20 years older.) “It’s a crisis upon a crisis upon a crisis,” said Margot Kushel, director of the Center for Vulnerable Populations at the University of California, San Francisco. | Researchers estimate homeless seniors will be up to three times as likely to die if infected by Covid-19. This is because homeless seniors have higher rates of chronic illnesses, and their bodies seem to age faster on the street. (Many develop frailties commonly seen in people 20 years older.) “It’s a crisis upon a crisis upon a crisis,” said Margot Kushel, director of the Center for Vulnerable Populations at the University of California, San Francisco. |
| Gov. Gavin Newsom has responded by securing 15,000 hotel rooms around the state for the homeless, with preference given to the elderly, those with symptoms and those who test positive. But according to the latest state figures, most of the rooms remain unused, which leaves thousands of homeless seniors either in the street or in shelters that offer none of St. Mary’s special protections. | Gov. Gavin Newsom has responded by securing 15,000 hotel rooms around the state for the homeless, with preference given to the elderly, those with symptoms and those who test positive. But according to the latest state figures, most of the rooms remain unused, which leaves thousands of homeless seniors either in the street or in shelters that offer none of St. Mary’s special protections. |
| Not far from St. Mary’s is St. Vincent de Paul of Alameda County, an 80-bed shelter for the general population. On a rainy afternoon, a line formed under the building’s awning, where Mary Hanna, 79, sat knitting on a milk crate. Ms. Hanna, a former English professor, always gets a bed at St. Vincent’s — she volunteers two hours a day to secure first pick. But the sleeping area, she said, is crowded. “I hear coughing all night, and that worries me,” she said. | Not far from St. Mary’s is St. Vincent de Paul of Alameda County, an 80-bed shelter for the general population. On a rainy afternoon, a line formed under the building’s awning, where Mary Hanna, 79, sat knitting on a milk crate. Ms. Hanna, a former English professor, always gets a bed at St. Vincent’s — she volunteers two hours a day to secure first pick. But the sleeping area, she said, is crowded. “I hear coughing all night, and that worries me,” she said. |
| Back at St. Mary’s, Mr. Deloney was taking advantage of the relative safety and comfort, even using the shelter’s computers to take courses in automotive technology. | Back at St. Mary’s, Mr. Deloney was taking advantage of the relative safety and comfort, even using the shelter’s computers to take courses in automotive technology. |
| Updated June 12, 2020 | |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | |
| So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. | So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. |
| The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. | The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. |
| Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. | Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. |
| Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. | Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. |
| States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. | States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) |
| Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. | Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. |
| The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. | The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. |
| If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. | If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. |
| But for the small staff of St. Mary’s, the stress of protecting and caring for 11 people week after week was becoming unbearable and unsustainable. They began searching for “transitional housing’’ where they could place their remaining clients, Mr. Deloney included. They began exploring how they could support their clients by delivering meals and medicine to their temporary homes. | But for the small staff of St. Mary’s, the stress of protecting and caring for 11 people week after week was becoming unbearable and unsustainable. They began searching for “transitional housing’’ where they could place their remaining clients, Mr. Deloney included. They began exploring how they could support their clients by delivering meals and medicine to their temporary homes. |
| “Like other shelter providers, as we learned of the challenges faced by hospitals and nursing homes in managing exposure to Covid-19, we determined that we were not equipped to continue providing a healthy environment and needed to move shelter residents to individual rooms,” Ms. Cornu wrote in an email. | “Like other shelter providers, as we learned of the challenges faced by hospitals and nursing homes in managing exposure to Covid-19, we determined that we were not equipped to continue providing a healthy environment and needed to move shelter residents to individual rooms,” Ms. Cornu wrote in an email. |
| By April 7, the Bay Area’s last refuge for homeless seniors sat empty, one more victim of Covid-19. | By April 7, the Bay Area’s last refuge for homeless seniors sat empty, one more victim of Covid-19. |
| Do you have a connection to a California nursing home? Across the nation, nursing homes and long-term care facilities for the elderly have been hit hard by the coronavirus crisis. We want to hear from nursing home and long-term care workers, residents and family members throughout the state about what they are seeing in their facilities. Please fill out this form. | Do you have a connection to a California nursing home? Across the nation, nursing homes and long-term care facilities for the elderly have been hit hard by the coronavirus crisis. We want to hear from nursing home and long-term care workers, residents and family members throughout the state about what they are seeing in their facilities. Please fill out this form. |
| California Today goes live at 6:30 a.m. Pacific time weekdays. Tell us what you want to see: CAtoday@nytimes.com. Were you forwarded this email? Sign up for California Today here and read every edition online here. | California Today goes live at 6:30 a.m. Pacific time weekdays. Tell us what you want to see: CAtoday@nytimes.com. Were you forwarded this email? Sign up for California Today here and read every edition online here. |
| Jill Cowan grew up in Orange County, graduated from U.C. Berkeley and has reported all over the state, including the Bay Area, Bakersfield and Los Angeles — but she always wants to see more. Follow along here or on Twitter. | Jill Cowan grew up in Orange County, graduated from U.C. Berkeley and has reported all over the state, including the Bay Area, Bakersfield and Los Angeles — but she always wants to see more. Follow along here or on Twitter. |
| California Today is edited by Julie Bloom, who grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from U.C. Berkeley. | California Today is edited by Julie Bloom, who grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from U.C. Berkeley. |