Habitat dedicates second veterans home in Solano A3
Hill takes high road after Miller’s quickness comment B1
Friday | January 29, 2021 | $1.00
dailyrepublic.com | Well said. Well read.
Audit: State’s EDD warned of fraud, did little
covid-19 pandemic
Los Angeles Times
Robinson Kuntz/Daily Republic
Solano Public Health Laboratory Director Beatrix Kapusinszky handles some Covid-19 test samples, Thursday
Matyas admits testing raises reporting questions
SACRAMENTO — California officials in charge of the state’s unemployment benefits system failed for months to heed warnings of widespread claims fraud during the Covid-19 pandemic, resulting in billions of dollars paid out on fraudulent claims, a state audit said Thursday. The report by State Auditor Elaine Howle said at least $10.4 billion in fraud has been identified on the first $112 billion in benefits paid since the pandemic began. But more claims have been paid since the audit was final-
ized – the number is now $114 billion – so officials of the state Employment Development Department said earlier this week they now have confirmed more than $11 billion in fraud, and are investigating $19 billion in other, suspicious claims for potential fraud. “EDD did not take substantive action to bolster its fraud detection efforts for its [unemployment insurance] program until months into the pandemic,” Howle wrote to the governor and Legislature. “Specifically, EDD waited about four months to automate a key anti-fraud measure, See EDD, Page A8
Todd R. Hansen
thansen@dailyrepublic.net
FAIRFIELD — Solano County’s top health official admitted that the test used to detect a positive novel coronavirus result does raise issues on how those numbers are reported. However, Dr. Bela Matyas, the county public health officer, said the likelihood of the testing resulting in false-positives – as some critics of the test claim happens – is very, very low. Some of the critics have been challenging the Board of Supervisors and calling on the county to be more transparent about the test. Many of those critics also question the legitimacy of the vaccine and have wrongly attested that people are being forced to take the shots. Matyas said while it is produced differently than past vaccines, he stands by its legitimacy and said it is actually safer to take. “It is absolutely a vaccine. It is made to prevent disease,” Matyas said. He said the demand for the vaccine is high in the county. Matyas said the real question about the novel coronavirus test is not whether there is a false-positive, but whether the positive result is at a level at which the person should actually be reported as having been infected. In turn, there’s the question of whether a person who is infected, but at such a low level, poses any
Don Bartletti/Los Angeles Times/TNS
California has been hit with massive unemployment benefit fraud with improper payments going to claims in the name of people including inmates on death row at San Quentin State Prison.
Courtesy photo
BusTest Express health care delivery site has a check-in booth and markers to keep patients separated.
More testing capacity being bussed into Solano County Todd R. Hansen
thansen@dailyrepublic.net
See Questions, Page A8
Vallejo case numbers eclipse 8,000 FAIRFIELD — A bus will roll into Solano County next week that will allow 550 more Covid-19 tests to be administered each day. The BusTest Express, which launched its 45-foot self-sustaining mobile medical testing and treatment motorcoach program in December, will be at the Solano County Health and Social
Services complex, 2101 Courage Drive, in Fairfield on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. It also brings the promise of more vaccinations. Dr. Bela Matyas, the county public health officer, said the company has piloted a vaccination program in four counties, including Sonoma. He is looking forward to when it is expanded to Solano. While that will reduce testing capacity, Matyas said he would See Capacity, Page A8
US jobless claims fell by more than expected last week Tribune Content Agency Applications for U.S. state unemployment benefits fell last week, signaling that job cuts may be easing after rising in December and early January. Initial jobless claims in regular state programs fell by 67,000 to 847,000 in the week ended Jan. 23, Labor Department data showed Thursday. On an unadjusted basis, initial jobless claims dropped to 873,966.
Continuing claims – an estimate of the number of Americans filing for ongoing unemployment benefits – dropped by 203,000 to 4.77 million in the week ended Jan. 16. Bloomberg’s survey of economists had called for 875,000 initial claims and 5.09 million continuing claims. Despite the decline, the initial claims figure is still more than four times pre-pandemic See Claims, Page A8
Biden changes health coverage, women’s health funding policies Tribune Content Agency WASHINGTON — The Biden administration announced two wide-ranging health care executive actions on Thursday – one expanding access to reproductive health care and another supporting enrollment in the individual insurance market and Medicaid.
President Joe Biden signed the documents early Thursday afternoon, saying the action would “undo the damage Trump has done.” “There is nothing new that we’re doing here other than restoring the Affordable Care Act and restoring Medicaid to the way it was before Trump became president,” said Biden,
who spoke from the Oval Office and did not take questions. “The second order I’m signing relates to protecting women’s health at home and abroad.” “We’ve got a lot to do and the first thing we’ve got to do is get this Covid package passed,” he added, calling on Congress to clear additional relief to respond to the pandemic.
The two executive actions instruct the Department of Health and Human Services to reconsider existing Trump administration policies. The first order focuses on the 2010 health care law, and directs HHS to open a special enrollment period on HealthCare.gov for individuals to enroll in insurance coverage from Feb. 15,
coming this weekend
2021, through May 15, 2021. National open enrollment ended Dec. 15, 2020, but the White House says the new period is necessary because millions of unenrolled Americans are eligible for federal assistance. The White House has not yet provided projections on how many See Biden, Page A8
INDEX
SUNDAY BUSINESS There were some positive developments in the philanthropy field in 2020, like the racial justice movement.
Business ������������������������������������� A9 Classifieds ��������������������������������� B6 Comics �������������������������������� A5, B4 weather
54 40 Partly sunny skies. Complete five-day forecast on B9.
Crossword ��������������������������� A6, B5 Entertainment ��������������������� B4, B5 Obituaries ����������������������������������� A4
Opinion ��������������������������������������� A7 Sports ����������������������������������������� B1 TV Daily �������������������������������� A5, B4
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