COVID-19

WATSONVILLE—Working as an Environmental Services Aide at Watsonville Community Hospital, Benjamin Lamsen cleans rooms in the Emergency Department and the Intensive Care Unit. That work has been challenging, he says, since the Covid-19 pandemic began its spread across the globe. In addition to increased...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County health officials on Monday announced that a person who traveled to Seattle – and returned on a commercial flight in late February –  became the second confirmed case of coronavirus after a test on Sunday. The person, about whom health...

WATSONVILLE—Days after the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees voted to close all district schools for two weeks, allowing most employees and students to work from home, Gov. Gavin Newsom had a troubling message for educators, parents and students: expect more. “I would...

PAJARO—A mass vaccination clinic in Pajaro aimed at North Monterey County residents struggling to find the vaccine will go on as planned Friday, thanks to quick work from Dignity Health-Dominican Hospital and organizer Pajaro Valley Prevention and Student Assistance (PVPSA). PVPSA CEO Erica Padilla-Chavez says...

WATSONVILLE—At their core, Veterans of Foreign Wars halls and American Legion centers are places where former military members can gather to find camaraderie and a shared bond unique to their life experiences. “It’s a big part of what they consider their mental health treatment,” said...

Editor's note: This story has been updated from an previous version. WATSONVILLE—A total of 43 residents and 12 staff members of Watsonville Nursing Center and Post Acute Care have tested positive for Covid-19, Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency spokeswoman Corinne Hyland confirmed Thursday. “We’re working...

WATSONVILLE—For 40 years, Watsonville’s Smith & Vandiver (S&V) has been manufacturing natural bath, body and skincare products at its FDA-certified facility on Airport Boulevard. But since the outbreak of COVID-19 last month, the company has switched gears—focusing on the production of alcohol-based hand cleansers. “We don’t...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County now has several Covid-19 Test to Treat sites available to the community, including the three OptumServe testing sites, which are available to anyone regardless of insurance or documentation status. Test to Treat sites allow individuals to get tested, be...

WATSONVILLE—Several local supermarkets are offering senior-only shopping hours in light of COVID-19, which poses a particular risk to seniors and the medically vulnerable. In Watsonville, Safeway is open to seniors and at-risk shoppers every Tuesday and Thursday from 7-9 a.m.; Target dedicates its first hour...

PAJARO—Joining a worldwide effort to stave off the spread of COVID-19, Sister Rosa Dolores and a team of six volunteers have started a production line of masks at Casa de la Cultura in Pajaro. The group has made more than 100 masks and is working...