Name: Director of California’s Department of Public Health abruptly steps down
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Director of California’s Department of Public Health abruptly steps down

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Dr. Sonia Angell, California’s public health officer and one of the top officials formulating the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, abruptly announced her resignation Sunday night after less than a year on the job.Angell gave no reason for her resignation as public health officer and director of the state Department of Public Health, which takes effect immediately.The announcement comes less than a week after state officials revealed that a problem with a computer system had resulted in an undercounting of new coronavirus cases since July 25. Gov. Gavin Newsom learned of the problem only after he had touted a sharp drop in new cases as a sign for cautious optimism during an Aug. 3 news conference, officials said.Angell was named state health officer and the director of California’s Department of Public Health in October. She was the first Latina to hold the posts.In her resignation email to staff, Angell commended colleagues on their handling of public health challenges, from vaping and wildfires to the pandemic.More for you“Since January, when we got word of repatriation flights arriving from Wuhan, China, our Department has been front and center in what has become an all-of-government response of unprecedented proportions to COVID-19,” Angell wrote. “Not one of our staff has gone untouched by the changes that have occurred. Not in our professional lives or our personal lives.”Gov. Gavin Newsom released a statement in response to the news offering thanks to Angell “for her service to the state and her work to help steer our public health system during this global pandemic, while never losing sight of the importance of health equity.”Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly saying he was “grateful to Dr. Angell for her service to the people of California during this unprecedented public health crisis. She has worked tirelessly for all Californians, always keeping health equity in mind. Her leadership was instrumental as Californians flattened the curve once and in setting us on a path to do so again.”Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Area’s largest water districts.Last week, Ghaly said “we will hold people accountable” after Newsom ordered an investigation of the state’s tech glitch for counting coronavirus cases. An email to the governor’s office asking whether Angell’s resignation was related to the glitch was not immediately returned Sunday night.From 2014 to 2019, Angell worked as a deputy commissioner for prevention and primary care at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Before that, she was a senior adviser for global noncommunicable diseases as well as chief and founder of the Global Noncommunicable Disease Unit at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Sandra Shewry, of the California Health Care Foundation, will be appointed as acting California Department of Public Health director on Monday, while Dr. Erica Pan will assume the role of acting state public health officer. until her appointment in June as California state epidemiologist.San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Trapper Byrne contributed to this story.Tony Bravo is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: Twitter:Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Area’s largest water districts.

Dr. Sonia Angell, California’s public health officer and one of the top officials formulating the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, abruptly announced her resignation Sunday night after less than a year on the job.Angell gave no reason for her resignation as public health officer and director of the state Department of Public Health, which takes effect immediately.The announcement comes less than a week after state officials revealed that a problem with a computer system had resulted in an undercounting of new coronavirus cases since July 25. Gov. Gavin Newsom learned of the...

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Director of California’s Department of Public Health abruptly steps down

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