Gavin Newsom proposes $2.7B in new anti-COVID spending as more Californians learn to adapt

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday proposed $2.7 billion in emergency funding to combat the recent surge in coronavirus cases in the state, according to reports.  

The money would be used to bolster testing capacity, support frontline health care workers, accelerate vaccination efforts and fight misinformation, the governor’s office said in a release. 

The Democrat’s spending plan arrives as many Californians say they’re finding ways to live with the pandemic.

COVID-19 cases have spiked across the country since Thanksgiving as the more contagious omicron variant continues to spread. 

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“From day one, California has taken swift and direct action to battle COVID-19 with policies that have saved tens of thousands of lives, but there’s more work to be done,” Newsom said in a statement. He said the response package would be focused on the “hardest-hit communities.”

The 2022-2023 budget proposal contains $1 billion more for the pandemic than last year’s budget, according to The Hill. 

His office has called it the “largest emergency response package in the nation.”

Of the $2.7 billion, $1.2 billion would be used to increase capacity and hours at testing sites, distribute COVID-19 antigen tests to health care centers and schools and support state departments in testing their staff. 

Another $583 million would go toward increasing vaccinations and combating misinformation. 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, left, receives a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine booster shot in Oakland, California, on Oct. 27, 2021. 
(Associated Press)

The final $924 million would be used to get critical resources to health care workers, enhance the state’s emergency response capabilities and increase humanitarian efforts at…