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Ana B. Ibarra

Ana is a Sacramento-based health reporter. She joined CalMatters in 2020 after four years at Kaiser Health News, where she covered California health care and policy. She started her reporting career at McClatchy’s Merced Sun-Star. Her work has also appeared in The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today and many other state and national news outlets.

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A physician listens to a patient's heartbeat.
Many working undocumented immigrants won’t qualify for state health insurance even if they don’t earn a living wage. That leaves them with few viable options for coverage.
Renata Garza-Silva sits at a desk
Millions of Californians at high risk from conditions like heart disease, autoimmune disorders and diabetes feel unprotected and forgotten as the state rolls back its COVID orders.
Eddie Daniels administers a COVID test to a patient sitting in his car.
Newsom unveiled a "SMARTER" preparedness plan, including stockpiling masks and tests. But has the state learned lessons from its erratic handling of the pandemic?
Young Boy Receiving an Immunization Needle stock photo
U.S. gave final approval Tuesday for children ages 5 to 11. In some California counties, they can be vaccinated as soon as today.
A  medical technician wears a face mask at a drive-thru testing site for COVID-19.
Around 1,000 Californians are still newly infected every day, hospitalizations have hit a new low, people of color remain at high risk and almost half of eligible people aren’t fully vaccinated.
A group of mules lined up and reined together gallop down a commercial street. Spectators watch on the sides of the road and a mountain landscape fills the background.
Al no poder cumplir con los criterios estatales de infección por COVID-19, los condados de Merced e Inyo aún no pueden reabrir la mayoría de las empresas. El estatus de los condados amenaza un gran evento del Día de los Caídos en Bishop, por lo que la ciudad ha pedido al estado que reconsidere los requisitos de su condado rural.
A group of mules lined up and reined together gallop down a commercial street. Spectators watch on the sides of the road and a mountain landscape fills the background.
Unable to meet state COVID-19 infection criteria, Merced and Inyo counties still can’t reopen most businesses. The status threatens a big Memorial Day event in Bishop, so the town has asked the state to reconsider its rural county requirements.
Mauricio Chavez of Hollister gets a COVID-19 vaccine at Monterey Mushrooms in Morgan Hill on Feb. 28, 2021. He works at a neighboring mushroom farm.
Aproximadamente 73% de los trabajadores agrícolas dijeron que recibirían la vacuna contra el COVID-19 lo antes posible, pero las clínicas de vacunación en los lugares de trabajo agrícolas aún son poco frecuentes y dependen de un suministro escaso.
Mauricio Chavez of Hollister gets a COVID-19 vaccine at Monterey Mushrooms in Morgan Hill on Feb. 28, 2021. He works at a neighboring mushroom farm.
About 73% of farmworkers said they would get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible, but vaccination clinics at farm worksites are still infrequent and reliant on scarce supply.
Protesters stand outside Otay Mesa Detention Center during a "Vigil for Carlos" rally on May 9, 2020 in Otay Mesa, California.
¿Quién asume la responsabilidad de vacunar a los detenidos? “No lo sé”, dijo el cirujano general de California. Frente a tal confusión, algunos funcionarios del condado están enviando dosis a los centros de detención de inmigrantes, mientras que otros esperan orientación estatal.
Protesters stand outside Otay Mesa Detention Center during a "Vigil for Carlos" rally on May 9, 2020 in Otay Mesa, California.
Who takes responsibility for vaccinating detainees? “I don’t know,” said California’s surgeon general. Facing such confusion, some county officials are sending doses to immigrant detention centers, while others are awaiting state guidance.
Patients and hospital staff wear masks outside of Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center on Feb. 12, 2021.
Kaiser Permanente has been cited more than any other California health system for violations of worker safety during the pandemic.
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