CapRadio: Western States Group Gives Final Approval For Vaccines In Younger Kids In California 
A group of health experts from California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington gave final approval for a COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11 on Wednesday, following federal approval on Tuesday. The Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup says the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is safe and effective for youth 5 to 11 years of age. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved the vaccine yesterday, and the Food and Drug Administration did the same last week. (11/03)

San Francisco Chronicle: Bay Area Sites Begin Administering COVID Vaccines To Children Ages 5 To 11
A day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention heartily recommended the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for use in children ages 5 through 11, families around the Bay Area rushed to line up for shots. Santa Clara County was among the first in the region to offer vaccinations at county-run sites. It was ready to administer thousands of shots on Wednesday, and mobile clinics will offer doses near schools starting Thursday. (Vaziri, Echeverria and Allday, 11/03)

Bay Area News Group: Families Flock To San Jose Clinics To Get First Kids COVID Vaccine
With many local pharmacies and health care providers still scrambling to secure the vaccines for kids ages 5-11, word spread quickly among parents that Santa Clara County was ready to deliver. Other Bay Area counties are planning to roll out vaccines for kids in the coming days. (Woolfolk, 11/03)

Los Angeles Times: Next Phase Of COVID Vaccinations Begins For California Kids 5-11 
The next chapter of the push to boost COVID-19 vaccinations rates started Wednesday, as children ages 5 to 11 began rolling up their sleeves — a long-awaited new phase of the inoculation campaign that officials hope will help California stave off another feared coronavirus surge over the winter. A day after federal health officials gave their highly anticipated blessing to expanding pediatric use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, some parents flocked to clinics and hospitals with youngsters in tow. (Lin II, Money and Blume, 11/04)

San Diego Union-Tribune: Rady Children's Hospital Starts Vaccinating Kids 5-11 
Rady Children’s Hospital received a shipment of 1,200 pediatric coronavirus vaccine doses Tuesday and started putting shots in arms at 7 a.m. Wednesday. That’s a pretty quick turnaround, especially since the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved a low-dose version of the vaccine less than 24 hours earlier. As was the case when coronavirus vaccines first appeared for adults, the public was quick to respond, filling Rady’s first-day schedule and bringing eager families to the hospital shortly after dawn. (Sisson, 11/3)

The Bakersfield Californian: Kern Public Health: Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccinations Will Begin As Early As Thursday
The Kern County Public Health Services Department said the administration of pediatric vaccinations against COVID-19 could begin for the first time as early as Thursday in Kern County. On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced its recommendation that children 5 to 11 years old be vaccinated against COVID-19 with the Pfizer pediatric vaccine. This comes on the heels of the FDA determining the vaccine met the criteria for emergency use authorization. (Gallegos, 11/3)

The New York Times: Biden Urges Parents To Vaccinate Newly Eligible Children
President Biden on Wednesday urged millions of parents to get their young children vaccinated against the coronavirus, touting the government’s authorization of inoculations for children between 5 and 11 as a major milestone in the nation’s effort to end the pandemic. Mr. Biden’s comments came a day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for children. The decision was in sync with the Food and Drug Administration, which on Friday authorized emergency use of pediatric doses for the roughly 29 million children in that age group. (Kanno-Youngs and Weiland, 11/4)

KQED: COVID Vaccines And Kids: Why Doctors Say Don't Wait, And Other FAQs 
Pediatric COVID vaccines for kids age 5-11 are finally here. And naturally, parents and caregivers have a lot of questions when it comes to vaccinating their children. We talked to pediatricians and looked at the data to provide answers to common questions on families' minds right now. (Simmons-Duffin, 11/03)

KCRA: Should Kids About To Turn 12 Get The Child’s COVID-19 Vaccine Dose?
"If they're going to turn 12 soon, best to just go ahead and get started with that lower dose now and if they turn 12 in between the doses they'll have an option to either stick with the lower dose or go on to the higher dose. The good thing is the kids had fantastic immune responses with that lower dose. So parents don't need to worry that the lower dose won't be effective enough," said Kaiser Permanente pediatrician Dr. Nicole Makram. (Gonzales, 11/3)

CapRadio: Experts Say COVID-19 Vaccines Are Safe For Children, Reject Misleading Claims About CDC Graph 
Moments after Gov. Gavin Newsom announced plans last month to mandate COVID-19 vaccination for all California schoolchildren, a graph often used to share misleading narratives on vaccinations started spreading across social media. “This is the chart [for] 6-17 year olds for ALL VACCINES for all reactions over 30 years ... and @GavinNewsom says the covid vaccine is the same as all the others,” the tweet in early October, from a poster who does not appear to live in California, read. (Hupka, 11/03)

Fox News: Trump Surgeon General Speaks Out On Vaccinating Kids
Dr. Jerome Adams, who served as U.S. surgeon general under former President Trump, said Wednesday that he will be getting his 11-year-old daughter vaccinated against COVID-19 as the benefits clearly outweigh the risks. "It's really just about doing everything we can to protect our children and give them the best possible chance of growing up healthy and strong," Adams told Fox News. Health officials gave final approval to Pfizer's COVID-19 shot for children ages 5 to 11 on Tuesday, opening up 28 million more Americans to the vaccine. (Best, 11/3)

KQED: Where Can I Get A Pfizer COVID Vaccine For Kids Age 5-11 Near Me? 
Following a thorough in-depth review process from the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, these pediatric shots are being rolled out around the state. Read on for what parents and caregivers need to know about finding a COVID vaccine for kids age 5-11. Remember, demand for kids' COVID vaccines will be high, especially in these first few days and weeks. It may also take certain websites, counties and clinics a little while to make initial appointments available. (Severn, 11/03)

San Francisco Chronicle: COVID Vaccines For Kids Are Now At Walgreens And CVS. Here's How To Schedule An Appointment In The Bay Area
Parents and legal guardians can now schedule an appointment for their children ages 5 to 11 to get the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at some CVS and Walgreens pharmacies in the Bay Area.CVS on Wednesday said it will begin administering vaccines at select locations for children ages 5 to 11 on Sunday. Walgreens said its pharmacies will offer the vaccine starting Saturday. (Flores, 11/03)

USA Today: CVS, Walgreens Open COVID Vaccine Appointment For Kids
The country's largest pharmacies, Walgreens and CVS, are already accepting online appointments for children 5 to 11 to get the COVID-19 vaccine following the CDC's sign-off Tuesday night of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for the age group. Walgreens will begin administering the pediatric doses at thousands of stores nationwide starting Saturday. The first vaccine shipments are scheduled to arrive at some Walgreens locations this week, the company said Wednesday. CVS will begin administering the vaccine this weekend, spokesperson Joe Goode told USA TODAY. (Ortiz, Miller and Fernando, 11/3)

CNN: Now That Your Younger Child Can Get A Covid-19 Vaccine, Here's How To Be Fully Vaccinated By Christmas And Kwanzaa
Families are getting an early gift this holiday season: the chance to protect their children between the ages of 5 and 11 against Covid-19 through vaccination. For many, the winter holidays mean gathering with family and friends from near and far to share meals and quality time, situations that can quickly lead to the spread of Covid-19 -- especially for those who are unvaccinated. (Holcombe, 11/3)

Southern California News Group: Why One California Mom Allowed Her Child To Take Part In COVID-19 Vaccine Trial 
Her daughter and husband had already gotten their COVID-19 shots, as had she. The only one left was her 11-year-old son, who had made it known that he wished to get vaccinated as soon as he was eligible. So when she learned last month that Pfizer-BioNTech was looking for more children to participate in clinical trials for its coronavirus vaccine, and not knowing at the time when the vaccine would actually become available to younger children, Jenna Schwartz left it up to her son to decide if he wished to take part in the trial. (Tat, 11/4)

The Bakersfield Californian: Kern Public Health Recommends Booster Shots To Avoid COVID-19 Winter Surge 
Kern Public Health Services recommends that all eligible residents get a booster shot to avoid another COVID-19 surge that could surpass the most recent peak that strained local hospitals. Recent modeling by the state's California COVID-19 Assessment Tool (CalCAT) indicates a winter surge is a real possibility, and that waning immunity to COVID-19 is a primary factor, according to a news release on Wednesday from Kern Public Health. (Gallegos, 11/3)

Fox Business: OSHA Vaccine Mandate To Hit Large Employers Jan. 4, With Hefty Fines For Noncompliance
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is giving employers with more than 100 employees a Jan. 4 deadline to comply with President Biden's COVID-19 vaccine mandate and threatening thousands of dollars in fines for defiant businesses, according to a fact sheet released by the White House Thursday. (Lee, 11/4)

CNBC: Businesses Have Until After The Holidays To Implement Biden Covid Vaccine Mandate
The Biden administration ordered U.S. companies Thursday to ensure their employees are fully vaccinated or regularly tested for Covid-19 by Jan. 4 — giving them a reprieve over the holidays before the long-awaited and hotly contested mandate takes effect. The administration on Thursday also pushed back the deadline for federal contractors to comply with a stricter set of vaccine requirements for staff from Dec. 8 to Jan. 4 to match the deadline set for other private companies and health-care providers. (Kimball and Josephs, 11/4)

Los Angeles Times: How Will L.A. Businesses Check Your Vaccination Status? 
Starting Thursday, nightclubs, bars, breweries, wineries, distilleries and lounges throughout Los Angeles County will have to deny indoor seats to people who can’t prove they’ve been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, under an order from county health officials. And not long thereafter, a similar requirement will extend within the city of Los Angeles to restaurants, movie theaters, retailers and numerous other businesses that serve customers indoors, per a new city ordinance. (Garcia, 11/04)

Modesto Bee: Nurse Denies COVID Shot, Escorted From Her Job In California 
A nurse who said she was willing to lose “everything” after refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19 filmed herself being escorted from her job in California. She said Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center denied her request for a religious exemption to the vaccine mandate, and didn’t provide reason why, based on what she called her “sincerely held religious beliefs.” (Marnin, 11/03)

The Wall Street Journal: Thousands In Air Force, Space Force Seek Exemption From Covid-19 Vaccines 
At least 7,599 airmen and members of the Space Force haven’t received a Covid-19 vaccine, either refusing to do so or seeking exemptions from military requirements, the Air Force said Wednesday, in a first set of challenges to a departmentwide mandate that troops be vaccinated to serve. Of that number, the Air Force has approved medical or administrative exemptions for 1,866 Air Force and Space Force members, meaning they don’t have to receive a vaccine, the Air Force said. (Youssef, 11/3)

The Military Times: Troops Who Refuse COVID Vaccines Won’t Be Guaranteed Veterans Benefits, Officials Warn
Troops who refuse the coronavirus vaccine won’t see any extra protections or leniency in how their dismissals are handled, Defense and Veterans Affairs officials confirmed Wednesday. Instead, decisions on whether to give those individuals other-than-honorable discharges — potentially blocking them from a host of veterans benefits — will be left to local commanders, and their cases won’t receive any preferential evaluations for veterans’ benefits eligibility, despite recent lobbying from Republicans lawmakers for a less punishing approach. (Shane III, 11/3)

The Military Times: Nearly 8,500 Active-Duty Airmen And Guardians Missed The Vaccination Deadline
Nearly all active-duty members of the Air Force and Space Force complied with the mandate to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by Nov. 2, but almost 8,500 troops did not — and are now in danger of being kicked out of the military. Another 1,800 or so secured exemptions from the requirement, a spokesperson said Wednesday. In total, 10,352 active-duty airmen and guardians remain unprotected. (Cohen, 11/3)

Los Angeles Times: Garcetti Tests Positive For COVID-19, Isolates In Scotland 
Nearly two years into a pandemic that he has likened to fighting a war, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has tested positive for COVID-19 .The mayor, who is fully vaccinated, tested positive Wednesday in Glasgow, Scotland, where he had been attending a United Nations conference on climate change. (Money, Smith and Wick, 11/03)

Marin Independent Journal: Marin Regresses To Higher-Risk COVID-19 Category 
A modest increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in Marin has pushed the county back to the “substantial” category of transmission, but no new restrictions are in the works. Dr. Matt Willis, the county’s public health officer, reported that the county has returned to the “orange” tier of infection risk as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Even so, he said he has no plans to reinstate the health order requiring face masks indoors in public settings regardless of vaccination status. (Halstead, 11/4)

CapRadio: Amid COVID-19 Outbreak In Sacramento Jails, Advocates Demand Better Care, Emergency Releases 
The county’s jails are seeing their biggest COVID-19 outbreak since last winter, when almost 300 incarcerated people tested positive. The latest outbreak began Oct. 18, according to county Director of Health Services Chevon Kothari. As of Tuesday afternoon, she said there have been 191 cases across both the main Sacramento County Jail and the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center in Elk Grove. Most are related to the outbreak, and all but one case occurred in unvaccinated people. (Salanga, 11/03)

The New York Times: The U.K. Approves Merck’s Molnupiravir, Making It The First Pill To Be Endorsed For Treating Covid
Britain on Thursday approved the antiviral drug molnupiravir for treating the coronavirus, making it the first pill to be endorsed for Covid patients. The country’s regulatory body said that the antiviral pill, originally designed to fight the flu, was “safe and effective” in reducing the risk of hospitalization and death for those at increased risk of severe symptoms, according to a statement. The decision was made after a “rigorous review” of its “safety, quality and effectiveness,” according to the statement from the regulatory body, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. (Khan, 11/4)

CNN: UK Authorizes Merck/Ridgeback Biotherapeutics' Antiviral Molnupiravir To Treat Mild-To-Moderate Covid-19 
It is the world's first oral antiviral to be authorized anywhere for the treatment of Covid-19. The drug comes in capsule form and will be known as Lagevrio. The companies have sought US Food and Drug Administration emergency use authorization for the drug, and the FDA said it will convene its Antimicrobial Drugs Advisory Committee on November 30 to discuss molnupiravir's ability to treat mild-to-moderate Covid-19 in adults who are at high risk for severe disease, including hospitalization or death. (Gumbrecht, 11/4)

NBC News: Life Expectancy Fell Sharply In The U.S. Last Year Among High-Income Countries
The United States had the second-steepest decline in life expectancy among high-income countries last year during the pandemic, according to a study of death data spanning several continents. The only country studied that saw a starker overall trend was Russia. The study, published Wednesday in The BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal), assessed premature death in 37 countries, comparing observed life expectancy in 2020 with what would have been expected for the year based on historical trends from 2005-2019. Life expectancy dropped in 31 of these countries during the pandemic.  (Bush, 11/3)

The Washington Post: Covid Study Finds Some 28 Million Extra Years Of Life Lost In 2020, With U.S. Male Life Expectancy Badly Hit
More than 28 million extra years of human life were lost in 2020, a year marked by the global spread of the coronavirus, according to a study released Wednesday that further underscored the immense human toll that the pandemic has wrought. The international study, published in the BMJ journal, examined changes to life expectancy in 37 upper-middle to high-income countries where researchers said reliable data was available. The study, led by an Oxford University public health researcher, also considered years of life lost, a metric that measures the degree of premature mortality among the dead, by comparing the ages of the deceased to their life expectancies. (Jeong, 11/4)

The Washington Post: 750,000 Dead: In Too Many Families, Unity In Pain But Division In Mourning
Uncle Tyrone went first. On his way to the hospital in South Florida, he implored his niece Lisa Wilson: “I want the vaccine.”“You can’t get it now,” Wilson told Tuyrono “Tyrone” Moreland, who was 48. He never made it home, dying Aug. 22. Wilson’s grandmother, Lillie Mae Dukes Moreland, who raised Lisa and nine of her own children, was next. She’d decided against the vaccine. It was too new, she thought. Plus, some members of the family had counseled her against getting the shot. At 89, they said, she was too old. In late August, she came down with covid-19, was taken to the hospital the day after Tyrone’s funeral and died less than 24 hours later. The next day, Aug. 31, one of Wilson’s cousins died of covid complications. A few days later, another cousin, and then a third. And on Sept. 14, yet a fourth of Lisa’s cousins succumbed. (Fisher, Rozsa and Ruble, 11/3)

Southern California News Group: California Doctor Convicted After Distributing Unapproved Cancer Treatment Drug 
A Fullerton physician was convicted of distributing an unapproved cancer treatment over a six-year period, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday. Benedict Liao, 81, was convicted Tuesday of 26 felony charges including wire fraud, selling a misbranded drug and selling an unapproved new drug. Liao charged patients up to $2,000 per bottle, generating at least approximately $1.6 million in sales, prosecutors said. (Antonios, 11/4)

AP: Panel: All US Adults Under 60 Should Get Hepatitis B Shots
A government advisory committee on Wednesday recommended that all U.S. adults younger than 60 be vaccinated against hepatitis B, because progress against the liver-damaging disease has stalled. The decision means that tens of millions of U.S. adults — mostly between the ages of 30 and 59 — would be advised to get shots. Hepatitis B vaccinations became standard for children in 1991, meaning most adults younger that 30 already are protected. (Stobbe, 11/3)

Sacramento Bee: Sacramento Has Homeless Tiny Homes, Trailers In Storage
While thousands sleep outdoors in Sacramento, about 105 tiny homes and trailers intended for the homeless are sitting in city storage. Roughly 55 tiny homes have been sitting in storage at a North Sacramento city yard since March, said Gregg Fishman, spokesman for the city’s Department of Community Response. Another 50 trailers have been empty since June. FEMA provided the trailers to the city in 2020, and the city used them to quarantine COVID-positive homeless men and women at Cal Expo. But the city stopped using the trailers in June when other options, mainly motels, became available for quarantine shelter space, Fishman said. (Clift, 11/03)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. Changed Approach To Homelessness. Is It About Politics?
The city of Los Angeles has undertaken a major shift in its approach to homelessness, one that puts a priority on clearing unsightly street encampments even when insufficient permanent housing exists for the people being moved. In the past month, City Council members have identified nearly 300 locations where they would like to ban camping under a new law that was passed in August. There is widespread agreement that the street encampments, which have spread from skid row to almost all parts of the city, are unsafe, unsanitary and inhumane, reflecting a profound societal failure. But there is also a concern that the change in policy elevates politics over need, creating a squeaky-wheel strategy of clearing those street encampments that have become the biggest liabilities to members of the City Council. (Oreskes and Smith, 11/03)