Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
When the Eye on Older Patients Is a Camera
High-tech tools — like the monitors sold by Palo Alto-based People Power Co. — may ease caregivers’ stress but can raise sticky privacy questions and concerns about cost. (Sofie Kodner, )
California’s Covid Infection Rate Among Lowest In Country: California now has one of the lowest coronavirus infection rates in the country, with 1.9% of people testing positive for the disease in the last week as the nation’s most populous state has so far avoided the surge of cases feared heading into the end-of-year holidays. Coronavirus hospitalizations in the state have fallen about 14% in the last month — a trend expected to continue for the next month. Gov. Gavin Newsom said the flattening of California’s covid case rate was “good news,” but he urged people to wear masks and get vaccinated ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. Read more from the Bay Area News Group, the San Francisco Chronicle and the Associated Press.
Troubled Covid Testing Lab Won’t Face State Sanctions: California's coronavirus testing laboratory in Valencia, California, won't face sanctions for deficiencies that state officials said earlier this year posed “immediate jeopardy to patient health and safety.” After investigating its own lab for much of the year, the California Department of Public Health closed its case without issuing sanctions as the state released a long-overdue report Monday that downplayed widespread issues identified during inspections at laboratory. The state withdrew its threat of sanctions earlier this month after deciding the lab had fixed the problems. The report landed weeks after the state renewed its $1.7 billion no-bid contract with lab operator PerkinElmer. Read more from the Los Angeles Times, Associated Press, Modern Healthcare and CBS Sacramento.
Below, check out the roundup of California Healthline’s coverage. For today's national health news, read KHN's Morning Briefing.
More News From Across The State
Los Angeles Times:
Central California Begs To Send COVID-19 Patients To L.A.
The COVID-19 surge still affecting Central California is so dire that health officials are pleading with state officials to make it easier to transfer hospital patients to areas like Los Angeles County. “We don’t have enough hospitals to serve the population and the needs,” said Dr. Rais Vohra, the Fresno County interim health officer. Hospitals across the entire San Joaquin Valley are “often running over capacity, so that they’re holding dozens and dozens of patients in the emergency department.” Officials in the San Joaquin Valley are expecting a difficult winter. Vaccination rates are still relatively low, and in Fresno County, the region’s most populous county, the COVID-19 hospitalization rate is quadruple what is being seen in L.A. and Orange counties, and more than quintuple that of the San Francisco Bay Area. (Lin II, 11/23)
Bay Area News Group:
No Quarantine Space After Santa Clara Jail COVID-19 Surge
Health officials overseeing medical care in the Santa Clara County jail system say a record surge in COVID-19 cases this month — primarily at the Elmwood men’s jail in Milpitas — got so bad that they couldn’t adequately quarantine people because they literally ran out of space. To quell the infection spike, they are recommending that a decrease in the jail population of nearly 20%, to get it under 2,000 people — an idea that has been met with firm resistance from the sheriff’s office, which runs the county jails. (Salonga, 11/22)
CapRadio:
Welcoming Family Into Your Home For Thanksgiving? Here's How To Keep COVID Out
Here's one thing to be thankful for this year: It's not Thanksgiving 2020. A year ago vaccines had not yet been approved, daily deaths were rising sharply — surging to more than 2,000 a day by December — and many Americans hunkered down and skipped holiday celebrations to reduce their risks. This year, 80% of people 12 and up are now vaccinated with at least one shot, and about half of Americans are planning to gather in groups of 10 or more for the holidays, a recent survey shows. While many of us are ready to reboot our holiday traditions, COVID cases are once again rapidly climbing — with nearly 95,000 new cases a day. Experts warn we still need to keep COVID risk-reduction in mind. Even if your family is fully vaccinated, remember your most vulnerable family members, particularly people over 80 or the immunocompromised, are still at higher risk of severe COVID. (Aubrey, 11/22)
Reuters:
U.S. Not Heading Toward COVID Lockdown, White House Says
The United States does not need to impose a lockdown or shut down its economy to curb the spread of COVID-19 and will rely on other tools, White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said on Monday. "We are not headed in that direction. We have the tools to accelerate the path out of this pandemic; widely available vaccinations, booster shots, kid shots, therapeutics," Zients told reporters at a White House briefing. "We can curb the spread of the virus without having to in any way shut down our economy." (Aboulenein and Shepardson, 11/23)
Politico:
House Panel Probing Covid Response Seeks To Question Former FDA Chief
A congressional committee investigating the Trump administration's response to the coronavirus pandemic is calling former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn to appear for questioning. In a letter released by the committee Monday, the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis requested Hahn, who served as a member of President Donald Trump’s White House Covid-19 task force, to agree to a transcribed interview and produce relevant documents to its investigation. (Banco, 11/22)
Modesto Bee:
What Is Parosmia? COVID-Related Smell Loss Worries Doctors
Millions of people experience lingering COVID-19 symptoms long after their infection subsides, including loss of taste and smell. But it’s unclear if and when affected people will recover their senses. Now, new research reveals just how widespread the burden may be. (Camero, 11/22)
Los Angeles Times:
Many LAUSD Students Do Not Meet First COVID Vaccine Deadline
Close to 80% of students in the Los Angeles Unified School District are on track to comply with a COVID-19 vaccine mandate, school district officials announced Monday, raising concerns about the potential for thousands to be displaced from in-person classes for the start of the spring semester on Jan. 10. The figure represents substantial progress — and officials hope many more students have been vaccinated, but simply have not yet uploaded documentation to the school district. About 225,000 students ages 12 and older fall under the mandate, half of the district’s enrollment. Based on the percentage, about 44,000 students have not met the deadline — either by getting at least one shot, obtaining a medical exemption or receiving a rare extension. (Blume, 11/22)
Southern California News Group:
About 80% Of LAUSD Students On Track To Comply With Vaccination Mandate
Nearly four out of five students 12 and older in Los Angeles Unified appear to be on track to comply with the school district’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate, a spokesperson for LAUSD said Monday, Nov. 22. Although students have until Jan. 10 to provide proof of full vaccination or a qualified exemption, and officials said they expect the compliance rate to increase in the weeks ahead, the latest update from the district raises the question of whether tens of thousands of students will, in fact, be forced to switch from in-person learning to the district’s online independent study program next semester if they remain unvaccinated — and whether that program can accommodate the influx of students. (Tat, 11/22)
Reuters:
Pfizer's COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Data Shows Long-Term Efficacy In Adolescents
Pfizer Inc said on Monday its COVID-19 vaccine provided strong long-term protection against the virus in a late-stage study conducted among adolescents aged 12 to 15 years. A two-dose series of the vaccine was 100% effective against COVID-19, measured seven days through over four months after the second dose, the company said. The long-term data will support planned submissions for full-regulatory approval of the vaccine in the age group in the United States and worldwide. Pfizer and BioNTech (22UAy.DE) will seek clearance for a 30 micrograms dose of the vaccine for those aged 12 and above. (Roy, 11/22)
AP:
How Covid Shots For Kids Help Prevent Dangerous New Variants
Cadell Walker rushed to get her 9-year-old daughter Solome vaccinated against Covid-19 — not just to protect her but to help stop the coronavirus from spreading and spawning even more dangerous variants. “Love thy neighbor is something that we really do believe, and we want to be good community members and want to model that thinking for our daughter,” said the 40-year-old Louisville mom, who recently took Solome to a local middle school for her shot. “The only way to really beat Covid is for all of us collectively to work together for the greater good.” (11/22)
The New York Times:
Pediatricians Say Covid Cases In Children Are On The Rise
Coronavirus cases in children in the United States have risen by 32 percent from about two weeks ago, a spike that comes as the country rushes to inoculate children ahead of the winter holiday season, pediatricians said. More than 140,000 children tested positive for the coronavirus between Nov. 11 and Nov. 18, up from 107,000 in the week ending Nov. 4, according to a statement on Monday from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association. These cases accounted for about a quarter of the country’s caseload for the week, the statement said. Children under 18 make up about 22 percent of the U.S. population. (Lukpat, 11/23)
ABC News:
Push To Vaccinate Children Accelerates As Pediatric COVID-19 Cases Rise
The rush to vaccinate children against COVID-19 is accelerating amid a steady increase in coronavirus infections and hospitalizations nationwide. Last week, nearly 142,000 child coronavirus cases were recorded, with weekly infections among children up by more than 40% since late October, according to a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Children’s Hospital Association (CHA). (Mitropoulos, 11/22)
The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat:
Sonoma County Says Progress Being Made In COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters Among Vulnerable
As Sonoma County residents prepare for Thanksgiving gatherings, the question of whether to get a COVID-19 is top of mind, with older residents likely exhibiting more concern than younger ones. According to the latest public health data, more than 50% of local residents 65 and older who are eligible for a booster shot have received one. That’s 43,536 fully vaccinated seniors who have gotten that extra COVID-19 vaccine shot. (Espinoza, 11/22)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Who’s Getting COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters In San Diego County?
Limited access to COVID-19 vaccines earlier this year is now shaping the region’s booster rollout, according to data released this week by San Diego County. About 344,000 residents have gotten a booster shot. Roughly six out of every 10 of them are 60 or older, and two out of every three are White or Asian. The county released the figures Wednesday in a report that also broke down the numbers by gender and region. (Wosen, 11/20)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Kern County Public Health Offers Reminder About Vaccine Clinic Schedule, Availability
With COVID-19 booster shots now available for all adults who are fully vaccinated, Kern County Public Health is reminding residents about its free vaccination clinics, which are taking place from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Tuesday through Friday, at the Kern County Fairgrounds. (11/22)
Reuters:
Protection May Last Longer After Vaccine Booster Dose
Protection against COVID-19 from an mRNA vaccine - either the Moderna or Pfizer/BioNTech shots - may last longer after the booster dose than after the original two-shot regimen, researchers speculated based on the results of a small new study. They measured vaccine responses before and after the boosters in 33 healthy middle-aged adults who had received their second doses an average of nine months earlier. Before the boosters, their antibody levels had decreased about 10-fold from levels early after their second dose. By 6 to 10 days after the booster, their antibody levels had climbed 25-fold and were five times higher than after two doses of the vaccine, according to a report posted on Sunday on medRxiv ahead of peer review. In the volunteers who had COVID-19 before being vaccinated, antibody levels after the booster were 50-fold higher than after their infections. "Because these antibody levels are so robust, the booster could potentially give us protection for a longer duration than what we saw for two doses of the vaccine," study coauthor Alexis Demonbreun of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, said in a statement. (Lapid, 11/22)
ABC News:
White House: 90% Of Federal Workers, Military Have Gotten At Least 1 COVID Shot
Officials said the numbers -- which include civilian and military personnel -- show the government won't see disruptions this holiday season because of the mandate. ... While the overall number is generally good news for the White House, it’s still unclear how an estimated 350,000 federal workers still holding out on the vaccine shot might impact government operations. It's likely that vaccination uptake is higher in some agencies and parts of the country than others. For example, White House staff, located in Washington, DC, are estimated to be nearly 99% vaccinated. But vaccine hesitancy is expected to be higher among border patrol units or federal prisons located in other parts of the U.S. (Flaherty, 11/22)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Federal Judge Rejects California’s Bid To Postpone Vaccination Of Prison Staff
With COVID-19 already having taken the lives of nearly 300 California inmates and prison staff, a federal judge has ordered all prison employees to be vaccinated by Jan. 12, and criticized Gov. Gavin Newsom and the prison guards’ union for seeking to postpone his order. In the face of “undisputed scientific and medical evidence” that vaccines are both effective and essential in confined settings like prisons, Newsom and the California Correctional Peace Officers Association are showing “deliberate indifference” to inmates’ health by seeking a stay of the vaccination order, said U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar of Oakland. (Egelko, 11/22)
KQED:
What Immigrant Students And Educators In Oakland Are Doing To Boost Vaccination Rates At Schools
Oakland students 12 and older have less than two months left to get their COVID-19 shots before the school district’s vaccine mandate kicks in on Jan. 1. As of late October, about 60% of district students had gotten at least one dose, according to district officials. But some schools are facing more obstacles than others in making sure their students get vaccinated. At Oakland International High School, which serves immigrant students who've recently arrived from around the world, administrators estimated only 47% of students had taken at least their first dose as of early November. (Rancaño, 11/22)
The Washington Post:
Buttigieg: Vaccine Mandate For U.S. Flights Isn’t Necessary
During an interview Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said strategies other than a vaccine mandate — such as requiring masks and vaccinating travel industry workers — are “highly effective.” The Transportation Security Administration has extended the federal mask mandate for planes, airports, trains and other mass transportation through Jan. 18, 2022. Host Chuck Todd pressed Buttigieg on the issue, questioning whether he was nervous about putting a policy in place that was politically divisive. The back-and-forth came at the beginning of the busy Thanksgiving holiday season in which TSA expects to screen about 20 million people. At the same time, new daily reported coronavirus cases in the United States have risen 12 percent over the past week, according to data from The Washington Post. (Sampson, 11/22)
Sacramento Bee:
Supreme Court Case Could Make California An Abortion Hub
The Supreme Court could alter abortion laws nationally when it hears a challenge to Mississippi’s law to restrict access after 15 weeks of pregnancy on Dec. 1. ... People in California seeking abortions would still be able to get them if the Supreme Court, which will likely release its decision on the Mississippi case in June, overturns Roe v. Wade. That has led experts to predict that California would become a popular abortion destination if other states were to ban them. (Brassil, 11/23)
KHN:
Becerra Says Surprise Billing Rules Force Doctors Who Overcharge To Accept Fair Prices
Overpriced doctors and other medical providers who can’t charge a reasonable rate for their services could be put out of business when new rules against surprise medical bills take effect in January, and that’s a good thing, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra told KHN, in defending the regulations. The proposed rules represent the Biden administration’s plan to carry out the No Surprises Act, which Congress passed to spare patients from the shockingly high bills they get when one or more of their providers unexpectedly turn out to be outside their insurance plan’s network. (McAuliff, 11/22)
The Wall Street Journal:
Telehealth Rollbacks Leave Patients Stranded, Some Doctors Say
Mental-health patients are at particular risk if their care regimens are disrupted, said Nicole Christian-Brathwaite, a psychiatrist in Massachusetts. “You really shouldn’t change clinicians midstream,” she said. The Biden administration in August committed more than $19 million to strengthen telemedicine services in rural and underserved areas. Advocates are pressing for more. They want all states to maintain and expand licensure flexibilities for the duration of the Covid-19 pandemic and to reinstate any licensing allowances that have expired. (Armour and Whelan, 11/22)
The Wall Street Journal:
Nurse Salaries Rise As Demand For Their Services Soars During Covid-19 Pandemic
Nurses are winning raises worth thousands of dollars a year from hospitals, the latest employer reckoning with a tight labor market. HCA Healthcare Inc., HCA 0.57% one of the nation’s largest hospital chains, increased nurse pay this year to handle heavy Covid-19 pandemic case loads and keep pace with rivals that are also trying to fill vacancies and hold on to existing staff, the company’s human resources chief said. Raises varied by market; an HCA spokesman declined to say by what amounts. (Evans, 11/22)
AP:
Harris Announces $1.5B Investment In Health Care Workforce
The funding will go to the National Health Service Corps, Nurse Corps and Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery programs, all federal programs that offer scholarship and loan repayments for health care students and workers if they pledge to work in underserved and high-risk communities. ... The money, which includes funds from the American Rescue Plan and other sources, will support more than 22,700 providers, marking the largest number of providers enrolled in these programs in history, according to the White House. It comes in response to recommendations laid out earlier this month by the White House’s COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force, which issued a report outlining how the administration could address systemic inequality in the health care system. (Jaffe, 11/22)
CalMatters:
Supply Chain Woes Trigger Shortages Of Critical Medical Devices
With upwards of 80 container ships languishing off the coast of Southern California, patients and medical suppliers are worried that stories like Genung’s will become increasingly common. The logjam at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach — which handle 40% of all waterbound imports to the U.S. — has triggered shortages of everything from computer chips to paper products to kitchen appliances, and drawn the attention of President Joe Biden. But, while many people are worrying about delayed Christmas gifts, many Californians are grappling with shortages of lifesaving medical supplies. (Hwang, 11/22)
Bay Area News Group:
Elizabeth Holmes Trial: Holmes Fights Back Against The Most Damning Evidence
Taking the witness stand for a second day of testimony, Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes sought to show that major pharmaceutical companies had indeed worked with her failed blood-testing company — an attempt to overcome some of the most damaging evidence the jury has heard so far about Theranos’ accuracy issues, including testimony from representatives of two major pharma firms suggesting Holmes distributed reports to her investors with logos stolen from their companies. Holmes first took the witness stand Friday in what experts say is an unusual and potentially risky move for a defendant, opening herself up to aggressive cross-examination by government lawyers who have charged her with 11 felony fraud counts in connection with the now-infamous failure of her Silicon Valley start-up. (Baron, 11/22)
The Wall Street Journal:
The Elizabeth Holmes Trial: Founder Recounts ‘Big Idea’ That Led To Creation Of Theranos
Elizabeth Holmes took jurors into the Theranos Inc. lab Monday during testimony at her criminal-fraud trial, describing ways the startup sought to reduce errors in lab testing and miniaturize traditionally bulky blood-testing machines. “We thought this was a really big idea,” Ms. Holmes said of Theranos’s attempts to remove human error from steps involved in the testing process by automating it. Ms. Holmes’s narrative is an effort to strike back at prosecutors’ allegations that Ms. Holmes knew Theranos’s blood-testing technology was inaccurate and unreliable when she solicited hundreds of millions of dollars from investors and the startup rolled out its testing to patients. She has appeared confident and relaxed on the witness stand. (Randazzo, 11/22)
Modesto Bee:
Study: CA Immigrants’ Discrimination Perceptions Affect Health
Many Latino and Asian immigrants in California feel discrimination at work, in health care, when using government benefits and when encountering law or immigration enforcement, a study co-authored by a UC Merced faculty member found. And those experiences can take a toll on health and overall well-being, a lead researcher says. Findings from the Research on Immigrant Health and State Policy Study (RIGHTS), released by UCLA, show Latino and Asian immigrants see their experience in California as negative, despite being in a state with more inclusive policies than others. (Briseño, 11/22)
Orange County Register:
In Their Own Words: Here’s What It’s Like To Be Homeless In Orange County
They were introduced to their Zoom audience as four “survivors” of homelessness in Orange County — one man and three women, with different experiences on the streets and in emergency shelters. All are housed now but their journeys to their front doors were not easy. (Walker, 11/22)
Stat:
The Staggering Toll Of Complications Due To Pregnancy And Childbirth
In conversations about the woeful state of maternal care in the United States — pregnancy-related death is three times more likely here than it is in 10 similar countries — pregnancy-related complications often take a back seat. They shouldn’t. Pregnancy and childbirth are generally safe, wonderful, and even transformative experiences. But they can turn dangerous, especially for people of color. (Laurie Zephyrin, So O'Neil and Kara Zivin, 11/23)
The New York Times:
Concerns Grow Over Safety Of Aduhelm After Death Of Patient Who Got The Drug
Concerns about safety risks of the controversial new Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm have intensified in the wake of the death of a 75-year-old woman who experienced brain swelling after receiving infusions of the drug as a participant in a clinical trial. The death of the woman, who lived in Canada, occurred in late September and was reported by a doctor to the Food and Drug Administration’s adverse event reporting system this summer. It is being investigated by both the F.D.A. and Biogen, which makes the drug, also known by its scientific name, aducanumab. In a statement Biogen said: “The cause of death is unknown at this time. We know the 75-year-old clinical trial patient was admitted to the hospital with a seizure” and diagnosed with brain swelling. (Belluck, 11/22)