Los Angeles Times: California Faces Summer Of COVID Uncertainty Amid Subvariants
California’s summer is being complicated by a dizzying array of Omicron subvariants that have emerged over the last several months. The most dominant nationwide is BA.5, which officials say is not only highly contagious, but has increased the risk of coronavirus reinfection — perhaps just weeks after an earlier case. (Lin II and Money, 7/14)

San Francisco Chronicle: Bay Area Wastewater Surveys Suggest COVID Surge Could Be Biggest Yet
Surveys of coronavirus levels in Bay Area wastewater suggest that the region’s relentless spring COVID surge probably rivals the winter omicron wave in terms of the number of people currently infected — in fact, this surge may be the largest yet in some places. (Allday, 7/14)

Los Angeles Daily News: LA County Enters ‘High’ COVID-19 Transmission, Mask Mandate Likely On The Way, DPH Says 
Los Angeles County has re-entered “high” community transmission, which seems likely to prompt health officials to reinstate an indoor mask mandate by the end of the month, the Department of Public Health said on Thursday, July 14. (Hutchings, 7/14)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. County On Verge Of New Indoor COVID Mask Mandate 
Sustained jumps in cases and hospitalizations fueled by the hyper-infectious BA.5 subvariant pushed Los Angeles County into the high COVID-19 community level Thursday, a shift that could trigger a new public indoor mask mandate by the end of this month unless conditions improve. (Money and Lin II, 7/14)

NPR: The Omicron Subvariant Dominating U.S. COVID-19 Cases Is More Vaccine-Resistant
The BA.5 omicron subvariant, which is now the most prevalent coronavirus strain in the United States, is four times more resistant to COVID-19 vaccines, according to a new study. The strain, which is considered "hypercontagious," according to the Mayo Clinic, is more defiant against messenger RNA vaccines, which include Pfizer and Moderna. (Archie, 7/15)

CIDRAP: Monkeypox Viral DNA Detected In Saliva, Semen 
A study published today in Eurosurveillance used 140 samples taken from 12 infected monkeypox patients in Barcelona, Spain, and found DNA of the poxvirus in semen, saliva, urine, and feces. Though the primary mode of transmission for the smallpox-related virus is through skin-to-skin contact with infected lesions, this study suggests a possibility of transmission through sexual fluids or saliva. The authors emphasize, however, that viral DNA does not necessarily mean infectious virus. (Soucheray, 7/14)

Bay Area News Group: Experts Lament 'Race Against Time' As Monkeypox Vaccine Supplies Dwindle
Tyler Bowman opened his phone on Monday and called San Francisco’s public health department over and over — five times in all — while desperate for a vaccine that could help him avoid becoming the latest patient in a burgeoning monkeypox outbreak. (Rodgers and Greschler, 7/14)

Roll Call: Doctors Warn US Monkeypox Response Is Lagging 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified more than 1,000 cases of monkeypox in the United States, but even though the federal government has ample treatments and vaccinations on hand, physicians say bureaucratic red tape is hindering their ability to respond to and contain the outbreak. (Cohen, 7/14)

Fox News: US Monkeypox Cases Top 1K
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are now 1,053 cases in 41 states and Puerto Rico. Three states have more than 150 confirmed monkeypox cases including California, New York and Illinois. (Musto, 7/14)

Bay Area News Group: Inside A UCSF Doctor's Plan To Offer Abortions In The Ocean
After three decades providing obstetric and gynecological care, Dr. Amy “Meg” Autry isn’t certain of what will come next for federal abortion rights, but she’s sure of one thing: Residents in half the country will need as much access as possible — by air, land or sea. (Mukherjee, 7/15)

AP: House Making 1st Attempt To Protect Abortion In Post-Roe Era
The House on Friday is expected to vote on two bills that would restore and guarantee abortion access nationwide as Democrats make their first attempt at responding legislatively to the Supreme Court’s landmark decision overturning Roe v. Wade. The legislation stands almost no chance of becoming law, with the necessary support lacking in the 50-50 Senate. (Amiri, 7/15)

The Washington Post: White House Debates Declaring Abortion Access A 'Health Emergency' 
White House officials are actively debating whether to formally declare abortion access a public health emergency, pitting the belief of many Biden advisers that such a move would be counterproductive against the overwhelming political pressure to show they are fighting hard for abortion rights. Several top Biden aides have expressed internal reservations about declaring an emergency, saying it would give the administration little money and few new powers, according to a White House official and two people familiar with the conversations. (Abutaleb and Parker, 7/14)

CalMatters: Health Care Costs Keep Rising. A New California Agency Aims To Fix That
In 2017, a rare viral infection hospitalized Bernadette Moordigian for three weeks and paralyzed her for nearly nine months. Although she had health insurance, the hospital sent her an $80,000 bill. She appealed and got financial aid but was still on the hook for $10,000. (Hwang and Ibarra, 7/15)

The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: First-Responder Wellness Organization Receives Sonoma County Vintners Foundation Grant
A local nonprofit focused on increasing physical and mental wellness for emergency first responders received a $10,000 grant from the Sonoma County Vintners Foundation to support its programming. (Wilder, 7/14)

San Diego Union-Tribune: Palomar Health To Build 120-Bed Behavioral Health Hospital In Escondido 
Palomar Health will work with Kindred Healthcare, one of the nation’s largest specialty hospital operators, to build a 120-bed behavioral health hospital on its Escondido medical campus, more than replacing the 22-bed inpatient unit that it closed in 2020. (Sisson, 7/14)

Monterey Herald: Monterey Company Fined, Shut Down For Falsely Advertising Effect Of Dietary Supplements
Amid claims of false advertising and unlicensed practice of medicine, Monterey-based Health Alert/Immune Systems and its owner have entered into a stipulated agreement that includes a $1.5 million penalty, the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday. (Kenny, 7/15)

CalMatters: Dial 988: California’s Mental Health Crisis Hotline Debuts
Starting Saturday, people experiencing mental health crises need to remember just three numbers to dial for help: 988. (Weiner, 7/15)

Orange County Register: Rare Botulism Cases Reported At OC Global Medical Center In Santa Ana
Two rare cases of botulism have been reported in as many months at Orange County Global Medical Center in Santa Ana, county health officials confirmed Thursday, July 14. (Saavedra, 7/14)

The Bakersfield Californian: Online Tool Points To Disparities In Local Health Impacts From High Heat
High temperatures may seem like an equal-opportunity oppressor, but data shows that preparedness for extreme heat can vary sharply from one neighborhood to the next, with potential deadly consequences. (Cox, 7/14)

CBS News: Approximately 1 Million Fentanyl-Laced Pills Seized In Drug Bust Near Los Angeles
The Drug Enforcement Administration reported Thursday that the raid occurred on July 5 at a home in Inglewood, a city just south of Los Angeles. The pills have an estimated street value of between $15 and $20 million, officials said. The pills were "intended for retail distribution," the DEA said. (7/14)

Fresno Bee: Fresno & Madera Homelessness Increased 15% During Pandemic. Here's What's Being Done
On the extremely cold night of Feb. 23, approximately 4,216 people were homeless, living in shelters and on the streets in Fresno and Madera counties, according to the 2022 Point In Time Count – a metric used for state funding and local resources. (Garibay, 7/14)

San Diego Union-Tribune: COVID-19 Vaccination Is Approved For Babies. As A Pediatrician, Here's Why I Recommend It. 
The Food and Drug Administration authorized children as young as 6 months old to get the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines last month. For many parents, the decision meant a long wait was finally over. (John Bradley, 7/13)

Sacramento Bee: Why Children Under 5 Should Be Vaccinated Against COVID
In the early days of the COVID pandemic, many of us doctors felt helpless. Hospitals were filled with patients who were sick and dying of a novel, virulent pathogen. Doctors and scientists scrambled to understand how to treat it and prevent its transmission. We also worried about catching it, bringing it home and putting our families and children at risk. (Lisa Meneses, 7/13)

San Diego Union-Tribune: Biden Must Do Better In Updating Vaccines, Pushing Boosters 
As COVID-19 killed thousands of Americans every day in late 2020 and early 2021, the U.S. government’s rapid success in shepherding the creation, emergency approval and initial rollout of safe, effective, free vaccines was a major public health victory — one made all the more amazing because it came under a president who spent part of his last year in office saying the pandemic was less of a problem than it was. (7/14)

San Francisco Chronicle: The Omicron BA.5 Variant Doesn’t Care About Back To Office Plans
The monumental battle over remote work in San Francisco and elsewhere is heating up this summer as more traditionalist business leaders are demanding that employees come to the office much or all of the time. Google Maps workers, asked to come back to the office full-time recently, fought back with a petition and threats of a strike, and won a reprieve of 90 days. (Gleb Tsipursky, 7/12)

Modesto Bee: How Contracting COVID Shook Me Out Of My Pandemic Fatigue
After two years of taking every precaution, including vaxxing and double-boosting, I finally got COVID at the end of a family vacation last month. (Marcos Breton, 7/13)

San Francisco Chronicle: I Was So Stressed That I Was Thankful To Catch COVID. Yes, I Have A Problem. And I’m Not Alone
Like many young Americans, I carry the inaccurate notion that my accomplishments determine my worth. I’m stressed that I’m doing too much and stressed because I think I’m not doing enough. And I feel burnt out. I recently caught COVID and was actually excited to lie in bed for a few days. (Nadav Ziv, 7/15)

San Francisco Chronicle: I’m 17, And The Overturning Of Roe Scares Me For What The Future Holds
As a freshly minted high school graduate, I’ve been soaking in my last summer before entering adulthood. During the past few weeks, I’ve found myself reminiscing about my senior year — the sushi runs during lunch, driving our third-period teacher absolutely crazy and even some of my classes. I’ve also been imagining my future and all the exciting possibilities it carries. But after the recent decision by the Supreme Court to eliminate the constitutional right to an abortion, I am scared — for me and every other woman in this country. (Vedika Jawa, 7/10)

Los Angeles Times: Without Abortion Access, Mental Health Problems Will Rise
The morning the Supreme Court struck down our federal protection for abortion, I reflected on the ruling at home with my son and his girlfriend. For each of us, this ruling was deeply personal. My son expressed anxiety about what would happen if he experienced a birth control mishap. (M. Antonia Biggs, 7/13)

East Bay Times: California Just Opened The Door To Ending State's Abortion Rights
Democrats don’t seem to understand the law of unintended consequences. Or perhaps they don’t comprehend the fierce determination of Republicans to eliminate women’s reproductive rights. Either way, the California Legislature just made a huge mistake by opening the door for anti-choice voters to deny women’s reproductive rights granted for the past 50 years. (Wendy Voorsanger, 7/12)

Los Angeles Times: I Wanted To End My Pregnancy. But Antiabortion Policies Filled Me With Self-Doubt
A message for abortion rights supporters in blue states: We red-state folks thank you for the offers on social media to open your doors to us post-Roe. You are big-hearted for thinking of us. We, however, probably aren’t coming. How do I know? Because I was once an accidentally pregnant, broke mother of two in the anti-choice state of West Virginia, where I carried and birthed my son against my will. Put a hold on fluffing your pillows and turning down your sheets. You see, people in red states encounter antiabortion policies that are designed to make even the thought of having an abortion fill them with gut-wrenching worry and paralyzing self-doubt. Abortion bans not only fashion physical and logistical barriers for women, but spur mental health challenges that prevent patients from seeking abortion care. (Christa Parravani, 7/13)

East Bay Times: How In Vitro Fertilization Could Be Derailed By Abortion Restrictions
A few days after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Boston IVF, a fertility company with centers in six states, posted a statement that speaks to the havoc this decision will wreak not just for abortions, but for other forms of reproductive care. (Lisa C. Ikemoto, 7/12)

San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego County Monkeypox Response Must Be Strong, Nuanced 
Monkeypox — a rare disease caused by the monkeypox virus normally found only in Africa — is generating headlines around the world because of cases turning up in unusual places, including nearly 1,000 in the U.S. and more than 6,000 worldwide. (7/13)

San Francisco Chronicle: San Francisco Isn’t Ready For Monkeypox, Despite What We Learned From COVID
A few days after Thomas Fuller attended a large party over Pride weekend, he got a worrying text in a group thread. It was a screenshot from party organizers, alerting attendees that someone at the event had tested positive for monkeypox. Fuller got to work. “There were so many people there it’s almost impossible to know if I had contact with this person or not,” he said. He researched the disease, learning that it’s in the smallpox family, is transmitted through skin-to-skin contact and that there’s a vaccine that’s effective even after exposure. His doctor directed him to Strut, a health center in the Castro District operated by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. But when he reached out, Fuller was told he wasn’t eligible. (Nuala Bishari, 7/8)

The Mercury News: Police Shooting Shows Need For 988 Mental Health Hotline
In June 2019, Walnut Creek resident Taun Hall made a call to police as she had done several times before, letting them know her son, Miles, was experiencing a mental health crisis and needed help. (Jennifer Wang and Tamara Hunter, 7/9)

Los Angeles Times: Legal Pot Needs Better Warning Labels 
One of the goals of legalizing cannabis was to ensure that the pot Californians buy is relatively safe. No more random sandwich baggies filled with who-knows-what. Legal cannabis is tested to ensure it’s free of contaminants, and must be sold in “tamper-evident” containers that carry legally mandated warning labels. (7/14)

Orange County Register: Dangers Lurk In Fully Electronic Health Records 
If you’re in Southern California and get laboratory workups at UCLA Health Services, any Providence Health Center or the Cedars Sinai hospital network, the results are quickly available to every doctor linked to any of those systems. (Thomas D. Elias, 7/11)

The Mercury News: California's Gun Laws Help Quell Tragedies, Should Be Copied
Yes, there have been several examples of completely unprovoked mass gun violence in California. But no, it’s not nearly on the same scale as in the rest of America. (Thomas D. Elias, 7/14)

San Francisco Chronicle: Firefighters Risking Their Lives To Save Yosemite Deserve Better
Last August, on a night shift fighting the Monument Fire, a burning tree fell on one of my fellow firefighters. The tree slammed into his head and glanced off his arm. He stumbled, removed his hard hat, and regarded it curiously, as if it might be responsible. Then he collapsed. Several months later, he got a hospital bill for $48,000. (Kelly Ramsey, 7/14)