This New Shingles Vaccine Costs $280, But Doctors Say It’s Worth It
While the previous vaccine cut the risk of getting shingles by about 50 percent, this new one slashes it by 90 percent.
Fresno Bee:
Roll Up Your Sleeve And Get Out Your Wallet, Doctors Say This Vaccine Is Worth The $$
And if you buy insurance through Covered California, the state’s Affordable Care Act insurance marketplace, the vaccine should be covered. According to the CDC, shingles vaccine is one of the shots that all of the health insurance plans usually cover without charging a copayment or coinsurance when the vaccine is given by an in-network provider. And you don’t have to meet your yearly deductible. Medi-Cal, the state-federal insurance program for low-income adults, children and people with disabilities, also covers Zostavax; and it will update its coverage and reimbursement policy for Shingrix, the agency said. (Anderson, 11/6)
In other public health news —
Los Angeles Times:
San Diego's Hepatitis A Outbreak Continues To Grow, But More Slowly
Though the case count in San Diego's ongoing hepatitis A outbreak increased again Monday, officials said that the number of new infections continues to slow. In a presentation to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county's public health officer, showed a chart that indicated there were 31 cases in October, significantly fewer than the 81 reported in September and 94 in August — the largest total of the outbreak so far. (Sisson, 11/6)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Tests Show That Lead Levels In Bay Area Drinking Water Are Not Dangerous
Despite recent alarming revelations that children in 10 San Francisco and Oakland schools had been exposed to lead contamination well above federal safety standards, data from household water quality tests performed this year by the Bay Area’s two major utilities indicate that lead levels remain well below dangerous thresholds in the vast majority of the region’s homes. (Fracassa, 11/6)