California’s Public Universities Will Require A Covid Shot: The University of California and California State University announced Thursday that they will require covid-19 vaccinations for all students, faculty and staff on campus properties this fall. The directive is the largest of its kind in U.S. higher education, affecting more than 1 million people. Read more from the Los Angeles Times. Continued coverage, below.
State Senate Approves Supervised Sites For Drug Users: Instead of putting opioid-users in jail, a proposal moving through the California Legislature would give them a place to inject drugs while trained staff watch them to make sure they don’t die from accidental overdoses. Read more from AP and the San Francisco Chronicle.
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:
Bill Targeting Hate Crimes Against Asian Americans Passes Senate
The Senate on Thursday approved a bill designed to make it easier for law enforcement to investigate hate crimes against Asian Americans after a surge in violence amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In a rare, if fleeting, moment of bipartisanship on Capitol Hill, senators approved the bill 94 to 1. “We will send a powerful message of solidarity to the AAPI community that the Senate will not be a bystander as anti-Asian violence surges in our country,” Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) said before the vote, referring to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. (Haberkorn, 4/22)
NBC News:
Senate Passes Hate Crime Bill Responding To Wave Of Violence Against Asian Americans
The Senate passed legislation Thursday targeting anti-Asian hate crimes after an uptick of incidents during the Covid-19 pandemic. Lawmakers approved the measure in a 94-1 vote. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., was the only member to oppose the bill. The legislation, introduced by Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, in March, would direct the Department of Justice to expedite the review of hate crimes related to Covid-19 that were reported to law enforcement agencies and help them establish ways to report such incidents online and perform public outreach. (Shabad, 4/22)
NPR:
In Rare Bipartisanship Moment, Senate Approves Asian American Hate Crimes Bill
The bill next heads to the House, where it's being led by Democratic Rep. Grace Meng of New York and is expected to gain approval. Following House passage, it will go to President Biden's desk. Biden had urged approval for hate crimes legislation in the wake of a March shooting in Georgia that left several women of Asian descent dead. (Grisales, 4/22)
Southern California News Group:
How Surge In Hate Crimes Is Pushing Asian Americans To Stand Up For Mental Health
In late March, Jackie Vu posted a typewritten, racist letter sent anonymously to her family’s nail salon in Riverside. She said she posted the letter not to draw attention to the business or how her family was affected, but to make the point that racism of any form is unacceptable. “It’s 2021. I don’t have time to figure out why we still hate each other, or worry about my neighbors hating me because I’m Asian,” said the 32-year-old co-owner of Top 10 Nails & Spa. “The only thing people can’t take away from you is your peace.” (Escobar, 4/22)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
All UC And CSU Campuses Will Require Students To Get Vaccinated Against COVID-19
All students, faculty and staff of the University of California and California State University systems will be required to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by the start of fall classes, in one of the biggest steps yet statewide to help bring the pandemic under control. The two systems, which collectively serve more than 764,000 students — including about 90,000 at three campuses in San Diego County — announced the plan on Thursday, as vaccination programs continued to expand throughout California. (Robbins and Davis, 4/22)
Fresno Bee:
CSU, UC Will Require COVID-19 Vaccine In Fall 2021
California State University and the University of California announced Thursday that the COVID-19 vaccine will be required of anyone on campus as soon as the shots are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The requirement would go into effect as early as the fall 2021 semester for the CSU, according to officials from the 23-campus system. (Panoo, 4/22)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Stanford University Requires Students To Be Vaccinated, As UC, Cal State Plan For Same Move
Thousands of students returning to Stanford University this fall will need to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, campus officials announced Thursday, as California’s two big public university systems outlined similar plans. California State University said Thursday it expects to have a requirement similar to Stanford’s, but is holding off until the U.S. Food and Drug Administration fully approves at least one vaccine — which may not occur until after the fall semester begins. Currently, the FDA has authorized three vaccines for emergency use to fight the deadly pandemic. (Asimov, 4/22)
Bay Area News Group:
California Vaccinations Decline At Turning Point In Rollout
On average last week, just over 360,000 doses were administered daily across California, an 8% drop from mid-April when the seven-day average peaked at about 391,000 doses, according to data compiled by this news organization. Nationwide, doses have dipped about 11% over the past week. In the Bay Area, where multiple counties report an unprecedented number of unfilled appointments, officials say the vaccine rollout has hit a new stage marked by a steady supply and success in reaching the first wave of eager residents. But the decline also highlights that more work needs to be done to convince remaining people to get the shot, experts say — and to make it as easy as possible to do so. (Kelliher, 4/22)
CalMatters:
‘MyTurn’ Website Bypassed For Most Vaccine Appointments
When MyTurn debuted in mid-January, it was supposed to be a one-stop shop, a place where every Californian could register to be notified when they became eligible for the COVID vaccine and eventually make an appointment for their shot. Instead, it’s become a lightning rod for many Californians frustrated by their inability to get vaccinated quickly and return to a normal life. Appointments booked on MyTurn — an average of about 100,000 each day — account for only about 27% of the vaccinations given each day across the state, according to data from the California Department of Public Health. (Feder Ostrov, 4/22)
Sacramento Bee:
Why Are Yuba County COVID Vaccinations So Far Below CA Rate?
Health officials in California are hopeful that steady supplies of the vaccine and prompt administration of doses will topple the coronavirus pandemic, bringing herd immunity against COVID-19 in the months to come as appointments can now be made by anyone 16 or older. But while over 40% of Californians and more than half the state’s adults have now been at least partially vaccinated in the past four months, some pockets of the state continue to trail the rest by wide margins. One such area is Yuba County, about 40 miles north of the capital in the Sacramento Valley. The disparity may reflect both a lack of locations and vaccine hesitancy in the county. (McGough, 4/23)
Los Angeles Daily News:
LA Officials Push Vaccines As Daily Stats Continue To Reveal Improving Scenario
Spread of the coronavirus continues to decrease in Los Angeles County, and health officials keep urging folks to get vaccinated to maintain that progress. L.A. County public health officials reported 439 new cases and 36 new deaths from COVID-19 Thursday, April 22, bringing the region’s total number of deaths to 23,736 and total cases to 1,230,362. There are 451 people currently hospitalized with the virus, 109 of whom are in intensive care, according to a state dashboard that reports a day ahead of the county. (Evains, 4/22)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. County Offers COVID-19 Vaccine Walk-Up Appointments
Walk-up appointments are being offered at Los Angeles County’s mass COVID-19 vaccination sites through Monday, though officials said supply will dictate how many people they can accommodate. The slots will be open to anyone who lives or works in the county and is at least 16 years old, according to a statement issued Thursday afternoon. However, 16- and 17-year-olds will need to have a parent or guardian with them. (Money, 4/22)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Can't Book A Vaccine? These Berkeley Students Want You To Call Their Hotline
Four UC Berkeley students hope to connect the Bay Area’s older, minority residents to vaccines through a 20th century invention — a volunteer-staffed hotline. Their creation is Shotline, a free phone service that “aims to break down technological barriers to COVID-19 vaccination,” according to the group’s website. People who call the hotline are greeted by volunteers who take their information, search for vaccine appointments online and book them on their behalf. Currently, Shotline serves residents in Oakland with plans to expand across the Bay Area. (Kannan, 4/23)
AP:
California Goes From Worst To First In Virus Infections
Just a few months ago, California was the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. Hospitals in Los Angeles were drowning in patients, and ambulances were idling outside with people struggling to breathe, waiting for beds to open. The death count was staggering — so many that morgues filled and refrigerated trucks were brought in to handle the overflow. Now as cases spike in other parts of the country, California has gone from worst to first with the lowest infection rate in the U.S. even as it has moved quickly to reopen more businesses with greater customer counts and allow larger gatherings. (Melley, 4/23)
Fresno Bee:
‘We Have Too Much To Lose.’ Fresno’s Top Doc Warns Lax COVID Attitudes Could Lead To Surge
Fresno County businesses have more latitude to operate indoors this week under the orange tier of California’s COVID-19 program for business reopening. Now the county’s top doctor says he hopes business operators and the public won’t abuse that greater degree of freedom. Fresno County was promoted on Tuesday into orange Tier 3 of the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy, denoting “moderate” spread of coronavirus within the county. The move into the second-least restrictive tier clears the way for many business sectors to accommodate more people for indoor services than they could under the more stringent red Tier 2, representing “substantial” transmission of COVID-19 among residents. (Sheehan, 4/22)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Should California End Its Outdoor Mask Mandate? Bay Area Experts Weigh In
Coronavirus cases have dropped sharply. A majority of California adults are vaccinated. And the risk outside is low. So why do we still need a pandemic restriction that everyone seems to hate — the outdoor mask mandate? Many experts and advocates are asking just that. “The emerging consensus seems to be that we should end outdoor mask mandates in the next few weeks,” contends Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease expert with UCSF and one of the earliest and most vocal proponents for using masks to curb the spread of COVID-19. (Vaziri, 4/23)
Capital & Main:
Winners And Losers After Gov. Newsom Signs California's Worker-Rights Bill
Last fall, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill designed to protect workers in certain industries who’d been laid off during the COVID-19 crisis. In doing so, Newsom practically invited state legislators to make another run at a worker-rights law. “I recognize the real problem this bill is trying to fix – to ensure that workers who’ve been laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic have certainty about their rehiring and job security,” the governor wrote in his veto letter to the California Assembly. But as drafted, he said, the legislation would create “a confusing patchwork of requirements” that could vary from county to county. (Kreidler, 4/20)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Kaiser To Pay $11.5 Million To Settle Pay Equity Lawsuit Filed By Black Employees
Oakland-based health care giant Kaiser Permanente is settling a class action lawsuit over unequal pay and promotions on behalf of Black employees for $11.5 million.
The case was filed in San Francisco Superior Court Thursday by four current and former Black employees on behalf of 2,225 workers in two job categories — administrative support and consulting services. (Moench, 4/22)
The Bakersfield Californian:
ICU Nurses Paid For By County Were 'Blessing' For Local Hospitals
When federal COVID-19 relief money came into Kern County last year, the Board of Supervisors earmarked $12 million to help supplement ICU nurses at local hospitals, and by all accounts it was a wise move. The money, which was less than 10 percent of the federal dollars the county received in COVID-19 relief, was used to contract for extra specialty care nurses. The state considered hospital capacity to be a major indicator of how well a county was handling its COVID-19 situation early in the pandemic, and Kern's hospitals were stretched to the brink during the July and August surge. However, the challenge was not a shortage of beds but nurses to staff available beds. (Shepard, 4/22)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Second Tower Underway At Scripps La Jolla
For months now, workers have been pouring a new foundation on a triangular piece of ground on the northern edge of the Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla campus. Cement trucks are now delivering the beginnings of a $664 million, seven-story medical tower that will mirror an adjacent and nearly-identical v-shaped structure that opened in 2015 and houses the Prebys Cardiovascular Institute on Genesee Avenue just east of Interstate 5. (Sisson, 4/22)
AP:
Biden To Restore California's Power To Set Pollution Rules
The U.S. Transportation Department is moving to reverse former President Donald Trump’s bid to end California’s ability to set its own automobile tailpipe pollution standards. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is part of the DOT, said Thursday it is proposing to withdraw a rule rule meant to stop states from setting their own requirements for greenhouse gases, zero emissions vehicles and fuel economy. (4/22)
NBC News:
Tiny Smoke Particles Could Make Wildfires Particularly Harmful To Human Health
When the San Francisco Bay Area experienced a record 30 consecutive days of worrisome air quality alerts in August and September, Mary Prunicki began taking blood samples from firefighters. The sky had turned orange from nearby wildfires. Thousands of firefighters would spend months battling the blazes, which would eventually scorch more than 4 million acres and kill 31 people. (Chow, Patterson and Ryan, 4/23)
Fox News:
More Than 4 In 10 In US Breathing 'Unhealthy' Air, Report Says
The report listed the top 10 cities most polluted by short-term particle pollution, which is mostly attributed to wildfire smoke and residential wood burning. Fairbanks, Alaska, ranked worst followed by Fresno-Madera-Hanford, Calif., Bakersfield, Calif., San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, Calif., Yakima, Wash., Los Angeles-Long Beach, Calif., Logan, Utah-Idaho, Redding-Red Bluff, Calif., Missoula, Mont. and Sacrament-Roseville, Calif. The report also listed those most impacted by year-round particle pollution and found Bakersfield, Calif. to be the worst followed by Fresno-Madera-Hanford Calif., Visalia, Calif., Los Angeles-Long Beach, Calif., Medford-Grants Pass, Oregon, Fairbanks, Alaska, San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, Calif., Phoenix-Mesa, Ariz., Pittsburg-New Castle-Weirton, Pa.-Ohio-West Va. and El Centro, Calif. (Hein, 4/22)
KQED:
Doctors Find Wildfire Smoke May Damage The Skin
Wildfire smoke may not only be choking people’s lungs. It could also be irritating their skin, according to a new UCSF and UC Berkeley study published in JAMA Dermatology. Tiny particles floating in wildfire smoke can wreak havoc on the body, and it’s well documented that pollutants can trigger a scratchy throat, coughing fits or even a heart attack. Exposure to air pollutants contributed to 3.7 million to 4.8 million deaths across the globe in 2015. Previous research has found that skin conditions like eczema may be exacerbated by cigarette smoke or heavy air pollution in dense cities. Smoky days may also cause the skin to flare up. (McClurg, 4/22)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Justice Department: Alameda County Violates Rights Of Mental Health Patients, Inmates
Alameda County is violating the U.S. Constitution by “unnecessarily institutionalizing” people with mental health needs and by subjecting them to “prolonged” solitary confinement in the county jail, the Justice Department concluded after a five-year investigation. The Justice Department delivered its strongly worded findings to Alameda County and its Sheriff’s Office on Thursday, along with an attachment that summarized the ways in which inadequate mental health care traps Alameda County residents who need it in a cycle of jail and psychiatric institutionalization. (Hosseini and Mishanec, 4/22)
AP:
Feds Say California Jail Violates Rights Of Mentally Ill
Alameda County in Northern California violated civil rights by failing to provide proper mental health services, especially in a jail where dozens of people have committed suicide, according to federal report released Thursday. The U.S. Department of Justice took aim at conditions for people with serious mental health issues, specifically in the Santa Rita Jail, where a woman killed herself April 2. It was the second suicide at the jail this year and the 50th since 2014. (Jablon, 4/23)
Orange County Register:
Sheriff’s Department To Give Out Bags Designed To Deactivate Drugs During Saturday Drug Take Back Events
This weekend, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department is distributing a tool that people can use to safely get rid of unwanted, unused and expired prescriptions: a specialized bag that deactivates the drugs they contain.
As part of National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 24, the Sheriff’s Department will hand out bags at all seven of its collection sites for people to take home. While people will be able to hand over their unwanted supply on Saturday to authorities for disposal, the bags are meant to be used between those collections. (Fausto, 4/22)
AP:
Research On Shaken Baby Syndrome Helps Free 15-Year Inmate
A California man imprisoned for 15 years in the death of his month-old son is free after prosecutors and a judge agreed that the scientific research underlying what was once called “shaken baby syndrome” has changed significantly in recent years. Clifton Jones, 45, was released this month from Soledad State Prison after a judge agreed to resentence him to a lesser offense. “The mistake that was made was finally put right,” Jones told The Associated Press. (Rodriguez, 4/22)
Los Angeles Times:
Long Beach Convention Center Opens As Temporary Facility For Unaccompanied Migrant Children
Federal officials on Thursday prepared to receive 150 migrant children at the Long Beach Convention Center, one of several structures in California and other states being repurposed as temporary intake facilities to cope with an overflow of unaccompanied minors at the southern border. Sleeping areas were set up inside the Convention Center’s exhibit halls, with rows of cots draped with white sheets and stacked with folded blankets and pillows, photos shot by a media pool photographer showed. (Castillo, 4/22)
Roll Call:
Lawmakers Propose Bipartisan Bill To Address Border Influx
A bipartisan group of lawmakers unveiled legislation on Thursday to address the recent influx of migration to the U.S.-Mexico border by ramping up staffing at immigration agencies and streamlining immigration court proceedings. (Monyak, 4/22)
Politico:
HUD Scraps Trump Proposal On Transgender Access To Single-Sex Homeless Shelters
The Department of Housing and Urban Development is withdrawing a Trump-era proposed rule giving federally funded single-sex homeless shelters the choice to house only people whose biological sex, rather than gender identity, matches the sex of the shelter. The Trump rule, proposed last July, would have rolled back transgender protections included in HUD’s 2016 Equal Access rule, which mandated access to shelter based on a person’s self-expressed gender identity. (O'Donnell, 4/22)
Los Angeles Times:
Why A COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate For UC And Cal State Is More Complicated
Why should students attending the University of California and California State University in the fall be any less protected from COVID-19 than those at Stanford or Claremont McKenna? Or the professors teaching them, or the staff maintaining the buildings or managing administrative tasks? The answer is obvious: They shouldn’t be. But it’s quite likely they will be, and the reason is obscure: The vaccines to protect against the coronavirus are available under emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, not full approval yet. And because of strange wording in the law governing emergency authorization, the government cannot require people to get the vaccine. Only private entities can, at least according to recent legal interpretations. (Karin Klein, 4/22)
Fresno Bee:
Politics Aside, COVID Vaccine Passports Can Help California
The Sacramento Kings just had their first game with fans back in the Golden 1 Arena — just 1,600 of them, due to COVID protocols. Fans have also been attending San Francisco Giants and Golden State Warriors games. To gain entry at the three teams’ events, fans are required to show either proof of vaccination for COVID, or a recent negative COVID test. (4/23)
The Washington Post:
This Is The Most Dangerous Moment To Be Unvaccinated
If covid-19 has taught us anything, it’s that nothing is straightforward. We know that people who are fully vaccinated are greatly protected against infection and serious illness and are far less likely to transmit covid-19 to others. The vaccines truly are a miracle. But here’s the bad news: Life has become even riskier for unvaccinated people, particularly those who have never had covid-19. (People with prior infections fall into a middle category, since they are at least partly protected but still require vaccination to increase the level and durability of immunity.) (Robert M. Wachter, chair of the department of medicine at the University of California at San Francisco, 4/19)
Fresno Bee:
Nearly 50% Of GOP Men Say They Will Refuse COVID Vaccines. This Fresno Leader Didn’t
When it comes to getting vaccinated for the COVID virus, one group stands out in opposition: Republican men. A poll done last month by national public radio and television with Marist College found that 49% of Republican men said they would not get vaccinated for the highly contagious respiratory disease. That, despite the fact COVID had killed nearly 570,000 Americans as of April 19. In California, the disease has claimed 59,768 lives. (Tad Weber, 4/22)
Ceres Courier:
Newsom’s Tweet & California’s Free Range Mental Ill Homeless Population
Back in late February 2020 BC (Before COVID), Gov. Gavin Newsom made it clear his No. 1 priority in his “State of the State” address was tackling California’s perplexing homeless issues. The governor stated the obvious that making headway into the Rubik’s cube of homelessness includes access to mental and physical healthcare. Newsom asserted later in his Tweet, “Doctors should be able to write prescriptions for housing the same way they do for insulin or antibiotics.” (Dennis Wyatt, 4/21)
Voice of OC:
It’s Time To Get Politicians Out Of The Way On Orange County Homelessness
County’s main government agency tasked with ending homelessness rarely showed up to work. That could be changing. Last month, I wrote that despite record deaths in the streets, growing homeless encampments, Covid outbreaks at homeless shelters and the shooting of a homeless man by Sheriff’s deputies after stopping him for jaywalking, Orange County’s Commission to End Homelessness only met twice in 2020. It’s a stunning lack of progress for a group county supervisors took over in 2018, arguing that their leadership could make a difference. It did. (Norberto Santana Jr., 4/21)
CalMatters:
With Barrett On Supreme Court, California’s Church COVID Limits Are Being Overturned
California’s churches are on a roll. After more than a year of legal tussling with state public health officials over restrictions on indoor gatherings, houses of worship — mostly evangelical or Catholic and politically conservative — have been on a winning streak at the nation’s highest court. Their latest victory came late last week when the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority put a hold on the state’s limits on indoor Bible study and other forms of worship. Most legal battles play out over years, and this was a preliminary decision; the justices reversed an appellate court’s decision not to suspend the state’s rules while the broader case plays out. But the court’s majority went out of its way to note a clear trend. (Ben Christopher, 4/18)
Los Angeles Times:
Does Your Doctor Speak Your Language?
Imagine that you woke up with weakness in your right arm and difficulty speaking. You’re a Spanish speaker and you go to the emergency room, where the doctor attending to you took Spanish in high school. Because the ER is busy, he decides he can get by without an interpreter. You tell him about your symptoms, and that you are worried you might be having a stroke. The doctor understands the Spanish word for “arm” but is not clear about the rest. After a quick physical exam, he sends you to get X-rays to rule out a broken arm. Meanwhile, your condition worsens.Research suggests that it’s not uncommon for doctors to overestimate their own language abilities. In one study, researchers compared medical residents’ self-reported Spanish proficiency with their proficiency as measured by an objective test. They found that 1 in 3 residents who classified themselves as proficient did not test as such. Despite this, residents at all proficiency levels reported sometimes discussing clinical care with patients and families in Spanish without the aid of an interpreter. (Mimi Zheng, 4/19)