Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Trump’s Pardons Included Health Care Execs Behind Massive Frauds
Faustino Bernadett, who was convicted in a $30 million kickback scheme that referred spinal surgeries to his hospital, is among those pardoned for “major, major crimes.” (Fred Schulte, )
Face Mask Could Tell You If You Have Covid: The National Institutes of Health has awarded UC San Diego $1.3 million to develop a small, wearable sensor that monitors your breath and saliva and can tell whether a person has the coronavirus. Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Many Still Don’t Wear Masks: Three out of 10 Los Angeles County residents and nearly half of adults in the U.S. don’t wear protective face masks when they are in close contact with people who live outside their households, according to findings of an ongoing study by researchers at USC. Read more from the LA Daily News.
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
Bay Area News Group:
Biden's COVID Plan Brings Sigh Of Relief From Many In California
The president moved Thursday to ramp up the nation’s supply of vaccines and personal protective equipment, increase testing sites, reimburse states for vaccine expenses and expand outreach to underserved communities, also mandating that people wear masks while traveling. The actions prompted a sigh of relief from many health experts and politicians in California, where efforts to vaccinate residents have faced frustrating hiccups. “Everything I saw him doing, I thought, yes, this is something we should have been doing a while back,” said Dr. John Swartzberg, professor emeritus of infectious disease and vaccinology with the UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program. (Kendall, 1/21)
The Hill:
Biden Unveils Coronavirus Plan, Warns It Will Take Months To 'Turn Things Around'
President Biden on Thursday unveiled a comprehensive strategy to address the coronavirus pandemic while warning that it would take months for his administration’s actions to significantly alter the trajectory of the pandemic. Biden, seeking to manage expectations as the United States confronts a dire period of infections, said that the COVID-19 death toll would likely top 500,000 in February and that it would take months to get Americans vaccinated against the virus. (Hellmann and Chalfant, 1/21)
The Washington Post:
Biden To Require Masks On Planes, Buses, Trains And At Airports
President Biden signed an order Thursday mandating masks in airports and on many planes, trains, ships and intercity buses. His action comes on the heels of a Wednesday order — his first as president — requiring masks on federal property. Together, the two orders come as close to a national mask mandate as his federal powers may allow, leaving it to states and municipalities to require residents to wear masks at a local level. (Laris and Wan, 1/21)
The Hill:
Biden Requires International Travelers To Quarantine Upon Arrival To US
President Biden on Thursday signed an executive order to back up Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines recommending that international travelers quarantine for seven days after arriving in the United States. Biden’s executive order says travelers must comply with CDC orders that require a negative COVID-19 test to get into the country as well as a quarantine period upon arrival to the states. (Lonas, 1/21)
Reuters:
Biden To Sign Order To Increase Pandemic-Related Food Aid
U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday will sign two executive orders aimed at speeding pandemic stimulus checks to families who need it most and increasing food aid for children who normally rely on school meals as a main source for nutrition. ...“We’re at a precarious moment in our economy,” Brian Deese, director of the White House National Economic Council, told reporters in a preview of the orders. He said the actions are not a substitute for comprehensive legislative relief, “but they will provide a critical lifeline to millions of American families.” (Holland and Saphir, 1/22)
NPR:
Biden To Bump Up Food Assistance For People 'Hanging By A Thread'
Biden plans to ask the Agriculture Department, which administers the food stamp program, for a 15% bump in the emergency benefits given to families whose kids normally would count on breakfast and lunch from school programs, Deese said. That change could increase food stamp benefits for a family of three by about $105 over two months, he said. Biden also wants about 12 million of the lowest-income food stamp recipients to be able to qualify for the emergency food benefits. This tweak would lift their food stamps by 15% to 20% per month, Deese said. (Rampton and Horsley, 1/22)
CNN:
Biden To Sign Executive Orders Expanding Aid To Low-Income Americans
The other is geared toward improving the jobs of federal workers and contractors, which was among the President's campaign commitments. It lays the groundwork for requiring contractors to pay a $15 hourly minimum wage and to provide emergency paid leave by the end of Biden's first 100 days. It also directs agencies to determine which federal workers are earning less than that minimum and develop recommendations to promote bringing them up to $15 an hour. Biden included a call to raise the national hourly minimum wage to $15 as part of the $1.9 trillion relief package he outlined last week before taking office. It is currently $7.25 an hour. (Luhby, 1/22)
The Washington Post:
Biden Executive Order Seeks Stronger Workplace Safety Guidance From OSHA
President Biden signed an executive order Thursday to direct federal regulators to issue stronger safety guidance for workplaces operating in the midst of the pandemic. The executive order on “Protecting Worker Health and Safety” seeks to reorient worker safety guidelines and enforcement at the Labor Department’s workplace safety division — the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (Rosenberg, 1/21)
Politico:
Biden Executive Orders: The 17 Things Joe Biden Did On Day One
Joe Biden signed more than a dozen executive orders in his first hours as president on Wednesday, the first salvos in a coming legislative and regulatory crusade to erase Donald Trump’s legacy from federal law and advance his own agenda. While many of Biden’s first policy moves are expected reversals of Trump policies, others go further, and his team has signaled that many more actions will be announced in the days ahead. Here is what Biden did Wednesday, and what it means for the country. (Ollstein, Kakkar and Jin, 1/21)
The New York Times:
Here’s What’s In Biden’s Executive Orders Aimed At Covid-19
One order calls on agency leaders to check for shortages in areas like personal protective gear and vaccine supplies, and identify where the administration could invoke the Defense Production Act to increase manufacturing. The White House has said it could use the Korean War-era law, which the Trump administration made use of in its vaccine development program, to increase production of a type of syringe that allows pharmacists to extract an extra dose from vaccine vials. The Biden team has said it identified 12 “immediate supply shortfalls” critical to the pandemic response, including N95 surgical masks and isolation gowns, as well as swabs, reagents and pipettes used in testing. (Weiland, 1/21)
CNBC:
Biden Is Already Facing Pressure To Scale Back His $1.9 Trillion Covid Relief Plan
President Joe Biden’s first Covid-19 package is already facing hurdles in Congress that threaten to force the fledgling administration to curb some of its more progressive aims just one week after the proposal’s debut. Early critiques from Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah, two members of the bipartisan group of senators who crafted the framework for December’s stimulus package, challenged the $1.9 trillion plan. (Franck and Pramuk, 1/21)
The Hill:
Pelosi Says House Will Move Immediately On COVID-19 Relief
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Thursday that House Democrats will move immediately on a massive coronavirus relief package, setting the stage for an early showdown in the newly flipped Senate over the chief legislative priority of the nascent Biden administration. House Democrats have rearranged their schedule over the next two weeks, scrapping votes next week to allow the relevant committees to consider the various provisions of their emerging COVID-19 relief package. Pelosi suggested that package could hit the House floor as early as the week of Feb. 1. (Lillis, 1/21)
NPR:
Biden To End Ban On Funding Groups That Provide Abortions Abroad
President Biden is preparing to reverse a Trump administration policy that prohibits U.S. funding for nongovernmental groups that provide or refer patients for abortions — the first of several moves reproductive rights advocates are hoping to see from the Biden administration. In prepared remarks released by the White House on Thursday, Dr. Anthony Fauci tells the World Health Organization's executive board that Biden will soon revoke the Mexico City Policy "as part of his broader commitment to protect women's health and advance gender equality at home and around the world." The policy, first instituted by the Reagan administration, has pingponged on and off between Republican and Democratic presidents ever since. Trump reinstituted and expanded the policy, which critics describe as a "gag rule," within days of taking office. An analysis published in 2019 in the medical journal The Lancet found that the Mexico City Policy increased the abortion rate in at least some affected countries, likely because it also reduced access to contraception. (McCammon, 1/21)
Reuters:
Pope Urges U.S. Reconciliation As Bishops Call Out Biden On Abortion
Pope Francis told President Joe Biden on Wednesday that he was praying that God would guide his efforts to bring reconciliation in the United States, while the head of the nation’s Catholic bishops condemned Biden’s pro-choice stand on abortion. In a message sent shortly after the second Catholic U.S. president was sworn in, Francis also said he hoped Biden would work towards a society marked by true justice, freedom and respect for the rights and dignity of every person, especially the poor, the vulnerable and those with no voice. (Pullella, 1/20)
Fox News:
White House Says Biden Is A 'Devout Catholic' When Asked About Abortion Policies
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki described President Biden as a "devout Catholic" after being asked about his stances on taxpayer funding for abortion. Psaki's comments came during her first press conference Wednesday, where an EWTN Global Catholic Network reporter asked her about "two big concerns for pro-life Americans" -- the Hyde Amendment and Mexico City Policy. The former bars the use of federal funds to pay for abortion under most circumstances, while the latter restricts taxpayer funding of abortion abroad. "What is President Biden doing on those two items right now?" reporter Owen Jensen asked. (Dorman, 1/21)
WBUR:
How Joe Biden's Catholic Faith Informs His Politics
President Joe Biden carries a rosary in his pocket and attends Mass regularly. How does his faith inform his politics? And where does Biden's Catholicism land in the spectrum of American Catholic belief? (McQuilkin and Chakrabarti, 1/20)
Sacramento Bee:
How State Errors Are Confounding Vaccine Rollout In CA
Each Tuesday, Sacramento County health officials await an email from the state alerting them to how many doses of COVID-19 vaccine they’ll receive — a number that helps local pharmacies and health officials organize the massive distribution effort. So, Dr. Olivia Kasirye, the county’s health officer, was alarmed last week when she read that her team would receive just 975 doses — for a county with about 1.4 million people. It was a mistake. California health care officials were overestimating the number of people over 75 who would get vaccinated by hospitals and undercounting the number of doses the county needed to farm out to smaller clinics and pharmacies, she told The Sacramento Bee on Thursday. (Pohl and Reese, 1/22)
Modesto Bee:
Stanislaus County COVID Clinics Reopen Only To Shut Down Again Due To Lack Of Vaccines
Hundreds of people turned out Thursday for COVID-19 vaccination clinics at Modesto Centre Plaza and Stanislaus State University. Stanislaus County reopened its vaccination clinics Thursday after a two-day hiatus. Both the Modesto and Turlock clinics were one-day affairs. A county spokesperson said the clinics will be closed Friday because there is not enough vaccine on hand to continue. The county Health Services Agency will announce additional clinic dates when an ample supply of vaccine is available, said spokesperson Kamlesh Kaur. The public can expect sporadic opening and closing of coronavirus vaccination clinics until steady supplies of vaccine are available from the state. The state in turn says it’s not nearly getting enough vaccine from the federal government, and that may not change until additional coronavirus vaccines get approval in March. (Carlson, 1/21)
The Desert Sun:
Riverside County Promises 'New Website' After More Glitches During Vaccine Sign-Up
Appointments at the six additional COVID-19 vaccine clinics announced by Riverside County this week were booked in under an hour Thursday, prompting county officials to announce changes to their online system. The county's registration site opened appointments at noon. By 12:27 p.m., Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser tweeted that residents were having difficulty with the website. He said the county's IT team was addressing the issue. "Keep refreshing your screen," Kaiser advised. (Sestito, 1/21)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
San Diego’s COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout Boosted By More Doses And A Second Mass Immunization Site
After a sluggish start to San Diego County’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout, the region has received 173,000 doses over the past few days, coinciding with the launch of a mass inoculation site in Chula Vista on Thursday. Sharp HealthCare will run the site, located in a former Sears department store, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week. County Supervisor Nora Vargas said that 1,800 people made appointments Thursday, and a Sharp spokesperson added that the site will vaccinate 5,000 people a day by next week. (Wosen, 1/21)
KQED:
California Debates Speed Vs. Equity In Vaccine Distribution Plan
With a scarce vaccine supply and a mounting death toll, the tension between equity and efficiency is increasing. “The feedback that we got is, the first system is too complicated, it’s slowing us down,” said Tomás Aragón, the new director of the state’s Department of Public Health, who helped outline the new age-based priority proposal at public meetings on Jan. 12 and Jan. 20. “Got to keep it simple. Simplicity is going to save lives.” Distributing vaccines by age is easier and will help ease the burden on the state’s overwhelmed health care system, Aragón said. Older people account for 65% of ICU admissions in California and 83% of deaths, according to the latest state health data. (Dembosky, 1/21)
SF Gate:
San Francisco Announces Goal: Vaccinate All Residents By June 30
The city of San Francisco and its health care providers announced a goal Wednesday to vaccinate all residents by the start of summer."Working with our major health system partners and other community clinics, our goal by June 30 is to get our entire population of 900,000-plus individuals in San Francisco vaccinated for COVID-19," said Roland Pickens, director of San Francisco Health Network, the city's public health care system, at a supervisors’ hearing Wednesday. "As you can imagine there will be many twists and turns in the road, but we are feeling confident that once the vaccine supply is more readily available and reliable we will be able to reach this goal based on our current planning and collaboration." (Graff, 1/21)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Who Is Getting Vaccinated For COVID-19 In San Diego County?
Data is provided by San Diego County, and any changes to county methodology are reflected in these charts. These charts are updated as the data becomes available. (Byvik, Gilchrist and Guerrero, 1/21)
LA Daily News and Orange County Register:
Farm Workers Get A Stab At A Vaccine Jab, Without Leaving The Fields
People who toil in the fields picking fruits and vegetables throughout Riverside County are eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations, but getting those agricultural workers to traditional vaccination sites is a challenge. So on Thursday, Jan. 21, the vaccines came to the farm workers. (Kopetman, 1/21)
Los Angeles Times:
COVID Vaccines Reach Long Beach Food Workers; Teachers Next
The city of Long Beach this week expanded distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to food workers, the first group of essential workers in Los Angeles County outside the healthcare industry to be offered the critical shots. Those eligible include grocery store and restaurant workers who live or work in Long Beach. (Seidman and Lau, 1/21)
LA Daily News:
Six Flags Magic Mountain Asks: Would You Visit The Park If A COVID-19 Test Or Vaccine Was Required?
Six Flags Magic Mountain wants to know if you would take a COVID-19 test or get a coronavirus vaccine if they were required to visit the Valencia amusement park, according to a new Six Flags survey. The Six Flags Coronavirus Planning Survey seeks feedback from past and potential visitors to Magic Mountain and other parks in the chain about their feelings and opinions on a wide range of possible COVID-19 protocols and requirements. (MacDonald, 1/21)
Los Angeles Times:
California Schools Can Act As COVID-19 Vaccine Centers
Schools can be used as COVID-19 vaccine centers under new state guidelines, but they’ll have to apply to health authorities for the role — and the more pressing issue is the shortage of doses, not the lack of inoculation sites. The ability to use campuses for vaccinations has been the subject of an assertive push by local school officials, especially Los Angeles schools Supt. Austin Beutner, who made the issue a central focus of a briefing this week. (Blume, 1/21)
Los Angeles Times:
Orange County To Open Second Mass COVID-19 Vaccination Site
Orange County’s second large-scale COVID-19 vaccination site will open at Soka University in Aliso Viejo on Saturday as officials continue their efforts to ramp up inoculations despite ongoing supply issues. The announcement comes a week after the county launched its first vaccination center at Disneyland in Anaheim. (Fry, 1/21)
AP:
It's A Secret: California Keeps Key Virus Data From Public
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has from the start said his coronavirus policy decisions would be driven by data shared with the public to provide maximum transparency. But with the state starting to emerge from its worst surge, his administration won’t disclose key information that will help determine when his latest stay-at-home order is lifted. State officials said they rely on a very complex set of measurements that would confuse and potentially mislead the public if they were made public. (Thompson, 1/22)
Los Angeles Times:
Coronavirus Variant Found In Denmark Is Increasingly Common In Northern California
A strain of coronavirus first identified in Denmark is becoming increasingly common in hospitals and jails in Northern California and the Bay Area, according to the state’s Department of Public Health. The variant, L452R was identified in viral genomic sequencing of outbreaks, including one that began Christmas Day in Kaiser’s San Jose Medical Center that infected 15 patients and at least 74 staffers. One Kaiser staffer has died. Ten of the infected people were found to have the variant, according to a Kaiser spokeswoman. The variant was also found in some patients in several large outbreaks where the rate of infection among those who were exposed was very high, according to a Santa Clara County Public Health Department news release. (Logan, 1/21)
Los Angeles Times:
California Sees Record-Breaking COVID-19 Deaths In Winter Surge
California is continuing to see record-breaking deaths from COVID-19, a lagging indicator of the winter surge that is coming even as overall coronavirus cases and hospitalizations have flattened and started to slightly decline. The state broke the record Thursday for most COVID-19 deaths in a single day: 736, surpassing the mark set on Jan. 15, when 700 deaths were reported. California is still averaging about 500 deaths a day over the past week, one of the worst such figures of the pandemic, but slightly lower than a week ago, when the state was averaging 534 deaths a day. (Lin II and Money, 1/22)
Los Angeles Times:
Chance Of COVID Death In The Hospital Doubles Amid L.A. Surge
The chances that a person hospitalized for COVID-19 will die in Los Angeles County have doubled in recent months. That’s according to an analysis released Wednesday by the county’s Department of Health Services, which found that the probability someone will die of the disease while hospitalized increased from about 1 in 8 in September and October to roughly 1 in 4 since early November. Those increased odds coincide with a devastating spike in L.A. County’s death toll. In early November, when the current coronavirus surge began, there were fewer than 20 COVID-19 deaths per day, on average. But over the weeklong period that ended Wednesday, there were roughly 206 deaths reported each day, according to data compiled by The Times. (Lin II and Money, 1/21)
Capital & Main:
As Los Angeles COVID Vaccines Roll Out, Black And Latino Cases Surge
To no one’s surprise, California’s patchwork approach to distributing and administering COVID-19 vaccines has been chaotic. Statements from the governor’s office are countered by local health officials, sometimes almost immediately. Clinics and providers scramble to learn how many doses they’ll be allocated and when those will arrive, and patients may wait on hold for hours to schedule an appointment. The Trump administration’s abdication of federal responsibility has exacted a heavy toll, while the state’s inability to contain the virus suggests that even a smooth vaccination process would cover only so much of the damage. Through it all, though, some truths have remained maddeningly consistent. And as the latest information out of virus-ravaged Los Angeles County makes clear, those truths aren’t going to change – so vaccine policy will need to. (Kreidler, 1/21)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Coronavirus Resurgence In Sonoma County Outruns Contact Tracers
Last summer, before coronavirus transmission became widespread throughout the community, a nimble platoon of dozens of public health workers jumped on every new case detected in Sonoma County. Some 70 so-called contact tracers tracked viral spread in neighborhoods, vineyards, factories and day care centers. They called people who were infected and put together lists of all their potential close contacts, advised residents how to quarantine and isolate and conducted testing of those exposed to the highly contagious infectious disease. (Espinoza, 1/21)
Stat:
Eli Lilly Says Its Monoclonal Antibody Prevented Covid-19 In Clinical Trial
Eli Lilly said Thursday that its monoclonal antibody prevented Covid-19 infections in nursing home residents and staff in a clinical trial, the first time such a treatment has been shown to prevent infection. Lilly released the results in a press release, although it said that it would publish the data in a research paper as quickly as possible. (Herper, 1/21)
LA Daily News:
‘A Lot Of Us Are Going To Have PTSD.’ Fatigue, Burnout, Exhaustion Plague Hospital Staffs During COVID Surge
When Ruth Godde hooks up her patients to a ventilator at Antelope Valley Hospital, sometimes they grab her arm and ask if they are going to make it. “You can’t with assurance say ‘yes’ to them, but you don’t want them to be more stressed than they already are, so we say, ‘We’re doing this to save you,’ ” she said. “But you realize as you’re incubating them the chances are they might not make it. In several instances, they don’t. ”As the COVID case count surges across Southern California, medical workers report burnout, fatigue and exhaustion as they scramble to save their patients’ lives. (Grigoryants, 1/22)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
San Diego Neighbors Prepare Care Packages For Paradise Valley Health Workers
A group of residents in southeastern San Diego is gathering small tokens of appreciation to give to San Diego’s health care workers, who have been at the forefront of the pandemic. Paradise Hills residents plan to distribute at least 100 gift bags to employees at Paradise Valley Hospital in early February. The bags include hygiene products, snacks, gum and hair accessories. (Lopez-Villafana, 1/22)
San Francisco Chronicle:
UCSF Gets State Regents’ OK For Massive Rebuild Of Parnassus Campus
UCSF’s “modernization plan” for its Parnassus Heights campus got the go-ahead from the University of California Board of Regents on Thursday. The $3 billion, 30-year project includes a new hospital and research facilities as well as 1,200 units of housing for students and faculty. The vote sets the stage for a massive construction project — the biggest of its kind in San Francisco’s history — that will transform the historic health care campus that sits atop Parnassus Heights. The project will include the replacement of the 70-year-old Moffitt Hospital, which does not meet the state’s seismic code and must be decommissioned for inpatient care by 2030, the same time the new hospital is scheduled to open. (Dineen, 1/21)
Orange County Register:
UC Irvine Plans $1 Billion, Campus-Adjacent Medical Complex With 144-Bed Hospital
UC Regents on Thursday, Jan. 21, approved a $1 billion medical complex with a 144-bed hospital next to UC Irvine’s main campus. Their approval clears the way for the university and its medical arm to get started on UC Irvine Medical Center Irvine-Newport, a multi-building complex that will offer specialty care in oncology, neurosciences, children’s health and other areas. It will not replace the large medical center the university operates in Orange. (Robinson, 1/21)
AP:
FDA Approves 1st Long-Acting HIV Drug Combo, Monthly Shots
U.S. regulators have approved the first long-acting drug combo for HIV, monthly shots that can replace the daily pills now used to control infection with the AIDS virus. Thursday’s approval of the two-shot combo called Cabenuva is expected to make it easier for people to stay on track with their HIV medicines and to do so with more privacy. It’s a huge change from not long ago, when patients had to take multiple pills several times a day, carefully timed around meals. (Marchione, 1/21)
Stat:
FDA Approves First Long-Acting Injectable To Treat HIV Infection
In a move that could transform HIV treatment, the Food and Drug Administration has approved a monthly injectable medication, a regimen designed to rival pills that must be taken daily. The newly approved medicine, which is called Cabenuva, represents a significant advance in treating what continues to be a highly infectious disease. (Silverman, 1/21)
Sacramento Bee:
New CA Bill Requires Employers To Offer Bereavement Leave
Large California employers would be required to provide up to 10 days of unpaid bereavement leave under a bill currently being considered by the Legislature. The bill, Assembly Bill 95, authored by Assemblyman Evan Low, D-Cupertino, requires employers with 25 or more employees to offer 10 days of bereavement leave to employees whose spouse, child, parent, sibling, grandparent, grandchild or domestic partner has died. The bill requires smaller employers to provide up to three days of bereavement leave. (Sheeler, 1/22)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Veterans Sought For Traumatic Brain Injury Research
Veterans are sought to participate in a Veterans Affairs research study on factors that contribute to headaches and neck pain in veterans with mild traumatic brain injury, aka TBI. Results of the study are intended to help researchers better understand the reasons for headaches and neck pain after TBI and may lead to improved treatment. The study is open to veterans ages 18-55 who have had TBI. (McIntosh, 1/21)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Mayor Breed Was Set To Open 1,000 Shelter Beds For S.F.’s Homeless. Then The Pandemic Hit
In October 2018, Mayor London Breed announced an ambitious goal she said was key to addressing San Francisco’s swelling homeless population: open 1,000 shelter beds throughout the city by 2021. By January 2020, she was on track to meet — and even exceed — that goal. But that was before the pandemic, before the economic turmoil and before the city had to rehash its response to sheltering its most vulnerable. A new Navigation Center will open in the Bayview district on Monday, but Breed is still short of her goal by about 200 beds. At the same time, the pandemic forced the city to thin out its existing shelters to allow for social distancing. It also prompted officials to quickly shelter thousands in new ways: sanctioned tent sites, downtown hotel rooms and trailers on empty lots. (Thadani, 1/21)
Los Angeles Times:
Finally, A President With A COVID Plan
If there is a single day that marks the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S., it would be Jan. 21, 2020, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that it had confirmed the first case of the novel coronavirus on American soil. The following day, President Trump, who was attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, brushed off the threat from the then-unnamed virus with the type of willful carelessness that defined his government’s approach to the pandemic that would soon rear its ugly head. “It’s one person coming in from China,” he told CNBC. “We have it under control. It’s going to be just fine.” (1/22)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Incoming HHS Secretary Becerra Will Be A Champion For Whistle-Blowers
Most are applauding Xavier Becerra as President-elect Joe Biden’s choice to run the U.S Health and Human Services. This is the agency — with nearly $1.3 trillion at its disposal — that oversees the safety of our drugs (through the Food and Drug Administration), deals with outbreaks and pandemics (through Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), and administers Medicare and Medicaid. It is at the epicenter of ensuring our ultimate public health and safety. No easy task, especially these days. But there is another key attribute of this regulatory body that perhaps even further separates it from its sister agencies. It is a magnet for fraud. Billions of dollars a year of it. And surely to grow larger as the trillions in COVID relief snake through the system into the hands of those who would put profit before patient well-being. (Gordon Schnell and Max Voldman, 1/20)
Sacramento Bee:
CA Must Address COVID Vaccine Fears Of Black & Latino People
Healthcare workers who were granted top-priority access to the COVID-19 vaccine are declining it even though we had assumed they all would want it. Recent surveys have shown that frontline workers’ skepticism toward COVID-19 vaccinations is now comparable to the population at large, with approximately 20% to 40% of Los Angeles county’s healthcare workforce declining the vaccine. Building trust and providing information about vaccines is critical to mitigating gaps in vaccination acceptance. Numerous community organizations have taken it upon themselves to organize town halls and information sessions to educate the public and address concerns about the vaccine, but they cannot accomplish this alone. We need a strategic plan that will amplify the voices of community leaders and increase their visibility on the frontlines of vaccine education. (Daniel Turner-Lloveras and Violeta Osegueda, 1/21)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
As Seniors, Our Risk For COVID-19 Is High But Our Chances Of Conveniently Getting A Vaccine Are Low
Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States back in late February, I’ve watched as many people have limited their social gatherings, placed their gym memberships on hold and began working from home. Local restaurants have shuttered their doors — reopened with modifications — and closed down again. Some reopened for delivery and takeout. Others never will. However, not much has changed for me. (Walter Wickens, 1/20)
California Health Report:
Vaccines Are Coming. What Can We Do Until Then?
Just weeks ago, in the final days of 2020 as the pandemic surged across the U.S., health care workers like me finally saw a glimmer of hope in the dark winter as we received the first of two doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine. I felt relief as I received my shot. After months of relentless pandemic care on the front line, we have finally received a vital tool in the fight against COVID-19 that will help California return to some normalcy over the coming months. But this moment of hope has been dampened by reckless misinformation around the vaccines. Despite the fact that both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have shown to be over 90 percent effective in clinical trials, with a miniscule risk of any severe side effects, still nearly 40 percent of Americans say they won’t get the vaccine. This number is disheartening, considering that Dr. Anthony Fauci has estimated that up to 85 percent need to be vaccinated for true herd immunity. Without widespread confidence in the vaccines, the coronavirus could stick around for years to come. (Dr. Adam Dougherty, 1/21)
San Francisco Chronicle:
How COVID Pandemic Is Reshaping Rituals Of Death And The Way We Mourn
So ingrained is the family death vigil that during the Civil War, dying soldiers sometimes pulled out family photographs to create it in their imaginations. Today, while families cry on sidewalks, thousands die of COVID attended only by nurses and aides holding iPads and dressed in hazmat suits. Just as visceral is our unspoken promise to handle the bodies of the dead with reverence. In the powerful Greek tragedy, Antigone refuses to leave her disgraced brother’s body to be “chewed up by birds and dogs and violated.” Now, during COVID surges, the dead are stacked in refrigerator trucks. (Katy Butler, 1/17)
Los Angeles Times:
How L.A.’s Stratospheric Housing Costs Help Fuel COVID Spread
In 1991, poring over an analysis of newly released data from the previous year’s census, I came across a startling statistic: The most densely populated census tract in the United States wasn’t some Manhattan neighborhood of high-rise apartments. It was right here in Los Angeles, in the neighborhood centered on MacArthur Park, a mile or so west of downtown. Could that be true? (Harold Meyerson, 1/22)