Californians Must Wear Masks At Work Unless Everyone Is Vaccinated: If anyone in a workplace is unvaccinated, all colleagues must wear masks when in the same room, according to a new state workplace standard passed Thursday. The standards board for Cal/OSHA said it considers the measure temporary and will act quickly to craft a replacement. Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle, Bay Area News Group, Los Angeles Times and San Diego Union-Tribune.
First Drawing For Vaccine Lottery Is Today: The first "Vax for the Win" drawing is set for today, June 4, when 15 people will be awarded $50,000. Another $50,000 will be handed out to 15 more people June 11. The big prize will be announced June 15 when 10 people will each walk away with $1.5 million. Read more from KABC, KCRA, Bay Area News Group 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:
L.A. County To Close Mass COVID-19 Vaccination Sites
Amid a decline in demand for the COVID-19 vaccine, Los Angeles County will soon close four large-scale vaccination sites and replace them with smaller ones, officials said Thursday. On Monday, the county will close the Cal State Northridge site. People who received their first dose there have appointments to get their second dose at the nearby Balboa Sports Complex. (Miller, 6/3)
Los Angeles Daily News:
LA County Will Close Large Coronavirus Vaccine Sites, Transition To Smaller Locations
In another sign of reduced demand for COVID-19 vaccinations, Los Angeles County announced on Thursday, June 3 it will close its four large-scale vaccine sites in coming weeks and transition them to smaller, community sites. “We remain committed on getting vaccine into neighborhoods where we can continue to reach people who may have limited ability or time to get to large vaccination sites,” according to a statement from the county Department of Public Health. (6/3)
Los Angeles Times:
Busted: 3 Dangerous Social-Media Myths About COVID Vaccines
Some COVID-19 vaccine myths are outrageously false. Yet they spread like wildfire on social media and can play a role in persuading some people to hold off on getting a shot. Some of the people writing or spreading the myths are trying to attract attention or profit off of peddling lies, says Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer. One spreader of myths earned more than $34,000 in donations off their Facebook page, she said. (Lin II, 6/3)
CalMatters:
California Extends Outdoor Dining, To-Go Drinks Through Dec. 31
Even as the state prepares to lift coronavirus restrictions on June 15, some changes such as outdoor dining and to-go drinks will likely remain in many California cities. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced pandemic extensions through Dec. 31. (Green, 6/3)
Los Angeles Times:
California Extends Ability For Restaurants To Serve Alcohol Outdoors, For Delivery And To-Go
In a boost for the struggling dining industry, California is extending the ability of restaurants and bars to serve alcoholic drinks in outdoor dining areas, for delivery and to-go through the rest of the year, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday. Through Dec. 31, restaurants, bars, breweries and wineries can continue to serve alcoholic drinks in areas like sidewalks and parking lots, where businesses have set up tables during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Lin II and Money, 6/3)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Gavin Newsom On Outdoor Dining Parklets: 'We Don't Want To Go Back To Normal'
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control will extend its regulatory relief allowing cocktails to go from its current expiration date to the end of 2021 in an effort to help struggling bars and restaurants. At a news conference at Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant on Geary Boulevard in San Francisco’s Richmond District, Newsom also announced that he’d like to see restaurant parklets made permanent. (Whiting, 6/3)
Southern California News Group:
Coronavirus Tracker: California Reported 958 New Cases And 41 New Deaths June 2
In California, 958 new cases of the coronavirus were reported Wednesday, June 2, according to end-of-day totals on public health websites, bringing the total number of cases so far to 3,764,093. There were 41 new deaths reported statewide Wednesday, for a total of 62,994 people who have died from COVID-19. The state reported 32 more hospitalizations from the previous day, increasing the total hospitalizations of those infected with the coronavirus to 1,362. (Goertzen, 6/4)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Kern Public Health Reports 64 New Coronavirus Cases Thursday
Kern County Public Health Services reported 64 new coronavirus cases Thursday morning, and no new deaths. That brings the county's case count since the pandemic began to 110,252. There have been 1,394 deaths. Public Health reports that 39,555 people have recovered from the illness, and 68,141 people are presumed to have recovered. (6/3)
VC Star:
COVID-19 Cases Continue To Decline In Ventura County Schools
Ventura County K-12 schools reported 20 COVID-19 cases among students and staff in May, officials said. Private schools reported two cases, while public schools reported 18, according to Ventura County spokesperson Ashley Bautista. Five of the cases were staff members — one at a private school, and the rest at public schools. The rest were student cases, with one at a private school and 14 at public. (Patel, 6/3)
Bay Area News Group:
South Bay Movie Theaters Are Back, But Where Are The Audiences?
With theaters reopening, movies like “A Quiet Place Part II” are setting box-office records for post-pandemic lockdown releases. And the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Los Angeles posted last week about being sold out for the first time through the entire weekend. But in Silicon Valley, movie audiences have been much slower to return — even with COVID-19 vaccination numbers up and theaters cleaning auditoriums and installing new ventilation systems. Shannon Guggenheim of 3Below Theatres, the only movie theater in downtown San Jose, is puzzled by the lack of business. (Pizarro, 6/3)
AP:
FDA Warns Doctors To Stop Using Heart Pump Tied To Deaths
U.S. health regulators warned surgeons Thursday to stop implanting a heart pump made by Medtronic due to power failures recently tied to cases of stroke and more than a dozen deaths. Medtronic said earlier in the day it would stop selling its Heartware assist device, which is intended to boost blood circulation in patients with heart failure. Recent company data showed the device can unexpectedly stop working and sometimes fail to restart, the Food and Drug Administration said. The company said it hasn’t been able to pinpoint the root cause in every case. (Perrone, 6/3)
Los Angeles Times:
Healthcare Worker Bonuses Fizzle In California Legislature
California Assembly members declined Thursday to vote on a bill that would have awarded “hero pay” to healthcare workers who helped steer the state through the pandemic, effectively killing the $7-billion effort for the year. Assembly Bill 650 by Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi (D-Rolling Hills Estates) would have required hospitals, clinics and skilled nursing facilities to pay medical professionals $10,000, with smaller bonuses for those who work part time. (Gutierrez, 6/3)
Stat:
Drug Prevents Return Of Breast Cancer Caused By BRCA Mutations
Lynparza, a cancer-fighting pill marketed by AstraZeneca and Merck, reduced the risk that breast cancer would return in an invasive form when it was given for a year to patients who carried cancer-causing variants of the BRCA gene. The companies had reported that the study stopped early in February, but the actual results, released on Thursday, are striking, and several experts said they were likely to change treatment for people with aggressive breast cancer caused by genes they have inherited. The full results are being presented this weekend at the annual virtual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. They are also being published in the New England Journal of Medicine. (Herper, 6/3)
The Wall Street Journal:
Breast-Cancer Pill Reduced Recurrence, Death In Early-Stage Patients, Study Finds
The finding, which on Thursday was published online by the New England Journal of Medicine and released at a major cancer-research meeting, marked the latest advance in cancer treatments targeting the genetic traits of tumors. It could expand the arsenal of weapons against a hereditary form of breast cancer. The result also helps validate the pharmaceutical industry’s investment in a pricey new class of drugs that target cancer cells, known as PARP inhibitors. (Loftus, 6/3)
Axios:
Breast Cancer Leads Cancer Causes Of Death Among Latinas
The most common cancer diagnosed among U.S. Latinas is breast cancer, and it's their leading cause of cancer-related death, research published in the journal Cancer Control found. Why it matters: "While they are less likely to get breast cancer than other ethnic groups, Hispanic women who are diagnosed are 20% more likely than white women to die from the disease," the Baltimore Sun writes. (Gonzalez, 6/3)
AP:
'Next Big Wave': Radiation Drugs Track And Kill Cancer Cells
Doctors are reporting improved survival in men with advanced prostate cancer from an experimental drug that delivers radiation directly to tumor cells. Few such drugs are approved now, but the approach may become a new way to treat patients with other hard-to-reach or inoperable cancers. The study tested an emerging class of medicine called radiopharmaceuticals, drugs that deliver radiation directly to cancer cells. The drug in this case is a molecule that contains two parts: a tracker and a cancer-killing payload. (Johnson, 6/3)
Stat:
For First Time, Keytruda After Surgery Shows Benefit In Early Kidney Cancer
Merck said Thursday that giving its drug Keytruda immediately after surgery significantly reduced the risk of relapse of kidney cancer in patients who had their tumors removed. The new clinical trial results make Keytruda the first immunotherapy to show a benefit for this early stage of kidney cancer treatment called the adjuvant setting. Currently, the class of drugs called checkpoint inhibitors are used for patients with more advanced kidney cancer — after it has recurred and spread to other parts of the body. (Feuerstein, 6/3)
Fox News:
HIV Incidence Down 73% Since 1980s Peak, CDC Estimates
HIV incidence, or yearly new infections, in the U.S has declined about 73% since peaks in the mid-1980s, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The report released Thursday resulted from modeling applied to data in the National HIV Surveillance System to determine the number of new annual HIV infections from 1981 to 2019. The agency estimated 2.2 million new HIV infections during the decades-long study period, with about 1.2 million Americans living with HIV infection in 2019. (Rivas, 6/3)
Axios:
Fauci: Ending AIDS Epidemic By 2030 May Be Achievable
NIAID director Anthony Fauci is aiming to curb another epidemic: 40 years of HIV, a virus that has remained elusive to a vaccine. About 1.2 million people in America are living with HIV, but Fauci tells Axios the goal of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 may be achievable. (O'Reilly, 6/3)
The Bakersfield Californian:
CSUB Announces New Degree Program To Train Sought After Public Health Professionals
When it comes to health, Kern County typically tops the wrong lists, with many residents suffering from chronic issues such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. And there's another problem: when Kern County Public Health Services or another entity looks to hire public health professionals, they have to recruit outside the area. (Gallegos, 6/3)
KGO-TV:
Grieving Husband Tries To Donate Expensive Leftover Breast Cancer Drug, But No One Will Let Him
Ed Casaccia's wife Maggie died three weeks ago from breast cancer. He has an unopened box of 21 tablets of her cancer drugs, which he estimates cost $24,000 without insurance. He wants to give the medication to someone who needs it, but that task has proven impossible. ... His dilemma is familiar to that of State Sen. Susan Rubio (D-Baldwin Park), whose grandfather died of cancer. The San Gabriel Valley lawmaker has authored Senate Bill 310 that would launch a pilot program to allow unused cancer drugs to be recycled. As with many proposed bills, it has been amended to gain support. It also addresses liability issues. (Louie, 6/3)
Los Angeles Times:
Heat Sets Records In Inland California As Coasts Stay Cool
A heat wave swept through California’s Central and Sacramento valleys this week, setting temperature records and prompting heat advisories, even as coastal regions remained temperate. The thermometer spike from Fresno to Sacramento was spurred by a high-pressure area in the form of a warm dome of air that formed over the Pacific Ocean and pushed inland over the state, according to the National Weather Service. (Seidman, 6/3)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Why June 15 Might Be Too Soon For California To Toss Its COVID Rule Book
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s vow to scrap his color-coded coronavirus closures and fully reopen California was a political and public health gamble that to some extent seems to be paying off. COVID infections are down statewide, vaccinations are up and the campaign to recall the governor is in disarray. But while the Bay Area and Southern California are enjoying their lowest infection and hospitalization rates in over a year, pockets of relatively sparse vaccination and mounting transmission raise doubts about the wisdom of signaling that the pandemic era has passed. (6/1)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
The Pandemic Should Give Us All Empathy For San Diego's Lonely And Isolated Older Residents
You may have heard about a “double pandemic” our nation is facing: COVID-19 and social isolation. People aged 65 and older are at a higher risk for serious illness and death from coronavirus. They’re also much more likely to be socially isolated and at risk from the crippling health effects of loneliness. But this double pandemic isn’t just restricted to seniors. Thanks to coronavirus restrictions and precautions, all of us have now experienced the feelings of vulnerability and isolation that far too many older adults faced even pre-pandemic. (Simona Valanciute, 6/1)
Los Angeles Times:
COVID-19 Emergency Isn't Over For Vulnerable Renters
Since 2004, my family and I have rented one unit of a prewar duplex in Mid-City Los Angeles. It’s a building I adore, especially the accents and the details: the ziggurat motifs that top the doorways, the enclosed garden in the front. I also love the neighborhood. Over the last 17 years, I have walked and talked and let myself be known here. I have written about it as home territory. I have become part of a community. Now, however, we might have to leave. The building is for sale, and our landlady, who has lived above us for all the time we’ve been here, is moving out. It’s possible that whoever buys it will have plans for both units that don’t include us. (David L. Ulin, 6/4)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Landlords Are Getting Around California's Eviction Moratorium With Harassment
California renters are in trouble, and the clock is ticking to help them. The state’s emergency eviction protections and rental assistance program will expire at the end of the month. An extension is critical. California may be reopening, but the economic devastation COVID brought on working renters is going to linger for some time. If we want to keep families who are unable to pay rent due to the pandemic in their homes, we need to give them more time to recover. That said, even an extension of the state’s moratorium won’t be enough to protect tenants from an increasingly common tool of extralegal eviction: Landlord harassment. (Debra Ballinger and Monique Berlanga, 6/3)
Los Angeles Times:
Beach Apartments For The Homeless? Venice Residents Are Leery
Venice Beach, where I live, is on edge these days.Next to downtown’s skid row, Venice has the largest population of unhoused people — an estimated 2,000 in three square miles. Their presence has become more visible over the last year because of the city’s decision not to enforce codes that forbid camping on sidewalks during the pandemic. (Robin Abcarian, 6/2)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
San Diego Students Struggled During The Pandemic. The Stakes Are High For The Upcoming School Year.
Learning loss was to be expected, but statistics released Tuesday by the San Diego Unified School District showed just how much education had deteriorated in the state’s second-largest school district 15 months after pandemic shutdowns forced classrooms to close. The number of chronically absent students nearly doubled from last school year, going from 8 percent to 14 percent. Grades got somewhat worse for elementary students and significantly worse for middle and high school students. Black, Latino and English learner students and students with disabilities struggled in particular. Area Superintendent Bruce Bivins said pointedly at Tuesday’s board meeting that the data “means that our system is failing our students.” (6/3)
San Francisco Chronicle:
COVID Vaccine Distribution Failed Older Black Americans. Here's Why
COVID-19 causes disproportionately higher mortality rates in senior citizens and in the Black population. When combined, these two factors mean that older, Black Americans are arguably the most vulnerable group in America to the virus. And yet plans for distributing vaccine information and administering shots often failed to take into consideration how low-income older Black adults get their information. Regular mail, for example, is a far more reliable way to reach this demographic than the internet. (Cindy Cox-Roman and Karyne Jones, 6/1)
The Mercury News:
We Can't Ignore Link Between Mass Shootings, Domestic Abuse
“Nature is healing” was the mantra in the early lockdown months. It was a small silver lining to be found in COVID-19’s dark cloud, a temporary benefit of an unfortunate circumstance. The skies cleared, animal and plant life thrived. I made peace with the fact that these benefits wouldn’t last past the lockdowns’ lifting. But when it came to the mass shooting events that seemed to largely fade from sight, I dreaded what a “return to normal” looked like. (Eugene Hyman, 6/3)
Los Angeles Times:
Naomi Osaka's Withdrawal From The French Open Was A Stand For Disability Rights
When Naomi Osaka exited the French Open this week, the tennis champion wasn’t just shielding herself; she was defending her rights as a disabled person. She may not have put it that way. But Osaka is a perfect example of how one can be both able-bodied and disabled. Under the Americans With Disabilities Act, emotional and psychiatric impairments such as depression and anxiety are disabilities. If you’re treated unfairly in a public place or employment situation because of these impairments, you have a valid discrimination suit. Of course, the French Open is not within the ADA’s jurisdiction. But if it were, the French Open, along with the Women’s Tennis Assn. and the International Tennis Federation, could be liable for failing to make a reasonable accommodation for Osaka’s emotional needs. (Ben Mattlin, 6/3)