San Diego Union-Tribune: COVID-19 Numbers 26 Times Higher Than Going Into Last Memorial Day Weekend 
San Diego County’s latest coronavirus numbers show that a person’s chances of getting infected this Memorial Day weekend will be much greater than they were one year ago. Daily case counts updated Thursday afternoon show that there were 1,897 new cases reported Wednesday, nearly 26 times the 73 reported on the same day in 2021. COVID-19-related hospitalizations are also increasing, though at a much slower pace than was the case during the Delta variant surge last summer. (Sisson, 5/26)

East Bay Times: California Schools Try To Outrace COVID Outbreaks 
A fourth-grade camping trip led to one outbreak, a high school prom to another. But even with covid cases rising as schools head into the final stretch of the academic year, most California districts have not moved toward reinstating mask mandates. That stance has left many parents confused and concerned as they witness or hear about covid outbreaks among students after field trips and proms. (Bertolone, 5/26)

Marin Independent Journal: State Honors Marin School District For Pandemic Response
In the fall of 2020, when most Marin school districts were still in remote instruction mode because of the pandemic, the Sausalito Marin City School District was the first to reopen for classroom learning. The district, which received a waiver from the state to reopen its elementary grades, ended up having 176 student days during that year — the most of any in Marin, according to the Marin County Civil Grand Jury. (Brennan, 5/27)

Bloomberg: CDC Plans To Stop Reporting Suspected Covid Cases To Ease Burden
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans to simplify the Covid-19 hospital data it collects as the demands of the pandemic evolve and some assembled information has become outdated or redundant. The agency is likely to stop collecting data from hospitals on suspected Covid cases that haven’t been confirmed by tests, for example, and may also wind down federal reporting from rehabilitation and mental health facilities that aren’t major intake points for virus cases, according to a draft of the plan that was viewed by Bloomberg News. (Griffin and Armstrong, 5/26)

USNI News: Navy Separates More Than A 1,000 Sailors For COVID-19 Vaccine Refusal 
The Navy exceeded 1,000 separations due to sailors’ continued refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The service has now approved 1,074 separations for sailors who will not get vaccinated against COVID-19 and do not have a waiver, according to the sea service’s weekly update. The Navy cannot currently separate anyone who applied for a religious exemption due to a ruling in a federal lawsuit. (Mongilio, 5/26)

Los Angeles Daily News: Granada Hills Charter High Bars Unvaccinated Students From In-Person Graduation
Having attended Granada Hills Charter High School for four years, after months of remote learning due to COVID-19 school closures, Andrew Luna was finally looking forward to a more normal senior year to close out high school. But last fall the school informed families that beginning in the second semester, students 12 and older, with few exceptions, would not be allowed on campus if they didn’t get vaccinated against the coronavirus. For Luna and other unvaccinated students, that meant transferring to the school’s online independent study program. (Tat, 5/26)

The Mercury News: Why Omicron Shouldn't Be The Only Vaccine Recipe This Fall
New research by a team of San Francisco scientists is raising questions about the usefulness of a new omicron-specific COVID vaccine for next fall, as the virus quickly evolves and the risk of illness is likely to soar. The study, published in the journal Nature, offers growing evidence that federal policymakers must make a tough choice: Should today’s vaccine be changed – and, if so, how? (Krieger, 5/27)

The New York Times: White House Pushes To Get Paxlovid Pills In More Covid Patients’ Hands
White House officials said on Thursday that they were introducing new models for distributing Paxlovid, the Covid-19 oral medication made by Pfizer, in an effort to get the treatment to more people and keep coronavirus death rates relatively low even as cases increase. The federal government will start reimbursing a clinic in Providence, R.I., for evaluating patients who test positive and immediately prescribing Paxlovid to those eligible for it — the first of what the White House said would be a series of federally supported sites, with others set to open in New York and Illinois. Federal workers are also being sent to state-run testing sites in Minnesota, transforming them into “test-to-treat” locations, the White House said. (Weiland, 5/27)

Los Angeles Times: Monkeypox Outbreak Raises Fears Of Gay Stigmatization
As mysterious cases of a rare and ominously named virus began surfacing in Europe, Germany’s disease-control center quickly told people to be on the lookout. In a May 19 alert, the agency listed telltale symptoms of monkeypox: fever, aches, a rash. Then, in a further comment that set different alarm bells ringing, the bulletin pointedly warned men who have sex with men to “seek immediate medical attention” if they detect signs of the disease. (Kirschbaum and Chu, 5/26)

Stat: Officials Scramble To Raise Monkeypox Awareness Ahead Of Pride Month
Public health authorities are scrambling to raise awareness of the growing monkeypox outbreak in advance of this weekend’s start of Pride Month celebrations. In doing so, they are trying to strike a delicate balance — getting out the message that monkeypox may currently be a risk to men who have sex with men, without stigmatizing the community by linking them to a scary-sounding virus that can infect anyone in certain circumstances. (Branswell, 5/27)

NBC News: Nine Monkeypox Cases Identified In U.S.: What We Know About Each Of Them
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified nine cases of monkeypox across seven U.S. states, officials said Thursday: in California, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, Utah, Virginia and Washington. "The U.S. has the resources we need to help us respond to monkeypox in this country right now. We've been preparing for this type of outbreak for decades," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a briefing. (Bendix, 5/26)

Bloomberg: Treatments Are Being Sent to Nine Monkeypox Patients in US
The monkeypox outbreak in the US has expanded to include nine cases in seven states, senior health officials said Thursday, adding that the outbreak is expanding in countries where the virus does not normally circulate. Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the new monkeypox infections were found in Virginia, California and Washington state. Earlier this week, the agency said four cases had been identified in Massachusetts, Florida, Utah and New York. Some but not all of the US patients had recently traveled abroad. (Muller and Stein, 5/26)

Modesto Bee: Fact Check: Did Gun Deaths Drop In CA After Gun Control Laws?
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been an outspoken supporter of California’s strict gun control laws. At a press conference with legislative leaders Wednesday, he announced a package of gun control bills that he said will be fast-tracked through the Legislature so that he can sign them next month. He also offered a fiery criticism of federal judges, whom he called extremists, that pose a threat to California’s laws. (Sheeler, 5/27)

NBC News: ‘This Is Our Lane’: Doctors Speak Out Against Gun Violence After Texas School Shooting
Dr. Bindi Naik-Mathuria, a pediatric surgeon at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, knows what assault rifles can do to a child’s body. The damage, she said, is often insurmountable. “It’s not just the hole you see on the outside. It’s a huge blast effect,” Naik-Mathuria said. “You see completely shredded organs. Vessels are completely disrupted. There’s no way to salvage them. ”That’s why Naik-Mathuria is full-throatedly proclaiming that the issue of gun violence is “very much our lane.” “We have our hands inside these people, these children, trying to save them,” she said. “How can anyone tell us that it’s not our problem?” (Edwards, 5/26)

NBC News: Surgeon On Treating Texas Shooting Victims: 'Moment Of Crisis With Lifetime Of Impact'
Sitting in a quiet conference room, away from the chaos of the trauma unit at University Hospital [in San Antonio], Dr. Ronald Stewart paused and closed his eyes several times Thursday before choking back tears. “I feel so bad for those families,” he said, “and guilty, to some degree, that they don’t have their children and I do.” Stewart, senior trauma surgeon at University Hospital and the father of three adult children, was one of the doctors who treated the victims of Tuesday’s mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, where a gunman opened fire with a weapon of war, killing 19 children and two teachers. (Lozano, 5/26)

The Washington Post: How To Stay Up-To-Date On Terrible News Without Burning Out 
It’s important to stay informed, engaged and even outraged. But it’s also important to pay attention to our own limits and mental health by taking breaks, looking for signs of burnout, connecting with our families and consuming news in the smartest way possible. That means setting some ground rules for the main portal connecting us to nonstop tragedy: our phones. (Kelly, 5/25)

The Hill: Formula Shortage Won’t End Until July, FDA Chief Says 
The nation’s infant formula shortage likely won’t be fully resolved until late July, the head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) told senators Thursday. During a Senate Health Committee hearing, FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said it will take time to get to the point when store shelves are fully stocked but that eventually there will be a surplus. (Weixel, 5/26)

The Wall Street Journal: National Baby-Formula Stockpile Is Urged By FDA Commissioner 
Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf proposed a national stockpile of baby formula that authorities could tap to ease future shortages. Dr. Califf said in a hearing Thursday before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee that he expects recent government and private sector moves will produce a surplus of formula in about two months. (Whyte, 5/26)

Reuters: U.S. FDA Expands Collaboration With Danone To Boost Baby Formula Supply
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday it has expanded its collaboration with Danone's Nutricia business to boost supplies of specialized medical baby formula bottles to address its shortage among infants with certain allergies or critical health conditions. The health regulator said about 500,000 additional cans manufactured by Danone would be sent to the United States. (5/26)

AP: Baby Formula Shortage Highlights Racial Disparities 
As parents across the United States struggle to find formula to feed their children, the pain is particularly acute among Black and Hispanic women. Black women have historically faced obstacles to breastfeeding, including a lack of lactation support in the hospital, more pressure to formula feed and cultural roadblocks. It’s one of many inequalities for Black mothers : They are far more likely to die from pregnancy complications, and less likely to have their concerns about pain taken seriously by doctors. (Martin, Licon and Tang, 5/27)

inewsource: Swimming Classes Offered To Reduce Drownings In San Diego County
With the summer months approaching, San Diego County officials are providing funding to expand community water safety training, especially in communities of color, where swimming education is often lacking, officials say. Drowning is the number one cause of unintentional deaths for children ages 1-4, and the second leading cause of death for children under 14, according to information released earlier this month by San Diego County health officials. Drowning can be prevented through water safety education, swim instruction and learning how to provide CPR with rescue breathing. (Rochester, 5/26)

Modesto Bee: New Survey Looks At Caregiving Stress In Stanislaus County
A growing number of people are caregivers for loved ones, aging parents or spouses, but those in the middle-income range are not eligible for assistance through Medi-Cal or other social programs. Jeffrey Lewis, chief executive officer of the Legacy Health Endowment in Turlock, calls them the “forgotten middle.” They are typically families or individuals caring for older loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia or other disabling conditions and are paying out-of-pocket for the expenses. (Carlson, 5/26)

Los Angeles Times: Should Babies Sleep In Car Seats? Experts Explain The Risks
You’ve just pulled up to your home after a Saturday of running errands when you notice your baby is fast asleep in the car seat. Your only goal becomes keeping that baby napping. But should you remove the car seat, bring it in the house and allow your baby to continue sleeping in it? (Garcia, 5/27)

NPR: Jif Peanut Butter Recall: Other Companies' Products Contaminated By A Bad Batch
The Jif peanut butter recall has rapidly expanded in the past week and it now affects at least 69 other products. The cascading effect is due to the many companies who use the peanut butter in their own chocolates, peanut butter sandwiches and more. J.M. Smucker Co., Jif's parent company, issued the initial voluntary recall last week, after the Food and Drug Administration traced a salmonella outbreak to a manufacturing facility in Lexington, Ky. Almost every day since, other companies have issued their own recall notices, after confirming that their products also were affected. They range from fruit or veggie snack packs that include individually wrapped Jif cups to confections made with Jif peanut butter, including fudge and store-brand pies. (Chappell, 5/26)

San Francisco Chronicle: Here’s How Much San Francisco Has Spent Of $600 Million In Prop. C Money Slated For Homeless Services
San Francisco has only spent about a quarter of the funds it has available from a 2018 business tax that voters approved to make massive investments in homeless services. Though city leaders have budgeted well over half a billion dollars from Proposition C, so far, the city has doled out about $155 million, or 26% of the nearly $600 million. The Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing said the remaining funds have been earmarked for spending on various programs in the current fiscal year and next. (Morris, 5/27)

Modesto Bee: SB 1341 Guaranteed Income Would Go To CA High School Seniors
If a new senate bill passes, California high school seniors experiencing homelessness could get $1,000 a month in guaranteed income to help with the transition into adulthood. When Sen. Dave Cortese, D-San Jose, announced the idea of guaranteed basic income for college students in early 2022, he initially said the program might be targeted at students from families with the lowest incomes in the state at five colleges: Fresno State, Los Angeles, San Francisco State, CSU East Bay, and San Jose State. It would help bridge the gap between the actual cost of school and aid available to low-income students, such as Pell Grants, he said. (Panoo, 5/27)

Sacramento Bee: Sacramento Clears Homeless From Proposed Tiny Home Site
The city of Sacramento this month struck a deal to lease a vacant lot at no cost to an auto repair company before clearing the property of a substantial homeless encampment. It’s the second time this year that Sacramento reached an agreement to lease a property to a private entity that had complained about homeless camps before clearing a site of tents or vehicles. The company leasing the new property sued the city in January, alleging the city had allowed the encampment to become a public nuisance. (Clift, 5/26)

CapRadio: Sacramento County Is Exploring Plans For New Homeless Shelters. But Will They Ever Get Built?
Sacramento County has identified 16 locations for potential new homeless shelters, but whether they ever get built is an open question. Advocates for unhoused residents say they probably won’t due to strong community opposition and slow action by the county Board of Supervisors. Earlier this spring, county staff unveiled plans for building “safe stay communities” including tiny homes, sanctioned homeless parking areas and supportive services for homeless residents. The shelters are meant to help people transition from local encampments to longer-term housing. (Nichols, 5/27)

Los Angeles Times: America’s Gun Violence Problem Won’t Be Solved Until Firearm Owners Finally Understand It Must Be
I’ve owned guns since age 13 and for many years was an avid hunter. I get the attraction and why they’re enjoyed. But there’s something I’ve never gotten. I’ve never gotten why they’re worshiped like pagan idols by so many. Guns are so revered that many gun owners are obsessed with the fear that their weapons will be seized by the federal government, and they’ll be left alone in the world. In their minds, the feds stay awake at night plotting the mass confiscation of — what’s it up to now? — 400 million firearms, far more than the U.S. population. (George Skelton, 5/26)

Los Angeles Times: Can Any American Parent Honestly Say School Massacres Are ‘Unimaginable’? 
“Unimaginable” is a word that’s been thrown around a lot after 19 students, mostly fourth-graders, and two teachers were slaughtered Tuesday in Uvalde, Texas. Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick of Texas — all Republicans who have pushed to eliminate sensible gun regulations — use the word to convey their shock, shock that a lot of innocent people would end up dead in a country with more guns than people. (Paul Thornton, 5/26)

Sacramento Bee: We Need To See The Images Of Murdered Children To Understand The Toll Of Our Gun Obsession
I’m a gun owner. I own pistols, a rifle and shotguns. I’m not that into them, really, and haven’t fired any of them in probably 10 years. I also think I should have the right to own them, within some bounds of reason. At Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, 19 children and two adults were penned up like cattle and slaughtered with a military assault weapon by a mentally unstable 18-year-old. To call it horrific is an injustice to the innocent victims of an American gun culture devoid of reason. (Jack Ohman, 5/27)

Los Angeles Times: Texas School Shooting Leads To Same Tired Political Response 
Just another day in America. Mass shootings have become so common — along with the reflexive partisan response — we now assign them to specific subcategories: The ones that targeted Blacks, Latinos, Jews or people of Asian descent. The ones on college campuses. The ones in office buildings. It helps us more easily sort the carnage and show the depths of depravity. (Mark Z. Barabak, 5/25)

Los Angeles Times: A Latino On Latino Mass School Shooting In Uvalde. What Now? 
When I heard that a gunman had killed multiple schoolchildren in a predominantly Latino town in Texas, I immediately thought: white supremacist. How could I not? Just this month, a white man allegedly murdered 10 Black people in Buffalo, N.Y., while railing against Latino “replacers” in an online manifesto. (Gustavo Arellano, 5/25)

San Francisco Chronicle: Texas School Shooting Shows Us That Teachers Do Far More Than Educate, They Are Our Children’s Protectors
In 2011, a student on a field trip with my father, a high school history teacher, jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge. The field trip was part of a biannual tradition, in which he and his teaching partner took their class of 11th- and 12th-graders on a walk across the bridge and into San Francisco for a visit to a museum. The student survived, beating miraculous odds, and though it turned out he had done it as an act of thrill-seeking, his classmates and my father faced intense scrutiny over claims he had been goaded by the crowd. (Anna Kaufman, 5/25)

Los Angeles Times: Can California Afford To Be A Haven For Abortion? It Can't Afford Not To Be 
California has long been a safe harbor for reproductive rights. Abortion was legal here even before the 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe vs. Wade made the right to have the procedure constitutionally protected in this country. In the intervening half-century, California has guaranteed the right to an abortion through the second trimester — and later if the life of the pregnant person is endangered — without constraints. While other states were passing multiple restrictions on abortion, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a proclamation in 2019 inviting women to come to the state to “exercise their reproductive rights.” (5/26)

East Bay Times: Will Newsom Ever Call For Mandatory Water Cuts?
The problem with empty threats is, after a while, people just stop listening. When it comes to water usage, Gov. Gavin Newsom is learning that lesson the hard way. Newsom on Monday urged Californians to cut water consumption or face mandatory water restrictions as the state heads into its third summer of severe drought. (5/26)

Los Angeles Times: 'CARE Court' Is No Solution For Unhoused People In California 
Disturbingly, CARE Court would place Black and brown Californians disproportionately under more court control because discrimination in housing, lending, employment and healthcare has pushed these groups into high rates of houselessness — and because mental health professionals have disproportionately overdiagnosed these groups with schizophrenia and psychotic disorders. California needs to invest more resources in voluntary, community-based options such as permanent supportive housing and peer-led programs to help unhoused people with mental health disabilities and problematic substance use. Until these resources are made available separate from punitive court processes, Californians cannot expect to see real change. (Olivia Ensign and John Raphling, 5/27)

Modesto Bee: Mental Hospital Wait Costs Stanislaus Taxpayers $204,000 A Month
Jail is absolutely the wrong place for the mentally ill to get better. Everyone in the justice system knows it. You know it, too. It’s intuitive. Attorneys on both sides of Tyree Penny’s assault case knew it. So did the judge, who ordered the 26-year-old Modesto man transferred to the state hospital in Napa, where he might get proper treatment pending legal proceedings, more than six months ago. (Stapley, 5/27)