Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Leader of California’s Muscular Obamacare Exchange to Step Down
Peter Lee helped create Covered California, which has been lauded as a national example among the Affordable Care Act’s insurance marketplaces, and he fiercely opposed Republican efforts to repeal the federal health reform law. (Bernard J. Wolfson and Angela Hart, )
Struggling Renters May Lose Out On Millions Of Dollars In Help: California must step up its effort to distribute federal funds to renters struggling financially because of the covid-19 pandemic or the state risks forfeiting millions of dollars in assistance, the state auditor warned Thursday. Read more from the Los Angeles Times and The Hill. And KQED offers some options if you've lost your federal unemployment benefits.
At LA. Schools, Covid-Safety Measures Appear To Be Working: The early weeks of fully opened Los Angeles County schools have coincided with declining pediatric coronavirus cases, the first indication campuses are generally operating safely without a troubling number of outbreaks. Public health officials on Thursday also announced a change in quarantine rules for unvaccinated students. Read more from the Los Angeles Times, Bay Area News Group and 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
ABC News:
What To Expect As FDA Advisory Panel Debates Pfizer COVID Booster Shots
The Food and Drug Administration's independent advisory committee will convene in open session Friday to review the latest data submitted by Pfizer and discuss whether a booster dose is safe enough for widespread use and whether it's necessary and effective at improving protection levels against COVID-19. Their vote will be non-binding -- the FDA is not required to follow the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee's (VRBPAC) recommendations -- but they generally do so. (Pezenik, 9/17)
Stat:
Tracking The FDA Advisory Panel Meeting On Covid-19 Booster Shots
Do most Americans already need Covid-19 booster shots, or at least will they soon? Those questions have been hotly debated in the public square over the past few weeks. But today, they’ll be debated in a formal setting where the discussion may affect whether the Biden administration carries through on an announced plan to offer adults booster jabs several months after they received their second shot of vaccine. (Branswell and Herper, 9/17)
CIDRAP:
Studies Show Good COVID Booster Effect, Waning 2nd-Dose Protection
Several new studies on the Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA COVID-19 vaccine describe good effectiveness against the Delta (B1617.2) variant after a booster dose and high but waning protection against infection and severe illness 6 months after the second dose. Other, much smaller, studies demonstrated the safety of third mRNA vaccine doses. And a new British study on waning two-dose effectiveness coincides with the recent decision by UK officials to recommend booster doses. (Van Beusekom, 9/16)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. County Sees Big Drops In COVID Cases, Hospitalizations
Los Angeles County continues to see improvement in weekly COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. About a month ago, the county was averaging more than 3,400 new coronavirus infections a day over a one-week period. But as of Tuesday, according to a Times analysis of state data, L.A. County was averaging fewer than 1,800 cases a day, a 48% decline. (Lin II, 9/16)
The Washington Post:
California Is Seeing Covid-19 Cases Drop. Has The State Turned The Tide On The Delta Variant?
The delta variant of the coronavirus roared into California midsummer, striking hard even in places where many people were vaccinated. Cases spiked. Hospitals again began to swell with patients. The daily death toll climbed into the triple digits for the first time in months. But after a season in which the highly transmissible variant wreaked havoc on the nation, California is reporting sustained progress against delta. (Hawkins and Dupree, 9/16)
The New York Times:
Why California Has One Of The Lowest Covid-19 Rates In The Nation
Here’s some good news to start your morning: California has less Covid-19 transmission than any state in the country. That’s according to federal officials, who on Wednesday ranked the state’s current coronavirus case rate the lowest in the nation. Sure, there are mask mandates and other measures to credit, but most deserving of thanks is the Golden State’s high level of vaccinations. (Karlamangla, 9/16)
Los Angeles Daily News:
Pregnant During Pandemic: COVID-19 Fears Fuel Increased Interest In Home Births
Home births have been on the rise across the Los Angeles region for the last couple of years, in part because of the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. More women have been opting for home birth as hospitals postponed or moved most of their health care online due to the pandemic, barring partners, canceling antenatal classes and often leaving women to deliver and recover alone. And many women chose home delivery because they were worried about being exposed to the virus at hospitals. (Grigoryants, 9/17)
Modesto Bee:
What’s An ECMO Machine? Shortages Strain Dying COVID Patients
From masks, to tests, to hospital beds, to ventilators. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to strain medical resources and personnel like never before. Now, another life-support machine is in limited supply, and the shortage is sending desperate patients thousands of miles across the country and forcing loved ones to make hundreds of calls to nearby hospitals in the hopes of getting their hands on one. (Camero, 9/16)
CapRadio:
‘This Did Not Need To Happen’: Fourth COVID-19 Wave Pushes California’s Healthcare Workers To The Brink
The fourth wave of COVID-19 sweeping across many parts of California is taking an emotional and physical toll on nurses and doctors in the hardest-hit regions. The delta variant is spreading rapidly in communities where vaccination rates remain low. Hospitals are filling up with COVID-19 patients. Many are young and healthy; few are vaccinated. The surge is overlapping with a statewide shortage in nurses, stretching healthcare facilities — and healthcare workers — to the brink. (Sparling, 9/16)
Los Angeles Times:
Universal Studios, Six Flags Visitors May Need Vaccine Proof
Proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or a recent negative test will soon be necessary to enter Los Angeles County’s largest theme parks, a top health official confirmed Thursday. Under a new health order to be issued this week, such verification will be necessary for attendees of outdoor “mega events” — those with 10,000-plus visitors — starting Oct. 7. (Money, Lin II and Martín, 9/16)
Los Angeles Daily News:
Will LA County Comply With Coronavirus Vaccination Orders? Ferrer Has ‘Confidence’
On the eve of a revised coronavirus public health order requiring proof of vaccination to enter certain indoor spaces in Los Angeles, the county’s chief public health official voiced hope Thursday, Sept. 16, that the region’s business would step up and comply, amid mixed signs of a slowly easing surge among adults and children but red flags of the potential for more outbreaks to come. (Carter, 9/16)
The Press Enterprise:
Trader Joe’s Accused Of Firing Riverside Man After He Refused Coronavirus Vaccine
A Riverside man alleges that Trader Joe’s violated his civil rights when the grocery chain fired him rather than accommodate his faith-based refusal to take the coronavirus vaccine, a lawsuit alleges. Gregg Crawford received a religious vaccine exemption from Trader Joe’s, but was barred from a key leadership meeting despite his willingness to be tested for the virus beforehand or attend the meeting remotely, alleges the lawsuit filed Sept. 7 in federal court by lawyers for the Pacific Justice Institute, which describes itself as a conservative legal defense nonprofit group. (Horseman, 9/16)
Modesto Bee:
Coronavirus Poll: Most Support COVID Vaccine, Mask Mandates
Most Americans are in favor of requiring that teachers and health care workers get COVID-19 vaccines, a new poll finds. The majority of people are also in support of vaccination mandates for other school workers and federal government employees, according to figures released Wednesday from the Monmouth University Polling Institute in New Jersey. (Jasper, 9/16)
Modesto Bee:
Biden’s COVID Vaccine Mandate For Employers: Answers To FAQs
It’s been one week since President Joe Biden unveiled his six-part plan to combat the spread of the coronavirus — including an expansive vaccine and testing requirement for millions of American workers. Biden’s “Path out of the Pandemic” calls on the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration to draft a rule requiring workers at companies with 100 or more employees to get vaccinated or submit to weekly COVID-19 testing. (Fowler, 9/16)
Sacramento Bee:
Health Office: Sacramento School With COVID Cases Can Stay Open
One of the first Sacramento City Unified School District campuses to reopen this fall experienced an outbreak of coronavirus cases in its first month back, but remained open after the local health office reversed its recommendation of a two-week campus closure, district officials and the county health officer said. The district first announced Sept. 2 that New Joseph Bonnheim Elementary, a dependent K-6 charter school in Colonial Manor with 270 students and 23 staff members, had identified 23 positive COVID-19 cases on the campus; a pending result two days later increased that count to 24. The school began instruction Aug. 9. (McGough, 9/16)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Two Bay Area School Districts Want To Mandate Student Vaccines. Here's What Families And Experts Think
Proposals to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for tens of thousands of staff and students in two Bay Area school districts are drawing support from health experts and many families — though some parents and students expressed trepidation. The school boards for the Oakland Unified and West Contra Costa Unified districts are slated to vote on the proposed mandates next week. If they’re approved, these two Bay Area districts would become the first in Northern California to adopt such requirements. (Ho, Swan and Cabanatuan, 9/16)
Bay Area News Group:
Contra Costa County To Recommend Schools Mandate COVID Vaccines For Students, Official Says
Contra Costa on Friday is expected to become the Bay Area’s first county to recommend that school districts require all students at least 12 years old to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19. In an interview Thursday, county Supervisor John Gioia said that Dr. Chris Farnitano, the county’s public health officer, told him he plans to make the recommendation. (Mukherjee, 9/17)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
San Diego Unified To Discuss Potential Vaccine Mandate For Staff, Eligible Students
Leaders of San Diego’s largest school district plan to discuss mandating vaccines for employees and eligible students who are ages 12 and older, officials announced Thursday. San Diego Unified School Board members are scheduled to publicly discuss the topic on Tuesday, Sept. 28, at an board meeting, which will be held online. (Lopez-Villafana, 9/16)
Voice of San Diego:
San Diego Unified Schools With Higher Poverty Are Testing For COVID Less
COVID-19 testing in San Diego Unified schools isn’t happening where it’s needed most, according to a new analysis by Voice of San Diego. Schools with higher levels of poverty tested far fewer students than low-poverty schools, the most recent districtwide testing and income data show. Schools in the most high-income areas in the district tested on average 99 students and staff members last week. Schools in the lowest-income areas tested more than three times less, just 30 on average. (Huntsberry, 9/16)
Voice of OC:
Orange County School Districts Grapple With COVID-19 Testing For Students
While state public health mandates call for students and staff to wear masks indoors, officials have largely left testing students for COVID-19 up to school districts — causing many Orange County parents to wonder if testing is required or not. State Health Officer Dr. Tomás J. Aragón issued an early August health order requiring all school staff to either be fully vaccinated or undergo weekly testing, but hasn’t addressed student testing. (Hicks, 9/17)
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento Health Office Reversed Recommendation To Close School With COVID Outbreak
One of the first Sacramento City Unified School District campuses to reopen this fall experienced an outbreak of coronavirus cases in its first month back, but remained open after the local health office reversed its recommendation of a two-week campus closure, district officials and the county health officer said. The district first announced Sept. 2 that New Joseph Bonnheim Elementary, a dependent K-6 charter school in Colonial Manor with 270 students and 23 staff members, had identified 23 positive COVID-19 cases on the campus; a pending result two days later increased that count to 24. The school began instruction Aug. 9. (McGough, 9/16)
Sacramento Bee:
Counties Voting To Recall Newsom Had Low COVID Vaccine Rate
There is substantial overlap between the California counties that voted most heavily to remove Gov. Gavin Newsom from office in this week’s recall election and those with the lowest rates of COVID-19 vaccination among adults. Voters in historically blue California voted 64% to 36% to keep Newsom in office. (McGough, 9/17)
Los Angeles Times:
Arnold Schwarzenegger Says Voters Were Right To Retain Newsom, Calls GOP Field ‘Disastrous’
Arnold Schwarzenegger, who became California’s governor in 2003 after a recall, said he was relieved that Gavin Newsom kept his job. “I think voters made the right decision,” Schwarzenegger said in an interview on Wednesday, the day after Democratic Gov. Newsom beat the recall. “It’s better to stay with someone who you know what they’re going to do, rather than someone who comes in wacky and is changing everything around.” (Mehta, 9/16)
Sacramento Bee:
Gavin Newsom Signs Bills To Spur Affordable Housing In CA
Gov. Gavin Newsom moved Thursday to create more affordable housing in California, signing a list of bills that would allow more duplexes and small apartment buildings in certain neighborhoods. In a statement, Newsom said the new laws would mitigate a ballooning affordability crisis that “is undermining the California Dream for families across the state” and that “threatens our long-term growth and prosperity.” (Wiley, 9/16)
The Mercury News:
Gov. Newsom's Office Launches $1.75 Billion Affordable Housing Fund
California on Thursday launched a $1.75 billion fund that could help produce more than 7,000 new homes throughout the state, the latest attempt by Gov. Gavin Newsom to tackle the affordable housing and homelessness crises. The new California Housing Accelerator fund is for affordable housing projects that are almost ready to break ground but have stalled because they couldn’t amass quite enough funding. Housing officials expect the accelerator will back 90 shovel-ready projects by the end of the year, creating between 6,300 and 7,200 units of low-income housing — including 1,200 units for people who are homeless. Recipients haven’t yet been selected, but the Bay Area is sure to get a share of the money. (Kendall, 9/16)
Modesto Bee:
Stanislaus Housing Strategy Looks At Shortages, Affordability
In an effort to meet housing needs across Modesto and Stanislaus County, county leaders and stakeholders on Tuesday presented a new, large-scale plan to address the local inventory crisis. In a presentation to the Modesto City Council, speakers discussed plans for a cross-city housing initiative, called Housing Stanislaus. (Karisch, 9/17)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Former Haight McDonald's To Become Homeless Drop-In Center After Delay In Affordable Housing Project
For years, many Haight-Ashbury residents have yearned to see affordable housing rise on the old McDonald’s site on the corner of Haight and Stanyan streets, right across from Golden Gate Park. The city bought the troubled site more than three years ago to build affordable housing in an area that has long struggled with homelessness. But with delays in the housing project, the city has a new plan for the site — one that doesn’t get closer to a permanent solution. (Moench, 9/16)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Local Companies Donate Meals To Adventist Health Amid Rise In COVID-19 Cases
It’s no secret health care workers are overworked, exhausted and quitting in record numbers during the lengthy COVID-19 pandemic. Jim Burke Ford Lincoln stepped up to shower staff at Adventist Health with some appreciation Thursday by providing 150 meals to frontline workers during Kern County's third surge in COVID-19 cases. “It’s really easy to forget about the people that are helping you out,” said Daniel Green, the marketing director of Jim Burke Ford Lincoln. “It's important to us to give back to the community … and make sure all people, all roles are feeling appreciated.” (Desai, 9/16)
Sacramento Bee:
Can You Get Flu Shot And COVID Vaccine Booster At Same Time?
And just like that, we are heading into another flu season complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic, except this time we have more tools under our belt. Coronavirus vaccines have been widely available since April, and now, COVID-19 boosters are expected to roll out for all Americans beginning the week of Sept. 20, pending recommendations and authorizations from federal health officials. (Camero, 9/16)
Los Angeles Times:
Get A Flu Shot. Here's How
The majority of eligible Californians have received a COVID shot. But the vaccine fun isn’t over yet. That’s right: It’s time to get your flu shot. Yes, you should get one, even if you’re still working from home. Flu cases were at an all-time low in the 2020-2021 season thanks in large part to social distancing. But kids are back in school, mask and stay-at-home restrictions have been lifted in some areas, and lots of people — vaccinated and otherwise — have gotten more comfortable with going out and socializing than they were a year ago. And in some parts of the country, hospitalization levels are the same or higher than they were this time last year. (Roy, 9/16)
The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat:
Lake County Health Officials Issue Warning About Drinking Water From Parts Of Clear Lake
Lake County officials are hustling to find alternate drinking water sources for an estimated 280 households whose regular supplies may be compromised by high concentrations of toxic blue-green algae in Clear Lake. Most residents are served by one of 55 commercial water systems operating around the county, officials said. But those with private systems that take water directly from the lake may not have sufficient treatment capacity for increasing levels of a potent liver toxin called microcystin. The toxin is produced by cyanobacteria — naturally occurring microorganisms commonly called blue-green algae, though they aren’t actually algae. (Callahan, 9/16)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Here's Why The Bay Area Has Yet To See Terrible Air Quality This Fire Season - And When That Could Change
So far this year, the Bay Area is breathing easier than last fire season, with air quality benefiting from a combination of weather, wind and more-distant wildfires — though with conditions ripe for new major blazes in California, the region’s fortunes could quickly change in coming months, experts warn. At this time last year, smoke from massive lightning-sparked blazes in and around the Bay Area choked the air. Smoke from wildfires as far away as Oregon and Washington also made its way down to Northern California, helping turn the sky orange on one very unsettling day. (Hwang, 9/16)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Sanitizer Stockpiling Was Historic. Now Manufacturers Are Stuck With Millions Of Dollars Of Product
When the pandemic hit and clean hands became a national obsession, EO Products and Seven Stills were ready. San Rafael’s EO Products already made hand sanitizer, among other organic body and skin care products. San Francisco’s Seven Stills, a restaurant and distillery, had the know-how, the equipment and the contacts to make alcohol products. Both companies swung into action, pumping out gallons of hand sanitizer at a time when panicked consumers were stripping store shelves bare of the pungent product. And eventually when the world was awash in sanitizer, both were left holding the bag — or rather gargantuan supplies of the liquid disinfectant. (Said, 9/16)
The Wall Street Journal:
What The Elizabeth Holmes Trial Is Revealing About Theranos
In the courtroom testimony that has unfolded so far in the criminal trial of Theranos Inc. founder Elizabeth Holmes, jurors have heard about the early promise of her startup and how Ms. Holmes set out to revolutionize healthcare by eliminating big needles from blood testing. They have also begun to hear about how the company’s ambitions to test for a range of conditions using just a few drops of blood from a finger prick fell short, and how some employees quit after they said they tried to sound the alarm that the company was allegedly putting patient health at risk. Witnesses and prosecutors have also described years that Theranos struggled to pay the bills, and how revenue projections given to investors were sometimes far rosier than what the company’s finance staff calculated. (Randazzo, 9/17)
The Mercury News:
Newsom Victory Calls For Bold Steps To Fight COVID-19
For months, Gov. Gavin Newsom has been tempering his response on a wide range of issues because of the Republican recall effort. Now that Newsom has scored a convincing victory, it is time for him to take bold steps to alleviate California’s biggest challenge — COVID-19. (9/16)
Capital & Main:
After The California Recall, Gov. Newsom Should Reflect On COVID Missteps
The pandemic’s urgency of the moment may have helped to keep California Gov. Gavin Newsom in office. As COVID-19’s delta variant ripped through the state in July and August, spiking both caseloads and death rates, potential recall voters were reminded of what was at stake if they jettisoned Newsom and opened the door to a replacement like Larry Elder, the conservative talk-show host who pledged to immediately rescind all state-issued vaccine and mask mandates if he was chosen. The most recent polling data reflected that concern and put Newsom in position to defeat the recall effort, whose cost to California taxpayers was finalized at a staggering $276 million. But surviving this political challenge shouldn’t be mistaken by the Newsom administration as an endorsement of the governor’s overall handling of the pandemic. In short, it has been an erratic mess. (Mark Kreidler, 9/16)
Sacramento Bee:
After Recall, Gov. Gavin Newsom Must Mandate COVID Vaccine
Throughout the recall campaign, Gov. Gavin Newsom said science and California’s ongoing response to COVID-19 were on the ballot. The leading Republican challengers eagerly made the case on Newsom’s behalf by promising to roll back all public health mandates and avoid issuing new ones. When Newsom gave his victory speech Tuesday night, a little over an hour after polls closed and a landslide was assured, it was the first thing he emphasized. And why wouldn’t he? It worked. (9/17)
San Francisco Chronicle:
California Vaccine Mandates Aren't Good Enough. UCSF's Jeanne Noble And Maria Raven On What We Need. Now
The first COVID-19 vaccine shots in arms did not occur until December 2020, when a winter surge was already well under way. Although developed at warp speed in response to pandemic, the vaccine’s arrival was too late to spare tremendous suffering. Hundreds of thousands died. Nine months later, despite universal access to the vaccine in the U.S., our current vaccination rate remains below the threshold to prevent future surges, even in California. The current delta wave not only quashed our brief moment of optimism as we retired the state’s tier system and lifted the state mask mandate, it was also fundamentally different in that it was fully preventable. And while public officials reached back into their pre-vaccination toolkits to keep Californians safe, reinstating mask mandates and counseling against travel, the single most effective policy for preventing COVID spread was quietly ignored. (Jeanne Noble and Maria Raven, 9/14)
Los Angeles Times:
Biden Vaccine Mandate Dials Up COVID Culture War Dynamic
Maybe President Biden should handle COVID-19 the way he’s handled Afghanistan. It’s a strange thought, given how badly he botched the U.S. withdrawal. But at least Afghanistan Joe had a clear idea about what we needed to do. COVID Joe has no such exit strategy. He’s making it up as he goes. (Jonah Goldberg, 9/14)
Los Angeles Times:
A Diary Of Black COVID Vaccine Hesitancy
Tuesday, Aug. 3: After going weeks without speaking to each other because I yelled at my mom about not getting vaccinated, she finally calls me from her home in Texas. The news: She has just tested positive for COVID-19. Thursday, Aug. 5: I call my mom and we fight until I have persuaded her to call her doctor. I advise her to outline all of her symptoms in detail and to take his advice, even the antibody infusion, the COVID treatment given emergency-use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in November. The fact that the treatment is so new makes her nervous. (Espie Randolph III, 9/15)
Sacramento Bee:
Doctors Have Done Their Part. Getting Vaccinated Is On Us
We started out as heroes. Billboards, commercials and nightly city-wide synchronized applause. Images of us in our PPE flooded social media and landed above the fold of every major newspaper. We were the front line. An army dedicated to protect you. We were recognized as martyrs in a way that made many of us feel a confusing combination of flattered-yet-perturbed. Somewhere along the way the applause faded, and we became the people who had “signed up for this.” (Helaine St. Amant, 9/15)
Orange County Register:
Katrina Foley Is Right To Defy Fellow OC Supes On COVID Info
When it comes to public information about how the government is operating, we take a simple approach: More is better than less. Officials should err on the side of openness, which is in keeping with the spirit of the state’s open-government laws. Unfortunately, the Orange County Board of Supervisors has been insufficiently forthright in publicizing information about the county’s response to COVID-19. To counterbalance that problem, Supervisor Katrina Foley has held regular briefings via Zoom and social-media platforms. Good for her. (9/16)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Reluctance Of Police, Health Workers To Get Shots Is Scary
A survey this month of San Diego Police Officers Association members found 90 percent of responding officers opposed a vaccine mandate, 65 percent would consider quitting the force if vaccines were required and 45 percent would rather be fired than vaccinated. Elsewhere, some 3,000 employees in the Los Angeles Police Department are seeking exemptions to vaccine mandates. LAPD personnel are less than 22 percent of that city’s employees but more than 50 percent of those seeking a religious exemption. Six LAPD employees are suing over the city’s mandate. (9/16)
Sacramento Bee:
CA Must Reform Meat Supply Market For Safety, Job Creation
Amid Sacramento’s annual Farm to Fork celebration, a glaring contradiction remains: The pandemic and this summer’s ransomware attack on JBS (the world’s largest meat processor) disrupted the four industrial processors centered in the Midwest and South. Together they supply the vast majority of California’s meat. California’s small- and mid-scale livestock and poultry producers lost access to local processing as large-scale producers that usually export animals to the industrial plants took over the state’s small processors. COVID-19 sickened thousands of plant workers, hundreds died and tens of millions in lost wages resulting from the closures, particularly harming rural communities. (Patrick Mulvaney and Michael Dimock, 9/16)