San Francisco Chronicle: California Hospital Beds Filling Up With Sick Kids Amid Flu, RSV And COVID Surge
Hospitals and emergency rooms in California and across the nation may have to ration care by the end of the month, federal health authorities warned this week. Officials are particularly worried about an insufficient number of beds for children in pediatric hospitals and wards throughout the country as respiratory illnesses hit especially hard among Americans younger than 18 years old. (Vaziri, 12/15)

ABC News: COVID-19 And Flu Levels Continue To Increase But CDC Director Believes US Has Hit Peak Of RSV
This is the fifth consecutive week of increasing COVID-19 hospitalizations, reaching levels not seen since the end of February. However, they remain lower than rates seen at the same time last year. ... "We think we are just at the peak [of RSV], which means we're seeing the most number of cases we expect in the season, may start to see some declines already in some of our southern and southeast states, but pretty active across the country," Dr. Mandy Cohen, CDC director, told ABC News. (Benadjaoud and Kekatos, 12/15)

CIDRAP: High-Dose Flu Vaccine May Cut Infections 15% Over Standard-Dose Version
The high-dose recombinant influenza vaccine offers more protection against flu than an egg-based standard-dose vaccine among adults aged 50 and 64 years, according to an observational cluster-randomized study published yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers from Kaiser Permanente Northern California immunized more than 1.6 million patients aged 18 to 64 years with either the high-dose quadrivalent (four-strain) flu vaccine (Flublok; 632,962 patients) or one of two standard-dose vaccines (997,366) in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 respiratory virus seasons. They compared the effectiveness of the vaccines against infection and hospitalization. (Van Beusekom, 12/15)

CIDRAP: Study: Physical Distancing Better At Stemming COVID-19 Than US/Mexico Border Closure
A genomic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 in San Diego and Mexico reveals that physical distancing was more effective than international border closures in containing the virus. Scripps Research scientists and colleagues sequenced more than 82,000 SARS-CoV-2 samples gathered from routine genomic surveillance in San Diego and the state of Baja California, Mexico, to reconstruct viral spread dynamics from March 2020 to the end of the first Omicron surge in December 2022. (Van Beusekom, 12/15)

San Diego Union-Tribune: Illumina Will Divest Grail After Losing Battle With FTC. How Did The San Diego Biotech's $7B Deal Unravel?
San Diego biotech giant Illumina said Sunday that it is divesting Grail, the early cancer-detection company it acquired for roughly $7 billion, after its legal battle with U.S. antitrust regulators failed. (Rocha, 12/17)

CNN: Pharmacists Say They Can’t Do Their Jobs Safely. Here’s What That Means Legally
 It’s every pharmacist’s worst fear: To come home from a busy day at work and realize that they failed to consult with a patient about a potentially dangerous interaction, or filled a prescription incorrectly. Workers at chain pharmacies across the US have told CNN that increased demand for prescriptions, shots and other services without sufficient staff to fulfill those orders has made it nearly impossible for the workers to do their jobs properly and has created potentially unsafe conditions for customers. (Goodkind, 12/17)

Axios: Ozempic At Christmas: Why Some Are Taking A Holiday Pause From GLP-1 Medication
Wanting to enjoy Christmas cookies and other holiday treats, some people on diabetes and weight management drugs like Ozempic are considering a pause in treatment. Doctors caution that stopping and starting the medications known as GLP-1 agonists can lead to unwanted side effects like nausea — and can contradict the way the drugs are meant to be used. (Mallenbaum and Tyko, 12/17)

Fresno Bee: Six More Cannabis Dispensaries Licensed In Madera. Hopes Are High For Community Benefits
Good-paying jobs, community service and the revitalization of downtown are some of the fruits the Madera City Council hope an incoming cannabis industry will bear. A total of eight dispensaries are now on the horizon for the city of 60,000. (Galicia, 12/15)

Los Angeles Times: California Prepares To Transform Sewage Into Drinking Water 
California is set to adopt regulations that will allow for sewage to be extensively treated, transformed into pure drinking water and delivered directly to people’s taps. he regulations are expected to be approved Tuesday by the State Water Resources Control Board, enabling water suppliers to begin building advanced treatment plants that will turn wastewater into a source of clean drinking water. (James, 12/17)

Voice of OC: Tustin Water Rates To Spike After City Shuts Down Contaminated Wells
Tustin is the latest city to hike water rates for residents this year, but they have a different reason than many of their surrounding cities – some of the drinking water might not be safe. Due to concerns about chemicals called polyfluoroalkyl substances in the city’s groundwater, also known as “forever chemicals,” city leaders shut off five of the city’s wells, forcing them to import nearly half the city’s water from out of town. (Biesiada, 12/18)

Southern California News Group: New Technology Could Help Lake Elsinore, Other Southern California Lakes Fend Off Toxic Algae Blooms 
Most summers, health officials advise Southern Californians to avoid a handful of regional lakes because of toxic algae blooms that can sicken people and pets and kill fish and birds. Such warnings are becoming more common as climate change accelerates, with drought conditions and warmer temperatures regularly fueling bright green blooms in places like Silverwood, Pyramid and Big Bear lakes. (Staggs, 12/15)

The Wall Street Journal: Matthew Perry’s Death Darkens Ketamine’s Startup Glow
Matthew Perry’s death from the effects of ketamine brought new scrutiny to the booming business to prescribe the powerful anesthetic to patients in clinics and online. Perry was receiving ketamine infusions for depression and anxiety before he was found unresponsive in the pool at his Pacific Palisades, Calif., home on Oct. 28. Drowning, coronary artery disease and effects of buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid-use disorder, contributed to his accidental death, the autopsy report released on Friday said. (Winkler and Abbott, 12/16)

Los Angeles Times: What Is Ketamine, The Drug Cited In Matthew Perry's Death
The finding by the Los Angeles County medical examiner that “Friends” star Matthew Perry died from “acute effects” of ketamine is generating interest in the drug. Ketamine is generally safe when taken under medical supervision, experts said, but the Perry case also underscores potential risks. Here are some basics about the drug from Times reporting ... (Alpert Reyes and Winton, 12/16)

USA Today: What Are Ketamine Infusion Clinics Where Matthew Perry Sought Help
The ketamine infusion actor Matthew Perry received days before his Oct. 28 death has become a popular mental health treatment across the U.S. A lower dose of the traditional anesthetic has been used to treat symptoms of depression, typically via IV in clinics. Research has shown its promise, though experts have noted the clinics haven't been as regulated. (Cuevas and Nurse, 12/17)

Los Angeles Daily News: The Loneliness Epidemic: 3 Perspectives On How To Combat It 
Last week, we discussed the meaning of loneliness, a national epidemic as stated in the 2023 report by the U.S. Surgeon General. What can we do about it? Let’s look at the issue from three perspectives: the individual, the resources and the community. (Dennis, 12/17)

The Washington Post: Pilots Hide Mental Health Problems So They Don’t ‘Lose Their Wings’
The commercial airline pilot kept his condition a secret for years. He was supposed to inform the Federal Aviation Administration that he was seeing a therapist for anxiety and depression, but he couldn’t bring himself to share his despair. He was afraid of the repercussions. “I lied to the FAA about the treatment I was receiving because that would have opened a can of worms. I would have been grounded until I was better,” said the 31-year-old first officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because his airline did not authorize him to talk with journalists. “It is very easy to just not tell them what’s going on.” (Sachs, 12/15)

San Diego Union-Tribune: An Empty Lot By The Airport Could Be San Diego's Biggest Homeless Shelter. It's Already Hosting A Big Debate. 
Local leaders want to create what could be the city’s largest shelter, potentially providing hundreds of desperately needed beds. Some residents fear the possible effects, especially near Liberty Station’s schools and shops, and have organized a substantial opposition campaign. (Nelson, 12/17)

Los Angeles Times: Homelessness In Washington, D.C., Looks Different From L.A
Mayors Karen Bass of Los Angeles and Muriel Bowser of Washington, D.C. — Democrats leading two of the nation’s most prominent and progressive cities — epitomize the plight big-city mayors around the country face as they tackle a growing number of homeless encampments, and the complaints that come with them. While both cities have removed some of the most visible tents, Washington looks and feels less saturated with homeless people than Los Angeles, especially in the tourist areas around the White House, Capitol Hill and the national monuments. (Bierman and Savage, 12/18)

The Mercury News: This San Jose Mom Lost Her First Two Children While Homeless. Here’s How She Turned Her Life Around For The Third
Four years ago, Nikita Garcia was living in a tent off Senter Road so close to the railroad tracks — for so long — that she didn’t even notice the trains rumble by anymore. No matter which way she walked to the bus stop, drug dealers lured her with methamphetamines to dull her miseries. She had already lost custody of her two older children — both were adopted by others — and now she was pregnant with a third. (Sulek and Nickerson, 12/18)

Los Angeles Times: After Monterey Park Shooting, Pastor Tried To De-Stigmatize Therapy For Asian Immigrants
Eric Chen never met Yu Lun Kao. But in February, he helped bury the 72-year-old ballroom dancer known to his friends as “Mr. Nice.” Kao, who went by Andy, was shielding his longtime dance partner from the hail of bullets when he was killed during the shooting at Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park. He’d been a fixture in the dance community since immigrating from Taiwan two decades ago. (Lin, 12/17)

Los Angeles Times: Can A Play Solve The Mystery Of The Monterey Park Mass Shooter? Survivors Aren’t Sure 
The search for answers played out in a Rowland Heights home, in a room the owners use for karaoke. On this day, it was the stage for reenacting the worst mass shooting in modern Los Angeles County history. Full-length mirrors covered a wall. Chinese lanterns hung from the ceiling. A disco ball reflected light on the tile floor below. And a middle-aged Asian man, head in hands, dispelled the mystery that hangs over Monterey Park to this day: why a 72-year-old would shoot 11 people to death, turning a celebration into a bloodbath and shattering a tightknit community.“ I’ve thought about suicide and even thought about killing someone, because I often hear voices in my head telling me to kill someone,” Kaidy Kuna told his friend. (Lin, Park and Mejia, 12/17)

The Washington Post: Girls Bear The Brunt Of New HIV Infections, Assessment Suggests
Girls are more than twice as likely to contract HIV than their male counterparts, a recent UNICEF analysis suggests. The agency says nearly 98,000 adolescent girls were infected with HIV in 2022 alone. The data, released as part of an annual snapshot on children and HIV/AIDS, suggests that gender inequality, limited access to health care and a dearth of educational programs put girls at particular risk for HIV worldwide. Although the analysis found “tremendous gains” in HIV prevention and treatment, it notes that 71 percent of new infections among adolescents ages 10 to 19 are among girls. (Blakemore, 12/17)

Clinical Trials Arena: HIV: Three Trials To Watch In 2024
The year 2023 started with disappointing news for the field of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) research after Janssen’s Phase III vaccine trial failed. This setback has had a major impact on the industry and emphasized the need for better treatment and prevention against the virus while researchers continue to push for a vaccine. Dr. Myron Cohen, head of the HIV Prevention Trials Network says there are four areas of research which are being investigated in HIV; prevention, cure, treatment and treating diseases impacted by HIV. (Beaney, 12/18)

National Institutes of Health: NIH Research Identifies Opportunities To Improve Future HIV Vaccine Candidates 
An effective HIV vaccine may need to prompt strong responses from immune cells called CD8+ T cells to protect people from acquiring HIV, according to a new study from researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, and colleagues. The study findings, appearing in Science, draw comparisons between the immune system activity of past HIV vaccine study participants and people with HIV who naturally keep the virus from replicating even in the absence of antiretroviral therapy (ART). The latter individuals are often called “long-term non-progressors” or “elite controllers” (LTNPs/ECs). (12/14)

Fox News: Former Trump Adviser Kellyanne Conway Leads Charge To Overhaul GOP Abortion Strategy, End Dems’ 2024 Advantage
Republican strategist and former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway is leading the charge to shift the GOP's messaging strategy on abortion and contraceptives ahead of the 2024 election. (Gillespie, 12/17)

The New York Times: Why Democracy Hasn’t Settled The Abortion Question 
Republican-controlled legislatures, shocked by the results of ballot measures that put the question of abortion directly to the people, are trying to make those measures harder to pass, and even abolish them as an option. The issue is now in a different set of courts, in the states, where anti-abortion groups have searched out like-minded judges in an attempt to take abortion pills off the market. Last week, the United States Supreme Court — the black robes who were supposed to have put themselves out of the business of deciding abortion — announced that it would take that case. And some of the same Republicans who once argued that abortion should be settled by the will of the people in the states now argue that what is needed is for Congress to pass a uniform federal law. (Zernike, 12/18)

AP: Quaker Oats Recalls Granola Products Over Risk Of Salmonella Contamination
Quaker Oats on Friday recalled several of its granola products, including granola bars and cereals, saying the foods could be contaminated with salmonella. Salmonella infections can cause fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and stomach pain, according to the Food and Drug Administration. In rare cases, the bacterial disease can be fatal. Quaker, which is owned by PepsiCo, said in a news release that it has not received any reports of salmonella infections related to the recalled granola products. The full list of recalled foods includes granola oats cereals and Quaker Chewy Bars, which are also sold in PepsiCo’s snack mixes. (12/16)

The New York Times: Lead Levels In Children’s Applesauce May Be Traced To Cinnamon Additive 
With dozens of children across the United States suffering from lead poisoning, federal regulators are now investigating whether the culprit is cinnamon that was added to some popular applesauce pouches, and if lead had been added somewhere along the global supply chain, either to enhance the spice’s reddish color or to add weight. In November, the Food and Drug Administration announced a national recall of three million pouches of cinnamon applesauce made in Ecuador and sold at dollar stores and other outlets under the WanaBana, Schnucks and Weis brand names. (Jewett and Creswell, 12/15)