Could Colorado’s Covid Surge Presage What’s Next In California? New weekly coronavirus cases have become stable statewide; California's vaccination rate is higher than in many other states, and there are few signs right now of a winter surge. But the deteriorating covid outlook in Colorado offers a cautionary tale for the Golden State. In Colorado, 62.8% of all residents are fully vaccinated, almost identical to California’s 62.7%, yet Colorado has the eighth highest weekly case rate among states, while California has the 10th lowest. Could Colorado, which gets cold weather earlier than California, be a precursor to what might happen here as winter approaches? Read more from the Los Angeles Times.
No Clear-Cut End In Sight For Pandemic: Nearly two years into the global covid-19 pandemic, vaccination rates continue to rise throughout the Bay Area; young children can now get vaccinated; an antiviral treatment for covid is nearing FDA approval and monoclonal antibodies are widely available. Schools are open, as are music venues, neighborhood bookstores and restaurants. But covid is expected to become endemic, and there’s already talk of another winter surge. We may never see the kind of clear-cut ending to this pandemic that we once hoped for. Read more from 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
San Francisco Chronicle:
Santa Cruz County Brings Back Indoor Mask Mandate As Coronavirus Cases Rise
Santa Cruz County, which was the first county in the Greater Bay Area to drop its universal indoor mask mandate after the delta surge, is now reinstating the rule as coronavirus cases rise. “Unfortunately, a potential winter surge appears to be a significant threat to the health and safety of our community,” Dr. Gail Newel, Santa Cruz County’s health officer, said in a statement. (Wu, 11/21)
Santa Cruz Sentinel:
Santa Cruz County Health Officer Issues Indoor Mask Order Starting Nov. 21
Santa Cruz County Health Officer Dr. Gail Newel on Friday issued a health order requiring individuals to wear face coverings when indoors regardless of vaccination status. The order, effective 11:59 p.m. Sunday , cites increased COVID-19 cases and increased hospitalizations moving into the holidays and winter months. “Unfortunately, a potential winter surge appears to be a significant threat to the health and safety of our community,” Newel said in a prepared release. (Hartman, 11/20)
Los Angeles Times:
As Another Pandemic Thanksgiving Nears, Families Navigate Plans With Unvaccinated Relatives
As a second pandemic Thanksgiving approaches, families across the Southland are, again, navigating what type of gathering feels reasonable during a season of togetherness amid a once-in-a-generation pandemic. Gone, for the most part, are the days of sharing virtual meals over Zoom, and some vaccinated people have largely returned to the rhythms of their pre-pandemic lives. But many others have made a point of frequently reassessing their comfort level in crowds and directly informing unvaccinated friends and relatives about their boundaries and expectations ahead of holiday gatherings. It’s one thing, they say, to mute past tensions for a few hours and hope that the conversation doesn’t veer into fights about money, politics or religion, but quite another to sit back and accept the possibility of a health risk. (Gerber and Martinez, 11/22)
Axios:
Thanksgiving COVID Alarm As Cases Rise 20%
Coronavirus cases are rising, nationally and in most states — an ominous trend heading into the week of Thanksgiving. Two-thirds of Americans plan to have Thanksgiving gatherings that resemble their pre-pandemic festivities, according to recent Monmouth University polling. But as cases rise, travel and indoor celebrations will put the millions of unvaccinated Americans at risk. (Owens and Beheraj, 11/21)
Yahoo:
One California Family’s Worrisome Experience With A Mild Case Of COVID-19 Despite Taking Precautions
The whole idea was not to catch COVID-19. Ever. Hence, the careful adherence to safety protocols, from wiping down our groceries in the earliest days of the pandemic, to not touching mail for hours and being vigilant about handwashing and mask-wearing. Two years into it, this is how COVID-19 found us. Four days after my 12-year-old got her first dose of the vaccine (on her birthday), we visited my sister-in-law and her family in Anaheim. It was a Labor Day weekend pool party. Four families came. Almost all the adults there were vaccinated, but the under-12 set was not. It was a Sunday. (Rivera, 11/20)
AP:
US Opens COVID Boosters To All Adults, Urges Them For 50+
The U.S. on Friday opened COVID-19 booster shots to all adults and took the extra step of urging people 50 and older to seek one, aiming to ward off a winter surge as coronavirus cases rise even before millions of Americans travel for the holidays. Until now, Americans faced a confusing list of who was eligible for a booster that varied by age, their health and which kind of vaccine they got first. The Food and Drug Administration authorized changes to Pfizer and Moderna boosters to make it easier. (Neergaard, Perrone and Stobbe, 11/19)
Stat:
CDC Expands Eligibility For Covid-19 Booster Shots To All Adults
The new recommendations state that people between the ages of 18 and 49 who have no risk factors may get a booster if they wish. All other people should get a booster. From now on health personnel administering booster doses will need to ask two simple questions of people who received one of the mRNA vaccines as their primary Covid series: Are you 18 or older? and Has it been six months or longer since you received your second shot? (Branswell, 11/19)
USA Today:
COVID Booster Shots: What To Know As They Become Open To All US Adults
Vaccine experts say there's little downside to getting a booster dose; side effects are comparable to the initial round of shots. Protection from vaccines starts to fade at about six months, data shows. The same people who are vulnerable to severe COVID-19 – those over 65 or with certain medical conditions such as diabetes or lung disease – are also more vulnerable to so-called breakthrough infections. Here is what you should know about boosters. (Weintraub, 11/21)
Fox News:
Fauci Vague On Changing Definition Of 'Fully Vaccinated': 'We Might Modify'
"We’re going to take a look right now at what the durability is of the booster," Fauci told "State of the Union" host Dana Bash. "We’re going to follow people who get boosted." "People should not be put off by the fact that as time goes by and we learn more and more about the protection that we might modify the guidelines," he explained. "That’s what we’ve been saying all along by follow the science, things change and you have to follow the data." For now, the definition of fully vaccinated will remain as two shots of a Pfizer or Moderna regimen or one shot of a Johnson & Johnson vaccine. (Aitken, 11/21)
NPR:
Why People With Mental Illness Are At Higher Risk Of COVID
Even before the federal government's recent decision last week to authorize COVID boosters all adults, it had already recommended them in October for people with certain high-risk conditions. Along with with illnesses like diabetes and heart disease, that list included mental health conditions. The decision to prioritize people with psychiatric diagnoses in the early rollout of boosters came after after a growing number of studies linked mental health disorders with higher risk of both COVID-19 infection and of serious outcomes. (Chatterjee, 11/22)
Modesto Bee:
Should You Take A Home COVID Test Before Thanksgiving?
Federal health officials have authorized several rapid “antigen” tests that you can buy and take at home. Within minutes, these tests can reveal if you are harboring even the tiniest amount of coronavirus by detecting bits of its proteins. But should you take an at-home COVID-19 test before gathering for Thanksgiving? (Camero, 11/19)
KHN:
Why You Can’t Find Cheap At-Home Covid Tests
While developing a rapid test that detects the coronavirus in someone’s saliva, Blink Science, a Florida-based startup, heard something startling: The Food and Drug Administration had more than 3,000 emergency use authorization applications and didn’t have the resources to get through them. “We want to try to avoid the EUA quagmire,” said Peb Hendrix, the startup’s vice president of operations. Its test is still in early development. On the advice of consultants, the company is weighing an alternative route through the FDA to the U.S. market. (Pradhan and Norman, 11/22)
Axios:
COVID Rapid Tests Face Holiday Demand Spike
As many Americans prepare to travel and see loved ones ahead of Thanksgiving, developers and sellers of rapid at-home COVID-19 tests say they are prepared to meet an expected spike in demand for their products. The U.S. has been slower to embrace rapid at-home COVID-19 testing than Europe as regulatory hurdles helped make the tests scarce and overpriced. But the Biden administration has recently allocated billions of dollars to buy millions of rapid at-home COVID-19 tests to increase supply. (Saric, 11/21)
California Healthline:
Success Of Covid Antiviral Pills Hinges On Access To Speedy And Accurate Tests
Within a few weeks, perhaps before many Americans finish decorating for the holidays, the U.S. could have access to a new antiviral pill from Merck expected to alter the deadly trajectory of the covid-19 pandemic — with a second option from Pfizer to follow shortly after. Now under federal review, both pills are being hailed by infectious-disease doctors not prone to superlatives. “This is truly a game changer,” said Dr. Daniel Griffin, an expert on infectious diseases and immunology at Columbia University. “This is up there with vaccines. It’s not a substitute for vaccines; we still want to get people vaccinated. But, boy, this is just another great tool to have.” (Aleccia, 11/22)
Politico:
Even In Liberal California, Strict Vaccine Mandates Face Resistance
Even in liberal, highly-vaccinated California, businesses and public agencies are questioning if strict vaccine mandates are doable. The Democratic-controlled state boasts some of the strictest Covid-19 rules in the nation, and Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered vaccine-or-test mandates weeks before President Joe Biden did. Yet enough people remain unvaccinated that school districts, prison officials and private employers are urging flexibility. Otherwise, they say they’ll be understaffed and unable to function. (Mays, 11/21)
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
With Fed Vaccine Mandate On Hold, What Now?
On Nov. 5, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published nearly 500 pages of emergency temporary standards (ETS) that, among other things, would have required employers with 100 or more employees to require their employees to be fully vaccinated days into the new year. Employers covered by the ETS may, but are not required to, allow unvaccinated employees to submit to weekly COVID-19 testing and wear face coverings in the workplace. A federal appeals court has put the ETS on hold indefinitely. OSHA consequently has suspended implementing the ETS for now. What does that mean for California employers? (Eaton, 11/22)
Politico:
Buttigieg: Federal Vaccine Mandates Will Not Impact Holiday Travel
With Thanksgiving on the horizon, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg assured the nation on Sunday that federal worker vaccine mandates will not impact holiday travel. Federal vaccination mandates for civilian federal employees kick in Monday. And Buttigieg said he expects no travel disruption because of it, noting his agency's employees have been very cooperative. “I have seen no indication the vaccine requirements are going to impact travel in any way, certainly in terms of our ability as a federal administration to provide the services that are needed,” he said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.“ (Kim, 11/21)
The Washington Post:
Marine Corps Compliance With Vaccine Mandate On Course To Be Military’s Worst
Up to 10,000 active-duty Marines will not be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus when their deadline arrives in coming days, a trajectory expected to yield the U.S. military’s worst immunization rate. While 94 percent of Marine Corps personnel have met the vaccination requirement or are on a path to do so, according to the latest official data, for the remainder it is too late to begin a regimen and complete it by the service’s Nov. 28 deadline. Within an institution built upon the belief that orders are to be obeyed, and one that brands itself the nation’s premier crisis-response force, it is a vexing outcome. (Horton, 11/21)
The Bakersfield Californian:
COVID-19 Rates In Vaccinated Individuals Grow; Doctors Say Vaccine Still Effective At Preventing Severe Illness
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues into its second winter, more and more vaccinated people have contracted the virus. According to the Kern County Public Health Services Department, 4,236 of these so-called breakthrough cases have occurred since Jan. 21, roughly 6.8 percent of the total. (Morgen, 11/20)
Orange County Register:
Coronavirus Vaccines For Kids Lag In Southern California Compared To Bay Area
Federal officials gave the green light for kids ages 5 to 11 to get Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine just two weeks ago, so the campaign to enlist them as foot soldiers in the battle against the virus’ spread is still in its infancy. But early data show that, statewide, 9.4% of children in this age group have already been jabbed — and that kids in big Bay Area counties are getting shots far faster than their southern counterparts. (Sforza, 11/21)
Bay Area News Group:
How's California Doing Vaccinating 5-11-Year-Olds For COVID-19?
In the nearly three weeks since U.S. regulators cleared COVID-19 vaccines for kids ages 5-11, more than one in 10 of those children in California have rolled up their sleeves for the shots. But those kids are concentrated in the state’s urban coastal counties. In the Bay Area, about one out of four kids in the biggest counties have already had their first shot, and an astounding 40% in Marin, once a hotbed of resistance to child vaccination. But far fewer in rural areas have been inoculated. (Woolfolk, 11/21)
AP:
GOP Embraces Natural Immunity As Substitute For Vaccines
Republicans fighting President Joe Biden’s coronavirus vaccine mandates are wielding a new weapon against the White House rules: natural immunity. They contend that people who have recovered from the virus have enough immunity and antibodies to not need COVID-19 vaccines, and the concept has been invoked by Republicans as a sort of stand-in for vaccines. Florida wrote natural immunity into state law this week as GOP lawmakers elsewhere are pushing similar measures to sidestep vaccine mandates. Lawsuits over the mandates have also begun leaning on the idea. Conservative federal lawmakers have implored regulators to consider it when formulating mandates. (Izaguirre, 11/21)
Los Angeles Times:
An Orange County Man Blasts Anti-Vax Message At Venice Beach
A little Huntington Beach political attitude has been transplanted north to Venice Beach in recent weeks, and the reviews from locals and tourists have not been winning. Strollers, bikers and runners on Ocean Front Walk expressed everything from sadness to disgust to pronounced disinterest in a giant sign along the famous boardwalk that suggests people should disdain vaccines that combat the COVID-19 pandemic. (Rainey, 11/21)
Bloomberg:
Biden’s Doctors Say He’s ‘Healthy’ But Suffers Stiff Gait
President Joe Biden is “healthy” and remains “fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency,” his doctors said Friday after he underwent a routine physical exam and colonoscopy just a day before his 79th birthday. But the president is suffering from a “perceptibly stiffer and less fluid” gait following a series of injuries and is experiencing a more frequent need to clear his throat or cough during public engagements, according to his physician, Kevin O’Connor. And his exam found mild nerve damage in the president’s feet, prompting them to suggest he be fitted with orthotics. (Epstein and Sink, 11/19)
Politico:
Dems’ $1.7T Spending Bill Clears House, But Senate Changes Loom
The House passed a sweeping $1.7 trillion spending bill Friday, a major step forward for the health care and climate package before action turns to the Senate, where an uncertain fate awaits. The behemoth bill is the most significant restructuring of the social safety net in decades, touching nearly every aspect of American life from universal pre-K to college assistance to elder care. Democrats also hope the landmark legislation can help them beat the historical odds and maintain full control of Congress next year. (Caygle, Ferris and Wu, 11/19)
Politico:
‘Whole Different Ballgame’: Dems Vow They’ve Learned Obamacare Lessons In Messaging $1.7T Megabill
A huge boost to the nation’s safety net. A looming midterm with the majority on the brink. A flood of GOP attack ads. That’s where House Democrats hope the similarities end between now and 2010. As they take their first pass at President Joe Biden’s $1.7 trillion social spending bill, House Democrats are gambling that its medley of popular family, health care and climate proposals can steer them toward a radically different political fate than eleven years ago — when a historic electoral wipeout followed the passage of their signature health care overhaul. (Ferris and Caygle, 11/19)
Politico:
New GOP Weed Approach: Feds Must ‘Get Out Of The Way’
“We need the federal government just to get out of the way,” said Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), who introduced the first Republican bill in Congress to decriminalize marijuana this past week and pointed to more than 70 percent of Americans supporting the idea. Stronger Republican involvement could hasten a snowball effect on Capitol Hill, where Democrats lead the charge on decriminalization but lack results. It could also chip away at Democrats’ ability to use cannabis legalization to excite progressives and younger voters as the midterms approach. (Fertig and Zhang, 11/21)
Bay Area News Group:
As Kaiser Workers Strike, Health Care Industry Grapples With Burnout, Staffing Shortages
This week, thousands of Kaiser health care workers across the Bay Area walked off the job in support of striking engineers whose job it is to keep Kaiser’s medical centers up and running. The labor action forced the health care giant to shutter some labs, transfer some patients and postpone some surgeries. But the strike is just one symbol of broader pain in a health care industry battered by a pandemic with no end in sight, as mounting stress has exacerbated staffing challenges. (Deruy and Lin, 11/21)
Sacramento Bee:
Kaiser Engineers: Wages Don’t Live Up To Company Hype
Sacramento-area stationary engineers lashed out at Kaiser Permanente on Friday as they settled into their 63rd day of a strike that they said could have been prevented if company negotiators hadn’t low-balled them on wages and dismissed their proposals. They talked to The Sacramento Bee while surrounded by hundreds of nurses and mental health clinicians who had come out at Kaiser’s Sacramento-area medical centers to support them in their strike and raise public awareness about their plight. It was the last of two days of sympathy strikes called by unions representing more than 60,000 Kaiser employees. (Anderson, 11/21)
Daily Pilot:
Irvine Starts Using Medical Workers For Mental-Health Calls
Irvine has joined other Orange County cities using teams of medical workers to respond to mental-health-related calls for service rather than relying on police officers. The effort is meant to free up police and decrease violent confrontations between law enforcement and people experiencing homelessness or mental health issues. Many have criticized police responses to mental health calls because they can escalate tensions and provoke violent episodes. (Brazil, 11/21)
AP:
Elizabeth Holmes Takes The Stand In Her Criminal Fraud Trial
Fallen Silicon Valley star Elizabeth Holmes, accused of bamboozling investors and patients about her startup Theranos and its medical device that she said would reshape health care, took the witness stand late Friday in her trial for criminal fraud. The surprise decision to have Holmes testify so early in her defense came as a bombshell and carries considerable risk. Federal prosecutors, who rested their months-long case earlier on Friday, have made it clear that they’re eager to grill Holmes under oath. (Liedtke and Ortutay, 11/19)
CIDRAP:
Full ICUs Amid COVID Surges Could Lead To Thousands Of Extra Deaths
A modeling study today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report estimates that 12,000 more people die 2 weeks after US hospitals reach 75% adult intensive care unit (ICU) occupancy amid COVID-19 pandemic surges, a figure that rises to 80,000 when ICUs are full—which is the case now in many hospitals in multiple US states. Researchers from the US Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency COVID Task Force evaluated the relationship between overwhelmed hospitals and excess deaths from Jul 4, 2020, to Jul 10, 2021. The end of the study period included the emergence and eventual dominance of the more transmissible Delta (B1617.2) variant. (Van Beusekom, 11/19)
The Wall Street Journal:
Covid-19 Breakthrough Hospitalizations Concentrated Among Most Vulnerable
Breakthrough cases of Covid-19 are hitting older people and those with underlying health conditions particularly hard, according to a new review of data by The Wall Street Journal that sharpens the picture of who remains at risk despite vaccinations. State reporting is inconsistent but collectively shows there have been more than 1.89 million cases and at least 72,000 hospitalizations and 20,000 deaths among fully vaccinated people in the U.S. this year, the Journal found. (Kamp and Evans, 11/21)
KHN:
‘An Arm And A Leg’: The Insurance Warrior’s Battle Plan
Matthew Lientz was an engineer for Boeing for over 30 years. When he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, he needed surgery from an expert doctor in another state. Although the surgery was his only option, his insurance denied the claim. That’s when his wife, Diane, contacted Laurie Todd, who calls herself the “Insurance Warrior.” Together, the three of them made the case for Lientz’s life. Fourteen years later, the speeches they gave in a conference room full of executives are a master class in winning insurance appeals — and living to tell the tale. Through this battle, Todd learned that taking on your health insurance provider often means going up against your employer. That’s because most large companies “self-insure.” (Weissmann, 11/22)
Los Angeles Daily News:
Medical Outreach Team Brings Measure Of Healthcare To People Experiencing Homelessness In Valley
Where do the people living in homeless encampments go for health care? They have no insurance, no money. All they have are a few square feet of sidewalk, and a pup tent to sleep in with their meager possessions crammed inside with them. If they leave for a few hours to go to the emergency room, there’s a good chance those possessions will be gone when they get back. So they stay and protect what little they have. And, they wait for health care to hopefully come to them. (McCarthy, 11/21)
Marin Independent Journal:
Sausalito To Move Homeless Campers From Sewage Risk
Sausalito is closing the camp it created for homeless residents and moving them elsewhere amid findings of fecal contamination at the site. The camp occupants will move from a grassy area at Marinship Park to the parking lot as the city works to develop a new camp in a fenced-off tennis court area. (Ricapito, 11/20)
The Washington Post:
More Americans Say They’re Not Planning To Have A Child, Pew Poll Says
More U.S. adults who do not already have children are saying they are unlikely to ever have them, a new Pew Research Center survey finds — findings that could draw renewed attention to the risks of declining birthrates for industrialized nations. Experts are concerned that the U.S. birthrate, which has declined for the sixth straight year, may not fuel enough population growth on its own to keep the future economy afloat and fund social programs. Women between the ages of 18 to 49 and men between 18 and 59 who said they are not parents were asked the question, “Thinking about the future, how likely is it that you will have children someday?” (Timsit, 11/21)
The Washington Post:
Facebook Knew Its Algorithms Were Biased Against People Of Color
“Even though [Facebook executives] don’t have any animus toward people of color, their actions are on the side of racists,” said Tatenda Musapatike, a former Facebook manager working on political ads and CEO of the Voter Formation Project, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that uses digital communication to increase participation in local state and national elections. “You are saying that the health and safety of women of color on the platform is not as important as pleasing your rich White man friends.” (Dwoskin, Tiku and Timberg, 11/21)
Bay Area News Group:
The Hunt For A Simple Blood Test To Diagnose Early Alzheimer’s Disease
Even in the prime of our lives, while still healthy and clever, our brains may be secretly developing the deadly plaques and tangles of Alzheimer’s disease. The first sign of trouble is memory loss — and, by then, damage is done. But innovative new blood tests can now detect these hidden signs of disease, years before the onset of heartbreaking symptoms. (Krieger, 11/21)
California Healthline:
Journalists Cover Issues From Pollution To Vaccines And The Spread Of Covid In Hospitals
KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances. (11/20)
Associated Press:
East Bay Doctor Who Ran Opioid Pill Mill Convicted
A doctor was convicted Friday of illegally issuing hundreds of opioids and other drug prescriptions at several locations in the San Francisco Bay Area and Central Valley, including in a back room of a nail salon, federal prosecutors announced. Edmund Kemprud, 78, of Dublin, was convicted of 14 counts of illegally prescribing hydrocodone, alprazolam and oxycodone — all highly addictive — to patients who did not medically require them, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert for the Eastern District of California announced. (11/22)