Fentanyl Crisis Spreading Across California: Drug overdose deaths in California involving the potent synthetic opioid fentanyl increased 45% between 2020 and 2021, but it wasn’t just San Francisco contributing to that spike. Fentanyl-involved overdose deaths also increased in the smaller and more rural counties of the state. Read more from The San Francisco Chronicle.
In related news —
Is SF Reviving the 'War on Drugs'? Former Cop, Health Experts Say 'Yes'
Air Pollution Skyrocketed in 2021 Near Crowded Ports: Port officials recently announced an unprecedented increase in harmful emissions last year. At the Port of Los Angeles, cancer-causing diesel particulate matter rose 56% compared with 2020, while lung-irritating sulfur oxides rose 145%. Those increases and others have outraged clean air advocates, but port officials say the surge was just an anomaly caused by the covid-19 pandemic. Read more from the Los Angeles Times.
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:
These Two New COVID Variants Could Drive The Next Surge. Here's Why They're Causing Surprise And Concern
Concern is rapidly growing over emerging omicron coronavirus variant BQ.1 and its sibling BQ.1.1, which experts say appear to be strong candidates for a winter surge in the U.S. and could knock the BA.5 variant out of its dominant spot. (Hwang, 10/16)
San Francisco Chronicle:
A Mission District COVID Clinic’s Outsized Impact
When health officials and community members partnered to open a COVID-19 clinic in San Francisco's Mission District, the initial goal was to help Latinos who were hard-hit by the disease. But the clinic became much more, not only giving over 90,000 tests and more than 60,000 vaccines, but contributing to vital research and even growing to provide other services. (10/17)
East Bay Times:
COVID Art Therapy Workshop Set For Saturday In Antioch
Youth and young adult volunteer ambassadors working with Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) are developing a series of five workshops to help their peers contend with the effects of COVID-19 restrictions. The next workshop in the series will take place Saturday and is entitled “Art As Therapy: A Mental Health Workshop.” (Gehlke, 10/16)
CBS News:
New COVID Variant BQ.1 Now Makes Up 1 In 10 Cases Nationwide, CDC Estimates
The CDC had previously bundled BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 with their shared parent BA.5 in the agency's weekly "Nowcast" estimates. BQ.1 was first named by scientists in early September, based on sequences spotted across the U.S. and several other countries. (Tin, 10/14)
CNBC:
Omicron Covid Boosters Appear To Work, Regardless Of Side Effects
If you already got your omicron-specific Covid booster, you might have experienced some side effects. Maybe even ones that were more intense than your previous shot. But there’s no need to worry: Experts and new data say the new shots appear to work — regardless of whether you experience moderate, mild or no side effects at all. (Constantino, 10/15)
San Francisco Chronicle:
A Long-Hidden Disease Is Pulled From The Shadows By Its Cousin, Long COVID
Whitney Dafoe of Palo Alto hasn’t spoken in nine years. He hasn’t eaten a bite of food or sipped water in nearly as long. But at 39, Dafoe writes eloquently about the debilitating and largely ignored illness he shares with millions. “I like to compare the state I’m in now to staying up for two nights in a row while fasting, then getting drunk,” he wrote on the blog he uses to tell the world about living with his nearly unpronounceable disease: myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, or ME/CFS, for short. “Fatigue is much too mild a word.” (Asimov, 10/17)
Politico:
Fauci Recalls Highs And Lows Of Trump Covid Response
Anthony Fauci praised Operation Warp Speed, former President Donald Trump’s campaign to quickly create a Covid-19 vaccine, as “a very positive thing” in an interview Sunday. But what, host Jonathan Karl asked, about the idea that many Trump supporters continue to constitute a majority of the anti-vaccine movement anyway? (Olander, 10/16)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Church, Swap Meet Join Fight Against The Flu
Flu season traditionally starts Oct. 1, said Ann Walker, immunization coordinator for Kern County Public Health. But now national guidelines encourage people to get vaccinated as soon as the vaccine becomes available, she added, which was about mid-August this year at many of the chain pharmacies. (Smith, 10/16)
CIDRAP:
First Week Of New Flu Season Shows Highest Rises In The South
Most of the country is experiencing an early increase in flu activity, with southeast and south-central states reporting the highest levels, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said [Friday]. Its weekly report [was] the first for the 2022-23 flu season. (10/14)
Stat:
CDC: Signs Point To An Early Start For Flu Season
Flu transmission has been low since the start of the pandemic, but an odd spurt of activity in April, May, and even early June of 2022 — which coincided with the onset of an early and robust flu season in Australia — suggests that flu may be making its way back. (Branswell, 10/17)
NBC News:
Surge In RSV, Virus That Can Severely Sicken Infants, Fills Hospital Beds
"The ones who tend to get the most sick are the infants below four months. And then the ones who are older who tend to get most sick are those who have some other medical conditions," said Dr. Sameer Kamath, chief medical officer for Duke Children’s Hospital and Health Center. (Bendix, 10/14)
Reuters:
With No Monkeypox Vaccine At Home, Frustrated Mexicans Go Abroad
Mexico City resident Juan David Zuluaga, 32, flew to Tijuana last week to get vaccinated across the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego. "I didn't see a plan from the government," he said. "I had to do something for myself." ... Juan Carlos Lara, who owns a store in Mexico City's historic center, got vaccinated while vacationing in San Francisco last month. "It was quick. They didn't ask for anything," said Lara, 41, who like others plans to make a second trip to get the recommended second dose. (O'Boyle, 10/17)
NPR:
Research Hints At Why Monkeypox Cases Could Keep Falling In The U.S.
Health experts attribute the success to changes in behavior among those at high risk for monkeypox and quick uptake of vaccines. But a growing body of evidence suggests another factor is also helping slow down the outbreak: the virus can spread only under very particular circumstances. (Doucleff and Huang, 10/17)
Salon.com:
Monkeypox Didn't Become A Pandemic. Are We Celebrating Too Soon?
Not all experts agree with the rosier assessments about monkeypox's future. Indeed, some experts are warning that celebrations of a non-pandemic may be premature. (Rozsa, 10/14)
Bay Area News Group:
Lower-Cost Hearing Aids Now Available Over The Counter
Beginning this week, over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids will be sold at local stores and online for the first time, making it possible for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss to buy the devices without a prescription. (Welle, 10/17)
The Washington Post:
Hearing Aids Are Going Retail With Lower Costs And Easier Access
The government on Monday will begin allowing pharmacies and big-box stores to sell hearing aids without prescriptions, a move that is expected to shake up an industry that has long been dominated by a handful of manufacturers under a model of care that critics said raised costs and stifled innovation. (Rowland and Morris, 10/16)
The Washington Post:
How To Buy A Hearing Aid Online Or In A Store
The new rule from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration goes into effect Monday, and experts have called it a game changer that is expected to make the devices more affordable and accessible for millions of people. With a variety of brands, styles and features to choose from, picking the right one may be daunting. Here’s some expert advice for buying a hearing aid that works for you. (Morris, 10/16)
NPR:
What To Know Now That Hearing Aids Are Available Over The Counter
The move is being hailed as a win for those with hearing loss, which afflicts millions of people across the country, but experts say customers need to be cautious about what products they purchase as sales begin. "I hate to use the words 'buyer beware,' so instead it's 'buyer be educated' about what you're doing, what your needs are," said Kate Carr, president of the Hearing Industries Association, a trade group representing hearing aid manufacturers. (Hernandez, 10/17)
CNN:
Hearing Aids: What To Know About Buying Them Over The Counter
Dr. Frank Lin, director of the Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Dr. Lindsay Creed of the American Speech Hearing Association, offer their advice on what to keep in mind when buying hearing aids over the counter. Both Lin and Creed strongly recommend getting a hearing test before heading to the store. (Charles, 10/17)
Los Angeles Times:
Democrats Test Where Latino Voters Stand On Abortion Post-Roe
Just as the reversal of Roe vs. Wade has scrambled Democrats’ overall midterm playbook, it has also prompted the party to rethink its long-standing approach with Latino voters. The party is putting the abortion issue at the center, discarding decades of conventional wisdom that it would be a political loser with a group of voters that is overwhelmingly Catholic and seen as socially conservative. (Mason and Bierman, 10/17)
AP:
Californians Get Third Chance To Alter Dialysis Clinic Rules
For the third time in three elections, California voters are being asked to require changes to the operations of dialysis clinics that provide life-saving care to 80,000 people with kidney failure. Proposition 29 on the November ballot would require a doctor, nurse practitioner or physicians’ assistant to be present during treatment at the state’s 600 outpatient dialysis facilities. (10/16)
AP:
Voters To Decide On California Ban On Flavored Tobacco
Two years ago, California banned flavored tobacco products such as menthol cigarettes and cotton candy vaping juice, arguing that they mostly attracted kids and were especially dangerous amid the coronavirus pandemic when youth deaths spiked from respiratory complications. But the law never took effect. Tobacco giants, including R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and Philip Morris USA, spent $20 million on a campaign that gathered enough signatures to put the issue to the voters. (Watson, 10/15)
CapRadio:
‘Because My Vote Counts.’ Unhoused Residents Take Part In Sacramento Voter Registration Drive
Sacramento County election workers held a voter registration drive on Thursday at a location some might not expect: Loaves & Fishes, one of the region’s busiest homeless service centers near downtown Sacramento. The goal? To let unhoused residents know they have the opportunity to vote no matter where they lay their head at night. No permanent or numerical address is required to register. Instead, residents can provide the address of a temporary shelter, a park or an intersection to sign up, said Janna Haynes, a county elections spokesperson. (Nichols, 10/14)
Los Angeles Times:
California Doctors Are Warned About Ebola Outbreak In Uganda
California officials are urging doctors to be on alert for any signs of Ebola symptoms among people who have recently traveled to Uganda, the East African nation currently undergoing a significant outbreak. (Lin II and Money, 10/17)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
State Can't Cut Off Medi-Cal Payments To Borrego Health, Judge Rules
A federal bankruptcy judge has barred state health officials from cutting off Medi-Cal payments to the Borrego Community Health Foundation, a decision that breathes new financial life into the struggling nonprofit that remains under criminal investigation. (McDonald, 10/17)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Wildfire Smoke In The Western U.S. Is Reversing Air Quality Gains Over The Past Two Decades
Hazy skies are now a recurring theme in California during fire season. Earlier this year, the Mosquito Fire blanketed Northern California in hazardous smoke, resulting in unhealthy conditions across large swaths of the state. Back in September 2020, Bay Area skies were tinged an otherworldly shade of orange. Wildfire plumes send a noxious mixture of gas, chemicals and small particles skyward. This medley includes PM2.5, particulate matter that's 2.5 micrometers in diameter or smaller — about 30 times smaller than the diameter of human hair. These tiny particles, however, can have major health impacts. They're small enough to get deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream. (Lee, 10/17)
Los Angeles Blade:
38th Annual AIDS Walk LA Took Place In WeHo Sunday
After a two year absence brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, the streets of West Hollywood Sunday filled with people participating in the 38th annual AIDS Walk Los Angeles which returned with the theme “Be All Over It.” (10/16)
The Mercury News:
Hundreds Of Stanford Students March To Demand Administrators Expel Rapists From Campus
Following two highly publicized reports of sexual assault on campus in recent months, hundreds of Stanford students on Friday marched to the main quad to protest what they say is the university’s lackluster efforts to prevent future rapes. Last Friday a woman was raped after a man grabbed her from her Stanford University office and dragged her into a basement. The brazen attack came just two months to the day after another woman was abducted in broad daylight from a parking lot near a Stanford dorm and forced into a bathroom, where she was raped. (Toledo, 10/14)
AP:
Next Step For Elizabeth Holmes: Bid For A New Trial
On Monday, disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes will play one of her last cards to avoid a prison sentence when a federal judge questions a key prosecution witness who expressed post-trial regrets about testimony that helped convince a jury to convict her for investor fraud. That witness, former Theranos lab director Adam Rosendorff, made an uninvited visit to Holmes’ Silicon Valley home in August. While he didn’t speak to Holmes directly, Rosendorff told her partner William Evans that “he tried to answer the questions honestly but that the prosecutors tried to make everyone look bad” and felt “he had done something wrong,” according to court documents. (Liedtke, 10/17)