Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Pandemic Highlights Need for Urgent Care Clinics for Women
For years, women with painful gynecological issues have faced long waits in ERs or longer waits to see their doctors. During the pandemic, women have increasingly turned to women’s clinics that handle urgent issues like miscarriage or serious urinary tract infections. (Rachel Scheier, )
Stanford Begins Covid Vaccine Trials On Babies, Young Children: The littlest research volunteers arrived at Stanford University on Wednesday to participate in a pivotal study of the covid-19 vaccine. Stanford Health Care is the only site on the West Coast to test the Pfizer vaccine in children younger than 5. Read more from the Bay Area News Group.
Newsom: ‘I Expect All Our Kids To Be Back’ At School In The Fall: Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday urged schools to prepare for “full, in-person instruction” this fall, but he stopped short of saying he’d hand down an executive order to force open classrooms. Read more from The Sacramento Bee and 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
Johnson & Johnson Covid Vaccine
Politico:
CDC Vaccine Panel Unexpectedly Delays Decision On Johnson & Johnson Shot
A group of vaccine experts advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention deadlocked Wednesday on whether or how to limit use of Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine based on sex or age. The panel was originally scheduled to vote Wednesday afternoon on how the federal government should proceed after calling Tuesday for a pause in the use of the vaccine after receiving reports of rare blood clots in a handful of people who received the shot. (Owermohle and Banco, 4/14)
Stat:
CDC Advisory Panel Delays Decision On J&J Covid-19 Vaccine
The U.S. government’s recommended pause on use of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine is unlikely to be lifted for at least another week or 10 days, after a committee of independent experts declined Wednesday to vote on whether use of the vaccine should resume. ... Many members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices said they felt they had too little information to be able to estimate the benefits and risks of the vaccine, or to recommend its use be restricted to people in certain age groups. (Branswell, 4/14)
CNN:
Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Is Paused, Not Canceled Says Fauci. Here's How Long A Final Decision May Take
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, says the recommended pause on the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine is just that: a pause -- and not a cancellation -- and will likely last days to weeks. "I doubt very seriously if we're talking about weeks to months," he told CNN on Wednesday. And that pause, he added, should help underscore and confirm "how seriously we take safety even though it's a rare event." (Maxouris, 4/15)
Axios:
Fauci: J&J Pause Shows How Seriously FDA Takes Vaccine Safety
President Biden's chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci suggested Wednesday that the decision to pause use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine could actually bolster vaccine confidence, calling it "an affirmation that safety is a primary consideration when it comes to the FDA and CDC." (4/14)
Los Angeles Times:
Vaccine Appointments Will Be Open To All 16+ In California
Everyone in California 16 and older can now book COVID-19 vaccine appointments on the state’s My Turn appointment system. The changes to the system went into effect Wednesday night. In Southern California, residents of Orange and Ventura counties ages 16 and up became newly eligible to book vaccine appointments through My Turn. Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Imperial counties had already made everyone 16 and older eligible. (Lin II, Shalby and Money, 4/14)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Landmark Vaccination Milestone Arrives Thursday
Four months to the day after the first coronavirus vaccine doses went into arms in San Diego County, everyone age 16 and older now qualifies, as of Thursday, to sign up for the quick stick that increasingly governs where people can go when they leave their homes. It’s a particularly heady milestone given skepticism among many experts that getting any meaningful vaccine supply was likely in the first half of 2021. (Sisson, 4/14)
The Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Sonoma County Girds For COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility Of Anyone Age 16 Or Older
By the time the sun rises Thursday morning, everyone in California 16 and older will be eligible for a coronavirus vaccination, considered the key to eventually ending the pandemic. It’s a broad promise that has been anticipated for months, but the expansion of eligibility is fraught with challenges, including here in Sonoma County where the supply of vaccine doses has sharply lagged demand. An estimated 205,906 people between 16 and 49 live in the county. And about 60% of that age group, or 122,836 people, had yet to receive at least one of two required vaccination doses as of Wednesday, said Kate Pack, the county’s lead epidemiologist. (Barber, 4/14)
Orange County Register:
As Vaccine Eligibility Opens Up, Orange County Plans More Clinics For Elusive Groups
With California expanding COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to everyone age 16 and over starting Thursday, April 15, public health officials in Orange County are planning a new array of pop-up vaccination sites for certain harder-to-reach groups that, for various reasons, might be left behind as the immunization campaign shifts into an even higher gear. At this stage, public and private administrators have pieced together a grid of coronavirus vaccination sites that range from large health care providers and county-run super PODs – points-of-dispensing that offer thousands of slots per day – to pharmacy chains and small-scale neighborhoods clinics. (Wheeler and Robinson, 4/14)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Kaiser To Offer COVID-19 Vaccine In Delano On Saturday
A Kaiser Permanente mobile health vehicle will be in Delano on Saturday to give the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to those age 18 years or older. The event, open to the public, can accommodate 200 patients. While walk-ins will be accepted, Kaiser is encouraging appointments because the supply is limited. Call 412-6701 to make an appointment. (4/14)
The Bakersfield Californian:
GET Buses Going To, Near COVID-19 Vaccine Sites
The Golden Empire Transit District is reminding residents that buses run directly to or near local COVID-19 vaccine sites, and that it also offers on-demand paratransit and on-demand curb-to-curb service. “A lack of transportation should not be a barrier to getting the COVID-19 vaccine,” Karen King, CEO of Golden Empire Transit, said in a news release. “Every person who wants the vaccine should get it, and transportation should not be a barrier.” (4/14)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Leaders Urge Kern Residents To Get Vaccinated As Demand Peters
Just as the supply of COVID-19 vaccine has increased in Kern County, demand appears to be tapering off even though Kern has a relatively low local vaccination rate. As a result, local leaders are urging county residents age 16 and over to get vaccinated as soon as possible. "The quicker we get our population vaccinated, the sooner we get back to that normalcy we’re looking for," said Brynn Carrigan, Kern County's public health director. (Shepard, 4/14)
Los Angeles Times:
COVID-19 Vaccine Inequities Persist In L.A. County Despite Progress In Underserved Areas
Los Angeles County has made significant strides in administering COVID-19 vaccines in communities of color hardest hit by the pandemic, but those areas continue to lag far behind both wealthier neighborhoods and the county as a whole, according to a Times data analysis. Some neighborhoods in South Los Angeles — where the spread of the coronavirus was particularly devastating — saw the biggest increase in how many of their residents had received at least one vaccine dose between March 1 and Monday, the data show. Other areas that saw major improvement include Thai Town in Hollywood, Lennox and Cudahy. (Money and Stiles, 4/15)
San Francisco Chronicle:
COVID Vaccination Options For Homebound People Scarce In Bay Area. What We Know
Steve Silberman had a difficult time finding a coronavirus vaccine for his 86-year-old mother, Leslie, who is homebound and had not left her apartment since the start of the pandemic. He called several agencies, including the San Francisco Department of Public Health, to look for any in-home vaccination resources for homebound seniors. (Flores, 4/15)
San Francisco Chronicle:
San Francisco Is Trying Hard To Vaccinate Its Most Vulnerable. Is It Working?
Katia Ramos stood on the corner of Florida and 24th streets in the Mission last weekend with an exciting message for those passing by: “We have vaccine appointments! Does anyone need one? ”But what she and a dozen other volunteers from Unidos en Salud — United in Health — kept hearing on that sunny Saturday afternoon was, in many ways, even more exciting: “I already got it. ”The volunteers fanned out through the heavily Latino district to spread the word that anyone older than 16 would soon be eligible for a vaccine. Their goal? Secure appointments for as many people as possible before eligibility expanded this week. (Thadani, 4/15)
Sacramento Bee:
COVID: 30% Of CA Adults Fully Vaccinated, 20% Have One Shot
As the state sprints toward 24 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine given, California hit another pair of remarkable milestones Wednesday: more than 30% of its adults are now fully vaccinated, and over half have one dose of a two-shot inoculation. The California Department of Public Health on Wednesday reported providers across California have administered 23,760,123 doses over the course of the rollout, averaging more than 380,000 shots per day over the past week. CDPH said in its daily update it is again dealing with data processing issues leading to incomplete counts. (McGough, 4/14)
East Bay Times:
COVID Vaccines: California Teens Ready And Willing
Sixteen-year old Patricia Kalb is ready to get her coronavirus shot. “I’m making my appointment at midnight tonight,” the high school junior from Santa Clara said on Wednesday. “It’s important to me to protect other people. ”Kalb is one of many teenagers in California who will become eligible for the vaccine on Thursday, April 15 when shots will be offered to everyone 16 and older. The teens who score a vaccine appointment will join the nearly 16 million Californians who have already gotten at least one shot. About 9.6 million Californians are fully vaccinated. (Joosse, 4/15)
Orange County Register:
COVID-19 Vaccine Opponents Invoke The Holocaust, Dismaying Hate Speech Experts
In their zeal to speak out against COVID-19 vaccinations, some Orange County residents are publicly equating the vaccines and the push for their widespread use to the atrocities of the Holocaust. On Tuesday, at an Orange County Board of Supervisors meeting, two speakers wore Star of David symbols on their shirts as they joined others in referencing the Holocaust while denouncing vaccines and vaccination requirements. Last week, at an Orange County Board of Education meeting, some residents referred to the use of COVID-19 vaccinations as being not unlike the deadly experiments performed by German physician Josef Mengele at the Auschwitz concentration camp. Some experts who track hate speech say the rhetoric is inaccurate, hyperbolic, and crosses a line into anti-Semitism. (Kopetman, 4/14)
KQED:
How Could The Johnson And Johnson Vaccine Pause Affect You In The Bay Area?
Out of an “abundance of caution” the Food and Drug Administration has recommended a pause on the use of the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine in the U.S. after a very rare type of blood clot showed up in six women within about two weeks of receiving the vaccination. This news comes just as California is about to open up COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to all people 16 and older. So if you're in the Bay Area, and wondering how this affects you — whether you have an existing appointment, are trying to find a COVID-19 vaccine near you or already got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine — we have answers. (Severn, 4/14)
San Francisco Chronicle:
California Marks Pandemic Milestone: No More Counties In The Purple Tier
California on Wednesday marked a major pandemic milestone: For the first time, none of its 58 counties were in the most restrictive purple tier of its pandemic reopening plan. Merced County had been the last county remaining in the purple tier, indicating “widespread” coronavirus risk, after Inyo in Southern California moved to the second-most-restrictive red tier on Tuesday. (Hwang, 4/14)
Los Angeles Times:
San Francisco Reopens Further With Live Shows, Conferences
San Francisco will allow indoor performances and private conferences and receptions to resume Thursday as coronavirus rates remain low and residents continue to get vaccinated. “We are still in a pandemic, and we can’t let our guard down,” Mayor London Breed said in a news release, “but that doesn’t mean we can’t still find ways to adapt to our new normal, have fun, and enjoy all that San Francisco has to offer.” (Dolan, 4/14)
San Francisco Chronicle:
'Breakthrough' Cases Of Vaccinated People Who Get COVID May Be Key To Unlocking Immunity
After more than a year of anxiety that someone in her multigenerational household would bring home the coronavirus and expose elderly grandparents and great-grandparents to a possibly fatal disease, Vanessa Bain was breathing a lot easier by the end of March. Almost everyone in their Menlo Park home had had at least one dose of vaccine. And then her husband tested positive. Within days so did her grandfather and great-grandmother, along with Bain and her teenage daughter, who was too young to be vaccinated. (Allday, 4/14)
San Francisco Chronicle:
This San Francisco Neighborhood Saw 10x More COVID Cases Than One Nearby It
For a major city, San Francisco has fared relatively well during the coronavirus pandemic. It has had the lowest COVID-19 case rate and death rate of any large urban county in the United States, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its current daily case rate of 3.8 cases per 100,000 is low enough to place it in California’s second least-restrictive reopening tier. But not all parts of the city have fared equally, according to data published by the San Francisco Department of Public Health. The department’s data breaks down COVID-19 case rates by small neighborhoods within San Francisco, officially referred to as census tracts. (Neilson and Sumida, 4/15)
Sacramento Bee:
Stanford Study: Placer County COVID Cases More Than Reported
A study with Stanford University to better understand the prevalence of COVID-19 in Placer County found that about 68% of cases went unreported. Dr. Julie Parsonnet, professor of epidemiology and population health at Stanford University, told the county Board of Supervisors in a presentation Tuesday that seropositivity rates, meaning the presence of antibodies over time, were “pretty darn low” and nowhere near the threshold for herd immunity, making the vaccine all the more important for the county’s fight against the disease. (Sullivan, 4/14)
The New York Times:
Empty Middle Seats On Planes Cut Coronavirus Risk In Study
Keeping the middle seats vacant during a flight could reduce passengers’ exposure to airborne coronavirus by 23 to 57 percent, researchers reported in a new study that modeled how aerosolized viral particles spread through a simulated airplane cabin. “Farther is always better in terms of exposure,” said Byron Jones, a mechanical engineer at Kansas Sate University and co-author of the study. “It’s true in airplanes, it’s true in movie theaters, it’s true in restaurants, it’s true everywhere.” (Anthes, 4/14)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Ceremony Brings Attention To Organ Donations, National Donate Life Month
Lori Malkin vividly recalls the night her son was involved in what ultimately proved to be a fatal accident, and how it changed her outlook forever. Malkin said it was just over 12 years ago when she received a phone call in the middle of the night that Jeff was in a coma at Kern Medical. Malkin, the founder of the local organization JJ’s Legacy, which educates and encourages community members to become registered organ donors, shared her story outside Kern Medical on Wednesday morning. It coincided with the hospital joining the Flags Across America campaign in recognition of April being National Donate Life Month. The event was highlighted by guest speakers and a flag raising ceremony. (Feinberg, 4/14)
Los Angeles Daily News:
Healing California Offers Free Dental, Vision Care To Low-Income, Homeless Populations
Their goal is daunting, for the need is vast: delivering free dental and vision care to California’s low-income and homeless populations. Each tooth extraction, each prescription for eyewear, and each referral for medical treatment brings them closer to solving pernicious problems in the statewide crisis. A crisis some view as an ultramarathon they see as a sprint. “We’re not even near fixing the ten percent of people that need specifically dental and vision care that cannot get it at all,” said Linwood Boomer, creator of “Malcolm in the Middle” who in 2018 founded Healing California. “We’re really trying to floor it; put our foot on the gas pedal and just growing to serve this need in the population that needs it.” (Black, 4/14)
Modesto Bee:
Turlock Clears Homeless Camp & Puts Shelter On Standby
As the City of Turlock cleared the homeless encampment on West Glenwood Avenue Wednesday morning, six people said they do not want to stay in shelters or do not know where to go next. How much the city’s 120-day emergency plan has reduced homelessness about 30 days in is unclear, but Kim Silva is among those who have moved to different encampments because of the sweeps. Silva, 48, started living on West Glenwood near the Travelodge about a month ago after the city swept the encampment on West Main Street by Planet Fitness. Prior to living next to the gym, Silva said she and her boyfriend stayed at the homeless camp along the railroad on South First Street. Union Pacific Railroad cleared the area in the first week of March. (Lam, 4/14)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Oakland 'Not Adequately Prepared' To Deal With Homeless Encampments, City Audit Finds
A city audit of how Oakland conducts homeless interventions found that the city lacked an effective strategy in dealing with a growing number of unsheltered residents living on city streets, and failed to give policy directions and adequate funding to handle the crisis. The 95-page report, released by the city auditor’s office Wednesday afternoon, comes just one month after the homelessness chief left his position less than a year into the job. Assistant City Administrator LaTonda Simmons has taken over the role on an interim basis. (Ravani, 4/14)