AP: Masks Could Return To Los Angeles As COVID Surges Nationwide
Los Angeles County, home to 10 million residents, is facing a return to a broad indoor mask mandate later this month if current trends in hospital admissions continue, county health Director Barbara Ferrer said this week. (Johnson and Weber, 7/14)

Palm Springs Desert Sun: COVID-19: Palm Springs Wastewater Samples Show Omicron Subvariant BA.5 Is Dominant Strain
Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 have led to spikes in COVID-19 cases throughout the country, and Palm Springs' wastewater samples suggest the latter is the dominant subvariant circulating in the community. (Sasic, 7/13)

The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: After Monthslong Plateau, Sonoma County COVID-19 Hospitalizations See Slight Uptick
COVID-19 hospitalizations in Sonoma County have jumped precipitously in recent days, potentially following a statewide pattern driven by the highly infectious omicron subvariant BA.5. (Espinoza, 7/13)

San Francisco Chronicle: COVID Variants Mean Ventilation Is More Important Than Ever. So What Does ‘Good’ Air Flow Look Like?
As coronavirus variants like BA.5 and BA.2.75 become more prevalent and more transmissible, experts are repeatedly pointing to a transmission reduction strategy that’s worked since the beginning of the pandemic — air ventilation, especially indoors. “We don’t know what variants we’re dealing with in the future,” said Stanford University infectious disease specialist Dr. Abraar Karan, “but transmission is always the same.” (Echeverria, 7/14)

Los Angeles Times: Stunning Spread Of BA.5 Creates Dangerous California COVID Wave
With California suffering through another intense coronavirus wave, the stunning proliferation of the BA.5 subvariant is becoming a growing focus of scientific scrutiny, with experts saying it may replicate itself far more effectively than earlier versions of Omicron. (Lin II and Money, 7/13)

Los Angeles Times: Warner Bros. Studios Facing Significant COVID Outbreak
Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank is reporting a sudden spike in COVID cases as Los Angeles County grapples with its highest weekly average of new cases since last summer’s Delta surge. As of Tuesday, 43 confirmed cases had been reported to the L.A. County Department of Public Health. The rise in infections comes just one month after the studio began requiring employees to return to the office at least three days a week. (Hernandez, 7/13)

The Mercury News: Q&A: Someone In Your Family Has COVID. Now What?
With persistently high case rates, and new extra-contagious omicron strains, what exactly are you supposed to do now in the growing eventuality that someone in your home tests positive for COVID-19? Can you and others in your home avoid infection? And when are you in the clear? (Rowan, 7/13)

San Francisco Chronicle: COVID In California: Invented ‘Centaurus’ Nickname For New BA.2.75 Subvariant Catches On
With the BA.2.75 subvariant of omicron picking up traction around the world, in early July a Twitter user decided to get a jump on public health officials and brand it with a Greek nickname. “I have just named BA.275 variant after a galaxy,” Xabier Ostale tweeted. “Its new name is Centaurus strain. Get used to it. Today, I’m in command of anything pandemic.” Since then, several major media outlets have picked up on the arbitrary nickname. (Vaziri, Buchmann and Allday, 7/13)

CIDRAP: Study: Kids Have Stronger COVID-19 Antibody Response Than Adults
A new prospective study of 252 families with members diagnosed as having mild COVID-19 in Italy finds that, while all age-groups had detectable SARS-CoV-2 antibodies up to 1 year after infection, children—especially those younger than 3 years—had higher antibody levels than adults at all intervals tested. (Van Beusekom, 7/13)

NBC News: FDA Authorizes Novavax's Covid Vaccine
The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday authorized Novavax’s protein-based Covid vaccine for adults, providing Americans with an alternative to the mRNA-based shots from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. The Novavax primary series is given in two doses, administered 21 days apart. (Lovelace Jr., 7/13)

Politico: Low Demand For Young Kids’ Covid Vaccines Is Alarming Doctors 
States where parents have hesitated to inoculate their children against Covid-19 are now ordering fewer doses of the vaccines for children under 5 than others, underscoring the challenge facing the Biden administration as a highly transmissible variant sweeps the nation. (Mahr and Gardner, 7/14)

SF Gate: San Francisco Is 'Veering Towards A Public Health Mess' On Monkeypox, Lawmaker Says
A Bay Area lawmaker is warning that San Francisco is "veering toward a public health mess" over monkeypox, citing a Wednesday announcement from the San Francisco Department of Public Health that said the agency is running low on monkeypox vaccines and will shutter its clinic at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital until more supply arrives. (Regimbal, 7/13)

Bay Area News Group: Uptick Of Monkeypox Reported In Santa Clara County
Monkeypox infections are steadily rising in much of the Bay Area, with nearly 100 cases diagnosed among six counties in the region as of Wednesday, mirroring a national trend as the vaccine supply to combat the growing global outbreak remains critically low. (Greschler, 7/13)

Sacramento Bee: Sacramento County Reports 4 New Monkeypox Cases For 14 Total
Sacramento County has detected four new probable cases of monkeypox, officials said Wednesday, marking the 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th infections discovered since the outbreak began at the local level in late May. Six of the 14 probable or confirmed cases have been disclosed in the past two days, with the county reporting two infections Tuesday. (McGough, 7/13)

The Washington Post: Nearly 800,000 Doses Of Monkeypox Vaccine May Be In U.S. By End Of July 
Nearly 800,000 more doses of monkeypox vaccine could be ready for distribution in the United States by the end of July following a Food and Drug Administration inspection of a Danish vaccine plant and the expected authorization of the facility, part of an effort to control a record U.S. outbreak of the disease, according to the federal government. About 780,000 doses are at the supplier in Denmark, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the national stockpile where the vaccines are maintained. The shots have been stored in Denmark awaiting the completion of the FDA on-the-ground inspection and authorization. (Sun and McGinley, 7/13)

San Francisco Chronicle: ‘How Do We Define Pro Life?’ Gavin Newsom Wants To Use Conservatives’ Talking Points Against Them
During a speech in May, Gov. Gavin Newsom proudly claimed to have a “pro-life agenda.” The Planned Parenthood-endorsed Democrat wasn’t announcing a reversal of his support for abortion rights. He was trying to wrest the term “pro-life” away from conservatives and redefine it to use against them. (Bollag, 7/14)

USA Today: HHS: Pharmacists Cannot Deny Filling Abortion Pill Prescriptions
The Biden administration warned pharmacists Wednesday that they are at risk of violating federal civil rights laws if they deny filling prescriptions to medications that could be used for abortions. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights issued the guidance to roughly 60,000 U.S. retail pharmacies after reports that patients were being denied abortion medication after it was prescribed or medication to treat certain ailments that could cause abortions. (Morin, 7/13)

CNN: House Passes Amended Burn Pit Legislation 
The House on Wednesday passed long-awaited legislation that would help millions of veterans who were exposed to toxic burn pits during their military service. The bill, which removes the burden on veterans to prove that their toxic exposure resulted in certain harmful conditions, passed the House in a 342-88 vote, correcting a legislative snag that had held up the legislation through the July Fourth recess. (Dean, Foran and Mizelle, 7/13)

The New York Times: House Passes Bill To Expand Health Benefits For Burn Pit Exposure 
It would be one of the largest expansions of veterans benefits in the history of the Department of Veterans Affairs, said Denis McDonough, the agency’s secretary, on par with the Agent Orange Act that broadened access for Vietnam War veterans exposed to the toxic substance that was used as an herbicide and endangered generations of Laotians. (Lai and Ismay, 7/13)

Roll Call: Compromise Veterans Bill Passes House, Heads Back To Senate 
The revised bill drops the Senate-passed tax provision, though House members expressed frustration with the additional time and effort needed to get the bill to President Joe Biden’s desk. “Our veterans do not have the time for technicalities. Their lives are literally on the line," Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif., said during floor debate. (Lerman, 7/13)

San Gabriel Valley Tribune: Coalition Calls $25 Minimum Wage For Healthcare Workers ‘Inequitable’ 
An L.A. ordinance that boosted the minimum wage for healthcare workers at private facilities to $25 an hour is being challenged by others who say the hike is unfair, as it excludes employees at more than 90% of the city’s hospitals and medical clinics. (Smith, 7/13)

The Bakersfield Californian: Adventist Contract Dispute With Anthem Goes Public 
Private health-care negotiations spilled into public view Wednesday as the head of Adventist Health in Kern County urged local members of Anthem Blue Cross of California to contact the health plan and ask that it raise its reimbursement rates to the nonprofit hospital chain. (Cox, 7/13)

KQED: Why Were Many SF Hospitals Once Affiliated With Ethnic Groups?
San Francisco has some of the country’s premier hospitals. Big providers like Kaiser, Sutter Health and UCSF Medical Center operate here, part of a vast and complicated system of health care that can feel byzantine in complexity. So it's hard to believe that hospitals here were once a lot simpler: people with ethnic or religious affinities taking care of one another. Bay Curious listener Ken Katz saw hints of this history and wanted to know more. "I work at Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco, and one of our campuses is the French campus," Ken said. "Only recently did I learn that the reason it's called the French campus is it's the site of the former French hospital." (Schwartz, 7/14)

San Diego Union-Tribune: Latest SD Biotech Layoff: Heron Therapeutics Restructures And Cuts 34% Of Its Workforce 
Heron Therapeutics, a publicly traded San Diego biotechnology company that makes cancer and pain-management therapies, is laying off one-third of its workforce as part of a corporate restructuring that could help it save $43 million annually. (Rocha, 7/13)

KQED: A New Mental Health Crisis Line Launches On Saturday. Is California Ready To Operate It?
911 intervention will be still be rare, says Michelle Doty Cabrera, executive director of the County Behavioral Health Directors Association of California. “When a person calls 911, they are expecting help to come to them,” she says. “If a person's calling a national suicide prevention hotline for emotional support, they may not want anyone to know who they are, let alone where they're at in that moment.” (Dembosky, 7/14)

Modesto Bee: Stanislaus County To Add Mental Health Staff For 911 Calls
Agencies in Stanislaus County are budgeting for more mental health specialists to assist police with certain 911 calls. The Modesto Police Department plans to create an additional Community Health and Assistance Team (CHAT), which uses trained outreach specialists to respond to 911 calls for mental health crises or similar noncriminal or nonviolent incidents. (Carlson, 7/13)

CalMatters: CARE Court: Can California Counties Make It Work?
In early March, Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a controversial proposal to compel people with serious mental health issues into care and housing. Mental health advocates, mayors and family members who stood alongside him at the press conference at a San Jose behavioral health treatment program heralded the plan, known as CARE Court, as a visionary move. (Wiener and Tobias, 7/14)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. Times Launches Year-Long Mental Health Initiative
The Los Angeles Times has launched a comprehensive, year-long mental health initiative to help readers cope with the stress of daily life, anxiety and more. For Your Mind will include guides, enterprise stories, videos and a database of culturally-competent mental healthcare providers to address emotional and psychological well-being and point readers to resources to get help. (7/13)

San Francisco Chronicle: Berkeley Law Professor Calls Josh Hawley’s Remarks ‘Transphobic’ In Senate Hearing
A UC Berkeley School of Law professor took on U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley on Tuesday, accusing him of being transphobic and possibly encouraging violence against transgender people in a testy exchange during a Senate Judiciary hearing in response to the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade. The exchange, broadcast on C-SPAN, began innocently enough with Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, working the edges of the abortion issue, seemingly trying to draw Professor Khiara Bridges into a debate over the language used to describe who can give birth. (Whiting, 7/12)

San Francisco Chronicle: West Nile Virus Detected In This Bay Area County
Solano County health officials said this week that a bird found in Vacaville in late June tested positive for the West Nile virus. To date, there have been no confirmed human cases of the virus, health officials said. (Parker, 7/13)

KPCC: UCLA’s New Heat Map Aims To Get Resources To California’s Most Vulnerable Neighborhoods. How Does It Work?
A new online tool from UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health aims to show how specific neighborhoods are harmed by extreme heat. The map helps visualize the risks of extreme heat and includes a tutorial video and feedback forms for recommendations on how to improve the tool. The overall goal is to target the most vulnerable neighborhoods and provide them with resources. Today on AirTalk, Larry’s joined by Dr. David Eisenman, Fielding School professor of community health sciences and co-director of the UCLA Center for Healthy Climate Solutions and the UCLA Center for Public Health and Disasters, and Marta Segura, director of the Climate Emergency Mobilization Office, to discuss the new tool and how the city is addressing rising temperatures. (7/13)

KQED: What To Pack In Your Emergency Bag — With COVID-19 In Mind
Across California, the return of hot, dry and windy weather conditions once more has residents bracing for wildfires. The increased wildfire risk also increases the likelihood that power outages from public safety power shutoffs may take place, to prevent fires from sparking. (Garces and Aguilar, 7/13)

Bay Area News Group: Campbell School District Becomes First In California To Screen All Student Athletes For Heart Conditions
Student athletes in the Campbell Union High School District will now be screened for heart conditions this school year through a partnership with a Los Gatos-based nonprofit. The district’s board of trustees partnered with the Kyle J. Taylor Foundation to screen its student athletes in grades 9 and 11 for heart abnormalities or conditions to prevent sudden cardiac arrest. (Kanik, 7/13)

The Bakersfield Californian: Kern Autism Network Shares Support, Understanding For Parents, Kids 
For the last 19 years, Puget has led the Kern Autism Network, a local organization that supports parents, and she knows that while every child with autism is different, depending on one of three "levels" on the spectrum and the myriad comorbidities that can exist — ranging from attention deficit disorder to cerebral palsy — Martinez’s story and experiences are more common than most realize. (Smith, 7/13)

CapRadio: Sacramento County Cannabis Tax Proposal Fails. Here’s What Board Vote Means For Dispensaries
Sacramento County officials on Tuesday declined to take a step toward allowing cannabis dispensaries in unincorporated areas. The Board of Supervisors failed to pass a proposal to put a cannabis and hemp business tax measure on the November ballot. (Lam, 7/13)

San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Wants To Extend Hotel Homeless Shelters. But Are Residents Housed When They Leave?
San Francisco wants to extend the pandemic-era program used to shelter homeless people in hotels through the end of the year as officials face the daunting task of rehousing hundreds of people still living in them. Officials and advocates said the program helped to reduce the number of people living on city streets over the past two years. Advocates protested shutting down sites, wanting to keep filling them as temporary shelters even if permanent housing is uncertain, while critics questioned how effective it’s been in getting people into long-term housing and treatment. The city also now faces millions of dollars in claims for property damage from hotel owners. (Moench, 7/13)

Sacramento Bee: Second Shelter To Open In South Sacramento For Homeless
Sacramento County is moving forward with a second tiny home shelter for homeless people, approving a plan this week that will provide dozens of units in a government-owned lot near Florin Road and Highway 99. The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the proposal on Tuesday, six weeks after a similar project on Florin Road narrowly passed by a 3-2 vote after neighbors contested the plan. (Davidson, 7/14)

Modesto Bee: Modesto Apartment Building Provides Housing For Homeless
Chief says that over about the last five years, he’s slept in his truck, in motels, at The Salvation Army shelter, at friends’ places, at the Modesto Outdoor Emergency Shelter — the former tent city under the Ninth Street Bridge — and even outdoors on occasion. But on Tuesday, the 58-year-old man, who wanted to be identified only by his nickname, got a place of his own. (Valine, 7/14)