Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Lawmakers Pressure Newsom to ‘Step Up’ on Racism as a Public Health Issue
California Democratic lawmakers are asking Gov. Gavin Newsom to approve $100 million per year to fund programs that address health inequality and structural racism. (Angela Hart, )
Change to Gilead Assistance Program Threatens PrEP Access, HIV Advocates Say
Safety-net clinics especially are bracing for how the drugmaker’s policy shift could reduce their budgets and hamstring their ability to provide care to an at-risk population. (Carmen Heredia Rodriguez, )
Safety Board Backs Down On Workplace Mask Rules: California’s workplace-safety board on Wednesday voted to drop controversial new rules that could have required many workers to keep their masks on for months, yielding to growing pressure. Read more from the Bay Area News Group, Los Angeles Times and AP.
California Clarifies Mask Rules For Next Week's Reopening: California will mostly rely on the honor system to enforce new masking rules that let vaccinated people forgo face coverings in almost all settings starting Tuesday, when the state fully reopens, public health authorities said. Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle. In some places, you’ll still have to wear a mask. Here’s where.
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
Politico:
Biden Administration Will Limit Mandatory Covid Workplace Safety Rules To Health Care Settings
The Labor Department will limit long-awaited emergency Covid-19 workplace safety rules to the health care sector, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh said Wednesday, a decision that disappointed unions pushing for more expansive rules but that will likely be a relief to businesses worried about new costs. The rules, which have been under White House review since late April and are set to be released Thursday, were expected by both unions and businesses to apply broadly to all workplaces and require workers to wear masks on the job. But the administration has decided it will instead update its optional guidance for general industry and has “tailored” the mandatory safety requirements to apply only to health care settings, Walsh said. (Rainey, 6/9)
The Washington Post:
Biden Administration Tells Federal Agencies They Should Not Require Employees To Be Vaccinated To Work On-Site
The Biden administration has told federal agencies that they generally should not require their employees to be vaccinated against the coronavirus to work on-site in federal buildings or to disclose whether they are vaccinated. Employees who disclose they are unvaccinated or refuse to answer a voluntary question about vaccination status should be subject to safety requirements such as mask-wearing and social distancing, new guidance says. (Yoder, 6/9)
Modern Healthcare:
COVID-19 Vaccines Must Be Free To Patients, HHS' Becerra Warns
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra on Wednesday warned providers they must administer COVID-19 vaccines free to patients. In a letter to providers and insurers, Becerra said providers cannot require patients to get additional medical services to receive a vaccine or charge them a fee if a vaccine dose is the only medical service they provide. Instead, they can bill Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance or other health coverage to cover the costs of administering a vaccine. They can also bill the Health Resources and Services Administration if patients are uninsured or underinsured. (Brady, 6/9)
CNN:
Food Stamps: Biden Nixes Trump Proposal That Would Have Kicked 3 Million Off Benefits
In one of its latest steps to erase Trump administration policies, the Biden administration has withdrawn a controversial proposal that could have kicked 3 million Americans off of food stamps and cost nearly 1 million children automatic eligibility for free school meals.The proposal, issued in 2019, would have tightened the rules governing who qualifies for food stamps. It would have curtailed so-called broad-based categorical eligibility, which makes it easier for Americans with somewhat higher incomes and more savings to participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, the formal name for food stamps. Republicans have long argued that this expanded eligibility option is a "loophole" that permits those with higher incomes and assets to get public assistance. (Luhby, 6/8)
The New York Times:
Biden Administration To Restore Clean-Water Protections Ended By Trump
The Biden administration intends to revive federal environmental protections for millions of streams, marshes and other bodies of water across the country that had been eliminated by former President Donald Trump in his quest to please home builders, farmers and ranchers. The Environmental Protection Agency made the announcement Wednesday after it said it had found that the changes under Mr. Trump caused “significant environmental degradation.” (Friedman, 6/9)
Reuters:
U.S. Signs $1.2 Bln Deal For 1.7 Mln Courses Of Merck's Experimental COVID-19 Drug
Merck & Co Inc (MRK.N) said on Wednesday the U.S. government has agreed to pay about $1.2 billion for 1.7 million courses of its experimental COVID-19 treatment, if it is proven to work in an ongoing large trial and authorized by U.S. regulators. The oral antiviral treatment, molnupiravir, aims to stop COVID-19 from progressing and can be given early in the course of the disease, similar to Tamiflu to treat influenza. (6/9)
East Bay Times:
Contract Worker Charged With Stealing Hundreds Of Blank COVID-19 Vaccination Cards From California Site
A Nevada man was charged Wednesday with stealing more than 500 blank vaccine cards from a COVID-19 vaccination center in Pomona, prosecutors said. Muhammad Rauf Ahmed was a non-clinical contract worker at the Pomona Fairplex site when the theft occurred in April, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement. Ahmed, 45, faces one felony count of grand theft. It wasn’t immediately known if the Las Vegas resident has an attorney. Officials determined that blank vaccine cards had been stolen on April 27. (6/10)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Anti-Vaccine Protesters Stormed A Marin Town Hall. Are Public Meetings Safe Post-COVID?
A disruption at a town hall held by North Bay Rep. Jared Huffman is raising questions about safety and security as the country reopens after the coronavirus pandemic, especially in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. The San Rafael Democrat held the constituent event Tuesday afternoon in Marin County, one of the first in-person town halls held by a politician since COVID-19 closed down much of daily life a year ago. The event was intended to be capped at 100 attendees, socially distanced in an auditorium, with masks required. It was advertised as requiring proof of vaccination, but Huffman said that admission was later based on an honor system. (Kopen, 6/9)
Los Angeles Times:
San Francisco Is Nearing COVID-19 Herd Immunity; L.A. Isn't
San Francisco is nearing herd immunity, some experts believe, a milestone in California’s efforts to gain control of the COVID-19 pandemic. San Francisco has one of California’s highest rates of vaccination, with 72% of residents having received at least one dose. Only one other county in California — Marin, just north of San Francisco — has a higher rate of vaccination, with 75% of residents there at least partially vaccinated. (Lin II and Money, 6/9)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Will San Francisco Really Be The First U.S. City To Reach Herd Immunity?
San Francisco’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign is nearing the key benchmark of 70% of eligible residents fully vaccinated — which some experts say puts the city on track to be the first in the U.S. to reach herd immunity. The city’s vaccine tracker showed that as of Wednesday, 79% of residents 12 and older had received at least one vaccine dose, and 69% were fully vaccinated. (Hwang, 6/9)
Orange County Register:
California Reported 1,088 New Cases Covid-19 And 31 New Deaths On June 8
In California, 1,088 new cases of the coronavirus were reported Tuesday, June 8, according to end-of-day totals on public health websites, bringing the total number of cases so far to 3,769,841. There were 31 new deaths reported statewide Tuesday, for a total of 62,776 people who have died from COVID-19. The state reported 26 more hospitalizations from the previous day, bringing the number of hospitalizations of those infected with the coronavirus to 1,304. (Goertzen, 6/10)
The Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Sonoma County Records New COVID-19 Death
An unvaccinated Sonoma County man between the ages of 65 and 75 died of COVID-19 on Saturday, officials reported late Tuesday. The death was the first coronavirus-related death to be reported in the county in two weeks. The man had underlying conditions and was in a hospital at the time of his death, according to Matt Brown, a county communications specialist. (Pera, 6/9)
The Mercury News:
Face Masks Block Expired Particles, Despite Leakage, UC Davis Study Finds
A new study from the UC Davis and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai confirms that surgical masks effectively reduce outgoing airborne particles from talking or coughing, even after allowing for leakage around the edges of the mask. The results were published Tuesday in Scientific Reports. Wearing masks and other face coverings can reduce the flow of airborne particles that are produced during breathing, talking, coughing or sneezing, protecting others from viruses carried by those particles such as SARS-CoV2 and influenza, said Christopher Cappa, professor of civil and environmental engineering at UC Davis and corresponding author on the paper. (Fell, 6/9)
Sacramento Bee:
Should Americans Worry About The Delta Coronavirus Variant?
Another coronavirus variant, this time one that was discovered in India, has made its way to the U.S., grabbing the attention of public health officials even as COVID-19 vaccinations continue to lower new cases and deaths in the nation. B.1.617.2, now known as “Delta,” has been reported in about 60 countries, according to top White House medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci, and currently makes up more than 6% of the sequenced coronavirus cases in the U.S. (Camero, 6/9)
Los Angeles Times:
Why The Chinese Lab Leak Theory Matters
Did the global pandemic seep from a truckbed crowded with animal cages on its way to market? A cave where villagers dig bat guano? A mislabeled vial in a Chinese coronavirus lab? Those theories have spun into a blame game and a geopolitical battleground. But for scientists, finding the original source of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is key to understanding how to predict, prevent and contain future pandemics that may arise, whether from a leak at one of a growing number of pathogen labs or the accelerating encroachment of humans on the natural world. (Baumgaertner, 6/10)
Sacramento Bee:
Kaiser Permanente Joins COVID Vaccine Trial For Ages 5 To 11
Kaiser Permanente is taking part in a pediatric COVID-19 vaccine trial, with dozens of children ages 5 through 11 participating at sites in Sacramento, Oakland and Santa Clara. The health provider says those three sites combine for about 75 children enrolled in a multinational Phase 2/3 trial for the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, to evaluate safety and efficacy in that age group. (McGough, 6/9)
Southern California News Group:
Former OC Chiropractor Convicted Of Defrauding Insurers Of $2.2 Million
A 56-year-old former Orange County chiropractor was found guilty Tuesday of defrauding health insurers out of about $2.2 million in a scheme that spanned more than three years. Susan H. Poon of Dana Point submitted false reimbursement claims to the health insurance providers Anthem and Aetna from January 2015-April 2018 for false diagnoses and services that were not performed, according to Ciaran McEvoy, a public information officer for the U.S. Attorney’s Office. (6/9)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Kyowa Kirin's San Diego Lab Just Helped The Pharma Company Make $400M On A Deal For An Eczema Drug With Amgen
Japanese pharma giant Kyowa Kirin is set to receive $400 million in a deal that wouldn’t have happened without the company’s San Diego lab. The company recently announced a partnership with Amgen to develop a drug against eczema, a skin condition that can leave painful and itchy rashes across your hands, feet and behind your knees, among other places. Those rashes break out when irritants and allergens pass through the outermost layer of skin, triggering inflammation. (Wosen, 6/10)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
How Reddit Helped San Diego Biotech Aethlon Medical's Stock Skyrocket Nearly 400 Percent
Aethlon Medical’s stock surged Wednesday, fueled by excitement around a device the company is developing to treat COVID-19 patients by removing the novel coronavirus from their blood. Shares in Aethlon closed Wednesday at $10.79, up 388 percent from Tuesday’s close of $2.21 on the Nasdaq exchange. Trading volume ballooned as well, with nearly 250 million trades going through compared to an average volume of around 462,000. Why all the commotion? The likely answer: A bit of early data that piqued the interest of one of the world’s largest online communities. (Wosen, 6/9)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Mandatory Water Restrictions On The Way For Millions In The Bay Area
Officials declared a water shortage emergency in Santa Clara County on Wednesday afternoon, setting the stage for mandatory water restrictions for the county’s 2 million residents. Board members from the Santa Clara Valley Water District, the main provider in Santa Clara County, voted unanimously to declare the emergency, target a 33% countywide reduction in water use from 2013 levels, and urge county officials to proclaim a local emergency. (Flores, 6/9)
SF Gate:
SF Bay Area Drought: Here Are The Water Restrictions In Your County
One of the largest water districts in the San Francisco Bay Area announced mandatory restrictions Wednesday and declared a water shortage emergency, signaling the seriousness of drought conditions across the region and state after two consecutive dry winters. The Board of Directors for Santa Clara Valley Water District, which serves 2 million customers, unanimously approved a resolution requiring customers to reduce water use by 15% compared with 2019 levels. The board is also urging Santa Clara County to proclaim a local emergency. (Graff, 6/10)
Sacramento Bee:
California Drought Has Moved Up 2021 Wildfire Season Far Ahead Of Schedule, PG&E Warns
California’s drought is accelerating the start of the 2021 wildfire season — and intensifying the pressure on PG&E Corp. to prevent more mega-fires of the sort that drove the state’s largest utility into bankruptcy. Pacific Gas and Electric Co. executives said Wednesday they’ve begun gearing up for wildfire season weeks earlier than usual, including putting helicopters in the air to practice for PG&E’s “public safety power shutoffs.” (Kasler, 6/9)
CBS News:
Beech-Nut Recalls Infant Rice Cereal Due To Arsenic Concerns
Beech-Nut Nutrition is recalling some infant rice cereal sold nationwide because samples of the product showed excessive levels of arsenic. The baby food maker also says it will stop selling the product over worries it won't be able to comply with federal limits on levels of arsenic and other toxic substances that are called heavy metals. (Gibson, 6/9)
Sacramento Bee:
Yolo County Reports West Nile Virus In Mosquito Sample
Mosquito control officials detected the West Nile virus in northern Yolo County for the first time this week, raising some concerns as the start of summer approaches. A mosquito sample in Knights Landing tested positive for the virus Tuesday, according to the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito & Vector Control District. (Finch II, 6/9)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Bay Area's Rattlesnake Season Is Here Early. Here's What You Need To Know
For the Bay Area, rattlesnake season came early this year. Across the region, but especially in the East Bay, people are reporting more rattlesnake sightings on hiking trails and even in their backyards.“Beware!” a post on Berkeley’s Nextdoor read. “Just wanted to remind everyone to keep their eyes peeled as you hike up on the Claremont Canyon and Strawberry Canyon trails. I have run into two rattlesnakes in less than a week. Both were right in the middle of the trail.” (Vainshtein, 6/9)
East Bay Times:
New Book Shines Light On Stanford University Scientist Working To Save Son From Brutal Disease
Every author that commits to writing a book knows they are also committing to a certain degree of isolation. It is part of why Tracie White—an award winning journalist with more than 30 years of experience under her belt—was apprehensive when an agent approached her with the idea in 2017. “I get lonely sitting at a desk for 10 hours a day,” she said, laughing softly during a recent phone interview. But there was a quiet determination in her voice. White knew the isolation required to write her first book from her home in Aptos paled in comparison to the isolation experienced on a daily basis by the person for whom the book was written. And she was not going to let him down. (Hattis, 6/10)
CalMatters:
Gaslit For 400 Years: Inside California’s Reparations Committee
As California’s reparations committee embarks on a two-year process to study the harms of slavery and systemic racism, task force members will confront how a single state, which never formally sanctioned slavery, can make amends. During the first meeting, members openly grappled with whether reparations should mean direct payments or long-term investments, such as education and housing, to boost African American households. (Botts, 6/9)
Sacramento Bee:
Activists Urge Local Officials Not To Clear Sacramento Homeless Camps
Sacramento activists are urging local law enforcement not to clear homeless encampments starting June 15. That’s the date the county’s coronavirus public health order is set to expire. The order prohibits the city and county from citing the homeless or removing “life necessities” from encampments unless the camp poses a public safety hazard or adversely impacts public infrastructure. Life necessities include tents, vehicles, hygiene equipment, food supplies, water, medicine, walkers, canes, wheelchairs and bicycles, the order says. (Clift, 6/9)
CapRadio:
With Sacramento County Order Protecting Homeless Camps Expiring, Advocates Call For More Help
Since early in the COVID-19 pandemic, a Sacramento County public health ordinance has allowed unhoused individuals to live in their vehicles and tents without penalty. It also banned law enforcement from removing “life necessities” such as tents, food supplies and bicycles from people experiencing homelessness. But the order expires on June 15, and the health department says there are currently no plans to extend it. Homeless individuals, activists and medical professionals marched downtown Tuesday to protest the order’s end. They’re worried the return of law enforcement ‘sweeps’ — or the breaking-up of established encampments — will lead to increased stress and health issues for people living outdoors. (Caiola, 6/9)
Los Angeles Times:
Venice Beach's Homeless Encampments Could Be Gone Soon
Venice Beach has long been L.A’s haven for the offbeat and out-of-step, a magnet for throngs of the curious drawn by the precarious balance between natural beauty and human eccentricity. But recently, that magical Venice has become a caricature of itself. Shamed almost daily in eyewitness videos of trash, mayhem and fire, its milelong ribbon of tents and shanties is now held up as the hallmark of everything broken about Los Angeles. (Smith and Oreskes, 6/10)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Oakland Hotel Converted To Homeless Residences During Pandemic Fills In Just Under A Month
Bledsoe is one of more than 90 unsheltered Oaklanders who have moved into Lake Merritt Lodge over the past month. The city leased the lodge for emergency housing for homeless people. On Wednesday, city officials said the lodge was at full capacity. The six-story, 92-unit hotel provides shelter for homeless Oakland residents who are medically vulnerable and over 65, putting them at risk of serious complications from COVID-19. In May, city staff worked with Alameda County to identify unsheltered people living near the hotel to move in. (Ravani, 6/9)
Los Angeles Times:
Huntington Beach PD To Hold Multiple-Site Event To Foster Discussions On Homelessness
In the six months since Huntington Beach opened the doors of its navigation center — which provides temporary housing and services for individuals experiencing homelessness — hundreds of people have taken shelter from the streets. While the center can serve up to 174 people, its current population is about 85, city officials said. But for every person residing on site, there are many more who continue to live in unsafe scenarios or have not yet been helped by existing services and programs. (Cardine, 6/9)