Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Can Melatonin Gummies Solve Family Bedtime Struggles? Experts Advise Caution
Throughout history, parents have searched for the secret to getting fretful children to sleep through the night. The latest strategy involves giving children melatonin-infused gummies and tablets, a trend that concerns some doctors. (Jenny Gold, )
Los Angeles Could Soon Ditch Vax Verifications: Los Angeles on Wednesday took another step toward rolling back its covid-19 vaccine verification requirements for indoor restaurants, gyms, movie theaters and other businesses. The City Council voted 13 to 1 to make it voluntary. Because the vote was not unanimous, the proposal will undergo a second, procedural vote next week. Read more from the Los Angeles Times and LA Daily News.
‘This BA.2 Wave Is Going To Come Sooner Than Many People Thought’: San Diego’s weekly covid report shows steady new-case numbers, but there are signs, experts say, that omicron subvariant BA.2 has already taken a significant hold here. Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune. Scroll down for more coverage of the BA.2 subvariant.
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
Los Angeles Times:
Is A Omicron BA.2 Surge Coming Or Just A Ripple?
The proportion of coronavirus cases of the ascendant Omicron subvariant BA.2 is rising across the U.S. and along the West Coast, new federal forecasts show. For now, weekly coronavirus cases remain flat nationally and in California, and are still declining in Los Angeles County. (Lin II and Money, 3/23)
Los Angeles Daily News:
LA County’s COVID Hospitalizations Dip Below 400
The number of COVID-19-positive patients in Los Angeles County hospitals fell below 400 on Wednesday, March 23, reaching a level not seen since early last July, while the public health director called for continued federal funding for virus testing, vaccinations and other treatments. According to state figures, the county’s COVID hospital patient number was 378 as of Wednesday, down from 404 on Tuesday. The number of those patients being treated in intensive care was 54, down from 66 a day earlier. (3/23)
CIDRAP:
Study: Kids' Antibody Responses After COVID-19 Greater Than Adults'
US infants and toddlers previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 had significantly higher levels of antibodies against the virus than did adults, finds a prospective study yesterday in JCI Insight. Researchers with Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention compared concentrations of receptor binding domain (RBD) antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and neutralizing antibodies in serum samples from children 0 to 17 years old with those from adults aged 18 to 62. (3/23)
HealthDay News:
Organ Transplants From Donors Who Had COVID-19 Are Safe, Study Shows
For those waiting during the pandemic for a new kidney or liver, new research is reassuring: Organs from deceased donors who had COVID-19 did not cause infection in recipients and posed no risk to healthcare workers. In a study that began in September 2021, the Duke University School of Medicine team assessed transplants in which two livers and two kidney/pancreas combinations from four donors who tested positive for COVID-19 were given to four recipients. (3/23)
Orange County Register:
COVID-19 Tests, Vaccines For Uninsured In Limbo As Federal Funding Dwindles
For people without health insurance, getting a COVID-19 test or vaccine could become more of a challenge as federal dollars to cover those services run out. Southern California health providers say they’ll try to avoid turning patients away, even if Congress dithers over approving new funding, but they urged anyone considering a vaccine or booster to get that shot right away. (Robinson, 3/23)
CalMatters:
Long COVID Could Have Inequitable Impact On Californians
It’s been two years since Angela Meriquez Vazquez was infected with COVID-19, but some of her most debilitating symptoms remain. Migraines, fatigue, brain fog, heart palpitations, insomnia and sometimes even a fever are among the symptoms that disrupt her day-to-day life. Lisette Duarte still needs an inhaler eight months after her COVID-19 infection, and damage to her voice box occasionally leaves her struggling to speak. She can’t return to work, so she relies on Medi-Cal for her health coverage. (Ibarra, 3/24)
Los Angeles Times:
Moderna Says Its Low-Dose COVID Shots Work For Kids Under 6
Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine works in babies, toddlers and preschoolers, the company said Wednesday — and if regulators agree, it could mean a chance to start vaccinating the nation’s youngest children by summer. Moderna said that in the coming weeks it would ask regulators in the U.S. and Europe to authorize two small-dose shots for children under 6. The company also is seeking to have larger-dose shots cleared for older children and teens in the U.S. (Neergard, 3/23)
San Francisco Chronicle:
COVID Vaccine For Babies And Toddlers Could Arrive By Summer, Moderna Says
Moderna says its COVID-19 vaccine is effective in children under age 6, and it plans to seek emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in time to deliver shots by this summer. The company released data Wednesday that “showed a robust neutralizing antibody response” from two small-dose shots in younger children, offering similar levels of protection as its vaccine does for adults. (Vaziri, 3/23)
AP:
Moderna Says Its Low-Dose COVID Shots Work For Kids Under 6
Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine works in babies, toddlers and preschoolers, the company announced Wednesday — a development that could pave the way for the littlest kids to be vaccinated by summer if regulators agree. Moderna said that in the coming weeks it would ask regulators in the U.S. and Europe to authorize two small-dose shots for youngsters under 6. The company also is seeking to have larger doses cleared for older children and teens in the U.S. (Neergaard, 3/23)
CapRadio:
Evidence Grows That Vaccines Lower The Risk Of Getting Long COVID
The chance of even a mild case of COVID-19 turning into a long-term, debilitating medical condition is one of the greatest fears of Americans trying to navigate the pandemic, which is again taking a turn as new data show the BA.2 subvariant is taking hold in the U.S. Unfortunately, the only sure way to avoid long COVID is not to catch the virus in the first place. (Stone, 3/24)
KQED:
State Owes Over $400 Million To Community Clinics For COVID Vaccinations
Community clinics in California that have been waiting for more than a year to be reimbursed for COVID-19 vaccinations may soon be flooding state officials with tens of millions of dollars in bills. The clinics, which serve California’s poorest and most vulnerable residents, may be owed as much as $408 million for the 6.1 million vaccinations they have administered to patients. (Hwang, 3/23)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. Terminates 24 Employees Over COVID Vaccine Requirements
Months after Los Angeles rolled out requirements for city workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, the city said that as of last week, it had terminated 24 employees for violating those rules. The terminated employees include a dozen workers at the Los Angeles Fire Department, as well as smaller numbers of employees in the city attorney’s office, the Los Angeles Police Department, the parks department and Los Angeles World Airports, according to the city personnel department. (Alpert Reyes, 3/23)
The Mercury News:
'Fighting Them All The Way': Santa Clara County Is Suing More Businesses Over Not Paying Covid Fines
While its battles with Calvary Chapel and California Ripped Fitness over millions of dollars in COVID-related health fines have grabbed the headlines, Santa Clara County has been quietly pursuing legal action against a handful of small businesses that have refused to pay for their own infractions. According to court documents filed between October and March, the county is suing six other establishments in San Jose, Los Gatos and Sunnyvale for not paying fines ranging from $13,200 to $43,450. The targeted businesses include a massage therapy facility, café, salon, packing supply center, grill and hookah lounge. (Greschler, 3/23)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
One-Day Strike Averted At Tri-City Medical Center As Nurses Sign Four-Year Contract
One year after collective bargaining began, 500 nurses who work at Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside have signed a four-year contract they say will improve patient safety and also increase wages. In a statement, the California Nurses Association, a union that represents about 100,000 workers in more than 200 facilities across the state, indicates that compliance with nursing ratios was a big part of the negotiating process. (Sisson, 3/23)
Orange County Register:
Owner Proposes Replacing Old San Clemente Hospital With Affordable Senior Housing
MemorialCare Health System, owner of the closed San Clemente Hospital, has filed an application with the city to replace the facility with a senior housing village and medical offices, which would put an end to discussions whether a hospital or an emergency room could ever reopen at that location. A walkable complex for residents 55 and older is now proposed for the 6.3-acre property, including apartments in the two multi-story buildings offered at much-needed affordable rents, said Dr. Mark Schafer, CEO of MemorialCare Medical Foundation. (Ritchie, 3/23)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Ninth Circuit Overturns Behavioral Health Care Rulings That Required Insurer To Reconsider Thousands Of Claims
A federal appeals court has overturned rulings that would have required an insurer to reconsider its denials of tens of thousands of claims for mental health, drug and alcohol care. In decisions in 2019 and 2020, Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph Spero of San Francisco said United Behavioral Health, which manages mental health services for insurance giant UnitedHealthcare, had acted “to protect its bottom line” by using its own restrictive criteria to deny claims in multiple states from 2011 to 2017. He said the company then “lied to state regulators” and made misleading statements during a nonjury trial in his court. (Egelko, 3/23)
East Bay Times:
Fogging Company Used Mislabeled Pesticides In California City Purportedly To Kill Coronavirus
A company executive has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges alleging his fogging disinfection business applied pesticides inconsistent with their intended use to purportedly kill the coronavirus in Culver City. Prosecutors have recommended that David Earl Gillies, managing partner of Utah-based Mountain Fog, receive two years probation and be ordered to pay a $10,000 fine for two misdemeanor counts of using a pesticide in a manner inconsistent with its labeling. (Schwebke, 3/24)
AP:
College Bribery Scandal Trial Delayed After Judge Gets COVID
The trial of a former water polo coach at the University of Southern California, has been postponed after the presiding judge contracted the coronavirus, a court official confirmed Wednesday. Judge Indira Talwani received a positive COVID-19 test, prompting the suspension of the case against Jovan Vavic in Boston federal court until Monday, court spokesperson Carolyn Meckbach said. (3/23)
Los Angeles Daily News:
West Hollywood Woman’s Foundation Delivers Urgent Healthcare To War-Ravaged Ukrainians
Urgent healthcare isn’t going to wait until the conflict in Ukraine ends. Medical procedures, including open-heart surgery, go on despite the bombing in the Eastern European country under attack by the Russian government since Feb. 24. Those needs, especially when it comes to young children, are being addressed by many different sources globally including the nonprofit Children of War Foundation, created by West Hollywood resident Amel Najjar. (Love, 3/24)
The New York Times:
Cities Lost Population In 2021, Leading To The Slowest Year Of Growth In U.S. History
Substantial population loss in some of the nation’s largest and most vibrant cities was the primary reason 2021 was the slowest year of population growth in U.S. history, new Census data shows. Although some of the fastest growing regions in the country continued to boom, the gains were nearly erased by stark losses last year in counties that encompass the New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco metropolitan areas. (Gebeloff, Goldstein and Hu, 3/24)
CalMatters:
Key COVID Relief To Expire: Advocates Warn Of ‘Eviction Tsunami’
A key deadline in California’s pandemic response is looming: March 31 is the last day for residents to apply to the state’s COVID rent relief program. Starting April 1, landlords can move to evict non-paying tenants in cities or counties without local eviction protections in place — even if they have rent relief applications pending before the state. (Hoeven, 3/23)
Los Angeles Times:
Few From Echo Park Lake Encampment In Permanent Housing, Report Finds
A year after authorities removed a homeless encampment at Echo Park Lake, resulting in 179 arrests, few residents from the encampment have received long-term housing, and many others remain on a waiting list, according to a study published Wednesday by the UCLA Luskin Institute on Inequality and Democracy. (Vives, 3/23)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Tiny Homes Are In Demand Amid The Bay Area’s Real Estate Affordability Crisis
With California still in the midst of a deepening housing crisis, some would-be homeowners facing insurmountable barriers to buying a traditional dwelling are turning to tiny homes — with a smaller footprint and a smaller price point to match. Over the last few years, there has been an increasing interest — and demand for — tiny home living, particularly across the Bay Area, real estate agents say. To keep up with that demand, the marketplace has gotten hotter, and is churning out new manufacturers and sellers everyday. (Vainshtein, 3/23)