Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Covid Immunity Through Infection or Vaccination: Are They Equal?
As scientists argue whether a previous bout of covid offers the same amount of protection as vaccinations, people turn to the courts to decide. (Arthur Allen, )
LA Will Require Proof Of Vaccination Almost Everywhere Indoors: Los Angeles has approved a new ordinance that requires proof of covid vaccination to enter indoor restaurants, shopping malls, movie theaters, hair and nail salons, and many other indoor venues. Read more from the Los Angeles Times and CBS. And starting today, people 12 and older will have to show proof of full vaccination at any large outdoor event in L.A. County. Read more from the LA Daily News.
New Mask Guidelines May Be Coming Today For Bay Area: Today, Bay Area health officers are expected to announce plans for a possible end to the region's indoor masking mandate, but the order may not end overnight. Health officials are finalizing criteria that counties would have to meet to lift the restrictions. Read more from ABC 7, SF Gate, Bay Area News Group. and the 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
AP:
Pfizer Asks US To Allow COVID Shots For Kids Ages 5 To 11
Pfizer asked the U.S. government Thursday to allow use of its COVID-19 vaccine in children ages 5 to 11 -- and if regulators agree, shots could begin within a matter of weeks. Many parents and pediatricians are clamoring for protection for children younger than 12, today’s age cutoff for the vaccine made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech. (Neergaard, 10/7)
CNN:
Pfizer Seeks FDA Authorization Of Covid-19 Vaccine For Children Ages 5 To 11
Pfizer and BioNTech said Thursday they are seeking US Food and Drug Administration emergency use authorization from for their Covid-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11.If authorized, this would be the first Covid-19 vaccine for younger children. The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is approved for people age 16 and older and has an EUA for people ages 12 to 15. (Gumbrecht, 10/7)
Los Angeles Daily News:
LAPD Vaccination Rate Up To 65%, Chief Says
Nearly two-thirds of Los Angeles Police Department employees are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the city’s police chief said Tuesday. Chief Michel Moore said about 65% of department employees have confirmed that they received two vaccination shots. LAPD validated the employees’ vaccination status by asking for their vaccine cards. (Cain, 10/6)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Booster Shots Vs. Third Doses Of COVID Vaccines: Here's How They Differ
Bay Area health officials report they are encountering some confusion about the difference between a booster and a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Though both involve an additional shot, the rules and guidelines differ in several ways — depending on the vaccine brand, who the recipient is, and when the dose can be administered. (Vainshtein, 10/6)
Los Angeles Times:
California Is Shaking Off The Worst Of The Delta Variant Surge
COVID-19 hospitalizations have dropped by half from the summer peak, as California continues to steadily, if slowly, shake off the worst of the delta surge. California reached its summer peak in hospitalizations on the last day of August, when 8,353 people with confirmed COVID-19 were in the state’s hospitals. As of Monday, there were 4,467 people hospitalized — a number last seen in early August as the delta surge picked up steam. (Money and Lin II, 10/6)
The Bakersfield Californian:
COVID-19 Hospitalizations Pass Peak, But There's Potential For New Surge
Kern County hospitals passed another peak in COVID-19 inpatient cases two weeks ago, with numbers dropping from 350 people receiving care then to about 230 on Wednesday, but health officials warn it's no time to slack off from vaccines, masks and social distancing. Hospitals are bracing themselves for another surge as events such as the fair, football games and concerts could contribute to a new spike in cases, Bakersfield Memorial President and CEO Ken Keller said. Usually, symptoms appear 10 to 14 days after exposure. (Desai, 10/6)
CapRadio:
While Vaccines Are Effective At Preventing Illness, Vaccinated People Can Still Transmit COVID-19, According To UC Davis Study
A new study by UC Davis researchers shows no significant difference in the amount of virus shed by vaccinated and unvaccinated people who develop COVID-19. The study appears to confirm what other research has found — that while vaccines are still effective at preventing illness, vaccinated people can still infect others. (10/6)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
San Diego Lab Could Double Use Of Rapid, At-Home COVID Tests
The Food and Drug Administration this week cleared a rapid, at-home COVID-19 test made by San Diego’s Acon Laboratories, touting its usefulness in helping public health officials track the spread of the novel coronavirus. The Sorrento Valley medical diagnostics company makes a 15-minute test that detects fragments of the coronavirus from a nose swab; such tests are known as antigen tests. Users can self-administer the test at home if they have COVID-19 symptoms or suspect that they’ve been exposed to the virus. And unlike other such tests, you only need to use Acon’s Flowflex COVID-19 test once rather than multiple times over a three-day period. (Wosen, 10/6)
CBS News:
New Air Purifiers Filter At Least 90% Of COVID-Carrying Particles, Researchers Say
An army of do-it-yourselfers is trying to clear the air of COVID-19. One group at the University of California, San Diego, is building 250 homemade air purifiers for classrooms and labs around campus, and they say their box-style purifier filters at least 90% of the particles that carry the virus. The Corsi-Rosenthal boxes, named for the two men who created the purifiers, are made up of four air filters on the sides. As air flows in, an electric fan on top draws out the purified air. (Lapook, 10/6)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
San Diego Doctors Debunk COVID-19 Misinformation
A panel of medical experts convened by San Diego County spent Wednesday morning debunking false claims about COVID-19 tests, treatments and vaccines in a bid by local officials to battle back against pandemic misinformation. Four physicians took on everything from misconceptions that vaccines are more dangerous than COVID-19 to claims that case surges have been driven by faulty tests. Such statements have circulated for months, often via the Internet and social media, though the county has until now done little to confront them. (Wosen, 10/6)
Los Angeles Times:
Podcast: How COVID-19 Nurses Get Through The Day
Nursing is a tough job in good times, and the COVID-19 pandemic made it a lot tougher. Within a few months of the start of the pandemic, U.S. healthcare workers reported high rates of anxiety, frustration, emotional and physical exhaustion and burnout. Now we’re a year and a half in. We’ve got vaccines, but the Delta variant still poses a big threat. So how are nurses holding up? (Garcia, 10/7)
Los Angeles Times:
UCLA Anesthesiologist, Vocal Against COVID Vaccine Mandates, Is Escorted Out Of Workplace
A UCLA anesthesiologist who is vocal about his opposition to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate was escorted out of his workplace Monday for attempting to enter the building unvaccinated. In a video that he seemingly captured himself, Dr. Christopher B. Rake is seen being escorted out of the 200 UCLA Medical Plaza in Westwood by three individuals. (Anaya-Morga, 10/6)
Bay Area News Group:
San Jose Sharks, Without Evander Kane, Prep For Regular Season
When it came time for Kevin Labanc to provide proof that he had been vaccinated against COVID-19, the Sharks winger simply showed his CDC vaccination card to one of the team’s trainers and was on his way. “There’s not much more to it than that,” Labanc said Wednesday. The process is proving to be less simple for Sharks forward Evander Kane, who is facing two investigations by the NHL, including one for reportedly using a fake COVID-19 vaccination card. (Pashelka, 10/6)
Voice of San Diego:
Vax Rates For Teachers Vary Widely Across The County
We reached out to the ten largest districts to see what percentage of employees are fully vaccinated. Six districts responded and among those four had vaccination rates above 70 percent. San Marcos Unified had the lowest rate by far. Just 41 percent of its employees are fully vaccinated. A San Marcos spokeswoman said that may be because the district is also including part-time employees and substitutes. (10/7)
KQED:
Major Loophole Remains In California's Upcoming Student COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate
As a small minority of teachers and parents across the state protest vaccine mandates, one legislator is considering ways to strengthen the new immunization requirement by eliminating a controversial public-health loophole that state lawmakers previously removed for the 10 other vaccines California students are required to get. “The purpose of these laws is not to make anyone vaccinate their children, it’s to keep schools safe,” said state Sen. Richard Pan of Sacramento, a Democrat and pediatrician who chairs the Senate Health Committee. (Hong, 10/6)
Los Angeles Times:
New Confusion Over California School Vaccine Mandate Opt-Out
When Gov. Gavin Newsom said last week that California would require students to be vaccinated against COVID-19, a critical caveat was tucked within the nation-leading announcement: Parents can opt their children out of inoculation based on personal beliefs. Newsom did not define the criteria for obtaining those exemptions, leaving the task to state public health officials. Now, lawmakers are expressing concerns that allowing broad exemptions in the mandate will undermine the state’s effort to protect schools if too many families decide against vaccination. (Gutierrez, 10/7)
Modesto Bee:
Stanislaus Families Protest COVID-19 Student Vaccine Mandate
Hundreds of families crowded sidewalks outside the Stanislaus County Office of Education on Wednesday morning to protest Gov. Gavin Newsom’s announcement that eligible students must get vaccinated for COVID-19 pending full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The county education office has no control over the statewide mandate, which on Friday became the first such requirement in the country and applies to public and private schools. (Isaacman, 10/6)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Cursing, Meltdowns And Playground Tussles: Bay Area Schools Grapple With Emotional Toll Of Pandemic
Mental health experts and educators worried prior to this school year about what months of isolation and distance learning would look like once students returned to classrooms this fall. Now, more than a month into in-person learning, as the excitement of returning to classrooms has worn off, many students are struggling with social skills and emotional regulation, and there isn’t always a qualified adult to intervene. There are physical fights, petty arguments and frustration boiling over into tears or expletive-laced anger, educators say. (Tucker, 10/6)
CalMatters:
State Health Officials Blasted Over Nursing Home Oversight
At an emotional legislative hearing Tuesday, lawmakers and critics subjected the Newsom administration to blistering questions about the state’s oversight of nursing homes. Assemblymember Jim Wood, a Santa Rosa Democrat who chairs the Assembly Health Committee, questioned the state’s lack of urgency in addressing licensing concerns. (Wiener, 10/6)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
San Diego's New Ambulance Provider Faces Criticism Over Response Times, Leadership Changes
Falck USA, the company set to become San Diego’s new ambulance provider next month, is facing criticism for poor response times in Northern California and questions about recent changes in the company’s leadership team. The Oakland fire chief says Falck has not been providing reliable service to his community. He requested last week an investigation into the company’s failure to meet response times required in its contract with Alameda County. (Garrick, 10/7)
Los Angeles Times:
In South L.A., Turning To Black Midwives To Give Birth
Black women are nearly four times more likely to die during pregnancy or childbirth than white women. A birthing center in South L.A. is hoping to change that. Take a look at how Kindred Space L.A. is building a community of support for expecting mothers. (10/6)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Moderna And San Diego Scientists Race To Make An HIV Vaccine
After developing a COVID-19 vaccine in record time, Moderna is teaming up with San Diego scientists to use the biotech’s technology to make shots against HIV, one of the world’s most complex and crafty viruses. A team at Scripps Research in La Jolla is working with Moderna to test an HIV vaccine engineered to teach the immune system to make antibodies powerful enough to stop the virus. Researchers are using the same RNA vaccine technology that proved safe and effective against the coronavirus, with an initial clinical trial set to begin in November. (Wosen, 10/7)
The Wall Street Journal:
The Theranos Trial: Former Safeway CEO Testifies Over Failed Partnership
Safeway Inc.’s former top executive testified Wednesday that the grocery-story chain relied on Theranos Inc. founder Elizabeth Holmes’s promises when it decided to invest over $350 million in a partnership with the blood-testing company. The relationship between Ms. Holmes and Safeway’s then-chief executive, Steven Burd, started with a shared vision of making healthcare more accessible, but it soured as Mr. Burd faced the end of his career with nothing to show from the expensive pursuit of installing Theranos clinics in hundreds of stores. (Somerville and Randazzo, 10/6)
Bay Area News Group:
Elizabeth Holmes Trial: Buddhist Juror No. 4 Off Jury Over 'Punishment'
The judge in Elizabeth Holmes’ criminal fraud trial dismissed a juror Wednesday who said she was Buddhist and was worried about possibly helping send Holmes to prison. Juror No. 4, a dark-haired woman in surgical mask and a green floral blouse, told Judge Edward Davila in U.S. District Court in San Jose that as a Buddhist, she believes in love and forgiveness. She worried that if she and other jurors find Holmes guilty, “I’m thinking of all the time she’ll be in jail.” (Baron, 10/6)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
San Diego County Details Mental Health Spending
The county’s efforts to overhaul its behavioral health systems includes $218.6 million in state mental health funding that covered services for 71,000 people this fiscal year, county officials reported Tuesday. The report tallied spending from the 2004 Mental Health Services Act, a California state law paid for by a 1 percent tax on personal income over $1 million per year, according to the California Department of Health Care Services. (Brennan, 10/6)
Fresno Bee:
Biden Wants New Rules To Keep Workers Safe In Heat Waves. California Could Be A Model
Between 1991 and 2019, 933 people died from heat-related issues in California, California Department of Public Health data shows: 29 people died in 2019, most of whom were over 45 years old. Fifty-three died in 2018. Three states — California, Washington and Minnesota — have regulations to mitigate heat-related illnesses for workers. Oregon implemented emergency standards this summer after a farmworker died during the state’s heat wave in June. Other states have also moved toward adopting heat-related workplace rules. (Brassil, 10/7)
Los Angeles Times:
California Extreme Heat Deaths Show Climate Change Risks
Extreme heat is one of the deadliest consequences of global warming. But in a state that prides itself as a climate leader, California chronically undercounts the death toll and has failed to address the growing threat of heat-related illness and death, according to a Los Angeles Times investigation. Between 2010 and 2019, the hottest decade on record, California’s official data from death certificates attributed 599 deaths to heat exposure. But a Times analysis found that the true toll is probably six times higher. An examination of mortality data from this period shows that thousands more people died on extremely hot days than would have been typical during milder weather. All told, the analysis estimates that extreme heat caused about 3,900 deaths. (Phillips, Barboza, Vives and Greene, 10/7)
Los Angeles Times:
As Heat Waves Intensify, AC Can Mean Life Or Death
As heat waves intensify, access to air conditioning can mean life or death for people in California and other states. Federal data show that poor families have a far lower rate of air-conditioning units in their homes than the average family, and even when they have AC, they are reluctant to use it or get equipment fixed, because of the cost. (Vives, 10/7)
Los Angeles Times:
Extreme Heat Illness: Prevention, Symptoms, Treatment
With climate change triggering increasingly severe heat, Californians will need to prepare themselves for temperature extremes just as they do for earthquakes and other disasters. What do you need to know about heat-related illnesses? How can you identify, treat and prevent them? We sought answers from experts who study climate change and its effects on the human body. (Amato, 10/7)
Sacramento Bee:
Caltrans Crews Clear Homeless Camp In Midtown Sacramento
State Caltrans crews cleared a homeless encampment from a midtown Sacramento property Tuesday. The clearing took place so crews could clean up used needles and human waste on the property, along 29th Street between F and H streets, said Caltrans spokeswoman Angela Daprato. The property, owned by Caltrans, is a dirt lot with trees between the Capital City Freeway and the street. Crews also cleared camps around the corner along G Street under the freeway. (Clift, 10/6)
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento CA Homeless Shelter Could Open Near American River
Sacramento city, county and state elected leaders are working to open a large homeless shelter at Cal Expo in the hopes of moving hundreds of people off the American River Parkway. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill last month that would pave the way for the project. It still needs approval from the City Council, County Board of Supervisors and Cal Expo’s board of directors. (Clift, 10/6)