Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
You Don’t Have to Suffer to Benefit From Covid Vaccination — But Some Prefer It
In the times of smallpox, vaccination was accompanied by blood, sweat, fire and brimstone. Nowadays, a slight fever may make you feel as if you’ve earned the reward of immunity from covid. But you’re protected even without a nasty reaction to the vaccine. (Arthur Allen, )
California Sending Help To India: California is shipping “life-saving oxygen equipment” to India to help the country with a devastating covid surge. As early as Tuesday, the state will ship out 440 oxygen cylinders, 275 oxygen concentrators, 240 oxygen regulators, 210 pulse oximeters and one deployable oxygen concentrator system, the governor’s office said. Read more from the Bay Area News Group.
In related news —
'Each Hour Matters': Bay Area Couple Fundraises for India's Oxygen Crisis
Covid Shots Don’t Violate Ramadan, Scholars Say: Some Muslims may be hesitant to get a covid vaccine during Ramadan, but scholars say there’s nothing to worry about: Vaccines, because they’re not consumed like food or drinks, do not invalidate Ramadan’s fast, said Omar Ricci, spokesman for the Islamic Center of Southern California. Read more from the Orange County Register.
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
CNN:
Biden Will Announce New CDC Mask Guidance Tuesday, Sources Say
President Joe Biden is expected to announce Tuesday that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its guidance for wearing masks outdoors, three people familiar with the expected announcement said. Ahead of his first address to Congress on Wednesday, the President will give remarks on the state of the pandemic on Tuesday. The three people familiar with the expected announcement said Biden will announce new CDC guidance on whether vaccinated people need to wear masks outdoors, though the final language of the expected announcement is still unclear. (Collins and Sullivan, 4/26)
Politico:
Biden Administration Advances Emergency Covid Workplace Safety Rules After Weeks Of Delay
The Biden administration is advancing emergency workplace safety rules to prevent the spread of the coronavirus after weeks of delay and growing pressure from Democrats and safety advocates. The Labor Department sent the safety standards to the Office of Management and Budget for review Monday night, according to a DOL spokesperson, the first step before they are released publicly and go into effect. (Rainey, 4/26)
NPR:
USDA Moves To Feed Millions Of Children Over The Summer
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a new effort Monday to feed millions of children this summer, when free school meals traditionally reach just a small minority of the kids who rely on them the rest of the year. The move expands what's known as the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer, or P-EBT, program into the summer months, and USDA estimates it will reach more than 30 million children. "If children and children's learning and children's health is a priority for us in this country, then we need to fund our priorities," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a Monday interview with NPR's All Things Considered. "I think it's an important day." (Turner, 4/26)
Los Angeles Daily News:
Coronavirus: More Than 7 Million Vaccinations Administered In L.A. County
According to the California Department of Public Health’s vaccines dashboard, more than 7,160,274 vaccine doses have been administered in Los Angeles County as of Sunday, April 25. Los Angeles County public health officials reported 288 new cases of the coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases to 1,231,806 as of Monday, April 26. Officials reported four new deaths linked to the coronavirus, for a total 23,777 deaths since tracking began. (Goertzen, 4/26)
Sacramento Bee:
UC Health Gives 1 Million COVID-19 Vaccines In California
The leader of University of California Health reported Monday that a UC team of patient-care and support personnel now has administered more than 1 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccines, rapidly moving from immunizing their own staff to serving people around the state. “We’ve been in a race between the spread of the virus and the pace of vaccination since the moment the first shipment of vaccine arrived in mid-December. Our goal was and is clear – get shots into the arms of Californians as quickly as possible, beginning with those at the highest risk of exposure and serious illness,” said Dr. Carrie L. Byington, an infectious disease expert and executive vice president of UCH. “The million-shot milestone is symbolically meaningful and an event to celebrate with all of our employees, students, and trainees. There isn’t a moment to rest because the pandemic is not over.” (Anderson, 4/26)
Los Angeles Times:
California COVID-19 Vaccines Slow Amid Johnson & Johnson Pause
California’s COVID-19 inoculation pace tailed off after officials paused use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as a precaution earlier this month, according to data compiled by The Times. With that stoppage now lifted, it remains to be seen whether the state will reverse the recent blip before it morphs into a more downward trend. (Money, 4/26)
The Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Sonoma County Authorizes Resumed Use Of Johnson & Johnson Coronavirus Vaccine
Following the lead of federal and state health officials, Sonoma County Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase announced Monday she was immediately reauthorizing the local use of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine, which had been suspended since April 13 after it was linked to a small number of severe blood clots. (Barber, 4/26)
Los Angeles Daily News:
Tens Of Thousands In LA County Are Overdue For Second COVID-19 Shot
While Los Angeles County continues to show progress in its COVID-19 vaccination efforts, figures released on Monday, April 26 showed that nearly 278,000 people in the county may be overdue for their second dose, possibly due to concerns about side effects or a belief that one shot is enough. As of last week, more than 4.4 million people in the county have received at least one vaccine dose, and nearly 2.6 million had received a second dose, according to Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer. But county figures showed 277,902 people were considered overdue for their second dose. (4/26)
Bay Area News Group:
Santa Clara County Now Offering No-Appointment, Walk-Up Vaccines
With COVID-19 vaccine supply now exceeding demand, Santa Clara County officials announced that they will begin offering drop-in doses to anyone who is 16 or older and lives, works or attends school in the county — no appointment needed. From Tuesday to Sunday of this week, 13 clinics across the county will be offering walk-up vaccines. Availability will be subject to supply and capacity limits at each site. (Angst, 4/26)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Cal State Bakersfield Hub To Close May 14 As Vaccine Effort Moves To Pop-Up Clinic
After two months in operation, the Cal State Bakersfield vaccination hub will wind down operations in the coming weeks as the health care partners behind it take a different approach in trying to reach the nearly 60 percent of residents eligible for vaccination who have not yet sought it out on their own, Kaiser Permanente announced Monday. "What we’re realizing is people who are actively seeking the vaccine in Kern, they’ve got it by this point," said Brennan Mills, the hub's operations lead and manager of support services for Kaiser Permanente of Kern County. "We’re going to be bringing the vaccine to the community." (Shepard, 4/26)
Los Angeles Daily News:
SCAN Health Plan Visits Homebound Members For Vaccinations
Long Beach resident Betty Miller, 83, sat in her home and asked the critical care nurse there if it would hurt. “It’ll be over,” the nurse, Errol Barrientos, said, “before you know it. ”Miller and her husband, Eugene, were some of the first SCAN Health Plan members to receive their doses of the coronavirus vaccine in their own home Monday, April 26, through the not-for-profit Medicare insurance group’s homebound visits program. (Lee, 4/26)
Capital & Main:
Why California's Undocumented Immigrants Remain Vaccine-Resistant
As it became apparent over the past weeks that the supply of COVID-19 vaccine wouldn’t be a significant issue in California much longer, the challenge to the state’s vast network of rural and community clinics seemed clear. Job one for health workers was to allay concern about the safety of the vaccine itself, especially among immigrant populations that might be wary of receiving a shot. That remains a challenge. “It is slow going and a lot of work,” Dr. Melissa Marshall, CEO of five CommuniCare clinics in Yolo County, told Capital & Main on Friday. “Many are hesitant due to fears of vaccine side effects.” (Kreidler, 4/26)
Los Angeles Times:
California Has Lowest COVID-19 Case Rate In Nation
Months after a coronavirus surge sickened hundreds of thousands of people, left thousands dead and pushed hospitals to their breaking point, California’s virus case rate is now the lowest of any state in the nation, federal figures show. Although the distinction doesn’t lessen the heavy toll exacted by the fall-and-winter wave, it does demonstrate the tremendous strides the state has made in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic — progress that, to this point, has not been interrupted even as the state more widely reopens its economy. (Money and Lin II, 4/26)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Kern Public Health Reports 33 New Coronavirus Cases Monday
Kern County Public Health Services reported 33 new confirmed coronavirus cases Monday, and no new deaths. Kern's case count since the pandemic began stands at 108,313. There have been 1,345 deaths. This is the age breakdown of the positive cases: 13,135 people age 17 and under; 65,332 people 18 to 49; 19,720 people ages 50 to 64; and 10,047 people ages 65 and older. (4/26)
AP:
Humboldt County Sees Coronavirus Spike Linked To Church
Humboldt County in rural Northern California is seeing a spike in coronavirus cases that health officials say are linked to superspreader events, including one linked to a Pentecostal church. Coronavirus infections in the county known for beautiful landscapes and booming marijuana fields had been declining for weeks, but last week officials recorded 130 cases. By comparison, the county recorded 45 cases in the week of April 5. The spike comes as Humboldt County officials said they declined 1,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for next week after seeing a low turnout at vaccination clinics. (4/27)
CIDRAP:
Studies Detail Likely COVID-19 Aerosol Spread In Vans, Car
Two new studies suggest infectious COVID-19 aerosols can travel in passenger cars and vans. The first study, from Clinical Infectious Diseases, found that two Cleveland-area van drivers traveling to a hospital 2 hours away most likely spread COVID-19 to their passengers. SARS-CoV-2 strains between infected passengers and their respective drivers were closely related, and in a simulation using fluorescent microspheres, airflow transported both small and larger droplets greater than 3 meters from the front to the back of the van. (4/26)
Los Angeles Times:
Disappointing L.A. School Reopening Attendance Improves
Fewer than half of elementary school students who were expected to return for in-person classes showed up during the first week that campuses reopened in L.A. Unified, but numbers improved significantly the second week, L.A. schools Supt. Austin Beutner announced Monday. Beutner also released data indicating that, over roughly the last three weeks, about 1 in every 1,000 district-administered coronavirus tests came back positive among students and staff. (Blume, 4/26)
Southern California News Group:
LAUSD Students Should Be Able To Return To All-Day, In-Person Instruction In Fall, Superintendent Says
Students in Los Angeles Unified should be able to return to all-day, in-person instruction in the fall, assuming schedules are adjusted, more people in the community get vaccinated and the level of coronavirus infections continue to drop, Superintendent Austin Beutner said Monday, April 26. (Tat, 4/26)
Fresno Bee:
Fresno Rep. Takes Fire For Holding Up Black Health Bill
A state bill to fund healthcare efforts for particularly vulnerable pregnant Black women and others has been held up by a Fresno-area legislator, who is being criticized for nearly putting the proposal in peril. State Sen. Melissa Hurtado, D-Sanger, pulled Senate Bill 65 before it could be voted on last Tuesday during a meeting of the Senate Human Services Committee. The bill had already passed the Health Committee unanimously. Also known as the California Momnibus Act, SB 65 is a commitment to strategies to reduce pregnancy and postpartum death rates and infant mortality, especially for low-income families in communities of color. (Miller, 4/26)
Bay Area News Group:
Kaiser Permanente’s New Marshall Medical Offices Open In Redwood City
Kaiser Permanente’s Redwood City Medical Campus has added a new building. The Marshall Medical Offices, which opened its doors to guests and personnel Monday, features vibrant art by local artists decorating its walls. The 400,000-square-foot building will house primary care departments such as pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, and specialty care including the Advanced Neuroscience Center. (Vasquez, 4/26)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Pandemic Baby Bust Unprecedented In Bay Area, California History
When the U.S. began shutting down in March 2020, some journalists and Twitter users speculated that the pandemic would lead to a baby boom as people spent more time at home with their partners. But economists, such as those at the Brookings Institution, predicted that such a globally disruptive event would instead cause a baby bust. The economists were right. (Neilson, 4/26)
Modesto Bee:
Warm-Up Promises Another Health Threat To Stanislaus County
People who spent the past 13 months avoiding a case of COVID-19 could also take some precautions against the West Nile virus. Stanislaus County health officials said Monday that warmer spring weather will bring out mosquitoes able to transmit West Nile illness. In comparison to 54,247 cases of COVID-19 in this county since March 2020, the West Nile virus resulted in 36 confirmed cases in the last calendar year. (Carlson, 4/26)
Los Angeles Times:
DDT Waste Barrels Off L.A. Coast Shock California Scientists
When the research vessel Sally Ride set sail for Santa Catalina Island to map an underwater graveyard of DDT waste barrels, its crew had high hopes of documenting for the first time just how many corroded containers littered the seafloor off the coast of Los Angeles. But as the scientists on deck began interpreting sonar images gathered by two deep-sea robots, they were quickly overwhelmed. It was like trying to count stars in the Milky Way. (Xia, 4/26)