San Francisco Chronicle: Omicron Is Now The Dominant U.S. COVID Variant. Is It As Contagious As Measles?
Dr. John Swartzberg, an infectious disease expert at UC Berkeley, said the contagiousness of omicron is likely between that of chicken pox and measles. It’s “a very contagious virus,” he said by email. Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert at UCSF, said there are “many parallels” between measles and more recent COVID-19 variants. Respiratory droplets from measles patients can remain airborne for up to two hours, he noted — which means a person can become infected by lingering virus in a room even if the initial person is no longer there. (Hwang, 12/20)

AP: Omicron Sweeps Across Nation, Now 73% Of New US COVID Cases 
Omicron has raced ahead of other variants and is now the dominant version of the coronavirus in the U.S., accounting for 73% of new infections last week, federal health officials said Monday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention numbers showed nearly a six-fold increase in omicron’s share of infections in only one week. (Stobbe, 12/21)

Modesto Bee: COVID-19 Pandemic Optimism Plummets In US Amid Omicron: Poll 
Optimism on the COVID-19 situation has plummeted in the United States over the past several weeks, a poll found. The Gallup findings released Monday, Dec. 20, showed that the percentage of people in the country who think the situation is improving dropped 20 points compared with a poll conducted in late October. But personal worries about the coronavirus and social distancing behaviors remained relatively unchanged. (Aldridge, 12/20)

San Francisco Chronicle: A Wave Of Bay Area Restaurants Are Shutting Down Temporarily Again As Omicron Spreads
Bay Area restaurants and bars are starting to close temporarily again due to COVID-19. Some are closing because of positive coronavirus cases or exposure among employees, while others are simply shutting down either indoors or entirely out of an abundance of caution as the highly transmissible omicron variant spreads and sparks heightened concern in the region. (Kadvany, 12/20)

San Francisco Chronicle: Indoor Dining May Once Again Be Too Risky Due To Omicron, Bay Area Health Experts Warn
Bob Wachter, one of the Bay Area’s leading health experts on COVID-19, is no longer dining indoors because of the highly infectious omicron variant. In a Twitter thread that went viral over the weekend, the UCSF Department of Medicine chair explained that indoor dining isn’t worth the risk for him even as San Francisco maintains a low case rate and high vaccination rate. Health experts have long maintained that indoor dining is among the riskiest activities during the pandemic because people must take their masks off to eat and drink. Meanwhile, Bay Area restaurants have started temporarily closing their dining rooms because of positive coronavirus cases among staff or simply out of an abundance of caution. (Bitker, 12/20)

Los Angeles Times: California COVID Cases, Hospitalizations Tick Up 
The number of Californians being infected and hospitalized with COVID-19 has crept up over the last two weeks — increases that, though slight, may worsen as winter begins and the state contends with the continued spread of the Omicron variant. Even with the recent upticks, both metrics remain well short of the devastating numbers from last winter’s surge, when explosive growth of the coronavirus ravaged the state. But the combination of current conditions and caution surrounding the weeks to come has already prompted officials to issue new health restrictions and organizers to cancel, postpone or recalibrate some sports contests and holiday events. (Money, 12/20)

Orange County Register: Brace Yourselves: COVID-19 Cases Are Climbing Again In Southern California, Nationwide 
It is not yet time to panic over omicron. But health officials are concerned that COVID-19 cases are shooting up in many places, and they implore folks to use their smarts when celebrating this holiday season. “We’re not going to be exempt from the omicron variant,” said Andrew Noymer, an epidemiologist and demographer at UC Irvine whose crystal ball on the pandemic has been unnervingly accurate. “Cases will go up eventually. Hospitalizations will go up accordingly. The crystal ball is still a little fuzzy, though: It’s not at all clear exactly when it will peak, or how bad the peak will be.” (Sforza, 12/20)

AP: California More Prepared For Latest Surge Of New Virus Cases
California is poised for a surge in new coronavirus infections as a far more contagious version of the disease spreads among holiday parties and family gatherings forced indoors by a series of winter storms. But experts say the nation’s most populous state is likely to avoid the worst scenario — spikes in hospitalizations and deaths — because most Californians have either been vaccinated or already been infected. That gives the state a higher level or protection against the omicron variant that, while not guaranteeing people won’t get sick, means they are less likely to need to go to the hospital. (Beam, 12/21)

Los Angeles Times: COVID-19 Outbreak At SpaceX Yields 132 Positive Cases 
At least 132 staffers at the SpaceX rocket factory in Hawthorne have tested positive for COVID-19 amid a large, active outbreak that coincides with a busy month of launches for the aerospace manufacturer. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health released the data as part of a summary of COVID-19 cases throughout the county. (Seidman and Masunaga, 12/20)

Los Angeles Times: COVID-19 Derails Grand Park New Year's Eve Event 
A growing list of holiday events in Los Angeles County have been canceled or postponed amid a burgeoning wave of coronavirus cases tied to the Omicron variant. For the second year in a row, the New Year’s Eve countdown celebration in downtown L.A.'s Grand Park has transitioned to streaming-only after park officials said it was too risky to congregate in person. (Smith, 12/20)

Los Angeles Times: How To Get A COVID Test As Omicron's Threat Grows 
With coronavirus cases rising and the Omicron variant threat growing, testing for COVID-19 has become more commonplace. Many families who plan holiday events are using both home and outside tests to make sure it’s safe to gather. There are hundreds of testing sites across Southern California, and rapid test kits can be bought at pharmacies or ordered online. (Lin II, 12/20)

City News Service: 244 Full-Time LA City Employees On Unpaid Leave Following Vaccine Deadline 
At least 244 full-time city employees are on unpaid leave on Monday, Dec. 20, after Los Angeles’ mandate that municipal workers get vaccinated against COVID-19 went into effect on Saturday, according to figures shared by Mayor Eric Garcetti’s office. Just over 80% of the city’s employees complied with the vaccination mandate by the deadline, with another 1.33% stating that they are partially vaccinated. The numbers do not include employees of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. (12/20)

Sacramento Bee: OSHA Vaccine Mandate Is Reinstated. Here’s What That Means
A battle in the appellate courts stunted the federal government’s ability to implement President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine and testing mandate for large employers — until now. On Friday, Dec. 17, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals put the rule back in play, lifting an earlier stay by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals and allowing the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, to reinstate compliance deadlines. But there’s not a clear path forward, as several petitions looking to block the rule have already been filed at the U.S. Supreme Court. (Fowler, 12/20)

Orange County Register: Ducks, Kings, NHL Breaking Early For Holidays Due To COVID-19 
The NHL’s decision on Monday to begin an extended Christmas break after Tuesday’s games means the Kings’ Thursday game against the Golden Knights in Las Vegas has been postponed because of COVID-19. The Kings’ home game Wednesday against the Edmonton Oilers was postponed on Sunday. The league and the players’ association announced the latest round of postponements jointly, bringing the total number of games postponed to 49 because of a dramatic spike in players being placed in the league’s COVID-19 protocols, with 44 postponements made within the past two weeks. (Teaford, 12/20)

AP: NFL Could Become Trend-Setter For COVID-19 Testing Policies 
The NFL’s decision to reduce COVID-19 testing for asymptomatic, vaccinated players could signal a trend for pro sports leagues and provide an example for society to follow heading into 2022. ... The NFL previously required vaccinated players to get tested weekly before amending the protocols. The NFLPA had advocated for daily testing for vaccinated players but eventually agreed to “target” testing. The NBA didn’t require vaccinated players to get tested during the season but revised its policy to increase testing for a two-week period starting Dec. 26. (Maaddi, 12/21)

AP: AP Source: Several Asymptomatic NFL Players Test Positive
Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce, Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa and Lions quarterback Jared Goff are among the players who landed on the reserve list. Bosa will miss this week’s game, according to coach Brandon Staley. Players who test positive must quarantine until they’re cleared to return. Under the NFL’s revised protocols which went into effect Monday, asymptomatic, vaccinated players can return in less than 10 days. (Maaddi, 12/21)

KQED: Some California School Districts Are Pushing Back Vaccine Mandate Deadlines 
Unprepared to add thousands of students to their independent study programs, several large California school districts opted this week to roll back their vaccine mandate deadlines. West Contra Costa Unified board members voted Wednesday to push their vaccine deadline back from Jan. 3 to Feb.18, while ramping up outreach to get more students vaccinated. Thousands of families had not submitted Covid-19 vaccine verifications for their children in order to continue in-person instruction. (Tadayon, 12/20)

Modesto Bee: How Well Do COVID Vaccines, Boosters Protect Against Omicron? 
Time after time, studies show coronavirus vaccines protect most people from severe COVID-19, including hospitalization and death, and that the protection has held up against the many variants that have emerged along the way. But omicron is testing the vaccines like no coronavirus mutant has before. (Camero, 12/20)

Voice of OC: OC’s Latino Community Remains Behind On COVID-19 Vaccines One Year Later
After nearly one year of the COVID-19 vaccination efforts, Orange County’s Latino community still lags behind when compared to other racial and ethnic groups. The community is among the hardest hit by the pandemic in OC, and the state. In Orange County, Latinos make up roughly 35% of the population, have nearly 44% of all confirmed cases and nearly 38% of all deaths since the pandemic began, according to county Health Care Agency data. (Custodio, 12/20)

The Wall Street Journal: Biden Administration To Distribute 500 Million At-Home Covid-19 Test Kits 
The Biden administration will distribute 500 million free at-home Covid-19 testing kits to Americans and take steps to deploy federal medical personnel to overburdened hospitals this winter, as the Omicron variant spreads around the country. President Biden will outline the plan during a speech at the White House on Tuesday. His administration is grappling with how to publicly underscore the urgency surrounding the highly transmissible variant, while seeking to convey that the U.S. is better prepared to battle the pandemic than it was a year ago. (Siddiqui and Restuccia, 12/21)

The Washington Post: Biden Faces Tough Task Of Rallying Exhausted Americans Against Omicron Threat 
Four days before Christmas, as coronavirus cases spike and testing lines snake around city blocks, President Biden on Tuesday will again attempt to persuade Americans to take protections to fend off the fast-spreading omicron variant. But at a moment of great urgency — both for the nation’s health and the president’s standing — he has few new tools at his disposal, at least not politically palatable ones, and public health experts fear that exhausted Americans have tuned out their warnings. (Diamond and Pager, 12/20)

The New York Times: Biden Was In Close Contact With Official Who Tested Positive For Covid
President Biden was in close contact with a White House official who later tested positive for the coronavirus, the administration said on Monday. The president spent about 30 minutes near the official aboard Air Force One on a trip from South Carolina to Pennsylvania on Friday, Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said in a statement. The official, who was vaccinated and had received a booster shot, began experiencing symptoms two days later and tested positive on Monday morning. “The president is tested on a regular basis. As part of that regular testing, the president received an antigen test Sunday, and tested negative,” Ms. Psaki said. “This morning, after being notified of the staffer’s positive test, the president received a P.C.R. test and tested negative.” (Rogers, 12/20)

San Francisco Chronicle: CVS Announces First Pharmacies To Close In San Francisco Next Month
CVS Pharmacy will close six of its 21 San Francisco stores in January, a company spokesperson told The Chronicle on Monday. They’re part of a wave of anticipated closures the company first announced mid-November, when it said it would shutter 900 stores nationwide in order to reduce its count by 10%. The closings are to occur at a rate of 300 per year for three years. (Whiting, 12/20)

CNN: Rite Aid Is Closing More Than 60 Stores
Rite Aid announced Tuesday it is closing another 63 stores to save about $25 million year. After years of overexpansion, Rite Aid and other giant American pharmacy chains have struggled. They've been closing hundreds of stores over the past few years, despite the pandemic that has drawn people into pharmacies. (Valinsky, 12/21)

CNN: FDA Approves First Injectable PrEP Medication To Lower HIV Risk
Two double-blind clinical trials comparing Apretude with Truvada found significantly lower HIV risk in people getting the injection, the FDA noted. The risk was 69% lower in the first trial, of HIV-negative cisgender men and transgender women who have sex with men, and 90% lower in the second trial, which involved cisgender women. Research also found that Apretude was more likely than Truvada to cause side effects such as injection site reactions, headache, fatigue, back pain, myalgia and rash. (Dillinger, 12/20)

The Washington Post: FDA Approves First Injectable HIV Preventive, Providing Alternative To Daily Pill
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved the world’s first injectable medication to reduce the risk of sexually transmitted HIV. Previously, the only PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) medications that have been approved were pills required to be taken daily, such as Truvada and Descovy. For some people, adherence to daily medication can prove challenging or “not a realistic option,” said Debra Birnkrant, director of the FDA’s antivirals division. (Pietsch, 12/21)

Reuters: Biogen Halves Price Of Alzheimer's Drug To $28,200 
Biogen Inc (BIIB.O) on Monday cut the price of its Alzheimer's drug by about half to $28,200 for an average weight person after facing slower-than-expected U.S. sales on complaints from hospitals that its high cost was not worth its benefits. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug, Aduhelm, in June to treat the brain-wasting disease despite the view of its outside advisory panel that Biogen had not proven the treatment's clinical benefit. (Khandekar, 12/20)

Los Angeles Times: Walmart Faces California Lawsuit On Hazardous Dumping Claims 
A lawsuit filed by the California attorney general and a dozen district attorneys alleges Walmart has dumped nearly 80 tons of hazardous waste, plus confidential customer information, in California landfills each year over the last five years. The lawsuit, filed Monday in Alameda County Superior Court, accuses the nation’s largest retailer of dumping lithium batteries, insecticide, aerosol cans, cleaning supplies, electronic waste, paint and LED lightbulbs as well as confidential customer information in landfills throughout the state from more than 300 Walmart stores. (Martín, 12/20)

Fresno Bee: Tulare County Denies Allegations Of Inadequate Prenatal Care 
Tulare County officials are denying allegations by the ACLU of Northern California that pregnant inmates are not getting adequate prenatal care in its jails. Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux and his office take “any complaint about the care provided to inmates very seriously, including any complaint regarding the adequacy of prenatal care,” Tulare County Chief Deputy Counsel Diana L. Mendez said in a Dec. 14 letter to the ACLU. (Amaro, 12/21)

Sacramento Bee: Sacramento YMCA Could Be Redeveloped With Housing, Childcare 
The YMCA in midtown Sacramento could be demolished and redeveloped into a new YMCA, childcare center and eight stories of affordable housing for homeless families. The YMCA is interested in the plan, but outreach still needs to be conducted with residents of the surrounding area and YMCA members, said City Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela, who represents the central city. “This is exactly the kind of thing that gets us out of the homeless crisis,” Valenzuela said. “I don’t want us to lose sight of the fact that shelter is not the goal but housing is the goal.” (Clift, 12/20)

San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego City Leaders Push Plan To Help Older Residents Live Better, Longer 
San Diego officials have adopted a comprehensive new plan to cope with a future where nearly half the city’s residents are age 50 and older. The 56-page blueprint, which the City Council approved last week, calls for better lighting in many neighborhoods, more opportunities to volunteer and a greater variety of inter-generational activities in convenient locations. The plan also directs city officials to focus on providing older residents better access to healthy food, cheaper high-speed internet and more comfortable places to sit in parks and public squares. (Garrick, 12/21)

Los Angeles Times: How To Help Unhoused Angelenos During The Colder Months 
In 2019, The Times reported that more people experiencing homelessness died at least partly because of the cold than in San Francisco and New York combined. As temperatures begin to drop and storms roll in, here’s how Angelenos can help support one of the city’s most vulnerable populations. (Amato, 12/20)

Sacramento Bee: See Where Sacramento Could Open Homeless Respite Center
The city of Sacramento is working to open a homeless respite center in North Sacramento. The facility, called the Outreach and Engagement Center, is planned to open at 3615 Auburn Blvd., at the former Powerhouse Science Center. But despite nighttime temperatures frequently dipping into the 30s, the City Council last week delayed a vote to approve a contract with nonprofit Hope Cooperative to staff the center, after hearing concerns from the adjacent Children’s Receiving Home of Sacramento. (Clift, 12/21)