inewsource: San Diego Will End The COVID-19 Emergency Despite Outbreaks
Even though San Diego officials have voted to end the state of emergency surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, health experts say the pandemic is far from over. “While cases, hospitalizations and deaths are decreasing, these events are still occurring in San Diego County,” ​​County Public Health Officer Wilma J. Wooten said in a statement. “COVID-19 virus variants are still widespread in our county.”

San Francisco Chronicle: FDA Asks People To Report Home Test Results
With a majority of people now using over-the-counter coronavirus tests at home, public health officials are having a hard time tracking COVID-19 case trends. To that end, the Food and Drug Administration on Monday encouraged people to start submitting their test results on the website MakeMyTestCount.org. (Beamish and Vaziri, 2/6)

The Hill: ‘Tripledemic’ Infected Nearly 40 Percent Of Households, Survey Finds 
The winter’s “tripledemic” of respiratory viruses impacted nearly 40 percent of U.S. households, with someone there getting sick with the flu, COVID-19 or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), according to a new survey from KFF released Tuesday. The flu and RSV hit much harder and earlier this year than in years past, as viruses kept at bay during the height of the pandemic began infecting people again following the resumption of every-day activities. (Weixel, 2/7)

CIDRAP: Healthy Pre-Infection Lifestyle Linked To Lower Risk Of Long COVID In Women 
Women who maintained a healthy weight, didn't smoke, exercised regularly, got adequate sleep, ate high-quality food, and consumed alcohol in moderate amounts were at roughly half the risk of long COVID as those who followed none of these recommended practices, concludes a prospective study today in JAMA Internal Medicine. (Van Beusekom, 2/6)

Bloomberg: Face Masks’ Ability To Stop Viruses Needs Study, Review Finds
More than three years after Covid-19 emerged, and despite influenza outbreaks that kill thousands of people annually, there’s still not definitive proof on how much — or whether — wearing masks slows the transmission of respiratory viruses. That’s the takeaway message from a 2023 Cochrane Review, the gold standard analysis of medical research that’s intended to help shape future health care decisions. (Fay Cortez, 2/6)

Los Angeles Blade: Rachel Levine Tackles Bad Info On Covid & Gender-Affirming Care
In a visit to one of America’s most prestigious institutions of higher learning, Adm. Rachel Levine answered questions and offered insight about two of the most controversial healthcare issues of this decade, Long Covid and gender-affirming care. Long Covid is the mysterious phenomenon in which patients endure debilitating, long-term effects from being infected by the coronavirus and gender-affirming care, treatments for transgender youth that are being targeted by lawmakers nationwide. (Ennis, 2/6)

Newsweek: Yolk Defense Against COVID? Chicken Egg Shortage Fuels Conspiracy Theories
A number of prominent social media accounts have suggested, explicitly or implicitly, that eggs are disappearing off the shelves because they could provide natural protection from coronavirus, a solution that is seemingly blocked by the government and Big Pharma. Many of these comments include a link to the same scientific study, titled "Chicken Egg Yolk Antibodies (IgYs) block the binding of multiple SARS-CoV-2 spike protein variants to human ACE2," or a screenshot of the paper's abstract. (Kuklychev, 2/2)

Politico: Lawyers For U.S., Navy Seals Battle Over Revoked Covid-19 Vaccine Mandate
A lawyer representing Navy Seals who do not want to be vaccinated against Covid-19 told a federal appeals court Monday that their lawsuit over a now-withdrawn vaccine mandate isn’t moot even though Congress passed legislation last December ordering the policy canceled. During arguments before the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, attorney Heather Hacker said the service members still face the possibility of discipline over their refusal to get vaccinated and the government has not ruled out taking vaccination status into account when doling out future assignments. (Gerstein, 2/6)

Politico: Biden To Push For Universal Insulin Price Cap In State Of The Union 
President Joe Biden will call for expanding a new cap on insulin prices to all Americans as part of his State of the Union address, the White House said Monday. During the Tuesday speech, Biden plans to tout his administration’s efforts to make health care more affordable, which included imposing a $35-per-month limit on insulin that took effect in January. (Cancryn, 2/6)

Axios: Biden To Push For Expanded Insulin Caps, Medicaid Coverage In SOTU
President Biden's State of the Union address will include calls for insulin cost caps for privately insured patients and a renewed bid to close the Medicaid coverage gap in Republican-controlled states that haven't accepted the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion. (Bettelheim, 2/7)

WBUR: Here Are The Key Issues To Watch For In Biden's State Of The Union 
President Biden has been able to deliver on many of his promises from last year, and he will almost certainly be touting those accomplishments: Fewer Americans are uninsured than ever before, thanks in part to increased subsidies on the Obamacare exchanges. 988, the national suicide prevention hotline, launched last year, along with historic investments in mental health. (2/7)

AP: Biden Aims To Deliver Reassurance In State Of Union Address
With COVID-19 restrictions now lifted, the White House and legislators from both parties are inviting guests designed to drive home political messages with their presence in the House chamber. The parents of Tyre Nichols, who was severely beaten by police officers in Memphis and later died, are among those expected to be seated with first lady Jill Biden. Other Biden guests include the rock star Bono and the 26-year-old who disarmed a gunman in last month’s Monterey Park, California, shooting. Biden is shifting his sights after spending his first two years pushing through major bills such as the bipartisan infrastructure package, a bill to promote high-tech manufacturing and climate legislations. With Republicans now in control of the House, Biden is turning his focus to implementing the massive laws and making sure voters credit him for the improvements rather than crafting major new initiatives. (Miller and Kim, 2/7)

Politico: White House Struggles To Explain The Fate Of Title 42
President Joe Biden has called for a bipartisan immigration policy since he stepped into office. He’s likely to make another appeal at Tuesday’s State of the Union. But it’s questionable whether he’ll address the one Trump-era policy currently overseeing all others at the southern border, Title 42. That’s because the White House won’t fully explain where it stands. (Ward, 2/6)

The New York Times: Biden’s State Of The Union Prep: No Acronyms And Tricks To Conquer A Stutter 
As President Biden prepared to deliver one of the biggest speeches of his presidency, he met with a close group of aides at the White House and read drafts aloud from top to bottom. He practiced in front of teleprompters at Camp David, making sure the language was relatable and clear. And, in quiet moments ahead of the State of the Union address on Tuesday evening, he marked up his speech with subtle lines and dashes that he has long used as a signal to take a breath, pause between his words or steer through a tricky transition. Mr. Biden is the first modern president to have a stutter, which he has navigated since childhood and still speaks of in emotional terms. (Rogers, 2/6)

Los Angeles Times: What Makes An Earthquake Deadly? These Are The Things That Matter
The biggest earthquake to hit the U.S. since the 1960s was an 8.2 temblor near the Alaskan Peninsula on July 28, 2021. If you are struggling to recall the horrifying details, it’s because there weren’t any. No one was killed or injured in the Chignik earthquake, the seventh-largest in U.S. history. Not a single building fell. A post-quake inspection of Perryville, the closest town to the epicenter, revealed nothing more troubling than a few drywall cracks. (Purtill, 2/7)

San Francisco Chronicle: Only One Bay Area Fault Is Capable Of Producing A 7.8 Earthquake — Here's Why
The Bay Area could see a devastating 7.8 magnitude quake, of the size that struck Turkey. But only one fault is capable of producing it. The San Andreas Fault, which caused the 7.9 magnitude 1906 earthquake and a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in 1857 in Central California, can produce a quake of the magnitude of Turkey’s, geologists say — but the region’s other active faults cannot. (Duggan, 2/6)

Los Angeles Times: An Earthquake Like Turkey's Would Devastate Southern California 
The destruction from the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Turkey on Monday is so widespread and intense it is hard to fathom. But California has experienced quakes of that magnitude and greater — and scientists have spent years developing simulations of how “The Big One” would play out in the Golden State. (Lin II, 2/6)

Los Angeles Times: The Hero: How Disarming The Monterey Park Gunman Gave Brandon Tsay Renewed Purpose In Life 
Brandon Tsay has received national attention for his selfless act of bravery. With new opportunities open to him, he’s searching for where his life goes from here. (2/6)

Oaklandside: Oakland Tech Students Hold Walkout To Honor Tyre Nichols
After attending a rally and march demanding justice for Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died after being beaten by Memphis police officers last month, Oakland Technical High School students Georgia Wallace and Satya Zamudio felt inspired to plan an action at their school for other students. On Monday, they did just that, inviting students from their school and others across Oakland to a vigil and block party honoring the life of Nichols, whose gruesome beating was caught on video. (McBride and Aziz, 2/6)

Capitol Weekly: In Wake Of Baldwin Charges, Cortese To Reintroduce Film Set Safety Bill 
With news that actor Alec Baldwin will face two counts of involuntary manslaughter over the death of a cinematographer on the set of his film “Rust,” Democratic state Sen. Dave Cortese of San Jose has vowed to reintroduce legislation to establish rules for using guns in movies. Last year, Cortese and Sen. Anthony Portantino, D-Burbank, introduced dueling bills in response to the accidental shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during the October 2021 filming of “Rust” in Albuquerque, N.M. (Joseph, 2/3)

San Francisco Chronicle: Biden’s Justice Department Is Using A Law Meant To Protect Abortion Clinics In Defense Of A Crisis Pregnancy Center
A 1994 federal law that makes it a crime to intentionally damage property that provides “reproductive health services” has been used to prosecute people who try to trash abortion clinics. But the law has never been deployed in defense of abortion opponents — until now, with charges filed by President Biden’s Justice Department against two abortion-rights activists who spray-painted slogans on the walls of one of the thousands of anti-abortion facilities known as crisis pregnancy centers. (Egelko, 2/6)

CNBC: Supreme Court Abortion Ruling Questioned By Judge
Kollar-Kotelly’s order told prosecutors and defense lawyers to file briefs by next month on the questions of whether the Supreme Court’s ruling only addresses the issue of whether abortion is not protected by the 14th Amendment, and if any other provision in the Constitution “could confer a right to abortion.” Her order in Washington District Court could end up being an invitation to federal legal challenges on 13th Amendment grounds to state laws that sharply restricted access to abortion in some states after the high court’s controversial decision overturning its 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade. (Mangan, 2/6)

The Guardian: Google Targets Low-Income US Women With Ads For Anti-Abortion Pregnancy Centers, Study Shows 
Low-income women in some cities are more likely than their wealthier counterparts to be targeted by Google ads promoting anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers when they search for abortion care, researchers at the Tech Transparency Project have found. The research builds on previous findings detailing how Google directs users searching for abortion services to so-called crisis centers – organizations that have been known to pose as abortion clinics in an attempt to steer women away from accessing abortion care. (Noor, 2/7)

Argus-Courier Staff: Healthcare Workers Plan Rally At Petaluma Hospital In Plea To Keep Birthing Center Open
Local healthcare workers are inviting community members to join them in a rally next week as they seek to persuade Providence, the owner of Petaluma Valley Hospital, to keep the hospital’s Family Birthing Center open. (Parreira, 2/6)

Fresno Bee: Clovis Unified School Psychologists Union Pushing District To Beef Up Pay - And Hiring
The Clovis Unified school board recently approved $17.3 million in raises and benefits for employees, but the district’s unionized psychologists will be missing out for the foreseeable future. (Thornton, 2/7)

Stat: Patient's Race And Method Of Dialysis Linked To Risk Of Infection
Hispanic, Latino, and non-Hispanic Black Americans on dialysis for end-stage kidney disease have a higher risk of developing life-threatening bloodstream infections, a new report says. (Cueto, 2/6)

CIDRAP: CDC Analysis Finds More Staph Bloodstream Infections In Blacks, Hispanics 
People on dialysis for kidney disease are 100 times more likely to have Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections than other people, and, of this group, Black and Hispanic patients—who have disproportionately higher rates of end-stage kidney disease—have higher rates of bloodstream infections than their White counterparts, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in a new Vital Signs report. (Schnirring, 2/6)

San Francisco Chronicle: You Could Sip A Latte And Smoke Cannabis In The Same Cafe Under Proposed California Law
Local California governments could allow cannabis businesses to serve food and nonalcoholic drinks and host live music performances under a bill introduced in the California Legislature. The measure aims to allow for the kind of cannabis cafes that have become popular in Amsterdam. Assembly Member Matt Haney, D-San Francisco, who introduced the measure, said it could help pot shops struggling to compete with the illegal market attract new customers. (Bollag, 2/6)

The Wall Street Journal: What Doctors Are Learning About Marijuana And Surgery 
There’s a surprising side effect of a marijuana habit that many people don’t know: Regular users may need more anesthesia during medical procedures to remain sedated. As more states allow people to smoke pot and eat edibles legally, more doctors say they are asking about marijuana use—and urging honesty—before surgeries or procedures because habitual users may need more anesthesia and painkillers. In one study, people who reported they used cannabis required more anesthesia than people who didn’t use it. (Reddy, 2/6)

Politico: Pot Is Making People Sick. Congress Is Playing Catch-Up
When Gallup asked about legalizing weed last year, two-thirds of Americans supported it — up from 12 percent when the pollster first asked in 1969.Recognition of marijuana’s medical benefits, the harms of punitive drug policies, and the prospect of new tax revenue to fund popular services, have driven that change in attitudes and led 21 states to legalize recreational sales. But the policymakers overseeing legalization were flying surprisingly blind about its effect on public health. Only recently has a steady flow of data emerged on health impacts, including emphysema in smokers and learning delays in adolescents. (Leonard, 2/6)

Politico: Federal Judge Says Constitutional Right To Abortion May Still Exist, Despite Dobbs
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., suggested Monday that there may be a constitutional right to abortion baked into the 13th Amendment — an area she said went unexplored by the Supreme Court in its momentous decision last year overturning Roe v. Wade. In a pending criminal case against several anti-abortion activists, U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization concluded only that the 14th Amendment included no right to abortion but stopped short of definitively ruling out other aspects of the Constitution that might apply. (Cheney and Gerstein, 2/6)

Reuters: Ban On Marijuana Users Owning Guns Is Unconstitutional, U.S. Judge Rules 
A federal law prohibiting marijuana users from possessing firearms is unconstitutional, a federal judge in Oklahoma has concluded, citing last year's U.S. Supreme Court ruling that significantly expanded gun rights. (Raymond, 2/6)

Los Angeles Times: 'We Basically Sleep With The Roaches.' South L.A. Tenants Sue
Nearly 100 residents of a large, troubled apartment complex in South Los Angeles have sued their landlord in recent months, alleging rampant vermin infestations, faulty plumbing, deficient electricity and heating and other significant habitability problems. The claims made across three Los Angeles County Superior Court lawsuits filed since December reflect deep frustrations from tenants at Chesapeake Apartments against their landlord, Pama Properties. (Dillon, 2/7)

San Diego Union-Tribune: Downtown San Diego Homeless Population Reaches Another Record High 
The homeless population in downtown San Diego has reached yet another record high for the sixth straight month, with about 1,900 people counted on Jan. 31. (Warth, 2/6)