Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
California Plans for a Post-Roe World as Abortion Access Shrinks Elsewhere
While other states dramatically restrict abortion and the conservative-leaning U.S. Supreme Court weighs Roe v. Wade, California is preparing to absorb the country’s abortion patients. (Rachel Bluth, )
Amazon To Pay $500,000 Fine For Failure To Notify Workers Of Covid Cases: Amazon has agreed to pay a $500,000 fine after California’s attorney general said the company had concealed COVID-19 case numbers from its workers. It’s the first such action under the state’s new “right to know” law meant to improve workplace safety. Under an agreement with the attorney general’s office, the company must notify its warehouse workers of the number of new COVID-19 cases at their workplaces within a day. It must notify local health agencies within two days. Read more from the Los Angeles Times, Sacramento Bee, Bay Area News Group and NBC News.
Scientists Find Second Person Cured of HIV Without Drugs Or Other Medical Treatment: Scientists have identified the second known person to rid themselves of HIV without medical treatment, according to an article published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The patient, an unnamed woman living in Argentina, was diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus in 2013. Since 2017, an international team of researchers has been poring over the patient's DNA searching for traces of the virus. After sequencing billions of cells, the scientists confirmed the woman is HIV-free. Read more from Business Insider and STAT.
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
City News Service:
COVID Hospitalizations Tick Upward Again In LA County
COVID-19 hospitalizations in Los Angeles County ticked upward again on Monday, Nov. 15, as health officials encouraged people to get vaccinated, again warning that unvaccinated residents are far more susceptible to becoming severely ill or dying if they get infected. According to state figures, there were 632 COVID-positive patients in county hospitals as of Monday, up from 600 on Sunday. Of those hospitalized, 156 were being treated in intensive care, down from 163 the previous day. (11/15)
Media-News, Vallejo Times-Herald:
Santa Cruz County Jail Hit With COVID-19 Inmate Outbreak
At least 12 inmates at the Santa Cruz County Jail are under quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19 since Friday, according to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office. Several dozen more inmates, now under quarantine protocol, were exposed to the infected patients, who are either asymptomatic or have mild symptoms, according to a release from Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Daniel Robbins. (York, 11/16)
San Francisco Chronicle:
'I Want To Take Them To An Indoor Movie' - But Shots Still Months Away For Littlest Kids
After 5- to 11-year-olds started getting shots earlier this month, children under age 5 are now the only group in the country without access to vaccines, except for the rare clinical trial participants. That puts many of their parents in a kind of pandemic green room — waiting their turn to emerge as everyone around them begins to shift back toward normal. The next two months, with the holidays arriving and families more eager than ever to come together after last winter’s surge, may be especially challenging to navigate. (Allday, 11/15)
California Healthline:
Quarantine And Tracing Rules Are All Over The Map For Students
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers guidance but calls for localities to set quarantine rules for unvaccinated children exposed to someone with covid-19. That's led to a pandemic patchwork of rules. (Mulrooney Eldred, 11/16)
Los Angeles Times:
'Viral' Book Promotes COVID-19 Lab-Leak Theory Erroneously
“Viral” comes to bookstores amid a wave of hype. Its publisher describes it as a “uniquely insightful book” in which the authors come “tantalizingly close to a shaft that leads to the light” about the pandemic’s origins.In reality, however, “Viral” is a laboratory-perfect example of how not to write about a scientific issue. The authors rely less on the scientists doing the painstaking work to unearth the virus’ origin than on self-described sleuths who broadcast their dubious claims, sometimes anonymously, on social media. In the end, Chan and Ridley spotlight all the shortcomings of the hypothesis they set out to defend. (Hiltzik, 11/15)
The Washington Post:
Long Covid Symptoms Linger In 50 Percent Of People Who Survive The Disease
At least 50 percent of people who survive covid-19 experience a variety of physical and psychological health issues for six months or more after their initial recovery, according to research on the long-term effects of the disease, published in the journal JAMA Network Open. Often referred to as “long covid,” the adverse health effects vary from person to person. But the research, based on data from 250,351 adults and children, found that more than half experience a decline in general well-being, resulting in weight loss, fatigue, fever or pain. (Searing, 11/15)
CBS News:
How Are Long-Haul COVID Symptoms Affecting Children?
At first glance, it's hard to believe Aaron Estrada is anything other than a healthy 4-year-old, but it has taken a year for the energetic little boy to get here. In November 2020, Aaron was in a hospital bed for more than a week, requiring oxygen to breathe, after contracting COVID. His hair started falling out, he had heart problems, and he couldn't walk or stand for a month. (11/15)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Kern County Slowly Rolls Out Pediatric Doses Of COVID-19 Vaccine
It hasn't even been two weeks since the pediatric version of the Pfizer vaccine has been rolled out, but it's already apparent it's going slower in Kern County than other parts of the state. State vaccination progress shows that Kern County has some of the lowest vaccination rates so far: 1.2 percent of 5 to 11 year olds have received a first dose of the vaccine. That's slightly below Fresno's 1.8 percent or Los Angeles' 2.9 percent. However, it's much lower than Bay Area communities like Marin County at 11.3 percent or San Francisco at 9.7 percent. (Gallegos, 11/15)
Los Angeles Times:
70% Of Californians Have Gotten At Least One COVID Vaccine Dose
Seven out of 10 Californians have now received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, a promising milestone that comes as state officials continue to urge more residents to roll up their sleeves for the first, second or even third time to ward off a feared coronavirus resurgence over the winter. Reaching that level of inoculation coverage — which happened over the weekend, according to data compiled by The Times — has been a long time coming in the nation’s most populous state. California officially cleared the hurdle roughly 11 months after the first vaccine doses went into arms. (Money and Lin II, 11/16)
San Francisco Chronicle:
California Wants All Adults To Get Booster Shots. Here's Why Making An Appointment Is A Challenge
Health officials in California want everyone 18 and older to get COVID-19 booster shots ahead of the holiday season. But there is still widespread confusion about who can book an appointment and how. That’s because most online vaccination scheduling systems — including the state’s MyTurn appointment site — still show the specific eligibility categories to receive a booster dose that were in place before state and county officials last week began encouraging booster shots for all. (Vaziri and Hwang, 11/15)
Los Angeles Times:
Warning: COVID Vaccine Protections Wane As Holidays Approach
Angelenos are busy prepping for holiday parties, shopping and family gatherings. But Los Angeles County officials worry that behavior also could lead to another winter surge of coronavirus as people who got vaccinated earlier this year lose immunity just as they get together more — including in social situations and going back to work. So officials are urging the vast majority of adults to get a booster shot as soon as possible. (Lin II and Money, 11/15)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Mobile Van Offers COVID-19 Vaccinations At San Diego Unified Schools
A UC San Diego van is offering free COVID-19 vaccinations to students, staff, families and community members at five San Diego Unified schools in the coming weeks as the school district aims to get more people vaccinated by its deadline next month. The school board decided in late September to mandate COVID vaccinations for students ages 16 and up, as well as staff, by Dec. 20. (Taketa, 11/16)
CapRadio:
Sacramento City Unified School District To Hold Webinar About Student And Staff Vaccine Requirements
Sacramento City Unified School District will be holding a COVID-19 Vaccine Safety and SCUSD Reporting Process Town Hall Webinar on Tuesday, Nov. 16 at 6 p.m. Community members who join the webinar can ask questions about the COVID-19 vaccine available for 5- to 11-year-old children, along with the district’s new vaccination requirement for students and staff. (11/15)
CBS News:
Moderna Offers NIH Co-Ownership Of COVID Vaccine Patent Amid Dispute With Government
The National Institutes of Health said Monday it has engaged Moderna in "good faith discussions" to resolve a monthslong dispute over the company's patent application that advocates say could impact global production of the shots. Moderna is offering to share ownership of its COVID-19 vaccine patent with the U.S. government to resolve the dispute, the vaccine maker said, and would allow the Biden administration to "license the patents as they see fit." (Tin, 11/15)
The Hill:
Fauci: Vaccinated Families Can 'Feel Good' About Thanksgiving Gatherings
Anthony Fauci said on Monday that families who are vaccinated against COVID-19 can “feel good about enjoying a typical” Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. President Biden’s chief medical adviser warned that the U.S. is still counting tens of thousands of new cases per day and recommended masks in indoor congregate settings. But he said the fully vaccinated should feel comfortable gathering with other vaccinated family and friends in private settings this holiday season. (Coleman, 11/15)
The Bakersfield Californian:
School Districts Report Losing Few Employees As Weekly COVID-19 Testing Mandate Begins
Oct. 15 marked the deadline for a state mandate, requiring that K-12 school staff prove they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or take weekly tests. While most local school districts reported their employees were largely in compliance, except for a handful of employees who were put on unpaid leave — some districts spent additional time working with their employees. (Gallegos, 11/15)
Fresno Bee:
When Will California Lift Its COVID-19 School Mask Mandate?
California schools next month will wrap up their fourth semester amid the coronavirus pandemic. Children ages 5 to 11 soon will have to get vaccines to attend. Now, some parents and doctors want to know what it will take to lift California’s school mask mandate. (Korte, 11/16)
San Francisco Chronicle:
A Vaccine Mandate-Related Operator Shortage Has Muni Running Behind Schedule. Here's Which Lines Are Doing Worst
Just as more riders are returning to Muni, data from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency shows its service has become more unreliable in recent months. In May of 2020, Muni switched their operations from a schedule-based approach to a headway or frequency-based one for most of its serviced routes. This means that instead of measuring performance based on how well vehicles adhere to a schedule, it is now evaluated based on how evenly spaced vehicles are from each other. (Sumida, 11/15)
Los Angeles Daily News:
Southern California Families Participate In School Walkouts To Protest Vaccine Mandates
In a repeat of last month’s statewide-coordinated walkouts, parents throughout Southern California kept their children home from school on Monday, Nov. 15, to protest COVID-19 vaccination mandates. Hundreds of people gathered outside the state Capitol — a smaller gathering than a similar walkout last month — according to one media report, while other events were held in Los Angeles, Riverside and Orange counties. (Tat, Escobar and Goulding, 11/15)
Modesto Bee:
COVID-19 Mask Order Comes To An End In Stanislaus County
Stanislaus County health officials lifted a coronavirus mask order Monday after the case rate showed lower transmission of COVID-19 in local communities. The order imposed by county public health in early September has required people to wear face masks in indoor public settings this fall, regardless of vaccination status. A county news release issued around 5 p.m. Monday said the health order has come to an end, effective immediately. (Carlson, 11/15)
Modesto Bee:
Kaiser Reaches Tentative Agreement With Pharmacy Union
Kaiser Permanente said it reached a tentative agreement with a pharmacy union early Monday that should avert strike activity this week. A separate agreement over the weekend with the Alliance of Health Care Unions removed a strike threat in which 32,000 Kaiser employees in Southern California and Oregon had threatened to walk off the job Monday. Kaiser nurses at 21 hospitals in the Central Valley, Sacramento and Bay Area, including in Modesto and Manteca, still have sympathy strikes scheduled this week in support of a facility engineers union that began a work stoppage Sept. 18. (Carlson, 11/15)
Modern Healthcare:
36K Kaiser Workers Plan One-Day Sympathy Strike
A labor union representing 36,000 Kaiser Permanente workers is planning a one-day walkout Thursday in support of an International Union of Operating Engineers local in northern California that has been on strike since September. The sympathy strike, which will begin at 7 a.m. P.T, will take place at 21 Kaiser Permanente facilities in northern California and will involve optometrists, clinical laboratory scientists, respiratory and x-ray technicians, licensed vocational nurses, certified nursing assistants, surgical technicians, pharmacy technicians, phlebotomists, medical assistants and housekeepers, among others represented by Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, a news release said. (Christ, 11/15)
The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat:
While Kaiser Permanente Averts Some Planned Strikes In Sonoma County, Other Scheduled Pickets Still Threatened
Unions representing Kaiser Permanente pharmacists and rehabilitation therapists in Sonoma County have reached tentative labor agreements with the health care giant, averting strikes this week. But several unions representing a large segment of Kaiser employees are still planning to walk off the job this week, many of them in support of Local 39 stationary engineers who have been striking for two months. (Espinoza, 11/15)
KHN:
As Big Pharma And Hospitals Battle Over Drug Discounts, Patients Miss Out On Millions In Benefits
In early July, as the covid-19 pandemic slammed rural America, the president of a small Kansas hospital sat down on a Friday afternoon and wrote the president of the United States to plead for help. “I do not intend to add to your burden,” said Brian Williams, a retired Army lieutenant colonel and Desert Storm combat veteran. He said his hospital, Labette Health, was “like a war zone,” inundated with unvaccinated patients. A department head had threatened to resign, saying he could not “watch one more body be carried out.” But Williams wasn’t seeking pandemic relief. (Jane Tribble and Featherstone, 11/16)
Stat:
Conflicts Of Interest Common Among Editors Of Some Medical Textbooks
Amid ongoing concerns over conflicts of interest that may affect medical practice, a new analysis finds two-thirds of nine widely used psychopharmacology textbooks had at least one editor or contributing author who received personal payments from drug makers. Overall, 11 of 21 editors or authors received more than $11 million between 2013 and 2020, although most of the money was paid to a single author by one drug maker that sells an antidepressant. Five of those editors and authors — or 24% — each received more than $75,000 during that period. And almost all of the payments were for activities other than research — primarily consulting and promotional speaking, according to the study published in Community Mental Health Journal. (Silverman, 11/15)
Modern Healthcare:
Hospitals Can Share Space, Services Under Final CMS Guidance
A hospital can be located on the same property or even in the same building as another hospital, so long as each entity can independently comply with Medicare and Medicaid program participation requirements, according to guidance the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services published Friday. The policy document provides answers to questions hospitals have asked for years and grants them more leeway than they had under previous federal guidance. The policy also applies to housekeeping, security, laboratories and other services at co-located facilities. (Goldman, 11/15)
Bay Area News Group:
Elizabeth Holmes Trial: Prosecution Seeks To Block Patient Reviews
Positive reports from patients and lab techs about Theranos’ blood testing show that company founder Elizabeth Holmes believed in the accuracy of her firm’s test results, her legal team argued in a court filing concerning a key claim in the prosecution’s case. Holmes’ lawyers are seeking to allow the jury to see some of the feedback she received, compiled from patients using the Theranos app and from blood-draw technicians doing work for Theranos tests. Her attorneys claim the reports help refute prosecution allegations that Holmes knowingly misled investors and patients with false claims that her company’s machines could provide reliable results when she knew they had serious accuracy problems. (Baron, 11/15)
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento CA May Start To Clear More Homeless Camps In 2023
The city of Sacramento could start clearing more homeless encampments beginning in 2023 as long as campers have been offered two different types of shelter or housing. “We must both be humane and help thousands of additional people who aren’t getting help and at same time have a safer, cleaner city,” Mayor Darrell Steinberg said during a press call Monday. “The two are not opposites. They should go together.” (Clift, 11/15)
CapRadio:
Sacramento Could Obligate Homeless Residents To Accept Shelter Under Mayor’s ‘Right-To-Housing’ Ordinance
Sacramento would become the first city to establish a legal right to housing for homeless residents under a proposal announced Monday by Mayor Darrell Steinberg. It would obligate unhoused people to accept housing or shelter when offered, making way for the potential clearing of more homeless encampments by 2023. The plan, if passed by the City Council, would be the first of its kind nationally, and would force the city to deal with a growing homelessness crisis that has seen more than 10,000 people sleeping on the streets throughout a given year. It could also help the city comply with federal court rulings that have prevented local governments from imposing anti-camping ordinances if there isn’t enough housing or shelter to offer homeless residents. (Nichols, 11/15)
The Hill:
Most Say Police Shouldn't Be Primary Responders For Mental Health Crises: NAMI Poll
A wide majority of Americans say mental health professionals, rather than law enforcement, should be the primary first responders to mental health crises, a poll released Monday found. The poll, conducted by Ipsos on behalf of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), found broad support for police, with 72 percent of respondents having a favorable view of law enforcement. Still, nearly 80 percent of respondents said mental health professionals, not police, should respond to mental health and suicide situations. (Coleman, 11/15)
GMA:
Premature Births Continue To Rise For Black, Native American Mothers: Report
The rate of babies born premature in the United States has declined for the first time in six years, but experts warn it is not a cause for celebration, as a maternal and infant health crisis still exists. Preterm birth rates in the U.S. decreased 0.1% from 10.2% in 2019 to 10.1% in 2020, according to a report published Monday by the March of Dimes, a nonprofit organization focused on improving the health of pregnant people and babies. (Kindelan, 11/15)
ProPublica:
One Major Reason The U.S. Hasn’t Stopped Syphilis From Killing Babies
In public health, a “sentinel event” is a case of preventable harm so significant that it serves as a warning that the system is failing. The alarms are now blaring. A growing number of babies are being born with syphilis after their mothers contract the sexually transmitted disease and the bacteria crosses the placenta. These cases are 100% preventable: When mothers who have syphilis are treated with penicillin while pregnant, babies are often born without a trace of the disease. But when mothers go untreated, there is a 40% chance their babies will be miscarried, be stillborn or die shortly after birth. Those who survive can be born with deformed bones or damaged brains, or can suffer from severe anemia, hearing loss or blindness. (Chen, 11/16)
Modern Healthcare:
Vaccine Hesitancy Could Lead To 'Twin-Demic' Of Flu And COVID-19
Influenza vaccinations are lagging behind what doctors would like to see during Michigan's first two months of flu season, leading some experts to worry that the conditions are ripe for a "twin-demic" with COVID-19. "It's one of the things that I worry about in this phase of the pandemic," said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, the state's chief medical executive. "As a physician, I worry that (COVID-19) is still causing disease, morbidity and mortality, but people either could get infected with multiple respiratory pathogens at the same time." (Greene, 11/15)
AP:
Report: 'Whole Of Society' Effort Must Fight Misinformation
Misinformation is jeopardizing efforts to solve some of humanity’s greatest challenges, be it climate change, COVID-19 or political polarization, according to a new report from the Aspen Institute that’s backed by prominent voices in media and cybersecurity. Recommendations in the 80-page analysis, published Monday, call for new regulations on social media platforms; stronger, more consistent rules for misinformation “superspreaders” who amplify harmful falsehoods and new investments in authoritative journalism and organizations that teach critical thinking and media literacy. (Klepper, 11/15)
Stat:
A Path Forward For Trusted AI In Breast Cancer Risk Prediction
As the role of artificial intelligence grows in medicine, one of the leading concerns is that algorithmic tools will perpetuate disparities in care. Because AIs are trained on health records reflecting current standards of care, they could end up parroting bias baked into the medical system if not carefully designed. And if algorithms aren’t trained and tested on data from diverse populations, they could be less effective when used to guide care for poorly-represented subsets of patients. So some AI development groups are tackling that problem head on, training and testing their algorithms on diverse patient data to ensure they can apply to a wide range of patients — long before they’re deployed in the wild. (Palmer, 11/16)
Orange County Register:
New $165 Million State Fund To Battle Anti-Asian Hate Could Come This Year
Community groups fighting against the rise of hate crimes and related actions directed at Asians could start seeing some of a new $165.5 million state fund by the end of this year, state and local leaders said Monday, Nov. 15, during a news conference in Garden Grove. Most of the California API Equity Fund, roughly $110 million, is expected to be awarded over the next three years to organizations with deep ties in the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities that they serve. Such groups were the first to respond to the rise in hate crimes and hate incidents faulting Asian Americans for the coronavirus pandemic. (Walker, 11/15)