Sponsors Revoke Support For Nursing Home Bill: A group of advocates that has long fought to reform the state’s troubled nursing home licensing system is now attempting to kill legislation it sponsored, calling the amended bill “a step backwards.” The Senate Health Committee is scheduled to hear AB 1502 today. Read more from CalMatters.
LA Backs $25-Per-Hour Minimum Wage For Some Health Workers: The Los Angeles City Council has voted to boost the minimum wage for workers at privately owned hospitals to $25 an hour, rather than sending the question to the November ballot for voters to decide. Council members voted 10 to 2 to move forward with the measure. Read more from the Los Angeles Times.
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
Bay Area News Group:
COVID-19 Vaccine Relief Finally Arrives For Newest Parents
For many Bay Area’s parents, the anxious wait for COVID-19 vaccines for their young tots has finally ended. After federal health authorities last week gave the OK for children as young as 6 months to get the vaccine, hundreds of parents corralled their toddlers Tuesday in the intense summer heat and brought them to the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds vaccination clinic, hoping their kids could be among the first younger-than-5-year-olds to get the shots. (Woolfolk, Bagdasarian and Rowan, 6/21)
Los Angeles Times:
2 Million California Kids Are Now Eligible For COVID Vaccine. How Many Will Get It?
Jonah Stein exited the vaccination clinic in his father’s arms Tuesday afternoon, proud to show off his Band-Aid. This “little booboo,” as the 2-year-old put it, was a long time coming. It marked the spot where he received his first dose of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine — much to the relief of his parents, who also have a 3-week-old at home. (Toohey and Money, 6/22)
KVPR:
COVID Vaccines Are Finally Here For Young Kids. But The Logistics Aren't Easy
Claire Hannan has been helping immunization managers from all 50 states navigate COVID-19 vaccine rollouts since fall 2020 as the executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers. She told NPR what's been happening behind the scenes to get this new low-dose formulation of Moderna and Pfizer's vaccines out so that little kids can finally get protected. (Simmons-Duffin, 6/22)
The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat:
Sonoma County Has Opened Up Vaccines For Children Under 5. Here’s What You Need To Know.
Sonoma County began administering COVID-19 vaccines to children under 5 on Tuesday, bringing sighs of relief to some parents, and shrugs from others. “In a lot of ways it doesn’t change everyday life,” said Stacey Gallagher, a Santa Rosa parent of a 20-month-old. “Some of the same precautions are still there … But it just allows us to feel more comfortable. In the choices that we’re making, we have a bit of extra protection.” (Neale-Sacks, 6/21)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Families Flock To Rady Children's Hospital For Under-5 COVID Vaccines
From a therapy dog to live accordion music, the adults tried hard Tuesday morning at Rady Children’s Hospital to calm and distract as the first wave of kids younger than 5 years of age arrived to receive their first doses of coronavirus vaccine. Four-year-old Tessa Hamilton came with her dad, Lawrence Hamilton Lawson, who was carrying a wrapped present and a promise that she could open it after a quick stick in her upper arm. (Sisson, 6/21)
Reuters:
Moderna CEO: COVID Variant Vaccine To Be Ready For Shipping In August
Moderna's COVID-19 variant vaccine will be ready to ship in August as the company has been making shots ahead of approval, Chief Executive Stephane Bancel told Reuters on Wednesday, adding that the only bottleneck to supply was a regulatory one. "Our goal is as early as August given we're going to file all the data in June, by the end of June... hopefully in the August timeframe, the vaccine is authorized," Bancel said in an interview. (6/22)
CIDRAP:
Study: Hospitalized Omicron Patients Benefited From Fourth Vaccine Dose
When the Omicron variant surge hit at the end of 2021, which came with breakthrough COVID-19 infections in vaccinated people, Israel was one of the first countries to offer fourth vaccine doses for those age 60 and older. Yesterday, Israeli researchers reported that a fourth dose was linked to significant protection against severe outcomes in hospitalized patients. (6/21)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Still Have Not Had COVID? Why Experts Say Infection Is Not Inevitable Despite Surge
In March of this year — about two years after the COVID-19 pandemic took over the U.S. — The Chronicle asked Bay Area experts: Is getting COVID inevitable? At that time, the response was a qualified “no.” Even though the highly contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus had recently sent cases higher than ever, the experts said that at least in the near future, people who continued to take reasonable precautions against exposure, and who got vaccinated and boosted, could avoid the disease. (Echeverria, 6/21)
Times Of San Diego:
San Diego County Reports 7-Day Low In New COVID-19 Cases, At 864
San Diego County public health officials reported nearly 6,500 COVID-19 cases through Monday, but new positives also tailed off during the period. That suggests the recent surge of new cases, dating back to May, may be leveling off. The county also reported four deaths since Thursday. (6/21)
CapRadio:
Long COVID Patients Struggle As Medical Community Learns More About The Condition
For Southeast Asians, the word durian might evoke a shiver: The pungent fruit’s smell has been compared to rotten eggs and decay. But for Jeanne Sta Ana from Tennessee, who got COVID-19 in December 2020, durians are a reminder of how the infection has restructured her life. (6/22)
CIDRAP:
Women More Likely To Have Long COVID, Different Symptom Profile
Women are significantly more likely than men to experience long COVID, with symptoms that follow a distinct clinical pattern, researchers reported today. They said more efforts are needed to explore sex differences in outcomes, including greater risks of exposure for some jobs. The researchers from the Johnson & Johnson Office of the Chief Medical Officer reported their findings yesterday in Current Medical Research and Opinion, a peer-reviewed journal. (Schnirring, 6/21)
Fox News:
COVID-19 Rebound After Paxlovid Treatment Likely Due To Insufficient Exposure To The Drug
"COVID-19 rebound," the relapse of symptoms that occurred in some patients treated with Paxlovid, may actually be caused by insufficient drug exposure, according to a recent study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had issued a health advisory warning individuals about "COVID-19 rebound" where symptoms of COVID infection returned in some patients after a course of treatment with the medication Paxlovid. Paxlovid is currently the leading oral medication used to prevent severe cases of COVID-19 in high-risk patients, according to the researchers. (McGorry, 6/21)
Bay Area News Group:
Before Getting COVID, Mayim Bialik Fought Anti-Vax Label
In announcing this week that she has tested positive for COVID-19, “Jeopardy!” host Mayim Bialik seemed to expect that past controversies over her statements about vaccines were likely to come up. “Hey everybody, not sure if this is clickbait or not but I have a COVID,” the former “Big Bang Theory” star, 46, said in a video posted to her Instagram account Monday. She emphasized that she has been vaccinated and received booster shots, with the caption for her video including the hashtags “#vaxxed,” “#boosted.” Bialik’s diagnosis comes two months after she again clarified her position in favor of vaccines in an interview with the Daily Beast. “I never said to not get vaccinated,” said Bialik, who also is a neuroscientist. “I absolutely believe vaccines work and have always said that.” (Ross, 6/21)
AP:
Supreme Court Rejects Bayer's Bid To Stop Roundup Lawsuits
The Supreme Court has rejected Bayer’s appeal to shut down thousands of lawsuits claiming that its Roundup weedkiller causes cancer. The justices on Tuesday left in place a $25 million judgment in favor of Edwin Hardeman, a California man who says he developed cancer from using Roundup for decades to treat poison oak, overgrowth and weeds on his San Francisco Bay Area property. Hardeman’s lawsuit had served as a test case for thousands of similar lawsuits. (Sherman, 6/21)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Supreme Court Rejects Appeal Of Bay Area Weedkiller Verdict, A Case That Launched Thousands Of Lawsuits Nationwide
Although the Environmental Protection Agency has approved glyphosate products as safe since 1991, the EPA has now proposed allowing California to place a cancer-warning label on Roundup sold in the state, as long as the label also notes the EPA’s own safety findings. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, an arm of the World Health Organization, classified glyphosate as a likely cause of human cancer in 2015, and California health officials sought to attach a warning label in 2018 but were blocked by a federal judge. Bayer has announced that it is replacing glyphosate with another active ingredient in Roundup sales for U.S. home and garden use, starting next year, while continuing to sell the current version of the product for agricultural use. (Egelko, 6/21)
AP:
Governor's Mental Health Court Plan Advances Amid Worries
A controversial proposal by California Gov. Gavin Newsom to prod more homeless people into mental health treatment is making its way through the Legislature, despite deep misgivings from lawmakers struggling to address a problem that reaches every corner of the state. Legislators are worried that there isn’t enough guaranteed staffing or housing for the program to succeed while forcing vulnerable individuals into court-ordered services against their will. Even so, the bill unanimously cleared the Senate last month, and passed out of the Assembly judiciary committee Tuesday, one of several stops before being voted on by the full chamber. (Har, 6/21)
The Washington Post:
Biden Administration Says It Plans To Cut Nicotine In Cigarettes
The Biden administration said Tuesday it plans to develop a rule requiring tobacco companies to reduce nicotine levels in cigarettes sold in the United States to minimally or nonaddictive levels, an effort that, if successful, could have an unprecedented effect in slashing smoking-related deaths and threaten a politically powerful industry. The initiative was included in the administration’s “unified agenda,” a compilation of planned federal regulatory actions released twice a year. The spring agenda was released Tuesday. (McGinley, 6/21)
The Wall Street Journal:
Biden Administration Targets Removal Of Most Nicotine From Cigarettes
The plan, unveiled Tuesday as part of the administration’s agenda of regulatory actions, likely wouldn’t take effect for several years. The Food and Drug Administration plans to publish a proposed rule in May 2023, though the agency cautioned that date could change. Then the agency would invite public comments before publishing a final rule. Tobacco companies could then sue, which could further delay the policy’s implementation. “Nicotine is powerfully addictive,” FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said in a statement Tuesday. “Lowering nicotine levels to minimally addictive or non-addictive levels would decrease the likelihood that future generations of young people become addicted to cigarettes and help more currently addicted smokers to quit.” (Maloney, 6/21)
Poynter:
Expect A Long Fight Over Biden’s Order For Cigarette Manufacturers To Cut Nicotine Levels
The Biden administration says it is writing a plan that will order cigarette makers to cut cigarette nicotine levels to lower addiction. It is part of Biden’s plan to cut cancer deaths by 50% in 25 years. But don’t expect the order to take effect quickly — perhaps for years or maybe ever. First, there is the regulatory requirement that the Food and Drug Administration publishes the rule, invites public comments then publishes a final rule. Then, almost certainly, tobacco companies will sue to stop it. That could tie up the regulation for years. (Tompkins, 6/22)
NPR:
Senators Reach Final Bipartisan Agreement On A Gun Safety Bill
Senate negotiators have reached a final agreement on a narrow bipartisan gun safety bill that could become the first gun control measure to pass Congress in decades. The legislation resulted from negotiations among 10 Republicans and 10 Democrats, and it is expected to have more than enough votes to overcome the 60-vote threshold to clear a filibuster in the Senate, which is divided 50-50 between the parties. House leaders are expected to quickly begin consideration of the bill and President Biden has encouraged Congress to pass the bill without delay. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., have both announced support for the bill and both say they will vote for it. (Snell, 6/21)
USA Today:
Senate Gun Bill Text Includes More Background Checks
The bill would also close the "boyfriend loophole," a legislative gray space that leaves some women vulnerable to gun-related domestic violence. People convicted of domestic violence, or who are subject to a domestic violence restraining order, can't purchase firearms under the current law. But that law only applies if the abuser is a spouse, ex-spouse, co-parent or someone with whom the victim has lived. Women who don't live with their partners aren't protected from them under existing law. (Lee, 6/21)
The Hill:
Here Are The 14 GOP Senators Who Voted To Advance Gun Safety Bill
Every Senate Democrat was expected to support the bill, even though it didn’t include more far-reaching reforms that many of them support, such as bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and universal background checks. The vote shakes up the politics of the gun violence debate in Congress as many of the Republicans who voted to proceed to the bill have A or A-plus NRA ratings. Here are the 14 Republicans who voted yes. (Bolton, 6/21)
San Francisco Chronicle:
San Francisco To Open Drug Sobering Center To Address Meth And Fentanyl Epidemic And Street Crisis
San Francisco will open a drug sobering center on Monday where people on the streets can temporarily ride out highs and get connected to treatment, the latest initiative to address the overdose crisis and complaints about drug use on city streets. The center, called SOMA RISE, will operate out of a former office building the city is leasing at 1076 Howard St. in the South of Market Neighborhood, one of the epicenters of the drug crisis, along with the Tenderloin. (Moench, 6/21)
KVPR:
School Meal Waivers Expire In 9 Days. After Axing Them, Congress May Try To Save Them
A bipartisan group of four lawmakers on Tuesday announced a bill that would extend the school meal waivers that have been a lifeline for schools and families during the pandemic. The waivers were originally created as a part of pandemic relief at the start of 2020. They allow the Agriculture Department to waive various requirements that govern how schools can serve meals and who can get them. The waivers also increased the reimbursement rates for school food programs. (Bustillo, 6/21)
CalMatters:
California Cannabis Battle Goes Local
Working regular overnight shifts has distorted Samantha Kadera’s sleep schedule, so the emergency room doctor smokes cannabis a few times a week to relax before bed. It’s a common habit among the young parents that Kadera knows in Manhattan Beach, the upscale Los Angeles suburb where she moved last year to raise her two elementary school-aged children in a more family-friendly environment. (Koseff, 6/21)
KQED:
The Story Behind The National AIDS Memorial Grove In San Francisco
The National AIDS Memorial Grove in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park is the nation’s first and only federally designated memorial of those who have died of AIDS (though ironically, it doesn’t receive federal funding.) The folks behind it say its existence is not just about remembering those who’ve died, but also the activism of the queer community who stepped up when the government wouldn’t. (Guevarra, Esquinca, Montecillo and Stupi, 6/22)
The Washington Post:
Trial Of Former Theranos Exec Sunny Balwani Draws To A Close
Sunny Balwani, the former business and romantic partner of disgraced biotech entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes, faced closing arguments in his fraud trial here Tuesday. The former chief operating officer of blood-testing start-up Theranos is charged with 10 counts of wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one more count than Holmes ultimately faced last year. (Lerman, 6/21)