Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Stranded by the Pandemic, He Had Only Travel Insurance. It Left Him With a $38,000 Bill.
Although it’s possible to buy travel insurance that provides some health coverage, the devil is in the fine print. Obama-era laws that prevent refusal of payment for preexisting conditions don’t apply to travel insurance. (Arthur Allen, )
14 Kids Get Wrong Dose Of Covid Vaccine At Sutter Health Clinic In Antioch: In the latest incident of erroneous covid-19 vaccine dosing that has frustrated parents of newly eligible children, 14 kids received the wrong amount of the Pfizer vaccine at a Sutter Health clinic in Antioch, California. Sutter said in a statement that those vaccinations contained "an incorrect" amount of diluent, which is used to dilute the concentrated form of the vaccines. The kids got double the recommended dose. It is one of a number of similar recent incidents around the country, including in Texas, Virginia and Maryland. Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle, The Sacramento Bee, Newsweek and the Bay Area News Group.
FDA Aims to Authorize Pfizer Booster For All Adults By Thursday; CDC Could Follow Suit Friday: The Food and Drug Administration is expected to authorize booster doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine for all adults 18 and older as early as Thursday, a move that would expand the number of Americans eligible for additional shots by tens of millions, according to people familiar with the agency’s plans. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s independent committee of vaccine experts has scheduled a meeting for Friday to discuss data on the booster dose’s efficacy and safety. If both the FDA and CDC sign off this week, any adult who received a second dose of the vaccine at least six months earlier would be officially eligible to get a booster as soon as this weekend. Read more from the New York Times and NBC News.
More News From Across The State
The Sacramento Bee:
More Than 500,000 California Workers Will Get $500 Pandemic Bonuses. Here Are The Details
More than 500,000 caregivers in California will each receive a $500 bonus from the state as soon as January, as it tries to retain workers in a sector long hampered by low wages and high turnover rates.Those who worked as caregivers for at least two months between March 2020 and March 2021 are eligible. Both in-home caregivers and those providing Medi-Cal home and community-based services such as the Programs for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly would qualify, according to the state’s budget document.More than $280 million will be paid out in total, with state and the federal government splitting the cost. (Park, 11/16)
Sacramento Bee:
How CA COVID Numbers Fare Heading Into Winter
Coronavirus activity in California has stayed mostly flat for the past several weeks.With some slight, recent fluctuations in activity, along with worsening conditions around other parts of the globe, it remains difficult to forecast whether the Golden State will see another severe surge take hold this winter. Generally, health officials warn that the winter months elevate the risk of COVID-19 transmission due to a string of major holidays plus colder weather driving more gatherings indoors, where the virus spreads more easily. California’s worst surge of the pandemic came last winter. (McGough, 11/16)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Gov. Newsom Warns Of California Winter Surge, With Virus 'Coming Back In Force'
Gov. Gavin Newsom warned Tuesday that the state is in for another potentially devastating winter surge and sharpened his call for all Californians 18 and older to get COVID-19 vaccine booster shots. “This disease is not taking the winter off. It’s coming back in force,” Newsom said at a briefing at a vaccination clinic in Kings County, which has one of the lowest vaccination rates and highest hospitalization rates per capita of any California county. (Vaziri, 11/16)
Los Angeles Times:
Make Your Holiday Gatherings COVID-Safer With Rapid Tests
Even with nearly 63% of Californians fully vaccinated, some public health officials worry that big gatherings this holiday season could lead to big outbreaks of COVID-19. But families looking to reunite have at least one infection-averting tool that they didn’t have last year: rapid at-home testing kits. The kits aren’t foolproof, and most aren’t as reliable as the lab-based alternative when it comes to detecting infections in their earliest stages. Also, the cost can be high if you have to check a houseful of people. (Healy, 11/16)
Covid Vaccines, Boosters and Treatments
Bay Area News Group:
How Long Will Californians Have To Lie For A Booster Shot?
You’re healthy, younger than 65, a California resident and want a COVID-19 booster. So why do you still have to fib to schedule one? California’s top health officials last week told health care providers that no adult who wants a third shot to boost their Pfizer or Moderna vaccines should be turned away, effectively waiving federal eligibility criteria that limits extra doses for those who had the shots to the elderly and those at high risk. (Woolfolk, 11/16)
Los Angeles Times:
Do I Have To Lie To Get A Booster Shot? No, And Here's Why
To hear Gov. Gavin Newsom tell it, the question of whether you’re eligible for a COVID-19 booster shot in California is an easy one. “If it’s been 6 months since you received Pfizer/Moderna or 2 months since [Johnson & Johnson], you can get your shot,” he tweeted Tuesday morning. “It’s that simple.” However, a quick scan of the replies to his message shows that, for some, things still aren’t that cut and dried. Eligibility questions have still thwarted people when trying to snag an appointment at major pharmacy chains. Others say the state’s own online platform is telling them they can’t get the shots. (Lin II and Money, 11/16)
The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat:
Sonoma County Opens COVID-19 Boosters To Anyone 18 And Older
Sonoma County health officials have expanded the pool of people eligible for COVID-19 vaccine booster shots to include all adults age 18 and older who were vaccinated more than six months ago. County officials announced the change Monday amid an uptick in coronavirus infections. Previously, only people deemed at risk for serious illness from the coronavirus were eligible for boosters. (Pera, 11/16)
Axios:
Fauci: Boosters Could See COVID Reach Endemic Level In U.S. Next Year
NIAID director Anthony Fauci believes the COVID-19 pandemic could become endemic in the U.S. next year, but increased vaccination rates and booster shots would be key to achieving this. The nation's top infectious disease expert made the comments in an interview with Reuters Tuesday on the sidelines of the STAT Summit. But he noted to CNBC that coronavirus cases need to fall "well below 10,000" a day for the U.S. "to get back to a degree of normality." (11/17)
Bay Area News Group:
San Jose Uses Public Safety Alerts To Push COVID Vaccine Information
Since May, the city of San Jose has been using wireless emergency alerts to disseminate information about vaccination clinics in parts of the city with disproportionately low vaccination rates. But instead of specifically notifying residents in neighborhoods surrounding the clinic, these geographically targeted alerts have gone out to thousands of people with cell phones both inside and outside of San Jose city limits. (Angst, 11/16)
The Wall Street Journal:
Pfizer Submits Covid-19 Pill For FDA Authorization
“There is an urgent need for lifesaving treatment options,” Pfizer Chief Executive Albert Bourla said Thursday. “We are moving as quickly as possible in our effort to get this potential treatment into the hands of patients.” Health authorities and doctors have struggled with only a handful of options for treating Covid-19 patients, especially shortly after infection. A Gilead Sciences Inc. GILD -0.46% antiviral, remdesivir, is mostly used to treat hospitalized patients, while monoclonal antibody treatments have proven effective but are costly and typically given in doctor’s offices or hospitals. (Hopkins, 11/16)
Stat:
Like Merck, Pfizer Strikes A Licensing Deal With The Medicines Patents Pool
Amid considerable anticipation over its Covid-19 pill, Pfizer (PFE) reached a licensing agreement with the Medicines Patent Pool, which in turn can now strike deals with other manufacturers to provide generic versions of the drug to 95 low and middle-income countries. The agreement follows a similar arrangement with Merck (MRK) concerning its own antiviral pill for combating the coronavirus. Notably, this also marks only the second time that a pharmaceutical company has struck a licensing deal with the Medicines Patent Pool — a public health organization backed by the United Nations — to widen access to a Covid-19 medical product. (Silverman, 11/16)
The New York Times:
The U.S. Aims To Lift Covid Vaccine Manufacturing To Create A Billion Doses A Year
The White House, under pressure from activists to increase the supply of coronavirus vaccines to poor nations, is prepared to invest billions of dollars to expand U.S. manufacturing capacity, with the goal of producing at least one billion doses a year beginning in the second half of 2022, two top advisers to President Biden said in an interview on Tuesday. The investment is the first step in a new plan, to be announced on Wednesday, for the government to partner with industry to address immediate vaccine needs overseas and domestically and to prepare for future pandemics, said Dr. David Kessler, who oversees vaccine distribution for the administration, and Jeff Zients, Mr. Biden’s coronavirus response coordinator. (Gay Stolberg, 11/17)
Southern California News Group:
LAUSD To Loosen COVID-19 Protocols Next Semester
With all staff members and most students 12 and older who will be on campus expected to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by early January, Los Angeles Unified officials are planning to relax some of the school district’s health-and-safety protocols next semester, including policies regarding who must undergo weekly COVID-19 testing and who can remove their masks outdoors. Starting next semester, which begins Jan. 11, only unvaccinated students will need to get a baseline COVID-19 test that first week of the new term, plus undergo weekly testing moving forward — a marked departure from the current requirement that all students and staff members, regardless of vaccination status, get tested weekly. (Tat, 11/17)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Director Of S.F. Film Commission Forced To Resign After Not Getting COVID Vaccine
Susannah Greason Robbins, executive director of the San Francisco Film Commission, is being forced from her job at the end of this year after choosing not to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as required by a city mandate, she said. 11 years on the job, Robbins is being released on Dec. 31. She had requested an exemption from San Francisco’s vaccine mandate on religious grounds, but that request was denied, she said. She was asked to submit a letter of resignation to the Film Commission, which works to attract and support efforts to film movies and TV series in San Francisco. (Picon, 11/16)
The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat:
Healdsburg Leaders Accused Of Discrimination Over Vaccination Rule For Meetings
Healdsburg leaders were hammered with accusations their plans to open City Council chambers to anyone who has received their COVID-19 vaccination discriminates against the unvaccinated and, by extension, people of color. The criticism came from about a half dozen members of the public who called in during Monday’s regular meeting, which followed the Nov. 1 discussion when officials considered in-person meetings and Councilwoman Skylaer Palacios disclosed she was not vaccinated. (Atagi, 11/16)
The Sacramento Bee:
California Agency Suspends Alcohol License At Bar Where Fake Vaccination Cards Were Sold
The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control earlier this month suspended the liquor license at a San Joaquin County bar, where its owner was arrested on suspicion of selling fake COVID-19 vaccination cards. State agents on Nov. 1 posted a suspension notice, prohibiting all alcohol sales at The Old Corner Saloon, said John Carr, a spokesman for the Alcoholic Beverage Control agency. The bar is located at 18783 East Highway 88 in the small town of Clements, 12 miles northeast of Lodi. (Ahumada, 11/16)
Stat:
GOP Opposition To Vaccine Mandates Extends Far Beyond Covid-19
Right-wing politicians’ resistance to vaccine mandates is extending far beyond Covid-19 immunizations, a startling new development that carries vast implications for the future of public health. In Idaho, a lawmaker introduced a bill that would define vaccine mandates — of any kind — as a form of assault. In Florida, a prominent state senator has called for a review of all vaccine requirements, including those for immunizations that have enjoyed wide public acceptance for decades, like polio and the measles, mumps, and rubella shot. And in Montana, the Republican governor recently signed into law a new bill that forbids businesses, including hospitals, from enforcing any vaccination requirements as a condition of employment. (Facher, 11/17)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Local Hospital Systems Join Efforts To Recruit Physicians From Outside The Area
Under the banner of keeping more patients local instead of forcing them to travel long distances for medical care, Kern Medical and Adventist Health announced Tuesday they will soon combine efforts to recruit specialized physicians who would then serve both health systems. The partnership, less formal than a merger or a joint venture, will focus initially on attracting gastroenterologists, urologists and neurosurgeons by playing up each organization's respective strengths — trauma care, teaching opportunities and a safety-net mission in the case of Kern Medical. Adventist Health, meanwhile is seen as offering prospective job candidates geographical breadth, managed-care contracts and high patient volume offering ample experience for young doctors. (Cox, 11/16)
Sacramento Bee:
California Caregivers To Get $500 Hazard Pay From The State
More than 500,000 caregivers in California will each receive a $500 bonus from the state as soon as January, as it tries to retain workers in a sector long hampered by low wages and high turnover rates. Those who worked as caregivers for at least two months between March 2020 and March 2021 are eligible. Both in-home caregivers and those providing Medi-Cal home and community-based services such as the Programs for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly would qualify, according to the state’s budget document. (Park. 11/16)
Grunion Gazette:
Community Hospital Long Beach Emergency Room Will Close To Ambulances Wednesday
In a press statement released at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16, the operators of Community Hospital Long Beach announced ambulances would not be accepted at the emergency room there beginning at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 17. Molina, Wu, Network LLC (MWN) is leasing the property from the city and announced on Nov. 4 it would close both the emergency room and the acute care hospital — six months after reopening the emergency room and less than a year after opening some beds in the acute care hospital. At the time, officials blamed a lack of patients, and indicated they wanted to continue operating the campus as a wellness center. (Saltzgaver, 11/16)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
San Diego Biotech's Computer Chip Could Help Spot Disease
San Diego firm Roswell Biotechnologies debuted a teeny, tiny microchip this week that it believes has huge potential to revolutionize how researchers detect disease, develop drugs and more. The company says the chip, no bigger than a pea, is the first of its kind to hardwire molecules into electric circuits. Its thousands of sensors give scientists the potential to rapidly detect molecules, cells and DNA with a scale and speed that current approaches don’t match, according to Roswell CEO Paul Mola. He’s hopeful that consumers could use the chip at home to learn, for example, whether they’ve been infected with a virus or to see whether their medication is working. (Wosen, 11/16)
Southern California News Group:
LAUSD To Loosen COVID-19 Protocols Next Semester
With all staff members and most students 12 and older who will be on campus expected to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by early January, Los Angeles Unified officials are planning to relax some of the school district’s health-and-safety protocols next semester, including policies regarding who must undergo weekly COVID-19 testing and who can remove their masks outdoors. Starting next semester, which begins Jan. 11, only unvaccinated students will need to get a baseline COVID-19 test that first week of the new term, plus undergo weekly testing moving forward — a marked departure from the current requirement that all students and staff members, regardless of vaccination status, get tested weekly. (Tat, 11/16)
The Bakersfield Californian:
BCSD Board Approves New Voluntary Testing-To-Stay Plan
The Bakersfield City School District announced a new voluntary COVID-19 testing plan on Tuesday night. Superintendent Mark Luque said the plan — sometimes referred to as “test-to-stay” — will prevent absences, which will prevent disruption to students. During a board study session, Luque went further: If case rates decline next semester, this plan could also allow the district to loosen some of its strict guidelines that have suspended activities such as after-school sports, academic competitions and small-group instruction. (Gallegos, 11/16)
Bay Area News Group:
Cal Bears Nearing Full Strength For The Big Game After COVID-19 Outbreak
Cal will be virtually at full strength for Saturday’s 124th Big Game at Stanford. The Bears (3-6, 2-4 Pac-12) released an updated depth chart Tuesday, and coach Justin Wilcox confirmed that players included there will be available to face the Cardinal (3-7, 2-6). That includes quarterback Chase Garbers, one of 24 players who tested positive for COVID-19 and did not make the trip to Arizona two weeks ago, where the Bears lost 10-3 to the Wildcats. (Faraudo, 11/16)
Bay Area News Group:
Santa Clara County Board Gives Thumbs Up To Healthcare Expansion, Affordable Housing Sites
More housing and more healthcare. On Tuesday the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved moving ahead with the purchase of two affordable housing sites in San Jose and the expansion of its health insurance program. The actions are reflective of a larger effort by the county’s leadership to address the region’s continuing issues of homelessness, housing affordability and cost-of-living. (Greschler, 11/16)
CalMatters:
California Homeless: Will Plan For Clearing Camps Work?
California is spending more than ever before on homelessness — $12 billion between 2021 and 2023 — which also means there’s more pressure to make an impact. The bulk of that money will go to creating more living spaces and providing mental health resources for people who are now on the streets. But some of the money is being used by Caltrans in a ramped-up effort to move people like Brown off the state’s bustling freeways in the name of safety. (Tobias, 11/16)
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento Event On Black Community Mental Health, Policing
The conversation about behavioral health issues and law enforcement has become increasingly relevant in Sacramento’s Black and African-American communities, as residents continue to show anger and frustration with violent and tragic encounters between law enforcement and Black people. ONTRACK Program Resources will host a two-part virtual event series discussing new public initiatives in the city and county of Sacramento that can potentially address the crisis. (Smith, 11/16)
City News Service:
LA County To Survey 80 School Districts On Mental Health Needs
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted on Tuesday, Nov. 16 to survey the county’s 80 school districts on the need for mental health resources and support. Supervisor Hilda Solis recommended the assessment, citing the need to coordinate resources amid an inflow of federal and state funding for K-12 schools. (11/16)
CNN:
Using Cannabis In Pregnancy Linked To Aggression And Anxiety In Children, A Study Suggests
More and more women are using weed in pregnancy but they may want to think twice. Researchers have found a link between marijuana use by expectant mothers and autism and childhood psychosis. Now, a small study has shown how cannabis use can affect the placenta and may be linked to higher levels of anxiety, aggression and hyperactivity in children. (Hunt, 11/16)
Stat:
Can Telehealth For PTSD And Bipolar Disorder In Rural Areas Be Scaled Up?
A multiyear effort to pipe big-city mental health providers to rural communities over video accomplished a trifecta of telehealth victories: It reached people who wouldn’t otherwise have access to mental health care; it tackled difficult diagnoses that don’t have simple answers; and it stretched how many people the most skilled providers can treat. Now comes the inevitable question that follows any technology breakthrough: Does it scale? (Aguilar, 11/17)
ABC News:
Eating Disorder Hospitalizations Doubled During COVID-19 Pandemic, New Data Shows
The number of people who were hospitalized for eating disorders in the United States doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic, new research shows. The increase in in-patient treatment for eating disorders came as early as May 2020, according to researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, whose study was published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. (Kindelan and Joseph, 11/16)
Bay Area News Group:
Elizabeth Holmes Trial: Damaging Testimony On Claims Made In Meeting With Investors
A former investor in Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes’ company gave dramatic and damaging testimony Tuesday that bolstered key allegations in the prosecution’s case. Brian Grossman, chief investment officer at San Francisco investment firm PFM Health Sciences, described a meeting he and colleagues had with Holmes and former Theranos president Sunny Balwani in December 2013. Holmes did most of the talking, he said, but he was not always able to remember whether she or Balwani provided specific information. His firm ended up investing $96 million in Theranos the following year. (Baron, 11/16)
Modesto Bee:
Encino CA Couple On Lam Sentenced In COVID Fraud Case
A California couple who fled before sentencing in a $20 million COVID-19 relief fraud case will face years in prison when they are recaptured, federal officials say. U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson sentenced Richard Ayvazyan, 43, to 17 years in prison and Marietta Terabelian, 37, to six years in prison on Monday, Nov. 15, for their roles in the scam, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Central California said in a news release. (Sweeney, 11/16)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. Fugitive Gets 17 Years In Prison In COVID Fraud
Richard Ayvazyan, 43, was sentenced in absentia on Monday to 17 years in prison for leading a fraud ring that stole $18 million in a lurid scam to secure emergency pandemic loans that were supposed to go to small businesses upended by lockdowns. Marietta Terabelian, 37, was sentenced to six years. Their whereabouts are unknown.The couple’s visibly distraught children watched from a courtroom bench as U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson described the crimes of their parents and six accomplices as “horrific and calculated and callous,” saying it deprived legitimate businesses of relief they needed to survive the economic devastation of 2020. (Finnegan, 11/16)
San Francisco Chronicle:
S.F. Working To Open Supervised Drug Use Site By Spring, Possibly In Building Near The Tenderloin
San Francisco Mayor London Breed is pushing to open a site as early as the spring where people can use drugs under the supervision of medical professionals, and she’s working to acquire a building near the Tenderloin that could house the program. Even though supervised consumption sites are currently illegal under federal and state law, Breed is trying to open one in San Francisco. The move comes as she faces increased pressure to address the city’s overdose crisis, which has killed a record number of people since last year. (Thadani, 11/16)
Los Angeles Times:
Polls: Many Americans OK With 15-Week Limit On Abortion
New opinion polls show that while Americans remain divided over abortion, most do not entirely agree with either side in a case heading to the Supreme Court next month. The justices are preparing to hear a case from Mississippi, whose officials are defending its 15-week limit on abortions and urging the repeal of Roe vs. Wade. (Savage, 11/17)
CNN:
Your Morning Cups Of Coffee And Tea Could Be Associated With Lower Risk Of Stroke And Dementia
The cup of coffee or tea you reach for in the morning -- OK, maybe it's a few -- may be associated with a lower risk for stroke and dementia, according to a new study. Among more than 360,000 participants studied over a period of 10 to 14 years, those who drank 2 to 3 cups of coffee, 3 to 5 cups of tea, or a combination of 4 to 6 cups of coffee or tea a day had the lowest risk of stroke and dementia, according to researchers from Tianjin Medical University in Tianjin, China. (Holcombe, 11/16)
CBS News:
First Human Trial Of Alzheimer's Disease Nasal Vaccine To Begin At Boston Hospital
Brigham and Women's Hospital will test the safety and efficacy of a nasal vaccine aimed at preventing and slowing Alzheimer's disease, the Boston hospital announced Tuesday. The start of the small, Phase I clinical trial comes after nearly 20 years of research led by Howard L. Weiner, MD, co-director of the Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases at the hospital. (Reardon, 11/16)
The Hill:
Two 'Forever Chemicals' More Toxic Than Previously Thought: EPA Drafts
The drafts found the safe levels of ingestion for chemicals perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) are much lower than the agency had found in prior assessments. The agency also found that PFOA is “likely” carcinogenic to humans. This is a step up from before, as it has previously said that there is “suggestive” evidence that the substance can cause cancer. Both PFOA and PFOS can be found in drinking water, as well as other substances. PFOA has been used in nonstick cookware, flame repellants and cosmetics. PFOS has been used in water- and stain-resistant products. (Frazin, 11/16)