Pelosi Cast Long Shadow On Health Issues: As U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California steps back from her role as the leader of the House Democrats, she is being honored for blazing a historic trail that included muscling through the Affordable Care Act. Some say Pelosi likely will have a larger presence in San Francisco, enabling her to spend time with her husband, who is recovering from a brutal beating. Read more from USA Today, the San Francisco Chronicle, The Washington Post, Politico, and Axios.
Holmes To Be Sentenced Today For Role In Theranos Scheme: A federal judge on Friday will decide whether disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes should serve a lengthy prison sentence for duping investors and endangering patients while peddling a bogus blood-testing technology. Holmes will be sentenced in the same San Jose courtroom where she was convicted on four counts of investor fraud and conspiracy in January. Read more from AP and The Wall Street Journal.
Below, check out the roundup of California Healthline’s coverage. For today’s national health news, read KHN’s Morning Briefing.
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. County Returns To Strongly Recommending COVID Masking
Amid a sustained rise in coronavirus transmission, Los Angeles County is once again strongly recommending wearing a mask in indoor public spaces. The daily number of newly reported cases has jumped almost 70% from a month ago, though case rates are still well shy of previous waves and officials continue to tout the benefits of available vaccines and therapeutics in warding off the worst COVID-19 has to offer. (Money and Lin II, 11/17)
San Francisco Chronicle:
COVID In California: California COVID Cases Jump 36% Ahead Of Expected Surge
California’s COVID-19 trends have officially reversed ahead of an anticipated winter surge. The state is averaging about 9 new daily cases per 100,000 residents as of Thursday, marking a 36% increase compared to the 6.5 per 100,000 reported two weeks earlier, according to health department data. (Vaziri, 11/17)
San Francisco Chronicle:
‘Swarm’ Of Variants Is Driving Up California COVID Cases. Is This The Start Of The Next Surge?
As winter looms, so does the question of whether another COVID-19 surge is in store for the Bay Area. New coronavirus subvariants are rapidly spreading across the country and California, overtaking the strain that led to a U.S. summer wave. Cases have begun to tick upward statewide after a monthslong decline, just ahead of the holidays and a cold weather front that will drive people indoors. (Kawahara and Vaziri, 11/17)
Fresno Bee:
What We Flush Down The Pipes Tells Fresno Doctors There’s Likely A Covid Surge Coming
COVID-19 cases in Fresno and surrounding central San Joaquin Valley counties lurched higher this week, prompting concern about the potential for a new surge to rise up this winter as it did in 2020 and 2021. (Sheehan, 11/18)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Indoor Humidity May Reduce Infection Risk, Study Finds
Maintaining an indoor relative humidity between 40-60% is associated with relatively lower rates of COVID-19 infections and deaths, according to a study by MIT researchers who found that indoor relative humidity may also influence the transmission of the coronavirus. (Vaziri, 11/17)
MedPage Today:
Large U.S. Study Finds No Link Between COVID Vaccine And Shingles
No association was detected between COVID-19 vaccination and herpes zoster infection in a database study involving more than 2 million individuals in the U.S. … Shingles following COVID-19 vaccination became a worry after some previous studies reported an elevated risk. (Hein, 11/16)
CNN:
Reduce Your Risk Of Getting Sick This Thanksgiving Season
What are steps people can take to protect themselves and their loved ones against Covid-19 during Thanksgiving dinners and other gatherings over the coming holidays? Is it still important to require vaccines for attendees at such events? Does a mini-quarantine period help to reduce risk? If people are testing before gathering together, when should they test, and with what tests? And what’s the best way to protect against other circulating viruses? (Hetter, 11/16)
Fresno Bee:
California ER Patients Spilling Into Parking Lots During ‘Tripledemic’ Surge, State Reports
Families with children under 2 will face tough decisions this holiday season. An RSV surge spreading in California puts infants and toddlers at the greatest risk of severe illness, and two other respiratory viruses — COVID and flu — have begun straining health systems, California’s health secretary said at a news conference Thursday. (Lange, 11/18)
Times Of San Diego:
Flu Cases Climb While About 25% Of San Diego County Residents Have Received Flu Shot
Flu numbers continue to rise, according to San Diego County public health officials, with the share of residents vaccinated against the ailment approaching 25%. As of Saturday, 813,065 San Diegans have received a flu vaccination, or 24.3% of the more than 3.35 million who are eligible. Meanwhile, lab-confirmed flu cases rose to 2,361 through Saturday, and are up by nearly 600, from the previous week. (11/18)
CapRadio:
As COVID, Flu And RSV Collide, Some California Hospitals Are At Capacity
State officials are warning that hospitals are at capacity contending with rising COVID-19 cases and early seasons of flu and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). During a press briefing, California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly warned that people should exercise caution when gathering for Thanksgiving, and should do their part to reduce strain on hospital systems. (Wolffe, 11/17)
NBC News:
Biden Administration Sidesteps Calls To Declare RSV A Health Emergency
The Biden administration on Thursday sidestepped calls from pediatric groups that have been urging the government to declare a public health emergency in response to the surge in respiratory illnesses in children. (Alba, Egan and Bendix, 11/17)
The Hill:
What To Know About RSV Vaccine Candidates And Monoclonal Antibodies
Pfizer has an RSV vaccine candidate called RSVpreF. It is going through clinical trials in pregnant patients and in older adults. Maternal immunization, or the administration of a vaccine during pregnancy, is one way to get antibodies to newborns. The parent’s body produces antibodies as an immune reaction to the vaccine and can pass those antibodies to the baby through the placenta. Most adults have been exposed to RSV and have antibodies present. The vaccine boosts antibody response, and doctors can time when it is given to pregnant people so their babies have the highest chance of getting the benefits passively before they are born. (Hou, 11/18)
Scientific American:
Why Did Flu Season Start So Early This Year?
“Typically, the population-level immunity is what counts in terms of how many infections we are going to see” in a given season, says Arnold S. Monto, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. “Now almost everybody is going around unmasked, so we have the situation where [flu] transmission can go back to what we have normally seen,” he says. The fact that fewer people currently have antibodies against the flu because they weren’t exposed to it during the pandemic may be facilitating the spread of the virus, he adds. That doesn’t mean that lack of exposure to a virus impairs an individual’s immune system, a misconception that is sometimes referred to as “immunity debt.” (Lenharo, 11/17)
Sacramento Bee:
Kaiser, Nurses Avoid California Strike With Deal For Raises
The union representing 21,000-plus registered nurses and nurse practitioners at Kaiser Permanente announced Thursday that its bargaining team has reached a tentative contract agreement with the company, averting a two-day strike planned for Thanksgiving week. The California Nurses Association will take the proposed deal to its membership for a vote on Tuesday, the union’s leaders said, and it includes a 22.5% increase in wages over the four-year term of the contract. (Anderson, 11/17)
Bay Area Reporter:
SF Was At Epicenter Of Lesbians Helping Gay Men During AIDS Crisis
When Leslie Ewing walked into Daddy’s, a Castro gay bar, in the mid-1990s during the horrible years of the AIDS epidemic in San Francisco, she was nonplussed by a comment she overheard. (Laird, 11/16)
Bay Area Reporter:
SF Mayor’s Trans Basic Income Program Accepting Applicants
More than a year after Mayor London Breed announced a program guaranteeing basic income for trans people, the program is up and finally accepting applicants. The program, one of several in San Francisco, began taking applications this week and will continue doing so until December 15. The pilot Guaranteed Income for Trans People, or GIFT, program will provide 55 low-income transgender San Franciscans with $1,200 each month, for up to 18 months, to help them improve their financial security. (Burkett, 11/17)
Capitol Weekly:
Amid Pandemic, Air Quality Remains Critical Environmental Challenge
In 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, California’s greenhouse gas emissions dropped by almost 9%, and the state’s smoggy skies briefly cleared. This was particularly true during the pandemic’s first months, when schools closed, offices went remote, and statewide shelter-in-place orders kept millions of Californians at home. That spring, clogged freeways went vacant. Fewer semis rattled down roads. Many city streets remained relatively uncluttered as Californians’ cars stayed parked and drives clocked shorter distances. (Gilbreath, 11/17)
CalMatters:
Controversial Monterey Bay Desalination Plant Approved
The California Coastal Commission tonight approved another desalination plant, despite citing its high costs, risks to Monterey Bay’s environment and “the most significant environmental justice issues” the commission has faced in recent years. The commission’s divided, 8-to-2 vote came after 13 hours of debate at a Salinas public hearing packed with several hundred people, plus more crammed into overflow space. Many of the 375 who signed up to speak opposed the project — some in tears. (Becker, 11/17)
CNN:
FDA Approves First Treatment To Delay Onset Of Type 1 Diabetes
A biologic therapy that delays the onset of type 1 diabetes received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration on Thursday. It is the first therapy approved for prevention of type 1 diabetes. The monoclonal antibody teplizumab, which will be marketed under the brand name Tzield, from ProventionBio and Sanofi is given through intravenous infusion. (Christensen and Goodman, 11/17)
ABC News:
FDA Approves 1st Drug To Delay Onset Of Type 1 Diabetes
Tzield was approved to delay the onset of stage 3 type 1 diabetes in adults and children ages 8 and up who currently have stage 2 type 1 diabetes. The medication is thought to slow down the body’s attack on its own insulin-producing cells and thus give people more time before they become dependent on pharmaceutical insulin. Tzield is not suitable for people with insulin-dependent type 1 diabetes, people who are pre-type 2 diabetics or those with type 2 diabetes. (Strauss and Winsor, 11/18)
Reuters:
U.S. FDA Greenlights Provention Bio’s Diabetes Drug
“We expect to have drug in the channel by the end of the year,” said Jason Hoitt, Provention’s chief commercial officer, adding that preparations were underway with its partner Sanofi for a full launch in January 2023. (Satija, 11/17)
BBC:
Game-Changing Type 1 Diabetes Drug Approved In US
Experts say teplizumab marks a “new era” in treatment, tackling the root cause of the condition for the first time, rather than just the symptoms. … It is likely to pave the way for approval decisions in other countries. (Mundasad, 11/17)
Fresno Bee:
Like A Spoiled Child, Big Tobacco Is Ignoring A ‘No’ From California Voters
The day after California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 31 — the flavored tobacco ban — R.J. Reynolds filed a lawsuit in federal court that could delay its implementation. (11/17)
Orange County Register:
California’s Vaping Flavor Ban Could Prove Lethal
The campaign for Proposition 31, a ballot initiative that Californians approved by a wide margin last week, urged voters to “protect kids from candy-flavored tobacco.” That slogan packed an impressive amount of dishonesty into five words. (Jacob Sullum, 11/17)
CalMatters:
How Cannabis Companies Inflate THC, Misleading Californians
Most Californians can simply walk into their local, licensed cannabis dispensary and purchase a variety of products. Few consumers read each product’s label and make a decision on what to buy. Too often, they are actually in the dark about what they’re buying. (Jeff Journey, 11/16)
San Francisco Chronicle:
There’s Still Reason To Be Worried About A National Abortion Ban
After the midterms, reproductive rights supporters may be feeling some relief. Without Republican control of the Senate, any chance of Congressional approval of a national abortion ban has evaporated. But looking ahead to 2024, there is good reason to be worried. (Rene Almeling and Adora Svitak, 11/15)
CalMatters:
Cal/OSHA Should Be Cautious Changing COVID Workplace Rules
Last month, four members of the Cal/OSHA Standards Board ordered the agency’s staff to rewrite the draft regulations and add exclusion pay, which is essentially paid sick leave for an employee who tests positive or is exposed to COVID. (John Duncan, 11/15)
Los Angeles Times:
The One-Sided Debate About Pandemic School Closures
If there’s one aspect of pandemic policy that seems to have elicited agreement across the political spectrum, it’s that closing schools and keeping them closed into 2021 was a blunder. (Michael Hiltzik, 11/15)
Los Angeles Times:
Don’t Let Adderall Scarcity Trigger A Repeat Of The Opioid Epidemic
U.S. pharmacies are critically low on Adderall and its generic equivalents, leaving more than 26 million patients scrambling and competing for the pills since late summer. The scarcity is going to last for many more months because of supply chain problems as well as federal restrictions on manufacturers and imports. If we don’t act fast, this shortage could trigger two major public health crises. (Leo Beletsky, 11/14)
Zocalo Public Square:
Can Youth Solve California’s Youth Mental Health Crisis?
How can we best address the mental health crisis among California’s young people? By empowering young people to solve it themselves. (Joe Mathews, 11/17)
Orange County Register:
Newsom Resumes His Homelessness Crusade
As he was celebrating his landslide re-election last Tuesday night, a reporter asked Gavin Newsom what his most important issue would be during his second term. He quickly replied that it would be confronting homelessness and the state’s chronic shortage of housing. (Dan Walters, 11/14)
Los Angeles Times:
Our Homeless Spending Is Dysfunctional. Can It Be Fixed?
Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that he was rejecting the homelessness action plans of every local government and nonprofit that submitted them, demanding more ambition when it comes to moving people off streets and into homes. Friday, local elected leaders from across the state, many angry with Newsom’s unexpected and unilateral action, will meet with the man himself in Sacramento to hash out exactly what this means, and what it will take for them to receive the hundreds of millions in funding that Newsom is now holding hostage. (Anita Chabria, 11/18)
Los Angeles Daily News:
Another Step Toward Agreement On California’s Water
For at least a decade, off and on, state water managers and local water agencies have pursued the holy grail of a master agreement to improve the environmental health of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta by increasing its water flows. (Dan Walters, 11/17)
Los Angeles Daily News:
California’s Eternal Poverty Problem Demands More Than Government Checks
Fewer people were in poverty in California in 2021 than in 2019. That’s the good news. The bad news is that this was due only to government relief payments, not to an improving economy or more job opportunities. (11/17)
