Covid Still Kills, but the Demographics of Its Victims Are Shifting
Californians were far less likely to die from covid in the first seven months of 2022 than during the first two years of the pandemic. Still, the virus remained among the state’s leading causes of death in July, outpacing diabetes, accidental death, and a host of debilitating diseases. We break down who’s at risk. (Phillip Reese,
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The Mercury News:
President Biden Said The Pandemic Is Over. What Do Medical Experts Say?
“The pandemic is over,” President Joe Biden has declared — stirring debate in a country where few pay much mind to COVID-19 anymore while the disease still kills hundreds of Americans a day. Though the president’s remarks Sunday on CBS’ 60 Minutes drew jabs from some quarters and puzzlement from others, they raise a question medical experts have struggled to answer clearly: When will we know the COVID-19 pandemic is over? In many ways, that depends how you define it. (Woolfolk, 9/19)
Politico:
Fauci: “We Are Not Where We Need To Be If We Are Going To Quote ‘Live With The Virus’”
It is unlikely the U.S. will eradicate the coronavirus and a “suspicious” new variant, BA 2.75.2, is on the horizon, President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, Anthony Fauci, said Monday during a fireside chat with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “We are not where we need to be if we are going to quote ‘live with the virus’ because we know we are not going to eradicate it,” Fauci said. “The next question we ask: ‘Are we going to be able to eliminate it from our country or from most of the world?’ and the answer is unlikely, because it is highly transmissible and the immunity that’s induced by vaccine or infection is also transient.” (Garrity, 9/19)
NBC News:
Covid Will Be A Leading Cause Of Death Indefinitely In The U.S.
“It’s likely, when we think of the causes of death in our society, that Covid’s on the list probably forever,” said Dr. Bob Wachter, the chair of the University of California, San Francisco’s department of medicine. “Whether we call it a pandemic or not, it’s still an important threat to people,” he added. (Bendix and Pettypiece, 9/20)
Stat:
Is The Covid-19 Pandemic Over? The Answer Is More Art Than Science
Is the Covid-19 pandemic over? President Biden told Scott Pelley of “60 Minutes” it was. The Sunday night interview aired just days after the director-general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the end may be in sight — though Tedros clearly didn’t mean it was days away when he predicted it. (Branswell, 9/19)
Oaklandside:
How To Get New Omicron Boosters In Alameda County
Michael Souza was trying to get one of the new Moderna COVID-19 boosters, but the 33-year-old Oakland resident wasn’t having much luck finding an available appointment. He tried going through his insurance provider and checked chain pharmacies all over the area, some telling him they were having issues with the supply chain. Souza’s luck changed Thursday when he learned that the Center of Hope Community Church on MacArthur Boulevard in Oakland was hosting a vaccine clinic run by Umoja Health and had doses. Souza was able to get his, just before they closed up for the day around 2:30. (Krans, 9/19)
Los Angeles Daily News:
Senior Living: The Importance Of Vaccines For Older Adults
With increasing age, the body’s immune system gets weaker, making the chances of getting sick higher. Vaccines help your immune system fight disease over time. They work by giving the body a weakened version of a bacteria or virus so it can make the right antibodies to fight off the disease more aggressively and effectively. (Mikhail, 9/19)
CIDRAP:
Updated COVID Booster Tied To Strong Omicron Immune Response
The new bivalent (two-strain) Moderna COVID-19 vaccine booster triggered stronger neutralizing antibody responses against the highly transmissible Omicron variant at 28 days than the previously authorized booster, with no safety concerns, according to the interim results of a phase 2/3 open-label, nonrandomized study published late last week in the New England Journal of Medicine. “These findings indicate that bivalent vaccines may be a new tool in the response to emerging variants,” the researchers wrote. (Van Beusekom, 9/19)
Houston Chronicle:
Side Effects From New COVID Boosters Similar To Original Shots
Clinical studies that evaluated the safety of the boosters made by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna found that each was associated with many of the same side effects as the original vaccines. They included pain, redness and swelling at the injection site; fatigue; headache; muscle pain; chills; joint pain; and fever. (MacDonald, 9/19)
Fresno Bee:
Fresno Nursing Home Staff Set To Strike Over Staffing Levels
Raymond Rodriguez has worked at Sunnyside Convalescent Hospital, a nursing home in southeast Fresno, as a certified nurse assistant and restorative nurse aide for almost 15 years. Though he said he has been through “hard times” with the nursing home, he has no intention of leaving. (Diaz, 9/19)
Capitol Weekly:
California Health, With California HHS Secretary Mark Ghaly
This is a Special Episode, recorded live at California Health, a one-day conference held in Sacramento on September 13, 2022. Capitol Weekly’s annual look at health care featured three panels looking at different aspects of health care in the Golden State. The Keynote featured an interview with Secretary of Health and Human Services Mark Ghaly, conducted by Capitol Weekly editor John Howard. (Foster, 9/19)
Ukiah Daily Journal:
Cookies: Name Of New Cannabis Dispensary In Northern California Has Many Concerned
There’s a new building at the corner of Talmage Road and South State Street that many Ukiah residents feel is much more attractive than the structures it replaced. However, some also feel that the name of the new business, “Cookies,” and its signs are much too attractive to minors, given that it sells marijuana. “I think that sign needs to be re-thought,” said James Whittaker, addressing the Ukiah City Council during its Sept. 7 meeting, describing the color, name and imagery used by the business as evoking the Sesame Street character “The Cookie Monster,” which he described as “straight marketing to kids. Somebody really needs to take that seriously.” (Frederiksen, 9/20)
Sacramento Bee:
Shot In The Head During Alleged Hate Attack, California Man Details ‘Miracle’ Recovery
Travis Barber was rushed to Mercy Medical Center in Redding, where he was treated for 15 days in total, including the 12 in the ICU. There, doctors “removed half of his skull,” Daisha Barber said. It was reattached months later, in August 2021. In the interim, Barber had to wear a specially designed helmet for his self-described “extra large” head. (McGough, 9/19)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Chula Vista Mother Fought To Get Her ‘Little Warrior’s’ Rare Disease Diagnosis Confirmed
Neurofibromatosis type 1, or NF1, is a rare disease causing the growth of usually benign tumors throughout the body, including neurofibromas, which develop on nerve cells and tissues. According to the National Cancer Institute, about 1 in 2,500 to 3,000 people are living with the condition, which is correlated with an increased risk for cancerous tumors like sarcoma, brain cancer and breast cancer. (Mapp, 9/20)
Bloomberg:
STDs Chlamydia, Syphilis, Gonorrhea Increased In US In 2021
Rates of common sexually transmitted infections sharply increased in the US last year, alarming some health officials and sexual health advocates who argue the country needs to do more to stop the spread of preventable diseases. (Muller, 9/19)
AP:
‘Out Of Control’ STD Situation Prompts Call For Changes
Sharply rising cases of some sexually transmitted diseases — including a 26% rise in new syphilis infections reported last year — are prompting U.S. health officials to call for new prevention and treatment efforts. “It is imperative that we … work to rebuild, innovate, and expand (STD) prevention in the U.S.,” said Dr. Leandro Mena of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a speech Monday at a medical conference on sexually transmitted diseases. (Stobbe, 9/19)
