LAUSD Drops Covid Mandates: Los Angeles Unified school leaders on Tuesday officially stepped back from covid-19 protocols that have been among the most far-reaching in the country. What it means: No vaccine mandate for students, no weekly covid testing, and voluntary masking. Read more from the Los Angeles Times.
Thousands Of Kaiser Permanente Therapists Planning To Strike: Mental health workers at Kaiser Permanente, upset with high workloads and long waits for patients, announced plans Tuesday for an open-ended strike that could lead as many as 2,000 Northern California workers to curtail appointments beginning Aug. 15. Read more from Capital & Main, CalMatters and SFGate.
Below, check out the roundup of California Healthline’s coverage. For today’s national health news, read KHN’s Morning Briefing.
Los Angeles Times:
Long Beach Child Gets Monkeypox; L.A. County Declares Emergency
A child in Long Beach has contracted monkeypox, health officials said hours after Los Angeles County leaders proclaimed a local emergency amid the spreading illness. “While news of a pediatric case may cause alarm, please remember that monkeypox is still rare, is much more difficult to get than COVID-19 and other common childhood illnesses, and is rarely dangerous,” Dr. Anissa Davis, city health officer, said in Long Beach’s announcement Tuesday. (Toohey, 8/2)
Times Of San Diego:
San Diego County Declares Local Public Health Emergency Over Monkeypox
San Diego County declared a local public health emergency over monkeypox on Tuesday, but counseled residents that the situation is “fundamentally different” than with coronavirus. The move follows Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proclamation of a state of emergency on Monday to bolster California’s vaccination efforts to control the outbreak. (Jennewein, 8/2)
Modesto Bee:
California Monkeypox State Of Emergency: What Does It Mean?
California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Monday in response to the spread of monekypox across the state. But what does that mean and how does it affect your everyday life? (Taylor, 8/2)
KQED:
What’s Going On With Monkeypox?
A state of emergency over monkeypox has been declared in San Francisco and in the state of California. More than 5,800 cases have been confirmed nationwide so far. Getting this virus can be a very painful experience. So far, a majority of confirmed cases are among queer men. And here in the Bay, people trying to keep each other safe while also pushing back on stigma. (Guevarra, Cabrera-Lomelí and Montecillo, 8/3)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Monkeypox In California: Track Cases In San Francisco Bay Area And Across State
The San Francisco Chronicle is tracking cases of monkeypox over time in the Bay Area, California and the United States. Our tally includes the number of cases reported since May 2022, using data from the California Department of Public Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and we chart where and among which populations the cases are occurring. (8/2)
Sacramento Bee:
California COVID Case And Hospital Numbers On Slow Decline
Coronavirus activity is gradually declining in California after having surged from about the beginning of April through mid-July, state health data show. The California Department of Public Health on Tuesday reported the statewide test positivity rate for COVID-19 at 14.5%, down from a July 15 peak of 16.3%. (McGough, 8/2)
USA Today:
COVID Deaths: US Stuck In ‘Horrible Plateau,’ Experts Say. Here’s Why
“COVID is over” might trend within social media circles, but weekly U.S. death tolls tell a different story. Despite a slight uptick in July, the pace of COVID-19 deaths has remained steady since May at about 400 a day, according to a USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins University data. (Rodriguez, 8/3)
AP:
Doctor: Biden’s COVID Symptoms Return, In ‘Good Spirits’
President Joe Biden’s “loose cough” has returned as he faces a rebound case of COVID-19, his doctor said Tuesday, though he “continues to feel well.” White House physician Kevin O’Connor provided the update on the president’s condition as he continues to test positive for the virus. He said Biden “remains fever-free,” and that his temperature, pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate and oxygen saturation “remain entirely normal.” (8/2)
Reuters:
Omicron Better At Invading Young Noses Than Other Variants; Smell Loss May Predict Memory Issues
The Omicron variant may be more efficient at infecting children through the nose than previous versions of the coronavirus, a small study suggests. … And severity of smell dysfunction after infection with the coronavirus may be a better predictor of long-term cognitive impairment than overall severity of COVID-19, according to an Argentinian study. (Lapid, 8/2)
Politico:
Senate Sends Veterans Health Care Bill To Biden
The Senate on Tuesday passed a sweeping expansion of veterans health care, sending it to President Joe Biden’s desk after GOP resistance held up the bill last week. Lawmakers voted 86-11 to back the measure, which caps a yearslong quest to help veterans who were exposed to substances like Agent Orange and toxins from burn pits while on active duty. Republicans quickly fell in line behind the bill — after blocking it less than a week ago — after Majority Leader Chuck Schumer allowed three GOP amendment votes, all of which failed on the floor. (Adragna and Carney, 8/2)
Roll Call:
Veterans Toxic Exposure Bill Clears Senate After Tortuous Path
President Joe Biden is certain to sign the bill into law in the coming days. The legislation, long sought by veterans groups, means that millions of veterans suffering health problems will no longer have to prove their illnesses were caused by exposure to toxic substances from military deployments. Many served at bases that used open-air burn pits to dispose of trash and hazardous waste. The bill would make servicemembers who contracted any of 23 conditions — from brain cancer to hypertension — after being deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and other combat zones automatically eligible for VA benefits. (Lerman, 8/2)
USA Today:
What Are Burn Pits? Dangers Of The Military Practice Explained
According to the VA, burning waste in pits can prove more toxic than in a commercial incinerator which operates a controlled, high-temperature burn. The open air allowed soldiers to breathe in the fumes from the burn pits fires, which have now been linked to some cardiovascular and respiratory conditions. (Kaufman, 8/2)
Modesto Bee:
Why Drug Costs Could Plunge For CA Medicare Beneficiaries
Hundreds of thousands of Medicare beneficiaries in California could see their prescription drug costs plunge under a big spending bill Congress is about to consider. The legislation would cap out-of-pocket costs for medications at $2,000 a year, a provision that the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation estimates would benefit 114,775 Californians. (Lightman and Anderson, 8/3)
Stat:
Medicare Reverses Course On Plan To Hide Hospital Safety Data Next Year
Medicare will continue to report hospital safety data as usual next year after the program, apparently swayed by backlash from patient safety advocates, reversed course on its plan to keep some information under wraps. (Bannow, 8/2)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Johnson Wants Medicare, Social Security To Be Discretionary Programs
Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson indicated Tuesday that Medicare and Social Security should be subjected to annual budget deliberations, a move that could upend guaranteed benefits relied upon by millions of Americans. (Glauber, 8/2)
CapRadio:
Citing A Mental Health Crisis Among Young People, California Lawmakers Target Social Media
Karla Garcia said her son’s social media addiction started in fourth grade, when he got his own computer for virtual learning and logged on to YouTube. Now, two years later, the video-sharing site has replaced both schoolwork and the activities he used to love — like composing music or serenading his friends on the piano, she said. “He just has to have his YouTube,” said Garcia, 56, of West Los Angeles. (Finn, 8/2)
The Washington Post:
Congress Passes Bill Inspired By Jan. 6 Recognizing Officer PTSD, Suicide
Inspired by the mental health toll that the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot took on first responders, the U.S. Senate passed a bill Monday night that creates a pathway for families of officers who die by suicide to access death benefits. The unanimous passage of the Public Safety Officer Support Act means it now heads to President Biden’s desk, following prolonged advocacy by the partners of multiple officers who were on duty at the Capitol during the Jan. 6 assault and died by suicide in the aftermath. The bill also would amend the federal Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program to make it easier for officers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder linked to their work to access disability benefits. (Flynn, 8/2)
