New research finds J&J vaccine has muscle against COVID’s Delta variant
IN the past two weeks, many medical experts started to question whether the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is administered in a single dose, would be as effective as the…
Read More
Supreme Court declines to overturn ACA — again
THE Supreme Court on Thursday, June 17 turned back its third chance to upend the Affordable Care Act, rejecting a lawsuit filed by a group of Republican state attorneys general…
Being vaccinated doesn’t mean you must go maskless
By Bernard J. Wolfson / Kaiser Health News FOR more than a year, public health officials have repeatedly told us that masks save lives. They’ve warned us to keep our…
Labor Department issues emergency rules to protect health care workers from COVID
LABOR Department officials on Thursday, June 10 announced a temporary emergency standard to protect health care workers, saying they face “grave danger” in the workplace from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic….
From racial justice to dirty air, California’s new AG plots a progressive health care agenda
By Angela Hart / California Healthline California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a longtime Democratic state lawmaker, comes to his new role well known for pursuing an unabashedly progressive agenda on criminal justice…
What does approval of the Pfizer vaccine for teens and preteens mean for my child?
By Carmen Heredia Rodriguez/Kaiser Health News Q: THE federal government approved the Pfizer vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds. What does this mean for my child? Extending the emergency use of…
Homicides surge in California amid COVID shutdowns of schools, youth programs
By Philip Reese, Kaiser Health News Amid a pandemic that left law enforcement agencies stretched thin and forced shutdowns that left young men with little to do, California registered a…
I’ve recovered from COVID. Why do I still have to mask up?
By Carmen Heredia Rodriguez MORE than 120 million Americans have joined arguably the most sought-after club on Earth: those immunized against the coronavirus. Fully vaccinated people were given the green light…
More than 3,600 US health workers died in COVID’s first year
By Jane Spencer/The Guardian and Christina Jewett/Kaiser Health News More than 3,600 U.S. health care workers perished in the first year of the pandemic, according to “Lost on the Frontline,”…
It’s not just QAnon. Democrats and Independents also want to recall California’s governor
by Angela Hart and Samantha Young SACRAMENTO — California Gov. Gavin Newsom is framing the burgeoning effort to remove him from office as a fringe Republican movement backed by right-wing…
[COLUMN] So you’re vaccinated against COVID. Now what?
By Bernard J. Wolfson / Kaiser Health News As you surely know, this country’s COVID vaccination effort has been plagued by major birth pangs: registration snafus, poor communication, faulty data…
AARP names Joe Garbanzos as its first Filipino state president
JOE Garbanzos has been named AARP’s California state president, becoming the first Filipino in the capacity. The state president is a volunteer who serves as spokesperson and representative for AARP…
Ouch! Needle-phobic people scarred by so many images of COVID shots
by Julie Appleby Each night it’s the same. Story after story on the TV news is about the covid vaccination effort, and they are all illustrated with footage of needles…
The ACA marketplace is open again for insurance sign-ups. Here’s what you need to know
by Michelle Andrews FOR people who’ve been without health insurance during the pandemic, relief is in sight. In January, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to open up the…
Schools walk the tightrope between ideal safety and the reality of COVID
by Laura Ungar and Samantha Young CALIFORNIA mom Megan Bacigalupi has had enough. She wants her kindergartner and second grader back in their Oakland classrooms. But the coronavirus is spreading…
Why the US is underestimating COVID reinfection
by Jonel Aleccia KAITLYN Romoser first caught covid-19 in March, likely on a trip to Denmark and Sweden, just as the scope of the pandemic was becoming clear. Romoser, who…
Poll: Nearly half of American adults now want the COVID vaccine — ASAP
by Phil Galewitz Americans’ reluctance to get vaccinated for covid-19 is waning, according to a poll released Wednesday. Nearly half of adults surveyed in January said they have either already…
Vaccine ramp-up squeezes COVID testing and tracing
By Bernard Wolfson / California Healthline California Gov. Gavin Newsom, under growing pressure to jump-start a faltering COVID-19 vaccine rollout, jetted to Los Angeles on Jan. 15 to unveil a massive…
Health workers unions see surge in interest amid COVID
by Aneri Pattani The nurses at Mission Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina, declared on March 6 — by filing the official paperwork — that they were ready to vote on…
California budget reflects ‘pandemic- induced reality,’ Gov. Newsom says
by Angela Hart SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The coronavirus pandemic doomed Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ambitious plans last year to combat homelessness, expand behavioral health services and create a state agency to…
‘Last responders’ brace for surge in COVID deaths across US
By Cindy Loose/Kaiser Health News Funeral director Kevin Spitzer has been overwhelmed with COVID-related deaths in the small city of Aberdeen, South Dakota. He and his two colleagues at the…
COVID vaccines appear safe and effective, but key questions remain
by Bernard J. Wolfson / California Healthline The recent rollout of two newly authorized COVID-19 vaccines is a bright ray of hope at the pandemic’s darkest hour. We now have a…
More than 2,900 health care workers died this year — and the government barely kept track
By Christina Jewett, Robert Lewis and Melissa Bailey / Kaiser Health News More than 2,900 U.S. health care workers have died in the COVID-19 pandemic since March, a far higher…
High-poverty neighborhoods bear the brunt of COVID’s scourge
COVID-19 Disproportionately Affects the Poor COVID-19 infection rates are notably higher in communities with high poverty rates than in more affluent areas, according to an analysis of ZIP code and…
Where COVID-19 is on the menu: Failed contact tracing leaves diners in the dark
COVID-19 outbreaks have affected restaurants throughout Los Angeles County, from a Panda Express in Sun Valley to the University of California’s Bruin Cafe. If you live in Los Angeles, you…
For nurses feeling the strain of the pandemic, virus resurgence is ‘paralyzing’
FOR Christina Nester, the pandemic lull in Massachusetts lasted about three months through summer into early fall. In late June, St. Vincent Hospital had resumed elective surgeries, and the unit…
Were you notified about missing tax forms for your ACA subsidy? Blame COVID
by Michelle Andrews, Kaiser Health News The notice from the federal health insurance marketplace grabbed Andrew Schenker’s attention: ACT NOW: YOU’RE AT RISK OF LOSING FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE STARTING JANUARY 1,…
Fear of flying is a COVID-era conundrum
THE holidays are approaching just as COVID-19 case rates nationwide are increasing at a record-breaking pace, leading to dire warnings from public health experts. The Centers for Disease Control and…
Scam alert: Things a COVID-19 contact tracer wouldn’t say
by Julie Appleby STATE officials and federal agencies warn there’s a new phone scam circulating: Some callers posing as COVID-19 contact tracers try to pry credit card or bank account…
Trust, fear and solidarity will determine the success of a COVID vaccine
by Arthur Allen Thousands of letters stuffed with money flooded Jonas Salk’s mailbox the week after his polio vaccine was declared safe and effective in 1955. Everybody wanted his vaccine….