Everyone over the age of 6 months should get the latest COVID-19 booster, a federal expert panel recommended on Tuesday, Sept. 12 after hearing an estimate that universal vaccination could prevent 100,000 more hospitalizations each year than if only the elderly were vaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices…
A small percentage of Americans got the most recent COVID-19 booster shot, and even fewer probably realize the federal government is preparing to recommend yet another shot as early as Tuesday, September 12. Until a week or two ago, William Schaffner read that indifference as a sign the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should…
by Darius Tahir, KFF Health News Public health has had its day in court lately. And another day. And another day. Over the course of the pandemic, lawsuits came from every direction, questioning public health policies and hospitals’ authority. Petitioners argued for care to be provided in a different way, they questioned mandates on mask…
While COVID relief grants have phased down nationwide since the end of the federal health emergency declaration, California has announced a new one. Through June 30, small nonprofits and businesses with 26 to 49 employees in 2021 or 2022, and who paid COVID sick leave, are eligible for a grant ranging from $5K to $50K through…
THE California Mortgage Relief Program is urging California homeowners who are struggling with housing payments to apply for a COVID-19 relief grant. The push comes after the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) updated the Area Median Income (AMI) levels. This update means more California homeowners are now eligible for a grant of…
It was a late-spring House of Representatives hearing, where members of Congress and attendees hoped to learn lessons from the pandemic. Witness Marty Makary made a plea. “I want to thank you for your attempts at civility,” Makary, a Johns Hopkins Medicine researcher and surgeon, said softly. Then his tone changed. His voice started to…
In this Part 2 of the series on the COVID-19 misinformation’s impact on the Filipino American community in Los Angeles County, the Asian Journal talks with health and academic experts to explore solutions to address the lingering effects of false information during the pandemic. “First and foremost, we should identify where the misinformation is coming from,” said…
DESPITE having arguably the highest number of health workers per capita in the community, Filipino Americans rank below other Asian populations in terms of vaccination rates. There are three possible contributing factors that may have led to low vaccination rates among Filipino Americans, including those residing in Los Angeles County. Among these are: the high…
by Susan Jaffe California Healthline Medicare coverage for at-home COVID-19 tests ended last week, but the scams spawned by the temporary pandemic benefit could have lingering consequences for seniors. Medicare advocates around the country who track fraud noticed an eleventh-hour rise in complaints from beneficiaries who received tests — sometimes by the dozen — that…
As the U.S. Public Health Emergency and the National Emergency Declaration for COVID-19 ended this month, following the announcement by the World Health Organization (WHO) that COVID-19 is no longer considered a global public health emergency, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is reminding residents of access to resources they need to keep…
Omicron variants are killing 200-300 people a day but population immunity in the U.S. is higher and more stable than a year ago. The Chairman of the Department of Medicine at the University of California San Francisco says the number of new COVID-19 cases is decreasing, wastewater infectiousness is relatively low and hospitalizations are going…
WITH the first cases of the newest Omicron strain confirmed in Los Angeles County, residents are being asked to be aware of possible new COVID-19 symptoms and take precautions. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed three reported cases of the new XBB.1.16 strain, also known as “Arcturus.” However, the…
The Biden administration’s decision to end the COVID -19 public health emergency in May will institute sweeping changes across the health care system that go far beyond many people having to pay more for COVID tests. In response to the pandemic, the federal government in 2020 suspended many of its rules on how care is…
GOV. Gavin Newsom may have been prescient when he acknowledged free speech concerns as he signed California’s COVID misinformation bill last fall. In a message to lawmakers, the governor warned of “the chilling effect other potential laws may have” on the ability of doctors to speak frankly with patients but expressed confidence that the one…
by Don Thompson, Kaiser Health News ALL day and sometimes into the night, buses and vans pull up to three state-funded medical screening centers near California’s southern border with Mexico. Federal immigration officers unload migrants predominantly from Brazil, Cuba, Colombia, and Peru, most of whom await asylum hearings in the United States. Once inside, coordinators…
COVID-19 cases are slightly rising in San Diego County, prompting County health officials to continue calls for people to complete their vaccination series and get bivalent boosters if they haven’t already. “The best way for people to protect themselves, their loved ones and friends from possibly getting seriously ill or dying from COVID-19 continues to…
Los Angeles — Bridging information gaps through setting up effective digital media monitoring platforms for journalists is crucial in minimizing if not eradicating the spread of mis- and disinformation on COVID-19 related issues, according to an industry expert in the field of misinformation. National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC) CEO Cameron Hickey told participants of a…
Time is running out for free-to-consumer COVID vaccines, at-home test kits, and even some treatments. The White House announced this month that the national public health emergency, first declared in early 2020 in response to the pandemic, is set to expire May 11. When it ends, so will many of the policies designed to combat the virus’s…
A newer COVID-19 Omicron strain, XBB.1.5, has emerged as dominant in Los Angeles County, according to the most recent analysis of local COVID samples from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health). XBB.1.5 accounts for 32.8% of sequenced COVID-19 specimens in Los Angeles County for the week ending Jan. 21, outcompeting BQ.1.1,…
A NEW study released recently by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the new bivalent COVID-19 boosters add protection against the new variants of the virus. Another study showed that the bivalent vaccine also protects against severe disease. Wastewater surveillance shows that those variants, XBB and XBB.1.5, make up about 25% of the virus circulating…
COVID-19 vaccines, testing, and treatments will no longer be free once the Public Health Emergency (PHE) expires on Jan. 11, even as the U.S. faces down a more infectious new subvariant XBB 1.5. The new subvariant accounts for 75% of new infections on the East Coast and 40% of new cases in the country overall….
As schools prepare to reopen after winter break and more people go back to work, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) is recommending that returning students and workers test for COVID-19 and wear a mask for at least 10 days to prevent a spike in transmission. Public Health officials are asking…
FILIPINOS are among the top Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) groups affected by COVID-19 in California, according to data presented by the state’s Department of Public Health. The data released during a recent webinar was to inform the public on AAPI health data disaggregation and how the information can help facilitate better outcomes and support for…
By Sunita Sohrabji, Ethnic Media Services Drive almost anywhere in the farm fields of California and you will see blurred shapes on the horizon, men and women who produce the majority of the country’s food. Although recognized as essential workers, their work has exposed and continues to expose them to the most severe impacts of…
BIVALENT COVID-19 vaccination boosters are now approved and available in San Diego County for children as young as six months of age. The County Health and Human Services Agency is urging parents to protect their children, and themselves, by getting vaccinated with the new booster. The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded the emergency use…
WITH the reopening of the federal government program to order no-cost COVID-19 tests, there are more options to get free tests this year. But how do you know what’s legit and what’s a scam? Read on. To steer clear of scams, know that there are four ways to get FREE at-home tests: Visit COVID.gov/tests to order four…
By Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio, Kaiser Health News Medical equipment is still strewn around the house of Rick Lucas, 62, nearly two years after he came home from the hospital. He picks up a spirometer, a device that measures lung capacity, and takes a deep breath — though not as deep as he’d like….
A FEW months ago, it seemed as though the country was poised to finally tame the pandemic, after two years of restrictions and tens of billions in government spending. The Biden administration in March released the first national COVID-19 preparedness plan to help Americans safely “return to normal,” a strategy to live with the continued…
