Legislation sponsored by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara takes effect this year

Source: California Insurance Commissioner

Image: Creative Commons by NC-ND

January 4, 2022 (Sacramento) -- California consumers and hard-working families will have additional insurance protections under new laws now in effect in 2022. These include laws that provide new health coverage options for older adults being cared for by their adult children, expand requirements for medically necessary basic health care services including women’s reproductive services and increase insurance oversight to protect the safety of people recovering from substance use disorders and prevent child abuse by youth volunteers.

The California Department of Insurance will also implement new insurance requirements to protect those held in for-profit detention facilities and prisons – the first law of its kind nationwide.

East County News Service

Image via Public Domain Photos

December 30, 2021 (San Diego) – COVID-19 cases have spiked in the past 24 hours, with 5,976 cases reported yesterday, up from 3,650 cases one day earlier, County Health and Human Services reports.  To reduce the spread, County health officials are urging San Diegans to keep New Year’s celebrations small and limit them to family and close friends who are vaccinated and boosted if eligible to prevent the surge of COVID-19 cases that occurred last winter.

The County is also asking the public and businesses to continue following the current state and local guidance to slow the spread.

Dr. Cameron Kaiser, the county’s deputy public health officer, says given the record number of cases and rapid emergency of the Omicron variant, “If you have New Year’s celebrations, limit them to people who live with you and make sure everyone present uses the strategies we know work.”

By Miriam Raftery

December 28, 2021 (San Diego) – If you’ve been exposed to COVID-19 but don’t have symptoms, you only have to isolate for five days instead of ten – but you should wear a well-fitting mask for an additional five days when around other people if you are unvaccinated or haven’t had a booster shot. 

If you’ve had a booster shot in addition to the vaccine, you don’t have to quarantine at all if you don’t have symptoms, but should wear a mask for 10 days after exposure, when around others. 

If you do have symptoms, isolate until a negative test confirms that you don’t have COVID. Anyone exposed to COVID should get tested five days after exposure.

Those are the new guidelines issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, which the state and county have announced they will follow.  The rules do not apply to healthcare workers, however.

By José A. Álvarez, County of San Diego Communications Office 

December 23, 2021 (San Diego) -- An increasing number of COVID-19 cases, more upcoming holiday celebrations and the growing spread of the Omicron variant are prompting County health officials to urge San Diegans to do their part to keep the coronavirus spread from increasing even more.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo via County of San Diego

December 13, 2021 (San Diego) – Starting Wednesday, all Californians will be required to wear a mask at indoor public spaces, regardless of vaccination status, under a mandate announced today by the state’s Department of Public Health.  The new rule will remain in place until at least January 15 and follows a 47% rise in cases since Thanksgiving, as well as a 14% increase in hospitalizations.

In addition, the state has changed the rules for people attending mega events to require a negative PCR test 48 hours before the event or an antigen test 24 hours before the event.

The state is also recommending, though not requiring, that travelers to California get a COVID-19 test three to five days after their arrival

By Miriam Raftery

December 10, 2021 (San Diego) -- County Supervisors this week heard an update on efforts to combat the fentanyl crisis through a countywide substance abuse harm reduction strategy. Dr. Wilma Wooten, County Public Health officer, said there has been a stark increase in accidental overdose deaths from 2019 through October 2021—and most of those were due to fentanyl.

East County News Service

December 6, 2021 (San Diego) – The number of COVID-19 cases reported by San Diego County’s Health and Human Service Agency jumped to 1,153 on December 2^nd. That’s nearly double the numbers the prior two days, which were in the 600s.  County health officials s believe the upturn is tied to Thanksgiving gatherings and not due to the new Omicron variant, which has not yet been identified in San Diego County. The Delta variant still accounts for nearly all COVID-19 cases and deaths in the U.S..

The news comes on the heels of a National Public Radio (NPR) analysis which found death rates from COVID-19 in recent months have ranged from  three to six times higher in Republican-leaning red states than in Democratic leaning blue states – a dramatic difference likely due primarily to high vaccination rates in blue states and low vaccination rates in red states. NPR credits the high death rate in red states to misinformation on COVID and vaccines.

By Editor, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association 

Photo:  A vaccination van operated by UCSD Health visited SDUSD sites and offices to provide COVID-19 vaccines last month. Photo via @sdschools Twitter

December 5, 2021 (San Diego) - A federal appeals court has denied a request to stop San Diego schools from enforcing the district’s vaccine mandate.

Collection can save 723 lives saved and provide 3,913 meals 

December 2, 2021 (La Mesa) – Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, blood supply is critically low and new donations are continuously needed to help local patients. To help fill that need, San Diego County Credit Union teamed up with the San Diego Blood Bank and San Diego Food bank to hold the SDCCU Holiday Bowl Blood and Food at Grossmont Center in La Mesa on Thursday, November 18. The event collected a total of 4,215 pounds of food which is equivalent to 3,913 meals, and over 241 pints of blood, which will impact 723 lives throughout San Diego County.

“SDCCU is proud to support the SDCCU Holiday Bowl Blood and Food Drive benefitting the San Diego Blood Bank and San Diego Food Bank,” said Teresa Campbell, SDCCU president and CEO. “We are delighted by the amount of donations collected from our giving community members as we know it will help many people in need this holiday season.” 

Source:  Congressman Darryl Issa

November 30, 2021 (Washington, D.C.) - The House of Representatives today passed legislation co-led by Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-50) to reauthorize Johanna’s Law, which supports federal campaigns to raise awareness about gynecologic cancers among patients and health care providers. In committee and on the floor of the House, the legislation was approved with unanimous bipartisan support.

November 24, 2021 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• 50 percent of people who survive covid-19 face lingering symptoms, study finds (Washington Post)
• Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine was 100% effective in kids in longer-term study (Stat News)
• In-Depth: Should long COVID sufferers be organ donors? (10 News)
• Germany recommends only Biontech/Pfizer vaccine for under-30s (Reuters)
• FDA, Ellume recalling more than 2 million at-home COVID-19 test kits (The Hill)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• Tesla’s recent Full Self-Driving update made cars go haywire. It may be the excuse regulators needed.  (Washington Post)
• Tips for paying less for goods when everything costs more (Washington Post)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click  “read more” and scroll down.

By Ken Stone, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  Hospital staffers and union organizers waved signs and banners in protest over staffing shortages at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Roseville. Photo by Fred Greaves for CalMatters

November 13, 2021 (San Diego) - Pharmacy and laboratory workers at Kaiser Permanente sites in Southern California will not strike Monday, a union leader said Saturday.

November 11, 2021 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Pfizer says its COVID-19 pill cuts disease's worst risks by 89% (NPR)
• The C.D.C. adds mental health conditions to its high-risk Covid list. (New York Times)
• This New Test Can Detect 50 Types of Cancer from a Single Blood Draw (Healthline)
• Surgical masks reduce COVID-19 spread, large-scale study shows (Stanford Medicine)
• Cannabis vaping among teens has grown sharply in recent years  (NPR)
• Scientists used a tiny brain implant to help a blind teacher see letters again (NPR)
• How SARS-CoV-2 in American deer could alter the course of the global pandemic (NPR)
• Lung Transplant Patient and Father of 18 Encourages First Responders to get COVID-19 Vaccine (NBC San Diego)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• Facebook Renames Itself Meta (New York Times)
• European Parliament Calls for Bans on AI-based Biometric Recognition in Public Spaces, Predictive Policing, and Social Scoring (Privacy News Online)
• Facebook to delete users' facial-recognition data after privacy complaints (NPR)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

Environmental Health Trust and 13 petitioners win ruling 

Source: Environmental Health Trust

Photo: Creative Commons image via Bing

November 6, 2021 (Washington D.C.) --  The Environmental Health Trust recently won a victory in the U.S. Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia Circuit with a ruling in favor of EHT. In its ruling, the court ordered the FCC to explain why it ignored scientific evidence showing harm from wireless radiation, such as that transmitted by cell phones and cell phone towers and 5G technology.

The court held that FCC failed to respond to “record evidence that exposure to radiofrequency radiation at levels below the FCC’s current limits may cause negative health effects unrelated to cancer.” The court also said that the agency demonstrated “a complete failure to respond to comments concerning environmental harm caused by RF radiation.” The court found the FCC ignored numerous organizations, scientists, medical doctors who called on them to update its 1996 human exposure limits for wireless radiation. The court found the FCC failed to address these issues.

• impacts of long-term wireless exposure

• impacts to children,

• the testimony of people injured by wireless radiation, 

• impacts to wildlife and the environment,

• impacts to the developing brain and reproduction.

Update:  Video of th expert panel answering parents' questions is now available to view here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIFudyPvXfQ 

By Miriam Raftery

November 5, 2021 (El Cajon) – Now that the federal government has approved Pfizer’s COVID-19 shot for children ages 5 and up, many parents have questions.  So Cajon Valley Union School District and ABC 10 News are hosting a PTA town hall featuring a discussion with medical experts and education leaders. You can watch live on Thursday, November 11 at 5:30 p.m. online at www.10News.com or on the ABC 10News smart phone app.