This week, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. announced several updates related to the federal government’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Below, we highlight these activities: Vaccines by End of May: President Biden announced on Tuesday the U.S. will have enough COVID-19 vaccine supply for every adult in America to be inoculated by the end…
Read More »Following the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s (FDA) issuance of an emergency use authorization (EUA) of the Janssen Biotech, Inc. single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine last Saturday, the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup met early this week to review the vaccine’s safety and efficacy data. The Workgroup completed its review of the available…
Read More »This week, the California Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) issued a report providing an overview and recommendations to improve the Legislature’s oversight of the Governor’s emergency spending authorities. The report details the existing authorities available to the Administration in incurring emergency costs in light of the Governor’s proposals for COVID-19 emergency spending and authority. Namely, the…
Read More »On Wednesday, Governor Gavin Newsom announced the Biden-Harris Administration approved California’s request to use Medicaid (Medi-Cal) funding to provide voluntary COVID-19 testing for low-income students covered by Medi-Cal. The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) late last year requested permission to provide COVID-19 testing in schools for Medi-Cal children in grades transitional kindergarten through…
Read More »On Thursday, Governor Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order N-03-21 extending authorization for local governments to prohibit evictions for commercial renters impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic through June 30, 2021. The order additionally extends protections against price gouging for emergency and medical supplies amid the ongoing emergency response to the pandemic.
Read More »Last week, Governor Gavin Newsom announceda new appointment to the Emergency Medical Services Commission. As a bit of background, the EMS Commission provides regulatory oversight for emergency medical services in California and is comprised of eighteen members representing a variety of EMS disciplines including physicians, a local health officer, paramedics, EMTs, fire representatives, and local…
Read More »The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) today issued a health alert regarding the monitoring of travelers returning to California from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Guinea following Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreaks in those countries. Both countries have declared EVD outbreaks with nearly 30 combined cases and four deaths. As part of…
Read More »Legislative activities in Sacramento continue to ramp up following last Friday’s deadline for lawmakers to introduce legislative bills in their respective houses. The Assembly introduced nearly 1,600 bills and the Senate introduced over 800 bills that will be considered by the Legislature over the coming months. In other related news, Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday…
Read More »This week, the California State Assembly and Senate held a number of hearings spanning a wide array of subject areas, including COVID-19, homelessness, telehealth, and proposed budget investments. Below, we provide a high-level overview of hearings held this week: Assembly Examines Telehealth Policy in California Post-Pandemic The Assembly Health Committee on Tuesday convened an informational…
Read More »Today, the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) met to review and discuss the emergency use authorization (EUA) request from Janssen Biotech, Inc. for its Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, ultimately recommending on a unanimous vote that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issue an EUA for the single-dose vaccine. The Johnson…
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