On Wednesday, California Health and Human Services (CalHHS) Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly and California Department of Public Health Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Tomás Aragón issued a joint statement reaffirming the state’s approach to preventing COVID-19 in schools and protecting students’ health by continuing the state’s successful masking requirements in K-12 settings. The…
Read More »This week, California State Auditor Elaine Howle issued two reports relative to state agency and departmental oversight of federal COVID-19 funds awarded to the California Department of Education (CDE) and the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC). The reports are part of the state’s high-risk audit program, as determined by Howle. These reports are…
Read More »This week, the Biden-Harris Administration detailed the latest operational planning for COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 5-11. In anticipation of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) scheduled review on October 26 and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) scheduled review on November 2-3, the Biden-Harris Administration plans to quickly distribute vaccine…
Read More »Following last week’s unanimous recommendation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) relative to COVID-19 booster vaccines, both the FDA and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week officially approved the use of booster doses for specified populations. On Wednesday, the FDA…
Read More »The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Health Center for Health Innovation will host a virtual symposium entitled, “CA Notify One-Year Later: Exposure Notifications at the Crossroads of Technology and Public Health” on Thursday, November 4 from 11:30 am to 2:00 pm. The event will feature a…
Read More »The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (CHPR), through the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), continues to track Californians’ engagement in COVID-19 risk reduction behaviors, impacts on personal and financial wellbeing, and views on the COVID-19 vaccine. The latest data from July 2021 finds declines in adherence to COVID-19 safety guidelines and increases in gathering…
Read More »Late this week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) made recommendations related to COVID-19 vaccine booster doses for specified populations. On Thursday, the VRBPAC unanimously recommended Moderna half-dose booster vaccines for adults over 65 years of age and other adults considered at high risk at least…
Read More »On Thursday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its Antimicrobial Drugs Advisory Committee (AMDAC) will meet on November 30 to review a request for an emergency use authorization (EUA) for molnupiravir, an investigational antiviral drug to treat COVID-19. The drug, created by Merck and Ridgeback, is intended to treat mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults…
Read More »The Essentials for Childhood (EfC) Initiative, a project of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), will host a webinar on Thursday, November 18 from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm entitled, “Child Wellbeing During the Pandemic.” The purpose of the webinar is to increase understanding of child…
Read More »On Thursday, Pfizer and BioNTech announced they have submitted a formal request to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use authorization (EUA) of its COVID-19 mRNA vaccine among children ages 5-11. Up to 28 million children nationwide could become eligible upon authorization. Recall, Pfizer and BioNTech received full FDA approval for its…
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