This week, the United States reached the tragic milestone of 800,000 deaths due to COVID-19. The figure, the highest of any country in the world, comes one year after COVID-19 vaccines began to be administered. More than 200 million Americans are vaccinated against COVID-19, though the country continues to experience challenges with the virus and…
Read More »On Thursday, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (OSHSB) convened to review the COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) governing COVID-19 protocols for most California workplaces. OSHSB considered revisions to its existing ETS, including the latest recommendations from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). The…
Read More »The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) recently partnered with well-known celebrities, influencers, and trusted messengers in promoting COVID-19 vaccines and boosters among populations disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In promoting COVID-19 vaccines among Latino populations in California, CDPH has partnered with celebrated cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz. The Los Angeles-based artist is most known for…
Read More »Governor Gavin Newsom this week issued Executive Order N-23-21 related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the order temporarily allows corporate shareholder meetings to be held virtually during emergencies. The order additionally authorizes and extension of the COVID-19 safety requirements to protect workers in the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS). The move comes after the Occupational…
Read More »This week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced the distribution of approximately $9 billion in Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Phase 4 payments to health care providers who have experienced revenue losses and expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 69,000 providers in…
Read More »Today, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released two reports in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report highlighting the use of test-to-stay practices used in schools to minimize absenteeism and learning loss which can occur during traditional quarantine at home. The CDC has added information on test-to-stay practices in its K-12 Transmission…
Read More »Following a formal request from Pfizer-BioNTech last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday amended the emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to authorize the use of a single booster dose for administration to individuals 16 and 17 years of age at least six months after completion of primary…
Read More »This week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for AstraZeneca’s Evusheld for the pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 in certain adults and pediatric individuals ages 12 and older. The monoclonal antibody (MAB) product is authorized for those individuals who are not currently infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus and who…
Read More »This week, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a new Surgeon General’s Advisory calling attention to the urgent need to address the nation’s youth mental health crisis. The advisory outlines the pandemic’s unprecedented impacts on the mental health of youth and families in the U.S., as well as mental health challenges that existed prior…
Read More »The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), awarded approximately $82 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) emergency home visiting funds to 56 states, jurisdictions, and nonprofit organizations to support children and families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding builds upon an initial investment…
Read More »