During a visit to a health clinic in Alameda County on Wednesday, Governor Gavin Newsom received his COVID-19 booster vaccine. The Governor, after receiving his initial single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in April of this year, opted for the Moderna COVID-19 booster. The Governor was joined by California Health and Human Services (CalHHS) Secretary…
Read More »On Tuesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) recommended the agency issue an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for use in children ages 5 to 11 years old. The panel’s vote in recommending the EUA was 17-0 with one abstention. The FDA…
Read More »Today, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a study in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) reinforcing that vaccination is the best protection against COVID-19. The latest study examined more than 7,000 people across nine states who were hospitalized with COVID-19-like illness, finding that those who were unvaccinated and had…
Read More »The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is taking several new actions to help reduce costs for COVID-19 testing, expand access to tests, and bring more tests to market in the U.S. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is investing $70 million from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to bring more high-quality,…
Read More »The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week announced a temporary extension of the Framework for Conditional Sailing Order (CSO) for cruise ships through January 15, 2022. CDC’s CSO was issued last year, establishing strong health and safety protocols to manage COVID-19, resume passenger operations, and avert overwhelming uses of medical resources….
Read More »California State Auditor Elaine Howle this week published a report as part of her office’s high-risk audit program on COVID-19 pandemic food assistance programs under the authority of the California Department of Social Services (CDSS). CDSS is responsible for managing federal COVID-19 funds that were dedicated to two nutrition programs – Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Emergency…
Read More »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…
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