|
Stay Well
breaking health news & updates
| |
| |
This California COVID Surge Is Stronger, Longer-Lasting Than Expected, Surprising Experts | |
California’s summer COVID surge has proved to be particularly strong and enduring, surprising experts with its tenacity as it storms into a third month.
The strength of this summer’s COVID surge probably is largely related to the ever-more infectious subvariants that continue to emerge as the coronavirus evolves, said Dr. Elizabeth Hudson, regional chief of infectious disease at Kaiser Permanente Southern California. A dizzying number of related subvariants — collectively dubbed FLiRT — have emerged in recent months. One in particular, KP.3.1.1, has been picking up steam at a startling pace and has become the most common strain nationwide.
“KP.3.1.1 seems to be the most adept at transmission,” said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious diseases expert at UC San Francisco. “And it’s the one that people think will continue to take over, not only in the United States, but ... around the world.”
Coronavirus levels in California wastewater have surpassed the peaks seen in each of the last two summers, according to data estimates released Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which run through the week ending July 27. Coronavirus levels in sewage have been “high” or “very high” for eight consecutive weeks. LA Times Read more
| |
“This particular surge ... is fairly robust and long-lasting, lasting a little longer than I thought that it would. It’s certainly very different from last summer.”
Dr. Elizabeth Hudson, Regional Chief of Infectious Disease at Kaiser Permanente Southern California
| |
 |
Red Cross Declares Emergency Blood Shortage After National Inventory Falls By 25% In July
The American Red Cross said Monday that it is experiencing an emergency blood shortage, and extreme heat may be partly to blame.
In a press release, the organization said its national blood inventory fell by more than 25% since July 1.
Rolling heat waves and record temperatures have impacted more than 100 drives in the last month in every state where the Red Cross collects blood. This has led to fewer people donating and has contributed to a shortfall of more than 19,000 donations in July, based on projected hospital need, according to the Red Cross.
This is in addition to other factors that typically limit blood donations during the summer, such as travel and seasonal activities, the group said.
The Red Cross also suspects that August also will threaten replenishment of the available blood supply due to the start of peak Atlantic hurricane season, which often leads to flooding and power outages that can cancel blood drives and otherwise lead to low donor turnout.
The Red Cross said it supplies about 40% of the nation's blood donations.
Donors with Type O blood are the most needed right now, according to the Red Cross, for two reasons. Type O is the most common blood type, meaning that most people in need of blood will need type O blood. ABC News Read more
| | |
Contra Costa County Health Dept. Recommends Masks In Crowded Indoors As COVID Cases Rise
The Contra Costa County health department on Tuesday recommended people wear masks in crowded indoor settings as COVID-19 infections increase throughout the Bay Area. The department said masking is particularly important for those at high risk of serious illness if infected. However, the department also stressed that it is a recommendation, not a health order, and it aligns with existing state requirements and recent advice issued in neighboring counties. Health officials said in a statement that a particularly infectious strain of COVID-19 called FLiRT is spreading throughout the western United States, driving the current surge. Wastewater sampling from the county shows a steady increase in the presence of the virus. CBS News
Read more
| |
Have Soda Taxes Improved The Health Of Bay Area Kids? New Kaiser Study Offers Clues
In one of the first large studies examining the health impact of soda taxes on youth, children and teens in four Bay Area cities with such taxes had lower body mass index percentile — one gauge of healthy weight — than their counterparts in comparable California cities without such taxes, according to a new study by Kaiser Permanente researchers. The study, published in JAMA Network Open on July 31, compared the BMI percentile of nearly 45,000 children and teens age 2-19 in San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley and Albany — the four Bay Area cities that have passed soda taxes over the last decade — to the BMI percentile of about 345,000 children and teens in 40 other California cities without soda taxes, from 2009 to 2020. SF Chronicle
Read more
| |
UCSF Doctor Opens First West Coast Clinic For LGBTQ Patients With Bowel Disease
When UCSF gastroenterologist Dr. Justin Field was doing his medical training at a New York City hospital in 2020, he remembers one patient with ulcerative colitis kept resisting doctors’ recommendations to surgically remove his colon, which they believed would be the next best treatment after his serious autoimmune disease wasn’t responding to medication. Doctors worried the patient didn’t seem to grasp the gravity of his condition. It wasn’t until they learned that as a gay man he considered his sexuality an important part of his identity — and was concerned the procedure might affect his ability to have anal intercourse — that they better understood his reluctance. The surgery, which creates an internal “pouch” to act as a rectum, can make it challenging but not impossible to have sex afterward. SF Chronicle Read more
| |
Eden Health District's 2024 Grant Program Is Now Open for Applications
Since 1998, the Eden Health District has provided grants to non-profit and government agencies to improve the health and well-being of local residents. This is the first time that significant funds have been available specifically for central Alameda County residents, enabling local agencies to boost services to people of all ages and needs. These grants have proven to be a valuable resource to these agencies and to the public. Applications are due by noon, Aug. 30.
| |
Severe COVID Cases, Deaths Surging In Marin County
COVID cases are back with a vengeance in Marin County this summer. Last month, the county saw its highest number of deaths from the disease in over a year. "What we're seeing right now, are higher rates than we're seeing last winter," said Dr. Matt Willis, the county's public health officer. He believes the spike is being driven by a number of factors. Those include more transmissible variants, as well as hotter than normal temperatures in July. "As summer comes, there's more gatherings. We've had gatherings both indoors and outdoors. As we've had heat waves people were coming indoors in air conditioned settings. That might have fueled transmission," Dr. Willis said. ABC7 News Read more
| |
Why It’s Hard To Find A COVID Vaccine Right Now In The Bay Area
When Thursday Roberts tried to get a COVID-19 vaccine this month at a Walgreens in Pacifica, she ran into a surprising hurdle. The day before her scheduled appointment, she said the pharmacy called her and canceled it, telling her it no longer had any vaccines in stock. Roberts, who is over 65, was confused. She’d been hoping to get a shot now and not wait for an updated vaccine in the fall because she wanted an extra boost of protection before her brother came to visit from out of town. This is in line with what many infectious disease experts are recommending — that higher risk people, such as those who are immunocompromised or older than 65, get a fresh dose now and not wait until September, when an update comes out that is tailored to more recent versions of the coronavirus. SF Chronicle Read more
| |
After Pandemic, School Openings Linked To Poor Mental Health
While many studies have shown that COVID-19 pandemic-era school closures had negative effects on student mental health, a new study in JAMA Network Open shows the opposite: the re-opening of schools trigged an increased incidence of acute psychiatric emergencies, suggesting school can be a substantial source of stress for some students. The study is based on 13,014 psychiatric emergency department (ED) visits at 9 university hospitals in Italy from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2s.21. The number of ED visits increased across the study period. The authors found school opening, but not social lockdown restrictions, were associated with an increase in the number of ED psychiatric visits. CIDRAP Read more
| |
State/National/International News | | |
Gen X, Millennials More Likely To Get Cancer, New Study Shows
A sweeping new study is widening the lens on a puzzling uptick in a range of cancers occurring among younger generations of patients. It's the latest evidence that the burden of cancer could rise in the future despite major advances in treatment and prevention. The study from the American Cancer Society found adults in their 30s, 40s and 50s are more likely than previous generations were to develop 17 different types of cancers, including breast, liver and pancreatic cancers. Previous research has indicated alarming increases in certain cancers among younger adults, such as colorectal cancer. A National Cancer Institute study published in June concluded Gen Xers were more likely to be diagnosed with cancer as they aged than previous generations, NPR reported in June. What they're saying: "It's really sort of scary to see all in one dataset," said Andrea Cercek, co-director of the Center for Young Onset Colorectal and Gastrointestinal Cancers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Axios Read more
| |
A Soil Fungus That Can Kill Is On The Rise In California: What To Know About Valley Fever
It’s shaping up to be a bad year — possibly the worst yet — when it comes to Valley fever, a fungal disease marked by cough and fevers. More than 5,300 cases have been reported in California through June, that’s 63% more infections than the same period last year. Valley fever is caused when people inhale microscopic spores of a fungus found in soil. This fungus typically affects the lungs. Many cases are mild and resolve on their own, but the infections, which are not contagious, can become serious enough to require hospitalization. About 80 Californians die every year from it. Moderate cases may last months and require antifungal medication. Earlier this week the California Department of Public Health announced that at least a handful of people became sick with Valley fever after traveling to Kern County for an outdoor music festival at Buena Vista Lake in May. Three attendees were hospitalized, the department said. Health officials are encouraging people who attended the Lightning in a Bottle festival to contact their medical provider if they have been feeling sick and not improving. CalMatters Read more
| |
Here’s Why AI Could Be Listening In On Your Next Doctor’s Appointment
The next time you go to the doctor, don’t be surprised if an artificial intelligence program is listening in and transcribing what you and your doctor say. And if a summary of your next X-ray or MRI scan pops up more quickly than expected in your health app, AI could be the reason why. Technology boosters talk of AI’s potential to improve and accelerate medicine, from constructing new proteins to improving disease diagnostics. Many such uses are fraught with potential risks — and are still locked away in labs or awaiting government approval. But short of such esoteric breakthroughs, AI is starting to entrench itself in the parts of health care that involve communicating with patients: uses that take advantage of the technology’s strengths in parsing and condensing language. SF Chronicle Read more
| |
Heat Deaths Of People Without Air Conditioning, Often In Mobile Homes, Underscore Energy Inequity
Mexican farm worker Avelino Vazquez Navarro didn’t have air conditioning in the motor home where he died last month in Washington state as temperatures surged into the triple digits. For the last dozen years, the 61-year-old spent much of the year working near Pasco, Washington, sending money to his wife and daughters in the Pacific coast state of Nayarit, Mexico, and traveling back every Christmas. Now, the family is raising money to bring his remains home. “If this motor home would have had AC and it was running, then it most likely would have helped,” said Franklin County Coroner Curtis McGary, who determined Vazquez Navarro’s death was heat-related, with alcohol intoxication as a contributing cause. AP Read more
| |
Nearly Half Of Online Pharmacies Selling Weight Loss Drugs Are Operating Illegally, Study Finds
Consumers who try to buy popular
weight loss drugs online without a prescription risk being scammed or receiving unsafe products, a new study shows. About 42% of online pharmacies that sell semaglutide, the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk’s anti-obesity drug Wegovy, are illegal, operating without a valid license and selling medications without prescriptions, according to a study published Friday in JAMA Network Open. People who shop online for weight loss drugs “face serious consumer risks” of receiving “ineffective and dangerous products,” said Tim Mackey, an author of the report and professor of global health at the University of California, San Diego, as well as the director of the Global Health Policy and Data Institute. NBC News Read more
| |
Breed Orders S.F. Homeless People Be Offered Bus Tickets Out Of Town Before Shelter Or Housing
Mayor London Breed on Thursday ordered city employees to offer homeless people a bus ticket out of town before presenting shelter or housing as an option. The mayor’s new executive order, which marks a shift from current practices, comes amid an escalated crackdown on homeless encampments after a recent court Supreme Court ruling gave city officials more power to enforce anti-camping laws. San Francisco officials are ramping up citations and arrests against homeless people who refuse to move indoors. Thursday’s directive marks Breed’s latest effort to prove she’s taking a firm stance to address the city’s homelessness and overdose crises. Breed is in the middle of a tough re-election fight with many voters focused on the conditions of city streets and the state of unsheltered homelessness. SF Chronicle Read more
| |
Audit: California Risked Millions In Homelessness Funds Due To Poor Anti-Fraud Protections
California put hundreds of millions of homelessness dollars at risk because of its “disorganized” and “chaotic” anti-fraud policies, according to a critical federal audit released August 6. The audit analyzed California’s Department of Housing and Community Development, which oversees the state’s homelessness programs. It gave the California agency its lowest possible ranking, finding that it lacked adequate policies to prevent, detect and respond to fraud. As a result, the audit found, the state agency failed to properly protect $319.5 million in federal homelessness funds, which were distributed during the COVID-19 pandemic, from the possibility of misuse. The audit did not uncover any new instances of fraud. CalMatters Read more
| |
Decline In Veterans’ Homelessness Spurs Hopes For A Broader Solution
After two years in the Air Force and decades on Skid Row, Steve Allen was spending his senior years living in his car. John Sullivan, who joined the Army after seeing the film “Patton,” slept on his son’s couch. Home for Babs Ludikhuize, an Air Force veteran recovering from domestic violence, was in psychiatric care. Now all three have comfortable apartments with subsidized rents, and they embody what many analysts call the greatest success in homelessness policy — the decline in homeless veterans. Since 2008, Congress, with bipartisan support, has spent billions on rental aid for unhoused veterans and cut their numbers by more than half, as overall homelessness has grown. Celebrated by experts and managed by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the achievement has gained oddly little public notice in a country in need of broader solutions. NY Times Read more
| |
Social Media Bans Could Deny Teenagers Mental Health Help
Social media’s effects on the mental health of young people are not well understood. That hasn’t stopped Congress, state legislatures, and the U.S. surgeon general from moving ahead with age bans and warning labels for YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. But the emphasis on fears about social media may cause policymakers to miss the mental health benefits it provides teenagers, say researchers, pediatricians, and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. In June, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, the nation’s top doctor, called for warning labels on social media platforms. The Senate approved the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act and a companion bill, the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act, on July 30. And at least 30 states have pending legislation relating to children and social media — from age bans and parental consent requirements to new digital and media literacy courses for K-12 students. California Healthline Read more
| |
Nearly A Third Of Adolescents Getting Mental Health Treatment, Federal Survey Finds
Close to 1 in 3 adolescents in the U.S. received mental health treatment in 2023, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported last week, which works out to around 8.3 million young people between the ages of 12 and 17 getting counseling, medication or another treatment. The result is among the findings now released from SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health for 2023. The federal agency's sweeping annual poll is closely tracked by mental health and addiction experts.It includes a broad range of questions asked to Americans ages 12 and older living in the community, not in care facilities. The most common type of mental health treatment was meeting with a provider in an outpatient setting, like at an office of a therapist or school counseling center. CBS News Read more
| |
"I Feel Dismissed": People Experiencing Colorism Say Health System Fails Them
Jonnae Thompson has felt for a long time that her dark brown skin and natural hair have made finding work in Hollywood especially hard. “It’s like this negative connotation,” said the 37-year-old actress, singer, and stand-up comedian, who said she is often asked to audition for villainous roles such as a bully, drug dealer, or pimp. Her quest for more equitable representation on the big screen isn’t just professionally exhausting. Thompson says anxiety about her skin complexion has affected her health. “It definitely had a negative impact on my self-esteem,” she said. She recalls being called “charcoal” in kindergarten. “It was big, like, your skin is dark and that’s a problem.” KFF Health News Read more
| |
Chronic Pain Patients’ Mental Health Needs Often Go Unrecognized
People living with chronic pain are more likely than their peers without pain to need mental health treatment, yet less likely to get it, a new analysis suggests. The study, published in the journal PAIN, relied on data from the 2019 National Health Interview Survey, which tracked population-wide health in the United States by surveying a nationally representative sample of about 32,000 adults. Researchers looked for respondents whose surveys indicated both chronic pain and clinically significant symptoms of ongoing anxiety or depression, then determined whether they were receiving mental health treatment via medication, counseling or therapy. Overall, 43.2 percent of respondents with chronic pain had a mental health need compared with 17.4 percent of those not in pain, the researchers found. Washington Post Read more
| |
Fentanyl Crisis/Drug Trends | | |
Fentanyl Misuse During Pregnancy Can Cause Severe Birth Defects
The number of babies born with severe birth defects affecting their growth and development is rising, as researchers now have strong evidence that illicit fentanyl is causing the problems. Hospitals have identified at least 30 newborns with what has been identified as “fetal fentanyl syndrome,” NBC News has learned. The babies were born to mothers who said they’d used street drugs, particularly fentanyl, while pregnant. “I have identified 20 patients,” said Dr. Miguel Del Campo, a medical geneticist at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego who specializes in children exposed to drugs and alcohol in utero. “I fear that this is not rare, and I fear kids are going unrecognized.” NBC News Read more
| |
Politics Is Holding Back The Best Tool For Treating Meth Addiction
When it comes to treating methamphetamine addiction, the use of behavioral incentives is settled science. Offering financial rewards, like gift cards, to people who demonstrate that they’ve reduced or stopped their meth use, is highly effective: Studies show that contingency management, as it is known, can promote abstinence from drugs, increase utilization of health care services, and even reduce high-risk sexual behavior. But despite spiking meth overdose rates and the Biden administration’s expressions of support for high-quality addiction treatment, contingency management has failed to gain traction. Instead, it has been held back by politics: namely, a longstanding $75 annual cap for contingency management services funded by select federal programs. STAT Read more
| |
Electric Scooter And Bike Accidents Are Soaring Across The U.S.
In the crowded urban landscape, where small electric vehicles – primarily scooters and bicycles – have transformed short distance travel, UC San Francisco researchers are reporting a major national surge in accidents tied to “micromobility.” E-bicycle injuries doubled every year from 2017 to 2022, while e-scooter injuries rose by 45 percent each year. Injured e-riders tended to be slightly older and wore helmets less often than conventional riders. And e-scooter riders were more likely to sustain internal injuries than conventional scooter riders, while upper extremity injuries were more common among non-EV riders. The researchers analyzed injuries and hospitalizations from electric bicycles, electric scooters, conventional bicycles and conventional scooters. The study, which appeared July 23 in JAMA Network Open, is believed to be the first investigation into recent injury patterns in the U.S. UCSF Health News Read more
| |
About Eden Health District | | |
The Eden Health District Board of Directors are Chair Pam Russo, Vice Chair Ed Hernandez, Secretary/Treasurer Roxann Lewis, Mariellen Faria and Surlene Grant. The Chief Executive Officer is Mark Friedman.
The Eden Health District is committed to ensuring that policy makers and community members receive accurate and timely information to help make the best policy and personal choices to meet and overcome the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as other health issues.
We welcome your feedback on our bulletin. Please contact editor Lisa Mahoney.
| | | | | |
