FDA Experts Urge Single Vaccine Formula For All - COVID-19 News from Eden Health District, January 30, 2023

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January 30, 2023

It’s Been Three Years Since The First COVID-19 Case In The United States. What Have We Learned And What More Do We Need To Understand?

It’s been three years since the first COVID-19 case was diagnosed in the United States, on January 20, 2020. In the time since, nearly 1.1 million Americans have died from the coronavirus; the US has reported 102 million COVID cases, more than any other country, according to Johns Hopkins University. Both figures, many health officials believe, are likely to have been undercounted.

There have also been remarkable scientific achievements in our response to the pandemic, not least of which is the development of COVID-19 vaccines. But there are still many unanswered questions. To help with reflections on what we’ve learned and what more we need to understand, I spoke with CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician, public health expert and professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. She is also author of “Lifelines: A Doctor’s Journey in the Fight for Public Health.” CNN Read more

“Part of the discussion around why we haven’t had better booster uptake is because the process is complicated."

Dr. John Sellick, Jr., Infectious Diseases Professor in the Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo

FDA Experts Urge Single Vaccine Formula For All — But Variants Are A Moving Target

The original COVID-19 vaccine formula introduced in December 2020 should be retired and replaced entirely with the updated mix tailored to recent virus variants, an FDA expert panel urged in a unanimous vote last week.

The Food and Drug Administration’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee was asked to consider whether to recommend a single vaccine composition for all situations, the so-called bivalent formula based both on the original virus strain and the more recent Omicron BA.4/5 strains.

“This isn’t only a convenience thing to increase the number of people vaccinated, which is extremely important,” said Dr. Hayley Gans, pediatrics professor at Stanford University Medical Center, during Thursday’s panel discussion. “But also I think moving toward the strains that are circulating is important.” Mercury News Read more

COVID Test Resources

Where to Get a COVID-19 Test - Alameda County; Contra Costa County

Food Pantries

Alameda County

Local News

All Bay Area Counties Now Have Low Virus Levels

Federal data published Friday show that 3.7% of U.S. counties are classified as having a high COVID-19 community level, 26.6% medium, and 69.6% low, including all nine in the Bay Area region. Compared with last week, the number of counties nationally in the high and medium levels fell, while those in the low category grew. Meanwhile, the seven-day average of weekly new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. decreased by 11.3% compared with the previous week, falling to 42,163 from 47,515, according to the updated figures. The average number of daily hospitalizations also fell by 13.9% to 4,216 from the prior week’s average of 4,897. The U.S. is tallying a daily average of 537 deaths due to COVID-19, a 4.9% decrease compared with the previous average of 564. SF Chronicle Read more

San Leandro Marina COVID Testing Site Has Closed

Eden Health District, the City of San Leandro, and Alameda County Public Health announced that the COVID Testing Site at San Leandro Marina Community Center has closed after two and a half years of providing critical COVID testing to tens of thousands of people. The site was operated by OptumServe under a contract with the State of California. The closure is part of the statewide closure of many OptumServe operated sites that have been experiencing a greatly reduced number of people needing PCR Covid tests. Among the major reasons for the decline in PCR Testing is the significantly increased availability of at home antigen testing. At various times free home COVID tests have been made available by the federal government and local health clinics. Eden Health District CEO Mark Friedman thanked Alameda County Public Health and the City of San Leandro for their partnership in operating the testing site. He urged those in need of PCR testing to go to the Skywest site operated by La Familia in Hayward or to their health care provider. Schedule appointment

Sonoma County Phasing Out Mobile COVID-19 Testing Sites Due To Declining Use

Sonoma County officials said Thursday that the county will be shutting down its mobile COVID-19 testing sites in February due to declining usage. Optum Serve announced that it will be deactivating its testing buses on Feb. 5 as part of a statewide demobilization effort, the county said. Forty-four Optum Serve testing sites were shuttered last week and the remaining 48 mobile sites are slated to go in February, according to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). "California is phasing out underutilized state-run COVID-19 testing sites in the coming weeks," a CDPH spokesperson said Wednesday. "The phase out comes as COVID-19 activity is decreasing across the state." CBS Bay Area Read more

COVID Vaccine/Treatment News

Updated Boosters Are Cutting The Risk Of Getting Sick From COVID-19 By About Half

The updated COVID-19 boosters are cutting the risk that a person will get sick from the coronavirus by about half, even against infections caused by the rapidly spreading XBB.1.5 subvariant. New studies, conducted by researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are among the first looks at how the bivalent boosters have continued to work in the real world as the virus has evolved. The data shows that the boosters are continuing to offer substantial protection against currently circulating variants. SF Chronicle Read more

The Flu-ification of COVID Policy Is Almost Complete

For all the legwork that public-health experts have done over the past few years to quash comparisons between COVID-19 and the flu, there sure seems to be a lot of effort nowadays to equate the two. In an advisory meeting convened last week, the FDA signaled its intention to start doling out COVID vaccines just like flu shots: once a year in autumn, for just about everyone, ad infinitum. Whatever the brand, primary-series shots and boosters (which might no longer be called “boosters”) will guard against the same variants, making them interchangeable. Doses will no longer be counted numerically. “This will be a fundamental transition,” says Jason Schwartz, a vaccine policy expert at Yale — the biggest change to the COVID-vaccination regimen since it debuted. The Atlantic Read more

CDC Urges People With Weak Immune Systems To Take Extra Precautions After COVID Subvariants Knock Out Evusheld

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday urged people with weak immune systems to take extra precautions to avoid COVID after the dominant omicron subvariants knocked out a key antibody treatment. These precautions include wearing a high quality mask and social distancing when it’s not possible to avoid crowded indoor spaces, according to the CDC. The guidance comes after the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday pulled its authorization of Evusheld, a combination antibody injection that people with weak immune systems took as an additional layer of protection to prevent COVID infection. CNBC Read more

Home COVID Tests Lead To Vast Undercount Of Cases, Positivity Rates

With over 80% of US COVID-19 tests now being conducted at home, official case counts underreport the number of positive results and greatly underestimate the number of true infections, suggests a research letter published last week in JAMA Network Open. Scientists from the University of California San Francisco and Louisiana Public Health Institute recruited participants for the COVID-19 Citizen Science Study by word of mouth, social media, email, phone, or patient portal starting in March 2020. Their aim was to collect patient-reported COVID-19 data. CIDRAP Read more

State/National/International News

California Saw Nearly 20% More Deaths Since 2020, And COVID Alone Can’t Explain It

Three years after the first COVID cases were detected in the Bay Area, a vexing question persists that can no longer be explained by the terrifying arrival of a deadly novel coronavirus: Why are so many people still dying? Since 2020, California has recorded 130,000 more deaths than in the three previous years, a nearly 20% increase in mortality, the largest sustained spike in more than a century, and the reversal of a decades-long trend of decreasing death rates. In essence, experts say, that’s 130,000 more burials, cremations, viewings and funerals than there should have been.

East Bay Times Read more

Roche Launches New Test To Detect Fast Spreading Omicron

Sub-Variant

Roche has launched a new PCR test to detect a fast-spreading sub-variant of the Omicron variant of Coronavirus, the Swiss drugmaker said on Thursday. The new test specifically targets the XBB.1.5 Omicron variant and will help researchers closely track the virus’s lineage and provide insights into the epidemiology and impact it has on public health, the company added. The XBB.1.5 variant is prevalent in the United States and is quickly spreading to other countries, Roche said. Reuters Read more

California Law That Targets COVID Misinformation Halted By Court

Implementation of a California law aimed at punishing doctors who gave patients false information regarding COVID-19 was halted Wednesday after a court issued a preliminary injunction in response to opponents’ request. Judge William B. Schubb of the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of California granted the motion filed by a group of doctors for a preliminary injunction. Schubb said that, because the “scientific consensus” (on COVID, in this case) is ill-defined and vague, the physician plaintiffs in the lawsuit are “unable to determine if their intended conduct contradicts the scientific consensus, and accordingly ‘what is prohibited by the law'.” SF Chronicle Read more

Could Getting COVID Raise Cholesterol?

COVID may increase the risk for high cholesterol for up to a year after infection, two recent studies suggest, prompting some doctors to take a closer look at the apparent trend. "It's something that we need to pay more attention to," said Dr. Ashish Sarraju, a cardiologist with the Preventive Cardiology and Rehabilitation section at the Cleveland Clinic, adding that the latest research is "provocative." One study, published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology earlier this month, found that people with a prior COVID infection had a 24% increased risk for high cholesterol levels. NBC News

Record Number Of Deaths In U.S. From Cardiovascular Disease Early In Pandemic: Report Shows

New data from the American Heart Association highlights the major impact COVID-19 had on cardiovascular health and death rates during the first year of the pandemic.

At least 928,741 Americans died from cardiovascular disease-related causes in 2020, the annual statistical report revealed. That represents the largest one-year increase since 2015 and tops the previous high of 910,000 deaths recorded in 2003, according to the American Heart Association. "This is our first real evidence based on the impact of the early years of the pandemic," Dr. Connie Tsao, chair of the Statistical Update writing group and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, said. ABC News Read more

Study Says Long COVID Is Affecting College Campuses

Long COVID is becoming a reality of college life, according to a study published Thursday by researchers at George Washington University. In an analysis of nearly 1,400 cases of COVID-19 among fully vaccinated students, faculty and staff between July 2021 and March 2022, about 36% experienced symptoms that developed four weeks or more after their initial infection. SF Chronicle Read more

L.A. County Relaxes Universal Mask Recommendation As COVID Eases

With coronavirus transmission on the decline, Los Angeles County health officials have relaxed their broad recommendation that everyone mask up indoors while in public. While wearing a face covering is still required in certain settings — such as healthcare facilities and nursing homes — and still encouraged aboard public transit, the decision for most should now be considered a matter of personal preference. LA Times Read more

Mental Health

Kids' Mental Health Is Parents' Top Concern

Gone are the days of parents sitting up worrying about their kids getting into fights, or trouble with drugs and alcohol. Social media and the pandemic have ushered in a new dimension to parents' already challenging jobs. 40% of parents said they are extremely or very worried that their kids will struggle with anxiety or depression. Axios Read more

California Mass Shootings Add To Bay Area Asian Americans’ Years Of Pandemic Trauma

On Lunar New Year’s Eve, Stop AAPI Hate co-founder Cynthia Choi went to bed hopeful. Before going to sleep, she sent out a tweet: “I am all in for a year of calm, kindness and peace.” The next morning, Choi woke up to the news of the Monterey Park (Los Angeles County) mass shooting, where 11 Asian Americans were killed at a dance studio. A day later, while working to coordinate responses to the first shooting, Choi learned of the mass shootings in Half Moon Bay that left seven Asian and Latino victims dead. SF Chronicle Read more

CVS Launching Virtual Primary Care Aimed At Mental Health Support

CVS Health has launched Virtual Primary Care, an virtual care offering focused mainly on primary care and mental health services. Virtual Primary Care, which offers 24/7 on-demand care, is now available to Aetna commercial members nationwide who are enrolled in eligible fully-insured and self-insured health plans. Members can schedule a primary care visit within days with a provider they select, and access care for common illnesses and infections. Through the launch, CVS is also expanding its virtual mental health services. Enrollees 18 and older are slated to have access to nationwide virtual mental health support from clinicians including licensed therapists and psychiatrists. Healthcare Finance Read more

Fentanyl Crisis/Drug Trends

How S.F. Medics Revived Baby At Park From Diagnosed Fentanyl Overdose: "It Was Very Much A Close Call"

All Robert Kuzma knew at first was that bystanders were conducting CPR on a child in cardiac arrest at Moscone Park. It was Nov. 29, just before 3 p.m., when the paramedic rescue captain headed in his red San Francisco Fire Department SUV to the park in the Marina. When he arrived, he saw 10-month-old Senna Matkovic in the back of an ambulance. The child was already hooked up to an IV, an EKG heart monitor and a bag valve mask, an apparatus to help someone breathe, Kuzma said. SF Chronicle

Snapchat’s Role In Fentanyl Crisis Probed During House Roundtable: "It’s A Snap-Specific Problem"

Snapchat, and its role in the fentanyl crisis, was the focus of a House roundtable hosted by the Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday that could set the stage for new proposals to protect kids on the internet or limit the liability protections for online platforms. The roundtable featured the mother of a child who died after taking a drug containing fentanyl allegedly purchased over Snapchat, apparently believing it was a prescription painkiller. It also featured two lawyers who litigate such cases against tech companies as well as a sheriff from Washington state who has investigated fentanyl deaths. CNBC Read more

SF Mayor Announces Plan To Facilitate Safe Injection Sites Despite Lack Of State Authorization

San Francisco plans to try to thread a legislative needle to allow the opening of safe injection sites in the city. Mayor London Breed and Supervisor Hillary Ronen announced Wednesday the expected introduction of a bill next week that, if enacted by the Board of Supervisors, would remove one hurdle to the opening of "Overdose Prevention Sites" in the city. Such sites would allow individuals to use heavy drugs like heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl in a safe and supervised environment where there would be access to wraparound services for addiction. NBC Bay Area Read more

COVID By the Numbers

Total Confirmed Cases

Bay Area: 1,891,940

California: 11,983,168

U.S.: 102,284,030

Alameda County

Check the Dashboards Below for

the Latest Figures

Total Reported Deaths

Bay Area: 9.593

California: 100,027

U.S.: 1,107,650

Contra Costa County

Check the Dashboards Below for

the Latest Figures

Sources: Johns Hopkins University, SF Chronicle , and dashboards for California and Alameda and Contra Costa counties.

Fast Facts

What Doctors Wish Patients Knew About COVID-19 Reinfection

At this point in the pandemic, almost everyone in the U.S. has had COVID-19—whether they know it or not. But something more alarming is happening: A growing number of people are getting reinfected with SARS-CoV-2. While many people assumed that getting infected meant higher protection from future encounters with the virus, the latest wave of COVID-19 cases shows that reinfections are becoming more common with newer variants — such as the XBB.1.5 subvariant of Omicron — contributing to second or even third infections. And as SARS-CoV-2 continues to evolve and behave more like its closely related cousins that cause common colds and infect people repeatedly throughout their lives, physicians are urging patients not to let their guards down. American Medical Association Read more

COVID-19 testing is a good idea, but keep in mind, people who test negative can still harbor the virus if they are early in their infection.

A viral test tells you if you have a current infection.
An antibody test might tell you if you had a past infection.

Latest Masking Guidance

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently updated its mask guidance. If you haven't been vaccinated yet find a COVID-19 vaccine near you.

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.

We welcome your feedback on our bulletin. Please contact editor Lisa Mahoney.

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