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"slug": "when-to-get-your-2021-flu-shot-and-how-it-works-with-covid-vaccines",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Go straight to:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#time\">When’s the best time to get a flu shot?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#covid\">How does the flu shot work with the COVID vaccine?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#pregnancy\">What if I’m pregnant or have allergies?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#where\">Where can I get a flu shot near me in the Bay Area — with or without insurance?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>With all the talk about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11885531/covid-booster-shots-to-roll-out-in-september-in-the-u-s-health-officials-say\">COVID-19 vaccines and boosters\u003c/a>, it’s easy to forget that there’s another respiratory virus poised to strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yes, it’s that familiar winter nemesis, the flu. And there are vaccines to help ward it off — but also misinformation and fears circulating. “We’ve been concerned about vaccine fatigue and that people will be confused about whether or when they need the flu shot, and not very eager to once again roll up their sleeve,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.nfid.org/about-nfid/board-of-directors/william-schaffner-md/\">Dr. William Schaffner\u003c/a>, medical director of the National Foundation of Infectious Diseases. “Flu is a nasty virus and worth protecting against.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Two reasons make getting vaccinated against the flu the wise choice,” he says. “First, it’s been proven year after year that you’re in better shape to fight off the flu if you get the vaccine. Second, by getting vaccinated against the flu, you help protect the people around you.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s a guide to getting yourself vaccinated against another potentially fatal virus.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>I heard the flu essentially disappeared last year. Do I really need a flu shot this year?\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Yes. Last year saw a record-low number of flu cases, likely thanks to widespread mask wearing, remote work and school, and physical distancing. But this year, experts fear that the reopening of schools, decreased adherence to pandemic precautions and surging delta variant infections could create a double whammy: a very serious flu and COVID-19-season. Already, \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/rsv/index.html\">cases of RSV, a serious respiratory virus in children, are spiking.\u003c/a> “This suggests that flu will be back [too],” says\u003ca href=\"https://www.immunize.org/aboutus/litjen_tan_bio.asp\"> LJ Tan,\u003c/a> executive director of the\u003ca href=\"https://www.immunize.org/\"> Immunization Action Coalition\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>Who should get a flu shot?\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Anyone 6 months and older, unless your doctor has specifically recommended that you not get a flu shot because of a prior, rare, severe reaction, says Dr. Lisa Grohskopf, a medical officer in the influenza division at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca id=\"time\">\u003c/a>When’s the best time to get the flu shot?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Why not now?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Flu season starts in October in the U.S. While there’s some concern that immunity might wane before the end of flu season in May if you get the vaccine too early, there’s not enough data to know the optimal time to get the shot, Grohskopf says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/flu/season/faq-flu-season-2021-2022.htm\">The CDC says aim to get your flu vaccine by the end of October\u003c/a>. By then, cases will have started to mount, and many people will be just a few weeks away from travel for Thanksgiving and Christmas. That said, “getting vaccinated at any time during the flu season [can] still be beneficial,” says \u003ca href=\"https://healthcare.utah.edu/fad/mddetail.php?physicianID=u0028338&name=andrew-t-pavia\">Dr. Andrew Pavia, chief of the pediatric infectious diseases division at the University of Utah Health\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Why do I hear folks talking about ‘waiting’ to get their flu shot?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>As Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, UCSF professor of medicine, told KQED last year, the recommendations medical professionals make about when to get a flu shot are based on the fact that it takes about two weeks after you get vaccinated for antibodies to develop and provide protection against the flu.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is evidence, Chin-Hong said, that \u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28039340/\">your risk of getting the flu increases every month after your flu shot\u003c/a>, due to the antibodies waning over time. But when medical professionals talk about strategically “waiting” to get a flu shot, they’re aiming that advice at those who are at particularly high risk for more serious complications related to the flu. That includes people over 65, those with chronic medical conditions, people who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy and kids under 5. \u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#pregnancy\">Read more about pregnancy and the flu shot. \u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Delaying inoculations for these populations is based on the idea of getting the shot at a time Chin-Hong called “the sweet spot,” around mid-to-late October. Two weeks later, right around early November, the antibodies should have developed, just as flu season is getting serious.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Think of it as getting the “biggest bang for your buck,” Chin-Hong said. But ultimately, he added, “Don’t hem and haw about when to get it,” — because there’s a risk you may wind up forgetting to get it at all. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11838604/when-should-you-get-your-flu-shot\">Read more about who might consider delaying their flu shot.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>Will the flu vaccine definitely keep me from getting the flu? \u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>No. No vaccine is 100% effective. But if you do get the flu, the vaccine is likely to reduce your chance of getting very sick, being hospitalized or dying, Pavia says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before last year,\u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/index.html\"> tens of thousands of people\u003c/a> were hospitalized or died from the flu each year, usually people who weren’t vaccinated.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca id=\"covid\">\u003c/a>Can I get the flu and COVID-19 vaccines at the same time?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Absolutely. The CDC had previously recommended spacing out the timing of the COVID-19 vaccine and other immunizations because the vaccines were so new, but “that guidance has changed,” says Grohskopf. The CDC now says it’s safe to get both vaccines at once, she says. “The body’s immune response and side effects are generally the same as when getting one vaccine alone.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you do get two shots on the same day, expect to get each vaccine in a different arm, which may reduce any pain and swelling that might occur.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>What about my COVID-19 booster shot — can I get that at the same time as my flu shot?\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Right now, third doses of COVID-19 vaccine are authorized only for people with certain immunocompromised conditions. If you qualify, you can get that extra dose and the flu shot on the same day. Once boosters are more broadly authorized, “we’ll be able to co-administer those shots with flu shots as well,” said Lisa Kalajian, a district manager for CVS Health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11838735\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1900px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11838735\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/09/shots.png\" alt=\"A person is seated receiving their flu shot from a medical professional\" width=\"1900\" height=\"1267\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/09/shots.png 1900w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/09/shots-800x533.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/09/shots-1020x680.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/09/shots-160x107.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/09/shots-1536x1024.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Where can you get a free flu shot near you? And when should you get it? \u003ccite>(Homeless Coalition Flu Shot Clinic/Flickr)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>The delta variant is making me anxious about going to the doctor’s office or pharmacy for a flu shot this year. Are there other choices?\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>If you’re concerned, aim for an off hour and call to make sure the provider (as well as you) will be masked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re still worried, check with local clinics to see if there are any outdoor flu shot clinics in your area.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>How do I make sure I get the right flu shot for me and my family?\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>“While the most important thing is to get any flu shot, there are some specialized flu shots for specific groups,” says Pavia. The key is usually age.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kids 8 and younger who are getting the flu shot for the first time need two doses, given a month apart, says \u003ca href=\"https://www.bcm.edu/people-search/flor-munoz-rivas-27227\">Dr. Flor Munoz-Rivas,\u003c/a> a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Baylor College of Medicine. Strong immunity doesn’t kick in until two weeks after the second shot, “so parents should be scheduling these shots now,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Immune systems weaken with age. That’s why the CDC recommends that adults 65 and older get vaccinated with one of two souped-up flu shots: either the Fluzone High-Dose Quadrivalent vaccine or the FLUAD Quadrivalent vaccine. Both are designed to elicit a more robust immune response. If neither is available, then any flu shot is a good choice.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca id=\"pregnancy\">\u003c/a>I’m pregnant. Should I get a flu shot?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Yes. And if you’re in your third trimester, the CDC advises you get a flu shot ASAP so you can pass on the protection to your newborn from day 1. “Babies can’t get the flu shot until they are 6 months old but are protected by their mother’s antibodies from a flu shot — if she gets the shot — until 6 months, when they can get their own flu vaccine,” says Grohskopf. Just be sure to get the shot, not the nasal spray.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>I have an allergy to eggs and heard I can’t get a flu shot. Is that true?\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Not really, says the CDC’s Grohskopf.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s true that most flu shots and one nasal spray flu vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration are manufactured using egg-based technology, so they contain a small amount of egg proteins. But studies of both the nasal spray and the shots found that allergic reactions are very rare.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two egg-free vaccines are available: Flublok Quadrivalent (for people 18 and older) and Flucelvax Quadrivalent (which is approved for ages 2 and up this season). But the CDC says people with a history of egg allergy can get any licensed, age-appropriate flu vaccine. If you have a history of severe allergic reaction to eggs, the CDC recommends you get your shot at a location where the staff can treat you if a rare allergic reaction does occur.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>I’m willing to take my chances, so why should I get the flu vaccine?\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>With the pandemic still raging, skipping the flu shot is a much riskier proposition, says Dr. \u003ca href=\"https://www.mountsinai.org/profiles/bernard-camins\">Bernard Camins, \u003c/a>an infectious disease physician at the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City. “You could get the flu and need care but find hospitals overwhelmed because of COVID, or get the flu and get COVID. And especially if you are not vaccinated against the coronavirus, [you] run the risk of your immune system being overwhelmed by two viruses at the same time.” Getting back-to-back infections could result in more serious illness, since the first infection may have already weakened your lungs, says \u003ca href=\"https://einsteinmed.org/faculty/13966/priya-nori/#:~:text=Nori%20is%20associate%20professor%20of,surgery%20at%20Einstein%20and%20Montefiore.&text=Nori%20is%20associate%20professor%20of%20medicine%20and%20of%20orthopaedics%20at,antimicrobial%20stewardship%20program%20at%20Montefiore.\">Dr. Priya Nori\u003c/a>, an infectious disease specialist at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>If I’m already vaccinated against COVID-19, does getting the flu shot mean I’m doubly protected and no longer have to wear a mask?\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Not at all. “Don’t stop the public health measures,” says Pavia. Distancing, wearing a mask and washing your hands, especially after coughs and sneezes, can improve the chances that you and others will not get the flu — or COVID-19.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca id=\"where\">\u003c/a>Where can I get a flu shot if I have insurance?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>If you have health insurance, a flu shot is available free without cost as a preventive service from your usual doctor or most pharmacies. (See below.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Make sure you’re wearing your mask, maintain social distancing wherever possible while waiting for your shot and dress in a top with sleeves you can easily pull up to your shoulder to make receiving the injection even easier (and quicker.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Common places to find a flu shot appointment, walk-in site or drive-thru flu shot:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://vaccinefinder.org/find-vaccine\">CDC’s Vaccine Finder tool\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org/ncal/cold-and-flu/prevention#/prevention\">Kaiser Permanente flu shots (Northern California) \u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cvs.com/immunizations/flu\">CVS flu shots\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.walgreens.com/topic/pharmacy/seasonal-flu.jsp?ban=flu_fy21_influenzapage\">Walgreens flu shots \u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.costco.com/Pharmacy/adult-immunization-program.html\">Costco Pharmacy flu shots\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch3>Where can I get a flu shot if I \u003cem>don’t\u003c/em> have health insurance?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>If you want a flu shot but don’t have health insurance, you can get the vaccine free of charge from several providers and community clinics around the Bay Area. (You can also technically use these free services even if you do have insurance, but you may consider choosing to free up these particular resources for those who are not covered.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For a start, your county’s own public health department might offer them. For example, Santa Clara County is once again offering \u003ca href=\"https://publichealth.sccgov.org/disease-information/influenza-flu\">free flu shots at the County Fairgrounds in San Jose this year\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Anyone can walk or bike up to the fairgrounds (parking is also available for those with disabilities) without an appointment and get vaccinated, regardless of insurance or immigration status. The county says that \u003ca href=\"https://publichealth.sccgov.org/disease-information/influenza-flu\">free flu shots will also soon become available at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Centers.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Places to get a free or low-cost flu shot in the Bay Area include:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfcdcp.org/aitc/aitc-regular-prices-low-cost-or-free-vaccines/low-cost-or-free-vaccines-at-aitc/#stategf\">San Francisco Public Health’s AITC Immunization & Travel Clinic\u003c/a> (offers a pay-what-you-can option, and says that nobody will be refused for inability to pay)\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://cchealth.org/immunization/clinics.php#Uninsured\">Contra Costa Public Health Immunization Clinics\u003c/a> (flu shots are $15 for adults over 19, but fees may be waived if you’re unable to pay)\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://acphd.org/clinics/\">Alameda County Immunization Clinics\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[ad fullwidth]\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>And a reminder … the flu vaccine can’t ‘give you the flu’\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The virus that the flu shot contains has been inactivated or severely weakened, so \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/misconceptions.htm#:~:text=Can%20a%20flu%20vaccine%20give,protein%20from%20the%20flu%20virus.\">you just aren’t physically able to “get the flu” from your flu shot, says the CDC\u003c/a>. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/general.htm\">flu vaccine can cause side effects like any medical product\u003c/a>, but they’re “generally mild and go away on their own within a few days,” the agency says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Common flu shot side effects can include soreness or swelling at the injection site, headache, fever, nausea and muscle aches. But not flu.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Carly Severn contributed to this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=It%27s+Time+For+A+Flu+Shot.+Here%27s+What+You+Need+To+Know&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Answers to your questions about flu shots, from how it works with the COVID-19 vaccines and boosters to where to find a free or low-cost flu shot near you.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Go straight to:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#time\">When’s the best time to get a flu shot?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#covid\">How does the flu shot work with the COVID vaccine?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#pregnancy\">What if I’m pregnant or have allergies?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#where\">Where can I get a flu shot near me in the Bay Area — with or without insurance?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>With all the talk about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11885531/covid-booster-shots-to-roll-out-in-september-in-the-u-s-health-officials-say\">COVID-19 vaccines and boosters\u003c/a>, it’s easy to forget that there’s another respiratory virus poised to strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yes, it’s that familiar winter nemesis, the flu. And there are vaccines to help ward it off — but also misinformation and fears circulating. “We’ve been concerned about vaccine fatigue and that people will be confused about whether or when they need the flu shot, and not very eager to once again roll up their sleeve,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.nfid.org/about-nfid/board-of-directors/william-schaffner-md/\">Dr. William Schaffner\u003c/a>, medical director of the National Foundation of Infectious Diseases. “Flu is a nasty virus and worth protecting against.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Two reasons make getting vaccinated against the flu the wise choice,” he says. “First, it’s been proven year after year that you’re in better shape to fight off the flu if you get the vaccine. Second, by getting vaccinated against the flu, you help protect the people around you.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s a guide to getting yourself vaccinated against another potentially fatal virus.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>I heard the flu essentially disappeared last year. Do I really need a flu shot this year?\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Yes. Last year saw a record-low number of flu cases, likely thanks to widespread mask wearing, remote work and school, and physical distancing. But this year, experts fear that the reopening of schools, decreased adherence to pandemic precautions and surging delta variant infections could create a double whammy: a very serious flu and COVID-19-season. Already, \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/rsv/index.html\">cases of RSV, a serious respiratory virus in children, are spiking.\u003c/a> “This suggests that flu will be back [too],” says\u003ca href=\"https://www.immunize.org/aboutus/litjen_tan_bio.asp\"> LJ Tan,\u003c/a> executive director of the\u003ca href=\"https://www.immunize.org/\"> Immunization Action Coalition\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>Who should get a flu shot?\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Anyone 6 months and older, unless your doctor has specifically recommended that you not get a flu shot because of a prior, rare, severe reaction, says Dr. Lisa Grohskopf, a medical officer in the influenza division at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca id=\"time\">\u003c/a>When’s the best time to get the flu shot?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Why not now?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Flu season starts in October in the U.S. While there’s some concern that immunity might wane before the end of flu season in May if you get the vaccine too early, there’s not enough data to know the optimal time to get the shot, Grohskopf says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/flu/season/faq-flu-season-2021-2022.htm\">The CDC says aim to get your flu vaccine by the end of October\u003c/a>. By then, cases will have started to mount, and many people will be just a few weeks away from travel for Thanksgiving and Christmas. That said, “getting vaccinated at any time during the flu season [can] still be beneficial,” says \u003ca href=\"https://healthcare.utah.edu/fad/mddetail.php?physicianID=u0028338&name=andrew-t-pavia\">Dr. Andrew Pavia, chief of the pediatric infectious diseases division at the University of Utah Health\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Why do I hear folks talking about ‘waiting’ to get their flu shot?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>As Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, UCSF professor of medicine, told KQED last year, the recommendations medical professionals make about when to get a flu shot are based on the fact that it takes about two weeks after you get vaccinated for antibodies to develop and provide protection against the flu.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is evidence, Chin-Hong said, that \u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28039340/\">your risk of getting the flu increases every month after your flu shot\u003c/a>, due to the antibodies waning over time. But when medical professionals talk about strategically “waiting” to get a flu shot, they’re aiming that advice at those who are at particularly high risk for more serious complications related to the flu. That includes people over 65, those with chronic medical conditions, people who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy and kids under 5. \u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#pregnancy\">Read more about pregnancy and the flu shot. \u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Delaying inoculations for these populations is based on the idea of getting the shot at a time Chin-Hong called “the sweet spot,” around mid-to-late October. Two weeks later, right around early November, the antibodies should have developed, just as flu season is getting serious.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Think of it as getting the “biggest bang for your buck,” Chin-Hong said. But ultimately, he added, “Don’t hem and haw about when to get it,” — because there’s a risk you may wind up forgetting to get it at all. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11838604/when-should-you-get-your-flu-shot\">Read more about who might consider delaying their flu shot.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>Will the flu vaccine definitely keep me from getting the flu? \u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>No. No vaccine is 100% effective. But if you do get the flu, the vaccine is likely to reduce your chance of getting very sick, being hospitalized or dying, Pavia says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before last year,\u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/index.html\"> tens of thousands of people\u003c/a> were hospitalized or died from the flu each year, usually people who weren’t vaccinated.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca id=\"covid\">\u003c/a>Can I get the flu and COVID-19 vaccines at the same time?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Absolutely. The CDC had previously recommended spacing out the timing of the COVID-19 vaccine and other immunizations because the vaccines were so new, but “that guidance has changed,” says Grohskopf. The CDC now says it’s safe to get both vaccines at once, she says. “The body’s immune response and side effects are generally the same as when getting one vaccine alone.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you do get two shots on the same day, expect to get each vaccine in a different arm, which may reduce any pain and swelling that might occur.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>What about my COVID-19 booster shot — can I get that at the same time as my flu shot?\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Right now, third doses of COVID-19 vaccine are authorized only for people with certain immunocompromised conditions. If you qualify, you can get that extra dose and the flu shot on the same day. Once boosters are more broadly authorized, “we’ll be able to co-administer those shots with flu shots as well,” said Lisa Kalajian, a district manager for CVS Health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11838735\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1900px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11838735\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/09/shots.png\" alt=\"A person is seated receiving their flu shot from a medical professional\" width=\"1900\" height=\"1267\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/09/shots.png 1900w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/09/shots-800x533.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/09/shots-1020x680.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/09/shots-160x107.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/09/shots-1536x1024.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Where can you get a free flu shot near you? And when should you get it? \u003ccite>(Homeless Coalition Flu Shot Clinic/Flickr)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>The delta variant is making me anxious about going to the doctor’s office or pharmacy for a flu shot this year. Are there other choices?\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>If you’re concerned, aim for an off hour and call to make sure the provider (as well as you) will be masked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re still worried, check with local clinics to see if there are any outdoor flu shot clinics in your area.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>How do I make sure I get the right flu shot for me and my family?\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>“While the most important thing is to get any flu shot, there are some specialized flu shots for specific groups,” says Pavia. The key is usually age.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kids 8 and younger who are getting the flu shot for the first time need two doses, given a month apart, says \u003ca href=\"https://www.bcm.edu/people-search/flor-munoz-rivas-27227\">Dr. Flor Munoz-Rivas,\u003c/a> a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Baylor College of Medicine. Strong immunity doesn’t kick in until two weeks after the second shot, “so parents should be scheduling these shots now,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Immune systems weaken with age. That’s why the CDC recommends that adults 65 and older get vaccinated with one of two souped-up flu shots: either the Fluzone High-Dose Quadrivalent vaccine or the FLUAD Quadrivalent vaccine. Both are designed to elicit a more robust immune response. If neither is available, then any flu shot is a good choice.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca id=\"pregnancy\">\u003c/a>I’m pregnant. Should I get a flu shot?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Yes. And if you’re in your third trimester, the CDC advises you get a flu shot ASAP so you can pass on the protection to your newborn from day 1. “Babies can’t get the flu shot until they are 6 months old but are protected by their mother’s antibodies from a flu shot — if she gets the shot — until 6 months, when they can get their own flu vaccine,” says Grohskopf. Just be sure to get the shot, not the nasal spray.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>I have an allergy to eggs and heard I can’t get a flu shot. Is that true?\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Not really, says the CDC’s Grohskopf.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s true that most flu shots and one nasal spray flu vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration are manufactured using egg-based technology, so they contain a small amount of egg proteins. But studies of both the nasal spray and the shots found that allergic reactions are very rare.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two egg-free vaccines are available: Flublok Quadrivalent (for people 18 and older) and Flucelvax Quadrivalent (which is approved for ages 2 and up this season). But the CDC says people with a history of egg allergy can get any licensed, age-appropriate flu vaccine. If you have a history of severe allergic reaction to eggs, the CDC recommends you get your shot at a location where the staff can treat you if a rare allergic reaction does occur.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>I’m willing to take my chances, so why should I get the flu vaccine?\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>With the pandemic still raging, skipping the flu shot is a much riskier proposition, says Dr. \u003ca href=\"https://www.mountsinai.org/profiles/bernard-camins\">Bernard Camins, \u003c/a>an infectious disease physician at the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City. “You could get the flu and need care but find hospitals overwhelmed because of COVID, or get the flu and get COVID. And especially if you are not vaccinated against the coronavirus, [you] run the risk of your immune system being overwhelmed by two viruses at the same time.” Getting back-to-back infections could result in more serious illness, since the first infection may have already weakened your lungs, says \u003ca href=\"https://einsteinmed.org/faculty/13966/priya-nori/#:~:text=Nori%20is%20associate%20professor%20of,surgery%20at%20Einstein%20and%20Montefiore.&text=Nori%20is%20associate%20professor%20of%20medicine%20and%20of%20orthopaedics%20at,antimicrobial%20stewardship%20program%20at%20Montefiore.\">Dr. Priya Nori\u003c/a>, an infectious disease specialist at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>If I’m already vaccinated against COVID-19, does getting the flu shot mean I’m doubly protected and no longer have to wear a mask?\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Not at all. “Don’t stop the public health measures,” says Pavia. Distancing, wearing a mask and washing your hands, especially after coughs and sneezes, can improve the chances that you and others will not get the flu — or COVID-19.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca id=\"where\">\u003c/a>Where can I get a flu shot if I have insurance?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>If you have health insurance, a flu shot is available free without cost as a preventive service from your usual doctor or most pharmacies. (See below.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Make sure you’re wearing your mask, maintain social distancing wherever possible while waiting for your shot and dress in a top with sleeves you can easily pull up to your shoulder to make receiving the injection even easier (and quicker.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Common places to find a flu shot appointment, walk-in site or drive-thru flu shot:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://vaccinefinder.org/find-vaccine\">CDC’s Vaccine Finder tool\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org/ncal/cold-and-flu/prevention#/prevention\">Kaiser Permanente flu shots (Northern California) \u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cvs.com/immunizations/flu\">CVS flu shots\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.walgreens.com/topic/pharmacy/seasonal-flu.jsp?ban=flu_fy21_influenzapage\">Walgreens flu shots \u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.costco.com/Pharmacy/adult-immunization-program.html\">Costco Pharmacy flu shots\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch3>Where can I get a flu shot if I \u003cem>don’t\u003c/em> have health insurance?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>If you want a flu shot but don’t have health insurance, you can get the vaccine free of charge from several providers and community clinics around the Bay Area. (You can also technically use these free services even if you do have insurance, but you may consider choosing to free up these particular resources for those who are not covered.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For a start, your county’s own public health department might offer them. For example, Santa Clara County is once again offering \u003ca href=\"https://publichealth.sccgov.org/disease-information/influenza-flu\">free flu shots at the County Fairgrounds in San Jose this year\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Anyone can walk or bike up to the fairgrounds (parking is also available for those with disabilities) without an appointment and get vaccinated, regardless of insurance or immigration status. The county says that \u003ca href=\"https://publichealth.sccgov.org/disease-information/influenza-flu\">free flu shots will also soon become available at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Centers.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Places to get a free or low-cost flu shot in the Bay Area include:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfcdcp.org/aitc/aitc-regular-prices-low-cost-or-free-vaccines/low-cost-or-free-vaccines-at-aitc/#stategf\">San Francisco Public Health’s AITC Immunization & Travel Clinic\u003c/a> (offers a pay-what-you-can option, and says that nobody will be refused for inability to pay)\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://cchealth.org/immunization/clinics.php#Uninsured\">Contra Costa Public Health Immunization Clinics\u003c/a> (flu shots are $15 for adults over 19, but fees may be waived if you’re unable to pay)\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://acphd.org/clinics/\">Alameda County Immunization Clinics\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>And a reminder … the flu vaccine can’t ‘give you the flu’\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The virus that the flu shot contains has been inactivated or severely weakened, so \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/misconceptions.htm#:~:text=Can%20a%20flu%20vaccine%20give,protein%20from%20the%20flu%20virus.\">you just aren’t physically able to “get the flu” from your flu shot, says the CDC\u003c/a>. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/general.htm\">flu vaccine can cause side effects like any medical product\u003c/a>, but they’re “generally mild and go away on their own within a few days,” the agency says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Common flu shot side effects can include soreness or swelling at the injection site, headache, fever, nausea and muscle aches. But not flu.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Carly Severn contributed to this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=It%27s+Time+For+A+Flu+Shot.+Here%27s+What+You+Need+To+Know&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "why-california-workers-are-still-dying-from-heat-despite-protections",
"title": "Why California Workers Are Still Dying From Heat — Despite Protections",
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"headTitle": "Why California Workers Are Still Dying From Heat — Despite Protections | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>In the summer of 2005, a terrible three-week heat wave swept the West, driving temperatures to triple-digit levels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Four farmworkers working the fields of central California died.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state quickly put in place emergency orders, which evolved into the first workplace heat standards in the nation: Employers would have to give employees water, rest and shade as they toiled in high temperatures. Until then, there were no rules when it came to hot weather and the workplace.[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Frank Polizzi, Cal/OSHA spokesperson\"]‘We believe that virtually all heat-related deaths and illnesses can be prevented. Periods of high heat are part of our new reality worldwide, and definitely in California.’[/pullquote]Since then, California has seen hotter average temperatures in 12 of the past 16 years. Even as the climate emergency has grown more acute, the state’s once-groundbreaking heat-safety rules have not kept pace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Public health experts and federal workplace regulators say they consider heat-related illness and death to be 100% preventable. But California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health — Cal/OSHA — the agency that enforces the heat standard, has been chronically underfunded and understaffed. The result, according to dozens of interviews, a review of government records and an analysis of worker heat-death cases: Farmworkers, firefighters, construction workers and others required to work in hot environments continue to die.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state’s failure to adequately invest in Cal/OSHA has undercut the agency’s ability to crack down on companies that violate the heat standard. Its most recent budget request admitted as much, describing enforcement as “minimal to non-existent due to the lack of occupational health inspectors.” Rising temperatures caused by climate change have compounded the problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some say the standard is already obsolete.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a startling point of view considering that California’s heat standard is held up as a model. Its water, rest and shade measures are considered both stringent and eminently achievable by former and current officials at the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Workers’ rights advocates and OSHA officials have decried the lack of a similar standard to protect workers nationwide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Absent that safeguard, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/08/17/1026154042/hundreds-of-workers-have-died-from-heat-in-the-last-decade-and-its-getting-worse\">workers of color across the country have borne the brunt of dangerous heat in the U.S.\u003c/a>, according to an investigation by Columbia Journalism Investigations, NPR, KPCC and The California Newsroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA declined multiple requests for on-the-record interviews for this story. In response to 39 written questions from CJI and The California Newsroom, the agency stressed the need for businesses to do their part to help stem the problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We believe that virtually all heat-related deaths and illnesses can be prevented,” Frank Polizzi, a Cal/OSHA spokesperson, wrote in a response on Aug. 13, 2021. “Periods of high heat are part of our new reality worldwide, and definitely in California.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Where things stand\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Over the past 10 years — during a period when state regulators lowered temperature limits that trigger workplace protections from 85 to 80 degrees — nearly four dozen California workers died from heatstroke and other heat-related illnesses. The deaths occurred across the state but were concentrated in the lower Central Valley, in and around Bakersfield, according to an analysis of federal data on worker heat deaths by CJI and NPR.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Experts say the official death count doesn’t begin to reflect heat’s toll on workers. California, unlike other states, doesn’t record the number of serious worker injuries involving overnight hospital stays due to heatstroke and other heat-related illnesses. That makes it difficult to understand heat’s full impact on the state’s workforce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11886406\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/DSCF1824-scaled-e1630006553116.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11886406 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/DSCF1824-scaled-e1630006553116.jpg\" alt=\"A woman wearing a long-sleeved shirt, T-shirt, apron, neck wrap, visor, mask and surgical gloves pulls leeks beneath a cloudless sky.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1635\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Farmworker Sonia Bonce harvests leeks on a 90-degree day at Muranaka Farms in Moorpark. \u003ccite>(Jacob Margolis/LAist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Jisung Park, an economist at UCLA, studies the effects of rising temperatures on the labor force. Using a computer model of temperature increases over 20 years and workers’ compensation claims, he estimates that heat sickens, or contributes to injuries among, at least 15,000 California workers each year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Park attributes the gap in part to misclassified injuries. Heat, for example, can cause a construction worker standing on a ladder to fall and get hurt, but the injury likely won’t be categorized as heat-related. Heat illnesses also occur at lower temperatures than expected; Park has found that workers experienced heat exhaustion and similar conditions on days when the temperature was as low as 75 degrees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"related coverage\" tag=california workers\"]Cal/OSHA said in its written response that the data the agency collects is not comparable to Park’s analysis. Insiders within the agency acknowledge the limitations of official data, however, and endorse the analysis. The agency also defended its record and said inspectors investigate every heat complaint reported by workers and advocates. In 2019, for instance, Cal/OSHA conducted more than 4,000 heat-related inspections and cited employers in 47% of them. Heat inspections, citations and fines have increased almost every year since the standard has been in effect, except for 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic affected such activities across the board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, Cal/OSHA insiders say that accelerating temperatures across the state — especially in the thousands of miles of valleys, where temperatures now exceed 100 degrees more than a dozen times a year — have \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/08/17/1028542777/workers-are-dying-of-heat-outdoors-without-standards-to-protect-them\">made the 16-year-old standard outdated\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Extreme heat costs lives. CJI and NPR reporters analyzed 267 worker heat deaths recorded by the U.S. Department of Labor between 2010 and 2020 and compared the high temperature on the date of each incident to historic averages over 40 years. More than 66% of these deaths occurred when temperatures reached at least 90 degrees. In California — one of two states where at least 40 workers died — almost half of all deaths happened on days that were unusually hot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What we’ve seen over the last few years, certainly since I was chief of OSHA, is catastrophic warming of the earth,” said Ellen Widess, who led Cal/OSHA from 2011 to 2013. “The hundreds of thousands of farmworkers we depend on are extremely vulnerable, exploitable, dependent on these jobs, even in high heat.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>The current standards\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>While water always needs to be available, once the thermometer reads 80 degrees, California’s heat standard kicks in. Employers are required to provide shade to their workers. Companies must ease workers into a job to enable them to adapt to hot temperatures, a practice known as acclimatization.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11886413\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/water-shade-1.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11886413\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/water-shade-1.png\" alt=\"Two photos, one of a freestanding shade structure, one of a water cooler atop a plastic basket, both in the middle of a field.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/water-shade-1.png 3639w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/water-shade-1-800x262.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/water-shade-1-1020x334.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/water-shade-1-160x52.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/water-shade-1-1536x503.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/water-shade-1-2048x670.png 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/water-shade-1-1920x628.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">California’s heat standard mandates that shade and water be available to workers throughout the day, as seen here at Muranaka Farms in Moorpark. \u003ccite>(Jason Margolis/LAist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At 95 degrees, employers must offer additional safeguards: a 10-minute break every two hours, a team meeting to remind workers of the signs of heat illness, and the designation of an employee to call emergency services in the event of a heat incident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Is it enough?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Widess, who says she was forced out at Cal/OSHA during Jerry Brown’s third term as governor, said the state’s standard has “certainly improved” over the years but “remains inadequate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s also the issue of enforcement. The United Farm Workers has twice sued Cal/OSHA for what the labor group claimed was a systemic failure to enforce the rule. After a six-year legal battle, in 2015 the agency agreed to:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Commission enforcement audits.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Create a system to monitor heat-related worker complaints.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Set up a UFW-affiliated hotline so workers could report employers who flouted the standard.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Increase inspections and crack down on repeat offenders.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>In the five years since Cal/OSHA tightened its standard, agency data shows it issued thousands of citations. Most citations involved employers that didn’t offer heat training or prepare written heat-stress plans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The audit reports, obtained by CJI and The California Newsroom, show that Cal/OSHA often failed to interview eyewitnesses about heat complaints if an inspector couldn’t find an obvious violation. At times, job sites named in complaints were dismantled and moved before an OSHA inspector ever reached them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency has fewer than 200 inspectors in total to police a state with 18 million workers. According to Cal/OSHA, it has only 35 employees working in enforcement who speak Spanish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11886418\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/DSCF1833-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11886418 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/DSCF1833-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Three men in wide-brimmed hats chat near a stack of leeks in the middle of a field.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/DSCF1833-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/DSCF1833-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/DSCF1833-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/DSCF1833-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/DSCF1833-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/DSCF1833-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/DSCF1833-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Farmworker Juan Chavez speaks with colleagues while harvesting leeks on a 90-degree day at Muranaka Farms in Moorpark. \u003ccite>(Jason Margolis/LAist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Garrett Brown, a former Cal/OSHA inspector who also served as a special assistant to Widess, has tracked the agency’s staff vacancies for years. As of July 31, at least 25% of its about 250 inspector positions remained open. About 33% of posts in its legal division were unfilled as of June, according to an analysis published on Brown’s website, \u003ca href=\"https://insidecalosha.org/\">Inside Cal/OSHA\u003c/a>. With such high turnover, Brown said, the agency’s inspectors simply can’t keep up with complaints. Were Cal/OSHA inspectors to visit every farm in the state annually, they’d be outmatched by the sheer number: There are more than 350 farms for each inspector.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA said it is hiring inspectors as “quickly as possible,” noting the 70 inspector positions it has filled since January 2020. Twenty-three of those posts involved internal promotions, resulting in additional vacancies. The agency denied it has experienced any hiring delays and said the candidate pool for workplace safety inspectors “is smaller than for other state classifications.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA lawyers often are outnumbered when companies appeal a citation by legal teams that flood the agency with paperwork to escape enforcement until the cases are resolved, Brown said.\u003cbr>\n[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An independent study commissioned by Cal/OSHA identified the need for as many as 258 additional positions. Earlier this year, Gov. Gavin Newsom released his budget that included $14.4 million for 70 new posts. Only a small fraction of those will be inspectors. In a statement to CJI and The California Newsroom, the governor’s office said it is considering a phased-in approach for hiring more Cal/OSHA employees in the future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The most recent Cal/OSHA chief, Doug Parker, is awaiting confirmation to head federal OSHA, leaving the state agency without a permanent leader.[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Garrett Brown, former Cal/OSHA inspector\"]‘You have an agency that’s barely able to do what it’s supposed to do and presents no threat to irresponsible employers.’[/pullquote]“You have an agency that’s barely able to do what it’s supposed to do,” Brown said, “and presents no threat to irresponsible employers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA laid out additional ways it is attempting to improve its enforcement practices, such as streamlining the citation process and reviewing protocols for closing cases. The agency said even one work-related fatality or serious illness is “too many.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Cal/OSHA investigates all notifications of suspect work-related fatalities to determine the cause, identify violations and require employers to correct unsafe or unhealthy conditions,” the agency said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>A repeat offender\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>In 2017, a 16-year-old girl working in a watermelon field in Sutter grew ill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Cal/OSHA inspectors visited the field where the teenager had collapsed, they couldn’t examine the worksite because the harvest had finished and the workers had moved to a new location. Cal/OSHA interviewed the worker and her mother through a translator and cited the company that hired them, Ceja Reyes, for not making them aware of the dangers of heat. Cal/OSHA fined the company $31,365 and told it to make sure all employees received heat training.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ceja Reyes, based in Sutter County, provides contract farm laborers. Cal/OSHA has cited the company for at least six heat violations in the last decade — many of them after the agency said Ceja Reyes failed to properly train workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Roberto Ceja, president and partner at Ceja Reyes, refuted Cal/OSHA’s findings. He said in an interview that the mother and daughter had been trained, but the company forgot to have them sign off on their training sheets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly two years after the teenager got sick on the job, Cal/OSHA found that Ceja Reyes failed to provide its heat plan to an inspector who made an on-site visit. Cal/OSHA fined the company another $635 for failing to make the plan readily available to workers. Cal/OSHA’s heat program coordinator suggested in the investigative file that Ceja Reyes be considered a repeat offender in the case, which would have meant higher possible fines for similar violations in the future. But the acting district manager at the time declined that designation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ceja blamed Cal/OSHA for the string of violations. He said inspectors interpret the law in various ways, making it impossible for farms and contractors to keep up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t think their inspectors have plenty of training before they send [them] to the field,” Ceja said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ceja said he supports more stringent heat rules, such as halting all work at 95 degrees, which he said his company does in most cases.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Why it matters\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Put into practice, heat standards can work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In September of last year, Sonia Bonce was working at the Muranaka Farm in Moorpark. The temperature was rising steadily, and it was beyond 90 degrees by lunchtime.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11886420\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/DSCF1854-scaled-e1631073034135.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11886420 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/DSCF1854-scaled-e1631073034135.jpg\" alt=\"A line of five vehicles at the edge of a rocky field, with car doors and trunks propped open for workers to sit and lean.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Workers at Muranaka Farms take a break from harvesting leeks to eat lunch. \u003ccite>(Jason Margolis/LAist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>When Bonce stood up to take a lunch break and began walking toward the shade, her vision became blurry, her legs weak. She passed out and hit her head. The farm’s foreman, recognizing the signs of heat-related illness, alerted a supervisor, who called an ambulance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She felt exhausted and sore for a couple of days; otherwise, there were no lingering physical effects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bonce, who has worked the fields since leaving El Salvador more than a decade ago, was spared serious injury or death in part because of her employer’s buy-in. Muranaka’s supervisors noticed the warning signs of heat illness and responded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other employers have not been as attentive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maria Jimenez, 17, traveled 2,500 miles from her hometown of Oaxaca, Mexico, to rural Lodi to find work after her father died. Her uncle, Doroteo Jimenez, had worked in the area for two decades. Maria was employed by Merced Farm Labor Contractors and soon found herself tying grapes into bundles at a local vineyard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On May 14, 2008, the temperature rose to 86 degrees, seven degrees hotter than the average high for that date over the previous 40 years. Maria was working in the vineyard without shade or water breaks, as required by the heat-safety rules. She became dehydrated and fainted. Another employee took her to a drugstore to try to revive her with rubbing alcohol before bringing her to a hospital.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By then, it was too late. Jimenez had a core body temperature of 108 degrees — hot enough for the brain, liver and kidneys to shut down. Her heart stopped six times while doctors tried to revive her. It was then they learned she was pregnant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Joaquin County filed criminal manslaughter charges against the owner, safety director and supervisor of Merced Farm, which eventually was shuttered by the state. Cal/OSHA imposed a fine of more than $250,000. In 2011, the company’s executives pleaded no contest to failing to provide shade and were sentenced to community service, $1,370 in fines and no jail time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When a company supervisor first contacted him by phone when his niece collapsed, Doroteo Jimenez remembers the supervisor saying she was dizzy. He didn’t think it was that serious. He only realized the gravity of her injuries when he went to visit her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At that point, I couldn’t even talk to her anymore,” he said. She died the next day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ordeal prompted Doroteo and his wife, Juana, to join union leaders and other activists to push for farmworker protections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91240378\">Hundreds of workers walked with Doroteo and Juana some 50 miles to the state Capitol carrying two coffins\u003c/a> over several days to draw attention to Maria’s death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Four years later, the state fortified its heat standard. This time, the state required employers to make water readily available, expand shade coverage and increase the number of breaks. In 2018, on the 10th anniversary of Jimenez’s death, the standard was renamed in her memory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There have been many deaths before,” Doroteo said in Spanish through a translator. “I said that I am going to do something that would not just be thrown away.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>A broader problem\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>California’s farmworkers aren’t the only workers dying from heat. In the last decade, there have been 10 deaths in construction and four deaths in landscaping.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For California’s workers, the difference between a heat standard that works and one that doesn’t often hinges on employers’ good faith.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sonia Bonce, the farmworker at Muranaka, said in Spanish through a translator that she appreciates how her employer responded to her bout with heat exhaustion. The company agreed to cover her medical expenses, including the cost of the ambulance. She was allowed to take off the two work days she needed to recuperate, though she said she had to forgo her earnings those days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11886425\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/DSCF1766-scaled-e1630008683701.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11886425 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/DSCF1766-scaled-e1630008683701.jpg\" alt=\"A tractor rolls thorough a field of leeks.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Farmworkers processing a field of leeks on a 90-degree day at Muranaka Farms. \u003ccite>(Jason Margolis/LAist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The UFW’s Roman Pinal, who organizes laborers in California’s fields, commended the farm’s management for allowing workers to speak up whenever they see problems — a rarity, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Valuing human lives and a little bit less the production,” Pinal said. “That’s when we’re heading in the right direction.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But many employers aren’t as conscientious. Until Cal/OSHA hires more inspectors and becomes more proactive, former inspector Brown said, the agency won’t make significant headway against heat deaths.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even with increased inspections, California’s existing heat standard may need another boost. In Moorpark, for instance, where Muranaka Farm is located, the average maximum temperature has risen one degree in the 16 years since the standard was implemented.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some Cal/OSHA insiders said state lawmakers should consider mandating a split work day for outdoor laborers to address the ever-escalating temperatures. During the record-breaking heat wave that blanketed the Pacific Northwest in June, many farms switched to early morning and late-evening hours so workers could avoid the most punishing conditions. Public health officials already recommend that workers avoid midday heat whenever possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Others advocate for more drastic labor reforms, such as canceling work on days above 105 degrees. The human body, they say, is simply not equipped to endure such temperatures over long periods.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Enhanced protections can’t come soon enough. At Muranaka Farm in June, a crew of sweat-soaked farmworkers harvested leeks under the scorching sun. The temperature exceeded 90 degrees that day — the second day of an early heat wave. Nearly two dozen laborers, aligned in a row on their hands and knees, plucked the long-stemmed plants from the dirt. They sliced off extraneous leaves with their knives and tossed the vegetables into a pile.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Already this summer, Bonce has felt heat overtake her while she is in the fields. Her chest grows tight and her head spins. Recognizing the warning signs, she’s taken some time off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is hot. It’s not easy work,” Bonce said. “We are struggling every single day to do this.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Brian Edwards reported this story as a fellow for Columbia Journalism Investigations, an investigative reporting unit at the Columbia Journalism School in New York. Jacob Margolis is a reporter at KPCC and LAist, and a member of The California Newsroom. David Nickerson, a reporting fellow at CJI; Robert Benincasa, a senior data reporter at NPR; and Cascade Tuholske, a climate impact scientist at Columbia University’s Earth Institute, contributed to the data analysis. Public Health Watch, an independent investigative nonprofit, helped produce this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was supported by the Fund for Investigative Journalism.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "California is seen as a nationwide leader in hot-weather protections, but its workers are still getting sick and dying from heat. Experts and insiders say climate change and a dysfunctional workplace regulatory agency are to blame.",
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"title": "Why California Workers Are Still Dying From Heat — Despite Protections | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In the summer of 2005, a terrible three-week heat wave swept the West, driving temperatures to triple-digit levels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Four farmworkers working the fields of central California died.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state quickly put in place emergency orders, which evolved into the first workplace heat standards in the nation: Employers would have to give employees water, rest and shade as they toiled in high temperatures. Until then, there were no rules when it came to hot weather and the workplace.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘We believe that virtually all heat-related deaths and illnesses can be prevented. Periods of high heat are part of our new reality worldwide, and definitely in California.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Since then, California has seen hotter average temperatures in 12 of the past 16 years. Even as the climate emergency has grown more acute, the state’s once-groundbreaking heat-safety rules have not kept pace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Public health experts and federal workplace regulators say they consider heat-related illness and death to be 100% preventable. But California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health — Cal/OSHA — the agency that enforces the heat standard, has been chronically underfunded and understaffed. The result, according to dozens of interviews, a review of government records and an analysis of worker heat-death cases: Farmworkers, firefighters, construction workers and others required to work in hot environments continue to die.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state’s failure to adequately invest in Cal/OSHA has undercut the agency’s ability to crack down on companies that violate the heat standard. Its most recent budget request admitted as much, describing enforcement as “minimal to non-existent due to the lack of occupational health inspectors.” Rising temperatures caused by climate change have compounded the problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some say the standard is already obsolete.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a startling point of view considering that California’s heat standard is held up as a model. Its water, rest and shade measures are considered both stringent and eminently achievable by former and current officials at the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Workers’ rights advocates and OSHA officials have decried the lack of a similar standard to protect workers nationwide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Absent that safeguard, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/08/17/1026154042/hundreds-of-workers-have-died-from-heat-in-the-last-decade-and-its-getting-worse\">workers of color across the country have borne the brunt of dangerous heat in the U.S.\u003c/a>, according to an investigation by Columbia Journalism Investigations, NPR, KPCC and The California Newsroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA declined multiple requests for on-the-record interviews for this story. In response to 39 written questions from CJI and The California Newsroom, the agency stressed the need for businesses to do their part to help stem the problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We believe that virtually all heat-related deaths and illnesses can be prevented,” Frank Polizzi, a Cal/OSHA spokesperson, wrote in a response on Aug. 13, 2021. “Periods of high heat are part of our new reality worldwide, and definitely in California.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Where things stand\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Over the past 10 years — during a period when state regulators lowered temperature limits that trigger workplace protections from 85 to 80 degrees — nearly four dozen California workers died from heatstroke and other heat-related illnesses. The deaths occurred across the state but were concentrated in the lower Central Valley, in and around Bakersfield, according to an analysis of federal data on worker heat deaths by CJI and NPR.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Experts say the official death count doesn’t begin to reflect heat’s toll on workers. California, unlike other states, doesn’t record the number of serious worker injuries involving overnight hospital stays due to heatstroke and other heat-related illnesses. That makes it difficult to understand heat’s full impact on the state’s workforce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11886406\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/DSCF1824-scaled-e1630006553116.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11886406 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/DSCF1824-scaled-e1630006553116.jpg\" alt=\"A woman wearing a long-sleeved shirt, T-shirt, apron, neck wrap, visor, mask and surgical gloves pulls leeks beneath a cloudless sky.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1635\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Farmworker Sonia Bonce harvests leeks on a 90-degree day at Muranaka Farms in Moorpark. \u003ccite>(Jacob Margolis/LAist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Jisung Park, an economist at UCLA, studies the effects of rising temperatures on the labor force. Using a computer model of temperature increases over 20 years and workers’ compensation claims, he estimates that heat sickens, or contributes to injuries among, at least 15,000 California workers each year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Park attributes the gap in part to misclassified injuries. Heat, for example, can cause a construction worker standing on a ladder to fall and get hurt, but the injury likely won’t be categorized as heat-related. Heat illnesses also occur at lower temperatures than expected; Park has found that workers experienced heat exhaustion and similar conditions on days when the temperature was as low as 75 degrees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Cal/OSHA said in its written response that the data the agency collects is not comparable to Park’s analysis. Insiders within the agency acknowledge the limitations of official data, however, and endorse the analysis. The agency also defended its record and said inspectors investigate every heat complaint reported by workers and advocates. In 2019, for instance, Cal/OSHA conducted more than 4,000 heat-related inspections and cited employers in 47% of them. Heat inspections, citations and fines have increased almost every year since the standard has been in effect, except for 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic affected such activities across the board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, Cal/OSHA insiders say that accelerating temperatures across the state — especially in the thousands of miles of valleys, where temperatures now exceed 100 degrees more than a dozen times a year — have \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/08/17/1028542777/workers-are-dying-of-heat-outdoors-without-standards-to-protect-them\">made the 16-year-old standard outdated\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Extreme heat costs lives. CJI and NPR reporters analyzed 267 worker heat deaths recorded by the U.S. Department of Labor between 2010 and 2020 and compared the high temperature on the date of each incident to historic averages over 40 years. More than 66% of these deaths occurred when temperatures reached at least 90 degrees. In California — one of two states where at least 40 workers died — almost half of all deaths happened on days that were unusually hot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What we’ve seen over the last few years, certainly since I was chief of OSHA, is catastrophic warming of the earth,” said Ellen Widess, who led Cal/OSHA from 2011 to 2013. “The hundreds of thousands of farmworkers we depend on are extremely vulnerable, exploitable, dependent on these jobs, even in high heat.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>The current standards\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>While water always needs to be available, once the thermometer reads 80 degrees, California’s heat standard kicks in. Employers are required to provide shade to their workers. Companies must ease workers into a job to enable them to adapt to hot temperatures, a practice known as acclimatization.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11886413\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/water-shade-1.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11886413\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/water-shade-1.png\" alt=\"Two photos, one of a freestanding shade structure, one of a water cooler atop a plastic basket, both in the middle of a field.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/water-shade-1.png 3639w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/water-shade-1-800x262.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/water-shade-1-1020x334.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/water-shade-1-160x52.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/water-shade-1-1536x503.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/water-shade-1-2048x670.png 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/water-shade-1-1920x628.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">California’s heat standard mandates that shade and water be available to workers throughout the day, as seen here at Muranaka Farms in Moorpark. \u003ccite>(Jason Margolis/LAist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At 95 degrees, employers must offer additional safeguards: a 10-minute break every two hours, a team meeting to remind workers of the signs of heat illness, and the designation of an employee to call emergency services in the event of a heat incident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Is it enough?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Widess, who says she was forced out at Cal/OSHA during Jerry Brown’s third term as governor, said the state’s standard has “certainly improved” over the years but “remains inadequate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s also the issue of enforcement. The United Farm Workers has twice sued Cal/OSHA for what the labor group claimed was a systemic failure to enforce the rule. After a six-year legal battle, in 2015 the agency agreed to:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Commission enforcement audits.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Create a system to monitor heat-related worker complaints.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Set up a UFW-affiliated hotline so workers could report employers who flouted the standard.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Increase inspections and crack down on repeat offenders.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>In the five years since Cal/OSHA tightened its standard, agency data shows it issued thousands of citations. Most citations involved employers that didn’t offer heat training or prepare written heat-stress plans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The audit reports, obtained by CJI and The California Newsroom, show that Cal/OSHA often failed to interview eyewitnesses about heat complaints if an inspector couldn’t find an obvious violation. At times, job sites named in complaints were dismantled and moved before an OSHA inspector ever reached them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency has fewer than 200 inspectors in total to police a state with 18 million workers. According to Cal/OSHA, it has only 35 employees working in enforcement who speak Spanish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11886418\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/DSCF1833-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11886418 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/DSCF1833-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Three men in wide-brimmed hats chat near a stack of leeks in the middle of a field.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/DSCF1833-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/DSCF1833-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/DSCF1833-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/DSCF1833-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/DSCF1833-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/DSCF1833-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/DSCF1833-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Farmworker Juan Chavez speaks with colleagues while harvesting leeks on a 90-degree day at Muranaka Farms in Moorpark. \u003ccite>(Jason Margolis/LAist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Garrett Brown, a former Cal/OSHA inspector who also served as a special assistant to Widess, has tracked the agency’s staff vacancies for years. As of July 31, at least 25% of its about 250 inspector positions remained open. About 33% of posts in its legal division were unfilled as of June, according to an analysis published on Brown’s website, \u003ca href=\"https://insidecalosha.org/\">Inside Cal/OSHA\u003c/a>. With such high turnover, Brown said, the agency’s inspectors simply can’t keep up with complaints. Were Cal/OSHA inspectors to visit every farm in the state annually, they’d be outmatched by the sheer number: There are more than 350 farms for each inspector.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA said it is hiring inspectors as “quickly as possible,” noting the 70 inspector positions it has filled since January 2020. Twenty-three of those posts involved internal promotions, resulting in additional vacancies. The agency denied it has experienced any hiring delays and said the candidate pool for workplace safety inspectors “is smaller than for other state classifications.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA lawyers often are outnumbered when companies appeal a citation by legal teams that flood the agency with paperwork to escape enforcement until the cases are resolved, Brown said.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An independent study commissioned by Cal/OSHA identified the need for as many as 258 additional positions. Earlier this year, Gov. Gavin Newsom released his budget that included $14.4 million for 70 new posts. Only a small fraction of those will be inspectors. In a statement to CJI and The California Newsroom, the governor’s office said it is considering a phased-in approach for hiring more Cal/OSHA employees in the future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The most recent Cal/OSHA chief, Doug Parker, is awaiting confirmation to head federal OSHA, leaving the state agency without a permanent leader.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘You have an agency that’s barely able to do what it’s supposed to do and presents no threat to irresponsible employers.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“You have an agency that’s barely able to do what it’s supposed to do,” Brown said, “and presents no threat to irresponsible employers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA laid out additional ways it is attempting to improve its enforcement practices, such as streamlining the citation process and reviewing protocols for closing cases. The agency said even one work-related fatality or serious illness is “too many.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Cal/OSHA investigates all notifications of suspect work-related fatalities to determine the cause, identify violations and require employers to correct unsafe or unhealthy conditions,” the agency said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>A repeat offender\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>In 2017, a 16-year-old girl working in a watermelon field in Sutter grew ill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Cal/OSHA inspectors visited the field where the teenager had collapsed, they couldn’t examine the worksite because the harvest had finished and the workers had moved to a new location. Cal/OSHA interviewed the worker and her mother through a translator and cited the company that hired them, Ceja Reyes, for not making them aware of the dangers of heat. Cal/OSHA fined the company $31,365 and told it to make sure all employees received heat training.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ceja Reyes, based in Sutter County, provides contract farm laborers. Cal/OSHA has cited the company for at least six heat violations in the last decade — many of them after the agency said Ceja Reyes failed to properly train workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Roberto Ceja, president and partner at Ceja Reyes, refuted Cal/OSHA’s findings. He said in an interview that the mother and daughter had been trained, but the company forgot to have them sign off on their training sheets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly two years after the teenager got sick on the job, Cal/OSHA found that Ceja Reyes failed to provide its heat plan to an inspector who made an on-site visit. Cal/OSHA fined the company another $635 for failing to make the plan readily available to workers. Cal/OSHA’s heat program coordinator suggested in the investigative file that Ceja Reyes be considered a repeat offender in the case, which would have meant higher possible fines for similar violations in the future. But the acting district manager at the time declined that designation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ceja blamed Cal/OSHA for the string of violations. He said inspectors interpret the law in various ways, making it impossible for farms and contractors to keep up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t think their inspectors have plenty of training before they send [them] to the field,” Ceja said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ceja said he supports more stringent heat rules, such as halting all work at 95 degrees, which he said his company does in most cases.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Why it matters\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Put into practice, heat standards can work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In September of last year, Sonia Bonce was working at the Muranaka Farm in Moorpark. The temperature was rising steadily, and it was beyond 90 degrees by lunchtime.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11886420\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/DSCF1854-scaled-e1631073034135.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11886420 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/DSCF1854-scaled-e1631073034135.jpg\" alt=\"A line of five vehicles at the edge of a rocky field, with car doors and trunks propped open for workers to sit and lean.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Workers at Muranaka Farms take a break from harvesting leeks to eat lunch. \u003ccite>(Jason Margolis/LAist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>When Bonce stood up to take a lunch break and began walking toward the shade, her vision became blurry, her legs weak. She passed out and hit her head. The farm’s foreman, recognizing the signs of heat-related illness, alerted a supervisor, who called an ambulance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She felt exhausted and sore for a couple of days; otherwise, there were no lingering physical effects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bonce, who has worked the fields since leaving El Salvador more than a decade ago, was spared serious injury or death in part because of her employer’s buy-in. Muranaka’s supervisors noticed the warning signs of heat illness and responded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other employers have not been as attentive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maria Jimenez, 17, traveled 2,500 miles from her hometown of Oaxaca, Mexico, to rural Lodi to find work after her father died. Her uncle, Doroteo Jimenez, had worked in the area for two decades. Maria was employed by Merced Farm Labor Contractors and soon found herself tying grapes into bundles at a local vineyard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On May 14, 2008, the temperature rose to 86 degrees, seven degrees hotter than the average high for that date over the previous 40 years. Maria was working in the vineyard without shade or water breaks, as required by the heat-safety rules. She became dehydrated and fainted. Another employee took her to a drugstore to try to revive her with rubbing alcohol before bringing her to a hospital.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By then, it was too late. Jimenez had a core body temperature of 108 degrees — hot enough for the brain, liver and kidneys to shut down. Her heart stopped six times while doctors tried to revive her. It was then they learned she was pregnant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Joaquin County filed criminal manslaughter charges against the owner, safety director and supervisor of Merced Farm, which eventually was shuttered by the state. Cal/OSHA imposed a fine of more than $250,000. In 2011, the company’s executives pleaded no contest to failing to provide shade and were sentenced to community service, $1,370 in fines and no jail time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When a company supervisor first contacted him by phone when his niece collapsed, Doroteo Jimenez remembers the supervisor saying she was dizzy. He didn’t think it was that serious. He only realized the gravity of her injuries when he went to visit her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At that point, I couldn’t even talk to her anymore,” he said. She died the next day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ordeal prompted Doroteo and his wife, Juana, to join union leaders and other activists to push for farmworker protections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91240378\">Hundreds of workers walked with Doroteo and Juana some 50 miles to the state Capitol carrying two coffins\u003c/a> over several days to draw attention to Maria’s death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Four years later, the state fortified its heat standard. This time, the state required employers to make water readily available, expand shade coverage and increase the number of breaks. In 2018, on the 10th anniversary of Jimenez’s death, the standard was renamed in her memory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There have been many deaths before,” Doroteo said in Spanish through a translator. “I said that I am going to do something that would not just be thrown away.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>A broader problem\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>California’s farmworkers aren’t the only workers dying from heat. In the last decade, there have been 10 deaths in construction and four deaths in landscaping.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For California’s workers, the difference between a heat standard that works and one that doesn’t often hinges on employers’ good faith.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sonia Bonce, the farmworker at Muranaka, said in Spanish through a translator that she appreciates how her employer responded to her bout with heat exhaustion. The company agreed to cover her medical expenses, including the cost of the ambulance. She was allowed to take off the two work days she needed to recuperate, though she said she had to forgo her earnings those days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11886425\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/DSCF1766-scaled-e1630008683701.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11886425 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/DSCF1766-scaled-e1630008683701.jpg\" alt=\"A tractor rolls thorough a field of leeks.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Farmworkers processing a field of leeks on a 90-degree day at Muranaka Farms. \u003ccite>(Jason Margolis/LAist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The UFW’s Roman Pinal, who organizes laborers in California’s fields, commended the farm’s management for allowing workers to speak up whenever they see problems — a rarity, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Valuing human lives and a little bit less the production,” Pinal said. “That’s when we’re heading in the right direction.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But many employers aren’t as conscientious. Until Cal/OSHA hires more inspectors and becomes more proactive, former inspector Brown said, the agency won’t make significant headway against heat deaths.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even with increased inspections, California’s existing heat standard may need another boost. In Moorpark, for instance, where Muranaka Farm is located, the average maximum temperature has risen one degree in the 16 years since the standard was implemented.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some Cal/OSHA insiders said state lawmakers should consider mandating a split work day for outdoor laborers to address the ever-escalating temperatures. During the record-breaking heat wave that blanketed the Pacific Northwest in June, many farms switched to early morning and late-evening hours so workers could avoid the most punishing conditions. Public health officials already recommend that workers avoid midday heat whenever possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Others advocate for more drastic labor reforms, such as canceling work on days above 105 degrees. The human body, they say, is simply not equipped to endure such temperatures over long periods.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Enhanced protections can’t come soon enough. At Muranaka Farm in June, a crew of sweat-soaked farmworkers harvested leeks under the scorching sun. The temperature exceeded 90 degrees that day — the second day of an early heat wave. Nearly two dozen laborers, aligned in a row on their hands and knees, plucked the long-stemmed plants from the dirt. They sliced off extraneous leaves with their knives and tossed the vegetables into a pile.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Already this summer, Bonce has felt heat overtake her while she is in the fields. Her chest grows tight and her head spins. Recognizing the warning signs, she’s taken some time off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is hot. It’s not easy work,” Bonce said. “We are struggling every single day to do this.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Brian Edwards reported this story as a fellow for Columbia Journalism Investigations, an investigative reporting unit at the Columbia Journalism School in New York. Jacob Margolis is a reporter at KPCC and LAist, and a member of The California Newsroom. David Nickerson, a reporting fellow at CJI; Robert Benincasa, a senior data reporter at NPR; and Cascade Tuholske, a climate impact scientist at Columbia University’s Earth Institute, contributed to the data analysis. Public Health Watch, an independent investigative nonprofit, helped produce this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was supported by the Fund for Investigative Journalism.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>In the past month, four emergency room nurses — exhausted by the onslaught of patients and emotional turmoil wrought by COVID-19 — have quit at the Eureka hospital where Matt Miele works.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Miele, who has been a trauma nurse for four years, is actively looking for a less stressful nursing position and has colleagues who are, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“On the bad days, I think, ‘What am I doing and is this what I want to be doing?'” Miele said. “It’s shifting me to my core.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Around California — and the nation — nurses are trading in high-pressure jobs for a career change, early retirement or less demanding assignments, leading to staffing shortages in many hospitals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hospitals are struggling to comply with the state’s nurse staffing requirements as pandemic-induced burnout has exacerbated an already chronic nursing shortage nationwide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But burnout isn’t the only thing compounding California’s nursing shortage: The state’s \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/coronavirus/2021/08/california-healthcare-vaccinations-mandate/\">new vaccine mandate for health care workers\u003c/a> is already causing headaches for understaffed hospitals before it is even implemented. Some traveling nurses — who are in high demand nationwide — are turning down California assignments because they don’t want to get vaccinated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hospitals say they are reaching a crisis point, straining under the dual forces of more people seeking routine care and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/coronavirus/2020/04/california-coronavirus-covid-patient-hospitalization-data-icu/\">surging COVID-19 hospitalizations\u003c/a> driven by the delta variant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size='medium' align='right' citation=\"Dr. Tom Sugarman, Emergency Physician\"]‘There’s not enough staff to keep beds open, and patients can languish waiting.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Oftentimes at hospitals there are long waits and long delays,” said Dr. Tom Sugarman, an emergency physician in the East Bay and senior director of government affairs at Vituity, a physicians’ group. “There’s not enough staff to keep beds open, and patients can languish waiting.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In March 2020, the California Department of Public Health \u003ca href=\"https://files.covid19.ca.gov/pdf/Aya-healthcare-inc-CDPH.pdf\">contracted with Aya Healthcare\u003c/a> — one of the nation’s largest traveling nurse providers — to pay up to $1 billion over six months to help hospitals meet nursing and other clinical staff shortages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Department officials did not respond to multiple requests about the number of hospitals now seeking emergency staffing, and would not release the updated contract.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/8.16.21-EO-N-12-21.pdf\">signed an executive order\u003c/a> reinstating emergency provisions aimed at ensuring adequate staffing. In part, the order allows health care workers from out of state to work in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Unprecedented staff shortages\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Before the pandemic, nursing shortages were common in most areas of the state, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://oshpd.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Registered-Nurse-Shortage-Areas-Report.pdf\">Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now the pandemic has stretched resources to a breaking point.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hospitals, some with \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/coronavirus/2021/08/california-covid/\">more COVID-19 patients now than during the winter surge\u003c/a>, say they are confronting unprecedented staffing shortages, particularly among nurses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All of our hospitals are saying staffing is a big problem,” said Lois Richardson, attorney for the California Hospital Association. “We have fewer personnel than at the beginning of the pandemic and more patients.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size='medium' align='right' citation=\"Lois Richardson, California Hospital Association\"]‘We have fewer personnel than at the beginning of the pandemic and more patients.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The staffing shortage is so severe that Scripps Health is considering temporarily consolidating some of its outpatient centers. Scripps, which has five hospitals and 28 outpatient clinics in the San Diego area, told CalMatters that it is serving nearly 20% more patients on average than before the pandemic. At the same time, job openings at the hospitals have increased 57% since August 2019. For nursing jobs alone, vacancies have increased 96%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve had some staff leave the organization or leave the industry as a whole because they’re burned out,” said Eric Cole, corporate senior vice president of human resources for Scripps. “They’ll wake up in the morning and call off the shift. They’ve done as much as they can do.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Emotional and physical exhaustion is the primary reason nurses are fleeing the bedside, experts say. It has been a long and brutal 18 months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We thought the pandemic would be over soon and could take time later to deal with our emotions,” said Zenei Triunfo-Cortez, president of National Nurses United, the largest nursing union in the country, which has more than 100,000 members in its California association. “Then the \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/coronavirus/2021/01/california-hospitals-covid-cases/\">second surge\u003c/a> hit, and the third and now it’s the fourth.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mary Lynn Briggs, an ICU nurse in Bakersfield, said that of the dozens of COVID-19 patients she has treated since the pandemic began, only three have survived.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Some days coming home from the hospital I yell at God, I yell at myself, I yell at COVID and cry. And that’s all before I pull into my driveway,” Briggs said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her workplace has lost more staff than they can hire, and that means the ones who are left have to pick up the slack.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size='medium' align='right' citation=\"Mary Lynn Briggs, ICU Nurse\"]‘Some days coming home from the hospital I yell at God, I yell at myself, I yell at COVID and cry. And that’s all before I pull into my driveway.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There have been multiple nights where I swear I am tired and I need a night off, and then I get a call from somebody saying we’re going to give the nurse three patients, so I go in because I don’t want anyone to work out of ratio,” Briggs said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Out of ratio” means that a nurse is assigned too many patients. California is the only state that caps the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/what-does-california-ratios-law-actually-require\">number of patients that can be assigned to a single nurse\u003c/a>. Under state requirements, for instance, an ICU nurse can have no more than two patients and an emergency room nurse, no more than four.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In December, during the winter surge, emergency waivers for the ratios were granted to hospitals throughout the state, allowing ICU nurses to see three patients, for instance. Critics say the conditions threatened patient safety.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom’s order last week did not reinstate the waivers of the nurse-patient ratios, which expired on Feb. 8. Individual facilities, however, can still apply for them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I would not be surprised if they reapply for waivers,” union president Triunfo-Cortez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state health department did not respond to requests seeking information on whether hospitals have applied for staffing waivers in response to the shortages.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Vaccine mandate complicates staffing\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Hospital administrators worry that the state’s \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/coronavirus/2021/08/california-healthcare-vaccinations-mandate/\">vaccine mandate\u003c/a> for health care workers, which goes into effect Sept. 30, could drive some of their workers out. Already, some report resistance among employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“One hospital told us they had 474 unvaccinated employees. They did a big education and incentive push. Only 12 people signed up,” said Richardson, the hospital association’s attorney.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"Related Stories\" postID=news_11883989,news_11882632,news_11885623]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Administrators are particularly concerned about low vaccination rates among support staff like janitors and food service workers. However, some nurses also are wary of the COVID-19 vaccine. Some nurses with large social media followings have participated in \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/vaccine-mandates-spread-protests-follow-spurred-nurses-rcna1654\">protests in Southern California\u003c/a>, arguing that the mandates violate their personal freedom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vaccine order allows only for narrow religious and medical exemptions. Until Sept. 30, unvaccinated workers must undergo weekly COVID-19 testing. The state nursing association issued a statement saying “all eligible people should be vaccinated.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While California was first in the nation to impose a vaccine mandate for health care workers, other states have since joined in, but their mandates aren’t as broad.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cole of Scripps Health said the state’s \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/2021/07/california-vaccine-requirements-workers/\">testing requirement\u003c/a>, imposed this week, already has discouraged some out-of-state, traveling nurses from taking temporary jobs at California hospitals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If they don’t want to get vaccinated, they are turning down California assignments,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Traveling nurses in high demand\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>To contend with local shortages, hospitals are increasingly turning to hiring temporary, traveling nurses from around the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the past 18 months, Janet Stovall, a traveling ICU nurse for more than 20 years, has worked in hospitals in the Imperial Valley town of Brawley; Visalia; Wichita, Kan.; and now Folsom and Alameda — and all of them have been running on “very lean staffing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Last night there were ambulances waiting just to get into the ER to be evaluated … They pulled a nurse from the ICU to help with the ER, and we worked without a charge nurse or a break nurse,” Stovall said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stovall said traveling nurses like her are in high demand. At one hospital, “we hadn’t even finished orientation when the VP of patient services called and said, ‘You need to leave right now, test out of orientation, and be at work by 11 p.m.,'” Stovall said. “That’s how desperate they are.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size='medium' align='right' citation=\"Sophia Morris, Vice President of Account Management at Aya Healthcare\"]‘In the 16 years I’ve been in this space, I have never seen this high a need.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sophia Morris, vice president of account management at \u003ca href=\"https://www.ayahealthcare.com/\">Aya Healthcare\u003c/a>, said California has the second highest number of positions posted for nurses, exceeded only by Texas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nationwide more than 52,000 temporary health care jobs are posted, and Aya is only able to fill about 3,000 per week, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the 16 years I’ve been in this space, I have never seen this high a need,” Morris said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That need is creating intense competition for a limited pool of nurses nationwide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nurses are getting paid premiums to work in Texas and Florida where it’s surging right now,” Sugarman said. “Those nurses have to come from somewhere, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some are coming from California.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hospitals have been paying twice as much as pre-pandemic times for travelers, Morris said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To entice nurses to come to California, the state Department of Public Health agreed to pay up to $145 per hour for Aya’s ICU nurses and more if a facility had a “critical need.” Stovall, who works for Aya, said between October and December 2020, she was paid $10,000 per week with an additional $2,000 if she picked up an extra shift.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s working — but not without consequences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The money is pulling full-time staff nurses into traveling positions, further aggravating the staffing shortage nationwide. Stovall, who is based in North Carolina, said her sister-in-law took a week’s vacation from a full-time nursing gig to pick up an $8,000 traveling contract. She also convinced a longtime friend, Candace Brim, to leave her staff position and travel during the height of the pandemic in December.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everywhere we go people ask, ‘Can we get your recruiter’s number? We’ve given it out 20 times,'” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"More Coronavirus Coverage\" tag=\"coronavirus\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Traveling has been key to helping them avoid burnout, Brim and Stovall said. It’s rewarding to be able to come in and “save the situation” at hospitals in dire need of extra hands, Brim said, and the money is good enough that they can afford to take weeks off at a time after difficult assignments. Their contracts in Folsom and Alameda last until Thanksgiving.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“By the time we finish our contract in November, we will have enough money to sit home the rest of November and December all through the holidays,” Stovall said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Time off has helped them cope with the somber realities of treating COVID-19 patients in the ICU: In the past seven months, every COVID patient Brim and Stovall treated has died.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We took care of about 65 COVID patients in Brawley and not a single one made it,” Stovall said. “We coded one every night. Before [COVID-19], you could make a difference in someone’s life. Now I will do anything for a patient, and it does not make a difference …Three days later they don’t make it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Will so many nurses burn out and leave the profession that California will face long-term shortages? It’s possible. Pre-pandemic, one projection said California will be \u003ca href=\"https://bhw.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/bureau-health-workforce/data-research/nchwa-hrsa-nursing-report.pdf\">short more than 44,000 nurses\u003c/a> by 2030, while other studies suggested that there will be an \u003ca href=\"https://www.rn.ca.gov/pdfs/forms/forecast2019.pdf\">adequate supply of new graduates\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11886461\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1092px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11886461\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/082421_travelingnurses_AW_sized_02-e1630013055384.jpeg\" alt=\"Nurses in scrubs stand in front of a hospital gurney\" width=\"1092\" height=\"728\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In the past seven months, every COVID patient that Janet Stovall (left) and Candace Brim treated has died. “We took care of about 65 COVID patients in Brawley and not a single one made it,” Stovall said. “We coded one every night … Before [COVID], you could make a difference in someone’s life. Now I will do anything for a patient, and it does not make a difference.” \u003ccite>(Anne Wernikoff/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Low staffing stresses out ER nurses\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In Humboldt County, all floors are at full capacity at the hospital where ER nurse Miele works. Humboldt is one of the areas experiencing record-setting COVID-19 hospitalizations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Miele has had patients who waited 10 to 12 hours in the emergency room. Sometimes, the patients he checks on at 9:30 p.m. before he leaves are still in the waiting room the next morning when he returns to work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“To me it seems like the lowest staffing levels that I’ve seen at the time we need it the most,” he said, adding that he frequently works at a patient-to-emergency-room-nurse ratio that exceeds the four-to-one required by the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People are triaged in the waiting room “like a mass casualty patient event,” getting their initial assessments and tests ordered before ever seeing the inside of an examination room. He said he worries because staff are unable to routinely monitor the patients in the waiting rooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His hospital hasn’t yet rationed care by prioritizing who gets treated based on who is most likely to survive, but it is being discussed, Miele said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Stress is part of the game when you sign up to be an emergency medicine RN,” he said, “but this is another level.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In the past month, four emergency room nurses — exhausted by the onslaught of patients and emotional turmoil wrought by COVID-19 — have quit at the Eureka hospital where Matt Miele works.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Miele, who has been a trauma nurse for four years, is actively looking for a less stressful nursing position and has colleagues who are, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“On the bad days, I think, ‘What am I doing and is this what I want to be doing?'” Miele said. “It’s shifting me to my core.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Around California — and the nation — nurses are trading in high-pressure jobs for a career change, early retirement or less demanding assignments, leading to staffing shortages in many hospitals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hospitals are struggling to comply with the state’s nurse staffing requirements as pandemic-induced burnout has exacerbated an already chronic nursing shortage nationwide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But burnout isn’t the only thing compounding California’s nursing shortage: The state’s \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/coronavirus/2021/08/california-healthcare-vaccinations-mandate/\">new vaccine mandate for health care workers\u003c/a> is already causing headaches for understaffed hospitals before it is even implemented. Some traveling nurses — who are in high demand nationwide — are turning down California assignments because they don’t want to get vaccinated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hospitals say they are reaching a crisis point, straining under the dual forces of more people seeking routine care and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/coronavirus/2020/04/california-coronavirus-covid-patient-hospitalization-data-icu/\">surging COVID-19 hospitalizations\u003c/a> driven by the delta variant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘There’s not enough staff to keep beds open, and patients can languish waiting.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Oftentimes at hospitals there are long waits and long delays,” said Dr. Tom Sugarman, an emergency physician in the East Bay and senior director of government affairs at Vituity, a physicians’ group. “There’s not enough staff to keep beds open, and patients can languish waiting.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In March 2020, the California Department of Public Health \u003ca href=\"https://files.covid19.ca.gov/pdf/Aya-healthcare-inc-CDPH.pdf\">contracted with Aya Healthcare\u003c/a> — one of the nation’s largest traveling nurse providers — to pay up to $1 billion over six months to help hospitals meet nursing and other clinical staff shortages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Department officials did not respond to multiple requests about the number of hospitals now seeking emergency staffing, and would not release the updated contract.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/8.16.21-EO-N-12-21.pdf\">signed an executive order\u003c/a> reinstating emergency provisions aimed at ensuring adequate staffing. In part, the order allows health care workers from out of state to work in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Unprecedented staff shortages\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Before the pandemic, nursing shortages were common in most areas of the state, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://oshpd.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Registered-Nurse-Shortage-Areas-Report.pdf\">Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now the pandemic has stretched resources to a breaking point.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hospitals, some with \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/coronavirus/2021/08/california-covid/\">more COVID-19 patients now than during the winter surge\u003c/a>, say they are confronting unprecedented staffing shortages, particularly among nurses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All of our hospitals are saying staffing is a big problem,” said Lois Richardson, attorney for the California Hospital Association. “We have fewer personnel than at the beginning of the pandemic and more patients.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The staffing shortage is so severe that Scripps Health is considering temporarily consolidating some of its outpatient centers. Scripps, which has five hospitals and 28 outpatient clinics in the San Diego area, told CalMatters that it is serving nearly 20% more patients on average than before the pandemic. At the same time, job openings at the hospitals have increased 57% since August 2019. For nursing jobs alone, vacancies have increased 96%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve had some staff leave the organization or leave the industry as a whole because they’re burned out,” said Eric Cole, corporate senior vice president of human resources for Scripps. “They’ll wake up in the morning and call off the shift. They’ve done as much as they can do.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Emotional and physical exhaustion is the primary reason nurses are fleeing the bedside, experts say. It has been a long and brutal 18 months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We thought the pandemic would be over soon and could take time later to deal with our emotions,” said Zenei Triunfo-Cortez, president of National Nurses United, the largest nursing union in the country, which has more than 100,000 members in its California association. “Then the \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/coronavirus/2021/01/california-hospitals-covid-cases/\">second surge\u003c/a> hit, and the third and now it’s the fourth.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mary Lynn Briggs, an ICU nurse in Bakersfield, said that of the dozens of COVID-19 patients she has treated since the pandemic began, only three have survived.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Some days coming home from the hospital I yell at God, I yell at myself, I yell at COVID and cry. And that’s all before I pull into my driveway,” Briggs said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her workplace has lost more staff than they can hire, and that means the ones who are left have to pick up the slack.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘Some days coming home from the hospital I yell at God, I yell at myself, I yell at COVID and cry. And that’s all before I pull into my driveway.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There have been multiple nights where I swear I am tired and I need a night off, and then I get a call from somebody saying we’re going to give the nurse three patients, so I go in because I don’t want anyone to work out of ratio,” Briggs said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Out of ratio” means that a nurse is assigned too many patients. California is the only state that caps the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/what-does-california-ratios-law-actually-require\">number of patients that can be assigned to a single nurse\u003c/a>. Under state requirements, for instance, an ICU nurse can have no more than two patients and an emergency room nurse, no more than four.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In December, during the winter surge, emergency waivers for the ratios were granted to hospitals throughout the state, allowing ICU nurses to see three patients, for instance. Critics say the conditions threatened patient safety.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom’s order last week did not reinstate the waivers of the nurse-patient ratios, which expired on Feb. 8. Individual facilities, however, can still apply for them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I would not be surprised if they reapply for waivers,” union president Triunfo-Cortez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state health department did not respond to requests seeking information on whether hospitals have applied for staffing waivers in response to the shortages.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Vaccine mandate complicates staffing\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Hospital administrators worry that the state’s \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/coronavirus/2021/08/california-healthcare-vaccinations-mandate/\">vaccine mandate\u003c/a> for health care workers, which goes into effect Sept. 30, could drive some of their workers out. Already, some report resistance among employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“One hospital told us they had 474 unvaccinated employees. They did a big education and incentive push. Only 12 people signed up,” said Richardson, the hospital association’s attorney.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Administrators are particularly concerned about low vaccination rates among support staff like janitors and food service workers. However, some nurses also are wary of the COVID-19 vaccine. Some nurses with large social media followings have participated in \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/vaccine-mandates-spread-protests-follow-spurred-nurses-rcna1654\">protests in Southern California\u003c/a>, arguing that the mandates violate their personal freedom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vaccine order allows only for narrow religious and medical exemptions. Until Sept. 30, unvaccinated workers must undergo weekly COVID-19 testing. The state nursing association issued a statement saying “all eligible people should be vaccinated.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While California was first in the nation to impose a vaccine mandate for health care workers, other states have since joined in, but their mandates aren’t as broad.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cole of Scripps Health said the state’s \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/2021/07/california-vaccine-requirements-workers/\">testing requirement\u003c/a>, imposed this week, already has discouraged some out-of-state, traveling nurses from taking temporary jobs at California hospitals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If they don’t want to get vaccinated, they are turning down California assignments,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Traveling nurses in high demand\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>To contend with local shortages, hospitals are increasingly turning to hiring temporary, traveling nurses from around the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the past 18 months, Janet Stovall, a traveling ICU nurse for more than 20 years, has worked in hospitals in the Imperial Valley town of Brawley; Visalia; Wichita, Kan.; and now Folsom and Alameda — and all of them have been running on “very lean staffing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Last night there were ambulances waiting just to get into the ER to be evaluated … They pulled a nurse from the ICU to help with the ER, and we worked without a charge nurse or a break nurse,” Stovall said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stovall said traveling nurses like her are in high demand. At one hospital, “we hadn’t even finished orientation when the VP of patient services called and said, ‘You need to leave right now, test out of orientation, and be at work by 11 p.m.,'” Stovall said. “That’s how desperate they are.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘In the 16 years I’ve been in this space, I have never seen this high a need.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sophia Morris, vice president of account management at \u003ca href=\"https://www.ayahealthcare.com/\">Aya Healthcare\u003c/a>, said California has the second highest number of positions posted for nurses, exceeded only by Texas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nationwide more than 52,000 temporary health care jobs are posted, and Aya is only able to fill about 3,000 per week, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the 16 years I’ve been in this space, I have never seen this high a need,” Morris said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That need is creating intense competition for a limited pool of nurses nationwide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nurses are getting paid premiums to work in Texas and Florida where it’s surging right now,” Sugarman said. “Those nurses have to come from somewhere, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some are coming from California.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hospitals have been paying twice as much as pre-pandemic times for travelers, Morris said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To entice nurses to come to California, the state Department of Public Health agreed to pay up to $145 per hour for Aya’s ICU nurses and more if a facility had a “critical need.” Stovall, who works for Aya, said between October and December 2020, she was paid $10,000 per week with an additional $2,000 if she picked up an extra shift.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s working — but not without consequences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The money is pulling full-time staff nurses into traveling positions, further aggravating the staffing shortage nationwide. Stovall, who is based in North Carolina, said her sister-in-law took a week’s vacation from a full-time nursing gig to pick up an $8,000 traveling contract. She also convinced a longtime friend, Candace Brim, to leave her staff position and travel during the height of the pandemic in December.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everywhere we go people ask, ‘Can we get your recruiter’s number? We’ve given it out 20 times,'” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Traveling has been key to helping them avoid burnout, Brim and Stovall said. It’s rewarding to be able to come in and “save the situation” at hospitals in dire need of extra hands, Brim said, and the money is good enough that they can afford to take weeks off at a time after difficult assignments. Their contracts in Folsom and Alameda last until Thanksgiving.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“By the time we finish our contract in November, we will have enough money to sit home the rest of November and December all through the holidays,” Stovall said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Time off has helped them cope with the somber realities of treating COVID-19 patients in the ICU: In the past seven months, every COVID patient Brim and Stovall treated has died.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We took care of about 65 COVID patients in Brawley and not a single one made it,” Stovall said. “We coded one every night. Before [COVID-19], you could make a difference in someone’s life. Now I will do anything for a patient, and it does not make a difference …Three days later they don’t make it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Will so many nurses burn out and leave the profession that California will face long-term shortages? It’s possible. Pre-pandemic, one projection said California will be \u003ca href=\"https://bhw.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/bureau-health-workforce/data-research/nchwa-hrsa-nursing-report.pdf\">short more than 44,000 nurses\u003c/a> by 2030, while other studies suggested that there will be an \u003ca href=\"https://www.rn.ca.gov/pdfs/forms/forecast2019.pdf\">adequate supply of new graduates\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11886461\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1092px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11886461\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/082421_travelingnurses_AW_sized_02-e1630013055384.jpeg\" alt=\"Nurses in scrubs stand in front of a hospital gurney\" width=\"1092\" height=\"728\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In the past seven months, every COVID patient that Janet Stovall (left) and Candace Brim treated has died. “We took care of about 65 COVID patients in Brawley and not a single one made it,” Stovall said. “We coded one every night … Before [COVID], you could make a difference in someone’s life. Now I will do anything for a patient, and it does not make a difference.” \u003ccite>(Anne Wernikoff/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Low staffing stresses out ER nurses\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In Humboldt County, all floors are at full capacity at the hospital where ER nurse Miele works. Humboldt is one of the areas experiencing record-setting COVID-19 hospitalizations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Miele has had patients who waited 10 to 12 hours in the emergency room. Sometimes, the patients he checks on at 9:30 p.m. before he leaves are still in the waiting room the next morning when he returns to work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“To me it seems like the lowest staffing levels that I’ve seen at the time we need it the most,” he said, adding that he frequently works at a patient-to-emergency-room-nurse ratio that exceeds the four-to-one required by the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People are triaged in the waiting room “like a mass casualty patient event,” getting their initial assessments and tests ordered before ever seeing the inside of an examination room. He said he worries because staff are unable to routinely monitor the patients in the waiting rooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His hospital hasn’t yet rationed care by prioritizing who gets treated based on who is most likely to survive, but it is being discussed, Miele said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Leoncio Antonio Trejo Galdamez, 58, died in his son’s arms on June 29 after spending the day laying irrigation pipes in California’s Coachella Valley. News of his death reverberated through the largely Latino community near the Mexican and Arizona borders — another casualty in a dangerous business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Farmworkers are at the front lines of climate change. And, in some instances, we’re seeing a perfect storm battering our workers: COVID-19, wildfire smoke and heat,” said Leydy Rangel, a spokesperson for the United Farm Workers Foundation.[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Dr. Andrew Kassinove, emergency department physician at JFK Memorial Hospital in Indio\"]‘If we start seeing above 120 degrees in any regular capacity, we’re really in uncharted territory. The human body is not designed to exist in that kind of heat.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For workers like Trejo Galdamez, whose jobs depend on outdoor work, a few degrees can mean the difference between life and death. Farmworkers here wear long shirts, thick jeans, heavy boots and wide-brimmed hats to guard against the heat. Even so, ambulances are frequently called to the fields, and heat-related illness appears to be increasing in the area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The heat feels awful,” said Jaime Isidoro, 36. “You start to work, you start to sweat, and the shirt underneath gets drenched.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11886036\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11886036\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-1-800x534.jpeg\" alt=\"Farmworker Jaime Isidoro has been working in the California fields since he migrated from Puebla, Mexico, in 2000. Isidoro says that most farmworkers wear a thin shirt underneath their clothes to combat the heat. “You start to work, you start to sweat, and the shirt underneath gets drenched and you kind of feel refreshed when you’re bathed in sweat.” \" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-1-800x534.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-1-1020x681.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-1-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-1.jpeg 1350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Farmworker Jaime Isidoro has been working in the California fields since he migrated from Puebla, Mexico, in 2000. Isidoro says that most farmworkers wear a thin shirt underneath their clothes to combat the heat. ‘You start to work, you start to sweat, and the shirt underneath gets drenched and you kind of feel refreshed when you’re bathed in sweat.’ \u003ccite>(Heidi de Marco/KHN)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Born in Puebla, Mexico, Isidoro has been picking crops for two decades in the Coachella Valley. The region has one of the country’s longest growing seasons, providing most of America’s winter vegetables. It’s also home to hundreds of date farms, which thrive in the hot, dry climate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heat is a given here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A few years ago, my head started hurting. I started to get chills. I went to the clinic and they gave me a couple of shots,” said Isidoro. “They told me it was a heatstroke. You don’t know the symptoms. I didn’t know it was that until I had it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11886037\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11886037\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-4-800x534.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-4-800x534.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-4-1020x681.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-4-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-4.jpeg 1270w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jaime Isidoro plants fruit trees in his backyard during his time off and says he has noticed the summers getting hotter every year. ‘This is the first time this guava tree bore fruit,’ he says. ‘I was expecting a good crop, but the heat is too high and it’s burning the fruit.’ \u003ccite>(Heidi de Marco/KHN)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And the temperatures are getting more extreme.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Aug. 4, three of the desert communities in the region surpassed their daily recorded highs, hitting 122 degrees in Palm Springs and Thermal, and 120 in Indio. Thermal set a record for its hottest temperature ever for August at 121 degrees. California registered its hottest June and July.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heat is the leading weather-related cause of death in the United States: Heat stress killed 815 U.S. workers and seriously injured more than 70,000 workers from 1992 through 2017, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In California, heat-related emergency room visits increased by 35% from 2005 to 2015, the latest year for which data was readily available, with disproportionate increases among Black, Latino and Asian American communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Medical staffers in the Coachella Valley say they’ve treated a rising number of patients suffering from heat exhaustion or heatstroke in recent years. In 2018 California saw 6,152 emergency room visits due to heat-related illness. Riverside County, which includes Coachella, Indio and Palm Springs, has among the highest rates of heat-related ER visits in the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If we start seeing above 120 degrees in any regular capacity, we’re really in uncharted territory. The human body is not designed to exist in that kind of heat,” said Dr. Andrew Kassinove, emergency department physician and chief of staff at JFK Memorial Hospital in Indio.[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hospital regularly treats people who work outside for heat exhaustion, characterized by nausea, lightheadedness, fatigue, muscle cramping and dizziness. Less frequently they see heatstroke, a more dangerous condition whose symptoms include headache, confusion, vomiting, rapid heart rate, fainting and a failure to sweat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>JFK Memorial has treated 129 heat-related cases already this year, compared with 85 in all of 2020 and 75 in 2019, said hospital spokesperson Todd Burke. [aside postID=news_11866519,news_11878212]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Core body temperatures that are really elevated require lifesaving measures to treat them,” Kassinove said. As temperatures rise above the typical human temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, the body struggles to dissipate the heat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California has some of the strictest worker protections for heat exhaustion. A standard adopted by occupational safety officials in 2006 was the first in the country to apply to all outdoor jobs, mandating companies to provide workers with adequate shade, downtime and water. After a historic heat wave hit the Pacific Northwest this June, Oregon and Washington adopted similar protections. Some members of Congress have introduced a similar bill and want the Labor Department to establish federal standards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11886039\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11886039\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-5-800x534.jpeg\" alt=\"Aguileo Rangel Rojas, originally from Guanajuato, Mexico, has been working as a farmworker in Coachella since 2004. \" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-5-800x534.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-5-1020x681.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-5-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-5.jpeg 1350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Aguileo Rangel Rojas, originally from Guanajuato, Mexico, has been working as a farmworker in Coachella since 2004. \u003ccite>(Heidi de Marco/KHN)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But workers’ rights groups say the rules are not always enforced. And farmworkers, who are desperate for the money and often get paid per piece during harvests, often overlook their own safety, they say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Farmworkers are less likely to file complaints,” said the UFW’s Rangel. With no federal assistance during the pandemic, “they had no option. They had to keep showing up to work if they wanted to feed their family.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Latinos, who represent the majority of California farmworkers, are as a group more likely to have conditions that can be exacerbated by the heat, like high blood pressure and kidney disease.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Health workers stress the importance of hydration and urge the workers to consume less dehydrating soda, coffee and alcohol, said nurse practitioner Jose Banuelos at Coachella’s Central Neighborhood Health Foundation. “You can’t change your job if your job is outside. But I tell people to wear sunscreen and a protective coating.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The heat may also affect a patient’s use of medicines. Antipsychotics and antidepressants, for example, can reduce thirst and thus cause dehydration, as do diuretics, sometimes taken for swelling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Isidoro, who said he’s looking for other jobs, often sees fellow workers struggling in the fields. If they feel faint, they can sit in the shade, or jump in a nearby truck for air conditioning — or call 911 if symptoms persist. But it’s a point of pride not to show the heat is getting to you, he said — and calls to slow down are often met with snickers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Around Bakersfield, during the summer and fall harvest of table grapes, ambulances are a regular sight, Isidoro said. “Daily you would hear, ‘Here comes the ambulance’ or ‘So-and-so left early because he felt ill.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11886040\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 770px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11886040\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-6.jpeg\" alt=\"Rangel Rojas lives in a trailer home with his wife in Thermal, California. He says working during such high heat is “indescribable.” At age 15, his son suffered heatstroke picking grapes in Bakersfield and spent 15 days in the hospital. \" width=\"770\" height=\"513\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-6.jpeg 770w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-6-160x107.jpeg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 770px) 100vw, 770px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Aguileo Rangel Rojas lives in a trailer home with his wife in Thermal, California. He says working during such high heat is ‘indescribable.’ At age 15, his son suffered heatstroke picking grapes in Bakersfield and spent 15 days in the hospital. \u003ccite>(Heidi de Marco/KHN)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But many workers ignore the warning signs, said Aguileo Rangel Rojas, another farmworker: “They are OK risking their health, not thinking about it, to make sure they can make a wage.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rangel Rojas knows the risks all too well. In 2005, his then-15-year-old son, Cruz, suffered heatstroke while picking grapes. He spent 15 days in the hospital and the family wasn’t sure he would survive. His father teared up at the memory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We didn’t have money. We didn’t speak English. Without cars. Without anything,” he said. “We didn’t know our rights. It can rip your heart out.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cruz stopped picking after that and went back to high school; he’s now a UFW employee. His father, now 53, still works in the fields with his wife.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In August, Rangel Rojas began working nights, when temperatures go down to the low 80s. But even without extreme heat, there are risks. Evaporation from the crops hangs thick in the air, creating humidity that can bring on thunderstorms and flash floods. Lightning flashed around him while he was out cutting celery on a tractor on a recent predawn morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can get hit by lightning at any moment and we could all die,” he said. “There should be an instance when it’s raining and the bosses have us stop working, but they don’t. We don’t have the luxury of sitting behind a desk.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was produced by \u003ca href=\"https://khn.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kaiser Health News\u003c/a>, which publishes \u003ca href=\"http://www.californiahealthline.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">California Healthline\u003c/a>, an editorially independent service of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.chcf.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">California Health Care Foundation\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Workers who harvest crops ranging from grapes to cauliflower in the Coachella Valley are accustomed to temperatures well over 100 degrees. This summer the thermometer has already hit 122.",
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"title": "On the Front Lines of Climate Change: Heat Brings Health Risks for California's Farmworkers | KQED",
"description": "Workers who harvest crops ranging from grapes to cauliflower in the Coachella Valley are accustomed to temperatures well over 100 degrees. This summer the thermometer has already hit 122.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Leoncio Antonio Trejo Galdamez, 58, died in his son’s arms on June 29 after spending the day laying irrigation pipes in California’s Coachella Valley. News of his death reverberated through the largely Latino community near the Mexican and Arizona borders — another casualty in a dangerous business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Farmworkers are at the front lines of climate change. And, in some instances, we’re seeing a perfect storm battering our workers: COVID-19, wildfire smoke and heat,” said Leydy Rangel, a spokesperson for the United Farm Workers Foundation.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘If we start seeing above 120 degrees in any regular capacity, we’re really in uncharted territory. The human body is not designed to exist in that kind of heat.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For workers like Trejo Galdamez, whose jobs depend on outdoor work, a few degrees can mean the difference between life and death. Farmworkers here wear long shirts, thick jeans, heavy boots and wide-brimmed hats to guard against the heat. Even so, ambulances are frequently called to the fields, and heat-related illness appears to be increasing in the area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The heat feels awful,” said Jaime Isidoro, 36. “You start to work, you start to sweat, and the shirt underneath gets drenched.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11886036\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11886036\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-1-800x534.jpeg\" alt=\"Farmworker Jaime Isidoro has been working in the California fields since he migrated from Puebla, Mexico, in 2000. Isidoro says that most farmworkers wear a thin shirt underneath their clothes to combat the heat. “You start to work, you start to sweat, and the shirt underneath gets drenched and you kind of feel refreshed when you’re bathed in sweat.” \" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-1-800x534.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-1-1020x681.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-1-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-1.jpeg 1350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Farmworker Jaime Isidoro has been working in the California fields since he migrated from Puebla, Mexico, in 2000. Isidoro says that most farmworkers wear a thin shirt underneath their clothes to combat the heat. ‘You start to work, you start to sweat, and the shirt underneath gets drenched and you kind of feel refreshed when you’re bathed in sweat.’ \u003ccite>(Heidi de Marco/KHN)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Born in Puebla, Mexico, Isidoro has been picking crops for two decades in the Coachella Valley. The region has one of the country’s longest growing seasons, providing most of America’s winter vegetables. It’s also home to hundreds of date farms, which thrive in the hot, dry climate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heat is a given here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A few years ago, my head started hurting. I started to get chills. I went to the clinic and they gave me a couple of shots,” said Isidoro. “They told me it was a heatstroke. You don’t know the symptoms. I didn’t know it was that until I had it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11886037\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11886037\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-4-800x534.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-4-800x534.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-4-1020x681.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-4-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-4.jpeg 1270w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jaime Isidoro plants fruit trees in his backyard during his time off and says he has noticed the summers getting hotter every year. ‘This is the first time this guava tree bore fruit,’ he says. ‘I was expecting a good crop, but the heat is too high and it’s burning the fruit.’ \u003ccite>(Heidi de Marco/KHN)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And the temperatures are getting more extreme.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Aug. 4, three of the desert communities in the region surpassed their daily recorded highs, hitting 122 degrees in Palm Springs and Thermal, and 120 in Indio. Thermal set a record for its hottest temperature ever for August at 121 degrees. California registered its hottest June and July.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heat is the leading weather-related cause of death in the United States: Heat stress killed 815 U.S. workers and seriously injured more than 70,000 workers from 1992 through 2017, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In California, heat-related emergency room visits increased by 35% from 2005 to 2015, the latest year for which data was readily available, with disproportionate increases among Black, Latino and Asian American communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Medical staffers in the Coachella Valley say they’ve treated a rising number of patients suffering from heat exhaustion or heatstroke in recent years. In 2018 California saw 6,152 emergency room visits due to heat-related illness. Riverside County, which includes Coachella, Indio and Palm Springs, has among the highest rates of heat-related ER visits in the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If we start seeing above 120 degrees in any regular capacity, we’re really in uncharted territory. The human body is not designed to exist in that kind of heat,” said Dr. Andrew Kassinove, emergency department physician and chief of staff at JFK Memorial Hospital in Indio.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hospital regularly treats people who work outside for heat exhaustion, characterized by nausea, lightheadedness, fatigue, muscle cramping and dizziness. Less frequently they see heatstroke, a more dangerous condition whose symptoms include headache, confusion, vomiting, rapid heart rate, fainting and a failure to sweat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>JFK Memorial has treated 129 heat-related cases already this year, compared with 85 in all of 2020 and 75 in 2019, said hospital spokesperson Todd Burke. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Core body temperatures that are really elevated require lifesaving measures to treat them,” Kassinove said. As temperatures rise above the typical human temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, the body struggles to dissipate the heat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California has some of the strictest worker protections for heat exhaustion. A standard adopted by occupational safety officials in 2006 was the first in the country to apply to all outdoor jobs, mandating companies to provide workers with adequate shade, downtime and water. After a historic heat wave hit the Pacific Northwest this June, Oregon and Washington adopted similar protections. Some members of Congress have introduced a similar bill and want the Labor Department to establish federal standards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11886039\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11886039\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-5-800x534.jpeg\" alt=\"Aguileo Rangel Rojas, originally from Guanajuato, Mexico, has been working as a farmworker in Coachella since 2004. \" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-5-800x534.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-5-1020x681.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-5-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-5.jpeg 1350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Aguileo Rangel Rojas, originally from Guanajuato, Mexico, has been working as a farmworker in Coachella since 2004. \u003ccite>(Heidi de Marco/KHN)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But workers’ rights groups say the rules are not always enforced. And farmworkers, who are desperate for the money and often get paid per piece during harvests, often overlook their own safety, they say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Farmworkers are less likely to file complaints,” said the UFW’s Rangel. With no federal assistance during the pandemic, “they had no option. They had to keep showing up to work if they wanted to feed their family.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Latinos, who represent the majority of California farmworkers, are as a group more likely to have conditions that can be exacerbated by the heat, like high blood pressure and kidney disease.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Health workers stress the importance of hydration and urge the workers to consume less dehydrating soda, coffee and alcohol, said nurse practitioner Jose Banuelos at Coachella’s Central Neighborhood Health Foundation. “You can’t change your job if your job is outside. But I tell people to wear sunscreen and a protective coating.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The heat may also affect a patient’s use of medicines. Antipsychotics and antidepressants, for example, can reduce thirst and thus cause dehydration, as do diuretics, sometimes taken for swelling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Isidoro, who said he’s looking for other jobs, often sees fellow workers struggling in the fields. If they feel faint, they can sit in the shade, or jump in a nearby truck for air conditioning — or call 911 if symptoms persist. But it’s a point of pride not to show the heat is getting to you, he said — and calls to slow down are often met with snickers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Around Bakersfield, during the summer and fall harvest of table grapes, ambulances are a regular sight, Isidoro said. “Daily you would hear, ‘Here comes the ambulance’ or ‘So-and-so left early because he felt ill.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11886040\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 770px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11886040\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-6.jpeg\" alt=\"Rangel Rojas lives in a trailer home with his wife in Thermal, California. He says working during such high heat is “indescribable.” At age 15, his son suffered heatstroke picking grapes in Bakersfield and spent 15 days in the hospital. \" width=\"770\" height=\"513\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-6.jpeg 770w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/farmworker-heat-6-160x107.jpeg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 770px) 100vw, 770px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Aguileo Rangel Rojas lives in a trailer home with his wife in Thermal, California. He says working during such high heat is ‘indescribable.’ At age 15, his son suffered heatstroke picking grapes in Bakersfield and spent 15 days in the hospital. \u003ccite>(Heidi de Marco/KHN)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But many workers ignore the warning signs, said Aguileo Rangel Rojas, another farmworker: “They are OK risking their health, not thinking about it, to make sure they can make a wage.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rangel Rojas knows the risks all too well. In 2005, his then-15-year-old son, Cruz, suffered heatstroke while picking grapes. He spent 15 days in the hospital and the family wasn’t sure he would survive. His father teared up at the memory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We didn’t have money. We didn’t speak English. Without cars. Without anything,” he said. “We didn’t know our rights. It can rip your heart out.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cruz stopped picking after that and went back to high school; he’s now a UFW employee. His father, now 53, still works in the fields with his wife.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In August, Rangel Rojas began working nights, when temperatures go down to the low 80s. But even without extreme heat, there are risks. Evaporation from the crops hangs thick in the air, creating humidity that can bring on thunderstorms and flash floods. Lightning flashed around him while he was out cutting celery on a tractor on a recent predawn morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can get hit by lightning at any moment and we could all die,” he said. “There should be an instance when it’s raining and the bosses have us stop working, but they don’t. We don’t have the luxury of sitting behind a desk.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was produced by \u003ca href=\"https://khn.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kaiser Health News\u003c/a>, which publishes \u003ca href=\"http://www.californiahealthline.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">California Healthline\u003c/a>, an editorially independent service of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.chcf.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">California Health Care Foundation\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11855623/where-can-i-get-a-covid-19-vaccine-in-the-bay-area-your-questions-answered#where\">GUIDE: Immunocompromised and looking for your third vaccine dose in the Bay Area?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>People with compromised immune systems who already got two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine can now get a third shot to boost their protection from COVID-19.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Aug. 13 decision by\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/08/13/1027461542/cdc-panel-recommends-3rd-covid-vaccine-dose-for-immunocompromised-people\"> federal health agencies \u003c/a>is welcome news to many patients and their doctors who have been calling for this for months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For patients like Valen Keefer, who is a liver and kidney transplant recipient in California, knowing there’s a way to get a third shot is a relief.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is an amazing and such an important step and needed for a while for our transplant community,” she says. “It’s just been so hard to know what to do and when to do it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Erin Lauridsen, who is blind and has an autoimmune condition that puts her at greater risk for catching the virus, says she plans on getting her third dose of the Moderna vaccine when it becomes available in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The decision makes me optimistic about being able to continue to enjoy the sort of increased participation in society that I did from getting my first vaccine,” said Lauridsen, who works for LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired in San Francisco. “It does feel important just because of my intersecting blindness and also health conditions to have access to the vaccines.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Data shows that many immunocompromised patients, such as organ transplant recipients and others on immune-suppressing medications, have had weak responses to the initial doses of the vaccine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Dr. Marc Boom, who runs \u003ca href=\"https://www.houstonmethodist.org/center-for-innovation/our-team/\">Houston Methodist\u003c/a>, the authorization for third shots couldn’t have come soon enough for patients in his hospital’s large transplant program.\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID=\"news_11855623\"]\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are immediately pulling in those people, getting them the doses,” Boom says. He applauds the FDA’s decision, but says the agency could have acted faster, noting that countries like Israel, France and the U.K. have already made this move.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Friday’s recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention leave some questions about exactly who is eligible for an additional dose and how to get it. Here’s what we know so far.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>1. Why should immunocompromised people get a third shot?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Having a compromised immune system puts you at higher risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19. Studies show that the initial vaccine doses are less effective for people with weakened immune systems, ranging from 59% to 72%, compared to 90% to 94% among people without serious immune deficiencies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People with conditions that weaken the immune system are also far more likely to have a breakthrough infection than people without. One U.S. study shows 40% to 44% of hospitalized breakthrough cases are in immunocompromised people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If I was someone who was on one of the medications that was on the CDC list, I would almost consider myself unvaccinated at this point,” said Dr. David Karp, who heads the \u003ca href=\"https://utswmed.org/doctors/david-karp/\">Division of Rheumatic Diseases \u003c/a>at UT Southwestern Medical Center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Karp says that even though the current delta surge has mostly hit unvaccinated people, vaccinated but immunosuppressed patients also are landing in hospitals with COVID-19.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For this group of patients, a third shot is going to improve their response to the vaccine and therefore lessen their chances of either contracting the disease or having a more serious disease,” said Karp, who is also president of the board of directors of the American College of Rheumatology.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m really excited,” said Pat Beale, 59, of Boise, Idaho, who lives with a liver transplant and takes medicine that suppresses his immune system. He plans to get his third dose within the next week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>2. Who should get third shots?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Only a very small group of people with weakened immune systems qualify for the third dose. The CDC is recommending it for \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/immuno.html\">moderately to severely immunocompromised \u003c/a>people, including those who have:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Received a stem cell transplant within the last two years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome or Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome).\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Advanced or untreated HIV infection.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress the immune response.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>The recommendation is limited to adults 18 and older for the Moderna vaccine because that vaccine has not been authorized for adolescents yet. The Pfizer vaccine is authorized for adolescents 12 and older, and adults.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>3. I don’t know if I’m immunocompromised, but I do have a chronic disease that makes me vulnerable to severe COVID-19 — should I be getting a third shot?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many people may consider themselves at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19 due to age or a preexisting condition, and may want another dose of vaccine. But, for now, an additional shot is only recommended for people who meet the CDC’s criteria for being immunocompromised.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People with other chronic conditions — even those that put them at higher risk for severe COVID-19 — are not authorized to get an additional dose at this point.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This would not include long-term care facility residents, persons with diabetes, persons with heart disease. Those types of chronic medical conditions are not the intent here,” said Dr. Amanda Cohn, former chief medical officer for the CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force, at Friday’s CDC committee meeting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not clear yet whether or when a booster will be recommended more broadly to vulnerable populations, though this is already underway in other countries including Israel. Health officials are currently tracking how well immunity holds up in people enrolled in the vaccine clinical trials. Those trials will determine the timing of booster shots, officials of both the FDA and CDC say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>4. Can I just sign up to get the shot or should I talk to my doctor first? And do I have to prove I’m immunosuppressed?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Start by talking with the health care provider you see for your immune-suppressing condition or its treatment. A doctor’s note is not likely to be required at vaccine sites — a person just needs to inform the staff that they are moderately to severely immunocompromised. However, it’s best to get your doctor’s input before getting the shot, says \u003ca href=\"https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/profiles/details/dorry-segev\">Dr. Dorry Segev\u003c/a>, a transplant surgeon and researcher at Johns Hopkins Medicine who has been studying COVID-19 vaccination among organ transplant recipients.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He says that your doctor can help you determine whether the benefits of getting a third shot outweigh any risks in your particular case. “My hope is that this will be an individual patient-provider shared decision,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For people with compromised immune systems, “every time we activate the immune system, there is a risk,” Segev said. For instance, transplant recipients could risk rejection of the organ. \u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>These things need to be done in a very careful, deliberate, thoughtful way with people’s medical teams,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For patients with certain conditions, it may be necessary to pause their immune-suppressing medications temporarily to let the third dose of the vaccine take effect, explained Karp. So talk to your doctor about your situation and how to increase your chances of having the vaccine be effective.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>5. If I get a third shot, how good is the protection?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are many reasons people can be immunosuppressed — it’s often a combination of their age, their medical conditions, and the treatments and drugs they’re taking. While studies show that a third vaccine dose can boost antibody responses in some people, it’s not universally guaranteed to work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Immunocompromised people who get a third shot should still be aware they’re not necessarily safe from COVID-19, warned Vanderbilt University Professor \u003ca href=\"https://wag.app.vanderbilt.edu/PublicPage/Faculty/Details/32055\">Dr. Helen Keipp Talbot \u003c/a>during a committee meeting of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/index.html\">Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the reality is they’ll be safer, but still at an incredibly high risk for severe disease and death.” And everyone they spend time with also needs to be vaccinated, to protect them, Talbot says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a presentation to the committee, the CDC’s Dr. Kathleen Dooling said immunocompromised people, including those who receive an additional dose, should continue to follow prevention measures, including wearing a mask, staying six feet apart from others they don’t live with and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated indoor spaces. And she urged close contacts of immunocompromised people to get vaccinated if they haven’t already.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>6. Do I need to get the same vaccine I got for my first two doses? And what do I do if I got the J&J vaccine?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CDC recommends you get the same vaccine you got for your first two doses, so if you got the Pfizer or Moderna for the first two doses, get that one for your third shot. But if that is not feasible, the CDC committee said an additional dose with the alternate vaccine is permitted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Currently only the Pfizer and the Moderna vaccines are authorized for an additional dose. If you got the J&J, you still aren’t eligible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The FDA says that there wasn’t enough data available to extend the authorization for an additional dose for the J&J shots. Representatives of both the FDA and the CDC said that they are “actively engaged” to determine the best course of action for recipients of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and expect to know more “very shortly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=6+Things+To+Know+If+You%27re+Immunocompromised+And+Considering+A+3rd+Shot&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11855623/where-can-i-get-a-covid-19-vaccine-in-the-bay-area-your-questions-answered#where\">GUIDE: Immunocompromised and looking for your third vaccine dose in the Bay Area?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>People with compromised immune systems who already got two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine can now get a third shot to boost their protection from COVID-19.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Aug. 13 decision by\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/08/13/1027461542/cdc-panel-recommends-3rd-covid-vaccine-dose-for-immunocompromised-people\"> federal health agencies \u003c/a>is welcome news to many patients and their doctors who have been calling for this for months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For patients like Valen Keefer, who is a liver and kidney transplant recipient in California, knowing there’s a way to get a third shot is a relief.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is an amazing and such an important step and needed for a while for our transplant community,” she says. “It’s just been so hard to know what to do and when to do it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Erin Lauridsen, who is blind and has an autoimmune condition that puts her at greater risk for catching the virus, says she plans on getting her third dose of the Moderna vaccine when it becomes available in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The decision makes me optimistic about being able to continue to enjoy the sort of increased participation in society that I did from getting my first vaccine,” said Lauridsen, who works for LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired in San Francisco. “It does feel important just because of my intersecting blindness and also health conditions to have access to the vaccines.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Data shows that many immunocompromised patients, such as organ transplant recipients and others on immune-suppressing medications, have had weak responses to the initial doses of the vaccine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Dr. Marc Boom, who runs \u003ca href=\"https://www.houstonmethodist.org/center-for-innovation/our-team/\">Houston Methodist\u003c/a>, the authorization for third shots couldn’t have come soon enough for patients in his hospital’s large transplant program.\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are immediately pulling in those people, getting them the doses,” Boom says. He applauds the FDA’s decision, but says the agency could have acted faster, noting that countries like Israel, France and the U.K. have already made this move.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Friday’s recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention leave some questions about exactly who is eligible for an additional dose and how to get it. Here’s what we know so far.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>1. Why should immunocompromised people get a third shot?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Having a compromised immune system puts you at higher risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19. Studies show that the initial vaccine doses are less effective for people with weakened immune systems, ranging from 59% to 72%, compared to 90% to 94% among people without serious immune deficiencies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People with conditions that weaken the immune system are also far more likely to have a breakthrough infection than people without. One U.S. study shows 40% to 44% of hospitalized breakthrough cases are in immunocompromised people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If I was someone who was on one of the medications that was on the CDC list, I would almost consider myself unvaccinated at this point,” said Dr. David Karp, who heads the \u003ca href=\"https://utswmed.org/doctors/david-karp/\">Division of Rheumatic Diseases \u003c/a>at UT Southwestern Medical Center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Karp says that even though the current delta surge has mostly hit unvaccinated people, vaccinated but immunosuppressed patients also are landing in hospitals with COVID-19.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For this group of patients, a third shot is going to improve their response to the vaccine and therefore lessen their chances of either contracting the disease or having a more serious disease,” said Karp, who is also president of the board of directors of the American College of Rheumatology.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m really excited,” said Pat Beale, 59, of Boise, Idaho, who lives with a liver transplant and takes medicine that suppresses his immune system. He plans to get his third dose within the next week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>2. Who should get third shots?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Only a very small group of people with weakened immune systems qualify for the third dose. The CDC is recommending it for \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/immuno.html\">moderately to severely immunocompromised \u003c/a>people, including those who have:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Received a stem cell transplant within the last two years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome or Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome).\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Advanced or untreated HIV infection.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress the immune response.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>The recommendation is limited to adults 18 and older for the Moderna vaccine because that vaccine has not been authorized for adolescents yet. The Pfizer vaccine is authorized for adolescents 12 and older, and adults.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>3. I don’t know if I’m immunocompromised, but I do have a chronic disease that makes me vulnerable to severe COVID-19 — should I be getting a third shot?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many people may consider themselves at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19 due to age or a preexisting condition, and may want another dose of vaccine. But, for now, an additional shot is only recommended for people who meet the CDC’s criteria for being immunocompromised.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People with other chronic conditions — even those that put them at higher risk for severe COVID-19 — are not authorized to get an additional dose at this point.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This would not include long-term care facility residents, persons with diabetes, persons with heart disease. Those types of chronic medical conditions are not the intent here,” said Dr. Amanda Cohn, former chief medical officer for the CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force, at Friday’s CDC committee meeting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not clear yet whether or when a booster will be recommended more broadly to vulnerable populations, though this is already underway in other countries including Israel. Health officials are currently tracking how well immunity holds up in people enrolled in the vaccine clinical trials. Those trials will determine the timing of booster shots, officials of both the FDA and CDC say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>4. Can I just sign up to get the shot or should I talk to my doctor first? And do I have to prove I’m immunosuppressed?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Start by talking with the health care provider you see for your immune-suppressing condition or its treatment. A doctor’s note is not likely to be required at vaccine sites — a person just needs to inform the staff that they are moderately to severely immunocompromised. However, it’s best to get your doctor’s input before getting the shot, says \u003ca href=\"https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/profiles/details/dorry-segev\">Dr. Dorry Segev\u003c/a>, a transplant surgeon and researcher at Johns Hopkins Medicine who has been studying COVID-19 vaccination among organ transplant recipients.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He says that your doctor can help you determine whether the benefits of getting a third shot outweigh any risks in your particular case. “My hope is that this will be an individual patient-provider shared decision,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For people with compromised immune systems, “every time we activate the immune system, there is a risk,” Segev said. For instance, transplant recipients could risk rejection of the organ. \u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>These things need to be done in a very careful, deliberate, thoughtful way with people’s medical teams,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For patients with certain conditions, it may be necessary to pause their immune-suppressing medications temporarily to let the third dose of the vaccine take effect, explained Karp. So talk to your doctor about your situation and how to increase your chances of having the vaccine be effective.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>5. If I get a third shot, how good is the protection?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are many reasons people can be immunosuppressed — it’s often a combination of their age, their medical conditions, and the treatments and drugs they’re taking. While studies show that a third vaccine dose can boost antibody responses in some people, it’s not universally guaranteed to work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Immunocompromised people who get a third shot should still be aware they’re not necessarily safe from COVID-19, warned Vanderbilt University Professor \u003ca href=\"https://wag.app.vanderbilt.edu/PublicPage/Faculty/Details/32055\">Dr. Helen Keipp Talbot \u003c/a>during a committee meeting of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/index.html\">Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the reality is they’ll be safer, but still at an incredibly high risk for severe disease and death.” And everyone they spend time with also needs to be vaccinated, to protect them, Talbot says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a presentation to the committee, the CDC’s Dr. Kathleen Dooling said immunocompromised people, including those who receive an additional dose, should continue to follow prevention measures, including wearing a mask, staying six feet apart from others they don’t live with and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated indoor spaces. And she urged close contacts of immunocompromised people to get vaccinated if they haven’t already.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>6. Do I need to get the same vaccine I got for my first two doses? And what do I do if I got the J&J vaccine?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CDC recommends you get the same vaccine you got for your first two doses, so if you got the Pfizer or Moderna for the first two doses, get that one for your third shot. But if that is not feasible, the CDC committee said an additional dose with the alternate vaccine is permitted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Currently only the Pfizer and the Moderna vaccines are authorized for an additional dose. If you got the J&J, you still aren’t eligible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The FDA says that there wasn’t enough data available to extend the authorization for an additional dose for the J&J shots. Representatives of both the FDA and the CDC said that they are “actively engaged” to determine the best course of action for recipients of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and expect to know more “very shortly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=6+Things+To+Know+If+You%27re+Immunocompromised+And+Considering+A+3rd+Shot&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Fans of lowrider car culture celebrated with a purpose over the weekend: The 40th annual “King of the Streets” lowrider car show at Daly City’s Cow Palace also included a vaccination clinic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s about being creative, just like lowriders, we’re creative,” said San Francisco Lowrider Council founder Roberto Y. Hernández.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the usual hydraulic-propelled car-hopping contest took place, the lowrider council also came up with the idea to offer cash incentives to help reach unvaccinated folks, especially in the Latino community. And alongside the usual arts and crafts vendors, the council provided custom-made lowrider masks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sanfranciscolowridercouncil.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Lowrider Council\u003c/a> was initially founded in 1981 in an effort to push back against the racial profiling of young Latino men by the San Francisco Police Department. Hernández was arrested 113 times by San Francisco police under then-Mayor Dianne Feinstein, according to an event press release from the council.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hernandez, along with others, filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city of San Francisco, and forced the removal of some police officers. Over the years, the council has collaborated with social justice organizations such as the United Farm Workers, Black Lives Matter and others calling for justice for Alex Nieto, a young Latino man killed by SFPD in 2014.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Saturday’s event, the focus was on vaccinations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Eventually, you’re going to need a vaccine to go to indoor events,” Hernández said. “So let’s just get everybody vaccinated so that you don’t feel deprived of not being able to participate in things that you’re used to participating in.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced Aug. 12 that the city will soon require proof of vaccination against COVID-19 to enter public indoor spaces including bars, restaurants and gyms. The new rule goes into effect Aug. 20. [aside postID=news_11884778]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is serious,” 58-year-old Marcus Gregory told KQED at the lowrider festival. He heard about the event from his friend, 59-year-old Ricky Ervin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I just want to … be on the safe side,” Gregory said. After his jab, he was up and headed toward the waiting area, where his friend Ricky sat with a Band-Aid on his arm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ervin said he’s been spreading the word after hearing about the event on the news. Each of them received a $100 Target gift card and a free “King of the Streets” T-shirt for their participation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pascal García-Montpetit, who is the health coordinator of the Latino Task Force, said vaccination rates in San Francisco are high — \u003ca href=\"https://sf.gov/data/covid-19-vaccinations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">77% of SF residents have had at least one dose\u003c/a> — but also noted the people coming to get their vaccines sometimes need a bit more encouragement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We do have to have these longer conversations with people,” he said, “with these extra incentives to help get them across that finish line.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Catalina Cervantes Torres ended up getting COVID-19 before she decided to get vaccinated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I hadn’t planned on getting one [a vaccine] but a few months ago I got COVID and decided to do it,” she told KQED in Spanish. She came with her husband to admire the cars — and to get her shot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Vacúnate ya, [vaccinate now] low and slow,” Hernandez said. “Winner takes home bragging rights and is the king of the streets all year long.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Fans of lowrider car culture celebrated with a purpose over the weekend: The 40th annual “King of the Streets” lowrider car show at Daly City’s Cow Palace also included a vaccination clinic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s about being creative, just like lowriders, we’re creative,” said San Francisco Lowrider Council founder Roberto Y. Hernández.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the usual hydraulic-propelled car-hopping contest took place, the lowrider council also came up with the idea to offer cash incentives to help reach unvaccinated folks, especially in the Latino community. And alongside the usual arts and crafts vendors, the council provided custom-made lowrider masks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sanfranciscolowridercouncil.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Lowrider Council\u003c/a> was initially founded in 1981 in an effort to push back against the racial profiling of young Latino men by the San Francisco Police Department. Hernández was arrested 113 times by San Francisco police under then-Mayor Dianne Feinstein, according to an event press release from the council.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hernandez, along with others, filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city of San Francisco, and forced the removal of some police officers. Over the years, the council has collaborated with social justice organizations such as the United Farm Workers, Black Lives Matter and others calling for justice for Alex Nieto, a young Latino man killed by SFPD in 2014.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is serious,” 58-year-old Marcus Gregory told KQED at the lowrider festival. He heard about the event from his friend, 59-year-old Ricky Ervin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I just want to … be on the safe side,” Gregory said. After his jab, he was up and headed toward the waiting area, where his friend Ricky sat with a Band-Aid on his arm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ervin said he’s been spreading the word after hearing about the event on the news. Each of them received a $100 Target gift card and a free “King of the Streets” T-shirt for their participation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pascal García-Montpetit, who is the health coordinator of the Latino Task Force, said vaccination rates in San Francisco are high — \u003ca href=\"https://sf.gov/data/covid-19-vaccinations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">77% of SF residents have had at least one dose\u003c/a> — but also noted the people coming to get their vaccines sometimes need a bit more encouragement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We do have to have these longer conversations with people,” he said, “with these extra incentives to help get them across that finish line.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Catalina Cervantes Torres ended up getting COVID-19 before she decided to get vaccinated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I hadn’t planned on getting one [a vaccine] but a few months ago I got COVID and decided to do it,” she told KQED in Spanish. She came with her husband to admire the cars — and to get her shot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Vacúnate ya, [vaccinate now] low and slow,” Hernandez said. “Winner takes home bragging rights and is the king of the streets all year long.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Skip to:\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#protocol\">What is proper COVID protocol in schools?\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#vaccines\">Do vaccines work against the delta variant?\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#breakthroughs\">How worried should I be for kids about breakthrough infections?\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#covidkids\">How does COVID affect kids?\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#unvaccinated\">What if I have an unvaccinated child in my house?\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>As children in the Bay Area begin in-person learning this fall, and with new evidence that the COVID-19 delta variant is highly contagious and spreads as easily as chickenpox, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11884622/how-to-keep-your-child-safe-from-the-delta-variant\">questions and concerns about the safety of children\u003c/a> under 12 not yet eligible for the vaccine have arisen. So what do parents and caregivers need to know about their children’s safety in school?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED Forum’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101884772/navigating-covid-19s-delta-variant-with-young-children\">Mina Kim spoke to Dr. Yvonne Maldonado\u003c/a>, professor of pediatrics and of epidemiology and chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the Stanford University School of Medicine, to answer audience questions around schools, the delta variant and how to reduce risk to unvaccinated children.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca id=\"protocol\">\u003c/a>What is proper COVID protocol in schools?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Transmission of COVID-19 can often begin with unvaccinated teachers and staff. So “at the very minimum, adults need to be vaccinated,” says Maldonado. “Anyone who can be vaccinated should be vaccinated, especially the teachers and staff.”\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID=\"news_11884196\"]\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Wednesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11884606/newsom-mandates-covid-vaccines-or-regular-tests-for-all-california-teachers\">a mandate that all California teachers and school employees be vaccinated\u003c/a> for COVID-19 or be tested weekly. The mandate includes staffers working on school campuses, and it’s the first such statewide mandate in the nation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maldonado also urges masking, citing \u003ca href=\"https://services.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/\">the American Academy of Pediatrics’s recent guidance\u003c/a> that “everyone at schools should mask.” As far as distancing goes, she said, three feet should do the trick: Maldonado notes that the medical and scientific fields have found that three feet of distancing is actually as sufficient as the previously recommended six feet — an update that would allow for more space for indoor activities in schools. And of course, Maldonado also stresses the continued importance of handwashing and sanitizing in school spaces.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Day care centers have been a really great example of the efficacy of proper COVID-19 precautions, Maldonado said. Although masks are not recommended for children under 2 years of age, if the adults in day care centers continue to mask, the children who are not yet vaccinated will be kept safer from COVID.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11881272\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11881272\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/07/gettyimages-1328725352-edit_custom-01a2457a3dbbf7d6a89b577ec16236cf4d7511d5-scaled-e1626375372623.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1279\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Children and teachers from the KU Kids @ Deanwood child care center in Washington, D.C., complete a mural celebrating the expansion of the child tax credit on July 14, 2021. \u003ccite>(Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Community Change)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca id=\"vaccines\">\u003c/a>How is delta worse? And is the vaccine effective against it?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The COVID-19 delta variant produces a viral load that is much higher than other variants, said Maldonado. Among the vaccinated, the infection rate is low — however, vaccinated people who \u003cem>are\u003c/em> infected with the delta variant still carry the same amount of the virus in their nose and throat compared to people who are unvaccinated and infected with the delta variant. What this means is that those who are vaccinated “don’t tend to be as sick as the unvaccinated,” explains Maldonado. “But they could potentially spread [COVID] more.”\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID=\"news_11884622\"]\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maldonado stresses that this does not mean that the COVID-19 vaccine is ineffective — or that it doesn’t work against the delta variant. “Vaccines are still highly effective and highly critical,” she said, and even if a vaccinated person has a breakthrough infection, their risk of hospitalization and death is very low.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As she notes, “over 99.7% to 99.8% of the people who are hospitalized and are dying, unfortunately, are unvaccinated people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca id=\"breakthroughs\">\u003c/a>How worried should we be about breakthrough infections?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>As far as breakthrough infections go, “the good news is it appears that among vaccinated people, the virus drops off rapidly as the immune system kicks in,” said Maldonado.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We don’t know much about breakthrough infections as far as tracking goes, explains Maldonado, because the CDC halted tracking of breakthroughs unless they were severe cases. But Maldonado herself is now involved in a nation-wide five-site \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/surv-manual/chpt19-enhancing-surv.html#special\">sentinel surveillance\u003c/a> project. (The CDC defines “sentinel surveillance” as when “a network of healthcare providers or hospitals are recruited by the health department to regularly report specified health events.”)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This project will begin tracking all breakthrough infections within the populations surrounding each site. And because Stanford is one of the five sites involved, this means that the breakthrough cases in the Bay Area will now be monitored.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although the CDC is not able to track every breakthrough infection, they are continuing to monitor breakthrough infections of those who have been hospitalized or have died from their infections. Along with this tracking, the CDC is also tracking the genetic makeup of that virus, says Maldonado.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca id=\"covidkids\">\u003c/a>How are children affected by COVID? What can adults do?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Again, the greatest protection against COVID-19 and the delta variant for children who are not yet eligible for the vaccine is for adults to be vaccinated, urges Maldonado.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over 4 million infections have been reported in children, which makes up for 14% to 15% of all cases in the U.S. A particularly difficult statistic: Between 380 and 700 children have died due to the disease, “based on data that’s reported from most of the states and some modeling data that accounts for underreporting of deaths,” says Maldonado.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Maldonado states, “this is a very big deal” when looked at relative to the usual number of yearly deaths among children under 18. This means that at this moment, COVID-19 falls within the top 10 most common causes of death for those under 18 years of age, excluding newborns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To parents and caregivers who might be wondering about the possibility of signing a medical waiver to grant vaccine access to a child under 12 years of age, the FDA is not allowing that to happen, and these actions would be in direct violation of federal regulations. Remember, stresses Maldonado, the best way to protect unvaccinated children as an adult is to get vaccinated, mask up and practice good hand hygiene.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Continuing to vaccinate children 12 to 18 who are eligible for vaccination is also key. Only 50% of teens 16 to 17 years old are vaccinated, notes Maldonado — and only 38% of teens 12 to 15 years old have gotten their shots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Any parents or caregivers or those concerned overall with the safety of children during COVID-19 can visit the American Academy of Pediatrics website to find state-by-state vaccination data. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11884622/how-to-keep-your-child-safe-from-the-delta-variant\">Read more information about keeping children safe from the delta variant.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11882375\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11882375\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/07/RS49597_004_SanFrancisco_AlexPadillaMissionKids_06012021-qut.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/07/RS49597_004_SanFrancisco_AlexPadillaMissionKids_06012021-qut.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/07/RS49597_004_SanFrancisco_AlexPadillaMissionKids_06012021-qut-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/07/RS49597_004_SanFrancisco_AlexPadillaMissionKids_06012021-qut-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/07/RS49597_004_SanFrancisco_AlexPadillaMissionKids_06012021-qut-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/07/RS49597_004_SanFrancisco_AlexPadillaMissionKids_06012021-qut-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Children play at Mission Kids preschool in San Francisco on June 1, 2021, during a visit by then-Sen. Alex Padilla. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca id=\"unvaccinated\">\u003c/a>What if I have an unvaccinated child in my home?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>When it comes to an adult in the household testing positive for COVID-19, how concerned should you be about unvaccinated children?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maldonado advises that the infected adult “stay separate from the rest of those in the household as much as possible.” She again encourages masking inside the home, and to take meals separately from those not infected and those who may be unvaccinated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The good news is that 80% of vaccinated people who test positive for breakthrough cases of COVID-19 do not experience symptoms at all, said Maldonado. There is also, she added, a newly FDA-approved treatment available within a 96-hour timeframe after diagnosis. This treatment consists of a small injection of a monoclonal antibody, which will result in an 80% reduction in the risk of infection in those who are in contact with the person who has tested positive. Maldonado advises that adults who test positive for COVID-19 contact a health care provider to ask more about this treatment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Skip to:\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#protocol\">What is proper COVID protocol in schools?\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#vaccines\">Do vaccines work against the delta variant?\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#breakthroughs\">How worried should I be for kids about breakthrough infections?\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#covidkids\">How does COVID affect kids?\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#unvaccinated\">What if I have an unvaccinated child in my house?\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>As children in the Bay Area begin in-person learning this fall, and with new evidence that the COVID-19 delta variant is highly contagious and spreads as easily as chickenpox, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11884622/how-to-keep-your-child-safe-from-the-delta-variant\">questions and concerns about the safety of children\u003c/a> under 12 not yet eligible for the vaccine have arisen. So what do parents and caregivers need to know about their children’s safety in school?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED Forum’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101884772/navigating-covid-19s-delta-variant-with-young-children\">Mina Kim spoke to Dr. Yvonne Maldonado\u003c/a>, professor of pediatrics and of epidemiology and chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the Stanford University School of Medicine, to answer audience questions around schools, the delta variant and how to reduce risk to unvaccinated children.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca id=\"protocol\">\u003c/a>What is proper COVID protocol in schools?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Transmission of COVID-19 can often begin with unvaccinated teachers and staff. So “at the very minimum, adults need to be vaccinated,” says Maldonado. “Anyone who can be vaccinated should be vaccinated, especially the teachers and staff.”\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Wednesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11884606/newsom-mandates-covid-vaccines-or-regular-tests-for-all-california-teachers\">a mandate that all California teachers and school employees be vaccinated\u003c/a> for COVID-19 or be tested weekly. The mandate includes staffers working on school campuses, and it’s the first such statewide mandate in the nation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maldonado also urges masking, citing \u003ca href=\"https://services.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/\">the American Academy of Pediatrics’s recent guidance\u003c/a> that “everyone at schools should mask.” As far as distancing goes, she said, three feet should do the trick: Maldonado notes that the medical and scientific fields have found that three feet of distancing is actually as sufficient as the previously recommended six feet — an update that would allow for more space for indoor activities in schools. And of course, Maldonado also stresses the continued importance of handwashing and sanitizing in school spaces.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Day care centers have been a really great example of the efficacy of proper COVID-19 precautions, Maldonado said. Although masks are not recommended for children under 2 years of age, if the adults in day care centers continue to mask, the children who are not yet vaccinated will be kept safer from COVID.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11881272\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11881272\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/07/gettyimages-1328725352-edit_custom-01a2457a3dbbf7d6a89b577ec16236cf4d7511d5-scaled-e1626375372623.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1279\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Children and teachers from the KU Kids @ Deanwood child care center in Washington, D.C., complete a mural celebrating the expansion of the child tax credit on July 14, 2021. \u003ccite>(Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Community Change)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca id=\"vaccines\">\u003c/a>How is delta worse? And is the vaccine effective against it?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The COVID-19 delta variant produces a viral load that is much higher than other variants, said Maldonado. Among the vaccinated, the infection rate is low — however, vaccinated people who \u003cem>are\u003c/em> infected with the delta variant still carry the same amount of the virus in their nose and throat compared to people who are unvaccinated and infected with the delta variant. What this means is that those who are vaccinated “don’t tend to be as sick as the unvaccinated,” explains Maldonado. “But they could potentially spread [COVID] more.”\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maldonado stresses that this does not mean that the COVID-19 vaccine is ineffective — or that it doesn’t work against the delta variant. “Vaccines are still highly effective and highly critical,” she said, and even if a vaccinated person has a breakthrough infection, their risk of hospitalization and death is very low.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As she notes, “over 99.7% to 99.8% of the people who are hospitalized and are dying, unfortunately, are unvaccinated people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca id=\"breakthroughs\">\u003c/a>How worried should we be about breakthrough infections?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>As far as breakthrough infections go, “the good news is it appears that among vaccinated people, the virus drops off rapidly as the immune system kicks in,” said Maldonado.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We don’t know much about breakthrough infections as far as tracking goes, explains Maldonado, because the CDC halted tracking of breakthroughs unless they were severe cases. But Maldonado herself is now involved in a nation-wide five-site \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/surv-manual/chpt19-enhancing-surv.html#special\">sentinel surveillance\u003c/a> project. (The CDC defines “sentinel surveillance” as when “a network of healthcare providers or hospitals are recruited by the health department to regularly report specified health events.”)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This project will begin tracking all breakthrough infections within the populations surrounding each site. And because Stanford is one of the five sites involved, this means that the breakthrough cases in the Bay Area will now be monitored.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although the CDC is not able to track every breakthrough infection, they are continuing to monitor breakthrough infections of those who have been hospitalized or have died from their infections. Along with this tracking, the CDC is also tracking the genetic makeup of that virus, says Maldonado.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca id=\"covidkids\">\u003c/a>How are children affected by COVID? What can adults do?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Again, the greatest protection against COVID-19 and the delta variant for children who are not yet eligible for the vaccine is for adults to be vaccinated, urges Maldonado.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over 4 million infections have been reported in children, which makes up for 14% to 15% of all cases in the U.S. A particularly difficult statistic: Between 380 and 700 children have died due to the disease, “based on data that’s reported from most of the states and some modeling data that accounts for underreporting of deaths,” says Maldonado.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Maldonado states, “this is a very big deal” when looked at relative to the usual number of yearly deaths among children under 18. This means that at this moment, COVID-19 falls within the top 10 most common causes of death for those under 18 years of age, excluding newborns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To parents and caregivers who might be wondering about the possibility of signing a medical waiver to grant vaccine access to a child under 12 years of age, the FDA is not allowing that to happen, and these actions would be in direct violation of federal regulations. Remember, stresses Maldonado, the best way to protect unvaccinated children as an adult is to get vaccinated, mask up and practice good hand hygiene.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Continuing to vaccinate children 12 to 18 who are eligible for vaccination is also key. Only 50% of teens 16 to 17 years old are vaccinated, notes Maldonado — and only 38% of teens 12 to 15 years old have gotten their shots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Any parents or caregivers or those concerned overall with the safety of children during COVID-19 can visit the American Academy of Pediatrics website to find state-by-state vaccination data. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11884622/how-to-keep-your-child-safe-from-the-delta-variant\">Read more information about keeping children safe from the delta variant.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11882375\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11882375\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/07/RS49597_004_SanFrancisco_AlexPadillaMissionKids_06012021-qut.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/07/RS49597_004_SanFrancisco_AlexPadillaMissionKids_06012021-qut.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/07/RS49597_004_SanFrancisco_AlexPadillaMissionKids_06012021-qut-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/07/RS49597_004_SanFrancisco_AlexPadillaMissionKids_06012021-qut-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/07/RS49597_004_SanFrancisco_AlexPadillaMissionKids_06012021-qut-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/07/RS49597_004_SanFrancisco_AlexPadillaMissionKids_06012021-qut-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Children play at Mission Kids preschool in San Francisco on June 1, 2021, during a visit by then-Sen. Alex Padilla. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca id=\"unvaccinated\">\u003c/a>What if I have an unvaccinated child in my home?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>When it comes to an adult in the household testing positive for COVID-19, how concerned should you be about unvaccinated children?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maldonado advises that the infected adult “stay separate from the rest of those in the household as much as possible.” She again encourages masking inside the home, and to take meals separately from those not infected and those who may be unvaccinated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The good news is that 80% of vaccinated people who test positive for breakthrough cases of COVID-19 do not experience symptoms at all, said Maldonado. There is also, she added, a newly FDA-approved treatment available within a 96-hour timeframe after diagnosis. This treatment consists of a small injection of a monoclonal antibody, which will result in an 80% reduction in the risk of infection in those who are in contact with the person who has tested positive. Maldonado advises that adults who test positive for COVID-19 contact a health care provider to ask more about this treatment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>San Francisco will soon require proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 to enter public indoor spaces including bars, restaurants and gyms, Mayor London Breed announced Thursday. The mandate also includes employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Why we are doing this is to protect the workers, is to protect kids. It’s to protect those who can’t get vaccinated, to make sure that we don’t go backwards,” Breed said in a press conference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the requirement goes into effect on Aug. 20, employees of businesses affected by the mandate will have until Oct. 13 to provide proof of full vaccination “to preserve jobs while giving time for compliance,” the mayor’s office wrote in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Besides the obvious public health benefits, Breed also said vaccinations were important to ensure the economy recovers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We all have to do our part. We need to get vaccinated,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>An overview of the main details of San Francisco’s new vaccine mandate\u003c/strong>:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Mandate starts on Aug. 20.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11879188/dont-have-your-california-digital-vaccine-card-yet-heres-how-to-get-it\">Proof of vaccination\u003c/a> will be needed to enter crowded businesses like bars, restaurants, clubs, gyms and theaters.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Acceptable proof of vaccination includes your CDC vaccination card, a physical or digital copy or picture of that card, documentation from a health care provider, or a personal digital COVID-19 vaccine record issued by the state of California or by an approved private company.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Local business and merchant groups are largely supportive of the new requirements.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>There are limited exceptions: People only need a mask to use a restroom at a business, for instance, and if a restaurant has a patio, proof of vaccination isn’t required for outdoor dining.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Businesses can ask for vaccine verification in advance and simply check ID upon entry.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Read on for the full details of San Francisco’s new vaccine mandate.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/LondonBreed/status/1425880490897076225\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You won’t need to brandish your vaccination card everywhere — city officials said the new rule applies only to businesses in “high-contact indoor sectors.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What does that mean? Essentially the order applies to places with crowds: those that serve food or drinks like bars and restaurants, theaters and clubs, and fitness establishments like gyms. The mandate does not apply to food pickups for to-go orders, officials said. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11879188/dont-have-your-california-digital-vaccine-card-yet-heres-how-to-get-it\">Read more on how to get a digital version of your proof of vaccination\u003c/a> if you don’t already have a digital vaccine card.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are some exceptions to the proof of vaccination requirement. For instance, businesses may allow patrons to use outdoor areas without vaccination verification and may allow patrons wearing a well-fitted mask to use a restroom indoors without vaccination verification. Businesses that serve food or drinks to go may allow individuals wearing a well-fitted mask to order, pick up or pay for food or drink without vaccination verification.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Businesses also have the option to ask for verification in advance, as long as they confirm the patron’s identification when they enter the establishment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mandate will be more stringent than the requirement announced by New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio last week. San Francisco will now require proof of full vaccination for all customers and staff, while New York mandated proof of at least one shot for similar indoor activities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Los Angeles is considering a similar move requiring people to have at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine before going to indoor restaurants, bars, gyms, movie theaters and other venues. City leaders there voted Wednesday to direct city attorneys to work out the details.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>‘A bold step’\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>San Francisco just took “a bold step” to prevent the spread of the delta variant, said Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, a professor of global health and infectious diseases at Stanford University School of Medicine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the city and county of San Francisco don’t want to take any step backward in controlling this pandemic in the city,” Maldonado said. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The announcement comes a day after Gov. Gavin Newsom said \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11884606/newsom-mandates-covid-vaccines-or-regular-tests-for-all-california-teachers\">all employees at public and private schools in California will have to show proof of vaccination\u003c/a> or face weekly testing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Breed announced the mandate at the historic Vesuvio Cafe in North Beach, a favorite haunt of the beat poets. The cafe has been asking indoor patrons to show proof of vaccination since July 20.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ben Bleiman, founder of the San Francisco Bar Owners Alliance, said the city’s restaurants and bars, which have already been voluntarily requiring proof of vaccination, say it’s a breeze.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In actual practice, it actually was a little bit of a nothing burger,” Bleiman said. “If anything, almost every single person who walked through our doors that we’re hearing about was happy about it. They were thrilled, they were thankful. They felt safer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label='Related Coverage' tag='coronavirus-resources-and-explainers']The San Francisco Independent Fitness Coalition, which represents more than 100 city fitness establishments, also said it supports the move.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Coalition board member Dave Karraker said in a statement, “We feel anything that can be done to avoid the capacity limits or the full shut down of indoor fitness that we experienced last year is in everyone’s best interest, particularly those small, neighborhood businesses that suffered so much since the start of the pandemic.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new order also applies to large events at indoor venues and requires attendees age 12 and over at events numbering 1,000 or more to provide proof of vaccination. A negative COVID test is no longer the bar for attending these events — proof of full vaccination is a must.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some San Francisco health care providers not already subject to the state’s vaccination requirements will also now be required to show proof of vaccination. That includes workers at residential care facilities, adult day centers, and dental offices, as well as pharmacists and home health aides, according to city health officials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new rules are a response to the rise of the delta variant across the country, and locally. About 78% of San Franciscans are vaccinated, but the new surge shows a “need for additional measures to close the remaining gap of unvaccinated people,” the mayor’s statement said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are now in a new phase of the pandemic,” said Dr. Grant Colfax, the city’s health director. “And even as we see a surge of cases, we have the powerful tool to fight this disease and to keep ourselves and each other safe. The vaccines, let’s use them”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/MyrPressOffice/status/1425885296042811398\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The move comes after San Francisco city officials announced all 35,000 government employees are required to be vaccinated. More than 80% of employees already are.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a letter to the city, however, roughly 200 employees pushed back on the city’s vaccination effort, sending in “conspiracy-tinged letters,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/In-conspiracy-tinged-letters-200-S-F-employees-16375674.php\">according to The San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/a>. The employees were mostly fire department workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Associated Press, KQED’s Nina Sparling and KQED’s Tara Siler contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>San Francisco will soon require proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 to enter public indoor spaces including bars, restaurants and gyms, Mayor London Breed announced Thursday. The mandate also includes employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Why we are doing this is to protect the workers, is to protect kids. It’s to protect those who can’t get vaccinated, to make sure that we don’t go backwards,” Breed said in a press conference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the requirement goes into effect on Aug. 20, employees of businesses affected by the mandate will have until Oct. 13 to provide proof of full vaccination “to preserve jobs while giving time for compliance,” the mayor’s office wrote in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Besides the obvious public health benefits, Breed also said vaccinations were important to ensure the economy recovers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We all have to do our part. We need to get vaccinated,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>An overview of the main details of San Francisco’s new vaccine mandate\u003c/strong>:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Mandate starts on Aug. 20.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11879188/dont-have-your-california-digital-vaccine-card-yet-heres-how-to-get-it\">Proof of vaccination\u003c/a> will be needed to enter crowded businesses like bars, restaurants, clubs, gyms and theaters.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Acceptable proof of vaccination includes your CDC vaccination card, a physical or digital copy or picture of that card, documentation from a health care provider, or a personal digital COVID-19 vaccine record issued by the state of California or by an approved private company.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Local business and merchant groups are largely supportive of the new requirements.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>There are limited exceptions: People only need a mask to use a restroom at a business, for instance, and if a restaurant has a patio, proof of vaccination isn’t required for outdoor dining.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Businesses can ask for vaccine verification in advance and simply check ID upon entry.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Read on for the full details of San Francisco’s new vaccine mandate.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>You won’t need to brandish your vaccination card everywhere — city officials said the new rule applies only to businesses in “high-contact indoor sectors.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What does that mean? Essentially the order applies to places with crowds: those that serve food or drinks like bars and restaurants, theaters and clubs, and fitness establishments like gyms. The mandate does not apply to food pickups for to-go orders, officials said. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11879188/dont-have-your-california-digital-vaccine-card-yet-heres-how-to-get-it\">Read more on how to get a digital version of your proof of vaccination\u003c/a> if you don’t already have a digital vaccine card.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are some exceptions to the proof of vaccination requirement. For instance, businesses may allow patrons to use outdoor areas without vaccination verification and may allow patrons wearing a well-fitted mask to use a restroom indoors without vaccination verification. Businesses that serve food or drinks to go may allow individuals wearing a well-fitted mask to order, pick up or pay for food or drink without vaccination verification.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Businesses also have the option to ask for verification in advance, as long as they confirm the patron’s identification when they enter the establishment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mandate will be more stringent than the requirement announced by New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio last week. San Francisco will now require proof of full vaccination for all customers and staff, while New York mandated proof of at least one shot for similar indoor activities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Los Angeles is considering a similar move requiring people to have at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine before going to indoor restaurants, bars, gyms, movie theaters and other venues. City leaders there voted Wednesday to direct city attorneys to work out the details.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>‘A bold step’\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>San Francisco just took “a bold step” to prevent the spread of the delta variant, said Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, a professor of global health and infectious diseases at Stanford University School of Medicine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the city and county of San Francisco don’t want to take any step backward in controlling this pandemic in the city,” Maldonado said. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The announcement comes a day after Gov. Gavin Newsom said \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11884606/newsom-mandates-covid-vaccines-or-regular-tests-for-all-california-teachers\">all employees at public and private schools in California will have to show proof of vaccination\u003c/a> or face weekly testing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Breed announced the mandate at the historic Vesuvio Cafe in North Beach, a favorite haunt of the beat poets. The cafe has been asking indoor patrons to show proof of vaccination since July 20.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ben Bleiman, founder of the San Francisco Bar Owners Alliance, said the city’s restaurants and bars, which have already been voluntarily requiring proof of vaccination, say it’s a breeze.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In actual practice, it actually was a little bit of a nothing burger,” Bleiman said. “If anything, almost every single person who walked through our doors that we’re hearing about was happy about it. They were thrilled, they were thankful. They felt safer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The San Francisco Independent Fitness Coalition, which represents more than 100 city fitness establishments, also said it supports the move.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Coalition board member Dave Karraker said in a statement, “We feel anything that can be done to avoid the capacity limits or the full shut down of indoor fitness that we experienced last year is in everyone’s best interest, particularly those small, neighborhood businesses that suffered so much since the start of the pandemic.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new order also applies to large events at indoor venues and requires attendees age 12 and over at events numbering 1,000 or more to provide proof of vaccination. A negative COVID test is no longer the bar for attending these events — proof of full vaccination is a must.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some San Francisco health care providers not already subject to the state’s vaccination requirements will also now be required to show proof of vaccination. That includes workers at residential care facilities, adult day centers, and dental offices, as well as pharmacists and home health aides, according to city health officials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new rules are a response to the rise of the delta variant across the country, and locally. About 78% of San Franciscans are vaccinated, but the new surge shows a “need for additional measures to close the remaining gap of unvaccinated people,” the mayor’s statement said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are now in a new phase of the pandemic,” said Dr. Grant Colfax, the city’s health director. “And even as we see a surge of cases, we have the powerful tool to fight this disease and to keep ourselves and each other safe. The vaccines, let’s use them”\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>The move comes after San Francisco city officials announced all 35,000 government employees are required to be vaccinated. More than 80% of employees already are.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a letter to the city, however, roughly 200 employees pushed back on the city’s vaccination effort, sending in “conspiracy-tinged letters,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/In-conspiracy-tinged-letters-200-S-F-employees-16375674.php\">according to The San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/a>. The employees were mostly fire department workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Associated Press, KQED’s Nina Sparling and KQED’s Tara Siler contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Bay Area students are beginning to head back to school for the start of the fall semester, with some seeing the inside of a classroom for the first time in 18 months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a big moment, but the timing couldn’t be worse.[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Dr. Sunitha Kaiser, UCSF pediatrician\"]‘We know now that the benefits of being in school for children far outweigh the risks.’[/pullquote]COVID-19 cases are spiking across the region, fueled by the highly transmissible delta variant. California is now averaging \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/projects/california-coronavirus-cases-tracking-outbreak/\">more than 10,000\u003c/a> new cases a day, about a \u003ca href=\"https://covid19.ca.gov/state-dashboard/\">10-fold increase\u003c/a> from a month ago. In several Bay Area counties, hundreds of people are testing positive daily.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that has a lot of parents, teachers and school officials worried.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Rough Start\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Just three days after classes resumed in Brentwood, on the eastern edge of Contra Costa County, \u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/08/02/brentwood-district-schools-reporting-covid-19-cases-days-after-they-reopen/\">dozens of students and staff\u003c/a> had to quarantine. The Brentwood school district’s \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/document/d/10OvTLUaGCBgwRr7_nusso70lUSwRHskZU0-P_el5MWk/edit\">dashboard\u003c/a> Monday showed 17 students and two staff members from eight of its 11 schools had contracted the virus. School leaders say the outbreak originated in the surrounding community, not inside classrooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“School districts merely represent the communities they live in,” said Brentwood Union School District Superintendent Dana Eaton. “We expect to have a similar percentage of students and staff members in our school that are COVID-positive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Cases Vary Dramatically for Kids\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Most young kids who catch the virus are asymptomatic. Some battle symptoms like those of the common cold — maybe a runny nose and cough. For older kids, COVID-19 can feel more like the flu. And although it’s rarely very serious for children, there are exceptions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]Across the country, at least 44,000 kids, from newborns to 17-year-olds, have been hospitalized over the past year, and \u003ca href=\"https://data.cdc.gov/NCHS/Deaths-by-Sex-Ages-0-18-years/xa4b-4pzv\">416\u003c/a> have died since the beginning of the pandemic last March, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can’t predict who’s going to get a bad case,” said Dr. Ann Petru, an infection control officer at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland. She stresses that vaccinations are the best protection against serious disease for those eligible to receive a shot, and also the best way to protect children under 12 who can’t yet get one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The current surge is especially stressful for people with vulnerable family members. Susana Villanueva Torres \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11877103/an-oakland-moms-death-from-covid-how-two-women-are-trying-to-fill-her-shoes\">lost her sister to COVID-19\u003c/a> last October. Now she’s caring for her sister’s 11-year-old son, David, in addition to her own teenage son.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recently she received additional painful news: Her husband was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer that weakens the immune system. She worries her boys may catch COVID at their Oakland schools and bring the virus home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“’You guys need to be aware, you need to wear your mask at all times. You know we need to take care of dad [and] tio [uncle],’” Torres says she frequently tells her son and nephew.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Torres is scared. But she knows her boys are counting on seeing their friends and teachers, and she says in-person school also helps distract David from dwelling on the loss of his mother.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>How Bad Is Delta?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The delta variant is much more contagious than the original strain of the virus. It \u003ca href=\"https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions\">appears\u003c/a> to be spreading two to three times faster, and early \u003ca href=\"https://virological.org/t/viral-infection-and-transmission-in-a-large-well-traced-outbreak-caused-by-the-delta-sars-cov-2-variant/724\">research\u003c/a> from China shows that people who catch it have, on average, about 1,000 times more copies of the virus in their respiratory tracts than those who contracted the original bug.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The reason the delta variant could potentially be more virulent or more deadly, more disease-causing, is that it reaches much higher levels of virus in the body,” Dr. Celine Gounder, an epidemiologist at NYU’s medical school, said recently on \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/06/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-celine-gounder.html?showTranscript=1\">The Ezra Klein Show\u003c/a>. “It’s replicating so quickly. There’s so much of the virus in the nose, in the throat, in the lungs. And so this may be why the delta variant could be causing more severe disease.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nationwide, more than 93,824 children tested positive for the virus in the last week of July alone, according to a \u003ca href=\"https://services.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/children-and-covid-19-state-level-data-report/\">report\u003c/a> from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association. That’s about 15% of the total number of new cases across the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are definitely seeing a big surge,” said Petru from Children’s Hospital Oakland. “We have around 10% of our kids testing positive now, which is compared to 1 to 2% at the end of May and early June. We also have a significant jump in the number of patients who are hospitalized with COVID.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"related coverage\": tag=\"delta-variant\"]Petru says there are currently a handful of teenagers connected to ventilators in her hospital’s intensive care unit, fighting for their lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re very, very sick,” said Petru. “And it doesn’t have to be that way. They’re old enough that they could have gotten the vaccines.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Petru fears her hospital will be overwhelmed in the near future because the emergency department is already backlogged.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To make matters worse, the delta variant is spiking just as common respiratory viruses like the rhinovirus and enterovirus are also starting to take hold in California. Common bugs that cause runny noses and colds are only likely to get worse as summer turns to fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Benefits of School Still Outweigh Risks\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>However, public health officials and school leaders are not considering closing schools. They learned a lot of hard lessons during the pandemic. Isolation is not good for any of us, especially children — a fact underscored by the spike in \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6945a3.htm\">emergency room visits among kids\u003c/a> for mental health issues over the last 18 months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We know now that the benefits of being in school for children far outweigh the risks,” said Dr. Sunitha Kaiser, a UCSF pediatric hospitalist and professor. Most students have a stronger academic experience in person — \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-04-04/how-covid-distance-learning-hurt-california-english-learners\">many fell behind during distance learning\u003c/a> last year. And at school, many also have access to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11808968/coronavirus-is-impacting-the-bay-areas-mental-health-where-can-you-find-help\">mental health support\u003c/a> to help them recover from pandemic-related trauma.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dr. Kaiser recommends a multilayered approach to keep everyone safe inside schools. That includes vaccinating, masking, social distancing, ventilation, testing, contact tracing and ensuring anyone who has symptoms stays home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We know that most kids are getting COVID at home and from close household contacts and family members,” Kaiser said. “The best way to boost safety for kids is for their close household contacts and family members to get vaccinated.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Unvaccinated Californians can go to \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://myturn.ca.gov/\">\u003cem>myturn.ca.gov\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> or call (833) 422-4255 to schedule their appointment or go to \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://myturn.ca.gov/clinic.html\">\u003cem>myturn.ca.gov/clinic\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> to find a walk-in clinic in their county.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>COVID-19 cases are spiking across the region, fueled by the highly transmissible delta variant. California is now averaging \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/projects/california-coronavirus-cases-tracking-outbreak/\">more than 10,000\u003c/a> new cases a day, about a \u003ca href=\"https://covid19.ca.gov/state-dashboard/\">10-fold increase\u003c/a> from a month ago. In several Bay Area counties, hundreds of people are testing positive daily.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that has a lot of parents, teachers and school officials worried.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Rough Start\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Just three days after classes resumed in Brentwood, on the eastern edge of Contra Costa County, \u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/08/02/brentwood-district-schools-reporting-covid-19-cases-days-after-they-reopen/\">dozens of students and staff\u003c/a> had to quarantine. The Brentwood school district’s \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/document/d/10OvTLUaGCBgwRr7_nusso70lUSwRHskZU0-P_el5MWk/edit\">dashboard\u003c/a> Monday showed 17 students and two staff members from eight of its 11 schools had contracted the virus. School leaders say the outbreak originated in the surrounding community, not inside classrooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“School districts merely represent the communities they live in,” said Brentwood Union School District Superintendent Dana Eaton. “We expect to have a similar percentage of students and staff members in our school that are COVID-positive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Cases Vary Dramatically for Kids\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Most young kids who catch the virus are asymptomatic. Some battle symptoms like those of the common cold — maybe a runny nose and cough. For older kids, COVID-19 can feel more like the flu. And although it’s rarely very serious for children, there are exceptions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Across the country, at least 44,000 kids, from newborns to 17-year-olds, have been hospitalized over the past year, and \u003ca href=\"https://data.cdc.gov/NCHS/Deaths-by-Sex-Ages-0-18-years/xa4b-4pzv\">416\u003c/a> have died since the beginning of the pandemic last March, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can’t predict who’s going to get a bad case,” said Dr. Ann Petru, an infection control officer at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland. She stresses that vaccinations are the best protection against serious disease for those eligible to receive a shot, and also the best way to protect children under 12 who can’t yet get one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The current surge is especially stressful for people with vulnerable family members. Susana Villanueva Torres \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11877103/an-oakland-moms-death-from-covid-how-two-women-are-trying-to-fill-her-shoes\">lost her sister to COVID-19\u003c/a> last October. Now she’s caring for her sister’s 11-year-old son, David, in addition to her own teenage son.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recently she received additional painful news: Her husband was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer that weakens the immune system. She worries her boys may catch COVID at their Oakland schools and bring the virus home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“’You guys need to be aware, you need to wear your mask at all times. You know we need to take care of dad [and] tio [uncle],’” Torres says she frequently tells her son and nephew.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Torres is scared. But she knows her boys are counting on seeing their friends and teachers, and she says in-person school also helps distract David from dwelling on the loss of his mother.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>How Bad Is Delta?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The delta variant is much more contagious than the original strain of the virus. It \u003ca href=\"https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions\">appears\u003c/a> to be spreading two to three times faster, and early \u003ca href=\"https://virological.org/t/viral-infection-and-transmission-in-a-large-well-traced-outbreak-caused-by-the-delta-sars-cov-2-variant/724\">research\u003c/a> from China shows that people who catch it have, on average, about 1,000 times more copies of the virus in their respiratory tracts than those who contracted the original bug.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The reason the delta variant could potentially be more virulent or more deadly, more disease-causing, is that it reaches much higher levels of virus in the body,” Dr. Celine Gounder, an epidemiologist at NYU’s medical school, said recently on \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/06/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-celine-gounder.html?showTranscript=1\">The Ezra Klein Show\u003c/a>. “It’s replicating so quickly. There’s so much of the virus in the nose, in the throat, in the lungs. And so this may be why the delta variant could be causing more severe disease.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nationwide, more than 93,824 children tested positive for the virus in the last week of July alone, according to a \u003ca href=\"https://services.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/children-and-covid-19-state-level-data-report/\">report\u003c/a> from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association. That’s about 15% of the total number of new cases across the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are definitely seeing a big surge,” said Petru from Children’s Hospital Oakland. “We have around 10% of our kids testing positive now, which is compared to 1 to 2% at the end of May and early June. We also have a significant jump in the number of patients who are hospitalized with COVID.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Petru says there are currently a handful of teenagers connected to ventilators in her hospital’s intensive care unit, fighting for their lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re very, very sick,” said Petru. “And it doesn’t have to be that way. They’re old enough that they could have gotten the vaccines.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Petru fears her hospital will be overwhelmed in the near future because the emergency department is already backlogged.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To make matters worse, the delta variant is spiking just as common respiratory viruses like the rhinovirus and enterovirus are also starting to take hold in California. Common bugs that cause runny noses and colds are only likely to get worse as summer turns to fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Benefits of School Still Outweigh Risks\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>However, public health officials and school leaders are not considering closing schools. They learned a lot of hard lessons during the pandemic. Isolation is not good for any of us, especially children — a fact underscored by the spike in \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6945a3.htm\">emergency room visits among kids\u003c/a> for mental health issues over the last 18 months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We know now that the benefits of being in school for children far outweigh the risks,” said Dr. Sunitha Kaiser, a UCSF pediatric hospitalist and professor. Most students have a stronger academic experience in person — \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-04-04/how-covid-distance-learning-hurt-california-english-learners\">many fell behind during distance learning\u003c/a> last year. And at school, many also have access to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11808968/coronavirus-is-impacting-the-bay-areas-mental-health-where-can-you-find-help\">mental health support\u003c/a> to help them recover from pandemic-related trauma.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dr. Kaiser recommends a multilayered approach to keep everyone safe inside schools. That includes vaccinating, masking, social distancing, ventilation, testing, contact tracing and ensuring anyone who has symptoms stays home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We know that most kids are getting COVID at home and from close household contacts and family members,” Kaiser said. “The best way to boost safety for kids is for their close household contacts and family members to get vaccinated.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Unvaccinated Californians can go to \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://myturn.ca.gov/\">\u003cem>myturn.ca.gov\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> or call (833) 422-4255 to schedule their appointment or go to \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://myturn.ca.gov/clinic.html\">\u003cem>myturn.ca.gov/clinic\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> to find a walk-in clinic in their county.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "california-to-require-all-health-workers-be-fully-vaccinated-against-covid-19-by-end-of-september",
"title": "California First in Nation to Mandate COVID-19 Vaccinations for All Health Care Workers",
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"content": "\u003cp>California is the first state in the nation to require all of its roughly 2.2 million health care and long-term care workers to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new order, \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OPA/Pages/NR21-242.aspx\">issued Thursday\u003c/a> by the California Department of Public Health, mandates all that all health care workers must be fully vaccinated by the end of Sept. 30 — allowing only for religious or rare medical exemptions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The order tightens Gov. Gavin Newsom’s move last week to \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/2021/07/california-vaccine-requirements-workers/\">require health care workers and state employees\u003c/a> to be vaccinated or submit to weekly testing. Now, there is no longer a choice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The change comes as California is seeing the fastest increase in new virus cases since the start of the pandemic, averaging 18.3 new cases per 100,000 people a day. Most of the state’s new infections are caused by the delta variant, a more contagious version of the coronavirus that the state says “may cause more severe illness.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than \u003ca href=\"https://covid19.ca.gov/state-dashboard/#todays-update\">5,500 Californians are currently hospitalized\u003c/a> for COVID-19, with about one-fifth of them needing intensive care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Increasing numbers of health care workers are among the new positive cases, despite vaccinations being prioritized for this group when vaccines initially became available,” said Dr. Tomás J. Aragón, California’s public health officer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The order represents a new hard line in public health leaders’ quest to convince the hesitant to receive the vaccine. Several states are focusing on health care workers, since they are around vulnerable patients.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/CAPublicHealth/status/1423398894046781453\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As we continue to see an increase in cases and hospitalizations due to the delta variant of COVID-19, it’s important that we protect the vulnerable patients in these settings,” Aragón said in a statement. “Today’s action will also ensure that health care workers themselves are protected. Vaccines are how we end this pandemic.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But other states with similar requirements have carved out exceptions, like \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/business-health-oregon-coronavirus-pandemic-4ec0b8814283fe717b3363ea53b35b34\">in Oregon\u003c/a>, where health care workers can instead get regular COVID-19 testing. \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-maryland-28432aaf58e45223980958a48ffbf1cc\">In Maryland\u003c/a>, the vaccine mandate only applies to certain state employees, such as those who work in health care facilities under the state health department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In California, vaccine mandates are politically perilous for Newsom, who is facing a recall election next month fueled in part by anger over his handling of the pandemic. Newsom has angered many parents by continuing to require masks indoors at all public schools, although he has not required all teachers and staff to be vaccinated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some California local governments are going beyond the new rule. In June, San Francisco became the first major U.S. city to announce it would \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/health/article/S-F-will-require-all-city-workers-to-be-16269840.php\">require all 36,000 of its city employees\u003c/a> to be fully inoculated against the virus — or risk losing their jobs— once the vaccines receive full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And in Los Angeles County, some 110,000 government workers have until Oct. 1 to be vaccinated under a new order issued by Board of Supervisors Chair Hilda L. Solis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She noted that about 4 million of the county’s roughly 10 million residents remain unvaccinated. The Los Angeles order doesn’t specify penalties for employees who refuse to be vaccinated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, a letter to the approximately 5,000 staffers of Los Angeles County Superior Court — the nation’s largest trial court system — ordered them to be fully vaccinated or be fired. The letter says workers must show proof of vaccination no more than 45 days after the federal Food and Drug Administration gives its final approval to one of the vaccines available in the U.S., the Los Angeles Times \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-08-05/l-a-county-court-will-fire-employees-who-dont-get-coronavirus-vaccine-after-full-fda-approval\">reported\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both of those mandates provide exceptions for people for medical or religious reasons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"related coverage\" tag=\"delta-variant\"]California’s new vaccine mandate is broad and applies to workers in most health care facilities, including hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, psychiatric hospitals, adult day health care centers, dialysis centers, hospice facilities and clinics and doctor’s offices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca title=\"second public health order\" href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/Order-of-the-State-Public-Health-Officer-Requirements-for-Visitors-in-Acute-Health-Care-and-Long-Term-Care-Settings.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-auth=\"NotApplicable\" data-linkindex=\"4\">second public health order\u003c/a> directs facilities to verify that visitors are fully vaccinated or have tested negative for COVID-19 in the last 72 hours before indoor visits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state said it would give its updated guidance for long-term care facilities “in the near future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carmela Coyle, president and CEO of the California Hospital Association, called the vaccine mandate “an important step in the long battle we face against COVID-19 and the multiple variants that have emerged.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are once again on a dangerous precipice that demands both our fortitude and our goodwill to protect loved ones and neighbors,” Coyle said. “California’s health care workers are being called upon — as they have through every step of this pandemic — to lead the charge in the battle between vaccine and variant.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 63% of Californians 12 and older have been fully vaccinated. Another 10% have been partially vaccinated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"NewsItemContent\">\n\u003cp>\u003cem>COVID-19 vaccines are free. Unvaccinated Californians age 12 and up can go to\u003ca title=\"myturn.ca.gov\" href=\"http://www.myturn.ca.gov/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-auth=\"NotApplicable\" data-linkindex=\"6\"> myturn.ca.gov\u003c/a> or call (833) 422-4255 to schedule an appointment or go to\u003ca title=\"myturn.ca.gov/clinic\" href=\"http://www.myturn.ca.gov/clinic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-auth=\"NotApplicable\" data-linkindex=\"7\"> myturn.ca.gov/clinic\u003c/a> to find a walk-in clinic in their county.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>California is the first state in the nation to require all of its roughly 2.2 million health care and long-term care workers to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new order, \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OPA/Pages/NR21-242.aspx\">issued Thursday\u003c/a> by the California Department of Public Health, mandates all that all health care workers must be fully vaccinated by the end of Sept. 30 — allowing only for religious or rare medical exemptions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The order tightens Gov. Gavin Newsom’s move last week to \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/2021/07/california-vaccine-requirements-workers/\">require health care workers and state employees\u003c/a> to be vaccinated or submit to weekly testing. Now, there is no longer a choice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The change comes as California is seeing the fastest increase in new virus cases since the start of the pandemic, averaging 18.3 new cases per 100,000 people a day. Most of the state’s new infections are caused by the delta variant, a more contagious version of the coronavirus that the state says “may cause more severe illness.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than \u003ca href=\"https://covid19.ca.gov/state-dashboard/#todays-update\">5,500 Californians are currently hospitalized\u003c/a> for COVID-19, with about one-fifth of them needing intensive care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>“As we continue to see an increase in cases and hospitalizations due to the delta variant of COVID-19, it’s important that we protect the vulnerable patients in these settings,” Aragón said in a statement. “Today’s action will also ensure that health care workers themselves are protected. Vaccines are how we end this pandemic.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But other states with similar requirements have carved out exceptions, like \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/business-health-oregon-coronavirus-pandemic-4ec0b8814283fe717b3363ea53b35b34\">in Oregon\u003c/a>, where health care workers can instead get regular COVID-19 testing. \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-maryland-28432aaf58e45223980958a48ffbf1cc\">In Maryland\u003c/a>, the vaccine mandate only applies to certain state employees, such as those who work in health care facilities under the state health department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In California, vaccine mandates are politically perilous for Newsom, who is facing a recall election next month fueled in part by anger over his handling of the pandemic. Newsom has angered many parents by continuing to require masks indoors at all public schools, although he has not required all teachers and staff to be vaccinated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some California local governments are going beyond the new rule. In June, San Francisco became the first major U.S. city to announce it would \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/health/article/S-F-will-require-all-city-workers-to-be-16269840.php\">require all 36,000 of its city employees\u003c/a> to be fully inoculated against the virus — or risk losing their jobs— once the vaccines receive full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And in Los Angeles County, some 110,000 government workers have until Oct. 1 to be vaccinated under a new order issued by Board of Supervisors Chair Hilda L. Solis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She noted that about 4 million of the county’s roughly 10 million residents remain unvaccinated. The Los Angeles order doesn’t specify penalties for employees who refuse to be vaccinated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, a letter to the approximately 5,000 staffers of Los Angeles County Superior Court — the nation’s largest trial court system — ordered them to be fully vaccinated or be fired. The letter says workers must show proof of vaccination no more than 45 days after the federal Food and Drug Administration gives its final approval to one of the vaccines available in the U.S., the Los Angeles Times \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-08-05/l-a-county-court-will-fire-employees-who-dont-get-coronavirus-vaccine-after-full-fda-approval\">reported\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both of those mandates provide exceptions for people for medical or religious reasons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>California’s new vaccine mandate is broad and applies to workers in most health care facilities, including hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, psychiatric hospitals, adult day health care centers, dialysis centers, hospice facilities and clinics and doctor’s offices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca title=\"second public health order\" href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/Order-of-the-State-Public-Health-Officer-Requirements-for-Visitors-in-Acute-Health-Care-and-Long-Term-Care-Settings.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-auth=\"NotApplicable\" data-linkindex=\"4\">second public health order\u003c/a> directs facilities to verify that visitors are fully vaccinated or have tested negative for COVID-19 in the last 72 hours before indoor visits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state said it would give its updated guidance for long-term care facilities “in the near future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carmela Coyle, president and CEO of the California Hospital Association, called the vaccine mandate “an important step in the long battle we face against COVID-19 and the multiple variants that have emerged.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are once again on a dangerous precipice that demands both our fortitude and our goodwill to protect loved ones and neighbors,” Coyle said. “California’s health care workers are being called upon — as they have through every step of this pandemic — to lead the charge in the battle between vaccine and variant.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 63% of Californians 12 and older have been fully vaccinated. Another 10% have been partially vaccinated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"NewsItemContent\">\n\u003cp>\u003cem>COVID-19 vaccines are free. Unvaccinated Californians age 12 and up can go to\u003ca title=\"myturn.ca.gov\" href=\"http://www.myturn.ca.gov/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-auth=\"NotApplicable\" data-linkindex=\"6\"> myturn.ca.gov\u003c/a> or call (833) 422-4255 to schedule an appointment or go to\u003ca title=\"myturn.ca.gov/clinic\" href=\"http://www.myturn.ca.gov/clinic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-auth=\"NotApplicable\" data-linkindex=\"7\"> myturn.ca.gov/clinic\u003c/a> to find a walk-in clinic in their county.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Delta Is Surging. Here's the Latest You Need to Know to Stay Safe",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated Aug. 4, 2021 at 9:50 a.m. PT\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the highly contagious delta variant surging ferociously, Americans are once again grappling with pandemic anxiety.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The surge has prompted a flurry of new mask and vaccine mandates and other steps to try to get the virus back under control.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While delta can sometimes infect vaccinated people, infections, hospitalizations and deaths are rising fastest in parts of the country with the most unvaccinated people. Hotspots, however, are popping up everywhere from Massachusetts to California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“While we desperately want to be done with this pandemic, COVID-19 is clearly not done with us, and so our battle must last a little longer,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said a recent White House COVID-19 briefing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But if you’re already vaccinated, how worried should you be? What new precautions are called for? Here’s what to know about the fast-spreading variant and how to stay safe and protect others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#anchor1\">\u003cb>\u003cstrong>How much more contagious is the delta variant?\u003c/strong>\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#anchor2\">\u003cb>If I’m vaccinated, can I get sick with delta?\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#anchor3\">\u003cb>What about long COVID-19?\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#anchor4\">\u003cb>Should I go back to wearing a mask in public?\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#anchor5\">\u003cb>Do I need a booster shot?\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#anchor6\">\u003cb>What about kids?\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#anchor7\">\u003cb>Is it safe to fly?\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#anchor8\">\u003cb>How about going to weddings and other large gatherings?\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#anchor9\">\u003cb>Does delta cause different COVID-19 symptoms\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#anchor10\">\u003cb>Do I need to wipe down everything again?\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp> \u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"anchor1\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>How much more contagious is the delta variant, really?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Very. As \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2021/05/07/994710459/is-the-variant-from-india-the-most-contagious-coronavirus-mutant-on-the-planet\">NPR has reported\u003c/a>, delta appears to be around twice as transmissible as the original SARS-CoV-2 strains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2021/07/08/1013794996/why-the-delta-variant-is-so-contagious-a-new-study-sheds-light\">recent preprint study from China\u003c/a> found that people who are infected with delta have — on average — about 1,000 times more copies of the virus in their respiratory tracts than those infected with the original strain, and are infectious earlier in the course of their illness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No matter how you look at it, delta seems to spread faster, explains \u003ca href=\"https://www.uwmedicine.org/bios/helen-chu\">Helen Chu\u003c/a>, associate professor of medicine at the University of Washington.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You can look at it through modeling, you can look at it through population-level data, and you can look at it simply by putting the virus into the cell and looking at how quickly it infects the next cell,” she says. “In all of those measures, it has looked like it’s more transmissible.”\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"anchor2\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>If I’m vaccinated, can I get sick with delta?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003cbr>\nYes, but don’t panic. While the vaccines are somewhat less protective against delta, they are still highly effective at preventing people from getting severely ill and dying.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"related coverage\" tag=\"delta-variant\"]During a recent White House briefing, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, noted that the data from the UK showed the vaccines are 88% effective at preventing people from developing symptoms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vaccinated people are eight times less likely to get sick and 25 times less likely to end up in the hospital compared to unvaccinated people, Fauci said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For context, the CDC \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/health-departments/breakthrough-cases.html\">has documented\u003c/a> a total of 6,587 cases of fully vaccinated people who were hospitalized or died from COVID-19, among the more than 163 million people who have been fully vaccinated in this country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That is a rate of 0.01% or less, Fauci said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The bottom line of what we are saying is: Get vaccinated,” Fauci says. “The COVID vaccines give strong protection against the delta variant, and it protects you, your family, and your community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though the CDC only tracks breakthrough infections that lead to hospitalization and death, some states are keeping track of every case. According to an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kff.org/policy-watch/covid-19-vaccine-breakthrough-cases-data-from-the-states/\">analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation\u003c/a> — among states that track the data — the rate of breakthrough cases among fully vaccinated people ranged from 0.01% in Connecticut to 0.29% in Alaska.\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"anchor3\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>What about long COVID-19?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>While the risk of getting sick if you’re vaccinated is very low, if you do get a symptomatic case, it’s still possible to end up with long-haul COVID-19 symptoms, according to virologist \u003ca href=\"https://angelarasmussen.org/about\">Angela Rasmussen\u003c/a>, who works with the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. She notes the data is still quite limited, though.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Even if you don’t end up in the hospital, there’s certainly a possibility that you could end up with long COVID,” she says. “So, the safest thing to do is to avoid being infected altogether.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/07/28/1021888033/breakthrough-infections-may-cause-long-covid-symptoms-small-study-suggests\">a recent study\u003c/a> from Israel suggested that even people who experience “mild” breakthrough infections may be at risk for symptoms that linger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The study found that about one in five people — 19% — who got infected even though they were vaccinated experienced symptoms found in long COVID patients that lasted at least six weeks, including headaches, body aches, fatigue and loss of taste and smell. The study, however, was very small, including only seven patients out of about 1,500 who experienced lingering health problems.\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"anchor4\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Should I go back to wearing a mask in public?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Yes, and many experts advise you up your mask game to wear the best-fitting mask you can.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In late July, CDC \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/07/27/1021206558/cdc-expected-to-change-mask-guidance-for-vaccinated-people-including-in-schools\">issued new guidelines\u003c/a> that even fully vaccinated people should start masking up again indoors when they are places where the virus is circulating widely. (Check \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/1021795290\">this map with data from the CDC\u003c/a> to see if you need to mask up where you live.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CDC’s new recommendation was based on an investigation of an outbreak that occurred in Provincetown, Massachusetts, around the July 4 holiday. Researchers discovered that fully vaccinated people who caught the virus could carry as much virus as unvaccinated people, which means they could spread the virus to other people. The findings are consistent with outbreak investigations, the CDC’s Walensky said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CDC also updated its guidance to recommend everyone in schools wear masks, regardless of whether they are vaccinated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I understand this is all frustrating news, and I share this frustration,” Walensky said. “We continue to learn each day from emerging science and use this evidence to update our recommendations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before CDC changed its guidance, many health experts were already calling for vaccinated people to resume masking indoors. Many said they’d never stopped masking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://cph.osu.edu/people/wmiller\">Bill Miller\u003c/a>, a physician and epidemiologist at The Ohio State University says he wears a mask in public places, even though he’s fully vaccinated. “I know that I am extremely unlikely to get seriously ill. But I also know that if I am exposed, I may become infected and pass it on to others,” he says.\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"anchor5\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Do I need a booster shot?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>At this point, no. So far, the federal government doesn’t recommend booster shots to enhance immunity, though it is actively studying the question.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The CDC and the FDA are working very hard to get as much data as they possibly can to adequately address that question,” Dr. Fauci told NPR’s \u003cem>Here & Now\u003c/em> recently. Federal health officials and vaccine makers continue to follow participants enrolled in the initial clinical trials to see how well immunity holds up with current vaccinations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So far, experts say it’s encouraging. “The level of antibodies seem to be holding up pretty well, so we have to watch and see what happens over the course of the coming months,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/who-we-are/nih-director/biographical-sketch-francis-s-collins-md-phd\">Francis Collins\u003c/a>, National Institutes of Health director, told NPR in an interview.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eventually, as immunity wanes, a booster could be recommended for certain groups, including elderly people. There’s also research underway to test a \u003ca href=\"https://www.bcm.edu/news/baylor-launches-clinical-trial-for-covid-19-vaccine-booster\">mix-and-match approach to booster shots\u003c/a>. Researchers are giving study participants who were originally vaccinated with any of the three authorized vaccines a booster shot of the Moderna vaccine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said that the administration is ready for the possibility of boosters “if and when the science shows they are needed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, some other countries have either already started or announced plans to start giving very vulnerable or older people boosters soon.\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"anchor6\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>What about kids? Can kids get infected and spread delta?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Yes. Although children tend to have milder cases of coronavirus, they are certainly susceptible to infection. Children remain the least protected age group, since the vaccine is not authorized for children under the age of 12.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s possible that children who get infected with the delta variant might have more symptoms than they would if they were infected with an earlier version of the virus. With a more transmissible variant, “when someone gets sick, they tend to have more virus, and they tend to have more symptoms,” Chu, from the University of Washington, explains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That being said, typically “children are not that symptomatic from COVID,” she says. Her best guess? She thinks delta “probably will not lead to significant numbers of children getting hospitalized.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But there’s still a reason to keep your kids masked up in public, and that’s the risk they could spread it to more vulnerable people, says Rasmussen, from the University of Saskatchewan. “Even if it doesn’t impact them, it could impact other vulnerable people in their household, such as people who may not have had a robust response to the vaccine, people who are immunocompromised.”\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"anchor7\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Is it safe to fly, especially with my unvaccinated kids? Any other travel precautions to be aware of?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Infectious disease experts say to use extra caution when traveling. “We are now dealing with a different virus, and we are living in this highly contagious virus’ playground,” Dr. Ravina Kullar, infectious diseases specialist and epidemiologist, at UCLA, told NPR via email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Airplanes themselves are generally deemed low risk, given that the air filtration is typically excellent and passengers wear masks. But getting to, and waiting around in, the airport could be risky, especially for unvaccinated kids. With that in mind, Kullar says she would hold off on flying with young kids “until delta plateaus” and plan a road trip instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other experts said short flights may be OK. But if you do fly, make sure you and your kids \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/02/03/962197192/5-hacks-to-make-your-face-mask-more-protective\">wear well-fitted masks,\u003c/a> ideally N95s or KN95s, or double mask. And keep masks on the entire time you’re in the airport and plane.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether you plan to fly or drive, take a look at the level of coronavirus spread in the area you’re traveling to, advises Dr. Helen Boucher, an infectious disease physician at Tufts Medical Center. She suggests canceling plans to travel to places with high or “substantial” spread, according to the CDC designation. (Check \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/1021795290\">NPR’s map here\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, infectious disease specialist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, agrees strongly: “One should be very wary of taking a child too young to be vaccinated from a low-incidence state to a high-incidence state like Florida,” she told NPR. “Glad I don’t have to make those hard choices for my family.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you fly, there’s “no need to quarantine after flying unless a person has symptoms,” Dr. Tina Tan, an infectious disease specialist at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, told NPR via email. But do avoid busy, crowded vacation spots, she warns. Other agree: Beach parties, bars and crowded concerts, even outdoor ones, could pose a risk during the delta surge.\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"anchor8\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Should I turn down invitations to weddings and other large gatherings?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Many public health experts say it’s safe to attend certain gatherings if you’re vaccinated, but keep the variant in mind, especially if you’re somewhere with rising cases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>OSU’s Bill Miller says he encourages mask wearing for an indoor wedding or event “because you’re bringing people together from different social networks, creating a great opportunity for an outbreak.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One case study serves as a reminder that the risk is not zero: Six vaccinated people got COVID-19 after attending a wedding near Houston, held in a large, outdoor tent. All of the infected people got symptoms, one was hospitalized, and another person — who had received India’s Covaxin vaccine — died, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.06.28.21258780v1.full#T1\">a preprint study\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As scary as that sounds, “there could be rare events like these where people are in an enclosed tent and very close to each other. But the vast majority, the vast, vast majority of viral transmission is happening indoors,” says Chu.\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"anchor9\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Does delta cause different COVID-19 symptoms?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Maybe. Some doctors and public health departments have reported that people infected with delta have different symptoms from the original, classic signs of COVID-19: cough, loss of taste or smell, and fever. Now, some of the more common symptoms appear to be \u003ca href=\"https://covid.joinzoe.com/post/new-top-5-covid-symptoms\">runny nose, sore throat and headache\u003c/a>, according to the ZOE COVID Study, an ongoing app-based research project based in the UK.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Chu warns that it’s hard to know what’s behind that apparent change, “because the population that it’s infecting is not the same population that was infected in the prior waves.” The people getting sick now tend to be much younger, she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since COVID-19 might present differently in younger people, any changes in symptoms could have less to do with the new variant and more to do with the people who are contracting it. “I don’t know that you can disentangle that,” Chu says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is already a disease that produces a pretty broad range of different clinical presentations in people,” adds Rasmussen. She’d like to see better data before concluding the symptoms are, in fact, different.\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"anchor10\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Do I need those bleach wipes again?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>No extra surface cleaning is necessary. Even though it’s more transmissible, delta still transmits the same way the original SARS-CoV-2 virus does. “This type of virus, which is an RNA virus that is enveloped, tends to transmit [through] respiratory transmission,” Chu says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s backed by “some extremely detailed contact tracing” done in the recent preprint study from China, says Rasmussen. The researchers “determined that these cases were transmitted primarily through what they called indirect contact, which is most likely inhalation of infectious aerosols [while] breathing shared air, or through direct physical contact,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That means the virus is most likely to be transmitted to someone indoors who is breathing in a nearby infected person’s droplets or aerosols. With delta, the difference is that the infected person will make many more copies of the virus, faster, which makes it easier to spread.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in a way, “that’s good news,” Rasmussen says. “It means that the mitigation measures that we have put in place previously will still work against the delta variant — it’s not being transmitted by some other route.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Delta+Is+Surging.+Here%27s+What+You+Need+To+Know+To+Stay+Safe&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated Aug. 4, 2021 at 9:50 a.m. PT\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the highly contagious delta variant surging ferociously, Americans are once again grappling with pandemic anxiety.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The surge has prompted a flurry of new mask and vaccine mandates and other steps to try to get the virus back under control.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While delta can sometimes infect vaccinated people, infections, hospitalizations and deaths are rising fastest in parts of the country with the most unvaccinated people. Hotspots, however, are popping up everywhere from Massachusetts to California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“While we desperately want to be done with this pandemic, COVID-19 is clearly not done with us, and so our battle must last a little longer,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said a recent White House COVID-19 briefing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But if you’re already vaccinated, how worried should you be? What new precautions are called for? Here’s what to know about the fast-spreading variant and how to stay safe and protect others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#anchor1\">\u003cb>\u003cstrong>How much more contagious is the delta variant?\u003c/strong>\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#anchor2\">\u003cb>If I’m vaccinated, can I get sick with delta?\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#anchor3\">\u003cb>What about long COVID-19?\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#anchor4\">\u003cb>Should I go back to wearing a mask in public?\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#anchor5\">\u003cb>Do I need a booster shot?\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#anchor6\">\u003cb>What about kids?\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#anchor7\">\u003cb>Is it safe to fly?\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#anchor8\">\u003cb>How about going to weddings and other large gatherings?\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#anchor9\">\u003cb>Does delta cause different COVID-19 symptoms\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#anchor10\">\u003cb>Do I need to wipe down everything again?\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp> \u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"anchor1\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>How much more contagious is the delta variant, really?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Very. As \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2021/05/07/994710459/is-the-variant-from-india-the-most-contagious-coronavirus-mutant-on-the-planet\">NPR has reported\u003c/a>, delta appears to be around twice as transmissible as the original SARS-CoV-2 strains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2021/07/08/1013794996/why-the-delta-variant-is-so-contagious-a-new-study-sheds-light\">recent preprint study from China\u003c/a> found that people who are infected with delta have — on average — about 1,000 times more copies of the virus in their respiratory tracts than those infected with the original strain, and are infectious earlier in the course of their illness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No matter how you look at it, delta seems to spread faster, explains \u003ca href=\"https://www.uwmedicine.org/bios/helen-chu\">Helen Chu\u003c/a>, associate professor of medicine at the University of Washington.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You can look at it through modeling, you can look at it through population-level data, and you can look at it simply by putting the virus into the cell and looking at how quickly it infects the next cell,” she says. “In all of those measures, it has looked like it’s more transmissible.”\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"anchor2\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>If I’m vaccinated, can I get sick with delta?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003cbr>\nYes, but don’t panic. While the vaccines are somewhat less protective against delta, they are still highly effective at preventing people from getting severely ill and dying.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>During a recent White House briefing, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, noted that the data from the UK showed the vaccines are 88% effective at preventing people from developing symptoms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vaccinated people are eight times less likely to get sick and 25 times less likely to end up in the hospital compared to unvaccinated people, Fauci said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For context, the CDC \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/health-departments/breakthrough-cases.html\">has documented\u003c/a> a total of 6,587 cases of fully vaccinated people who were hospitalized or died from COVID-19, among the more than 163 million people who have been fully vaccinated in this country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That is a rate of 0.01% or less, Fauci said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The bottom line of what we are saying is: Get vaccinated,” Fauci says. “The COVID vaccines give strong protection against the delta variant, and it protects you, your family, and your community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though the CDC only tracks breakthrough infections that lead to hospitalization and death, some states are keeping track of every case. According to an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kff.org/policy-watch/covid-19-vaccine-breakthrough-cases-data-from-the-states/\">analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation\u003c/a> — among states that track the data — the rate of breakthrough cases among fully vaccinated people ranged from 0.01% in Connecticut to 0.29% in Alaska.\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"anchor3\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>What about long COVID-19?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>While the risk of getting sick if you’re vaccinated is very low, if you do get a symptomatic case, it’s still possible to end up with long-haul COVID-19 symptoms, according to virologist \u003ca href=\"https://angelarasmussen.org/about\">Angela Rasmussen\u003c/a>, who works with the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. She notes the data is still quite limited, though.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Even if you don’t end up in the hospital, there’s certainly a possibility that you could end up with long COVID,” she says. “So, the safest thing to do is to avoid being infected altogether.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/07/28/1021888033/breakthrough-infections-may-cause-long-covid-symptoms-small-study-suggests\">a recent study\u003c/a> from Israel suggested that even people who experience “mild” breakthrough infections may be at risk for symptoms that linger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The study found that about one in five people — 19% — who got infected even though they were vaccinated experienced symptoms found in long COVID patients that lasted at least six weeks, including headaches, body aches, fatigue and loss of taste and smell. The study, however, was very small, including only seven patients out of about 1,500 who experienced lingering health problems.\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"anchor4\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Should I go back to wearing a mask in public?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Yes, and many experts advise you up your mask game to wear the best-fitting mask you can.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In late July, CDC \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/07/27/1021206558/cdc-expected-to-change-mask-guidance-for-vaccinated-people-including-in-schools\">issued new guidelines\u003c/a> that even fully vaccinated people should start masking up again indoors when they are places where the virus is circulating widely. (Check \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/1021795290\">this map with data from the CDC\u003c/a> to see if you need to mask up where you live.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CDC’s new recommendation was based on an investigation of an outbreak that occurred in Provincetown, Massachusetts, around the July 4 holiday. Researchers discovered that fully vaccinated people who caught the virus could carry as much virus as unvaccinated people, which means they could spread the virus to other people. The findings are consistent with outbreak investigations, the CDC’s Walensky said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CDC also updated its guidance to recommend everyone in schools wear masks, regardless of whether they are vaccinated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I understand this is all frustrating news, and I share this frustration,” Walensky said. “We continue to learn each day from emerging science and use this evidence to update our recommendations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before CDC changed its guidance, many health experts were already calling for vaccinated people to resume masking indoors. Many said they’d never stopped masking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://cph.osu.edu/people/wmiller\">Bill Miller\u003c/a>, a physician and epidemiologist at The Ohio State University says he wears a mask in public places, even though he’s fully vaccinated. “I know that I am extremely unlikely to get seriously ill. But I also know that if I am exposed, I may become infected and pass it on to others,” he says.\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"anchor5\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Do I need a booster shot?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>At this point, no. So far, the federal government doesn’t recommend booster shots to enhance immunity, though it is actively studying the question.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The CDC and the FDA are working very hard to get as much data as they possibly can to adequately address that question,” Dr. Fauci told NPR’s \u003cem>Here & Now\u003c/em> recently. Federal health officials and vaccine makers continue to follow participants enrolled in the initial clinical trials to see how well immunity holds up with current vaccinations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So far, experts say it’s encouraging. “The level of antibodies seem to be holding up pretty well, so we have to watch and see what happens over the course of the coming months,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/who-we-are/nih-director/biographical-sketch-francis-s-collins-md-phd\">Francis Collins\u003c/a>, National Institutes of Health director, told NPR in an interview.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eventually, as immunity wanes, a booster could be recommended for certain groups, including elderly people. There’s also research underway to test a \u003ca href=\"https://www.bcm.edu/news/baylor-launches-clinical-trial-for-covid-19-vaccine-booster\">mix-and-match approach to booster shots\u003c/a>. Researchers are giving study participants who were originally vaccinated with any of the three authorized vaccines a booster shot of the Moderna vaccine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said that the administration is ready for the possibility of boosters “if and when the science shows they are needed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, some other countries have either already started or announced plans to start giving very vulnerable or older people boosters soon.\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"anchor6\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>What about kids? Can kids get infected and spread delta?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Yes. Although children tend to have milder cases of coronavirus, they are certainly susceptible to infection. Children remain the least protected age group, since the vaccine is not authorized for children under the age of 12.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s possible that children who get infected with the delta variant might have more symptoms than they would if they were infected with an earlier version of the virus. With a more transmissible variant, “when someone gets sick, they tend to have more virus, and they tend to have more symptoms,” Chu, from the University of Washington, explains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That being said, typically “children are not that symptomatic from COVID,” she says. Her best guess? She thinks delta “probably will not lead to significant numbers of children getting hospitalized.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But there’s still a reason to keep your kids masked up in public, and that’s the risk they could spread it to more vulnerable people, says Rasmussen, from the University of Saskatchewan. “Even if it doesn’t impact them, it could impact other vulnerable people in their household, such as people who may not have had a robust response to the vaccine, people who are immunocompromised.”\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"anchor7\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Is it safe to fly, especially with my unvaccinated kids? Any other travel precautions to be aware of?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Infectious disease experts say to use extra caution when traveling. “We are now dealing with a different virus, and we are living in this highly contagious virus’ playground,” Dr. Ravina Kullar, infectious diseases specialist and epidemiologist, at UCLA, told NPR via email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Airplanes themselves are generally deemed low risk, given that the air filtration is typically excellent and passengers wear masks. But getting to, and waiting around in, the airport could be risky, especially for unvaccinated kids. With that in mind, Kullar says she would hold off on flying with young kids “until delta plateaus” and plan a road trip instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other experts said short flights may be OK. But if you do fly, make sure you and your kids \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/02/03/962197192/5-hacks-to-make-your-face-mask-more-protective\">wear well-fitted masks,\u003c/a> ideally N95s or KN95s, or double mask. And keep masks on the entire time you’re in the airport and plane.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether you plan to fly or drive, take a look at the level of coronavirus spread in the area you’re traveling to, advises Dr. Helen Boucher, an infectious disease physician at Tufts Medical Center. She suggests canceling plans to travel to places with high or “substantial” spread, according to the CDC designation. (Check \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/1021795290\">NPR’s map here\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, infectious disease specialist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, agrees strongly: “One should be very wary of taking a child too young to be vaccinated from a low-incidence state to a high-incidence state like Florida,” she told NPR. “Glad I don’t have to make those hard choices for my family.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you fly, there’s “no need to quarantine after flying unless a person has symptoms,” Dr. Tina Tan, an infectious disease specialist at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, told NPR via email. But do avoid busy, crowded vacation spots, she warns. Other agree: Beach parties, bars and crowded concerts, even outdoor ones, could pose a risk during the delta surge.\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"anchor8\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Should I turn down invitations to weddings and other large gatherings?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Many public health experts say it’s safe to attend certain gatherings if you’re vaccinated, but keep the variant in mind, especially if you’re somewhere with rising cases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>OSU’s Bill Miller says he encourages mask wearing for an indoor wedding or event “because you’re bringing people together from different social networks, creating a great opportunity for an outbreak.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One case study serves as a reminder that the risk is not zero: Six vaccinated people got COVID-19 after attending a wedding near Houston, held in a large, outdoor tent. All of the infected people got symptoms, one was hospitalized, and another person — who had received India’s Covaxin vaccine — died, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.06.28.21258780v1.full#T1\">a preprint study\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As scary as that sounds, “there could be rare events like these where people are in an enclosed tent and very close to each other. But the vast majority, the vast, vast majority of viral transmission is happening indoors,” says Chu.\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"anchor9\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Does delta cause different COVID-19 symptoms?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Maybe. Some doctors and public health departments have reported that people infected with delta have different symptoms from the original, classic signs of COVID-19: cough, loss of taste or smell, and fever. Now, some of the more common symptoms appear to be \u003ca href=\"https://covid.joinzoe.com/post/new-top-5-covid-symptoms\">runny nose, sore throat and headache\u003c/a>, according to the ZOE COVID Study, an ongoing app-based research project based in the UK.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Chu warns that it’s hard to know what’s behind that apparent change, “because the population that it’s infecting is not the same population that was infected in the prior waves.” The people getting sick now tend to be much younger, she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since COVID-19 might present differently in younger people, any changes in symptoms could have less to do with the new variant and more to do with the people who are contracting it. “I don’t know that you can disentangle that,” Chu says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is already a disease that produces a pretty broad range of different clinical presentations in people,” adds Rasmussen. She’d like to see better data before concluding the symptoms are, in fact, different.\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"anchor10\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Do I need those bleach wipes again?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>No extra surface cleaning is necessary. Even though it’s more transmissible, delta still transmits the same way the original SARS-CoV-2 virus does. “This type of virus, which is an RNA virus that is enveloped, tends to transmit [through] respiratory transmission,” Chu says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s backed by “some extremely detailed contact tracing” done in the recent preprint study from China, says Rasmussen. The researchers “determined that these cases were transmitted primarily through what they called indirect contact, which is most likely inhalation of infectious aerosols [while] breathing shared air, or through direct physical contact,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That means the virus is most likely to be transmitted to someone indoors who is breathing in a nearby infected person’s droplets or aerosols. With delta, the difference is that the infected person will make many more copies of the virus, faster, which makes it easier to spread.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in a way, “that’s good news,” Rasmussen says. “It means that the mitigation measures that we have put in place previously will still work against the delta variant — it’s not being transmitted by some other route.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Delta+Is+Surging.+Here%27s+What+You+Need+To+Know+To+Stay+Safe&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Former SF Political Aide Announces End to Hunger Strike After City Leaders Pledge More Action on Drug Overdose Crisis",
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"headTitle": "Former SF Political Aide Announces End to Hunger Strike After City Leaders Pledge More Action on Drug Overdose Crisis | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Gary McCoy once lived on the streets of San Francisco, where he experienced substance use disorder and witnessed drug overdose deaths firsthand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Years later, he rose to the upper echelons of San Francisco’s City Hall. On Sunday, McCoy began a round-the-clock hunger strike on its steps, urging the city to take action to prevent opioid-related overdose deaths.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Tuesday, McCoy ended his strike at 60 hours after receiving support from the majority of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. McCoy said officials will introduce a resolution urging the mayor to declare a state of emergency and authorize the use of safe consumption services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/rgarymccoy/status/1422642909858328581\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>McCoy’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/local/heatherknight/article/He-was-high-homeless-and-in-and-out-of-jail-in-16143241.php\">journey from homelessness to San Francisco’s gold-painted rotunda\u003c/a> made him popular within San Francisco political circles: He’s been a congressional aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and has worked for both state Sen. Scott Wiener and Mayor London Breed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco saw \u003ca href=\"https://www.capradio.org/articles/2021/04/29/fact-check-did-san-francisco-have-twice-as-many-drug-overdose-deaths-as-covid-deaths-in-2020/\">nearly 700 fatal opioid overdoses last year\u003c/a>, nearly twice the number of people who died from COVID-19.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11874651/fentanyl-is-killing-more-people-in-the-pandemic-in-santa-clara-county-victims-are-getting-younger\">analysis by KQED and Documenting COVID-19\u003c/a>, the latter a project started at Columbia University’s Brown Institute for Media Innovation, found that the number of fentanyl overdoses rose sharply from 2019 to 2020 in three Bay Area counties: 170% in Santa Clara County, 68% in San Francisco and 29% in Alameda County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>McCoy, 43, believes he narrowly escaped that fate. He feels the city isn’t doing enough to address the crisis and wants the mayor to implement\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/09/07/645609248/whats-the-evidence-that-supervised-drug-injection-sites-save-lives\"> safe consumption sites\u003c/a> where people can use drugs with safety monitoring by staffers to prevent death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The matter is legally thorny, and efforts at the state level to implement them has been met with setbacks; Wiener’s effort to pass SB 57, to allow some safe consumption sites, \u003ca href=\"https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2021/07/06/supervised-drug-sites-state-sen-scott-wiener-proposal-delayed-next-year/\">won’t be heard next among state lawmakers until 2022\u003c/a>. Breed’s office said they want to create safe consumption sites but there are legal concerns. Meanwhile, a special city team that will provide resources to overdose survivors begins its work Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>McCoy is director of policy and public affairs with HealthRIGHT 360, a health services provider.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This interview has been edited for length and clarity. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>KQED’s Sara Hossaini: So tell us about what you’re doing out in front of City Hall.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gary McCoy: I set up my chair and have a couple of books with me and a couple of jugs of water. And I am committed to sitting out here day and night and not eating solid foods, drinking water and herbal teas for as long as it takes until we can get a commitment from our city leaders to declare a state of emergency for the overdose crisis and authorize, fund and implement safe consumption services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>That’s a big commitment. And you’re no stranger to this place, right?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No, I’m no stranger to the building. I’ve worked in this building under three different supervisors in different capacities over the last decade or so and then across the street with the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department for several years. And so I’m very familiar with the area. I used to live right over here, except this time I won’t have as ready access to a restroom and, you know, indoor living.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Why is this issue so important to you?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I was born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia. It was very, very conservative. For me being gay, I don’t know that I was in the closet, but I certainly wasn’t shouting from the rooftops that I was gay when I was younger. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I moved here when I was in my very early 20s, and within a matter of months I was on the streets. I had once again picked up my substance use disorder. This time it was meth. Before I moved here in my teens, it was heroin. And my life got pretty dark, pretty quick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11883467\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11883467\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50528_009_SanFrancisco_OverdoseHungerStrike_08012021-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50528_009_SanFrancisco_OverdoseHungerStrike_08012021-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50528_009_SanFrancisco_OverdoseHungerStrike_08012021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50528_009_SanFrancisco_OverdoseHungerStrike_08012021-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50528_009_SanFrancisco_OverdoseHungerStrike_08012021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50528_009_SanFrancisco_OverdoseHungerStrike_08012021-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gary McCoy reads a book outside City Hall in San Francisco on August 1, 2021, during a hunger strike calling for San Francisco to put funds toward the overdose crisis and implement safe consumption services. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And I don’t know how I’m here today, but I vowed that because I’m here today, I will certainly do everything I can to try to at least help other people have the same opportunities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I have a great life today. I have a husband that is very supportive of me, and we have a dog and we live in a market-rate-rent apartment and I’m working full time. And I’ve worked for some incredible people up until now. And while I’ve been abstinent from drugs and alcohol for a little over a decade now, I wouldn’t have had that opportunity … if it weren’t for harm reduction [practices and policies] that got me there. I was a tough case for sure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>So when you were homeless, do you remember people dying of overdoses?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There were people around me that died of overdoses when I was using, but it was very few and far between. But with fentanyl now, people just don’t know what they’re using, and it’s unsafe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think in 2017 we had something like 222 overdose deaths that year, and now we’re well over 700 and counting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I know the city has had to sort of struggle with the onset of the pandemic. And, you know, it’s hard to prioritize things. I know that they’ve done a lot of work in prioritizing this issue. But again, it’s time to open a safe consumption site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Why do you consider safe consumption sites to be the answer?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I don’t think they’re the end-all, be-all. But they’re a much-needed approach to connect to the harder-to-reach population who use drugs. And if you can start building that reputation and trust with somebody that’s coming in to use in a supervised setting, then you sort of open up the dialogue to maybe gently nudge them to be seen by a clinician and take care of health issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=\"news_11881276\" label=\"More on overdose deaths\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How is it for you to be so open about all of this? What’s it like to choose this moment to share all of this?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think the more folks that can see that change is possible, I think the better. And so I’ve always been more than happy to put everything out there that I’ve experienced. And I’ve had no problems with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>It strikes me that you’re putting your body at risk again, but for a totally different reason.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ve been thinking a lot about this for the last couple of days, and my husband is — how do I put this? My husband has no issue reminding me that what I’m doing can be dangerous.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There was a lot of PTSD around me being on the streets and the things that I experienced, and I have been housed for over a decade now. And so I imagine there’s going to be some things that come up while I’m out here. And, I think, I’m just ready to handle that mentally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think the bigger purpose for me being out here is to bring more attention to this issue and to make sure that the city can act rather than sort of us sitting in limbo for the next six months at least.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "On Tuesday, McCoy said he will end his hunger strike at 60 hours after receiving support from the majority of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. McCoy said officials will introduce a resolution urging the mayor to declare a state of emergency and authorize the use of safe consumption services. ",
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"headline": "Former SF Political Aide Announces End to Hunger Strike After City Leaders Pledge More Action on Drug Overdose Crisis",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Gary McCoy once lived on the streets of San Francisco, where he experienced substance use disorder and witnessed drug overdose deaths firsthand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Years later, he rose to the upper echelons of San Francisco’s City Hall. On Sunday, McCoy began a round-the-clock hunger strike on its steps, urging the city to take action to prevent opioid-related overdose deaths.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Tuesday, McCoy ended his strike at 60 hours after receiving support from the majority of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. McCoy said officials will introduce a resolution urging the mayor to declare a state of emergency and authorize the use of safe consumption services.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>McCoy’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/local/heatherknight/article/He-was-high-homeless-and-in-and-out-of-jail-in-16143241.php\">journey from homelessness to San Francisco’s gold-painted rotunda\u003c/a> made him popular within San Francisco political circles: He’s been a congressional aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and has worked for both state Sen. Scott Wiener and Mayor London Breed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco saw \u003ca href=\"https://www.capradio.org/articles/2021/04/29/fact-check-did-san-francisco-have-twice-as-many-drug-overdose-deaths-as-covid-deaths-in-2020/\">nearly 700 fatal opioid overdoses last year\u003c/a>, nearly twice the number of people who died from COVID-19.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11874651/fentanyl-is-killing-more-people-in-the-pandemic-in-santa-clara-county-victims-are-getting-younger\">analysis by KQED and Documenting COVID-19\u003c/a>, the latter a project started at Columbia University’s Brown Institute for Media Innovation, found that the number of fentanyl overdoses rose sharply from 2019 to 2020 in three Bay Area counties: 170% in Santa Clara County, 68% in San Francisco and 29% in Alameda County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>McCoy, 43, believes he narrowly escaped that fate. He feels the city isn’t doing enough to address the crisis and wants the mayor to implement\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/09/07/645609248/whats-the-evidence-that-supervised-drug-injection-sites-save-lives\"> safe consumption sites\u003c/a> where people can use drugs with safety monitoring by staffers to prevent death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The matter is legally thorny, and efforts at the state level to implement them has been met with setbacks; Wiener’s effort to pass SB 57, to allow some safe consumption sites, \u003ca href=\"https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2021/07/06/supervised-drug-sites-state-sen-scott-wiener-proposal-delayed-next-year/\">won’t be heard next among state lawmakers until 2022\u003c/a>. Breed’s office said they want to create safe consumption sites but there are legal concerns. Meanwhile, a special city team that will provide resources to overdose survivors begins its work Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>McCoy is director of policy and public affairs with HealthRIGHT 360, a health services provider.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This interview has been edited for length and clarity. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>KQED’s Sara Hossaini: So tell us about what you’re doing out in front of City Hall.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gary McCoy: I set up my chair and have a couple of books with me and a couple of jugs of water. And I am committed to sitting out here day and night and not eating solid foods, drinking water and herbal teas for as long as it takes until we can get a commitment from our city leaders to declare a state of emergency for the overdose crisis and authorize, fund and implement safe consumption services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>That’s a big commitment. And you’re no stranger to this place, right?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No, I’m no stranger to the building. I’ve worked in this building under three different supervisors in different capacities over the last decade or so and then across the street with the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department for several years. And so I’m very familiar with the area. I used to live right over here, except this time I won’t have as ready access to a restroom and, you know, indoor living.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Why is this issue so important to you?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I was born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia. It was very, very conservative. For me being gay, I don’t know that I was in the closet, but I certainly wasn’t shouting from the rooftops that I was gay when I was younger. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I moved here when I was in my very early 20s, and within a matter of months I was on the streets. I had once again picked up my substance use disorder. This time it was meth. Before I moved here in my teens, it was heroin. And my life got pretty dark, pretty quick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11883467\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11883467\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50528_009_SanFrancisco_OverdoseHungerStrike_08012021-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50528_009_SanFrancisco_OverdoseHungerStrike_08012021-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50528_009_SanFrancisco_OverdoseHungerStrike_08012021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50528_009_SanFrancisco_OverdoseHungerStrike_08012021-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50528_009_SanFrancisco_OverdoseHungerStrike_08012021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50528_009_SanFrancisco_OverdoseHungerStrike_08012021-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gary McCoy reads a book outside City Hall in San Francisco on August 1, 2021, during a hunger strike calling for San Francisco to put funds toward the overdose crisis and implement safe consumption services. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And I don’t know how I’m here today, but I vowed that because I’m here today, I will certainly do everything I can to try to at least help other people have the same opportunities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I have a great life today. I have a husband that is very supportive of me, and we have a dog and we live in a market-rate-rent apartment and I’m working full time. And I’ve worked for some incredible people up until now. And while I’ve been abstinent from drugs and alcohol for a little over a decade now, I wouldn’t have had that opportunity … if it weren’t for harm reduction [practices and policies] that got me there. I was a tough case for sure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>So when you were homeless, do you remember people dying of overdoses?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There were people around me that died of overdoses when I was using, but it was very few and far between. But with fentanyl now, people just don’t know what they’re using, and it’s unsafe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think in 2017 we had something like 222 overdose deaths that year, and now we’re well over 700 and counting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I know the city has had to sort of struggle with the onset of the pandemic. And, you know, it’s hard to prioritize things. I know that they’ve done a lot of work in prioritizing this issue. But again, it’s time to open a safe consumption site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Why do you consider safe consumption sites to be the answer?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I don’t think they’re the end-all, be-all. But they’re a much-needed approach to connect to the harder-to-reach population who use drugs. And if you can start building that reputation and trust with somebody that’s coming in to use in a supervised setting, then you sort of open up the dialogue to maybe gently nudge them to be seen by a clinician and take care of health issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How is it for you to be so open about all of this? What’s it like to choose this moment to share all of this?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think the more folks that can see that change is possible, I think the better. And so I’ve always been more than happy to put everything out there that I’ve experienced. And I’ve had no problems with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>It strikes me that you’re putting your body at risk again, but for a totally different reason.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ve been thinking a lot about this for the last couple of days, and my husband is — how do I put this? My husband has no issue reminding me that what I’m doing can be dangerous.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There was a lot of PTSD around me being on the streets and the things that I experienced, and I have been housed for over a decade now. And so I imagine there’s going to be some things that come up while I’m out here. And, I think, I’m just ready to handle that mentally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think the bigger purpose for me being out here is to bring more attention to this issue and to make sure that the city can act rather than sort of us sitting in limbo for the next six months at least.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"marketplace": {
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"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
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"masters-of-scale": {
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"mindshift": {
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"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
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"order": 12
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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"morning-edition": {
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"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
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"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
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},
"pbs-newshour": {
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},
"perspectives": {
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"order": 14
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"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
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"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
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"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
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"politicalbreakdown": {
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"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
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"order": 5
},
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"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.possible.fm/",
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"source": "Possible"
},
"link": "/radio/program/possible",
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"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/730YpdUSNlMyPQwNnyjp4k"
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},
"pri-the-world": {
"id": "pri-the-world",
"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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},
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},
"radiolab": {
"id": "radiolab",
"title": "Radiolab",
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