California’s COVID emergency is ending. How will it change your life?
1 year, 10 months ago

California’s COVID emergency is ending. How will it change your life?

LA Times  

This March 2020 photo along La Brea Avenue in midtown Los Angeles was taken during the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak. California’s 3-year-old COVID-19 state of emergency will lift Tuesday — a development that reflects the dawn of a next, hopeful phase of the pandemic, even as officials and experts say continued vigilance and preparation are necessary to maintain the current promising trajectory. “While the threat of this virus is still real, our preparedness and collective work have helped turn this once crisis emergency into a manageable situation,” California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said. According to the California Health and Human Services Agency, “Californians will continue to be able to access COVID-19 vaccines, testing and therapeutics with no out-of-pocket costs” even after the state emergency ends. Until Nov. 11 — six months after the scheduled termination of the national-level emergency and public health emergency declarations — Californians with private health insurance or who are enrolled in Medi-Cal “can access COVID-19 vaccines, testing and therapeutics from any appropriately licensed provider without any out-of-pocket costs, even if the provider is outside the enrollee’s health plan network,” the agency told The Times earlier this month.

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History of this topic

This was a ‘prime weekend’ for COVID spread in California. Why experts see a ‘real risk’ ahead
4 months ago

This was a ‘prime weekend’ for COVID spread in California. Why experts see a ‘real risk’ ahead

LA Times  

With COVID remaining at stubbornly high levels in California, some doctors are warning that transmission could again accelerate following the busy Labor Day holiday weekend — potentially prolonging a summer wave that has already proved more intense and enduring than some experts had anticipated. And with many California schoolchildren having already returned to school, “this is, unfortunately, a prime weekend …

California COVID surge is surprisingly stronger, longer-lasting than experts had expected
5 months ago

California COVID surge is surprisingly stronger, longer-lasting than experts had expected

LA Times  

An individual sits with a mask on at the Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach on July 28. “We are seeing a lot of outpatient cases — it’s been a much higher uptick over the last week, actually,” Hudson said Friday. “I’ve heard so many stories in the last few weeks of people who didn’t get any until this point, …

COVID surging in California. Is it time to bring back masks, hand sanitizer? What experts say
5 months, 1 week ago

COVID surging in California. Is it time to bring back masks, hand sanitizer? What experts say

LA Times  

People gather outside to listen to the Miskey Mountain Boys at the Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach on July 28. In Los Angeles County, coronavirus levels in wastewater are at 44% of last winter’s peak for the 10-day period that ended July 20. “Given the increased transmission of new strains of COVID-19, residents should continue taking common-sense precautions to …

California's big COVID spike isn't expected to ease anytime soon
5 months, 1 week ago

California's big COVID spike isn't expected to ease anytime soon

LA Times  

With COVID-19 numbers in California spiking this summer, experts are warning the new strains driving the spread could be around for some time. It’s also true that, with this being the fifth summer of the COVID era, many people have thrown caution to the wind, and many sick people are continuing to go about their lives without masking or other …

COVID cases keep rising in L.A. County due to FLiRT; Mayor Karen Bass tests positive
6 months, 1 week ago

COVID cases keep rising in L.A. County due to FLiRT; Mayor Karen Bass tests positive

LA Times  

Despite a recent increase in coronavirus cases, fewer people are masking now — including most of these guests at UCLA’s graduation in June. The latest count shows the most new coronavirus cases per day since February’s tally, as the virus’ winter peak was trending down. For the week that ended June 22, there were an average of 153 patients in …

New COVID subvariants are rising: How bad will California get hit this summer?
7 months, 1 week ago

New COVID subvariants are rising: How bad will California get hit this summer?

LA Times  

As the new FLiRT family of coronavirus subvariants takes hold, early signs are pointing to a summer jump in cases. California’s COVID waves last summer and winter were still big enough to cause significant disruptions, including outbreaks in schools, among sports teams and at Hollywood studios, while some businesses saw higher numbers of workers calling in sick. “In years past, …

Has California’s COVID-19 winter surge peaked? Here’s what the data show
11 months ago

Has California’s COVID-19 winter surge peaked? Here’s what the data show

LA Times  

The winter respiratory virus season may have hit its peak in California, with coronavirus levels in sewage and COVID-19 hospitalizations starting to decline following weeks of steady increases. In L.A. County, flu and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV — the other two prongs of the “tripledemic” that stressed California hospitals last winter — are still circulating at elevated levels but …

COVID-19 intensifies across California, with the worst probably still to come
1 year ago

COVID-19 intensifies across California, with the worst probably still to come

LA Times  

The winter COVID-and-flu season is ramping up in California and nationwide, with doctors and other experts saying the worst of the respiratory illness season is still to come. “And we’re probably not quite to the zenith of it yet,” said Dr. Elizabeth Hudson, regional chief of infectious diseases at Kaiser Permanente Southern California. “Looking at some of the data that …

COVID-19 is ‘heating up all around’ this summer. Should we be wearing masks again?
1 year, 5 months ago

COVID-19 is ‘heating up all around’ this summer. Should we be wearing masks again?

LA Times  

The uptick in coronavirus transmission this summer has not brought major alarm from health experts. There are people who may want to avoid contracting COVID-19 “because it’s disruptive to life.” Chin-Hong said he’s aware of people who’ve had to change big travel plans to Europe and Africa because of illness. And even if you don’t choose to mask up, “definitely …

COVID-19 is on the rise this summer. What to know, how to stay safe
1 year, 5 months ago

COVID-19 is on the rise this summer. What to know, how to stay safe

LA Times  

It is not your imagination — more people this summer are getting COVID-19. The number of coronavirus test results reported to the California Department of Public Health has also doubled over the last month, a possible indication that more people are getting sick — or are at least concerned they have been exposed to the virus. The updated COVID-19 booster …

California’s COVID-19 hospitalizations are near historic lows. Will the lull last?
1 year, 5 months ago

California’s COVID-19 hospitalizations are near historic lows. Will the lull last?

LA Times  

COVID-19 hospitalizations are close to record lows in California, an optimistic sign as the state attempts to navigate its first surge-free summer of the coronavirus era. Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, a UC San Francisco infectious-disease expert, said he suspects that signs of an increase in coronavirus transmission are probably real in some locations, although “it’s not at a high level yet. …

We asked, you answered: How do you feel about the end of the COVID-19 'emergency'
1 year, 7 months ago

We asked, you answered: How do you feel about the end of the COVID-19 'emergency'

NPR  

We asked, you answered: How do you feel about the end of the COVID-19 'emergency' Enlarge this image toggle caption Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images The COVID-19 pandemic state of emergency is over, lifted by both the World Health Organization and the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "I tried contacting our health …

How much COVID is in my community? It’s getting harder to tell
1 year, 7 months ago

How much COVID is in my community? It’s getting harder to tell

LA Times  

Bianca Povalitis, center, along with fellow roller skaters enjoy an evening at Venice Beach Skate Plaza in June 2022. But dwindling data make it more difficult to assess the virus’ trajectory in specific areas and for people to adjust their attitudes and behaviors accordingly — a potentially unsettling development for those who remain most at risk of falling seriously ill. …

US ends COVID-19 health emergency today: Key figures defining the pandemic
1 year, 7 months ago

US ends COVID-19 health emergency today: Key figures defining the pandemic

Firstpost  

Though daily life has long returned to near-normal for many in the United States, the official end of the COVID-19 health emergency Thursday night still marks a new post-pandemic era for the country. Three years of health emergency A state of emergency was first declared in the United States in January 2020, more than three years ago. 1.1 million deaths …

Editorial: The COVID-19 pandemic emergency is over, but virus is still here
1 year, 7 months ago

Editorial: The COVID-19 pandemic emergency is over, but virus is still here

LA Times  

After three long and difficult years, the federal COVID-19 public health emergency ends Thursday. Now we are shifting into the next phase, in which we manage the waves of infection that are likely to continue for the foreseeable future, while seeking new medications and therapies to reduce transmission, treat infection and help the many people still suffering from infections they …

What you need to know to stay safe from COVID now that the public health emergency has ended
1 year, 7 months ago

What you need to know to stay safe from COVID now that the public health emergency has ended

LA Times  

Ready or not, it’s over. And roughly three-quarters of those surveyed by KFF that same month said they believe the public health emergency’s end will either have a “positive impact” or “no impact” on the country overall. But you are in diminishing company: That March Gallup Poll found that 3% of U.S. respondents remained “very concerned” about coming down with …

The COVID public health emergency ends this week. Here's what's changing
1 year, 8 months ago

The COVID public health emergency ends this week. Here's what's changing

NPR  

The COVID public health emergency ends this week. Here's what's changing Enlarge this image toggle caption Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images On Jan. 31, 2020, with six confirmed cases of a new coronavirus in the U.S., a group of federal health officials gathered somberly at the lectern at the White House and declared …

WHO downgrades COVID pandemic, says it’s no longer emergency
1 year, 8 months ago

WHO downgrades COVID pandemic, says it’s no longer emergency

Associated Press  

GENEVA — The World Health Organization said Friday that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions of people worldwide. The U.N. health agency’s officials said that even though the emergency phase was over, the pandemic hasn’t finished, noting recent spikes in …

COVID-19 no longer a global emergency, says WHO
1 year, 8 months ago

COVID-19 no longer a global emergency, says WHO

The Hindu  

The World Health Organization said on May 5 that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies worldwide and killed at least 7 million people worldwide. “It's with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus …

World Health Organisation downgrades Covid pandemic: 'No longer global emergency'
1 year, 8 months ago

World Health Organisation downgrades Covid pandemic: 'No longer global emergency'

Hindustan Times  

The World Health Organization said Friday that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies worldwide and killed at least 7 million people worldwide. “It’s with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “That …

COVID-19 is no longer a global emergency, World Health Organization says
1 year, 8 months ago

COVID-19 is no longer a global emergency, World Health Organization says

LA Times  

The World Health Organization said Friday that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed at least 7 million people worldwide. “It’s with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “That does not …

US Covid vaccine requirement for international travelers to end on May 11
1 year, 8 months ago

US Covid vaccine requirement for international travelers to end on May 11

Live Mint  

In the United States, the Covid-19 vaccine requirement for international travellers will end on May 11, and the coronavirus public health emergency will also terminate on the same day, the White House said in an official statement. “Today, we are announcing that the Administration will end the Covid-19 vaccine requirements for federal employees, federal contractors, and international air travellers at …

California COVID-19 rules ease as emergency declarations end. Here’s what’s changed
1 year, 9 months ago

California COVID-19 rules ease as emergency declarations end. Here’s what’s changed

LA Times  

Shoppers, some wearing masks, make their way along Santee Alley in Los Angeles on Dec. 6, 2022. “With the rescinding of many emergency orders these past weeks, there are questions about which sensible protections remain important to consider,” said L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer. “Given the differing risks both by setting and by individual characteristics, the goals of …

End of an era: L.A. County lifts COVID-19 emergency
1 year, 9 months ago

End of an era: L.A. County lifts COVID-19 emergency

LA Times  

Los Angeles County is officially ending its COVID-19 emergency declaration Friday, a milestone that comes as the region’s coronavirus case rate has fallen to its lowest level since summer 2021. L.A. County has been one of the hardest-hit parts of California — so much so that the National Guard had to transport corpses from overwhelmed hospital morgues during the pandemic’s …

California to alter COVID rules in healthcare settings: Masks and vaccinations not required
1 year, 10 months ago

California to alter COVID rules in healthcare settings: Masks and vaccinations not required

LA Times  

Jazmin Escamilla takes blood samples Dec. 19 in the ambulance bay outside the emergency department at MLK Community Hospital in Los Angeles. With the COVID-19 state of emergency a thing of the past, California health officials on Friday unveiled plans to relax guidance on masking in high-risk settings and to end vaccination requirements for healthcare workers. California L.A. County’s COVID-19 …

Final state emergencies winding down 3 years into pandemic
1 year, 10 months ago

Final state emergencies winding down 3 years into pandemic

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California’s coronavirus emergency officially ended Tuesday, nearly three years after Gov. While California’s emergency declaration is ending, other local emergencies will remain in place — including in Los Angeles County, home to nearly 10 million people. The pandemic strained California’s health care system, which has yet to fully recover, said Carmela Coyle, president and CEO of the …

Newsom rescinds California’s COVID-19 state of emergency, marking an end to the pandemic era
1 year, 10 months ago

Newsom rescinds California’s COVID-19 state of emergency, marking an end to the pandemic era

LA Times  

Dec. 6. photo of shoppers, some wearing masks, some not, make their way along Santee Alley in Los Angeles. California’s COVID-19 state of emergency officially ends Tuesday, bringing a symbolic close to one of the most challenging chapters of state history and of Gov. “California is better prepared and that’s because we have a serious Legislature and the health ecosystem …

Coronavirus Today: Farewell to California’s state of emergency
1 year, 10 months ago

Coronavirus Today: Farewell to California’s state of emergency

LA Times  

I’m Karen Kaplan, and it’s Tuesday, Feb. 28. “In a perfect world, that wouldn’t happen.” Newsom expressed confidence that the public’s health could be maintained without continuing the state of emergency. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said the mandate “saved Americans from countless infections, hospitalizations, and death.” Yet Texas, Florida and other states didn’t check to see whether …

L.A. County’s COVID-19 emergency will end March 31
1 year, 10 months ago

L.A. County’s COVID-19 emergency will end March 31

LA Times  

Michele Crossan checks the temperature of a polling station staff member in November at the Los Angeles County registrar-recorder’s office in Norwalk. And it’s time for us in L.A. County to end our emergency orders.” The motion to end the declaration, co-authored by Hahn and Supervisor Kathryn Barger, said that it had, without question, preserved lives: “Every county department has …

COVID-19 deaths top 100,000 in California: ‘Nobody ... anticipated this toll’
1 year, 10 months ago

COVID-19 deaths top 100,000 in California: ‘Nobody ... anticipated this toll’

LA Times  

It was three years ago this month that California documented its first known victim of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The heartache of having so many people die weighs heavily on all of us here at public health,” Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said. “Both perspectives are understandable because the risk of getting sick, the risk of having severe …

Opinion: The COVID ‘emergency’ is ending. Here’s who will be hurt most
1 year, 10 months ago

Opinion: The COVID ‘emergency’ is ending. Here’s who will be hurt most

LA Times  

Free COVID tests may no longer be available to people without insurance after the federal declaration of emergency ends in May. They also addressed access issues — getting people insured — by expanding Affordable Care Act subsidies for exchange policies, offering a temporary Medicaid coverage option for uninsured people in 15 states, and by not disenrolling anyone from Medicaid in …

What happens to COVID vaccines and drugs authorized for emergency use when health emergency ends?
1 year, 10 months ago

What happens to COVID vaccines and drugs authorized for emergency use when health emergency ends?

LA Times  

On May 11, the central pillar of the country’s pandemic response — the declaration of a national emergency that began March 1, 2020 — will come down. If the secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services makes a declaration that “circumstances exist to justify” it, the FDA is allowed to grant emergency use authorization to badly needed medications, …

How life will change for Americans as Joe Biden announces the lifting of COVID-19 emergency
1 year, 11 months ago

How life will change for Americans as Joe Biden announces the lifting of COVID-19 emergency

Firstpost  

The end of the emergency may limit access to COVID-19 drugs, tests, and vaccines. When the emergency status is lifted on 11 May, federal funding for free treatment or vaccination will end, further slowing the already low uptake of boosters President Joe Biden announced on 30 January, 2023, that he intends to end both the national emergency and the public …

While COVID raged, another deadly threat was on the rise in hospitals
1 year, 11 months ago

While COVID raged, another deadly threat was on the rise in hospitals

LA Times  

As COVID-19 began to rip through California, hospitals were deluged with sickened patients. Amid the new threat of the coronavirus, an old one was also quietly on the rise: More people have suffered severe sepsis in California hospitals in recent years — including a troubling surge in patients who got sepsis inside the hospital itself, state data show. There’s no …

California’s COVID-19 student vaccine mandate, on hold since April, is dropped
1 year, 11 months ago

California’s COVID-19 student vaccine mandate, on hold since April, is dropped

LA Times  

Sarginoor Kaur gets a COVID-19 vaccination from nurse Chelsea Meyer at Arleta High School in 2021. California will not enact its student vaccine mandate, Public Health Department officials said. California’s student COVID-19 vaccine mandate — which has been on hold since April — has been quietly dropped as the state prepares to end emergency pandemic restrictions later this month, public …

How will life change once the COVID-19 emergency ends?
1 year, 11 months ago

How will life change once the COVID-19 emergency ends?

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The declaration of a COVID-19 public health emergency three years ago changed the lives of millions of Americans by offering increased health care coverage, beefed-up food assistance and universal access to coronavirus vaccines and tests. Here’s a look at what will stay and what will go once the emergency order is lifted: COVID-19 TESTS, TREATMENTS AND VACCINES The …

US will end public health emergency for Covid in May: What it means
1 year, 11 months ago

US will end public health emergency for Covid in May: What it means

Hindustan Times  

The United States is set to end Covid emergency declarations on May 11, almost three years after massive pandemic measures were imposed in the country to stem the spread of the infection, the White House announced. Put in place in 2020 by then-US president Donald Trump, the Covid national emergency and public health emergency, were repeatedly extended by now president …

Has California avoided another devastating winter COVID wave?
1 year, 11 months ago

Has California avoided another devastating winter COVID wave?

LA Times  

Shoppers, some wearing masks, made their way along Santee Alley in Los Angeles in December. “I never say we’re in the clear, because there’s still people for whom COVID is going to remain a really big concern, and they’re going to continue to need to do everything they can to avoid getting infected,” Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara …

COVID-19 cases are starting to drop in L.A. Will the decline last?
2 years ago

COVID-19 cases are starting to drop in L.A. Will the decline last?

LA Times  

Shoppers make their way along Santee Alley in Los Angeles on Dec. 6. “Almost three years into the pandemic, there could be a sense of resignation with the ebbs and flow of transmission,” L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said during a recent briefing. L.A. County’s weekly case rate last week reached a seasonal high of 272 for every …

Can California avoid a third devastating COVID-19 winter wave? Cautious signs of hope
2 years, 1 month ago

Can California avoid a third devastating COVID-19 winter wave? Cautious signs of hope

LA Times  

Nurse Angela Tapia administers the Moderna COVID-19 booster vaccine to Maria Salazar, 88, at her home in Los Angeles as her son Louis Salazar Jr., 64, right, and nurse Bryan Phan watch. “But you should really take some comfort in knowing that we have within our wherewithal to mitigate anything that comes up our way.” Some of the advantages we …

Southern California braces for difficult flu season as cases rise after COVID lull
2 years, 2 months ago

Southern California braces for difficult flu season as cases rise after COVID lull

LA Times  

Officials generally recommend the flu vaccine for people 6 months and older. This year, officials are also suggesting those age 65 or older get turbocharged flu vaccines that are considered higher dose or “adjuvanted,” which helps trigger a stronger immune response. The current levels of flu activity are “much higher” compared to pre-pandemic years, the Los Angeles County Department of …

COVID still kills in California, but the demographics of its victims are shifting
2 years, 3 months ago

COVID still kills in California, but the demographics of its victims are shifting

LA Times  

As California settles into a third year of pandemic, COVID-19 continues to pose a serious threat. In the first seven months of the year, about 13,500 California residents died of COVID-19, according to preliminary death certificate data from the state Department of Public Health. From April 2020 through December 2021, COVID-19 killed an average of 3,600 people a month, making …

California ends coronavirus testing requirements for certain unvaccinated workers
2 years, 3 months ago

California ends coronavirus testing requirements for certain unvaccinated workers

LA Times  

California has rescinded coronavirus testing requirements for unvaccinated workers at schools, healthcare facilities and other congregate settings, the latest rule to be rolled back as the state enters what officials say is a new phase of the pandemic. “We’ve entered a phase of the pandemic where the majority of people in these workplace settings are vaccinated, and our youngest Californians …

Coronavirus Today: Who’s dying of COVID-19 now?
2 years, 3 months ago

Coronavirus Today: Who’s dying of COVID-19 now?

LA Times  

I’m Karen Kaplan, and it’s Tuesday, Sept. 20. At a time when vaccines, boosters, medications and antibody treatments are plentiful, when hospitals have the bandwidth to care for patients who are seriously ill, and when, as White House COVID-⁠19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said, “most COVID-19 deaths are preventable,” you’ve got to wonder: Who is dying of COVID-19 now? …

School’s out. Will that help California get ahead of COVID-19?
2 years, 7 months ago

School’s out. Will that help California get ahead of COVID-19?

LA Times  

Angel Cardenas, a freshman at Hiram W. Johnson High School in Sacramento, wears his mask as he works on a math worksheet in class this week. “It’s very hard to accurately predict,” said L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer. “If nothing else, I’ve learned this virus throws us curve balls all the time.” The county’s official case count will …

California’s latest COVID-19 surge may be slowing, early data suggest
2 years, 7 months ago

California’s latest COVID-19 surge may be slowing, early data suggest

LA Times  

People wait in line for a COVID-19 test in Los Angeles earlier this year. “We do, however, have sewage data that would suggest that there’s some drop-off here in San Francisco, Davis, San Jose,” Rutherford said, referring to levels of coronavirus in wastewater. Los Angeles County reported a 4% week-over-week decrease in average daily coronavirus cases, according to a Times …

California’s new coronavirus wave is disrupting lives, even with less severe illness
2 years, 7 months ago

California’s new coronavirus wave is disrupting lives, even with less severe illness

LA Times  

A new surge of coronavirus cases is taking shape, as California slogs into a third pandemic summer with far fewer hospitalizations and deaths but still significant disruptions. “If we continue on the current trajectory, we could find that cases and hospitalizations end up exerting stress on our healthcare system within just a few weeks,” Los Angeles County Public Health Director …

With COVID cases rising, how close is California to new mask rules, restrictions?
2 years, 7 months ago

With COVID cases rising, how close is California to new mask rules, restrictions?

LA Times  

With coronavirus cases continuing to rise in some parts of California, the big question is when some local governments may decide a wave is big enough to intervene with new rules. L.A. County will move into the medium COVID-19 community level category once it begins reporting 200 coronavirus cases a week for every 100,000 residents. A universal mask mandate would …

How many California lives were saved by COVID-19 vaccines? Scientists have an answer
2 years, 8 months ago

How many California lives were saved by COVID-19 vaccines? Scientists have an answer

LA Times  

The arrival of the first COVID-19 vaccines in December 2020 marked the start of a new, safer phase of the pandemic. In the first 10 months of their availability, COVID-19 vaccines prevented an estimated 1.5 million coronavirus infections, nearly 73,000 hospitalizations, and almost 20,000 deaths in California, according to a study published Friday in the journal JAMA Network Open. Each …

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