When COVID’s fall wave is expected to peak
Officials with the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that a predicted fall wave of COVID-19 cases is expected to peak in December. Dr. Peter Marks, director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research at the FDA, said while cases nationwide were slowly tapering off, the predicted autumn surge, driven by people coming into closer contact with one another as cooler weather drives them indoors, was another reason why it was important to stay current on COVID booster shots. The agency on Wednesday approved boosters made by Pfizer and Moderna that target omicron subvariants.
U.S. life expectancy drops for second consecutive year
Life expectancy averages for U.S. adults in 2021 dropped for the second year in a row due in large part to the blow of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a preliminary report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Someone born in the U.S. in 2021 had an average life expectancy of 76.1 years, a drop from 2020, when the average life expectancy was 77 years, NPR reported. The onset of the pandemic in 2020 drove down life expectancy by three years, from 80, which was recorded in 2019.
FDA approves vaccine boosters targeting omicron subvariant
The Food and Drug Administration gave emergency use authorizations for the Pfizer and Modera coronavirus booster vaccines that target the BA.5 omicron subvariant. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must still approve the booster shots, the targeted vaccine supplements could start rolling out by the Labor Day weekend. Eligibility for the targeted boosters will depend on a person’s age, when they received their initial vaccines and when they received their most recent non-targeted COVID booster, according to the FDA.
With COVID fading in the Bay Area, what lies ahead for the fall?
The Bay Area’s summer COVID-19 surge is winding down as case numbers reach levels last seen in April. With no new coronavirus variants of concern on the horizon, the region appears headed for a welcome respite in the pandemic. And as early as next week, the federal government could start shipping out updated booster shots that target the latest omicron sublineages and could help extend vaccine protection well into the fall. What does all this good news mean as we head into the fall and winter? Read more about what the experts predict.
Goldman Sachs to eliminate in-office COVID protocols
Goldman Sachs will lift all COVID-19 mitigation measures in most of its offices beginning Sept. 6 in an effort to lure employees back to in-person work, according to a memo obtained by CNBC. The note says that the bank will no longer require workers to be vaccinated to enter its offices or to test and wear face masks. The company is not mandating that employees return to the office but to make sure they are conforming to “current return to office expectations.”
California advances bill combating COVID medical misinformation
The California Senate on Monday passed a bill designed to combat the spread of COVID-19 misinformation by medical professionals. The bill, AB2098, would make it easier for the Medical Board of California to discipline physicians who spread incorrect claims about COVID-19, including about the effectiveness of vaccines and untested treatments for people who get infected, by defining such activity as “unprofessional conduct” under state law. “Due to their specialized knowledge and training, licensed physicians possess a high degree of public trust and therefore must be held to account,” Low said in a statement when the bill was announced.
A small group of doctors called the Physicians for Informed Consent in a lawsuit filed earlier this month argue the bill impedes their First Amendment rights, saying the group wants to “protect the free speech of all physicians.” If signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, the misinformation measure would likely take effect on Jan. 1, 2023, and make California the first state with such a policy in place.
NBA sets COVID protocols for 2022 to 2023 season, per sources
The NBA has modified its COVID-19 health and safety protocols for the 2022 to 2023 season, the league told its clubs in a memo Tuesday. Unvaccinated players and team personnel must submit to weekly COVID testing this season, unless the unvaccinated person is considered to have been “recently recovered” from the coronavirus, according to the Associated Press. For all others, testing will not be required except when “directed by their team physician or a league physician or government authority,” the league said. Face masks also will not be required, though they will be recommended for use indoors in markets where coronavirus levels are classified by government officials as high. All players and team personnel will be required to get tested when exhibiting any symptoms. Local jurisdictions may have rules that override those of the National Basketball Association. “I have learned over the last 2-1/2 years not to make any predictions when it comes to COVID, but only to say we’ll be prepared for anything that comes our way,” Commissioner Adam Silver said at the league’s Board of Governors meeting in mid-July.
Supreme Court upholds New York City COVID vaccine mandate
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor has denied an appeal from a New York Police Department detective who asked for an emergency injunction to keep the city from firing him over its vaccine mandate. Detective Anthony Marciano has a lawsuit pending against the city in a federal appeals court, the Associated Press reports. His attorneys last week petitioned Sotomayor, who oversees emergency appeals from New York and some other states, for the injunction while the case is being resolved. An email seeking comment was sent to the city’s law department. Marciano’s attorney, Patricia Finn, says she will ask the entire Supreme Court for a review.
Children’s COVID cases rise again with school reopenings
There were 86,615 confirmed child COVID-19 cases in the U.S. last week — up from 79,525 reported the previous — according to data published Monday by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association. Cases among children under 18 in the U.S. have trended upward over the past two weeks after stabilizing throughout July. Many schools have dropped virus mitigation measures in alignment with updated guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and no longer require masking inside the classroom or surveillance testing for students and staff. About three-quarters of the U.S. population lives in a county with high or medium COVID-19 community risk levels, based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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