Hello everybody,
It was another busy day on the pandemic beat. Here are your COVID PM storylines for Thursday, May 6 …
On the politics front
How California reopening and COVID declining could spell trouble for Newsom recall effort: With the spread of COVID-19 plummeting in California, triggering reopenings across the state after a devastating year of lockdowns, the campaign to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom from office could lose one of its strongest selling points by the time voters are asked whether to remove him this fall. Newsom critics say the recall campaign must tap into discontent over homelessness, housing costs and other issues if the effort hopes to succeed. More from the LA Times here.
‘Heartbreak on top of heartbreak’: California’s first surgeon general navigates the pandemic: Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, 45, a Jamaican American pediatrician born in Canada and now based in San Francisco, has so far spent half of her tenure as one of the nation’s most influential public health figures guiding California’s efforts during the pandemic. Read more from the Times here.
On the science font
Studies of hospital workers suggest COVID-19 vaccines really do prevent coronavirus infections: The COVID-19 vaccines being administered in the U.S. were authorized for use because they dramatically reduced the risk of getting the disease when tested in clinical trials. However, those trials didn’t test the vaccines’ ability to prevent a coronavirus infection — the first step on the road to COVID-19. Scientists suspect the vaccines do thwart infections to some extent. Two new studies bolster their case. More from the Times on that here.
On the entrepreneurialism front
California bar owner charged with selling fake COVID-19 vaccination cards: The owner of a San Joaquin County bar was arrested and charged this week with selling fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination cards, authorities said. The arrest Tuesday of Todd Anderson, 59, followed an investigation by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, which began in April after the agency received complaints that fake cards were being sold at the Old Corner Saloon in Clements. More from the Times on that here.
On the education front
Many colleges require vaccines immediately, but CSU and UC stick with plan to wait on FDA: Colleges and universities across California are making plans to require their students to be vaccinated for Covid-19 ahead of the fall term, but there are significant differences from one campus to the next. But requirements at UC and CSU are not set in stone for fall term given uncertainty on timing of full FDA approval. More from EdSource on that here.
More from here & elsewhere
➤ From PTSD to tears, nurses say burnout is real, and it’s putting patients at risk (ABC News)
➤ Montana to end all pandemic unemployment benefits for jobless residents (CNN)
➤ Tucker Carlson’s Fox News colleagues call out his dangerous anti-vaccination rhetoric (CNN)
➤ New Study Estimates More Than 900,000 People Have Died Of COVID-19 In U.S. (NPR)
➤ India’s COVID surge claims ‘a genuine giant in the field of infectious diseases’ (USA Today)
➤ A wife’s warning: Beating the coronavirus didn’t spare him from possible ‘COVID psychosis’ (USA Today)
➤ World hails U.S. reversal on vaccine patents, but hurdles persist for countries in crisis (NBC News)
➤ A health-care exec vowed to follow covid rules. Then he led a 153-person Grand Canyon hike, rangers say. (SF Gate)
➤ Covid Has Made Orlando Less Affordable Than San Francisco (SF Gate)
See you all tomorrow to close out the week.
Mark Conley
Deputy Managing Editor