Forget “twindemic” – California may be in for a three-headed Cerberus of respiratory diseases this winter as the flu, respiratory syncytial virus and COVID-19 collide.
Orange County declared a local public health emergency Monday over RSV, a common cause of pneumonia in infants that has contributed to a record number of pediatric hospitalizations and daily emergency room visits in the county.
San Diego health officials warned last week that “a sharp increase in flu and RSV cases” could “have a severe impact on people’s lives and the county’s medical resources this fall and winter.” At one point in October, about 1,000 of 2,600 students at a local high school were absent due to an outbreak of respiratory illness.
CalMatters health reporter Ana B. Ibarra takes a closer look at where California stands on the RSV, flu and COVID fronts:
1. RSV: State surveillance shows that 15.3% of samples tested in the third week of October came back positive for RSV, up from 9.8% in the same period last year.
2. Flu: Influenza surveillance data reported by the state beginning the first week of October show that flu cases have increased earlier compared to the past five years. More flu earlier in the year usually means a more severe season.
In the third week of October, 6.6% of flu tests came back positive. That’s a higher rate than the state recorded in the same week of the 2017-18 flu season, which peaked at the end of December with a 41% positivity rate.
During that flu season, some hospitals were so overwhelmed they had to treat patients in shelters and hire temporary staff from out of state. About 61,000 people die from the flu nationwide, according to the CDC. The California Department of Public Health listed 329 deaths, but that’s likely a gross undercount because providers were only required to report deaths for people under 65 and most flu-related deaths were among seniors.
So far this season, five residents have died from the flu, according to the state’s latest surveillance report published Friday.
3. COVID: If the past two years are any indication, COVID infections tend to spike quickly after Halloween.
Health experts said that while they certainly expect an uptick in COVID cases this winter, it’s less clear what hospital admissions will look like.
California, anticipating a possible winter wave of infections and hospitalizations, plans to wait until February 28, 2023 to end its COVID state of emergency. Hospitals that have relied on provisions of the emergency order to better accommodate patients during floods warn that even that end date may be too soon because the flu can also affect capacity and the flu season typically runs through May.
The best thing people can do to keep their local hospitals from maxing out is to get immunized against the flu and get an updated COVID booster shot, Mourani and Mandel said. There is no vaccine for RSV.
So far, only about 11% of eligible Californians have received the recommended bivalent COVID booster to provide better protection against the Omicron variant.
Time to vote: Find out everything you need to know about voting ahead of California’s Nov. 8 election with the CalMatters Voter Guide, which includes information on races, candidates and propositions, as well as videos, interactives and campaign finance data.
Other Stories You Should Know
1 Roundup of California health news
Let’s dive into another trifecta of California health nuggets:
2 How state laws are impacting youngest, oldest students
How are the education policies being made in Sacramento shaped on the ground for the state’s youngest and oldest students? Two CalMatters stories dig deeper:
3 A California workers’ guide to dealing with wage theft
Does it seem like the hours you’ve worked and your salary aren’t increasing? Does your employer take the tips you earned at work? Is your boss denying you legally required meals or breaks? Are you wondering why your employer pays you with personal checks, instead of using a payroll system with the usual payslips?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, your employer may be stealing your wages. As CalMatters’ California Divide team has reported in its ongoing series, “Unpaid Wages: A Waiting Game,” wage theft is common in California: Last year, more than 19,000 workers filed wage-theft claims with the state totaling more than $338 Millions made.
But what should you do if you find yourself in this situation? Talking about raising wages can feel intimidating and risky — so CalMatters’ Lil Kalish asked worker advocates and community organizers for best practices and advice and put together a California workers’ guide for wage earners, complete with a resource library from worker centers across the ‘. State. Check it out.
CalMatters Commentary
CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: Federal officials are warning California and other states that use Colorado River water to sharply cut diversions — or face unilateral action from the feds.
Other things worth your time
Some stories may require a subscription to read
David DePape planned attacks on other politicians besides Pelosi, prosecutors say. // Los Angeles Times
Newsom accused Fox News of “creating a culture” that led to the attack on Paul Pelosi. // CBS News
The questionable story from the Santa Monica Observer, the outlet behind that fake Paul Pelosi story. // Los Angeles Times
Despite ‘voter fatigue’ and Democratic discontent, California’s voter turnout looks promising. // Sacramento Bee
Democratic star Katie Porter is fighting a conservative resurgence in the O.C. // Los Angeles Times
San Diego Assembly candidate sued over 6-year-old bullying her son. // KPBS Public Media
Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith resigned in an apparent bid to stave off corruption charges. // Mercury News
Frustrated S.F. Voters are ready to flip the script this election. // San Francisco standard
California Statehouse to be 1st with 10% of legislators being LGBTQ. // Bay Area Reporter
‘It’s killing development’: Pro-housing groups worry the Bay Area city’s ballot measure would kill housing. // San Francisco Chronicle
YIMBYS ate the world – except S.F. Now its founders are up to new tricks. // San Francisco standard
O.C. Board of Education considers banning communist indoctrination. // Voice of OC
San Diego is ready to declare “housing a human right” and strengthen renters’ rights. // San Diego Union-Tribune
Climate change is accelerating rapidly in California, the report by state scientists says. // Los Angeles Times
Whales off the coast of California ingest 10 million pieces of tiny plastic pollution a day, new Stanford study estimates. // Mercury News
He was accused of stealing huge quantities of water over 23 years. Here’s why no one noticed. // Sacramento Bee
This city paid $1.1 million to keep the faucets running through March as the price of water in California skyrocketed. // CNN
Is California holding on to your money? State has $ 12 billion in unclaimed checks, discounts. // Sacramento Bee
Cold front to bring rain, snow, wind to dry California. // Associated Press
California calls power transmission emergency on high winds. // Bloomberg
What vaccine is given on sugar cubes?
The first large-scale use in the United States was on April 24, 1960—known as “Sabin Sunday”—when thousands of Greater Cincinnati residents received Sabin’s polio vaccine on sugar cubes.
When did they stop giving the polio vaccine? The oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) is a live attenuated vaccine that is still used in many parts of the world, but has not been used in the United States since 2000.
What vaccine was given on sugar cubes?
The first major use in the United States was on April 24, 1960 – known as âSabin Sundayâ â when thousands of Greater Cincinnati residents received Sabin’s polio vaccine on sugar cubes.
What does the smallpox vaccination scar look like?
For most people, the smallpox scar is a small, round scar that is lower than the surrounding skin. Most people’s scars are no bigger than the size of a pencil eraser, although others have larger scars. Sometimes they can itch and the skin feels tighter around them.
What was the vaccine that left a scar?
Many foreign-born persons have received the Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine for TB disease. This vaccine is administered at birth in many countries outside the United States to prevent tuberculous meningitis and miliary disease. BCG leaves a scar like the smallpox vaccine.
What medicine was in the sugar cube?
In the middle of the 20th century, when the scourge of the poliovirus took its toll on many children, pharmaceutical science (and Dr. Jonas Salk) brought about the polio vaccine. In his childhood it was a strange little concoction, a liquid medicine dripped into a sugar cube, which children did not shy away from.
How was the polio vaccine administered in the 1950s?
Sabin’s vaccine was live-attenuated (using the virus in a weakened form) and could be given orally, as drops or on a sugar cube. With the Salk vaccine in widespread use by the late 1950s, interest in the United States to test this new type of vaccine was low.
What was the vaccine that left a scar?
Many foreign-born persons have received the Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine for TB disease. This vaccine is administered at birth in many countries outside the United States to prevent tuberculous meningitis and miliary disease. BCG leaves a scar like the smallpox vaccine.
What was the vaccine that left a scar?
Many foreign-born persons have received the Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine for TB disease. This vaccine is administered at birth in many countries outside the United States to prevent tuberculous meningitis and miliary disease. BCG leaves a scar like the smallpox vaccine.
When did they stop giving the smallpox vaccine?
In addition, the vaccine has been shown to prevent or significantly reduce infection when given within a few days of a person being exposed to the variola virus. Routine smallpox vaccination among the American public stopped in 1972 after the disease was eradicated in the United States.
Why did the old polio vaccine leave a scar?
The body’s immune system responds to the live virus in the vaccine by creating a defense that expels the virus. It is this reaction that leads to scarring.
Can people with eczema get the monkeypox vaccine?
Is the monkeypox vaccine safe for people with eczema? Dr. Lio: At this time there are two smallpox vaccines. ACAM2000 is a live vaccine that can be replicated and therefore should be avoided in patients with atopic dermatitis or eczema.
Can I get monkeypox if I have eczema? “Eczema affects the integrity of the skin barrier and the skin’s immune system, making the skin more vulnerable to developing infection—including monkeypox infection,” Howa Yeung, MD, an assistant professor of dermatology at Emory University School of Medicine, says SELF.
Why can’t you get smallpox vaccine if you have eczema?
Why should someone who has atopic dermatitis/eczema and their family members not get the vaccine? The traditional smallpox vaccine contains a live virus that can be harmful or even fatal to those with atopic dermatitis/eczema.
Who Cannot have the smallpox vaccine?
In addition, pregnant women should not receive the vaccine because of the risk it poses to the fetus. Breastfeeding women should not receive the vaccine. People under the age of 18 and those allergic to the vaccine or any of its components should not receive the vaccine.
Why would a smallpox vaccination not take?
Non-take can be caused by incorrect vaccination technique, use of vaccine that has lost its potency, or residual vaccine immunity among previously vaccinated individuals. Do not assume that a person with a non-take is immune to smallpox. Revaccinate anyone with a no-take reaction with another vaccination lot.
Is it okay to be vaccinated when you have eczema?
Ask your doctor what to do if you experience an eczema flare-up in the area where the shot is injected. He or she may advise you to get the shot in a different area where the skin doesn’t flake, Green says.
Can Covid shot make eczema worse?
Do Covid-19 vaccines affect eczema? To date, there is no robust evidence to indicate that Covid-19 vaccines worsen underlying skin conditions, including eczema.
Does eczema weaken the immune system?
No, having eczema does not automatically mean you have a weak immune system. It means your immune system is sensitive, often overreacting to things that aren’t real threats to your body. Some people with eczema have a primary immune deficiency disorder that makes them more likely to get infections.
Who is eligible for monkeypox vaccine?
In the current outbreak, you may want to be vaccinated if: You may have already been exposed to monkeypox if: You have been identified as a close contact of someone with monkeypox. You learn that one of your sexual partners has been diagnosed with monkeypox in the past 2 weeks.
Can I get monkeypox vaccine now?
vaccination. The qualification has been expanded! Now anyone of any sexual orientation or gender identity who is at risk for MPV can be vaccinated. There are first and second dose appointments available.
How do you get a monkeypox vaccine in Florida?
Monkeypox Vaccine (JYNNEOS) BY APPOINTMENT ONLY – (No walk-ins) REGISTER HERE for your vaccination appointment. The Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County offers JYNNEOS, by appointment only, to individuals with certain risk factors who are more likely to be exposed to monkeypox.
How long do monkeypox lesions last?
The lesions, which fill with pus, remain five to seven days before the onset of crusting. They usually shed at the end of the second week and stay for about a week before they start to fall. An infected person is contagious from the onset of flu-like symptoms until all scabs have fallen off.
Do monkeypox bumps go away? Monkeypox is an infectious disease that causes rashes. A board-certified dermatologist explains what the rash looks like and when to seek medical care. This contagious skin disease will usually clear up on its own, but sometimes dermatologists recommend treating it.
How long does monkeypox rash last?
Some people get the rash first, followed by other flu-like symptoms, while some only experience a rash. The rash goes through several stages, including pimple-like bumps and blisters that crust over and fall off before completely healing. The illness caused by monkeypox usually lasts 2 to 4 weeks.
How long does monkeypox take to heal?
What are the symptoms of monkeypox? A rash that may look like pimples or blisters that appear on the face, mouth and other parts of the body, such as hands, feet, chest, genitals or anus. The rash goes through several stages before it heals completely. The illness usually lasts 2-4 weeks.
Where does monkeypox rash start?
Lesions often occur in the genital and anorectal areas or in the mouth. Rash does not always spread over many sites on the body. Rash may be limited to only a few lesions or only a single lesion. Rash does not always appear on palms and soles.
What are the stages of monkeypox?
The evolution of lesions goes through four stages – macular, papular, vesicular, to pustular – before scraping and desquamation. The incubation period is 3-17 days. During this time, a person has no symptoms and can feel well. The illness usually lasts 2-4 weeks.
Where does monkeypox rash start?
What does the monkeypox rash look like? “During this particular outbreak, we see that the rash may start in the groin, genital area, or around the anus â and sometimes stay where it started instead of spreading,” says Dr. Freeman. People may have only 1 or 2 bumps on their skin.
What happens when you get monkeypox?
What are the symptoms of monkeypox? A rash that may look like pimples or blisters that appear on the face, mouth and other parts of the body, such as hands, feet, chest, genitals or anus. The rash goes through several stages before it heals completely. The illness usually lasts 2-4 weeks.
What do monkeypox sores look like?
What does a monkeypox rash look like? Chicago’s top doctor said the rash “can look like a blister, like a pimple and can be very painful.” “These sores can look like pimples and can be painful or itchy.
Where does monkeypox rash start?
What does the monkeypox rash look like? “During this particular outbreak, we see that the rash may start in the groin, genital area, or around the anus â and sometimes stay where it started instead of spreading,” says Dr. Freeman. People may have only 1 or 2 bumps on their skin.
How can you tell the difference between a pimple and monkeypox?
While monkeypox may appear to look like a pimple at first, if it changes appearance, it may be monkeypox. To distinguish whether a bump is a pimple or monkeypox, the best thing to do if you feel discomfort is to contact your doctor. A test is the only way to know for sure.
What does monkeypox rash look like?
The rash may initially look like pimples or blisters and may be painful or itchy.
What does the onset of monkeypox look like? Monkeypox symptoms The rash may initially look like pimples or blisters and may be painful or itchy.
Where does monkeypox rash start?
What does the monkeypox rash look like? “During this particular outbreak, we see that the rash may start in the groin, genital area, or around the anus â and sometimes stay where it started instead of spreading,” says Dr. Freeman. People may have only 1 or 2 bumps on their skin.
What are the signs of monkeypox?
Monkeypox symptoms include swollen lymph nodes, fever, and a rash that can initially be mistaken for chickenpox or a sexually transmitted disease if in the genital or anal region. While monkeypox cases spread worldwide in 2022 can cause severe illness, the infection usually clears up on its own.
What do monkeypox sores look like?
These bumps can look like a blister, a pus-filled bump or open wound. Even with a few bumps, the rash can be painful. Some people seek medical treatment for the painful rash.
What are the signs of monkeypox?
Monkeypox symptoms include swollen lymph nodes, fever, and a rash that can initially be mistaken for chickenpox or a sexually transmitted disease if in the genital or anal region. While monkeypox cases spread worldwide in 2022 can cause severe illness, the infection usually clears up on its own.
Where does monkeypox rash start?
Lesions often occur in the genital and anorectal areas or in the mouth. Rash does not always spread over many sites on the body. Rash may be limited to only a few lesions or only a single lesion. Rash does not always appear on palms and soles.
What does monkeypox feel like?
Monkeypox causes fever, headache, body aches, swollen lymph nodes and rash. The rash starts as flat spots that turn into bumps that then fill with fluid. Some people develop spots that look like pimples or blisters before they have other symptoms.
What do monkeypox sores look like?
What does a monkeypox rash look like? Chicago’s top doctor said the rash “can look like a blister, like a pimple and can be very painful.” “These sores can look like pimples and can be painful or itchy.
How can you tell the difference between a pimple and monkeypox?
While monkeypox may appear to look like a pimple at first, if it changes appearance, it may be monkeypox. To distinguish whether a bump is a pimple or monkeypox, the best thing to do if you feel discomfort is to contact your doctor. A test is the only way to know for sure.
What do monkeypox spots look like?
Key characteristics to identify monkeypox. Lesions are firm or rubbery, well-circumscribed, deeply seated, and often develop umbilication (resembles a point on the top of the lesion). During the current global outbreak: Lesions often occur in the genital and anorectal areas or in the mouth.