Month: January 2021

State health officials lifted a pause on a batch of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine that’s at the center of several allergic reactions. Fewer than 10 people had allergic reactions after receiving a dose from this batch at a mass vaccination clinic in San Diego. More than 330,000 doses from that batch had been put on hold.State epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan says health officials have discussed the reports with experts and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.During Wednesday’s vaccine advisory committee meeting, Dr. Pan said they’d likely be able to release the hold on doses soon."We had further discussions with the County of San Diego Department of Public Health, the FDA, CDC and manufacturer, and found no scientific basis to continue the pause. Providers that paused vaccine adminis...

New numbers from the Los Angeles Department of Health Services seem to confirm one of health experts’ worst fears. Officials long have warned about an exponentially increasing number of deaths should hospitals become overwhelmed by Covid-19 cases and patients no longer can receive the same high standard of care. Estimates released Wednesday by L.A. Health Services showed that since Nov. 3, about 23% of people hospitalized due to Covid-19 have died — up from 12% in September and October. The average hospital stay for patients has increased to more than nine days, up from less than seven in October. Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said the county’s seven-day average of daily deaths was 179 on Jan. 10, dropping to 174 on Jan. 12. But on Wednesday, she reported 262 death...

(Update: Adding more details from chief operating officer) State, county health investigator investigating; hospital visits further limited BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – St. Charles Health System said late Wednesday it has reported an outbreak of COVID-19 cases at the St. Charles Redmond hospital campus to Deschutes County and the state of Oregon, affecting more than 30 caregivers. As of Wednesday, 31 caregivers had tested positive for COVID-19, and their cases are being investigated in collaboration with Deschutes County Health Services and the Oregon Health Authority, the hospital system said. An outbreak is defined as a cluster of cases that are related. “We are taking every possible measure to stop the spread of the virus, to protect our patients and our ...

Amid criticism from state lawmakers about a slow rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in Alabama, the state announced Wednesday it would begin “removing” unused vaccine doses from clinics or pharmacies that are not giving it out quickly enough and send the limited vaccine supplies elsewhere. The Alabama Department of Public Health issued a news release Wednesday afternoon to address “misunderstandings” about the vaccination efforts in the state and announce that the new policy of “removing” unused vaccine doses from hospitals, pharmacies or other providers and sending them to places that can use it faster. “In response to concerns that some providers are failing to administer their allotments of vaccine on a timely basis, ADPH will begin removing vaccine supplies from providers who are not admin...

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Leaders from the Portland area’s four largest hospital systems celebrated the opening Wednesday of the Portland area’s first mass COVID-19 vaccination site at the Oregon Convention Center in Northeast Portland. The site held a soft open Wednesday for about 1,500 healthcare workers and others in Phase 1a of the vaccine rollout who are eligible to be immunized against COVID-19. The site plans to start vaccinating about 2,000 childcare, preschool and K-12 workers per day. The site is expected to be open seven days a week by appointment only. Organizers say educators will be contacted by their employers with instructions on how to book appointments. Officials plan to offer an online or phone booking system by the time the vaccines are eventually made available to segments of the general pop...