COVID in California: New rules end isolation after 5 days if symptoms improving – San Francisco Chronicle
Next month, California will drop mask mandates in health, corrections settings
California next month will discontinue its remaining COVID-19 mask and vaccination requirements for health care settings, correctional facilities, and homeless, emergency and warming and cooling centers, new state guidance states. Beginning April 3, health care workers, patients and visitors will no longer be required to wear a mask or be vaccinated to work in facilities that include hospitals, urgent care centers and dental and doctors’ offices. And beginning March 13, people who test positive for COVID-19 may end isolation after five days “if they feel well, have improving symptoms, and are fever-free for 24 hours, with less emphasis on testing negative.” Read more about the changes as state and federal states of pandemic emergency come to an end.
S.F. economic cratering during early pandemic was one of worst in U.S.
The San Francisco metro area saw an economic decline during the early pandemic that was one of the most dramatic in the country, according to a new analysis by the Brookings Institution. Out of 192 U.S. metro areas in pre-pandemic years 2011 and 2019, the S.F. region, which includes the East Bay, was ranked fourth overall on “inclusive growth,” based on a dozen indicacors including gross domestic product output, job growth, average wages and the poverty gap. But the region tumbled to 109th based on data between 2019 and 2021, reflecting the pandemic’s toll on the job market and new businesses amid some of the strictest health measures in the country and a widespread shift to remote work. Read more on how San Francisco fared economically during the pandemic, according to the Brookings rankings.
Can Paxlovid deter long COVID?
Research indicating the antiviral medication Paxlovid, a commonly used treatment for COVID-19, can also reduce the risk of long COVID is sparking interest in further research to see if the connection is real. The Veterans Affairs study in Novembr of 56,000 people found that the more than 9,000 who took Paxlovid in the first five days of getting COVID had a 25% lower risk of long COVID symptoms, including heart and blood disorders, fatigue, liver and kidney disease, muscle pain, neurocognitive impairment and shortness of breath. Dr. Bob Wachter, UCSF’s chair of medicine, said the findings were not huge but did show Paxlovid can make “a meaningful difference.” Read more about Paxlovid and the still-inconclusive evidence about how it may impact long COVID.
Debate continues around coronavirus origins, China faulted for obstruction
Lawmakers said on Sunday that it remained impossible to determine the origins of COVID-19 because of continued obstruction by China’s government, Politico reports. “We have so few facts because the Chinese regime has obfuscated,” Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” The discussion followed reports late last month that the Department of Energy had concluded — although not with robust certainty — that COVID-19 most likely began from an accidental laboratory leak in Wuhan, China. The FBI agrees, but other U.S. agencies have favored a theory that it was transmitted by animals. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, said “There’s no direct evidence, we don’t have China admitting it, we don’t have Wuhan Lab handing these things over.”
Chinese officials see growth year coming after end of virus controls
Chinese economic officials expressed confidence Monday they can meet this year’s growth target of “around 5%” by generating 12 million new jobs and encouraging consumer spending following the end of anti-virus controls that kept millions of people at home. The Cabinet planning officials announced no details of spending or other initiatives to revive growth that slumped to 3% last year, the second-lowest in decades. But they said they plan an array of measures to meet goals announced Sunday by Premier Li Keqiang by raising incomes and encouraging innovation. Efforts to revive the Chinese economy have global implications after weak retail, auto and housing sales depressed demand for imports. The country is the biggest export market for its Asian neighbors and an important revenue source for Western companies.
Unvaccinated tennis player withdraws from tourney after losing bid to enter U.S.
Top-ranked Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the upcoming BNP Paribas Open, having lost his bid to enter the United States unvaccinated to play in the Southern California event. The tournament announced his withdrawal on Sunday night. Play in the combined ATP-WTA event begins Wednesday at Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said on Twitter that Homeland Security had rejected Djokovic’s vaccine waiver request, which would have allowed him to play back-to-back at Indian Wells and Miami, which runs March 19-April 2. The U.S. is ending its COVID-19 emergency declaration on May 11, which will allow foreign air travelers to enter the county without being vaccinated.
