California coronavirus updates: Baby formula plants weren’t inspected during the start of the pandemic – Capital Public Radio News

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Latest Updates

Baby formula plants werent inspected during the start of the pandemic

FDA says new Pfizer shots for children appear to be effective

New Jersey man caught selling unregistered pesticides under guise of combating COVID-19

Air travelers into the US wont have to test for COVID-19 starting Sunday

FDA hearings to decide the fates of vaccinations for kids

10:07 a.m.: Baby formula plants werent inspected during the start of the pandemic

U.S. regulators have historically inspected baby formula plants at least once a year, but they did not inspect any of the three biggest manufacturers in 2020 thats according to federal records reviewed by the Associated Press.

The FDA has consistently inspected infant formula facilities annually, but in early 2020, the FDA pulled most of its safety inspectors from the field because of the pandemic. So it skipped thousands of routine plant inspections.

The baby formula plant inspection gap is getting new scrutiny from Congress and government watchdogs. Thats because one Michigan factory had to be closed for contamination, turning a supply shortage into a full-blown crisis that sent parents scrambling to find formula.

9:13 a.m.: FDA says new Pfizer shots for children appear to be effective

A review by federal health officials says that Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine appears safe and effective for children under 5, the only group not currently eligible for vaccination.

As reported by the Associated Press, the latest review from the Food and Drug Administration is a key step toward an expected decision to begin vaccinating babies, toddlers and preschoolers as soon as June 21.

Parents have been waiting months to protect Americas youngest children, who number roughly 18 million.

On Wednesday, the FDA will ask an outside panel of experts to vote on whether to recommend the shots.

8:47 a.m.: New Jersey man caught selling unregistered pesticides under guise of combating COVID-19

A New Jersey man has admitted to illegally selling unregistered pesticides as a COVID-19 defense to government and municipal entities.

According to the Associated Press, Paul Andrecola pleaded guilty on Thursday in federal court in Camden to wire fraud and other charges.

A criminal complaint alleges the 63-year-old Burlington County man made and sold pesticides that werent registered with the EPA as required. The pesticides also werent on the EPAs list of products deemed effective against COVID-19.

Andreola and others allegedly put another companys EPA registration numbers on his product and sold them to federal and local entities for $2.7 million.

Hes scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 11.

10:28 a.m.: Air travelers into the US wont have to test for COVID-19 starting Sunday

The Biden administration plans to drop the requirement for air travelers coming to the United States to test negative for COVID-19 before departure, starting on Sunday, as reported by NPR.

According to an official from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the requirement is no longer needed and will lift on Sunday, June 12 at 12:01 a.m. ET.

Since December, travelers have had to present a negative COVID-19 test results taken no more than a day before departure or proof of recovery from the virus within the last 90 days.

However, the CDC said itll reassess the decision in 90 days and could reinstate it if a new variant of concern developed.

9:39 a.m.: FDA hearings to decide the fates of vaccinations for kids

Next week brings a marathon of hearings as the U.S. decides whether to open COVID-19 vaccinations to kids younger than 5, as reported by the Associated Press.

On Wednesday, both Moderna and Pfizer will argue their case. Each company aims to offer a different dose and number of shots.

If the Food and Drug Administration authorizes one or both types of shots, there will still be another question should young children get vaccinated or just those at high risk?

Kids under 5 are the only group not yet eligible for COVID-19 vaccination in the U.S.

If all the steps fall into place, the shots should be available later this month.

9:25 a.m.: Small businesses are facing a summer of uncertainty

Small businesses that depend on outdoor crowds and free-spending tourists arent sure what to expect this summer.

Consumers likely have a lot of pent-up demand after more than two years of the pandemic. According to the Associated Press, the U.S. Travel Association predicts travel spending will be slightly above pre-pandemic levels.

But consumers are also facing some significant financial headwinds. Inflation is making day-to-day living more expensive, which could leave less money for discretionary spending.

Gas prices are up more than 60% from a year ago and hotel rooms and airfare are pricier as well, putting pressure on travel budgets.

COVID-19 still remains a looming presence.

9:53 a.m.: New Novavax COVID-19 vaccine may be an option for those with religious concerns

A COVID-19 vaccine that could soon win federal authorization may offer a booster for the U.S. military: an opportunity to get shots into some of the thousands of service members who have refused the other coronavirus vaccines for religious reasons.

Already, at least 175 active duty and reserve service members have received the Novavax vaccine, according to the Associated Press.

Some have traveled overseas at their own expense to get it.

The Novavax vaccine meets the Defense Department's requirements because it has the World Health Organization's emergency use approval and is used in Europe and other regions.

Military officials say many troops who refuse the shots cite certain COVID-19 vaccines remote connections to fetal tissue.

Lab-grown cell lines descended from fetuses from decades ago were used in some early-stage testing of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and to grow viruses used to manufacture the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The vaccines do not contain fetal cells.

Novavax says that no human fetal-derived cell lines or tissue were used in the development, manufacture or production of its vaccine.

9:33 a.m.: WHO says COVID-19 origins are still unclear

Experts drafted by the World Health Organization to help investigate the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, further research is needed to determine how COVID-19 first began.

As reported by the Associated Press, the WHO say they need a more detailed analysis of the possibility it was a laboratory accident. That request makes a sharp reversal of the U.N. health agencys initial assessment of the pandemics origins.

The WHO concluded last year that it was extremely unlikely that COVID-19 might have spilled into humans from a lab.

In a report released Thursday, WHOs expert group said key pieces of data are still missing to help scientists understand how the pandemic began.

9:22 a.m.: Virus testing pop-ups are the new normal in China as a part of its 'zero-COVID' strategy

Thousands of coronavirus testing sites have popped up on sidewalks across Beijing and other Chinese cities in the latest development in the countrys zero-COVID strategy, according to the Associated Press.

Regular testing of residents is becoming the new normal as the Chinese Communist Party sticks steadfastly to the zero-COVID approach that is increasingly at odds with the rest of the world.

The move follows a recent outbreak in Shanghai that spread so widely that authorities locked down the entire city for two months to end it.

Authorities have decided that early detection is needed if theyre going to control omicron outbreaks without extreme measures that cause major economic disruption.

9:43 a.m.: FDA to approve more traditional vaccine, Novavax, as fouth COVID-19 shot option

A more traditional kind of COVID-19 vaccine is a step closer to becoming the fourth option for U.S. adults.

According to the Associated Press, advisers to the Food and Drug Administration voted Tuesday to recommend authorization of shots made by Novavax.

Its a protein vaccine, a more conventional technology than the dominant Pfizer and Moderna shots and the lesser-used Johnson & Johnson option.

If the FDA ultimately agrees, the Novavax shots could be an option for adults who havent yet gotten vaccinated.

The company eventually hopes to offer its shots as a booster, like theyre used in some other countries.

9:34 a.m.: Moderna says updated COVID-19 vaccine offers even better protection against omicron

Moderna says its experimental COVID-19 vaccine that combines its original shot with protection against the omicron variant appears to work, according to the Associated Press.

COVID-19 vaccine makers are studying updated boosters that might be offered in the fall.

Moderna says its combination booster candidate increased omicron-fighting antibodies more than just another dose of the original.

Todays vaccines still offer strong protection against COVID-19 hospitalization and death, but protection against milder infections wanes, especially as the virus continues to mutate. Health authorities are considering whether to order a change in the vaccine recipe.

Moderna announced its preliminary study results on Wednesday.

9:15 a.m.: New Hampshire vaccine protesters who shut down meeting wont face charges

New Hampshires attorney general says he wont bring criminal charges against protesters who disrupted an executive council meeting in September before it began and forced its postponement.

As reported by the Associated Press, angry opponents of the Biden administrations vaccine mandate moved around the room at St. Anselm College on Sept. 29.

They shouted shut it down before the meeting could get underway. Attorney General John Formella said Tuesday that the state would not have been able to prove any potential criminal charges beyond a reasonable doubt.

The postponement delayed a council vote on $27 million in federal aid to boost New Hampshires vaccination efforts.

9:44 a.m.: An FAQ for some of your questions about COVID-19 reinfection

Heres a scenario lets say you got sick with COVID-19 back in January, so you figured you were done with the virus for a while.

But then you began feeling a scratchy throat, a runny nose and more, so you took an at-home test just in case. Youve just tested positive for COVID-19 again.

You may be wondering, how could this happen? Is it possible to get COVID again just a few months or weeks after recovering from a case?

NPR asked four specialists to answer some frequently asked questions about reinfection.

Two things they found: Newer omicron variants are more transmissible and make reinfection more likely than earlier in the pandemic, but vaccination can also help prevent reinfection.

9:31 a.m.: Special Olympics drops COVID-19 vaccination requirement after threatened with fines

The Special Olympics has dropped a coronavirus vaccine mandate for its games in Orlando after Florida moved to fine the organization $27.5 million for violating a state law against such requirements.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis recently announced the organization had removed the requirement for its competition in the state, which is scheduled to run from June 5 to June 12.

The Florida health department notified the Special Olympics in a letter Thursday that the organization would be fined $27.5 million for 5,500 violations of state law for requiring proof of coronavirus vaccination for attendees or participants.

9:12 a.m.: Beijing restaurants and shops reopen as COVID-19 cases fall

Diners are returning to restaurants in most of Beijing for the first time in more than a month as authorities further ease pandemic-related restrictions.

According to the Associated Press, the move comes after a small COVID-19 outbreak in the capital was largely eradicated under Chinas strict zero-COVID approach.

Museums, cinemas and gyms are allowed to operate at up to 75% of capacity and delivery drivers can once again bring packages to a customers door.

The Community Party remains wedded to a zero-COVID strategy that exacts an economic cost and keeps people in their homes, even as many other countries take a more relaxed approach.

1:04 p.m. Sacramento County continues to 'strongly recommend' but not require masking

Sacramento County health officials continue to advise all people to wear masks in indoor public places as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations increase in the region, but will not be requiring it.

"We continue to follow state guidance and strongly recommend masking," Sacramento County Public Health Officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye said Monday. "Businesses can choose to make masking mandatory, especially if they have a lot of interaction with the general public or if they are seeing an increase in cases among employees or if they have an outbreak."

Last week the county was placed in the highest COVID-19 risk level by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control as cases and hospitalizations continued to increase. In what's known as the "high" community level, the CDC recommends that all people wear masks in indoor public spaces.

As of Friday, 167 patients were in hospitals in the county with COVID-19, including 21 in the ICU. Kasirye said that while hospitalizations are high, they are far below the peaks earlier this year.

The county saw many of its highest numbers of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the first months of 2022, including 657 patients on January 25, the countys all-time highest number since the start of the pandemic. Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 297,787 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 3,052 deaths in Sacramento County.

Kasirye said she's hopeful that those figures may soon plateau but that summer travel and other gatherings mean residents should still be careful.

"There are some early indications that there may be a slowdown, but it's too early to tell," she said.

"Of course, our hope is that we are getting to the peak of this recent surge and that we will start seeing a decline. But with [an] increase in travel, there is that increased risk of exposure, so people do need to be careful. People do need to continue wearing masks."

10:05 a.m.: Sacramento City schools mask mandate starts today

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California coronavirus updates: Baby formula plants weren't inspected during the start of the pandemic - Capital Public Radio News