Weekly CA-COVID Update 3/16/22

Breaking Federal News

President Biden is expected to release the FY23 budget request later this month…

The House could take up a $15.6 billion pandemic relief bill as soon as this week…

California

Gov. Gavin Newsom used his State of the State speech last week to once again trumpet California exceptionalism while promising progress on pressing concerns like crime and gas prices…

California’s Employment Development Department’s first release of employment data for 2022 paints the rosiest picture of the state’s job market since COVID-19 and related shutdowns derailed the economy - an improvement driven in part by the state agency's steep upward revision of its December jobs numbers… 

The bipartisan measure from Assemblymembers Jordan Cunningham (R-Templeton) and Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) would hold social media companies legally liable for deploying features and apps that addict children to their detriment…

Acute drug toxicity - in particular overdoses linked to the potent synthetic drug fentanyl - were the leading cause of death, researchers found…

Coronavirus

Federal officials extended the requirement for masks on planes and public transportation for one more month - until April 18 - while taking steps that could lead to lifting the rule… 

Schools that required students and staff to wear masks saw significantly less COVID-19 spread than those that did not, a pair of brand-new studies reveal…

COVID-19 may cause greater loss of gray matter and tissue damage in the brain than naturally occurs in people who have not been infected with the virus, a large new study found…

Pfizer and BioNTech said yesterday, 3/15, that they had sought emergency authorization for a second booster shot of their COVID-19 vaccine for adults 65 and older… 

Since the U.S. government first marshaled its historic economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Justice Department has uncovered a vast array of alleged fraud, resulting in charges and investigations involving more than $8 billion in federal aid…

COVID Collaborative has launched a platform to honor the stories of children who have lost a caregiver to COVID-19 and provide resources to help them and their families as they rebuild and look to the future… 

Fact Sheet: Biden Administration Launches Nationwide Test-to-Treat Initiative Ensuring Rapid ‘On the Spot’ Access to Lifesaving COVID Treatments…

Starting last week, every home in the U.S. will be able to order an additional set of four tests…

For the week ending March 3, almost 69,000 additional child COVID-19 cases were reported…