Medi-Cal, California’s version of the federal medical assistance program Medicaid, has announced that it is expanding access to maternal health, including doula services.
As the monkeypox virus outbreak spreads across the globe, Gov. Gavin Newsom says California will need to galvanize “forces” across regions and relax some state regulations and statutes to combat a disease that poses a threat greater than local authorities may be able to respond to effectively.
As of June 9, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) reported 1.4 million cases of COVID-19 among youth aged 5-17, which accounted for 15.5% of all cases in the state. There have been 46 deaths among children in this age group. For children below five years old, 293,607 confirmed cases have been reported and 25 deaths.
Last week, speaking at a press conference at the Native American Health Center in Alameda County, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that Californians will have to take booster shots as the state adopts new COVID-19 measures to fight the Omicron variant.
Dr. Rhea Boyd, pediatrician, and minority community health advocate was the medical expert on the panel hosted by Regina Wilson, executive director of California Black Media, with the support of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). The other two participants were former Miss Teen USA Kamie Crawford and Teala Dunn, an actress and social media influencer.
COVID-19 hospitalizations are starting to decrease in California, but that decline does not mean the pandemic is over, state health officials warn.
Gov. Gavin Newsom first acknowledged on Jan. 4 that the state’s vaccine rollout was “not good enough.” As of Jan. 8, less than a third of the over 2 million doses of vaccines that California has received has been administered to eligible residents.