Updates to COVID vaccine guidance
Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Wednesday, April 19th>>>>Guidance on covid vaccines is being updated
More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….######
An ordinance to strengthen renter protections in the city of San Diego will go before the city council next week.
Mayor Todd Gloria and City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera released a draft of the ordinance yesterday (Tuesday).
Since March of last year, more people have become homeless each month than those rehoused.
Gloria says the ordinance would address that reality.
It would require landlords to pay tenants two months rent if they are evicted at no fault of their own.
Three months would be required for tenants who are senior citizens or disabled.
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Republicans blocked a request (Tuesday) from Democrats yesterday to replace Senator Dianne Feinstein on the Judiciary committee.
Without Feinstein on the committee the Dems lose their one seat majority
That means they can only move federal court nominees who have bipartisan support to the senate floor.
FEINSTEIN ASKED LAST WEEK, TO BE TEMPORARILY REPLACED ON THE COMMITTEE WHILE SHE recovers from the SHINGLES.
She’s been out since February and has faced calls to resign.
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Nearly 2 thousand Southwest flights nationwide were delayed yesterday (TUESDAY) after a technical issue caused planes to be grounded briefly.
Southwest said it was caused by a computer firewall failure.
At San Diego International … 6 flights were canceled and more than 1 hundred flights were delayed.
Janet Webb was among those with a flight delay.
SOUTHWEST 2A (0:06)
“Now it's over an hour, and I have a connecting flight in Sacramento, so I'm kind of worried about whether I'm going to make it.”
Webb was hesitant to fly with Southwest … because back in December … a computer system meltdown grounded many of Southwest's planes for days.
Experts say yesterday’s issue was minor … but it adds to the erosion of Southwest’s image.
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From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now.Stay with me for more of the local news you need.
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FEDERAL HEALTH AUTHORITIES ARE WORKING TO SIMPLIFY COVID VACCINATION RECOMMENDATIONS. HEALTH REPORTER MATT HOFFMAN SAYS IF YOU’RE OLDER THAN 65 OR ARE IMMUNOCOMPROMISED, YOU MAY SOON BE ELIGIBLE TO GET A SECOND DOSE OF THE UPDATED BOOSTERS.
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COVIDVAX 1 (:55)
The FDA says most people who are vaccinated but haven’t gotten the updated bivalent vaccines can get a single dose.. Those 65 and older will soon be able to get an additional booster at least four months after their first.. And those who are immunocompromised can get another booster at least two months after their first. The guidance is pending CDC approval, which could come later this week. Health officials say the updated vaccines don’t prevent infections, but they will reduce risk post-infection. Dr. Francesca Torriani from UC San Diego health says the FDA is moving to the COVID vaccine rollout similar to the flu.
basically make this a seasonal vaccine
The FDA says almost all Americans 5 and older have some protection from COVID either from previous vaccinations or infections. MH KPBS News.
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Two deadly collisions involving Navy surface ships in 20-17, sparked sweeping changes in the way the Navy trains sailors who pilot and crew those ships. Recent investigations found stress and mental health challenges also contributed. Military reporter Andrew Dyer recently visited with sailors on base to get the latest.
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(Reporter) The waterfront at Naval Base San Diego is busy as sailors navigate between hulking gray warships. Amphibious “big decks,” littoral combat ships and destroyers are moored one after the other, their masts forming their own skyline juxtaposed to the high-rises of nearby downtown San Diego.
(Reporter) Last October, the Navy opened its Embedded Mental Health clinic just steps away from those warships. The clinic is run by Naval Surface Forces Pacific and serves the sailors stationed aboard the 51 Surface Force vessels based in San Diego.
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Capt. Tara Smith, Surface Force Pacific Fleet Mental Health Officer
“So we have approximately 20 providers psychiatrist psychologists nurse practitioners, social workers ===as well as enlisted behavior health technicians that directly serve the mental health needs of the surface Navy here in San Diego.”
(Reporter) Navy Captain Tara Smith is the Mental Health Officer for the Surface Force in San Diego. She says life aboard Navy ships creates unique stressors for sailors, such as long working hours and constantly navigating tight spaces.
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Capt. Tara Smith, Mental Health Officer, Surface Force Pacific Fleet
“It’s noisy, you don’t see the sunlight all day unless you’re working on the flight deck. You have artificial lighting all day, there aren’t windows….”
(Reporter) Last year a Navy investigation into a cluster of suicides on the aircraft carrier George Washington in Norfolk, Virginia found the Navy’s mental health services lacking, amid a shortage of providers nationwide. Although the probe found the suicides were not connected it did find that working conditions on the ship played a role in one of three deaths that occurred within one week of each other.
(Reporter)The ship is in the midst of an extended mid-life refueling of its nuclear reactors that began in 2017.
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“I think the Geroge Washington was unfortunate but it certainly wasn’t the first time in our military or our country where we’ve had contagion.”
(Reporter) Contagion, Smith explains, is when one person’s suicide may lead to other attempts.
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“But it’s not a uniquely military issue that we are somehow failing at the problem of suicide, there is a nationwide problem with suicide right now.”
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Force Master Chief Greg Carlson
“We take sailors from around the planet, they don’t even have to be citizens of our country to join, we take them away from their families and areas they’re intimately familiar with…”
(Reporter) That’s Force Master Chief Greg Carlson, the senior enlisted sailor for the entire surface fleet.
(Reporter) Smith says the most common mental health diagnosis for sailors is adjustment disorder, caused by all the stressors of a completely different lifestyle.
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“The Navy’s a tough adjustment. it’s a rude awakening when maybe you’ve never been held accountable before and someone is saying you’re late to work and here are the consequences and that’s eye-opening.”
(Reporter) Another way the surface Navy says it’s working to help sailors is a new initiative to station chaplains aboard its destroyers.
(Reporter) While chaplains primarily manage religious ministry programs they also provide confidential counseling to sailors, according to Force Chaplain Capt. Richard Ryan.
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Capt. Richard Ryan, Force Chaplain
“We’re able to see them as often as they want to be seen and help them through these issues.”
(Reporter) Last year, chaplains visiting destroyers without full-time chaplains saw fewer than three sailors a month for counseling. Ryan says that on destroyers with full-time chaplains, they saw an average of 31 a month.
(Reporter) On the waterfront, sailors say news about the resources available has reached the deckplates.
Petty officer third class Dacia Chupp is a boatswain’s mate on the amphibious transport dock Somerset. She’s been in the Navy three years and says the service’s attitude toward mental health has changed.
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Petty Officer 3rd Class Dacia Chupp, USS Somerset
“They communicate more now and they make it more known we can go to them or other people if we need to.”
Ryan says twenty-nine destroyers now have full time chaplains on board with the rest getting them over the next two years.
Andrew Dyer, KPBS News.
TAG: If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, you can call or text 9-8-8 or go to 9-8-8 Lifeline DOT org for an online chat option.##########
Coming up....Student workers at C-S-U’s want to unionize. We’ll have that story and more, just after the break.
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SAN DIEGO COUNTY PUBLIC DEFENDER RANDY MIZE ANNOUNCED HIS PENDING RETIREMENT MONDAY IN AN EMAIL TO EMPLOYEES. THE ANNOUNCEMENT FOLLOWS ALLEGATIONS OF DISCRIMINATION IN HIS OFFICE. INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER AMITA SHARMA HAS MORE.
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Mize’s decision to retire comes after millions in payouts by the county related to wrongful termination lawsuits filed by former deputy public defenders. In January, a jury awarded $2.6 million to a former deputy public defender who is gay for discrimination and retaliation. During that trial, Mize testified he knew that an HR investigative report contained false statements by his supervisors but signed it anyway. In February, the county paid $900,000 to settle a lawsuit from another ex-deputy public defender who alleged retaliation for her social justice work. An outside law firm is currently investigating multiple complaints of a pattern of discrimination and retaliation in the office under Mize’s leadership. KPBS obtained a copy of Mize’s resignation letter in which he wrote that “it never feels like the right time to exit, but now feels damn close.” Amita Sharma, KPBS News.
Tag: MIZE SAID IN HIS LETTER, HE WILL RETIRE IN MID JUNE. COUNTY SPOKESPEOPLE HAVE NOT CONFIRMED HIS EXIT.
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CAL STATE STUDENT WORKERS WITH NON-ACADEMIC JOBS ARE MOVING FORWARD WITH PLANS TO UNIONIZE.
Here’s EDUCATION REPORTER M.G. PEREZ with the story.
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There are 10-thousand student assistants with non-academic jobs across the California State University system.
They do support work like library assistance, clerical, and dorm residency advising .
They also make minimum wage with no paid time off or sick leave.
Catherine Hutchinson is president of the CSU Employees union…the student workers are hoping to join someday soon.
SOT “their employer is a public university charged with opening doors for Californians of limited means through education. Joining together in a union is the only pathway these students have to gain a voice at the CSU”
The student group has submitted 4-thousand signatures from their members to the Public Employment Relations Board in Sacramento…known as PERB……which will ultimately decide whether they meet the threshold for a union vote. MGP KPBS NEWS
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That’s it for the podcast today. As always, you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great day.
