California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. COVID-19 positive rates increase. Mask mandates are coming back. People tired of the summer heat are looking forward to cooler weather.
Mon Sep 4. First lady Dr. Jill Biden tested positive for COVID-19 for the second time. Mild symptoms. President Joe Biden tested negative. The first lady was isolated at their home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. The first time Dr. Biden tested positive was Aug 16, 2022.
Tue Sep 7. Watched the fourth quarter at the five minute mark of the first 2023 NFL season game Detroit Lions at Kansas City Chiefs.
Fri Sep 8. Shopped for books at Books, Inc.
Sun Sep 10. Dr. Anthony Fauci predicted no huge hospitalization and death rates given the recent increase in COVID-19 infections. Fauci said the chances are low because of vaccines and immunity. Fauci was formerly the White House pandemic adviser. He's currently a professor at Georgetown University. Fauci doesn't believe the government imposes mask mandates.
Mon Sep 11. The Food And Drug Administration (FDA) approved updated COVID-19 vaccines Pfizer-Bio N Tech and Moderna which targets the omicron variant XBB.1.5. The two vaccines are approved for people age 12 and older. The two vaccines are approved for emergency use for children age 6 months through 11 years old. These vaccines use messenger RNA which teaches cells how to make proteins triggering an immune response against COVID-19. The vaccines don't target the current dominant variants; however, the vaccines provide protection against the current dominant variants. EG.5 or Eris is the dominant strain mutated from omicron or a descendent from omicron representing 21.5% of all cases. XBB.1.5 is declining.
Vaccine manufacturers sell their vaccines to private markets instead of the federal government because the US COVID-19 public health emergency ended in May 2023. Private insurers and government medical programs such as Medicare pay for the vaccines. 17% of the US population received the Sep 2022 booster according to the Center For Disease Control (CDC).
Wed Sep 12.The CDC approved the latest COVID-19 vaccines for people age 6 and older.
Shopped at Lucky supermarket.
Sat Sep 16. Shopped at Lucky supermarket.
Tue Sep 19. Shopped at Lowe's, Costco, and The Home Depot.
The CDC reported hospitalizations increased 7.7% from 19,068 in Sep 9 to 20,538. The last time hospitalizations reached 20,000 was Mar 2023. Hospitalizations was 150,674 on Jan 15, 2022 during omicron.
The Sonoma County health officer Dr. Karen Smith ordered health care workers who work with patients to wear face masks starting Nov 1, 2023 and ending Apr 30, 2024. The facilities affected include hospitals, clinics, and any indoor patient care building.
Wed Sep 20. American households can receive at-home COVID-19 tests for free. Each household requests four free tests at covidtests.gov. President Biden said the administration provided $600 million for 200 million more COVID-19 tests.
Thur Sep 21. The federal government isn't paying for the COVID-19 vaccine. Some people said their insurance isn't covering the $125 to $190 vaccine cost. One suggestion is contact the insurance company for a reimbursement. The federal government can pay for the vaccine for people who pays a co-payment or for the uninsured with the Bridge Across Program for 2023. Some counties offer free vaccines at clinics for those who qualify. COVID-19 vaccines should be covered by insurance.
New masking orders in the Bay Area. Masks are required for all health care facilities except for children under 2, people with pre-existing medical conditions, hearing impaired, or wearing a mask creates a work risk problem in Santa Clara County. Masks are required for all health care facilities and jails in San Francisco County. All people in health care facilities must wear masks in Alameda County. All health care workers in all health care facilities must wear masks in Contra Costa County; however, patients or visitors don't need to wear masks. All people in health care facilities must wear masks starting on Nov 1, 2023 in San Mateo County. Masks are required for all health care facilities, homeless shelters, and jails in Marin County. Napa County and Solano County follow the mask mandate state guidelines.
Sat Sep 23. Quick errands at O'Reilly Auto and Chevron.
Mon Sep 25. A scientific research published in Nature found differences in blood for long COVID-19 patients compared to non-long COVID-19 patients. Long COVID-19 patients have lower levels of the cortisol hormone. Cortisol makes a person feel alert and awake. Long COVID-19 is a biological illness. 18 million Americans experience long COVID-19 in 2022 according to the CDC.
Merck's antiviral drug Molnupiravir can cause the virus to mutate. The drug was one of the first available to doctors. The drug weakens or destroys the virus and reduces the amount of COVID-19. However, COVID-19 can survive treatment resulting in mutated versions spreading to other people. Molnupiravir is sold under the brand name Lageviro. There is no evidence the drug produced more COVID-19 variants. The study was published in Nature journal. Worldwide sales dropped from $1 billion in the third quarter of 2022 to $200 million in the third quarter of 2023.
Wed Sep 27. The Department Of Health And Human Services announced medical insurance companies pay for the latest COVID-19 vaccine. The companies said technical problems caused their clients to be charged for the vaccine.
Thur Sep 28. Masks are mandatory in hospitals and nursing facilities in Marin County starting on Nov 1, 2023 and ending on Mar 31, 2024. Children under the age 6 and people with valid medical reasons are exempted. Masks are recommended in medical clinics and outpatient health care settings.
Fri Sep 29. Shopped at Smart & Final and Costco. There were more shoppers at the 10am hour. More people wore masks.
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