A researcher holds a syringe containing the COVID-19 vaccine. (Photo: Viacheslav Lopatin, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Every physician knows that prevention is the easiest, fastest and most reliable way to save lives. This week the California Assembly is considering SB 866, a bill grounded in prevention that can help us save lives.
A display of vaccines that are, or will be, available to fight COVID-19. (Photo: iTechGuru, via Shutterstock)The recent rollout of two newly authorized COVID-19 vaccines is a bright ray of hope at the pandemic’s darkest hour. We now have a path that can lead us to happier times — even as we watch and suffer from the horrible onslaught of new infections, hospitalizations and deaths that mark the end of this regrettable year.
A medical researcher at work. (Photo: National Cancer Institute, via Wikimedia Commons.Capitol Weekly’s John Howard and Tim Foster were joined by Dr. Dean Blumberg, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, UC Davis School of Medicine and Acting Chief, Pediatric Infectious Disease Section, UC Davis Medical Center.
A vaccination in progress. (Photo: Komsan Loonprom)OPINION: Before graduation, teens need to know what vaccine preventable diseases exist and the vaccines that protect them. Teens need to know their personal vaccination status and if they are up to date on recommended vaccines.
A vaccination in progress. (Photo: Komsan Loonprom)OPINION: The immunization rate for incoming kindergarten students has jumped this year by more than 2 percentage points—to approximately 93 percent. This is news we should all be proud of. But anyone who cares about the health of our state and the welfare of our communities should not rest on the success of SB 277 – there is still more work to be done.
A child getting vaccinated. (Photo: Thinkstock, Dimitry Naumov)The Kaiser study found that, on an individual level, under-immunization—where a child misses one or more of the required doses before age 3—was higher in neighborhoods with more families in poverty as well as those with more graduate degrees. But even after adjusting for factors such as race and income, the study still found statistically significant geographic clusters of under-immunization.