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Written by: GOVERNOR’S OFFICE

Published: 27 September 2022

As other states make it harder for people to vote, California is expanding and protecting voting access.

State officials believe voting should be easy, that's why every active registered voter receives a ballot in the mail and Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed new legislation to make it even easier and safer to participate in our democracy.

The bills signed today will:

Increase vote-by-mail ballot drop box locations at UC and CSU campuses.

Protect election officials and poll workers from doxing and harassment by giving them the option to keep their home address confidential.

Increase multilingual resources and access to polling places.

The bills in the package include:

• AB 1631 by Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside) – Elections: elections officials.

• AB 2815 by Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park) – Elections: vote by mail ballot drop-off locations.

• SB 1131 by Senator Josh Newman (D-Fullerton) – Address confidentiality: public entity employees and contractors.

Last month, Gov. Newsom signed SB 103 by Sen. Bill Dodd (D-Napa) ensuring the state’s presidential electors cast ballots for candidates who won the election.

In a move to increase access to democracy and enfranchise more voters, the governor last year signed legislation permanently requiring a vote by mail ballot be mailed to every active registered voter in the state — a practice that began in California in 2020 as a safety measure to counteract pandemic-related disruptions and resulted in record voter participation.

For full text of the bills, visit http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.

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Written by: Libby Richards, Purdue University

Published: 27 September 2022

 

At this point in the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly everyone has experienced the panic and uncertainty that come with having mild COVID-like symptoms – such as a cough and sore throat – only to test negative day after day. With cold and flu season just around the corner, that state of frustrating uncertainty is likely to strike most of us again.

Both COVID-19 and the flu are contagious respiratory illnesses that have similar symptoms, making it difficult to distinguish between the two viral infections without a lab test. Testing is the only way to know which virus is causing your symptoms. In fact, labs are working to create one test that can detect both COVID-19 and the flu.

As a nursing professor with experience in public health promotion, I am often asked about the differences between the flu and COVID-19. This year I am fielding many questions about the timing of getting the new COVID-19 booster and the flu shot and whether they can be given together.

Parsing the symptoms

Symptoms of both COVID-19 and the flu can range from mild – or no noticeable symptoms at all – to severe. While flu infection does not typically affect one’s ability to taste or smell, loss of taste or smell has been a common symptom associated with COVID-19 infection. Both infections can cause fevers, chills, body aches and fatigue. More severe symptoms of either infection include difficulty breathing and subsequent infections like pneumonia.

During the 2021-2022 flu season, the term “flurona” made its way into the COVID-19 vernacular. Flurona refers to a simultaneous infection with both the flu and COVID-19. While only a few cases of co-infections have been reported, it would not be surprising to see more of them this coming flu season. Vaccination for both the flu and COVID-19 is your best protection against both.

Timing the shots

With the newly formulated COVID-19 booster shot now available and flu season just around the corner, a natural question is whether there is an optimal timing for the two shots.

The answer to that question is to get both as soon as possible. It is important to consider that it takes approximately two weeks after vaccination for the body to develop antibodies from both the COVID-19 vaccines and the flu vaccine.

As long as you have completed your primary COVID-19 vaccine series and it has been at least eight weeks since your last COVID-19 booster, now is the time to get the updated COVID-19 vaccine that targets both the original strain of SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19 – and the most recent omicron subvariants. The original COVID-19 vaccines and booster series have dramatically reduced the number of COVID-19 infection and death rates, as well as cases of severe COVID-19 that lead to hospitalization.

While everyone 6 months of age and older are recommended to receive both the COVID-19 and flu vaccines, certain populations have a higher risk for severe infection, such as pregnant women, and should be extra vigilant about getting vaccinated.

Further, among those vaccinated against COVID-19, symptoms during an infection tend to be milder. However, due in part to the quickly evolving nature of the virus, it’s become clear that immune protection from COVID-19 vaccination or infection does not last forever. While studies show that the primary COVID-19 series maintains efficacy against severe disease and death six months after vaccination, protection against infection decreases by between 20% to 30% by six months after vaccination.

This decline in immune protection is exactly why booster shots are so critical. Without a large uptake of booster shots in the population, COVID-19 infection rates could surge again.

Timing is also important with the flu vaccine. Flu cases typically begin to rise in October and peak between December and February, but can last through May. Ideally, people should get vaccinated before flu begins to spread, making September or early October the ideal flu vaccination time.

A difficult flu season ahead

Due to lockdowns, reduced travel, school closures and mask mandates in the first and second years of the pandemic, both the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 flu seasons were estimated to have fewer hospitalizations and deaths from the flu compared to many of the pre-pandemic years.

In the fall of 2021, experts became concerned about the potential for a COVID-19 and flu “twindemic,” especially as COVID-19 restrictions were lifting and masks were coming off. Fortunately, the worst didn’t bear out – flu numbers in the 2021-2022 season did not return to pre-pandemic levels. However, the possibility of a “twindemic” is not out of the picture for the coming flu season.

Flu seasons are inherently difficult to predict. With most people traveling again, schools open, mask mandates lifted and workers headed back to the office, people are undoubtedly going to be exposed to germs that they have been more protected from for the last two and a half years.

To further compound this, flu vaccine rates have been lower during the pandemic, suggesting that Americans may be out of the habit of getting their annual flu shot.

Pairing the shots

Many are also wondering whether they can or should get both the updated COVID-19 booster and the flu shot at the same time. The good news is, yes, it is safe for both adults and children 12 years of age and up who are eligible for the updated COVID-19 booster to get these vaccines simultaneously.

A recent study found that common vaccine side effects such as pain at the injection site occurred at slightly higher rates when someone received the flu vaccine and a COVID-19 vaccine at the same time, as opposed to receiving only a COVID-19 booster. However, those reactions, including fatigue and headache, were mild and resolved within a day or two.

You don’t need to make two separate vaccine visits as long as you are due for your next COVID-19 shot. However, I don’t recommend waiting to get your flu shot if you are not yet due for a COVID-19 booster. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests everyone receive their flu vaccine by the end of October. But if you miss that deadline, it is absolutely better to get vaccinated later in the season than not at all.

Community matters too

Getting the flu and COVID-19 vaccines isn’t just about your own health, it’s about family and community health too. Communities with higher vaccination rates have fewer opportunities to spread the virus.

Keep in mind that many people cannot be vaccinated because they have weakened immune systems or are undergoing treatments. They depend on those around them for protection. While one person may experience mild symptoms if they contract the flu or COVID-19, they could spread the virus to others who could become severely ill. Because it’s impossible to predict how people will react if they get sick, getting the flu and COVID-19 vaccines is the best prevention strategy.

Libby Richards, Associate Professor of Nursing, Purdue University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Written by: OFFICE OF CONGRESSMAN MIKE THOMPSON

Published: 26 September 2022

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — On Sunday, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) announced Lakeport Police Officer Juan Altamirano and Cory Smith of the Lake County Fire Protection District as the 2022 Lake County Public Safety Heroes.

Each year, Thompson honors law enforcement officers and first responders in our community who have gone above and beyond the call of duty.

“Our first responders play an essential role in keeping our communities safe and saving lives. Every year, it is a great honor to be able to recognize some of our public safety heroes from our district for their incredible work on behalf of our communities,” said Thompson. “Cory Smith is a proven leader in Lake County, serving as both a paramedic and fire marshal. His coolness and skill under pressure led to the safe evacuation of multiple endangered citizens during the Cache fire.”

Thompson continued, “Officer Altamirano is an exemplary officer and demonstrates important values of respect and commitment to duty. I am proud to recognize Mr. Smith and Officer Altamirano for their heroic efforts and they are well deserving of this award.”

In August 2021, Smith responded to the Cache fire in Clearlake as a member of Prevention 715. There, they worked tirelessly to remove fences and clear paths alongside two engine companies from Cal Fire.

During the assignment, they discovered two individuals in immediate danger from nearby flames, one of whom had severe burns. Upon evacuation, they radioed for a medical unit to transport her to a nearby hospital.

Early last year, Officer Altamirano demonstrated his compassion, respect, and dedication to duty while responding to a suspicious vehicle report.

Altamirano found a truck and loaded trailer broken down in an area of Lakeport that was dangerous for the driver and other motorists.

Upon further inspection, he found that the truck and trailer were carrying a family and all their possessions, and they had no resources to get the vehicle out of the way or operating at that time.

Officer Altamirano used his own personal resources, not those of the department, to have the truck and trailer towed to a safe location to wait while the family could make other arrangements. Any other action could have placed the family in jeopardy of losing their vehicle and possessions.

While reviewing Officer Altamirano’s actions, other similar incidents came to light, in which he provided meals and water to other community members in need, and found creative ways to provide service to his community above and beyond the call of duty.

The full list of the Public Safety Heroes of the Year for the Fifth Congressional District is below.

Captain John Angell, Crockett-Carquinez Fire Department
Sergeant Zach Lekse, Martinez Police Department
Cory Smith, Lake County Fire
Officer Juan Altamirano, Lakeport Police Department
Rodger Collinson, Napa Fire Department
Deputy Brian Ringo, Napa County Sheriff’s Office
Deputy Joseph Schiavoni, Napa County Sheriff’s Office
Detective Rory Logan, Benicia Police Department
Robert O’Connor, Solano County Paramedic
Kristy and Bob Brindley, Just1Mike Foundation
Officer Westin Schindler, Santa Rosa Police Department
Sergeant Terry White and Officers Jason Jucutan, Jeff Badger, Dane Schindler and Brett Wright, Santa Rosa Police Department Special Enforcement Team