California coronavirus updates: Respiratory illnesses — and not just COVID-19 — spike in U.S. children - Capital Public Radio News

11:25 a.m.: Respiratory illnesses — and not conscionable COVID-19 — spike successful U.S. children

Respiratory illnesses are rising successful younger patients successful the United States, though the spike has mostly been owed to illnesses different than COVID-19.

According to NPR, immoderate pediatric hospitals crossed the region person begun moving retired of beds, with galore systems inactive feeling the strain from the pandemic.

"We've been strapped, and hospitals person benignant of been functioning astatine the borderline of however they tin function. We're seeing much radical requiring assistance and less beds available, mostly owed to staffing needs," Dr. Ibukun Kalu, a specializer successful pediatric infectious diseases astatine Duke Children's Hospital successful Durham, North Carolina, told NPR. "This operation is going to make much and much problems."

The CDC issued a health advisory successful September astir the summation successful pediatric respiratory illnesses, including RSV, enteroviruses and rhinovirus.

8:45 a.m.: Families to look bigger bills for subsidized kid attraction arsenic California ends waivers

During the pandemic, California’s low-income families that are required to wage a interest to person subsidized kid attraction got a waiver from paying. That waiver is acceptable to expire adjacent year, worrying parents who person struggled to spend it successful the past. 

Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a measure past period that would person made the waiver permanent. Parents accidental the waiver, which volition extremity successful June 2023, allowed them to wage different expenses oregon get caught up connected delinquent bills. Now they volition person to halt paying down debt, redeeming for emergencies and enrolling their children successful other activities similar creation lessons to wage the fees instead.

California helps low-income families spend kid attraction done respective antithetic programs. For astir families the programs are free, but others indispensable pay a stock of their subsidized kid attraction costs — what the authorities refers to arsenic a “family fee.” Families wage the interest straight to their kid attraction supplier oregon to the contractor that manages their subsidized kid care.

The pandemic enactment a spotlight connected the kid attraction challenges facing families with the lowest incomes, who got deed hardest by COVID-19. Many worked work jobs that were frozen oregon eliminated, oregon worked indispensable jobs they were required to bash successful person. Their circumstances drove authorities officials to waive the fees.   

A legislative investigation of the measure that would person permanently waived the fees recovered that eliminating the fees for immoderate families and decreasing the fees for others would outgo $136 cardinal a year. A 2021 survey by the California Budget and Policy Center recovered that the authorities collects astir $68 cardinal annually successful kid attraction fees from families with debased and mean incomes.

2:35 p.m.: As COVID-19 pandemic assistance ends, homelessness skyrockets successful Sacramento

Homelessness is expected to beryllium up erstwhile the national authorities releases results from an yearly number successful the coming months — the archetypal afloat tally since the coronavirus pandemic began.

Experts accidental with the extremity of pandemic alleviation measures that kept galore radical housed, the situation is deepening.

But, according to the Associated Press, the communicative is not azygous crossed the U.S. In 2 high-rent authorities capitals, the numbers person been moving successful other directions.

In Boston, wherever there’s been improvement, officials recognition a strategy of targeting lodging to radical who person agelong been connected the streets.

While successful Sacramento, radical are becoming stateless faster than they tin beryllium housed.

Fueled by a long-running lodging shortage, rising rent prices and the economical hangover from the pandemic, the wide fig of stateless successful a national authorities study to soon beryllium released is expected to beryllium bigger than the 580,000 unhoused earlier the coronavirus outbreak, the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

In West Coast cities specified arsenic Sacramento and Portland, Oregon, increasing homelessness has go a humanitarian situation and governmental shot implicit the past decade.

Numbers are up 68% successful Sacramento from 2020 to 2022.

Research has shown that successful places seeing spikes successful homelessness often travel a deficiency of affordable housing. To marque matters worse, pandemic authorities alleviation programs — including anti-eviction measures, exigency rental assistance and a kid taxation recognition that kept radical housed who whitethorn person been connected the streets different — are ending.

2:52 p.m.: Americans' personalities whitethorn person shifted during the pandemic

Do you consciousness similar a antithetic idiosyncratic than you were astatine the commencement of the pandemic? A caller survey has recovered that galore Americans person experienced a property displacement during the past 3 years.

According to NPR, the probe saw that aboriginal successful the pandemic galore radical saw a driblet successful traits associated with neuroticism. But arsenic the pandemic wore on, researchers were much apt to spot declines successful traits specified arsenic spot and originative thinking.

"The archetypal twelvemonth [of the pandemic] determination was this existent coming together," Sutin says. "But successful the 2nd year, with each of that enactment falling distant and past the unfastened hostility and societal upheaval astir restrictions ... each the corporate goodwill that we had, we lost, and that mightiness person been precise important for personality."

1:36 p.m.: Tax chopped inclination reaches two-thirds of states

About two-thirds of U.S. states person adopted immoderate benignant of taxation alleviation this year. The tax-cut inclination has been fueled by grounds authorities fund surpluses and ample maturation successful authorities revenues aft an archetypal downturn during the coronavirus pandemic. 

Missouri became the latest authorities to act, erstwhile Republican Gov. Mike Parson signed an income taxation chopped into instrumentality Wednesday, the Associated Press reports. Republican-led states person been much apt to o.k. imperishable taxation complaint reductions. Many Democratic states, meanwhile, person opted for one-time taxation rebates, including California. 

A bipartisan postulation of states besides person suspended state taxes oregon chopped income taxes connected groceries.

12:05 p.m.: Germany warns different nations of rising fall/winter COVID-19 cases

Germany’s wellness minister, Karl Lauterbach, warned that the state is seeing a dependable emergence successful COVID-19 cases arsenic it goes into the autumn and urged older radical to get a 2nd booster changeable tweaked to support against caller variants.

According to the Associated Press, different European countries specified arsenic France, Denmark, and the Netherlands are besides signaling an summation successful cases. Lauterbach said that Germany is “clearly astatine the commencement of a wintertime wave.”

German officials recorded 96,367 caller cases successful the past 24 hours, astir doubly arsenic galore arsenic a week ago.

Starting Saturday, Germany’s 16 states tin again enforce pandemic restrictions specified arsenic a request to deterioration masks indoors.

12:13 p.m.: Flu play is coming — here's immoderate proposal connected erstwhile to get your flu vaccine

After virtually disappearing for 2 years successful the U.S. arsenic the COVID-19 pandemic unopen down society, determination are hints the flu could reemerge this fall, perchance causing an unusually aboriginal and perchance terrible flu season.

As a result, galore experts impulse radical to get their flu shots close distant to guarantee they're protected — but what's the champion timing?

The accustomed flu play starts successful November successful the U.S. and peaks successful January oregon February. In general, immoderate doctors whitethorn hold until mid-October to get the flu shot, but cases are already rising.

According to NPR, the precise timing of erstwhile you get a flu changeable implicit the adjacent period oregon truthful doesn't substance arsenic much, arsenic agelong arsenic you get 1 — particularly this year.

The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases said that successful a worst-case scenario, the flu could hospitalize arsenic galore arsenic 560,000 radical successful the U.S. this twelvemonth and termination arsenic galore arsenic 63,000.

11:51 a.m.: Older adults are urged to get some flu vaccine and COVID-19 booster

Doctors person a connection for vaccine-weary Americans: Don’t skip your flu changeable this fall.

And for the archetypal time, seniors are urged to get a peculiar extra-strength kind. There’s nary mode to foretell however atrocious this flu play volition be, according to the Associated Press.

Australia conscionable emerged from a nasty one. In the U.S., yearly flu vaccinations are recommended starting with 6-month-olds. Because older adults don’t respond arsenic well, the U.S. present recommends they get 1 of 3 types made with higher doses oregon an immune-boosting ingredient.

Meanwhile, the companies that marque the 2 astir wide utilized COVID-19 vaccines are present investigating flu shots made with the aforesaid technology.

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