COVID Update: The FDA Approves New Vaccines, Rising Rates And More
The Food and Drug Administration approved a new round of vaccines against COVID-19.
The vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer and its partner BioNTech were approved Monday for people 12 and older and under an emergency use authorization for children ages 6 months to 11 years old. The vaccines target the omicron subvariant called XBB.1.5, which is no longer the most common strain in circulation. The vaccine makers and FDA say that the vaccine should still provide good protection against COVID. Recent studies support that. The CDC is likely to recommend the shots for anyone who's at high risk for serious complications from COVID, such as older people and those with weaker immune systems or other health problems. It's unclear what the CDC will recommend for younger, otherwise healthy people, including children.
Joining us today on AirTalk is Peter Chin-Hong, M.D., infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine at the UCSF Medical Center.
With files from LAist.
How Can California Improve Its Conservatorship System? New Book Argues The State Must Step Up
Pop singer Britney Spears’ highly-publicized battle to get out of the conservatorship she was placed under in 2008 put a spotlight on the way conservatorships function in California, and how they could potentially be used against the person under them by their conservators. And while Spears’ case is just one example of what can go wrong when the people who are supposed to be caretakers don’t have the best interests of the person under the conservatorship in mind, there are many other cases of people who are taken advantage of or not given the best standard of care. In his new book, “Conservatorship: Inside California’s System of Coercion and Care for Mental Illness,” NYU sociologist Alex V. Barnard explores the successes and failures of California’s conservatorship system. In it, he argues that the state of California has “abdicated authority”over the system, and that while some reforms have been made, the responsibility falls on the state government to ensure that people who are placed under conservatorships and other types of involuntary psychiatric holds or treatments are cared for with their best interests in mind.
Today on AirTalk, Professor Barnard joins us to talk about his new book.
Farming 101: What’s Regenerative Farming And Its Utility In Climate-Conscious Agriculture?
Carbon emissions in farming have become a topic that many have grown to be more conscious of, and although the consideration hasn’t become a dealbreaker for many it has grown to size. According to a Food Insights survey, 30% of respondents thought regenerative agriculture was the most overall beneficial practice for the food they eat–but what’s regenerative agriculture? In its simplest sense, regenerative farming is a sustainable form of farming where carbon emissions are limited through maintaining soil in its natural form and minimizing waste with one's crops and livestock.
Today on AirTalk, we get into the basics of regenerative farming and its certification with Ermias Kebreab. associate dean of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at UC Davis, Benina Montes of Burroughs Family Orchards, and Mollie Engelhart of Sow A Heart Farm and Sage Plant Bistro & Brewery.
Learn more about the Regenerative Farming Certification process by clicking here.
Read more LAist reporting on regenerative farming by clicking here.
Why Some Mourners Are Choosing Radical Transparency In Obituaries
No matter how it happens, it’s a tremendous shock to lose a loved one. But some causes of death are still stigmatized, like suicide or drug overdoses. In those cases, mourners can feel conflicted about revealing how their loved one died–whether it’s out of a sense of shame, or a desire for privacy. Some families, however, have made the choice to be radically transparent about the cause of death, seeing it as an opportunity to raise awareness, and to paint a full picture of a person’s life. Today on AirTalk, we’re exploring the idea of transparency in obituaries–whether this is a trend on the rise, and why folks might choose to be open about how their loved one died. Joining us to discuss is Linnea Crowther, news editor for Legacy.com, the world’s largest network of online obituaries and Holly Prigerson, professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, the director of the Cornell Center for Research on End-of-Life Care, and an expert on prolonged grief disorder.
If you or someone you know needs immediate mental health counseling, you can dial 988 to reach the The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. You can also text HOME to 741741 for 24/7 crisis counseling from the Crisis Text Line. Local resources are also available via the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health’s 24/7 Help Line (Spanish available) at 800-854-7771, the East Los Angeles Women’s Center 24/7 crisis hotline (Spanish available) at 800-585-6231.