California Black Media

Omicron in California: Officials Push Booster Shots to Stem Rise in Variant Cases

“Yesterday, California reinstituted – in counties and in sections of the state where we don’t currently have any indoor masking requirement – a one-month masking requirement indoors in public settings. This is intended to lean in, as we all have for a long time in California, to keep our guard up in a period of uncertainty and unknown with Omicron,” said California Health & Human Services Agency’s Dr. Mark Ghaly.

Published

3 years ago

December 21, 2021

Oakland Post

California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris took to Twitter to calm Californians’ fears regarding the state’s response to this new variant.

By Aldon Thomas Stiles | California Black Media

As of Monday, there were 39 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 Omicron variant in California, according to the California Department of Public Health. That number represents a 140% increase in new variant cases since Thanksgiving.

As authorities monitor and work to stem the spread of the new strand of COVID-19, Gov. Gavin Newsom continues to promote booster shots for eligible Californians: Adults 18 and older — or teens who are 17 or 16 – who have been fully vaccinated for at least six months.

Additionally, the state has reinstated mask mandates in several counties that have been without them during the pandemic.

“Requiring the indoor masking as California continues to learn more about Omicron gives us a chance to keep our guard up in a very purposeful and meaningful way during these critical weeks of celebration without needing to do what some other countries have had to do which is put further limitations on the things that we all miss,” Ghaly elaborated.

Ghaly says once the federal government approves the booster shot for children, the state will issue a vaccine mandate for students in the state, adding to other immunizations California requires.

At a recent press conference, Newsom said it is unlikely that there will be another lockdown due to the new variant.

According to the governor, the first confirmed case of the variant in California, which was reported in San Francisco two weeks ago, was someone who was not eligible for a vaccine booster shot. He expects the person to “fully recover.”

Across the United States, there are now over 43 confirmed cases of the Omicron variant in at least 25 states.

Chief Medical Advisor to the President Dr. Anthony Fauci says the booster shot is the surest method to combat the threat of the Omicron variant.

“There’s every reason to believe that if you get vaccinated and boosted that you would have at least some degree of cross-protection,” Fauci said in reference to the variant.

Last week, Fauci said he expects the official definition of “fully vaccinated” to change from the current two-vaccination requirement to including the third booster shot. He said it’s a matter of “when, not if.”

On December 10, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a five-page report sharing the results of study that focused on the 43 people across the country who have contracted the Omicron variant.

Only one of them was hospitalized and most experienced mild symptoms like coughing or a runny nose. More than 75% of them were fully vaccinated and nearly 33% had received booster shots.

California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris took to Twitter to calm Californians’ fears regarding the state’s response to this new variant.

“While we are still learning about the Omicron variant, our focus remains on protection and prevention. Our best protection is getting vaccinated, wearing masks, getting tested if you have symptoms, and staying home if sick,” Burke Harris tweeted.

“When these four interventions are taken by all Californians, we help slow the spread of COVID-19 – including the Omicron variant”” her tweet continued.

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Activism

“Unnecessary Danger”: Gov. Newsom Blasts Rollback of Emergency Abortion Care Protections

Effective May 29, CMS rescinded guidance that had reinforced the obligation of hospitals to provide abortion services under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) when necessary to stabilize a patient’s condition. Newsom warned that the rollback will leave patients vulnerable in states with strict or total abortion bans.

Published

2 days ago

June 14, 2025

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Gov. Gavin Newsom is criticizing the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for rolling back federal protections for emergency abortion care, calling the move an “unnecessary danger” to the lives of pregnant patients in crisis.

Newsom warned that the rollback will leave patients vulnerable in states with strict or total abortion bans.

“Today’s decision will endanger lives and lead to emergency room deaths, full stop,” Newsom said in a statement. “Doctors must be empowered to save the lives of their patients, not hem and haw over political red lines when the clock is ticking. In California, we will always protect the right of physicians to do what’s best for their patients and for women to make the reproductive decisions that are best for their families.”

The CMS guidance originally followed the 2022 Dobbs decision, asserting that federal law could preempt state abortion bans in emergency care settings. However, legal challenges from anti-abortion states created uncertainty, and the Trump administration’s dismissal of a key lawsuit against Idaho in March removed federal enforcement in those states.

While the rollback does not change California law, Newsom said it could discourage hospitals and physicians in other states from providing emergency care. States like Idaho, Mississippi, and Oklahoma do not allow abortion as a stabilizing treatment unless a patient’s life is already at risk.

California has taken several steps to expand reproductive protections, including the launch of Abortion.CA.Gov and leadership in the Reproductive Freedom Alliance, a coalition of 23 governors supporting access to abortion care.

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Activism

“We Are Better Than This”: Black Caucus Denounces L.A. County ICE Raids as Multiple Protests Erupt

Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood), a member of the CLBC and chair of the Los Angeles County Legislative Delegation, urged protestors to show restraint and deescalate rising tensions. “Don’t take the bait. Remain peaceful. Peace is our power,” she posted on Facebook. McKinnor also blasted the feds for detaining David Huerta, a popular labor leader and president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), who was documenting the raids.

Published

2 days ago

June 14, 2025

Oakland Post

Assemblymember Tina Mckinnor (D-Inglewood), at the podium, is joined by a coalition of California lawmakers opposed to the ongoing ICE raids being conducted in communities across California. Courtesy of Asm. Tina Mckinnor’s office.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Members of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) last week condemned ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in California.

The caucus released the statement the same day multiple protests erupted in Los Angeles County, reacting to three ICE raids conducted in that area.

“For months w,e have watched the unsettling images of federal agents rampaging through our communities. We have stood in horror as masked, heavily armed men ransack neighborhoods under the color of law leaving terror and trauma in their wake,” read a June 6 statement released by the CLBC.

Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood), a member of the CLBC and chair of the Los Angeles County Legislative Delegation, urged protestors to show restraint and deescalate rising tensions.

“Don’t take the bait. Remain peaceful. Peace is our power,” she posted on Facebook.

McKinnor also blasted the feds for detaining David Huerta, a popular labor leader and president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), who was documenting the raids.

“The actions by this federal government are un-American,” wrote McKinnor in a statement. “We demand is immediate release and an end to the terror being inflicted on communities across L.A. County by this administration.”

According to Yasmeen Pitts, a Homeland Security Investigations division spokesperson, 44 people have been detained in arrests related to the protests.

Pitts said ICE agents targeted three locations in central Los Angeles they accuse of harboring undocumented immigrants.

The Black Caucus statement called the violent arrest of community leaders leading protests against the raids “a tool in the authoritarian playbook.”

“No person or family, regardless of origin, deserves to be the target of the terror being inflicted across the country in this moment,” the statement continued.

On June 7, Bill Essayli, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, posted on X, “federal agents arrested over a dozen agitators today who impeded agents in their ability to conduct law enforcement operations.”

“We will continue to arrest anyone who interferes with federal law enforcement,” he added.

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass thanked local law enforcement for keeping the peace in the city.

This is a difficult time for our city. As we recover from an unprecedented natural disaster, many in our community are feeling fear following recent federal immigration enforcement actions across Los Angeles County. Reports of unrest outside the city, including in Paramount, are deeply concerning,” posted Bass on X.

“We’ve been in direct contact with officials in Washington, D.C. and are working closely with law enforcement to find the best path forward. Everyone has the right to peacefully protest, but let me be clear: violence and destruction are unacceptable, and those responsible will be held accountable,” she added.

On June 9, the Trump administration said it will send 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles to quell the anti-ICE protests.

Newsom called the decision “deranged.”

“As the federal government conducts chaotic immigration sweeps across the country, the state is deploying additional CHP to maintain safety on Los Angeles highways to keep the peace,” wrote Newsom in a statement posted on X. “It’s not their job to assist in federal immigration enforcement. The federal government is sowing chaos so they can have an excuse to escalate. That is not the way any civilized country behaves.”