Covid

New RSV vaccine recommended for infants and older adults

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a new recommendation for infants and people above the age of 60 to receive a single-dose of the RSV vaccine, which was approved earlier this year by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.  The CDC, in a September health advisory, found that the respiratory syncytial virus was spreading in the southeastern part of the country. Cases have steadily increased in California in October and November. The risk of infection from RSV,…

People of Richmond: Are you getting the new COVID vaccine?

“People of Richmond” is a regular series in which reporters pose a question to people in the community. Answers are presented verbatim, though sometimes edited for brevity. Q: Will you get the new COVID-19 booster when it becomes available? “I don’t think I’m going to take it because I don’t need it. In the place I work, they don’t require me to take the vaccine. I can go to stores to buy things and they don’t ask me to prove…

‘Tis the season for viruses: Contra Costa Health Services monitoring 3 that could interfere with holiday plans

Many people love the holiday season for its chilly weather, twinkling lights and scent of fresh fir trees. But respiratory viruses love it too, spreading through increased travel, family gatherings, and the colder weather driving people indoors. Across California, COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are rising. According to the latest Public Health Department data, the average number of cases diagnosed per day in California has quadrupled since mid-October, when case counts were trending downward, and doubled in the past month, to…

People of Richmond: Will you get the new COVID booster?

“People of Richmond” is a regular series in which reporters pose a question to people in the community. Answers are presented verbatim, though sometimes edited for brevity. Q: Have you or will you get the new booster shot against the omicron variant? “I am. My father is immunocompromised. It’s really important in order to keep my family safe. It’s important for us all to do our part to keep our community safe. At the end of the day, it is…