By John Malapitan and Ricardo Martinez (Contributing Writers) With the rise in omicron variant cases, the California Department of Public Healthcare is now allowing COVID positive nurses to work, as long as they are asymptomatic or meet the criteria needed to go back to work. “Health care professionals (HCP) who have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and are asymptomatic may return to work immediately without isolation and without testing, and HCPs who have been exposed and are asymptomatic may return to work immediately without quarantine and without testing” the department stated. The department also recognizes the problems that may come with this by ensuring that HCPs must … [Read more...] about Staff shortage causes conflict in healthcare industry
vaccine
Booster shot mandate sparks mixed reactions among CSUSB students
By Kenya Johnson and Yussif Kanbar (Contributing Writers) Three students share their perspectives on the recent mandate President Morales issued to prevent an outbreak in cases at CSUSB. In regards to the mandatory booster shot, one student, who wished to remain anonymous, responded, “I definitely see the purpose and want for every student to be safe, but I also believe that if someone does not want to get the booster shot, they should be held to taking classes only online. This may be harsh, but if they want to use school facilities they should follow the mandate or not be enrolled. Personally, I like being on campus for classes, but I completely understand why we are … [Read more...] about Booster shot mandate sparks mixed reactions among CSUSB students
Opinion: Positive vaccine updates don’t mean we are out of the woods yet
While Pfizer Inc. states the COVID-19 vaccine is said to be 90% effective, pharmaceutical company Moderna also published preliminary results claiming 94.5% efficacy of their vaccine against COVID-19. Moderna's vaccine does not require minus 70-degree Celsius for storage, thus, it can be stored and moved in a more affordable way. With this news definitely being worth celebrating, it is not the time to take COVID lightly, but time to buckle down and wait for the vaccine. The virus has already killed over 1.3 million people globally, and cases are still continuing to rise. While the feeling of living alongside COVID is still there, we must also get through flu season and winter without … [Read more...] about Opinion: Positive vaccine updates don’t mean we are out of the woods yet
Opinion: Coronavirus risks outweigh the gains with bringing kids back into the classroom
They say patience is a virtue and it could also be a life-saver when it comes to bringing kids back to the classroom. As fall turns to winter with no COVID-19 vaccine available, many local K-12 schools move closer to reopening in-person classes. School officials and teachers are working on plans to do it safely, but the safest and smartest thing to do would be to wait. We can all agree that kids need to be together so they can socialize and be around other kids. It is also common knowledge that most kids do better with in-person learning rather than online classes. The two major problems right now are that we are currently in a COVID-19 surge and we cannot yet guarantee the safety of kids … [Read more...] about Opinion: Coronavirus risks outweigh the gains with bringing kids back into the classroom
Opinion: Pondering the effectiveness of a COVID-19 vaccine
On Monday, November 9, Pfizer Inc., a company which has been working on the COVID-19 vaccine, released a statement saying that their new vaccine could be as much as 90% effective. It was based on early and incomplete testing. Regardless of the testing being in the early stages, this news is monumental simply because we can finally say that we might have a viable cure on the way. Now if you’re like me, you instantly thought, “Does this mean that life will go back to normal soon?" But then I also wondered, “What is normal? Will our lives ever be the same? Will we continue to have a heightened sense of concern for human life and health? Or will things in 6 months look like COVID was just a … [Read more...] about Opinion: Pondering the effectiveness of a COVID-19 vaccine
SB 277 makes vaccinations mandatory
By Cherae Hunt |Staff Writer| California grade school children must now be vaccinated to attend class as a result of an amended bill. “Since 2000, 142 Californians have suffered severe adverse reactions, resulting in 46 deaths of California citizens. Children under the age of 11 months suffered 52.82 percent of these adverse reactions,” according to sb277.org. The lawmakers passed the Bill on the vaccine SB 277 on April 22, 2015 by a 7-2 vote. “Following a measles outbreak that began in mid-December at Disneyland -- which state public health officials attribute in large part to unvaccinated individuals -- California State Sen. Richard Pan and two other lawmakers introduced SB 277 … [Read more...] about SB 277 makes vaccinations mandatory