California COVID-19 News (April 26, 2021)

Office of the Governor

• Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup Recommends Resuming Use of Johnson & Johnson Vaccine (04/24/2021)
  • The Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup completed its review of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine and has concluded that the vaccine is generally safe and effective, and that the resumption of its use is warranted once appropriate patient and provider educational materials are made available. 

Covered California

• California’s Largest Public Health Care Purchasers Unite to Address Gaps in Childhood Immunizations and Colorectal Cancer Screenings Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic (04/21/2021)
  • Covered California and DHCS, which operate the state’s Medi-Cal program, and CalPERS announced efforts to ensure that everyone covered by the programs receive COVID-19 vaccines and address preventive care gaps caused by patients not receiving needed services. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated racial and ethnic health disparities across the states. Covered California added performance goals for health plans and will require plans to return to pre-pandemic levels of childhood vaccinations and colorectal cancer screenings by the end of 2021.
• Unlocking Race and Ethnicity Data to Promote Health Equity in California: Proposals for State Action (04/20/2021)
  • In a new white paper prepared in partnership with Blue Shield of California, Manatt Health discusses common health plan race and ethnicity (R/E) data collection challenges and how states can help mitigate these barriers and equip health system stakeholders with crucial information to support health equity.