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FDA approves Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19

Pamela Cruz

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2021.08.23

On Monday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine for people 16 years of age and older. (FDA) approved Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine for people 16 years and older, which will be marketed under the name "Comirnaty".

The vaccine also remains available under emergency use authorization in the country, including for young people aged 12-15 years and for administration of a third dose in certain immunocompromised persons.

"The approval of this vaccine is a milestone in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic," said the acting commissioner of the FDAJanet Woodcock.

He added that while this and other vaccines have met the FDA's rigorous scientific standards for emergency use authorization, "the public can be absolutely confident that this vaccine meets the high standards of safety, efficacy and manufacturing quality required by the FDA for product approval.

He also recalled that millions of people have already received COVID-19 vaccines safely, but acknowledged that for some, FDA approval may instill additional confidence in obtaining immunization. "Today's milestone brings us one step closer in the fight against this pandemic in the U.S.".

Since December 11, 2020, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has been available in the U.S. for persons 16 years of age and older, and licensure was extended to include those aged 12 to 15 years on May 10, 2021.

Such applications to the FDA are made during public health emergencies to provide access to medical products that may be effective in preventing, diagnosing, or treating a disease, provided it is determined that the known and potential benefits of a product outweigh the known and potential risks of the product.

The FDA said in a statement that the vaccines it approves undergo the agency's standard process for reviewing the quality, safety and effectiveness of medical products.

"For all vaccines, FDA evaluates the data and information included in the manufacturer's submission of a Biologics License Application (BLA)."

A BLA is a comprehensive document submitted to the agency that provides very specific requirements. In the case of Comirnaty, the BLA is based on the wealth of previously submitted data supported by the U.S. administration, such as preclinical and clinical information, as well as details of the manufacturing process, test results, and inspections of vaccine manufacturing sites.

The agency conducts its own analysis of BLA data to ensure that the vaccine is safe and effective and meets FDA approval standards.

"Our medical and scientific experts conducted an incredibly thorough and thoughtful evaluation of this vaccine. We evaluated the scientific data and information contained in hundreds of thousands of pages, conducted our own analyses of Comirnaty's safety and efficacy, and performed a detailed evaluation of the manufacturing processes, including inspections of manufacturing facilities," said Peter Marks, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

"We have not lost sight of the fact that the COVID-19 public health crisis continues in the United States and that safe and effective vaccines are available to the public. The public and the medical community can be assured that, while we approved this vaccine quickly, it fully met our existing high standards for vaccines in the U.S.," he said.

Specifically, in the FDA's review for approval, the agency analyzed effectiveness data from approximately 20,000 vaccine and 20,000 placebo recipients aged 16 years or older who had no evidence of COVID-19 virus infection within one week of receiving the second dose.

The safety of Comirnaty was evaluated in approximately 22,000 people who received the vaccine and 22,000 people aged 16 years and older who received a placebo.

According to clinical trial results, the vaccine was 91 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 disease.

More than half of the clinical trial participants were followed for safety results for at least four months after the second dose. Overall, approximately 12,000 recipients have been followed for at least 6 months.

The side effects most frequently reported by clinical trial participants who received Comirnaty were pain, redness and swelling at the injection site, fatigue, headache, muscle or joint pain, chills, and fever. The vaccine is effective in preventing COVID-19 and potentially serious outcomes, such as hospitalization and death.

Continuous Vaccine Safety Monitoring

The FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have monitoring systems in place to ensure that any safety concerns continue to be identified and evaluated in a timely manner. In addition, the FDA requires the company to conduct post-marketing studies to further evaluate the risks of myocarditis and pericarditis following vaccination with Comirnaty.

Comirnaty contains messenger RNA - mRNA - a kind of genetic material. The body uses the mRNA to mimic one of the proteins in the virus that causes COVID-19. The result of a person receiving this vaccine is that their immune system will eventually react defensively to the virus that causes this coronavirus.

Comirnaty mRNA is only present in the body for a short period of time and does not incorporate into or alter an individual's genetic material.

Comirnaty has the same formulation as the vaccine already in the country, and is administered in a series of two doses, three weeks apart.

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FDA May Approve Two-Dose Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine Monday

Pamela Cruz

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2021.08.22

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FDA May Approve Two-Dose Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine Monday

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could approve Pfizer-BioNTech's two-dose Covid-19 vaccine on Monday, further accelerating the immunization licensing timeline.

So reported the New York Times, which detailed that regulators were working Friday to finalize the process. However, it said, they were still working on a substantial amount of paperwork and negotiations with the company.

People who have been involved with planning the vaccine approval have not made a public statement. However, they warned the newspaper that approval could happen after Monday if some components of the review need more time.

Initially, the FDA said approval of the vaccine could have been around Labor Day, and if approved Monday, it would mean an acceleration of nearly two weeks.

The approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine could be an incentive for millions of people eligible for immunization and still hesitant to get inoculated to roll up their sleeves and accept their doses.

Recent surveys suggested that many people have been reluctant to accept the vaccine because it has not yet been fully approved by the FDA, as it maintained an emergency use status.

In that sense, the news would come in the midst of a significant increase in COVID-19 cases due to the Delta variant, in addition, there are more and more unvaccinated children over 12 years old, and who have presented severe disease.

In addition, approval could result in some universities and hospitals requiring inoculation once the vaccine is fully approved.

Recently, the Pentagon said it is considering making COVID vaccines mandatory for the nation's 1.3 million active-duty soldiers no later than the middle of next month, or sooner if FDA approval is granted.

Moreover, once approval is granted, Pfizer-BioNTech will apply to the FDA for approval of a third dose as a booster injection.

This Wednesday, the federal government announced that fully vaccinated adults should prepare to receive booster shots eight months after receiving their second doses, beginning Sept. 20.

Meanwhile, the drugmaker could finish sending data showing that a third injection is safe and effective next week.

Advances in the use of third doses have moved quickly, as just last week, the FDA updated its approvals of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines in immunocompromised people, such as those who have received a transplant. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved that decision.

Pfizer-BioNTech's application to the FDA for approval of the vaccine is followed by Moderna's application, which could come a few months later.

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Wildfires Can Exacerbate COVID-19 Cases and Deaths

Pamela Cruz

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2021.08.21

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Wildfires Can Exacerbate COVID-19 Cases and Deaths

Fires May Exacerbate Cases of COVID-19 — Photo: Manuel Ortiz

A recent study highlights that exposure to fine particulate matter - PM 2.5 - produced by forest fires is associated with an increased risk of COVID-19 cases and deaths.

According to the study published in Science Advances on August 13, the researchers found strong evidence that wildfires amplified the effect of short-term exposure to PM 2.5, albeit with substantial variation among counties.

According to the National Interagency Fire Center, approximately 7 million acres of forest burn each year in the United States. However, as of December 2020, more than 10 million acres were consumed by fire in the western part of the country alone.

In the last four years, the U.S. has experienced unprecedented wildfires, resulting in an increase of more than 470,000 daily exposures per year, and 1.85 billion more person-days of high-risk exposure compared to 2001-2004.

Wildfire smoke contains high levels of fine particulate matter - PM 2.5 - the pollutant in smoke that poses the greatest health risk. Its short-term exposure is associated with adverse health outcomes, including all-cause mortality and respiratory morbidities such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and others.

The studies also found that short-term wildfire-specific PM 2.5 exposure is associated with increases in asthma symptoms, emergency department visits for respiratory symptoms, and hospital admissions, as well as increases in the risk and severity of respiratory viral infections.

Certain populations are at increased risk of exposure to fine particles from wildfires, including people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children, and fetuses.

The document details that wildfires contribute up to 25 percent of the concentration of PM 2.5 in the atmosphere in the United States and up to half of such particles in some regions of the western part of the country.

He adds that estimates suggest that 17 percent of COVID-19 mortality in North America may be attributable to exposure to particulate air pollution.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -CDC- state that "smoke from wildfires can irritate your lungs, cause inflammation, affect your immune system and make you more prone to lung infections, including COVID-19."

The study, conducted by Xiaodan Zhou, Kevin Josey, Leila Kamareddine, Miah C. Caine, Tianjia Liu, Loretta J. Mickley, Matthew Cooper and Francesca Dominici, included 133 counties in three states - California, Washington and Oregon - for the period March 15 to Dec. 16, 2020, a total of 277 days.

In some counties, PM 2.5 levels were above 500 μg/m3 - micrograms per cubic meter - for several consecutive days. This is a significant health risk.

"Wildfire smoke pollution has the potential to increase the transmission of COVID-19 due to acute exposure to PM from wildfires," the study stresses.

He adds that, in particular, "wildfires during a pandemic create a cascading disaster with disruptions in directly affected communities that challenge infection mitigation practices, such as social distancing in evacuation shelters, while local disaster responses - including medical care - are highly complicated."

The combination of these elements, the researchers said, likely increased COVID-19 cases and negative test results in those states.

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Congresswoman Jackie Speier, supporters advocate "vote NO" in California recall election

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Noah Braunstein

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2021.08.21

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Congresswoman Jackie Speier, supporters advocate "vote NO" in California recall election

The rallies were part of U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier's bus tour, which stopped in Daly City, San Mateo and Redwood City.

She was joined by State Senator Josh Becker, State Representative Kevin Mullin, numerous councilmembers, other civic leaders and the community, all encouraging people to return their ballot and "vote NO on the recall" in the upcoming gubernatorial election.

Speier's tour highlights the upcoming recall election to determine whether or not current California Governor Gavin Newsom will be recalled in the coming weeks.

Both "YES" and "NO" recall advocates clashed with opposing views at Sequoia Station, the third stop on Rep. Speier's bus tour in support of Governor Newsom.

Reps. Kevin Mullin and Mark Berman flank Rep. Jackie Speier in her "Vote NO on recall" campaign, while some disagree, holding signs in favor.

State Sen. Josh Becker is leading the "Vote No" campaign, while others who favor recall hold signs against it in the back of Sequoia Station in Redwood City.

Dorie Paniza, head of the Daly City Arts and Culture Commission, rallies in support of Gov. Gavin Newsom, holding a "Vote NO" to recall sign.

East Palo Alto Councilwoman Lisa Yarbrough-Gauthier speaks outside Hillsdale Mall, encouraging voters to return their ballots and to remember their family members.

"We need more than ever for people to return their ballots. Exercise your rights and vote. No matter what side you're on, exercise your right to vote," Gauthier said.

Congresswoman Jackie Speier and supporters advocate “Vote NO on the Recall” on the California Recall Election

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Policy

Noah Braunstein

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2021.08.21

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California Recall Elections — Photo: Noah Braunstein

Cheers, chants, and horn honking kept the atmosphere lively and at times, chaotic, throughout the Peninsula on Friday morning.

Rallies took place as part of U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier’s bus tour that stopped in Daly City, San Mateo, and Redwood City. She was joined by state Sen. Josh Becker, state Rep. Kevin Mullin, numerous city councilmembers, other civic leaders, and community, all encouraging people to return their ballot and “Vote NO on the Recall” in the upcoming gubernatorial recall election.

U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier toured the Peninsula by bus, stressing the importance of the recall election. Photo: Noah Braunstein.

Speier emphasized how critical this election is for the state of California. She criticized the recall process that is costing about 270 million dollars, and praised Governor Newsom.

“GOVERNOR NEWSOM HAS DONE AN EXCELLENT JOB. CALIFORNIA IS RECOVERING VERY WELL. IT IS TIME FOR US TO RECONSIDER THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF THE RECALL. VOTE NO ON THE RECALL. VOTE NOW AND PUT IT IN THE MAILBOX AND LET’S MAKE SURE WE CAN CONTINUE THIS GREAT ADMINISTRATION,” SAID SPEIER.

Speier’s concerns were echoed by Mullin, who called this recall election, “an abuse of the recall provisions in the state constitution.”

Speier’s bus rally highlights the upcoming recall election to determine whether or not current California Governor Gavin Newsom will be recalled in the next few weeks. This effort allows voters to first choose whether to recall Newsom from office, “Yes,” or “No.” If recalled, voters then have the choice of forty-six candidates on the ballot to choose from.

This effort to promote the “Vote NO on the recall” campaign began quietly just after 8 am in Daly City, with early morning commuters honking support for the crowd in the parking lot of Westlake Shopping Center.

Supporters traveled by bus down El Camino to the second stop at Hillsdale Mall in San Mateo, where civic leaders delivered impassioned speeches. State Representative Marc Berman and State Senator Josh Becker praised Governor Newsom and stressed the importance of getting out to vote.

“VOTING WILL TAKE THIRTY SECONDS OF YOUR TIME, THAT’S REALLY HOW TO SAVE THE FUTURE OF THIS STATE” SAID BERMAN.

“This governor has done a tremendous job during a very difficult time,” said Becker.

However, by the third stop at the Sequoia Station Shopping Center in Redwood City, it was clear that not all voices agreed with the “No on the Recall” advocates. Equipped with flags, signs, microphones and bullhorns, protesters met the bus with criticism of Newsom and his policies.

Those in favor of the recall vote expressed that they are ready to recall and replace Governor Newsom. Photo: Noah Braunstein.

Advocates for both “YES” and “Vote NO” on the Recall clashed with opposing viewpoints at Sequoia Station, the third stop on Rep. Speier’s bus tour to support Governor Newsom. Photo: Noah Braunstein.

The effort by both sides turned into a raucous showdown, with advocates on both sides dancing, chanting and cheering the crowd to vote "Yes" or "No" on the recall.

“DO YOU REALLY WANT TO BE WEARING THOSE MASKS STRAPPED ONTO YOUR FACE FOREVER?” CHANTED THE PROTESTORS FAVORING THE RECALL.

The recall election reflects tensions over new mask and pandemic orders which have caused dissension throughout the country. State administrations have been in the spotlight over their policies about the enforcement of masks, and over following of pandemic protocols in schools.

Some protesters focused on criticism of Governor Newsom's dinner at the French Laundry in Yountville, California. The Governor had attended this dinner on November 6, after having established strict COVID-19 protocols for the state doing the opposite.

However, supporters of Newsom maintain that he has excelled in swiftly moving on climate resiliency, the pandemic, and stressed the importance of insuring that his recently signed $123.9 billion education package goes forward. Concern was expressed that recalling the governor and changing administration will halt progress on proposed legislation.

State Reps. Kevin Mullin and Mark Berman flank U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier in their “Vote NO on the Recall” campaign, while some disagreed, holding signs in favor of the recall. Photo: Noah Braunstein.

State Sen. Josh Becker leads “Vote No” effort, while others who favor the recall hold opposing signs in the background at Sequoia Station in Redwood City. Photo: Noah Braunstein.

Dorie Paniza rallies for Gov. Gavin Newsom, holding a "Vote NO" to recall sign. Photo: Noah Braunstein

Dorie Paniza, Commissioner of Daly City’s Arts and Culture Commission, explained her point of view as an immigrant to the United States who is now a citizen. She is a passionate supporter of Newsom — highlighting his long- standing support for minorities and all disenfranchised groups.

“AS A FILIPINO AND SOMEONE WHO HAS HAD TO WORK HARD, WE NEED TO SHOW PEOPLE THAT WE CAN WORK TOGETHER,” SAID PANIZA. “NOW IS THE TIME.”

While the rally didn’t reveal the outcome of the recall election of California Governor Gavin Newsom, it was clear that many people were eager to come out and make their voices heard.

East Palo Alto Lisa Yarbrough-Gauthier speaks outside Hillsdale Mall, encouraging voters to return their ballots and to remind their family members to do so. Photo: Noah Braunstein.

East Palo Alto City Councilwoman Lisa Yarbrough-Gauthier reminds all of the importance and impact that people can have in this recall election.

“We need more than ever for people to return their ballots. Exercise your rights and vote. No matter what side you’re on, exercise your right to vote,” said Gauthier.

Horizon Workrooms, a metaverse for the work environment

Josué Karim Moreno

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2021.08.20

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Facebook launches Horizon Workrooms — Photo: Oraculus

By Josué Karim. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the way many people work has changed radically: millions of workers around the world have had to move their offices to their homes, with all the challenges that this implies, including access to the Internet.

Remote work still presents many challenges, one of which is isolation, plus meetings and brainstorming just aren't the same remotely.

This is how Facebook's virtual reality division, Oculuslaunched on Thursday the test version of "Horizon Workrooms", a small, but very metaverse where people can collaborate in new ways, and which will be available for free to users of their "Quest 2" viewers.

"Workrooms is designed to collaborate, communicate and connect remotely, whether it's to meet to brainstorm, write an idea on the whiteboard, work on a document or listen to team updates, hang out, socialize or just have conversations that flow more naturally."

Similarly, this space brings together new technologies such as mixed reality desktop and keyboard tracking, hand tracking, remote desktop streaming, video conferencing integration, spatial audio and new avatars to create a different experience that drives productivity.

Horizon Workrooms, a space to foster creativity

As a mixed reality experience, the space allows users to bring their physical desk and keyboard into the Horizon Workrooms virtual room, so employees can feel like they have all their work tools at their fingertips.

Combined with the Oculus Remote Desktop companion application, they will have one-click access to their entire computer from virtual reality, to take notes during their meetings, bring their files into virtual reality, and even share their screen with colleagues if they wish.

With the new avatars launched earlier this year, a wide range of much more expressive and natural customization options are offered, which will help people communicate with their colleagues.

Conversations will also sound more realistic due to the special high-quality, low-latency audio, which allows you to hear people based on where they are sitting, just as they would sound in a real room, making conversations flow smoothly.

While on the infinite virtual whiteboard you can draw ideas in real time by writing on it with the help of a virtual pen, you can anchor images from your computer, save them as long as you need or export them as images.

And since not everyone has a virtual reality viewer, they can also join a room from their computer, via a video call. For now, Workrooms' capacity is 16 people in virtual reality and up to 50 people total on a call, including video participants.

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Only 1 in 4 Pregnant Women in U.S. with COVID-19 Vaccine

Pamela Cruz

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2021.08.19

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Only 1 in 4 Pregnant Women in U.S. with COVID-19 Vaccine

Only 1 in 4 Pregnant Women in the U.S. Have COVID-19 Vaccine

By Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]

Officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said only 23 percent of pregnant women in the United States have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while doctors have reported an increased number of pregnant women infected with the virus.

In view of this, the CDC strongly recommended that pregnant and breastfeeding women get the COVID-19 vaccine after new research shows it does not increase the risk of miscarriage, the New York Times reported.

According to the agency, the risks of serious illness from coronavirus infection during pregnancy are high.

CDC officials also hope the new safety data will sway the many who have resisted despite mounting evidence that the coronavirus can pose serious health risks and increase the chances of premature birth.

"CDC encourages all women who are pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant and those who are breastfeeding to get the vaccine to protect against Covid-19," said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, M.D. "Vaccines are safe and effective, and there has never been a greater urgency to increase vaccination."

Of note, the CDC noted that in addition to pregnant people, the new guidance will also apply to pregnant people of any sexual orientation; however, the surveillance data it reviewed is based on participants who presented as women.

The new CDC guidance supports vaccination during pregnancy as does the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and other medical groups.

Pregnancy is on the list of "health problems" that increase the risk of serious illness for people infected with the coronavirus because, he said, they are significantly more likely than non-pregnant patients to require intensive care, to be on a heart-lung machine and to require mechanical ventilation, in addition to facing a 70 percent higher risk of death.

To this, he added that, by acquiring COVID, the risk of pregnant women developing dangerous conditions such as preeclampsia increases, in addition to increasing the risk of premature births or stillbirths.

As if that weren't enough, severe COVID has been linked to gestational diabetes and low birth weight. In rare cases, the virus can be transmitted to the fetus during gestation.

According to the NYT, Dr. Walensky pointed out that, according to the new safety data, the results come from a study of nearly 2,500 pregnant people who were immunized with one of the mRNA vaccines - the Moderna or Pfizer and BioNTech injections - during the first 20 weeks of gestation.

However, previous research has found equally reassuring data for pregnant women who were vaccinated after that number of weeks of pregnancy.

Doubts invade the taking of the vaccine among pregnant women

"I'm seriously considering getting vaccinated, I feel it's the responsible thing to do," said Raeshel Contreras, 29, who lives in the Bay Area. She is 28 weeks pregnant and is concerned that the vaccine could disrupt fetal development, although there is no scientific evidence of this.

"I don't know what I would do if I got vaccinated and something happened to the baby," she told the NYT.

He has given himself two weeks to make a decision, but the timing of the new CDC directive, during a surge, worried him.

"Why wasn't this recommended before?" she asked. "Now there's this new variant, and now the CDC is jumping in, but it wasn't recommended, I'm like 'Why is that?'

The announcement comes amid an increasing number of infections of COVID-19, largely due to the rise of the Delta variant.

For her part, the epidemiologist who heads the Emergency Preparedness Response Team in the CDC's division of reproductive health, Sascha R. Ellington, said data on birth outcomes are limited, considering that the vaccine has only been available since December, but the small number of pregnancies of immunized obstetric patients followed to term have not identified any safety issues.

"At this time, the benefits of vaccination and the known risks of COVID during pregnancy and the high rates of transmission at this time outweigh any theoretical risks of the vaccine," Ellington said.

In June, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended the COVID-19 vaccine "when the benefits to pregnant women outweigh the potential risks". The examples given were women who are at high risk of being exposed to the virus and those with chronic health conditions, such as obesity or diabetes, that put them at increased risk of serious illness.

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PG&E restores power in counties affected by outages

Pamela Cruz

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2021.08.19

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By Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]

After the weather improved, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) announced that it has restored power to nearly 55 percent of customers affected by outages that began Tuesday due to high winds that combined with a lack of rain and extremely dry vegetation to increase the risk of wildfires.

In a statement issued Wednesday night, the company said it expects services to be fully restored by 22:00 Thursday.

The utility has 25 community resource centers in 11 counties that remain open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. to assist customers who may be affected by this event.

The counties affected were: Butte and Shasta, Humboldt, Tehama, Glenn, Trinity, Lake, Lassen, Sierra, Plumas, Yolo, Yuba, Mendocino, Napa, Solano and Sonoma.

PG&E said its meteorologists continue to monitor weather conditions from the utility's Emergency Operations Center in San Francisco and will provide updates as they become available.

With information from Bay City News

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Cervical Cancer to Take Lives of More Than 4,000 Women in U.S. this Year

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Health

Pamela Cruz

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2021.08.18

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Cervical Cancer to Take Lives of More Than 4,000 Women in U.S. this Year

By Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]

The American Cancer Society predicts that, by the end of this year, about 14,480 new cases of invasive cervical cancer will be diagnosed, while 4,290 women will die from it in the United States.

Despite the fact that the mortality rate of cervical cancer decreased significantly thanks to the Papanicolaou test, since in the past this condition was one of the most frequent causes of death.

In recent years, the test of the HPV -The human papillomavirus (HPV) has been approved as a screening tool for cervical cancer because almost all cases are due to HPV.

HPV testing looks for infection with the high-risk viruses most likely to develop into cervical precancer and cervical cancer. The HPV test can be done alone - primary HPV testing - or at the same time as the cervical cancer test. Pap smear -joint test.

Cervical cancer is most commonly diagnosed in women between the ages of 35 and 44, but the average age at diagnosis is 50. It rarely develops in women younger than 20.

Many older women are unaware that the risk of cervical cancer still exists as they age, with more than 20 percent of cervical cancer cases detected among those over 65.

It should be noted that these cancers rarely occur in women who have been getting regular cervical cancer screening before age 65.

In the United States, Hispanic women are more likely to get cervical cancer, followed by African American women, Native American women, Alaskan women, and Caucasian women.

On the other hand, Asian and Pacific Islander women are at the lowest risk in this country.

Types of Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer can grow from the surface seen in the vagina, called the ectocervix, or from the canal leading from the vagina to the uterus, called the endocervix. There are two main types of cervical cancer that are named for the type of cell where the cancer started: squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma.

Squamous cell carcinoma makes up about 80 to 90 percent of all cervical cancers.

Dr. Antonio Nateras, associate medical director of Oncology at MSD Pharmaceuticals. Antonio Nateras, associate medical director of Oncology at MSD Pharmaceuticals, points out that generally cervical cancer does not produce signs or symptoms in early stages, these begin until the cancer enlarges and grows in nearby tissues. When this happens, the most common symptoms are:

Spotting or light bleeding between or after periods
Menstrual bleeding that is longer and heavier than usual.
Bleeding after sex or douching.
Increased vaginal discharge
Pain during sexual intercourse.
Bleeding after menopause.
Pelvic pain

Most cervical cancers are caused by the human papillomavirus, a common virus that can be passed from one person to another during sex. However, there are other factors that can increase the risk of developing cervical cancer:

Sexual history: Early onset, multiple partners, partners who have HPV infection or who have multiple sexual partners.
Smoking
Weakened immune system
Chlamydia infection
Long-term use of oral contraceptives (birth control pills)
Having many full-term pregnancies
Early age at first pregnancy
A diet low in fruits and vegetables

The most common types of treatments include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, therapy, and immunotherapy.

In San Mateo County, nearly 5 out of every 100,000 women have experienced it, the vast majority of them in the Latino community.

Learn how much you know about cervical cancer through this test issued by the CDC by clicking here. here.

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168 MDD to be invested for water infrastructure in Bay Area

Pamela Cruz

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2021.08.18

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168 MDD to be invested for water infrastructure in Bay Area

By Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P] / Bay City News

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan came to Redwood City Tuesday to announce three loans totaling $168 million for water infrastructure on the Peninsula and in the East Bay.

Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loans seek to improve water infrastructure across the country to make it safe and sustainable.

"I've seen firsthand the urgency of modernizing it to ensure it can withstand the impacts of climate change," Regan said. "Investing in this is one of the best decisions we can make to improve the health of our communities and the health of our economy."

Two of the loans are earmarked for Silicon Valley Clean Water (SVCW), a joint powers authority that recycles and treats wastewater for 220,000 residents and businesses in southern San Mateo County.

The most recent loans, totaling $143 million, will help fund its RESCU program, 11 projects that constitute the total replacement and rehabilitation of SVCW's conveyance system, including the Gravity Pipeline, among other improvements to its treatment plant.

"This is a fantastic project for our residents," said Silicon Valley Clean Water Commission Chair Alicia Aguirre.

Aguirre said this project will ensure that residents have clean recycled water without having to pay extra.

"That's why loans like this are so important - we now have state-of-the-art infrastructure to save costs," Aguirre said.

"The most exciting thing to me is the jobs it brings and helping the economy ... especially during COVID," said Teresa Herrera, manager of Silicon Valley Clean Water. "That and the sustainability and innovative technologies we use."

Improvements to the treatment facility, which was built in 1980, will create more than 2,300 jobs and are expected to be completed in 2023.

The remaining $25 million loan is allocated to the Oro Loma Sanitation District in Alameda County to help finance improvements to the sewer collection system.

There are 273 miles of clay pipes, originally built in the 1940s and 1950s, that have been deteriorating and will be rebuilt with WIFIA loans.

"We're very excited," said Oro Loma board president Rita Duncan. "The other great thing is that we serve one of the disadvantaged communities, so it was really wonderful to receive this money to help our community."

Regan said this latest round of WIFIA loans is an example of what is to come if the infrastructure bill being considered by Congress passes the House.

Under the Senate-passed version of the bill, the EPA is set to get $50 billion to accelerate progress on "much-needed water infrastructure improvements," including lead service lines and lead pipes, as well as upgrading drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure across the country, Regan said.

"Importantly, we will also be able to create good-paying jobs and support the foundation for the future economic vitality of all of our communities," Regan concluded.

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