Thread by @ReportingHealth

Mask mandates are ending and more agencies are considering COVID endemic. To kick off our Fellowship program this morning, we're hearing from reporters @AlejandroLazo, @vcolliver and @lisamkrieger on where #COVID-19 reporting goes from here. #USCHealthJournalism

@AlejandroLazo @vcolliver @lisamkrieger The reason we're seeing stable hospitalization is because, despite the virus infecting or reinfecting people, memory cells (T-cells) are kicking in, @lisamkrieger says.

What's the future of vaccine policy look like? @lisamkrieger says that booster adoption rates are waning, and that such a policy is unsustainable. The goal is one shot annually paired with the flu shot.

Experts are worried about a COVID spike during the fall. "We have fading immunity even for these folks who have gotten these shots and then all these holiday gatherings. The initial hope was that three shots would do it," @lisamkrieger says.

It used to be that COVID therapeutics were hard to find, limited in supply, and the threshold for a prescription was high. Now, with test-to-treat, you're supposed to get a script written at time of receiving a positive test. That's been an imperfect process, @lisamkrieger says.

The delivery needs to improve, Krieger said. "Have it in your medicine cabinet, in a perfect world, and take one like you do Tamiflu," @lisamkrieger says.

Two theories on long COVID: 1 - you haven't cleared COVID and could have a 'reservoir of infection' still. 2 - your immune system may be reacting to something your body created in response to the virus and is engaged, so it feels like it's fighting still. @lisamkrieger

There's more than just income inequality in California as a result of COVID, @AlejandroLazo says. Some were able to stay home to work and save while others had to go to work and get sick. There was also lots of inter-state migration among privileged home workers.

"How is housing both driving inequality in California and how are workers essentially coming back from this big economic event we had?" @AlejandroLazo asks.

We've seen a rise of warehouse work in the Central Valley through the pandemic. "Is that the future of work?" @AlejandroLazo asks.

There's "high drama" in the vaccine world, including with proposed legislation coming through the statehouse, @vcolliver said.

A recent poll said that just 4 percent of people thought that COVID was the top issue that Californians had to contend with, @vcolliver said. It's fading from the forefront of public awareness.

"There's a silent mod or even dem faction being very quiet about this, but doesn't think that these types of requirements or mandates are the right answer to all this in California, and if you can't do it in California, where can you do it?" @vcolliver asks of COVID mandates.