California Prepares to Roll Out COVID Vaccine for Younger Children

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that all children ages 5 through 11 get a low-dose COVID-19 vaccine made by Pfizer-BioNTech. In California, counties across the state are preparing to deliver the shots to children. Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva continues to attack his county’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate. He claims the sheriff's department could lose thousands of employees because of the mandate, although he hasn't provided evidence that that will actually happen. It’s important to have health insurance, especially during a pandemic. At the beginning of the pandemic, some insurers chose not to charge COVID-19 patients for expensive hospital stays and therapies. A few have continued that policy as long as the public health emergency is in place, but most are quietly going back to business as usual. Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC California has sent a contingent of officials to attend the United Nations climate change conference in Glasgow. The delegation includes state Senator Josh Becker, a Democrat who represents San Mateo County and part of Santa Clara County. Guest: Josh Becker, Bay Area State Senator State utility regulators have reached proposed settlements with California's two biggest power companies, over allegations they violated safety rules before a string of destructive fires. Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas and Electric are alleged to have violated a wide range of safety regulations before the blazes, which include the Thomas and Woolsey fires in Southern California and the Kincade Fire north of San Francisco. Reporter: Dan Brekke, KQED Pacific Gas & Electric ratepayers could be stuck footing at least some of the bill for the Dixie fire. It's just the latest scandal for the troubled utility. Now, a Silicon Valley congressman says he hopes this will be the tipping point that pushes PG&E towards a public takeover. Reporter: Angela Corral, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices