Dr. Steven Mickelsen dreamed up a new way to treat a heart condition called atrial fibrillation while finishing a medical fellowship at the University of Iowa in 2012.His idea of using pulsed electrical fields to eliminate problematic heart cells with less collateral damage than techniques that use heat or cold is at the core of Farapulse, the new medical device from Boston Scientific that earned FDA approval in January.Though more than a decade has passed since that idea first came into his mind, the electrophysiologist, now at Scripps Health in San Diego, still has not used the technology...…Dr. Steven Mickelsen dreamed up a new way to treat a heart condition called atrial fibrillation while finishing a medical fellowship at the University of Iowa in 2012.His idea of using pulsed electrical fields to eliminate problematic heart cells with less collateral damage than techniques that use heat or cold is at the core of Farapulse, the new medical device from Boston Scientific that earned FDA approval in January.Though more than a decade has passed since that idea first came into his mind, the electrophysiologist, now at Scripps Health in San Diego, still has not used the technology...WW…

Additional swift-water rescue teams and assistance from the U.S. National Guard will be on tap when the next big storm arrives Thursday, officials said Tuesday, even as many worked to recover from the flash flood that upended so many lives just eight days ago.The situation was considered serious enough, with the National Weather Service predicting another one to two inches of precipitation starting Thursday, and a third storm looking probable early next week, that the San Diego County Board of Supervisors held a special meeting, putting in place special prohibitions against eviction and...…Additional swift-water rescue teams and assistance from the U.S. National Guard will be on tap when the next big storm arrives Thursday, officials said Tuesday, even as many worked to recover from the flash flood that upended so many lives just eight days ago.The situation was considered serious enough, with the National Weather Service predicting another one to two inches of precipitation starting Thursday, and a third storm looking probable early next week, that the San Diego County Board of Supervisors held a special meeting, putting in place special prohibitions against eviction and...WW…

Copyright © 2022, The San Diego Union-Tribune | | AdvertisementAdvertisement For the first time since it began lifting stay-at-home restrictions earlier this month, San Diego County has hit one of three COVID-19 triggers that require public health officials to re-examine their previous decisions to reopen a range of businesses and activities after months of forced inactivity under COVID-19 shut-down orders.At an impromptu press conference held Thursday afternoon, county officials announced that eight community outbreaks had occurred in the seven-day period from Thursday, June 11, through...…Copyright © 2022, The San Diego Union-Tribune | | AdvertisementAdvertisement For the first time since it began lifting stay-at-home restrictions earlier this month, San Diego County has hit one of three COVID-19 triggers that require public health officials to re-examine their previous decisions to reopen a range of businesses and activities after months of forced inactivity under COVID-19 shut-down orders.At an impromptu press conference held Thursday afternoon, county officials announced that eight community outbreaks had occurred in the seven-day period from Thursday, June 11, through...WW…

Copyright © 2022, Los Angeles Times | | | | Advertisement Keira McGee carefully drew a small square of cloth across the handle of the city trash can outside her home near San Diego State. She then dunked it quickly in a cleaning solution before tucking it away inside a small test tube filled with a pink liquid. Snapping the lid closed, she slipped the vessel inside a red-and-white cooler alongside 15 other identical specimen tubes.McGee is one of the first to sign up for a new research effort that seeks to learn more about how the spreads and mutates on common surfaces by enlisting an army...…Copyright © 2022, Los Angeles Times | | | | Advertisement Keira McGee carefully drew a small square of cloth across the handle of the city trash can outside her home near San Diego State. She then dunked it quickly in a cleaning solution before tucking it away inside a small test tube filled with a pink liquid. Snapping the lid closed, she slipped the vessel inside a red-and-white cooler alongside 15 other identical specimen tubes.McGee is one of the first to sign up for a new research effort that seeks to learn more about how the spreads and mutates on common surfaces by enlisting an army...WW…

Copyright © 2022, The San Diego Union-Tribune | | AdvertisementAdvertisement Once again, San Diego County health officials followed the governor’s lead, going along with a new order for the 30 counties on the state’s COVID-19 watch list to shut down indoor operations for a significant number of businesses and organizations, from churches to salons, by Wednesday morning.The new edict came Monday, just six days after local restaurants, bars and family entertainment businesses, including movie theaters, faced similar restrictions designed to drive down increasing novel coronavirus rates state...…Copyright © 2022, The San Diego Union-Tribune | | AdvertisementAdvertisement Once again, San Diego County health officials followed the governor’s lead, going along with a new order for the 30 counties on the state’s COVID-19 watch list to shut down indoor operations for a significant number of businesses and organizations, from churches to salons, by Wednesday morning.The new edict came Monday, just six days after local restaurants, bars and family entertainment businesses, including movie theaters, faced similar restrictions designed to drive down increasing novel coronavirus rates state...WW…

Copyright © 2022, The San Diego Union-Tribune | | AdvertisementAdvertisement Midway through 2020, the numbers clearly show a simple truth: COVID-19 is not the flu.In just four months, the novel coronavirus has produced 2,362 more confirmed cases and 373 more deaths across San Diego County than influenza did during the entire 2019-20 season. And the COVID-19 curve, it is clear to see, is not a seasonal disease. Numbers are still increasing daily as the flu largely slumbers. There have been more than 7,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases so far in July, but only one flu case, according to county...…Copyright © 2022, The San Diego Union-Tribune | | AdvertisementAdvertisement Midway through 2020, the numbers clearly show a simple truth: COVID-19 is not the flu.In just four months, the novel coronavirus has produced 2,362 more confirmed cases and 373 more deaths across San Diego County than influenza did during the entire 2019-20 season. And the COVID-19 curve, it is clear to see, is not a seasonal disease. Numbers are still increasing daily as the flu largely slumbers. There have been more than 7,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases so far in July, but only one flu case, according to county...WW…

Copyright © 2022, The San Diego Union-Tribune | | AdvertisementAdvertisement As local leaders announced seven additional COVID-19 related deaths and 110 new cases Thursday, it was clear the region will not be able to enter a new business reopening fast lane now available to communities with low levels of novel coronavirus activity.Gov. Gavin Newsom said during his daily briefing Thursday that an initial swath of designated retail establishments — those selling everything from books to sporting goods — will be able to begin making curbside sales and deliveries directly to their customers...…Copyright © 2022, The San Diego Union-Tribune | | AdvertisementAdvertisement As local leaders announced seven additional COVID-19 related deaths and 110 new cases Thursday, it was clear the region will not be able to enter a new business reopening fast lane now available to communities with low levels of novel coronavirus activity.Gov. Gavin Newsom said during his daily briefing Thursday that an initial swath of designated retail establishments — those selling everything from books to sporting goods — will be able to begin making curbside sales and deliveries directly to their customers...WW…

Copyright © 2022, The San Diego Union-Tribune | | AdvertisementAdvertisement One year from the day she local restaurants to close and prohibited public and private gatherings, Dr. Wilma Wooten announced Tuesday that San Diego County has attained a case rate low enough to rejoin the red tier of the state’s reopening blueprint Wednesday.In a biweekly COVID-19 update to the Board of Supervisors, the county’s public health officer foreshadowed the contents of the state’s weekly tier , listing the score at 6.8 cases per 100,000 residents. Taken together with last week’s rate of 8.8, and because...…Copyright © 2022, The San Diego Union-Tribune | | AdvertisementAdvertisement One year from the day she local restaurants to close and prohibited public and private gatherings, Dr. Wilma Wooten announced Tuesday that San Diego County has attained a case rate low enough to rejoin the red tier of the state’s reopening blueprint Wednesday.In a biweekly COVID-19 update to the Board of Supervisors, the county’s public health officer foreshadowed the contents of the state’s weekly tier , listing the score at 6.8 cases per 100,000 residents. Taken together with last week’s rate of 8.8, and because...WW…

Copyright © 2022, The San Diego Union-Tribune | | AdvertisementAdvertisement After nearly two months of operating under a strict stay-at-home order, San Diego County businesses were cheering the news Monday that they can at least partially reopen following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s announcement he was lifting restrictions across California and returning to the state’s tiered, color-coded system for stemming the spread of the coronavirus. With his latest action, San Diego is back in the purple tier, meaning that restaurants will be able to resume outdoor dining. Nail and hair salons and tattoo...…Copyright © 2022, The San Diego Union-Tribune | | AdvertisementAdvertisement After nearly two months of operating under a strict stay-at-home order, San Diego County businesses were cheering the news Monday that they can at least partially reopen following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s announcement he was lifting restrictions across California and returning to the state’s tiered, color-coded system for stemming the spread of the coronavirus. With his latest action, San Diego is back in the purple tier, meaning that restaurants will be able to resume outdoor dining. Nail and hair salons and tattoo...WW…

Under heavy financial pressure, elected leaders at Palomar Health are considering a significant management change that would end their direct supervision of the top executives who oversee the organization’s strategic planning and day-to-day operations.Palomar’s seven-member board of directors met with attorneys last week to review an 18-page tentative contract with Mesa Rock Healthcare Management Inc., wading through the document during a special public meeting and promising to reconvene for more open discussion on Thursday.The discussions are made more urgent by Palomar’s deteriorating...…Under heavy financial pressure, elected leaders at Palomar Health are considering a significant management change that would end their direct supervision of the top executives who oversee the organization’s strategic planning and day-to-day operations.Palomar’s seven-member board of directors met with attorneys last week to review an 18-page tentative contract with Mesa Rock Healthcare Management Inc., wading through the document during a special public meeting and promising to reconvene for more open discussion on Thursday.The discussions are made more urgent by Palomar’s deteriorating...WW…