Leads:
- The State of California is adding booster shots to the COVID vaccine requirement for healthcare workers. Governor Gavin Newsom made the announcement on social media and said more details would be released today. The CDC says omicron is already the dominant COVID strain in the U-S less than a month after the first case was confirmed.
- The FDA is set to approve pills from Pfizer and Merck to treat COVID-19, possibly as early as today. The pills are aimed at higher-risk individuals who have tested positive for the virus. They are taken at home and the hope is they will ease the burden on a hospital system strained by the coronavirus. Clinical trials showed Pfizer's pill reduced hospitalization rates by nearly 90% when taken within three days of symptoms.
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- The sheriff for Los Angeles County is speaking out against San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin's soft approach to rising crime in one of the state's most populous cities.
- California voters have the brand-new districts they’ll use to elect their members of Congress and state legislators.
- Trump 'very appreciative' and 'surprised' Biden acknowledged his administration's COVID vaccine success.