In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Dean Blumberg, professor of medicine and chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at UC Davis Children’s Hospital.  

Topics today include: 

• L.A. County unveils plans to drop some mask rules once COVID conditions improve. 
• Californians feel less optimistic about the pandemic than they did last spring. 
• San Francisco physicians start petition calling for state to pivot on school COVID guidelines. 
• Opinion: The smallest kids still lack a vaccine. The F.D.A. must leave no uncertainty. 
• A different COVID-19 vaccine debate: Do we need new shots?
• Omicron variant's "milder" severity likely due to more population immunity, according to Harvard researchers. 
• Johns Hopkins analysis finds lockdowns only reduced COVID-19 death rate by 0.2%. 

This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.