Crush The Virus

News On A Vaccine
This week the world welcomes good news as Pfizer and BioNTech announce that their vaccine candidate is showing 90 percent effectiveness at preventing COVID-19. We are all praying that this early evidence of extraordinary efficacy and safety holds true so that the vaccine can be approved and distributed soon — but not one day sooner or one day later than it is ready.

The arrival of this vaccine is a tribute to the tireless work of scientists and the immense value of international collaboration. This vaccine is needed not only for America, but for the whole world. None of us is safe until all of us are safe from this terrible virus.

We must ensure that the vaccine will be free and available to as many Americans as possible as soon as possible. To that end, we must accelerate the manufacture of the vaccine, including by invoking the Defense Production Act if necessary.

Until an approved vaccine is widely available, however, we must still work to crush the virus with the testing, tracing, treatment, mask wearing and social distancing that are essential to preventing tens of thousands of needless deaths in the coming months.

Congresswoman Pelosi speaks with reporters at the U.S Capitol on the importance of testing, tracing, and treatment for the coronavirus

Supreme Court Hears ACA
On Tuesday, the Administration's plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act and strip health care away from millions of Americans during a global pandemic was on full display as the California v. Texas lawsuit was heard by the Supreme Court. Republicans have tried and failed to repeal the ACA at least 70 times in Congress and twice through the courts, but as was heard in today's oral arguments, the Supreme Court must be deferential to Congress's intent and uphold the law. With their legal argument detached from reality, the Senate rushed through the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court just days before the election, in an obvious attempt to make good on President Trump's promise to only appoint judges who would ‘terminate' the ACA.

If the ACA is defeated in the Court:

• Preventive Care Gone – Insurance companies will no longer be required to cover essential preventative services.
• Pre-Existing Condition Protections Gone – Insurers will again be able to deny people coverage because of a pre-existing condition, including COVID.
• Medicaid Expansion Gone – States would lose funding for the Medicaid expansion bringing care to seniors with long-term care needs & low-income kids.
• Charging Women More – Insurers will again be able to treat being a woman as a pre-existing condition and charge more for women's health and maternity care.

With support for the ACA at an all-time high, the Administration continues to wage a decade-long war against Americans' health care protections. If this egregious lawsuit is successful, more than 20 million Americans could lose their health care coverage, 130 million Americans with pre-existing conditions could lose protections, and drug costs could skyrocket for seniors. It is clear that striking down the ACA is what Republicans want.

Democrats believe this lawsuit has no merit, and we will continue to fight to make coverage more affordable and accessible for all Americans.

Wildfire Resources and Services

Our hearts ache for the families experiencing the crippling loss of loved ones, worrying over those missing, and suffering the destruction of house and property in these unprecedented disasters. Below are tools and resources to help you navigate the recent wildfire disasters:

• Insurance Commissioner Lara Protects More Than 2 Million Policyholders Affected by Wildfires from Policy Non-Renewal for One Year
• Tax filing relief available for Californians affected by the September wildfires.
• FEMA assistance and tips for wildfire survivors
• Food benefits available for wildfire victims
• Ensure you are fully prepared for a wildfire so when the time comes you can Be Ready, Get Set, and Go at a moment's notice. Sign-up for San Francisco's emergency text message system AlertSF
• United States Air Quality Index

Staying Up To Date on COVID in San Francisco
With the ever-present threat of COVID-19, it is important to stay updated with the ongoing changes in our community. Below you can find some of those changes as well as tools and resources to help with these developments:

• San Francisco COVID-19 Data Tracker
• COVID-19 Testing Options and Information for San Franciscans
• San Francisco Department of Public Health resources to find a location administering flu shots near you
• San Francisco to Roll Back Select Activities in Response to Increase in COVID-19 Cases
• Mayor London Breed Announces $3.5 Million Expansion in Financial Relief for Small Businesses
• Governor Newsom's Office: California, Oregon & Washington Issue Travel Advisories
• IRS extends Economic Impact Payment deadline to Nov. 21 to help non-filers
• New tracker lets you see which S.F. schools are ready to reopen for in-person learning
• If you have lost income due to COVID-19, you may be eligible to save up to 35% off your monthly utility bill. To learn more click here
• Governor Gavin Newsom signs executive order allowing people 70 years of age or older to renew their drivers' licenses by mail.