In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with&nbsp;<a href="https://bio.cedars-sinai.org/torbatis/index.html">Dr. Sam Torbati</a>,&nbsp;co-chair of the department of emergency medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.&nbsp; 
Topics today include:&nbsp; 
<ul>
<li>Mask mandates will be lifted in most&nbsp;<a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-02-09/most-of-bay-area-will-lift-indoor-mask-order-next-week-citing?utm_id=48176&amp;sfmc_id=586422">bay areas communities</a> next week.&nbsp;</li>
<li>New study finds COVID-19 induced heart damage can be <a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/covid-19-takes-serious-toll-heart-health-full-year-after-recovery#.YgT66pMee-c.mailto">long lasting</a>.&nbsp;</li>
<li>L.A. County hospitalizations continue to decline, near threshold to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dailynews.com/2022/02/09/la-countys-covid-hospitalizations-slide-to-near-trigger-for-lifting-outdoor-mask-mandate/?utm_email=E42DC41E946705259549B4454B&amp;g2i_eui=sr633aXQqNZQ6iQvFTcCEqrWGr%2ffn0ql&amp;g2i_source=newsletter&amp;lctg=E42DC41E946705259549B4454B&amp;active=no&amp;utm_source=listrak&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=https%3a%2f%2fwww.dailynews.com%2f2022%2f02%2f09%2fla-countys-covid-hospitalizations-slide-to-near-trigger-for-lifting-outdoor-mask-mandate%2f&amp;utm_campaign=scng-ladn-localist&amp;utm_content=curated">lift mask mandate</a>.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Gov. Newsom&nbsp;<a href="https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2022/02/covid-endemic-newsom-strategy/">teases new strategy</a> to treat COVID-19 as endemic.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Pharmacists and technicians&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/10/us/politics/pharmacists-strain-covid.html">are burning out</a> as they bear the brunt of the pandemic.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
 This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.&nbsp;

February 11, 2022 – Super Bowl Covid Protocols, L.A. And Orange County Post Highest Death Rate In Months

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, we've had a daily segment on AirTalk devoted to bringing you the latest information about COVID-19, vaccines, and how the virus and pandemic have affected the lives of Southern Californians from the doctors, nurses, epidemiologists, and other medical professionals fighting the virus on the frontlines.
In each episode of this podcast, we&rsquo;ll speak with one of the experts on our rotating panel of guests who share their expertise with us each day.
This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.