CoViD-19 San Diego County Crosses 47k Cases With 14 New Community Outbreaks| California Mental Health Resources | Your Emotional Hangover Is Real

One of the many "outtake" photos from San Diego Zoo. Call this the Heat Wave Sprawl (Taken 9.28.2020)

This morning I watched yesterday's Dr. Ghaly briefing and Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, the State's first Surgeon General, spoke about mental health during the pandemic and she's so charismatic and soothing that I want her to read me bedtime stories. You can see her portion of yesterday's media briefing here. I was reading about New York state's limited reopening which got me curious to look at their dashboard. For comparison, San Diego county is averaging almost 10k tests per day. Los Angeles is testing just shy of 12.5k tests per day. Yesterday alone, New York City tested more than 37k people!! I know I should be comparing tests/100k people but I just don't feel like digging that hard around their dashboards. 

This week's heat has me pretty much bunkered up at home, especially after being in the sun all day Tuesday for the Battle of the Bands. I watched today's County briefing and there wasn't a whole lot of new information there except...holy shit!.. 14!! new community outbreaks, with five of them in restaurants (not restaurant/bars) which just makes it so clear to me that my family will not be eating at a restaurant in a very, very long time, though we have stepped up our takeout with El Panson and Jochi Resto getting our occasional dollars. Also, Nathan Fletcher clarified that the numbers used to determine our tiers are the "illness onset" days, not the "test reported" data which is what is given in the daily briefings. This is what reader Michael clarified to me, but I kinda think Fletch was specifically answering the email I sent him last week. 

If you're looking for something to watch, I recommend this documentary about Newport Music Hall called "If These Walls Could Talk" (though you should skip the part with the radiant asshole Ted Nugent. I also haven't done any TV recommendations in a hot minute, but I recommend watching "This Is Paris" which is surprisingly good. We're in the middle of watching Utopia, though I'm not sure I'd recommend it because the violence is intense and the subject matter maybe inappropriate while we're enduring a global pandemic. I also started Lodge 49 on Hulu but haven't seen enough to feel any kind of way about it. 

Anyway, today's news and stats as well as some of the information shared yesterday are all after the jump.

• California COVID-19 Stats:
• 3,200 New Cases/810,625 Total Cases (0.4% increase)
• 152 New Deaths/15,792 Total Deaths (1.0% increase)
• 2.8% 14-day test positivity rate
• Behavioral Health & COVID-19
• Widespread stress and anxiety regarding COVID-19, compounded by economic stress, school closures and distance learning, and isolation due to necessary physical distancing measures, can result in an increase of stress-related behavioral health and health conditions. 
• California has responded by building new resources to support resiliency and to protect and restore mental and physical well being
• CalHOPE provides self-help tools and referrals to resources, including individual and group crisis counseling services and community networking and support
• CalHOPE Warm Line - 1 833 317 HOPE (4623) provides peer counselors who are ready to listen, problem-solve, and connect people to resources. (Not a crisis line)
• Identify how stress shows up in body, emotions, and behavior. 
• Together for Wellness resources
• Toxic stress in children: ACEsAware.org
• Resources for healthcare & frontline workers
• Things to mitigate stress:
• pause-remember to breathe
• take a break from social media
• be kind to your body: eat well, sleep well, minimize alcohol, tobacco and non-prescribed drugs
• get outside and exercise 
• stay connected even if physically separated 
• ask people how they're doing
• stay physically active
• learn and practice mindfulness
• Dr. Ghaly Briefing Media Questions:
• Slow stringent plan allows for counties to move forward or stay in tier based on their specific numbers and metrics
• Playgrounds: many counties/cities had playgrounds open all along, but guidance allows for state to provide best practices. Youth sports are different because of the 'stable cohort' versus continual mixed households at playgrounds. Compliance is up to residents. County health orders may need to revise. 
• Theme Park Guidance: still working on it
• Convention Centers: LA Comic-Con announced for mid-December, tickets on sale. Guidance for convention centers will be out soon; not currently in tiered system. State has NOT authorized December convention. It would be premature and inconsistent to give a green light for conventions. 
• San Diego County Media Briefing & Stats
• Board of Supervisors meeting yesterday. Could slip into more restrictive tier if we don't keep up with 
• Playgrounds can reopen. Each city/jurisdiction decides when. All people 2+ years old must wear face coverings. County is opening over 100 playgrounds effective today. State recommends supervision of playgrounds and sanitization, but no way they can police/watch/sanitize every playground. 
• County small business assistance has been expanded to full county. $4million available. Information here.
• Some schools are attempting to reopen in some configuration with County support. All staff must be tested bimonthly. County has 4 dedicated testing sites for school personnel: 10/1- Chula Vista & San Diego, 10/2 Del Mar, 10/5 El Cajon, but can also get tested at any of the 41 testing sites. Children can be tested via Rady. CalFire will work with County and County Office of Education to do rotating school personnel testing sites in rural areas. Starting October 1, all children from kindergarten ages and up can be tested at any of the 41 testing sites. For child testing, parents/guardians should contact with pediatrician, if no coverage, contact 211. All county/state testing is FREE. 
• County Opening COVID-19 Testing Sites for Teachers, Students - County News Center (9.30.2020)
• Dr. Gothold: Superintendent of San Diego County Office of Education
• Will create schedules for all school personnel (over 80k employees) to do State-mandated bimonthly testing
• COVID-19 is now the 6th leading cause of death in 2020 YTD 
• State provides very clear guidance on if schools should reclose (5% of staff/students positive or contact traced requiring 14-day quarantine)
• County will be doubling testing. Rady, Helix, public health labs will be able to handle increased capacity.
• State Data:
• 251 New Cases/46,987 Total Cases
• 5 Deaths/781 Total Deaths
• 7.2 cases/100k population (Based on week ending 9/19, Assessed on 9/29. Unadjusted Case Rate Using Linear Adjustment)
• 3.5% Test Positivity (Based on week ending 9/19, Assessed on 9/29)
• County Data:
• County Case Rate Drops Slightly, Still in Red Tier - County News Center (9.29.2020)
• 195 New Cases/47,180 Total Cases 
• 2 New Daily Deaths/783 Total Deaths
• 2% Daily Test Positivity/3.5% (7-day avg after 7-day lag)/3% Test Positivity (14-day average)
• 6.7 cases/100k population (Based on week ending 9/19, As assessed on 9/29. County is reporting unadjusted case rate per 100,000 excluding prisons)
• Case Investigation is 97%
• 14 New/34 Community Outbreaks (7-day)
• 7 businesses
• 1 food processing
• 1 gym 
• 5 in restaurants
• State median testing is 216.5. San Diego is at 258 tests/100k in population for week ending 9/19.
• Universities:
• SDSU COVID-19:
• Check other stats: UCSD COVID-19, USD COVID-19, CSU San Marcos, PLNU
• Under 10 baseline cases at UCSD (meaning tested before arrival, therefore not considered an outbreak)
• COVID-19 News:
• 7 former FDA commissioners: The Trump administration is undermining the credibility of the FDA - The Washington Post (9.30.2020)
  "...a safe and effective vaccine will not be enough; people will also have to choose to take it. This depends on widespread confidence that the vaccine approval was based on sound science and not politics. If the White House takes the unprecedented step of trying to tip the scales on how safety and benefits will be judged, the impact on public trust will render an effective vaccine much less so."
• Increase Transparency at the FDA: We Need Sunlight to Fight the Pandemic STAT (9.29.2020)
• One Number Could Help Reveal how Infectious a COVID-19 Patient is. Should Test Results Include it? - Science (9.29.2020)
• Other News: 
• San Diego Democratic Party — Again — Accuses Sara Jacobs Of ‘Misleading’ Statements - KPBS (9.30.2020)
• Excessive Heat Warning Issued Today, 9/30/20, at 1:35 p.m. through Thursday, 10/1/20, at 8:00 p.m.
  The National Weather Service has issued an Excessive Heat Warning for San Diego County Valleys effective until Thursday, 10/1/20, at 8:00 p.m. Dangerously hot conditions with temperatures 15 to 20 degrees above average will be seen through Friday. 
• The Presidential Debate Gave People an "Emotional Hangover": It's totally real. - Teen Vogue (9.30.2020)