Monday, January 25, 2021

CoVID-19 California Lifts Stay-At-Home Order; County Maintains Curfew | San Diego Zoo & Safari Park Reopen Reservation System; Winston Recovering | Sign Up For MyTurn | More Variant News |

Looking forward to San Diego Zoo Reopening (Taken 11.23.2020)

Last night felt like Christmas Eve all over again. Watching the local news at 11, NBC San Diego announced that Governor Newsom was expected to lift the stay-at-home order. I can't stand not knowing stuff, so I was trying to get sleuthy and decided to check the San Diego Zoo website, and voila! The reservation system was up and running starting on February 2nd. Naturally I made multiple reservations for multiple days and the thought of walking around and taking photos again and seeing new babies just makes my heart explode. 

As for why the state is lifting the stay-at-home order I was being sleuthy, too. Certainly there's a combination of the ICU forecasts, the R-effective dropping, and vaccinations ramping up, and faith in the Biden administration to get some shit under control, but I imagine behind the scenes there's also huge pressure from restaurants and school districts and also from counties who just couldn't enforce 'peaceful protest' restaurants anymore and if lawsuits go to the Supreme Court, we can predict how that turns out. Still, in the Monday briefing, when asked if the change has anything to do with recall efforts or lawsuits and suggesting it is arbitrary, Newsom responded that is "complete utter nonsense." For those that think it's still too soon, just keep doing you. Don't make unnecessary trips, stay home when you can, mask up, social distance, don't mix households, keep away from activities that involve contact with non-household members exceeding 15 minutes. I still feel safe at the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park, but you won't catch me eating at any restaurant or going to outdoor performances until I get those shots in my arm. 

Anyway, of course today the stay-at-home order was, in fact, lifted. The San Diego Zoo and Safari Park are reopening on Saturday and I've got my reservations for a few dates in February. San Diego Zoo Global also gave an update on the gorillas, and particularly Winston. The press conferences were all over the place today. We watched Governor Cuomo, San Diego County, Press Secretary Psaki, and news (until I passed out on the couch.) But main takeaways: we're back in purple tier, but they've added outdoor entertainment (12 ft from patrons and other performers, patron tables must have 6 feet between them) and some limited youth sports. Additionally, they're kinda tweaking the vaccination rollout just to make sure counties aren't being so rigid that they're not vaccinating enough. But San Diego is still only doing health care workers and seniors 65+, which combined is over 1,120,000 people. (Tier 1A Health Care Workers in San Diego County 620,000, Approximately 500k San Diegans are 65+ according to Nathan Fletcher, Media Briefing, 1.13.2021) Nathan also says there are a couple programs to vaccinate homebound seniors, so I'll be following up with details on that when I can find them so I can make sure my daddy gets the jabs. 

Hope everyone is staying safe and warm out there.


  • COVID-19:

  • Politics:

  • Other Reading/Watching:

Over the past two weeks, we have been humbled by the outpouring of support for our gorillas at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Today I am happy to share with you that the troop is eating, drinking, interacting, and on their way to a full recovery from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 in humans.

Their recovery is due in no small part to your ongoing support, as well as the incredible work of our wildlife care professionals, veterinary team, and collaborations with a wide array of colleagues and partners who ensured the highest standard of care was given to the affected gorillas.

Just as they have done over the last ten months, San Diego Zoo Global team members continue to go above and beyond all recommended biosecurity precautions to keep wildlife safe and healthy. And, we have joined forces with many local and national leaders in the medical, scientific, zoological, and public health communities. In addition to providing the best care possible for our gorilla troop, this ongoing teamwork could contribute to a deeper understanding of the impacts of this virus on animals and people worldwide.

Winston, the troop’s silverback, was experiencing symptoms including a cough and lethargy. Because of his advanced age and a concern for underlying medical conditions, he underwent a diagnostic examination under anesthesia.

Our veterinarians confirmed that he had pneumonia and heart disease and, in consultation with specialists, began treatment including heart medications, antibiotics, and monoclonal antibody therapy. The monoclonal antibody therapy originated from a supply that was not permitted for human use. Treatment with these synthetic versions of the body’s natural defenses is thought to be effective in diminishing effects from the virus. Indeed, the veterinary team who treated Winston believe the antibodies may have contributed to his ability to overcome the virus. Veterinarians regularly vaccinate wildlife, both in human care and native habitats, against a range of diseases. Our network of collaborators have provided our veterinarians with a limited amount of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine that originated from a supply strictly intended for nonhuman use. Our diligent teams have already begun identifying animal candidates for vaccination at the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park.

We are sharing information and knowledge from this experience with wildlife care professionals at over 200 zoos worldwide. And as always, we will continue to develop long-term plans to keep wildlife safe around the world and be a resource for conservation organizations globally as we all work together to protect wildlife and people.

  • California Governor Gavin Newsom Media Briefing:

    • Stay-At-Home Order:
      • 4-week projected ICU below 15%
      • 4 variables
        • ICU Capacity
        • Community Transmission
        • Case Rates
        • Casas Admitted to ICU 
      • February 21 Projections: 
        • SoCal 33.3%
        • San Joaquin 22.3%
        • Bay Area 25% 
        • Sacto 18.9%
        • NorCal 27.3%
      • 54 Counties are still be purple (updated weekly on Tuesday)
    • Vaccinate All 58:
      • CA has tripled capacity
      • 1/4: 43,459 - 1/15 131,620 vaccines
      • Lessons from 10-day challenge:
        • Simplify vaccine eligibility
          • Continue through 65+, healthcare workers, first responders, food & agriculture workers, teachers and school staff
          • From there transition to age-based eligibility, able to scale-up or scale back
        • Standardize vaccine information and data
          • Californians need to know
            • When is my turn? 
            • Where do I go?
          • Vaccinators need 
            • a centralized system to enter vaccines received and administered
            • Mechanism to address data lag
          • Solution: MyTurn - 
            • get notified via text or email
            • schedule an appointment when it is their turn
            • Pilot in San Diego and LA, rollout statewide in Feb
        • Supply issues must be addressed: get out what we have and push on federal government to get more
          • Providers were holding back second doses
          • Providers must use supply or it will be reallocated to providers who will
          • CA Vaccine Team working to move to a unified statewide network
            • Control variability
            • Maintain consistency and accountability
            • Allow healthcare system, providers, counties to do what they do best
      • For CA to meet Biden goal, need to do 110,000 vaccinations per day
      • CA is currently doing 120,000 vaccinations per day
    • Protections for renters:
      • extended eviction protections to June 30th
        • must pay at least 25% of rent
        • debt remains owed, but can't be evicted for it
      • $2.6 billion in federal funds
        • low-income renters (target 
        • 80% back rent paid, 20% forgiven
        • if landlord doesn't participate, stabilize tenant with 25% payments
        • can help with future rent and utilities
    • Hospitals & ICU Staffing and Capacity:
      • 5,175 clinical staff deployed
      • 15 alternate care sites
      • Assisted with resources, equipment, oxygen supply
      • Transfer critical patients
      • 1B+ pieces of PPE delivered
      • Prioritized vaccinating health care workers
    • Media Questions:
      • Public Health Officials Lift Regional Stay at Home Order for All Regions - CDPH (1.25.2021)
      • Projections use the 4 variables for Stay-At-Home. Blueprint looks at community transmission. 
      • Criteria has been clear, there was no need to delay announcement, though MLK day was accounted for
      • California wasn't unique in lockdowns. Many states, many countries have done what they need to do, as did California. CA won two more lawsuits in the past few days. CA in firm footing with science, data. 
      • Aware of case of person who died within hours of vaccination. It is being investigated. State still stands behind data that vaccines are safe. 
      • Variants
        • 456 B1429 Cases in CA
        • 90 B117 Cases in US (UK Variant)
        • Definitely more cases out there, continue to sequence samples
        • So far, may be more contagious but not more severe
        • CDC believes vaccines still protect against new strains
      • Ending stay-at-home isn't a switch to go back to normal/before times, but still work through the Tier system
      • Critics saying this move is arbitrary, due to lawsuits and recall efforts: "Complete utter nonsense"
      • Day-care providers and early-ed are complaining that state isn't meeting with them, that they're paying for their own PPE, etc. Collective bargaining is happening, in contact with the union. 
      • Farmworkers and foodworkers are still a top priority, are still getting vaccinated. State will provide a memo of all supports specific to this cohort.  
      • Youth Sports Guidance 

  • California COVID-19 Stats:

    • State of California Safe Schools For All Hub
    • Vaccination progress dashboard
    • Aggregate California ICU Bed Availability: 0%
    • 27,007 New Cases/3,136,158 Total Cases (+0.9% increase)/23,382 7-Day Average
    • 328 New Deaths/37,118 Total Deaths (% increase)/504 7-day average
    • 9.4% 14-day test positivity rate/8% 7-day positivity
    • 18,347 COVID-19 Hospitalizations (-291 patients, -1.6% from prior day)
    • 19.8% decrease in hospitalizations over 14 days
    • 4,475 COVID-19 ICU hospitalized in CA (-67 patients, -1.5% from prior day)
    • 9.5% decrease in ICU admissions over 14 days
    • 1,168 ICU beds available (+52 from prior day)

  • San Diego County Media Briefing:

    • Lifting of stay-at-home is promising but we need to stay vigilant
    • Avoid high-risk settings, mask up, wash hands, don't mix, etc. 
    • Considerable way to get to Red Tier
    • See graphic at bottom of email for Purple tier
    • Live entertainment is now authorized in outdoor settings/restaurants/wineries/breweries. No set capacity, depends on restaurant and layout. Tables/patrons must be at least 6 feet apart. 12 feet separation from live performers to patrons, and when multiple performers are together, they must be 12 feet from each other. 
    • Media Questions:
      • Case Rates Unadjusted: 67.7 Adjusted: 49.6. Daily cases have to keep going downward to get to other tiers (below 7!) Entities open want to stay open 
      • People still violating orders is still very frustrating. 
      • Cease and Desists are "until businesses come into compliance" so most who were defying by maintaining outdoor dining would be in compliance with health order. 
      • Current weather is atypical, even for winter, so appointments should be caught up. 
      • People vaccinated can't necessarily be audited, so health care personnel is very broad, hope that vaccines are distributed appropriately.
      • San Diego will continue 10pm curfew to avoid people gathering
      • 211+ right now is just for 75+ who can't make online appointments. Will eventually expand to 65+ but not yet. 
      • High death rates are troubling but they're also very delayed 

  • San Diego County Data:

    • Free Testing Sites and Schedule in San Diego
    • VaccinationSuperstationSD
    • Vaccination Dashboard
    • State Data:
      • Southern California ICU Bed Availability: 0%
      • 1,637 New Cases/227,193 Total Cases
      • 31 Deaths/2,375 Total Deaths
      • 97.4 cases/100k population (Assessed on 1/19. Unadjusted Case Rate)
      • 14.8% Test Positivity (Assessed on 1/19)
      • 19.8% Health Equity Positivity (Assessed on 1/19)
      • 1,491 COVID-19 hospitalized patients (-31 patients, -2.0% from prior day)
      • 423 COVID-19 ICU hospitalized patients (-10 patients, -2.3% from prior day)
      • 163 ICU beds available (+14 from prior day)
    • County Data:
      • Restrictions Eased for Restaurants, Other Businesses - County News Center 
      • Petco Park Vaccination Site Closed Until Tuesday Afternoon
      • 1,437 New Cases/228,632 Total Cases 
      • 0 New Daily Deaths/2,375 Total Deaths
      • 10% Daily Test Positivity/12.5% (7-day avg after 7-day lag)/10.2% Test Positivity (14-day average)
      • 60.6 cases/100k population (Assessed on 1/19. Adjusted case rate per 100,000 excluding prisons.) 
      • 69% Case Investigation (under 70% goal)
      • -7.8% Day Over Day COVID-19 Hospitalizations (1,437 patients. -1% decrease over 30 days)
      • 17% ICU Capacity (414 patients. 12% increase over 30 days)
      • 47 Staffed ICU Beds Available
      • 10 New/55 Community Outbreaks (7-day)
        • Business 31
        • Faith-based Setting 2
        • Government 4
        • Daycare/preschool 5
        • Healthcare 2
        • Construction 1
        • Emergency Services 1
        • Food/Bev Processing 3
        • tk-12 school 3
        • Warehouse/Distribution 1
        • Hotel/Resort/Spa 1
        • Comm-Based Org 1

  • Global COVID-19 Stats (JHU 1/25/2021 8:22pm):

    • 99,702,779 Known Cases
    • 2,139,803 Known Deaths

  • US COVID-19 Stats 

    • (JHU)
      • 25,291,320 Cases
      • 420,965 Deaths
    • (COVID Tracking Project):
      • 133,067 New Cases/24,935,139 Known Cases (4.9%+ Change over 7 Days)
      • 1,593 New Deaths/411,823 Known Deaths
      • 109,936 Current COVID-19 Hospitalizations
      • 20,875 Currently COVID-19 patients in ICU
      • 6,857 COVID-19 patients currently on ventilator


Posted by Rosemary Bystrak at Monday, January 25, 2021
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