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Another Gorilla Pic From San Diego Zoo Safari Park (Taken 11.10.2021)

I know people were out enjoying the weather and all today but personally I'm not a fan of 80+ degrees in January and we're still steering clear of the public as best we can, so have fun out there if you so choose. Maybe we'll sit in the sprinkler or something on Saturday. 

If you do go out to the ocean, be super careful. There have been numerous drownings in Northern California and they're horrifying if you read any of the reports. I guess I don't feel compelled to share those stories here, too, just know that riptides are going to be a danger throughout the weekend. 

Other than all that, it was a low-key day around here. The Casbah added a new screening of Fanboy on February 11 at South Bay Drive In and it's already about half sold out, so don't wait to get tickets. And we did do a quick final half hour Costco-run in hopes that we'll not have to go anywhere next week, especially if things get crazy around the inauguration. Next week will also be big for San Diego, because the strip club case has their hearing again which could determine how enforcement proceeds on restaurants and businesses defying the current Stay-At-Home order. In good news, Cohn Restaurants have suspended their request for the stupid Ferris Wheel at Balboa Park according to David Lundin of Balboa Park Heritage Association (email/post copied below.) Have a nice weekend and stay safe out there.  

  

• COVID-19:
• Scientists tackle vaccine safety, efficacy and access at global R&D forum - WHO (1.16.2021)
• Everything We Know Now About Schools, Kids, and Covid-19. Researchers are finally getting good data on how severely SARS-CoV-2 affects children and how they transmit it. What does it mean for reopening classrooms? - Wired (1.15.2021)
• What Does a More Contagious Virus Mean for Schools? The coronavirus variant discovered in Britain is more easily spread among children, as it is among adults. Current safeguards should protect schools, experts said, but only if strictly enforced. = The New York Times (1.14.2021)
• WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 – 15 January 2021 - WHO
• Emergency Committee on COVID-19 advises on variants, vaccines - WHO (1.15.2021)
• CDC warns highly transmissible coronavirus variant to become dominant in U.S. - The Washington Post (1.15.2021)
• Politics:
• IATSE President: Warnock & Ossoff Victories in GA Secure Pro-Worker U.S. Senate - IATSE (1.7.2021)
• Biden’s COVID-19 Relief Package Offers Real Hope - AFL-CIO (1.14.2021)
• News: 
• 2020 Was the One of the Hottest Years on Record. Officials from NASA and NOAA say the warming of both the planet’s air and water are driving weather disasters. - Wired (1.15.2021)
• Post by David Lundin:  The Cohn Resturant Group has "suspended"  its proposal to locate a 148' for-profit Ferris Wheel on thousands of square feet of Dedicated Park Lands of the Plaza de Panama, an integral part of the Park's  Designated National Historic District. 
  Email received January 15:
  Hi David,
  This is Codi Vierra again from the Office of Council President Pro Tem Stephen Whitburn, following up on my prior email.
  I have been informed by the City’s Parks & Recreation Department that the proposers for the Sky Wheel have suspended their effort, in light of business challenges caused by COVID-19. Thus, the project will not be moving forward at this time.
  Thank you again for reaching out, and have a great rest of your day.
  Best regards,
  Codi Vierra
  she/her/hers
  Deputy Chief of Staff
  Office of Council President Pro Tem Stephen Whitburn
  City of San Diego, Third District
• Other Reading: 
• A Reminder to Recreate Responsibly During MLK Weekend and Amidst the Ongoing Pandemic - CA State Parks (1.14.2021)
• Global COVID-19 Stats (JHU 1/15/2021 9:22pm):
• 93,844,190 Known Cases
• 2,008,548 Known Deaths
• US COVID-19 Stats 
• (JHU)
• 23,524,081 Cases
• 391,955 Deaths
• (COVID Tracking Project):
• 243,996 New Cases/23,226,923 Known Cases (7.4%+ Change over 7 Days)
• 3,679 New Deaths/383,130 Known Deaths
• 127,235 Current COVID-19 Hospitalizations
• 23,593 Currently COVID-19 patients in ICU
• 7,772 COVID-19 patients currently on ventilator
• California COVID-19 Stats:
• Aggregate California ICU Bed Availability: 0%
• 42,655 New Cases/2,859,624 Total Cases (+1.5% increase)
• 637 New Deaths/32,291 Total Deaths (+2% increase)
• 12.9% 14-day test positivity rate
• 21,856 COVID-19 Hospitalizations (-354 patients, -1.6% from prior day)
• 4,833 COVID-19 ICU hospitalized in CA (-45 patients, -0.9% from prior day)
• 1,111 ICU beds available (+17 from prior day)
• San Diego County 
• Free Testing Sites and Schedule in San Diego
• Vaccination Superstation SD
• COVID-19 Vaccine for San Diegans 65+ Coming Soon
• Monthly Communicable Disease Report
• State Data:
• Southern California ICU Bed Availability: 0%
• 2,595 New Cases/204,173 Total Cases
• 53 Deaths/2,005 Total Deaths
• 89.8 cases/100k population (Assessed on 1/12. Unadjusted Case Rate)
• 16.4% Test Positivity (Assessed on 1/12)
• 22.8% Health Equity Positivity (Assessed on 1/12)
• 1,785 COVID-19 hospitalized patients (+10 patients, +0.6% from prior day)
• 432 COVID-19 ICU hospitalized patients (-3 patients, -0.7% from prior day)
• 141 ICU beds available (3 from prior day)
• County Data:
• San Diego County COVID-19 Update – 1-15-2021 - County News Center 
• 2,695 New Cases/206,870 Total Cases 
• 32 New Daily Deaths/2,037 Total Deaths
• 9% Daily Test Positivity15.4/% (7-day avg after 7-day lag)/13.2% Test Positivity (14-day average)
• 69.7 cases/100k population (Assessed on 1/12. Adjusted case rate per 100,000 excluding prisons.) 
• 43% Case Investigation (under 70% goal)
• 1.1% Increasing Day Over Day COVID-19 Hospitalizations (1,736 patients. 53% increase over 30 days)
• 10% Available ICU Capacity (413 patients. 43% increase over 30 days)
• 31 Available Staffed ICU Beds 
• 7 New/44 Community Outbreaks (7-day. Below adds up to 45 outbreaks, due to previously reported outbreaks removed or moved to a different date but without specification of which sectors moved)
• Business 20
• Retail 1
• Faith-based Setting 4
• Government 3
• Daycare/preschool 2
• Healthcare 8
• Food/Bev Processing 1
• Warehouse/Distribution 2
• Hotel/Resort/Spa 2
• Private Residences 1
• Comm-Based Org 1
• Universities:
• SDSU COVID-19, UCSD COVID-19, USD COVID-19, CSU San Marcos, PLNU