Monday, June 14, 2021

CoViD-19: As California Reopens, I'm Not Ready | California Has Number 1 U.S. Economy & "Most Fun State" In America | Biden's Euro Tour Continues | Heat Advisory Continues |

The Malayan Tapir is Growing Out of Her Spots & Stripes (Taken 6.14.21)

Tonight Darren and I were walking around the San Diego Zoo, which is now open until 8pm, and I was trying to quell my anxiety. 

I'm. Not. Ready. 

June 15th is upon us and the state is moving "beyond the blueprint" with new mask guidance that aligns with the CDC, and I'm just not ready for it. Or I should say, I'm totally ready for it if my fellow humans had proven over the past year to have any kind of sense of responsibility to their fellow humans. 

I know so many people and businesses who followed every rule or guidance very strictly, so obviously those are not the people I'm worried about. It's the other ones. The "this doesn't make sense" ones. The "this is bullshit" ones. The obviously racist ones who saw COVID-19 disproportionately affecting people of color and the economically poor and thought it couldn't touch them. The "it's just a flu" people. The "99.9% of people survive" people. All of them. I hate all of them. And they're the first to drop the masks (if they even ever wore them in the first place) and they're the least likely to be the ones getting vaccinated. 

And the news doesn't help at all. We're not going back to pre-pandemic normal. That would be in ALL circumstances. The county uses the number 3,347,827 as our entire population. The 12 years and older San Diego County population is 2,802,581. The fully vaccinated population right now is 1,749,978. That means that the not-fully vaccinated is 1,597,849, of which 545,246 are children under 12 who cannot yet get vaccinated. This doesn't even account for tourists and visitors...are we to assume they're vaxxed?

Whereas during peak pandemic, the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park felt like the safest places for me to be-- mandatory health screening, universal mask wearing, outdoors, people social distanced-- now it actually feels not safe at all...as parents drop masks, so too do their snot-nosed, coughing, screaming, laughing, grubby handed children. And don't get me started on Sea World. Yes, they're both outdoors, but I truly hope that they keep some of the mitigation strategies as before, though I'll be glad to see the 'hygiene theatre' dropped, like the every-other Skyfari gondola and the overflow screening line that took up three rows of parking. 

I want to trust you, my fellow human, but I just don't know if I can. 

Tonight is going to be a two post night. Stay safe out there. 

 

  • COVID-19:
    • From LA County Health: "Public Health encourages everyone unvaccinated for COVID-19 to get vaccinated ahead of time to celebrate Fourth of July safely. Receiving the one dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine by June 20 allows for the two-week time period needed to be fully protected by July 4. If the Pfizer or Moderna two-dose vaccines are your preference, it is strongly recommended that you begin your two-dose series as soon as possible to have some limited protection before the July 4th holiday.
      With distancing requirements and capacity limits in almost all settings lifted, wearing an appropriate mask is critically important for those not yet vaccinated, including children between the ages of 2 and 12.  Unvaccinated adults that are in close contact with others should consider wearing a double mask or a respirator, which offer more protection for the wearer."
    • Guidance for the Use of Face Coverings - Effective June 15, 2021
      • Masks are not required for fully vaccinated individuals, except in the following settings where masks are required for everyone, regardless of vaccination status:
        • On public transit[1] (examples: airplanes, ships, ferries, trains, subways, buses, taxis, and ride-shares) and in transportation hubs (examples: airport, bus terminal, marina, train station, seaport or other port, subway station, or any other area that provides transportation)
        • Indoors in K-12 schools[2], childcare[3] and other youth settings. Note: This may change as updated K-12 schools guidance is forthcoming, pending updates for K-12 operational guidance from the CDC.
        • Healthcare settings[4] (including long term care facilities[5]) 
        • State and local correctional facilities and detention centers[6]
        • Homeless shelters[7], emergency shelters[8] and cooling centers[9] 
    • Additionally, masks are required** for unvaccinated individuals in indoor public settings and businesses (examples: retail, restaurants, theaters, family entertainment centers, meetings, state and local government offices serving the public).
  • Politics: 
    • California Defies Doom With No. 1 U.S. Economy - Bloomberg (6.14.21)
    • "...the Golden State has no peers among developed economies for expanding GDP, creating jobs, raising household income, manufacturing growth, investment in innovation, producing clean energy and unprecedented wealth through its stocks and bonds."
      • Related: California Is 2021’s Most Fun State in America – WalletHub Study
        • 1st – Restaurants per Capita
        • 1st – Movie Theaters per Capita
        • 15th – Golf Courses & Country Clubs per Capita
        • 1st – Amusement Parks per Capita
        • 1st – Performing-Arts Theaters per Capita
        • 1st – Fitness Centers per Capita
        • 12th – Casinos per Capita
  • White House: 
  • Summary of Today's News::
    • Biden very kindly and gently told reporters to stop asking stupid questions, that he's not going to make threats or discuss his talking points ahead of his meeting with Putin on Wednesday, but they kept asking the same thing anyway.
    • It's going to be hot AF this week throughout Southern California. Anza-Borrego's Palm Canyon is only open from 6-10am throughout the summer, and hikers should follow that lead by not hiking anywhere midday. Leave your dogs at home: if it's too hot for you to walk barefoot, it is too hot for them, and DEFINITELY do not leave pets or children or anyone in a vehicle.
      Excessive Heat Warning Issued Today, 6/14/21, 10:00 a.m. through 6/19/21, 9 p.m. 
    • Marjorie Taylor Greene walked back her comparisons with masks to yellow stars, but it was what we call a Real Housewife apology, where she still justified her comments by saying that masks are discrimination (they're not.) 
    • First on CNN: FBI warns lawmakers that QAnon 'digital soldiers' may become more violent - CNN (6.14.21)
    • Mayor Todd Gloria Posted On Facebook today: "Over 2,000 unaccompanied migrant children from the San Diego Convention Center shelter have now been reunited with their families. I'm proud of San Diego and the federal, local and community partnerships that made this happen. #SDWelcomes #ForAllofUs"
  • Global COVID-19 Stats (JHU 6.14.21 3:22pm):
    • 176,138,085 Known Cases
    • 3,807,359 Known Deaths
  • US COVID-19 Stats 
    • CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Data Tracker
    • JHU
      • 33,472,000 Cases
      • 599,957 Deaths
    • CDC Data Tracker:
      • +6,062 New Cases/33,292,045 Known Cases 
      • +143 New Deaths/597,343 Known Deaths
      • 374,398,105 Doses Delivered
      • 310,645,827 Doses Administered
      • 174,234,573 Partially Vaccinated
      • 144,919,339 Fully Vaccinated
  • California COVID-19 Stats:
    • State of California Safe Schools For All Hub
    • Vaccination progress dashboard
    • R-effective: 0.77
    • 47,151,770 Doses Delivered/39,570,615 Doses Administered
    • 3,730,732 Partially Vaccinated/18,731,215 Fully Vaccinated
    • 827 New Cases/3,697,299 Total Cases (1.8 new cases/100k)
    • -7 New Deaths/62,505 Total Deaths (0.04 new deaths/100k)
    • 0.8% 7-day test positivity rate
    • 1,191 COVID-19 Hospitalizations (+21 patients, +1.8% from prior day)
    • 262 COVID-19 ICU hospitalized in CA (-7 patients, -2.6% from prior day)
    • 2,439 ICU beds available (+143 from prior day)
  • San Diego County 
Posted by Rosemary Bystrak at Monday, June 14, 2021
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