CoViD-19: San Diegans Should Get Their 2nd Dose Regardless of Time Passed | Vaccinated Should Still Test When Upper Respiratory Symptoms Present | Hospitality Biz Sees Massive Increases |

Okapi Toby, b. Feb 2021, at San Diego Zoo (Taken 6.29.21)

This morning we had been expecting an electrician who is upgrading the power for our building because the neighbors downstairs requested it. They're all students, but they're all also gamers, and for all I know they're mining bitcoin or something because we literally never see them. But I didn't expect the electrician to just ladder up onto our balcony. That was a bit of a surprise. Going back to bed was not a possibility after that. 

I've been trying to work more productively in the day while everyone kinda does their own thing around the house and so I'm actually gonna publish early today and can hopefully put the Casbah newsletter together before Nova gets out of band ensemble and maybe we can do a double-dip tonight at the San Diego Zoo and Sea World. I was also a little embarrassed by the state of the apartment when the electrician came through so today also involved some deep cleaning and it feels so nice in here now. I will tackle my closet someday, but today isn't that day. 

There wasn't a lot of eye-catching news today, though this viral TikTok of cops slamming into each other is kinda funny. Or I guess I should say there's always "news" but nothing I should really dip into in the scope of my goals here. There's a lot of talk about the withdrawal from Afghanistan, the assassination in Haiti, and the Olympics banning fans from events, and the Governor held a media briefing to roll out some water-related proclamations. I'll update this post if they come online. Jen Psaki had a couple zingers, too, if you're into White House press briefings. 

The White House COVID-19 briefing was a little annoying because they're toeing this line of suggesting masks in high-risk situations without them being under guidance or recommendation because apparently Americans are too stupid to understand any nuance without massive outrage and politicizing it. We've already seen states ban mask-mandates, and now vaccine-mandates, and oh, the uproar, when Biden said people would go door-to-door to help meet people where they are for vaccinations. We've been watching these deep-dive videos into the Handmaid's Tale and sometimes it's hard to see us being far away from Gilead. I'm gonna just keep doing what I'm doing...masking up, keeping my distance from non-household people, and scowling when someone coughs or sneezes in my direction. 

Stay safe out there. 

• COVID-19:
• 140,000 San Diegans Past Due for Second COVID-19 Shot - County News Center (7.8.21)
  Completing the full two-dose series of the vaccine is recommended, regardless of how long ago a person received their first shot.
• New study on delta variant reveals importance of receiving both vaccine shots, highlights challenges posed by mutations - The Washington Post (7.8.21)
  "people who are fully vaccinated and experience symptoms of upper respiratory infections — runny nose, cough, sore throat — should get tested for the coronavirus"
• Delta variant spread prompts question of whether to test vaccinated people - Becker's Hospital Review (7.8.21)
• Yes, COVID Vaccines Work in People With Obesity — The Obesity Society recommends any of the three available vaccines in the U.S. - MedPage Today (7.7.21)
• Delta variant spread prompts question of whether to test vaccinated people - Becker's Hospital Review (7.8.21)
• Should We Be Concerned About the Lambda Variant?— With its novel mutations, the variant first identified in Peru is being watched closely - MedPage Today (7.7.21) 
• US COVID-19 cases jump 10% in 1 week, rising in these 3 regions — 7 things to know - Becker's Hospital Review (7.8.21)
• White House: 
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, July 8, 2021 
• QOTD: "I will say that, as it relates to these lawsuits, it’s certainly a decision for the platforms to make.  I think it’s safe to say that the President spends a lot less time obsessing over social media than the former President." 
• President Joe Biden Appoints Nine Members to President’s Council of Governors
• FACT SHEET: Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework Creates Economic Opportunities for Rural America
• News:
• Foot traffic to retail, restaurant and entertainment establishments in California have seen a 120% increase since the start of the year. Visits to restaurants and dining establishments have seen an even bigger increase of 145% in California since January 1st, 2021. San Diego has seen a 164% increase in all industry foot-traffic and a 173% increase to restaurants. - Zenreach (7.8.21)
• Death Valley to see another round of record-rivaling temps - Accuweather (7.7.21)
• Other Reading:
• Two decrees affect California water wars - CalMatters (7.6.21)
• Is California losing its luster? UC San Diego survey says no - Pacific San Diego (7.8.21) 
• Global COVID-19 Stats (JHU 7.8.21 1:21pm):
• 185,355,311 Known Cases
• 4,005,801 Known Deaths
• US COVID-19 Stats 
• CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Data Tracker
• JHU
• 33,783,679 Cases
• 606,399 Deaths
• CDC Data Tracker:
• +20,071 New Cases/33,604,986 Known Cases 
• +244 New Deaths/603,958 Known Deaths
• 385,495,790 Doses Delivered
• 332,345,797 Doses Administered
• 183,237,046 Partially Vaccinated
• 158,287,566 Fully Vaccinated 
• 47.7% of Total Population
• 55.8% of Population ≥ 12 Years of Age
• 58.5% of Population ≥ 18 Years of Age
• California COVID-19 Stats:
• State of California Safe Schools For All Hub
• Vaccination progress dashboard
• R-effective: 0.87
• 48,438,165 Doses Delivered/42,205,449 Doses Administered
• 3,199,800 Partially Vaccinated/20,371,928 Fully Vaccinated (60%)
• 1,416 New Cases/3,722,422 Total Cases (3.1 new cases/100k)
• 58 New Deaths/63,317 Total Deaths (0.03 new deaths/100k)
• 2.1% 7-day test positivity rate
• 1,569 COVID-19 Hospitalizations (+63 patients, +4.2% from prior day)
• 334 COVID-19 ICU hospitalized in CA (+6 patients, +1.8% from prior day)
• 2,311 ICU beds available (-244 from prior day)
• San Diego County 
• Free Testing Sites and Schedule in San Diego
• VaccinationSuperstationSD
• Vaccination Dashboard
• San Diego County Of Education School Reopening Dashboard
• State Data:
• R-effective: 0.85
• 99 New Cases/283,377 Total Cases
• 2.1% (7-day avg after 7-day lag)
• 0 Deaths/3,782 Total Deaths
• 108 COVID-19 hospitalized patients (+5 patients, +4.9% from prior day)
• 22 COVID-19 ICU hospitalized patients (-2 patients, -8.3% from prior day)
• 255 ICU beds available (-28 from prior day)
• CDC San Diego County Data
• 1,391,622 Fully Vaccinated 
• 41.7% of Total Population
• 48.6% of Population ≥ 12 Years of Age
• 49.9% of Population ≥ 18 Years of Age