CoViD-19: California Implements Vax Or Test For 1,000+ Indoor Events | Boosters Are Coming | San Diego's Unhinged County Board Meeting Is Colbert Comedy Gold | Vote NO On CA Recall | Important Webinar on School Reopening Safety |

Red Throated Parrot Finch at San Diego Zoo (Taken 7.8.2021)

It's hard to see the forest for the trees, but sometimes it occurs to me just how much has changed--how much I've changed-- because of this pandemic. It's in big ways, and small ways, too. Like before the pandemic, I had my go-to series I'd watch on TV. Then at the beginning of shutdowns, I would just binge and absorb everything new on streaming as soon as it would go live, and now I'm a YouTube person. I subscribe to dozens of channels and watch news clips and media briefings and city council and county board of supervisor meetings and clips from all the late shows and more. Obviously there are deeper changes, too, but the superficial changes are the more easily observable. 
Wednesdays are data-dump days by the County and the COVID response team had a briefing so there's a lot of news today, but more important, our bonkers Board of Supervisors meeting got the attention of the writers at the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, so I embedded the link below. 
It's late, I'm tired, lots of stuff after the jump. Stay safe out there. 

  

  

• COVID-19:
• Delta Concerns of U.S. School Reopenings and Reducing Airborne Transmission - Speak Up America/YouTube (Nearly 3 HOURS, but a must-watch for parents and educators)
• Related: Science shows mask-wearing is largely safe for children - Politifact (8.18.21)
• Referenced: Two metres or one: what is the evidence for physical distancing in covid-19? The BMJ (8.25.2020)

Jones et al, BMJ 2020

• California Implements Nation-Leading Vaccine Verification Measure for Large Events. Beginning September 20, proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test will be required for indoor events with 1,000 or more attending. In partnership with the private sector, this new measure will help encourage more vaccinations and increase safety at events while ensuring businesses can thrive - CDPH (8.18.21)
• Association of Limited In-Person Attendance in US National Football League and National Collegiate Athletic Association Games With County-Level COVID-19 Cases - JAMA Network (8.17.21)
• WHO Weekly epidemiological update on COVID-19 - 17 August 2021
• What Do We Know About B.1.621?— Variant garners attention after deadly Belgian nursing home outbreak - MedPage Today (8.17.21)
• ‘It’s soul-draining’: Health workers deployed to Covid hot zones are overwhelmed by deaths among the unvaccinated - STAT News (8.18.21)
• CDC/White House COVID-19 Response Team
• Recommend Boosters For MRNA Vaccines Starting Week of September 20th Pending FDA /ACIP Approval. Boosters will be given after 8 months of 2nd dose. Boosters will be available for every American at vaccine sites as before. They will remain free for all people, regardless of income, health coverage, or immigration status. 
• New COVID-19 Cases and Hospitalizations Among Adults, by Vaccination Status — New York, May 3–July 25, 2021 - CDC MMWR (8.18.21)
• Sustained Effectiveness of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Vaccines Against COVID-19 Associated Hospitalizations Among Adults — United States, March–July 2021 - CDC MMWR (8.18.21)
• Effectiveness of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Vaccines in Preventing SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Nursing Home Residents Before and During Widespread Circulation of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 (Delta) Variant — National Healthcare Safety Network, March 1–August 1, 2021 - CDC MMWR (8.18.21)

• Politics: 

• Voting by Mail is Simple, Convenient, Secure - County News Center (8.18.21)
• The media's systemic failure on Afghanistan - Popular.Info (8.18.21)
• DeSantis top donor invests in COVID drug governor promotes - AP News (8.18.21)
• Mayor Gloria Announces 9,400 San Diego Households Helped with Rent Relief: Nearly Half of $170 Million in Federal Funds Already Benefitting Struggling Residents - Mayor Gloria (8.18.21)
• White House: 
• Remarks by President Biden on Fighting the COVID-⁠19 Pandemic
• FACT SHEET: President Biden to Announce New Actions to Protect Americans from COVID-⁠19 and Help State and Local Leaders Fight the Virus
• Press Briefing by White House COVID-⁠19 Response Team and Public Health Officials
• Ensuring a Safe Return to In-Person School for the Nation’s Children
• State Dept:
• Joint Statement on the Situation of Women and Girls in Afghanistan
• DOD:
• Austin, Milley Say DOD Laser-Focused on Kabul Evacuation Mission DOD News (8.18.21)
• Secretary of Defense Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Milley Press Briefing
• Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby Holds an Off-Camera Press Briefing
• Southern Command Chief Says Speed, Effort Needed to Save Haitian Lives - DOD News
• News:
• Judge throws out Trump-era approvals for Alaska oil project. Ruling calls federal reports flawed and says plan didn't do enough to prevent further harm to polar bears and their habitat. - NBC News (8.18.21)
• Global COVID-19 Stats (JHU 8.8.21 11:21pm):
• 209,269,608 Known Cases
• 4,392,448 Known Deaths
• US COVID-19 Stats 
• CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Data Tracker
• JHU
• 37,155,127 Cases/2,928,863 28-Day New Cases
• 624,253 Deaths/14,483 28-Day New Cases 
• CDC Data Tracker:
• /Known Cases 
• /Known Deaths
• 419,612,925 Doses Delivered
• 358,599,835 Doses Administered
• 199,325,940 Partially Vaccinated
• 169,186,268 Fully Vaccinated 
• 51% of Total Population
• 59.6% of Population ≥ 12 Years of Age
• 61.9% of Population ≥ 18 Years of Age
• California COVID-19 Stats:
• State of California Safe Schools For All Hub
• Vaccination progress dashboard
• Coronavirus: Resources for Californians
• R-effective: 1.04
• 51,900,475 Doses Delivered/45,563,957 Doses Administered
• 3,486,055 Partially Vaccinated/21,956,201 Fully Vaccinated
• 14,317 New Cases/4,057,724 Total Cases (26.6 new cases/100k)
• 90 New Deaths/64,291 Total Deaths (0.1 new deaths/100k)
• 6.1% 7-day test positivity rate
• 8,132 COVID-19 Hospitalizations (+295 patients, +3.8% from prior day)
• 1,779 COVID-19 ICU hospitalized in CA (+33 patients, +1.9% from prior day)
• 1,801 ICU beds available (-60 from prior day)
• San Diego County 
• COVID-19 Booster Shots Available for Immunocompromised
• Free Testing Sites and Schedule in San Diego
• Vaccination Locations San Diego
• Vaccination Dashboard
• San Diego County Of Education School Reopening Dashboard
• COVID ActNow Daily Updates for San Diego Metro
• CDC Data:
• 1,511,498 Fully Vaccinated 
• 45.3% of Total Population
• 52.8% of Population ≥ 12 Years of Age
• 53.6% of Population ≥ 18 Years of Age
• State Data:
• R-effective: 1.03
• 1,710 New Cases/317,058 Total Cases
• 8.9% (7-day avg after 7-day lag)
• 0 Deaths/3,824 Total Deaths
• 599 COVID-19 hospitalized patients (+23 patients, +4.0% from prior day)
• 142 COVID-19 ICU hospitalized patients (+9 patients, +6.8% from prior day)
• 188 ICU beds available (-15 from prior day)
• County Data:
• COVID-19 Watch (8.17.21)
• COVID-19 Weekly Update (8.18.21)
• 1,117 New Cases/318,152 Total Cases 
• 33.8 Cases/100k
• 10 New Daily Deaths/3,834 Total Deaths
• 4,660,685 Doses Received/4,451,459 Doses Administered
• 2,358,590 Partially Vaccinated/2,061,919 Fully Vaccinated
• +21,310 Newly Fully Vaccinated Since Last Week
• 73.6% 12+ Population Fully Vaccinated/61.6% Total Population Fully Vaccinated
• 6.8% Daily Test Positivity/8.5% (7-day avg after 7-day lag)/6.8% Test Positivity (14-day average)
• 38.4% Case Investigation 
• +28 Day Over Day COVID-19 Hospitalizations
• +3 Day Over Day COVID-19 ICU Patients
• 9.8% Day Over Day COVID-19 Hospitalizations (569 patients. +239% over 30 days)
• 21% ICU Capacity (136 patients. +216% over 30 days)
• 30 ICU Beds Available 
• 43 Community Outbreaks (7-day)/153 Active Community Outbreaks
• 12 business settings
• 8 TK-12 grade school settings
• 6 restaurant/bar settings
• 4 health care settings
• 3 daycare/preschool/childcare settings
• 3 retail settings
• 2 hotel/resort/spa settings
• 1 faith-based setting
• 1 government setting
• 1 restaurant setting
• 1 fitness/gym setting
• 1 community-based setting
• Universities:
• SDSU COVID-19, UCSD COVID-19, USD COVID-19, CSU San Marcos, PLNU