CoViD-19: Masks Off? "We Are Not There Yet." | WHO: "COVID Isn't Finished" | Co-Opted Border Blockage Continues | City of San Diego Reveals Plan For Organic Waste |

This Cooper's Hawk Watched Over Me At San Diego Zoo Safari Park (Taken 2.9.22)

We're back in summer 2021 -- when it was hot af, we were declaring victory over the pandemic, and our County Board of Supervisors votes unanimously on a motion to write a letter to ask the state to give guidance on when masks can come off in public and schools, and every news channel picks it up as some milestone as if masks can come off. I find these motions to be so pointless and just posturing and I guess if it makes you feel better, but the state already said on Monday that they're working on school masking offramps and the problem is that there are still super-low vaccination rates in schools and the CDC is still recommending indoor masking for substantial and high transmission areas, which is pretty much still the whole country. Vax or mask. That was the deal. And then everyone had to keep masking because too many weren't vaxxing. And then we generated variants that broke through vaccines because too many people weren't vaxxing. And then this omicron variant came and not only can you still catch it if you're vaccinated, but you can get reinfected with it even after you've already had it, even if you're vaccinated. That's not a reason to not get vaccinated --testing positive and actually getting sick are two very different things. And let's just for one second remember that the CDC's standards are all recommendations and not enforceable...the same as it has been forever. So we're back to it's only confusing if you're not really trying to pay attention. I'll keep my masks for now since I know the unvaxxed certainly won't, thank you very much. 

Today is big data drop day and since I've been noticing we've been consistently at about 20 deaths a day, I pulled up some older data based on San iIego's COVID-19 Watch, which releases weekly. For the week ending February 5, there were 121 deaths, which was up from the 99 deaths the week ending January 29. The week before that had only 21 deaths total. Somehow I missed a week, but the week ending January 15 there were 45 deaths and the week before that ending January 8, there were 31. That's a lot of death. And I'm sad to say statistically, a lot of those people are vaccinated AND boosted, but are seniors who live in congregate settings and can't avoid the virus if their caretakers bring it to them. This is why I'm so grateful my dad is hospice at home, but has me so paranoid to do anything with really any risk at all. I know I come off as everyone should do what I do, but not everyone has the same issues to contend with. 

I was up super early to get listings done and then realized I'd been online for 7 hours straight so Darren and I went and spent the hot afternoon at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and we had so much time there that I got to talk the cheetah trainers, we took the tram, got some good rhino and giraffe and elephant time, and then we heard over the volunteer's walkie talkie that the lions were away for the night and the hyenas were out! I've never seen the hyenas before, so we went down to a line of photographers, a hyena came out for about 4 steps and I didn't have my settings ready but he was so cute and then he went right back in his cave. So we went back to close the day with the rhinos and elephants. Maybe I'll catch them another time. 

My one glance at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park's Hyena (Taken 2.9.22)

Stay safe out there. 

CoViD-19: San Diego Cases Drop Under 100 For First Time Since May 2020 | 12-15 year-olds Now Eligible For Pfizer In California | Governor Unveils Education Plan Including Universal PK |

The Old Mission Dam in Mission Trails (Taken 5.12.21)

  

I'm just gonna say this right now. You'll probably still see me in a mask for a while. Yes, I'm vaccinated, but I don't really trust my fellow citizens to be honest about their own situations and frankly, an entire year of not being sick at all was pretty awesome. I'm taking my allergy pills like 10% of what I used to have to, and any feeling-shitty days during this pandemic of been of my own doing...a hangover here or not getting enough sleep or crampy bitchy periods. So Governor Newsom kinda took everyone by surprise today when he announced that most mask mandates will be removed, but mask guidance for certain situations may continue, specifically crowds of strangers from other countries and states, i.e. conventions or festivals. It kinda felt like he hadn't really thought it through too much but I would be dismayed if mask requirements are dropped for indoor activities at schools and camps or hospitals and health facilities, concert halls and indoor arenas. But that's just me. You do you. 

We were hanging tight because the Western States Working Group APPROVED Pfizer is supposedly meeting tonight to determine vaccine eligibility for 12-15 year olds. In which case, the County says they'll have Pfizer at their permanent sites but not their mobile sites, which should not be confused with the Sharp and UCSD mobile sites at various SDUSD high schools which were specifically planning for this age group to be approved this week. We're ready and on standby to get Nova to San Diego High for the walkup site from 8:30-4pm on Thursday or Friday. 

It felt like a big news day all around. Governor Newsom has been dropping massive initiatives to use the state's budget surplus and it is so hilarious watching stupid kevvie throwing Twitter tantrums about them and how much better he'd be for our state and then immediately getting dunked in all the subsequent replies. The Israel-Palestinian situation is disheartening and it's easy to go down a rabbit hole of commentary, especially about the last administration and the corruption that runs deep with Kushner as a mark. Still, even with so much bad news, it feels like things are good and under control and the wolves aren't watching the henhouse. 
Today we did a small loop around grasslands and the Old Mission Dam at Mission Trails and it was lovely. Lots of birds and lizards and squirrels and bunnies and it was lovely and my dog is wiped out. Stay safe out there. 

CoViD-19: County Adds Extended Hour & Mobile Vaccination Sites | Biden's America The Beautiful Plan l Fletcher Disses LA | Photos: San Diego Zoo & Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden |

  

Malayan Tapir Calf at San Diego Zoo (Taken 5.6.21)

I've been trying to make sure I do something every day beyond just watching briefings and reading email and sitting in my backyard, so today the May Gray called for a quick visit to the San Diego Zoo. Darren was doing laundry and Nova just got a book of Billie Eilish sheet music in the mail that she proceeded to deep dive into on piano and guitar, so I went alone after seeing video of a new okapi baby on exhibit. Of course, by the time I motivated it was almost 5pm so I didn't see the okapi, but I did get a lot of time with the Malayan tapirs who, while I'm probably just projecting, seemed to be playing hide and seek with me, moving from the lower part of their enclosure to the upper part and back again several times. They make my heart flutter and they make the coolest noise that is somewhere between a shrieking high whistle and an elephant's trumpet. So yes, I talk to them. Because of course I do. I also got some fun time with hippos Funani and Amahle who were all over their pool today. 

After the Zoo, I went to the Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden and everything is in bloom right now, and absolutely gorgeous. I'd highly suggest an early morning or late afternoon walk around. Plus, if you're vaccinated, there are a few people here and there, but it's open enough and empty enough that you can take the mask off and literally smell the roses. The colors are so vibrant and there's just so many of them. 

Today was the start of the later hours for three of the County's vaccination sites, so if you've had a hard time getting to the early daytime hours, perhaps the 1-8pm timeframe works better for you. Plus they've got a ton of mobile sites popping up to 'meet people where they are' all over the county, so if you haven't yet, it's time to get on the vaccination train. Psaki didn't have a press briefing today because the president was travelling, but apparently you can be sure that Nathan Fletcher won't ever be running for governor because he had a lot to say about LA, even if it was in a joking way how fans of a team egg on opponents. Clip at the end because it made me laugh out loud. Tomorrow the Casbah's newsletter will have a playlist from Mayor Todd Gloria and it's a pretty solid list that you might be interested in checking out. Be safe out there.  

• COVID-19:
• US COVID-19 cases hit 7-month low, but hotspots persist - Becker's Hospital Review (5.6.21)
• New Analysis Finds Global Covid Death Toll is Double Official Estimates - STAT News (5.6.21)
  In the United States, the analysis estimates, 905,000 people have died of Covid since the start of the pandemic. That is about 38% higher than the current death estimate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 561,594. The new figure also surpasses the estimated number of U.S. deaths in the 1918 flu pandemic, which was estimated to have killed approximately 675,000 Americans.
• The Countries Funding Covid-19 Vaccine R&D - Statista (5.6.21)
• Moderna says early data shows Covid vaccine is 96% effective in teens -CNBC (5.6.21)
  Moderna may apply for extended EUA for tweens by the end of the month. With the current timeline, that could make Moderna available to teens by end of June. 
• Anti-vaxxers aren’t the cause of America’s dropping vaccine rates. This fact is crucial to getting the US’s vaccination campaign back on track. - Vox (5.5.21)
• Politics: 
• Biden administration details plans to conserve 30% of US land and water by 2030 - CNN (5.6.21)
• Biden-Harris Administration Outlines “America the Beautiful” Initiative. Initial report details vision for 10-year, locally led and voluntary nationwide effort to restore and conserve America’s lands, waters, and wildlife   USDOI (5.6.21)
• Report: Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful 2021 
• White House: 
• White House Releases Fact Sheets to Highlight Nationwide Need and Impact of the American Families Plan
• Remarks by President Biden on the American Jobs Plan
• Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to the Stabilization of Iraq
• Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to the Actions of the Government of Syria
• Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to the Central African Republic
• Press Gaggle by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre Aboard Air Force One En Route Lake Charles, LA
• nearly 940,000 Americans have signed up for health insurance through Healthcare.gov as a result of the Biden administration’s special enrollment period (per HHS)
• 54 percent of K-through-8 schools were open for fulltime, in-person learning, and 88 percent were open for either fulltime, in-person, and/or hybrid learning (via National Center for Education Statistics)
• News:
• County Budget Reflects Residents’ Needs, Builds Framework for Future - County News Center (5.6.21)
• Other Reading:
• ‘We’re terrorized’: LA sheriffs frequently harass families of people they kill, says report. Los Angeles sheriff’s department has routinely retaliated against victims’ relatives who speak out, NLG and ACLU say in report. - The Guardian (5.4.21)
• Global COVID-19 Stats (JHU 5.6.21 10:20pm):
• 156,077,747 Known Cases
• 3,256,034 Known Deaths
• US COVID-19 Stats 
• CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Data Tracker
• JHU
• 32,604,704 Cases
• 580,061 Deaths
• CDC Data Tracker:
• +41,909 New Cases/32,356,034 Known Cases 
• +730 New Deaths/576,238 Known Deaths
• 324,610,185 Doses Delivered/251,973,752 Doses Administered
• 149,462,265 Partially Vaccinated/108,926,627 Fully Vaccinated
• California COVID-19 Stats:
• State of California Safe Schools For All Hub
• Vaccination progress dashboard
• Aggregate California ICU Bed Availability: 32.8%
• R-effective: 0.88
• 39,942,590 Doses Delivered/31,398,938 Doses Administered
• 5,909,645 Partially Vaccinated/13,457,141 Fully Vaccinated
• 1,547 New Cases/3,648,276 Total Cases (4.0 new cases/100k)
• 65 New Deaths/60,927 Total Deaths (0.06 new deaths/100k)
• 1.3% 7-day test positivity rate
• 1,870 COVID-19 Hospitalizations (-23 patients, -1.2% from prior day)
• 413 COVID-19 ICU hospitalized in CA (-32 patients, -7.2% from prior day)
• 2,247 ICU beds available (-32 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
• Evening COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics Coming to North, East, South County

• State Data:
• Southern California ICU Bed Availability: 34.4%
• R-effective: 0.88
• 219 New Cases/277,098 Total Cases
• 3 Deaths/3,716 Total Deaths
• 5.5 cases/100k population (Assessed on 5/4. Unadjusted Case Rate)
• 2.2% Test Positivity (Assessed on 5/4)
• 2.7% Health Equity Positivity (Assessed on 5/4)
• 166 COVID-19 hospitalized patients (+3 patients, +1.8% from prior day)
• 41 COVID-19 ICU hospitalized patients (-2 patients, -4.7% from prior day)
• 207 ICU beds available (-7 from prior day)
• San Diego County Media Briefing:
• Vaccinations are going well
• 63% of eligible San Diegans have at least one shot, 44% have 2nd shots (Dashboard now ncludes DOD and VA numbers. Will update those numbers every 2 weeks)
• Vaccination supply has caught up with demand, allowing for appointments to be made a week out.
• Shifting sites to extend hours at 3 sites
• More pop-up drop-in vaccination centers. Identifying high visited areas with MTS, senior centers, faith-based orgs, Elks Lodge, American Council on Islamic Relations (to set up vaccinations after Ramadan concludes), more partnerships with employers
• County has multiple rotating vaccination events; most open every 3 weeks. For full list, check here. Mobile vax sites can be found here.
• 67.2% of South County residents are vaccinated. 
•  Media Questions:
• Can schools, public or private, make vaccinations mandatory? Dr. Wooten says it would be up to each individual district who would then have to vote on it, but as far as I've read, making vaccinations mandatory while still in EUA is a sticky situation and almost no entity has tried it. 
• County is encouraged by number of 16-19 year olds getting vaccinated as they've only been eligible since April 15.
• Daily testing numbers include countywide PCR tests. They do not count Antigen./Rapid Tests.
• LA and SF were able to descend to yellow tier because they had more cases (so reinfection now is low), high vaccinations, and higher numbers of people getting tested with negative results which dramatically drops case rate. (This is why I think everyone, especially people with kids in sports or school should continue to get tested regularly, even if parents are vaccinated)
• County now has more doses than demands for appointments
• Only one B.1617 (Indian Variant of Interest) detected in San Diego 
• County Data:
• San Diego County Update - County News Center 
• 226 New Cases/277,323 Total Cases 
• 0 New Daily Deaths/3,716 Total Deaths
• 3,445,425 Doses Received/3,071,489 Doses Administered
• 1,692,336 Partially Vaccinated/1,194,000 Fully Vaccinated
• 1% Daily Test Positivity/1.7% (7-day avg after 7-day lag)/1.4% Test Positivity (14-day average)
• 5.0 cases/100k population (Assessed on 5/4. Adjusted case rate per 100,000 excluding prisons.) 
• 96.8% Case Investigation 
• +2.6% Day Over Day COVID-19 Hospitalizations (137 patients. -16% over 30 days)
• 31% ICU Capacity (35 patients. -33% over 30 days)
• 51 Staffed ICU Beds Available
• 1 New/18 Community Outbreaks (7-day)
• Universities:
• SDSU COVID-19, UCSD COVID-19, USD COVID-19, CSU San Marcos, PLNU

Fletch burns LA:

San Diego Zoo/Rose Garden Photos (Taken 5.6.21)

CoViD-19: B.1.1.7 Now Dominant in US; Youth Sports Driving Spread | Casbah In The News | SD City Council "Passes" Measure C for Convention Center Expansion | Can US Mandate Vax? |

Darren and I had a fun night in the speakeasy, and after Darren went to bed I caught up on yesterday's briefings. I'm still really behind in emails and I'm hoping to catch up tonight. We went back to the San Diego Zoo today --our third day in a row. The Skyfari had only been open on weekends, but during this "Spring Awakening" promotion, it's been open daily so we've taken full advantage. I guess they actually liked when we did the three back to back trips, because we did it again today. The leopards were super active, so we watched them for awhile, and we spent some time with Otis the hippo. I was thinking it would be fun to do a meetup at the seating area over by the elephants, but maybe I'll wait until summer hours and more widespread vaccinations. I still want to get to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park this week, but I just haven't motivated early enough to make the trip worthwhile.

I know I've said over and over that I haven't and won't eat out, but I guess I'm dipping my toe in the water for a private invite-only soft opening of the Casbah tomorrow. Tim Mays was on the news today and I've included the clip below.  

I'm gonna get back to my email now and I'll throw in another post with anything meaningful plus some Zoo photos. Stay safe out there.  

CoViD-19: Use Your Judgment, US Records Another 4000+ Daily Deaths | Getting Tested Could Be Worse: China Introduces Anal Swabs | Biden Introduces Climate Policies; Leaves Fracking Alone |

 

A Backyard Shot To Remember Our Trees (Taken 5.2.2020)

I posted today's picture because things couldn't be more different. This is from last summer when we were always in the backyard playing games and trying to entertain the kid. On Tuesday, the fence was ripped out by the new project developers next door, and we've officially learned that by Monday, all of these trees will be slaughtered and removed.

Needless to say, I am not happy about it at all. But as renters, we have no say, and no right to object. There may be nests in the trees, but that isn't enough to stop it from happening. 

So, we will carry on. I have been in constant contact with our property managers and am at least fighting for priority to be put on reinstalling a fence, wall, or whatever they have planned, partially because we have pets that need an enclosed yard and partially because in the last month alone there have been three different police interactions involving the property. I'm working through the stages of grief about the whole thing but that process isn't linear, and the anger just makes me miserable and doesn't change anything so I'll have to learn to deal with it and plan a bigger, badder garden come spring and once we have an idea how things are moving on the project. 

In news today, I watched a little of the County Board Meeting about cannibis and it was a hoot, and we watched the Psaki briefing with John Kerry and Gina McCarthy. Things seem to be moving and also standing still so I'm gonna quit while my pendulum leans to optimistic and go join Darren in the speakeasy tonight. Stay safe, my loves. 

San Diego Leaders: Sorry to Disturb Your Weekend, But Some Shit Is Going Down In Case You Hadn't Noticed

Crowd Leaving Waterfront Park For 4th of July In Other Times (Taken 7.4.2017)

I pulled some tweets and Facebook posts from my elected officials around 9pm on Sunday night, so the time stamps are accountable from that point backward. All weekend I've been trying to follow our leaders for meaningful comments, and while a few did, the silence of our City is absolutely deafening. After seeing what was going on in La Mesa on Saturday, why weren't they all over social media on Sunday with a unified message? Why isn't there someone offering information and guidance for the protesters who wanted to keep things peaceful, organized, and still within the boundaries imposed by the City? It's a shame many of them were just nowhere to be found or merely offered the equivalent of "thoughts and prayers" with generic pleas for unity.

County of San Diego Facebook: Last Post 5.29.2020 5:41pm
City of San Diego Facebook: Posted on 5.31.2020 about POETRY and 5.30.2020 about the automotive museum.
San Diego Police Department: Posted around 4pm on 5.31.2020 to enact Unlawful Assembly order and to complain about protesters.