By Jake Zawlacki

Blood clots can cause strokes, brain and neurological damage; cc image via Bing

April 28, 2020 (San Diego’s East County) -- There are still a lot of unknowns regarding COVID-19 and its effects. Over the past few weeks, patient developments have led researchers to investigate previously unknown risks of COVID-19, including blood clots, debilitating strokes in young people, and long-term damage in some survivors.

COVID-19 was the second leading cause of death in the U.S.from April 6-12. It killed an astounding 12,392 people during that period – ten times more than the 1,227 deaths from flu and pneumonia. The coronavirus killed more people than cancer nationwide. Over 50,000 Americans have died from COVID-19,  or roughly the same number killed during the Vietnam War. While the death toll of the 2019-2020 flu season will be unknown for a couple more months, the rates of infection and death are clearly more severe in coronavirus.

April 26, 2020 (San Diego) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego's inland regions, published in other media.  This week's round-up stories include:  

LOCAL

• Hospitals eye return to elective surgery following governor’s announcement (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Bill Walton bike ride raises $100K for COVID-19 causes (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• SANDAG: San Diego Jobless Rate Jumps More Than Sixfold To 20.6% (KPBS) San Diego police submit case against weekend protester for possible criminal charge (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Valley Farms Market donates thousands of meals to help those in need (KPBS)
• El Cajon looking at bonds to help with rising pension costs (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• San Diego Zoo and Safari Park asking for donations to care for animals (CBS 8)
• Stakeholders raise alarm about Donavan State Prison (Voice of San Diego)
• Coronavirus chokes the drug trade — from Wuhan, through Mexico and onto U.S. streets  (San Diego Union-Tribune)

STATE

• Thousands visit beaches as Southern California experiences heat wave amid coronavirus outbreak (The Hill)
• Too soon to start reopening California economy, Gavin Newsom says, but surgeries can resume (Sacramento Bee)
• Coronavirus crisis hastens the collapse of local newspapers. Here’s why it matters (Los Angeles Times)
• COVID-19 aid to California freelancers stalled (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• California cannabis, deemed essential during coronavirus crisis, is ‘on the verge of collapsing’ (McClatchy News Service)
• Newsom's secretive $1-billion mask deal with Chinese automaker sparks bipartisan concerns (Yahoo)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

Update: A body has been found in the area where Roberto Camou went missing

East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts

April 26, 2020 (Otay) – An intensive search is underway for Bobby Camou, who went on a solo ride on his dirt bike round 10 a.m. yesterday but did not return home.  His daughter, Katie Camou  posted on Facebook this morning, “We are fairly certain he went riding in the Otay Mountains near home. He had planned on being home around 4:30 p.m. and we last heard from him at 12:20 p.m. when he sent us a snap shot of himself taking a break, so not hearing from him is making us very scared.”

According to her post, his phone was pinged last night around 10:30 p.m. San Diego Sheriff and Border Patrol have been conducting searches during today’s high heat with dogs, all-terrain vehicles, drones and helicopters.

April 25, 2020 (San Diego’s East County) - East County Magazine's World Watch helps you be an informed citizen on important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

• House passes $484B coronavirus relief package  (The Hill)
• 8 in 10 American support COVID-19 shutdown, Kaiser Health poll finds (NPR)
• Tribal gaming operations eligible for payroll help (Indian Country Today)
• Trump to suspend U.S. immigration for 60 days, citing pandemic, jobs shortage (Washington Post)
• Trump to halt most green cards, with notable exceptions (Politico)
• These US citizens won't get coronavirus stimulus checks — because their spouses are immigrants (MSN)
• Governors team up to discuss reopening their states. Trump asserts “total” authority to overrule them. (New York Times)
• ‘They’re Death Pits’: Virus Claims at Least 7,000 Lives in U.S. Nursing Homes (New York Times)
• Trump calls to 'liberate' states where protesters have demanded easing coronavirus lockdowns (USA Today)
• The anti-quarantine protests seem spontaneous. But behind the scenes, a powerful network is helping (Washington Post)

WORLD

• China Imposes New Limits as Coronavirus Fears Return (New York Times)
• Imams Overrule Pakistan’s Coronavirus Lockdown as Ramadan Nears (New York Times)
• Limits on testing in Brazil are hiding the true dimensions of Latin America’s largest outbreak (Washington Post)
• Indonesia has the world's biggest Muslim population. It just banned holiday travel over Ramadan (CNN)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

By Katie Cadiao, County of San Diego Communications Office

April 24, 2020 (San Diego) - The number of local COVID-19 deaths went up by two and total cases saw a record increase for a second day in a row with an additional 183 confirmed cases, the County Health and Human Services Agency announced today.

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Network

Photo:  Lifeguards enforce the closure of city beaches. Photo by Chris Stone

April 24, 2020 (San Diego) - San Diego County officials announced Friday that coastal cities may reopen beach access for swimming, surfing, paddleboarding and kayaking on Monday.

“The ocean is a symbol of who we are as San Diegans, and it is appropriate at this point that we open up limited access to the ocean as a step in our continued progress,” said Fletcher at the county’s daily media briefing during the coronavirus pandemic..

East County News Service

April 24, 2020 (Washington D.C.) – After the first round of Small Business Administration (SBA) funds for businesses impacted by COVID-19 ran out, Congress approved a new round of funding just signed into law by President Donald Trump.  

The funding window for the new round of funding under the Paycheck Protection, which is designed to help small businesses retain workers, opens Monday morning and must be submitted through an approved lender.  Applications previously submitted before the earlier round of funding runs out are also eligible for funding.

Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration Jovita Carranza and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin issued the following statement today on the resumption of the Payroll Protection Program (PPP):

By Al Chavarria

April 24, 2020 (Spring Valley) -- The most important element of our nation is our democracy. The right to vote is as basic of a right as we have. The right to have your voice heard in a nation of multiple voices shouting at the same time. The only way to decide on who will be our leaders is for the majority to decide and the only to do that is to vote! Simple and Patriotic, right?

So obviously with the current pandemic, the only safe way to achieve this in this coming election, is to VOTE BY MAIL. All  states need to prepare now and they should not be afraid to implement this strategy for fear of losing elections.

By Mike Allen

Photo: Clockwise L-R: John Minto, Laura Koval, Ronn Hall, Rob McNelis, Stephen Houlahan, and City Clerk Annette Ortiz

April 24, 2020 (Santee) -- Santee is getting $162,000 as part of the federal government’s $2 trillion stimulus package approved last month to help offset the devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The aid comes from the $150 billion portion of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act aimed at helping the states, counties and cities in responding to the coronavirus. This is the same law that included one-time payments to most tax-paying Americans of $1,200 among a wide variety of economic relief programs intended to mitigate the upheaval caused by the pandemic.

Story and photos by Jake Zawlacki

Photo, left:  Homeless man Mike in downtown La Mesa, April 21, 2020

April 22, 2020 (San Diego’s East County) -- “Things are different,” said Mike, a local homeless man, as I spoke with him in downtown La Mesa yesterday. “Everyone’s afraid of the homeless.”

Mike typifies many homeless individuals living across East County with nowhere to go. The recent halt of new intakes at the East County Transitional Living Center  in El Cajon is only one example of doors closing to homeless people. Just a block from the closed Wells Park in El Cajon, you can see almost 20 migrated homeless individuals now camped in the parking lot outside of the Neighborhood Healthcare Facility.

“We can’t really take showers anymore,” Mike said.

By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

(Photo, at left, courtesy of Taryl Townsend)

April 21, 2020 (Lakeside) – For East County kids who raise pigs, cattle, sheep or goats through the Future Farmers of America program, a highlight each year is the live auction of their animals at the San Diego County Junior Fair. But due to the fair’s cancellation  amid the COVID-19 quarantine, the Eastern San Diego County Junior Fair’s market animals auction will be held virtually on May 14.

 Don Dyer of Alpine, president of the Eastern San Diego County Jr. Fair (ESDCJF) Lakeside division says the judging, typically done in person, will be switched to online video presentations of the animals. 

“Virtualstockshow.com will facilitate the judging and then the sale of the animals,” Dyer told ECM. “The exhibitors will make a 90 second video showing their market animals which will be evaluated and placed by the fair’s judges. Exhibitors will sign up and submit their videos on Saturday, May 9th.  Judging will happen on Thursday, May 14th, and the auction will be held online on Saturday May16th starting at noon.”