East County News Service

April 21, 2020 (Pasadena) -- A new clinical trial is being announced today that could significantly increase the rate of recovery for COVID-19 patients with underlying health conditions and save lives. Circularity Healthcare’s trial will help some of the most at-risk patients suffering from complications due to diabetes, poor circulation, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure. The trial will involve the use of Circularity’s already FDA-approved drug and IDE device D’OXYVA® (deoxyhemoglobin vasodilator) - a non-toxic, non-invasive microcirculation transdermal device. 

By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

April 20, 2020 (San Diego’s East County) Sewing a headband with buttons or buying a headband and sewing buttons on is the latest craft item to help those healthcare workers or essential workers  alleviate the irritation of wearing surgical masks with elastic behind their ears for long periods of time.

Essential workers and healthcare workers have been officially told to wear masks. If the masks are the standard surgical masks with elastic, that elastic can chafe and cause pain from wearing them for a whole 8-hour shift or longer.

(Photo courtesy of DINIGOFIN)

“My sister, her husband, her oldest son and his girlfriend all work in the same hospital, “said former county of San Diego resident Drea Lazos who now lives in Ohio. “So that’s one whole household I’m worried about. Here in Cincinnati, my younger sister works at the University of Cincinnati hospital in the lab, processing all of the covid-19 tests. Lots of her co-workers are home sick and one night she had to work a 24-hour shift. I make all the masks to help with their comfort.”

By Miriam Raftery

April 18, 2020 (Sacramento) --  With many businesses closed or having employees work at home, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has found that risks of losses are reduced. So on April 13, the Commissioner ordered insurance companies to issue refunds or credits within 120 days to policyholders adversely affected by COVID-19 including:

• Private passenger and commercial automobile insurance
• Workers’ compensation insurance
• Commercial liability insurance
• Commercial multiple peril insurance
• Medical malpractice insurance
• Any other lines of coverage where risks have dropped due to the pandemic.
  

Donations of money, non-perishable foods and personal protective equipment are needed for healthcare workers

By Miriam Raftery

April 17, 2020 (La Mesa) – Barry Jantz, CEO of Grossmont Healthcare District, and his family have launched a GoFundMe site on behalf of the Grossmont Hospital Foundation to help healthcare workers with an on-site food pantry and medical supplies. 

“As most of you know, the care team at our local hospital is working tirelessly during this global battle against COVID-19. Many of the healthcare workers are unable to go to the store and get items they need for their families, either because the items are gone from the shelves or they’re just exhausted by the end of their shift. On a daily basis, these amazing individuals are here doing their very best to help those in need,” a message from Barry, Colleen and Kayleigh Jantz states.

A contribution via this GoFundMe page will go to the non-profit Grossmont Hospital Foundation to provide Food Pantry items and/or much-needed hospital supplies to protect front-line caregivers during this crisis.  Donations are 100% tax deductible.

People can also donate non-perishable food items and personal protective equipment directly. Click here for details or to make a donation.

April 16, 2020 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future—including the latest breakthroughs impacting COVID-19.

• Coronavirus could attack immune system like HIV by targeting protective cells, warn scientists  (South China Morning Post)
• Heart Damage in COVID-19 Patients Puzzles Doctors (Scientific American)
• Coronavirus infection may cause lasting damage throughout the body, doctors fear (Los Angeles Times)
• French officials report heart incidents in experimental coronavirus treatments with hydroxychloroquine (The Hill)
• Mortality rate of COVID-19 patients on ventilators (Physicians Weekly)
• Acupuncture and herbs COVID-19 (coronavirus) findings (Healthcare Medicine Institute)
• Cats and ferrets can be infected with COVID-19 (Web MD)
• Coronavirus may `reactivate’ in cured patients, Korean CDC says (Bloomberg News)
• Why Some Doctors Are Now Moving Away From Ventilator Treatments for Coronavirus Patients (Time)

SCIENCE

• Google's fast-growing Meet video tool getting Zoom-like layout, Gmail link  (Reuters)
• Toyota-backed Pony.ai to offer autonomous delivery service in California (Reuters)
• Foreign state hackers target U.S. coronavirus treatment research: FBI official (Reuters)

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

By Jose A. Alvarez, County of San Diego Communications Office

Photo:  County Microbiologist Jovan Shepherd prepares a specimen for testing of the novel coronavirus.

April 16, 2020 (San Diego) - The ages of the people who died range from 64 to 100 years. Four are men and three are women and all had underlying medical conditions.

The age, gender and race and ethnic breakdown of the local COVID-19 deaths are:

Otay Mesa ICE facility has at least 16 COVID-19 cases, highest of any  U.S. detention site

Story and photo by Miriam Raftery, East County Magazine

April 13, 2020 (San Diego) – After the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed lawsuits in 13 states demanding release of detained immigrants at high risk due to COVID-19, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sent a letter to Congress on April 7 announcing it had identified 600 medically vulnerable detainees and to date, had released 160 of them.

Today, local ACLU representatives asked the court to dismiss a suit filed earlier this month on behalf of four medically vulnerable people detained at the ICE Otay Mesa Detention Center and Imperial Regional Detention Facility, after ICE released all four  plaintiffs.

“Our clients, Yusuf Ozdemir and Jane Doe, were released Thursday night; and Miguel Angel Benitez and Issis Yoselin Zelaya Sagastume were released Friday night,” states a press release issued today by  the ACLU Foundation of San Diego & Imperial Counties, ACLU Foundation Immigrants' Rights Project, ACLU Foundation National Prison Project and ACLU Foundation Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & HIV Project.

Rev. Shane Harris, local advocate for foster children, calls on Governor to extend foster care 180 days for youths aging out of the system

By Miriam Raftery

File photos:  Gov. Gavin Newsom and Rev. Shane Harris

April 13, 2020 (San Diego) – Today, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a $42 million investment to protect foster youths and foster families impacted by COVID-19over the next three months, including $40.6 million in state general fund money and $1.4 million in federal funds.

The Governor is making more than $27 million available to help families stay together, nearly $7 million to support social workers and $3 million to support Family Resource Centers, among other expenditures.

By Miriam Raftery

April 9, 2020 (San Diego) – San Diego County officials yesterday expanded a prior health order to prohibit gatherings of any type, effective today. That means gatherings of 10 people or less are no longer allowed in San Diego County, unless they live in same household.

San Diego County health officials  also urged local residents to avoid experimental treatments for COVID-19, stressing that there is no known cure yet for the illness.

In a briefing on Tuesday, two county medical officials specifically warned against hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial medication touted multiple times in recent days by President Trump. “We are not recommending this medication,” said Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county’s chief health officer. 

By Miriam Raftery

April 7, 2020 (San Diego's East County) -- El Cajon now has 74 cases of COVID-19 reported, accounting fo 5.3% of the total cases in San Diego County, as of yesterday's figures released by County health officials.

The cities of La Mesa, Lemon Grove and Santee have 23, 13, and 16 cases respectively.

In the uincorporated communities, 157 cases are reported including 63 in communities not identified, 34 in Spring Valley, 12 in Lakeside, 8 in Ramona, 2 in Jamul, 1 in Alpine, and  a case or two each in even remote area such as Ranchita, Borrego Springs, and Descanso.

By Miriam Raftery

April 7, 2020 (San Diego) – Following news reports this about high rates of COVID-19 cases among African-Americans in Chicago, civil rights activists have called on the U.S., cities and counties to release racial data on coronavirus cases. Yesterday, San Diego County health official released available data, which indicates that of the 71% of cases for which racial data was reported, the breakdown is consistent with the County's racial and ethnic demographics.

Of 1,404 confirmed case to date, 405 (29%) did not include an ethnic background.

Of the 999 (71%) of cases that did report ethnic background, 49% are white, 31% Hispanic,10% Asian, 6% African American, and 4% other. 

That tracks closely to the county’s ethnic composition based on the last census, which reported 45% white, 34% Hispanic or Latino, 12% Asian, 5% African-American, with the remainder multiple races or other ethnicities.

By David R. Shorey, East County Program Manager, Institute for Public Strategies

April 6, 2020 (San Diego) -- The past few months, as countries around the world have undertaken unprecedented efforts to distribute resources in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in the United States, this was influenced by data collected from the U.S. Census. As we focus on the here and now, coincidentally, the time for conducting the 2020 U.S Census is upon us. 

By Miriam Raftery

Images: Public domain via Bing

April 4, 2020 (San Diego’s East County) – On the Next Door discussion forum, a resident asked others staying home due to COVID-19.  “Anyone else getting fat?”  He opined that watching movies while eating Doritos and guzzling root beer was taking a toll on his waistline.