December 5,  2020 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Already had the coronavirus? You could get it again. (National Geographic)
• Explainer-When and how will COVID-19 vaccines become available? (Reuters)
• ‘They’ve been following the science’: How the Covid-19 pandemic has been curtailed in Cherokee Nation  (Stat News)
• FDA Grants Emergency Authorization For A 2nd COVID-19 Antibody Treatment (NPR)
• OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma pleads guilty to criminal charges (Reuters)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• Virus-killing robot zaps airport viruses as pandemic travel picks up (Washington Post)
• E-scooters are getting computer vision to curb pedestrian collisions (Washington Post)
• Biden, top Democrats lay groundwork for multibillion-dollar push to boost U.S. broadband (Washington Post)
• Apple’s head of global security indicted on bribery charges (Washington Post)

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

Southern California expected to reach that threshold in early December

By Miriam Raftery

View Governor’s press conference:  https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1ynJOBbXEdZGR

December 3, 2020 (San Diego) – California is running out of beds in intensive care units (ICU) needed for the most critically ill patients as COVID-19 surges. Statewide, demand for ICU beds is expected to exceed capacity by mid-December, while Southern California may exceed ICU capacity even sooner.

To save lives and prevent a crisis in our healthcare system, Governor Gavin Newsom announced new restrictions including regional stay-home orders and some business shut-downs once a region dips below 15% ICU bed capacity.

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

Photo:  Creative Commons via Bing

December 2, 2020 (San Diego) - San Diego County will get 28,000 doses of the new Pfizer vaccine in the next week or two, but it will be March or April before coronavirus vaccines are widely available, public health officials said Wednesday.

East County News Service

November 29, 2020 (San Diego) – A campus notice advises that the COVID-19 virus (also known as SARS CoV-2) has been detected in the wastewater in five campus areas at the University of California, San Diego. 

By Marcel Gemme

Photo courtesy Revera Inc

November 28, 2020 (San Diego’s East County) -- The pandemic is in full swing across the United States, and health officials are advising families to rethink holiday plans. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the risk for severe illness from COVID-19 increases with age among older adults, with older seniors at the highest risk. There are also other factors that can increase your risk for severe illness, such as having underlying medical conditions. Social distancing and taking added precautions as seniors should not mean social isolation. It is essential to stay connected with our loved ones.

Seniors living in retirement homes, assisted living, or independent living are some of the hardest hit. Many families have been unable to see their loved ones in-person and have had to stay connected virtually. Other families have been able to see their elderly loved ones; everyone’s circumstance is completely different from the next person, and everyone has had to adapt to something new. Moreover, if you decide to travel, there are certain steps to take to ensure your safety and the safety of the people you are visiting. 

Simple Ways for Seniors to Stay Connected During the COVID-19 Pandemic:

By Miriam Raftery

November 25, 2020 (San Diego) – Yesterday, County health officials confirmed 1,546 new COVID-19 cases – surpassing the prior record of 1,478 set just last Friday. The past week also saw 73 community outbreaks, with 15 more on Tuesday alone. Hospitalizations have increased 15.5% and ICU capacity is now 30%, with 50% ventilator capacity going into the Thanksgiving holiday weekend when officials warn gatherings could overload our healthcare system and cost lives.

“The continuing spike in cases ahead of this week’s holiday is alarming and it is vital that All San Diegans commit themselves to the public health guidance,” says Dr. Wilma J. Wooten, County Public Health Officer. “The sooner we lower our case rates, the sooner we will be able to lift restrictions and reopen our businesses.”

San Diego remains in the state’s most restrictive purple tier. Statewide, COVID-19 cases surged more than 81%, state health officials reported yesterday.  San Diego’s adjusted case rate is 13.1%.

By Suzanne Potter, California News Service

November 24, 2020 (El Cajon) -- A San Diego man has won AARP California's Andrus Award - the organization's highest honor. At age 85, Stuart Harvey is a retired civil engineer and a founding board member of the Volunteers in Medicine free clinic in El Cajon.

By Miriam Raftery

November 22, 2020 (San Diego) – Several dozen COVID-19 cases have been diagnosed in inmates at the George Bailey and East Mesa Detention facilities in San Diego, the Sheriff’s office reports.

On Nov. 16, the Sheriff reported that nine inmates tested positive the prior week at George Bailey in Module 1C, prompting more tests which returned 46 more positive test results.  Those who tested positive were transferred to isolation units and one was hospitalized. Fifteen tested negative but were isolated and monitored for symptoms.  Two asymptomatic inmates were released before their test results were available.

By Miriam Raftery

November 18, 2020 (San Diego) – At a press conference held yesterday,  the People’s Alliance for Justice (PAJ) and partnering organizations announced that through their COVID-19 senior health outreach task force, at least 1,000 homebound seniors countywide will be delivered free turkeys, non-perishable groceries and home supplies such as toilet paper, cleaning products and toothpaste.

How to get help, volunteer, or give: To sign up for delivery to a homebound senior, or to volunteer, call the PAJ hotline at 619-354-8051. You can also donate to support this worthy cause at  www.peoplesallianceforjustice.net.

“Seniors are still our most at risk population and we must take every precaution to protect them throughout the difficult winter months ahead,” says Rev. Shane Harris, President and CEO of the People’s Alliance for Justice, noting that San Diego County is now in the state’s purple tier due to rising COVID-19 cases. It is one thing to provide information that makes the holiday season look dark, but it is another thing to bring a ray of light that can shine up a dark situation."   

By Miriam Raftery

Chart via San Diego County: Surging COVID cases increase stress on healthcare system

November 19, 2020 (San Diego) – California’s Department of Public Health today issued a curfew Nov. 21-Dec. 21 aimed at reducing spread of COVID-19 as cases surge statewide. The County also announced beefed up enforcement efforts, with many cease and desist orders issued in East County, including El Cajon despite the Mayor's pledge not to enforce health rules.

What the curfew impacts

The limited stay home order applies in Purple Tier counties including San Diego. Between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., the order prohibits gatherings with people not in your household either on your property or elsewhere. 

Non-essential businesses must cease operations during the curfew; only activities defined as “critical infrastructure” (COVID19.ca.gov Essential Workforce) may continue.

The curfew does not prohibit individuals or people in the same household from leaving their residence, as long as they don’t interact with people from other households. You can walk your dog, exercise alone or with those in your household, ride your horse, and travel for essential purposes such as medical visits, picking up food or going to the pharmacy. The curfew also does not apply to people who are homeless.

By Miriam Raftery

November 19, 2020 (San Diego) – A vaccine for COVID-19 can’t come soon enough to protect the health of people around the world and preserve economic futures for businesses that have shut down or been forced to operate under stringent limits. 

Over a quarter of a million Americans have died of COVID-19 in just eight months – nearly five times more than perished in the Vietnam War. That’s far higher than the 34,000 flu deaths last year, and the virus is now spreading exponentially. More than  three million Americans are now believed to have active infections—or nearly one percent of the U.S. population, the Washington Post reports. In San Diego, cases have tripled in the past two weeks; nationally, South Dakota and Iowa reported more than half of all COVID-19 tests were positive as hospitals fill up and nurses are in short supply. 

By Miriam Raftery

November 17, 2020 (San Diego’s East County) – New COVID-19 cases in San Diego have broken all-time records the past two days, at 1,087 and 833 on Nov. 14 and 15.  

The County yesterday announced that it has issued cease and desist letters to 10 businesses and churches caught in “blatant and willful” violations of purple Tier orders banning indoor operations for worship services, restaurants and gyms, according to Greg Cox, Chair of the County Board of Supervisors.  The County has also sent letters to all regional mayors urging help to enforce public health orders.

But El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells has thus far defiantly told media outlets that his police will not prioritize enforcement.

Story and photos by Jake Rose

Miriam Raftery contributed to this report

Photos, left: Parishioners at Skyline Church flock to indoor services, many without masks

November 15, 2020 (San Diego’s East County) -- Skyline Church in the unincorporated area of La Mesa and Shadow Mountain in El Cajon had full parking lots for Sunday morning services, despite new Purple Tier restrictions now in effect throughout the county.

Purple tier restrictions started at midnight Saturday, due to rising numbers of Covid-19 cases. Purple tier, or Tier 1, is the most restrictive level for California and comes into play when positive tests exceed 8%. Many non-essential business operations must close, places of worship, restaurants and gyms must move all activity outdoors, and retail must cut capacity to 25%.

With businesses already struggling after the initial lockdown followed by an overall slowdown due to the public’s worry about the coronavirus, this second lockdown has some businesses and places of worship around East County flouting the new restrictions.

By Suzanne Potter, California News Service

November 12, 2020 (Sacramento)  - A review of scientific literature out this week found that using a cell phone more than a thousand hours raises your risk of developing a tumor by up to 60%.

By Miriam Raftery

November 10, 2020 (La Mesa) – A medical helicopter from Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa crash-landed onto the top of the University of Southern California’s Keck Hospital in Los Angeles Friday, but its precious cargo was saved.  A heart being delivered via a Helinet Aviation Services' helicopter has been successfully transplanted into the patient, who is doing well.

“It’s actually an amazing story,” Keck Hospital spokesperson Meg Aldrich told the Los Angeles Times. The pilot and two passengers aboard the helicopter were treated locally for minor injuries. Nobody on the ground or in the hospital was injured and patient care was not disrupted, according to a statement by Keck.