October 28,  2020 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Biden slams White House statement taking credit for ‘ending’ coronavirus pandemic (Fox)
• OxyContin maker Purdue to plead guilty over opioid practices, deal sparks opposition (Reuters)
• CDC Reduces Consecutive Minutes Of COVID-19 Exposure Needed To Be A 'Close Contact' : Coronavirus Live Updates  (NPR)
• New USDA Ruling Allows for Chicken to Be Produced From Diseased Birds (MSN)
• Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly Pause COVID-19 Drug Trials  (NPR)
• The Swedish COVID-19 Response Is a Disaster. It Shouldn’t Be a Model for the Rest of the World (Time)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• More Companies Are Using Technology To Monitor For Coronavirus In The Workplace  (NPR)
• Apple, Google and a Deal That Controls the Internet (New York Times)
• Pair of studies confirm there is water on the moon’s surface and hint at widespread lunar ice (Washington Post)
• Anika Chebrolu just discovered a potential covid-19 treatment. She’s 14. (Washington Post)

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

By Jose Eli Villanueva, County of San Diego Communications Office

October 24, 2020 (San Diego) - County emergency responders have a new tool to help keep homeowners in unincorporated areas safe during a wildfire or medical emergency. It’s called a Knox Box and when it comes to being prepared for disaster… this may be just the key.

Contact us to see if you qualify.

Call:  858-974-5744 

Email:  FireCRR@sdcounty.ca.gov 

Visit:  sandiegocounty.gov/sdcfa 

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

Photos courtesy Creative Commons

October 24, 2020 (San Diego’s East County) -- Drive down any busy street in an East County community and you’re bound to see people eating in a parking lot, on the sidewalk or even in the street. It’s a popular new thing we do to try to keep our favorite restaurants open during a pandemic. It also runs the risk of unintended consequences.

East County News Service

October 23, 2020 (San Diego) - The County of San Diego has set up a phone line and email address for the public to report businesses or organizations that are violating the county’s public health order. This includes businesses that are open despite closure orders due to COVID-19, as well as those violating other orders, such as not following masking and social distancing requirements.  To report violations, you can call (858) 694-2900 or email SafeReopeningComplianceTeam@sdcounty.ca.gov. 

Employers are required to notify the County if any employee tests positive for COVID by calling (888) 950-9905. You will need to provide the worker’s name, birth date, and contact information for contact tracing.   

By Miriam Raftery

October 9, 2020 (Sacramento) – One of the most difficult aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the inability to lawfully visit with friends and family members not in your household.  Now, nearly seven months after the state imposed a ban on all gatherings of any size due to COVID-19, the California Department of Public Health on Friday released new rules allowing limited outdoor private gatherings of up to three households in  private spaces or public areas such as parks, with social distancing, masks, and other health protections.

Counties may adopt the state standard, or keep stricter rules, though San Diego County has largely followed state rules in the past.  View the full rule changes.

To host a private gathering, the new state rules require that:

East County News Service

October 9, 2020 (La Mesa) – This Saturday, October 10, 2020, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. the Grossmont Healthcare District is partnering with Champions for Health and County of San Diego to provide free flu shots to the East San Diego community. To reduce the chances of a severe COVID-19 and flu combination, receiving this season’s vaccination is more crucial than ever. Everyone qualifies to receive a free flu shot, including those uninsured or underinsured, pregnant women, and children 9 years of age and older. Fresh produce distribution and giveaways for kids also available while supplies last.           

October 7,  2020 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• COVID-19 Is Transmitted Through Aerosols. We Have Enough Evidence, Now It Is Time to Act (Time.com)
• Huge Study of Coronavirus Cases in India Offers Some Surprises to Scientists (New York Times)
• COVID-19 then and now: Six reasons why death rates are improving  (San Jose Mercury News)
• When can you be around others if you had or likely had COVID-19?  (CDC)
• Some Insurers End Pandemic Waivers of Fees and Deductibles for Telehealth (New York Times)
• NPR Investigation: Web Of 'Wellness' Doctors Push Unproven COVID-19 Treatment  (NPR)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• How to track your ballot like a UPS package (Washington Post)
• Facebook bans QAnon across its platforms (NBC)
• Federal court issues preliminary injunction halting administration’s ban of Chinese app WeChat (Washington Post)
• NASA outlines $28 billion plan to land the first woman on the Moon by 2024 (CNN)
• With the Feds circling, Google is starting to play nice with smaller rivals  (Reuters)

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

By Miriam Raftery

September 30, 2020 (San Diego) – Yesterday, the State of California’s Department of Public Health approved reopening public outdoor playgrounds and other outdoor public recreational facilities, with new health and safety rules due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

East County's public officials reacted promptly to the news.

• San Diego Supervisor Dianne Jacob called the announcement “Awesome news for families,” adding that starting today, around 100 county play areas will be reopened.
• Poway Mayor Steve Vaus  posted a photo on Facebook yesterday of a reopened park in his city, stating, “Loved pulling down the caution tape and barricades.”
• Santee announced on Facebook that all of its playgrounds were opened at 5 p.m. yesterday.
• La Mesa is in process of reopening its parks, the city clerk’s office confirmed,  following inspections being done over the next day or two. 
• El Cajon Councilman Gary Kendrick advised ECM that El Cajon is also in the process of reopening playgrounds this week. 
• Lemon Grove’s staff was not immediately available for comment.

The new state guidelines, which do not apply to any indoor facilities nor to for-profit facilities, can be viewed in full here:  https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/Outdoor%20Playgrounds%20and%20other%20Outdoor%20Recreational%20Facilities.aspx

Below are highlights:

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Dr. Wilma Wooten, San Diego County Public Health Officer

September 23, 2020 (San Diego) – The state announced yesterday that San Diego County will remain in tier two, the red tier, after narrowly keeping COVID-19 cases just below the threshold that would have shifted our region into the more restrictive tier one, or purple tier. That means that recently reopened businesses won’t have to shut down again or reduce current capacity for at least two weeks and schools retain the option to provide in-classroom learning.

Even though the state rejected the county’s argument to exclude San Diego State University’s outbreak cases from the county’s total, the region remained under 7 cases per 100,000 – but just barely, at 6.9 per 100,000 for the assessment period ending Sept. 12.

The state uses two metrics, case rates and testing positivity rates, to determine which tier to assign. On positivity rates, the county is doing much better at 3.8%, well below the 4.9% that would qualify for the even less restrictive orange tier. But both metrics would have to be met. 

To drop down into the orange tier, which would allow many businesses to increase capacity, the county would have to keep its positivity rate down and show a reduction in its case rase below the required threshholds for at least two weeks. Due to a lag time in assessments, the soonest that could occur would be three weeks from now.

East County Magazine

September 15, 2020 (San Diego’s East County) – This Wednesday, Sept. 16 at noon, Grossmont Healthcare District invites you to tune in for a special livestream recognition of Healthcare Heroes and Volunteers.

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

Photos courtesy of the National Institute of Mental Health

September 12, 2020 (San Diego’s East County) -- When the San Diego County Suicide Prevention Council sent an invitation to its monthly meeting in August, it came with a request.