COVID Update: Tuesday, May 4

Former Councilmember John Duran has been doing daily COVID updates on his Facebook page since March 2020. Many members of the community have found them helpful. They are republished here with his permission.

ZERO DEATHS.  AGAIN

For the second day in a row, LA County is reporting zero deaths from COVID.   Officials reminded everyone that weekend reporting tends to be under reported due to delays.    But even if some deaths are reported late – the fact remains that we are counting at zero and slightly above zero.  

Remember that back in January we were accustomed to over 200 deaths DAILY here in LA County.   To go from 200 per day to zero or near zero daily is MIRACULOUS.  The last time we were at  ZERO deaths was at the beginning of the epidemic on March 18 2020.  

PROBLEM:  VACCINE ROLLOUT SLOWS

We do have a problem, however.  Over the last week, there has been a 24% drop in number of shots administered here in LA County.   Story in the LA Times this morning that this trend may mean it will take longer than expected to reach the levels of herd immunity needed to end the pandemic.

From April 17 – April 23, there were 611,592 doses of vaccine administered – or about 87,000 shots per day.   From April 24 – April 30, only 467,134 doses were given out – dropping down to 67,000 shots per day.  

Experts say there are a number of reasons.  Some people are uncertain about the vaccine’s safety.  Some are resistant to getting it at all.  Some believe they don’t have to be inoculated because of their youth, health, exercise, vitamins and diet.  

Some people who already had COVID may think they do not need a vaccination.   But the fact is that immunity from natural infection may not be as fully protective or long lived as immunity from vaccination.   

TIME TO MEET PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE

Back in the days of AIDS, we had to reach out and meet people where they were.  Traditional routes of education had stopped becoming effective.   So, with brochures and condoms in hand, we went into the bath houses, the shooting galleries (IV Drug users), the gay bars, the churches, the schools – we were relentless about getting the word out.  

Same needs to happen with COVID vaccines.   Large public gatherings?  Free admission if you get a shot on site.  Farmer’s markets?  Discount coupons if you get a shot on site.   Movie theaters, concert halls, sporting venues?   Half off if you get a vaccine.

Who pays for all these discounts and coupons?   Should be federal and county money reimbursements.  Some of the lack of urgency is just a matter of inconvenience.   Make it available – and you will pick up another segment of the pie.    But this requires government to be innovative and creative.  Not the strong suit of bureaucracies.   

LA County?  LA and Weho city hall?   What are you waiting for?  Think outside the box.  A little bit of madness may be required.  But act AS IF there is a pandemic still in play (which there is) and that urgency is necessitated (which it is).   Take risks.   Be bold.   Act with valor and vigor.    If you want to make a difference and speed up the end of the epidemic…..

NO COVID “herd immunity” – OP ED IN LA TIMES TODAY

The LA Times op ed page has a defeatist opinion piece today.  The piece opines that “this magical moment in which the US hits “herd immunity” and COVID 19 is stopped dead in its tracks ins’t likely to happen soon.  If ever.

It says that top health experts now say that due to combination of waning demand for vaccines, uneven vaccination levels across  the country and the spread of more contagious strains, the US Maybe to live with COVID 19 for the foreseeable future.  With so many Americans unwilling to put aside their irrational fears or mistrust of government and get a jab, it’s hard to see the US ever reaching a point where COVID 19 is as rare as bubonic plague.   We may be only able to reduce it to manageable levels.   

As I often heard as a child “No ganas”!    (Spanish translation equivalent – “no balls”!)

Sure.  If we continue down the path of mediocrity with minimal risk taking – that is certainly our destined future.   This is where queer thought and queer speak would be useful.    Give the creatives and weirds and unorthodox and insane and – well, queer – thinkers the opportunities to design marketing campaigns and outreach – and we could get closer to the bare minimum of 60% vaccinated to push us further along to herd immunity.

It’s going to take a few more months for the local elected officials and local bureaucrats to stumble and fumble and ponder their navels before they GESTALT and realize time to be outside the box of traditional thinking.

My hat is already off to those women and men and those in between who are willing to jump into the fray and make the impossible – real.     But the bureaucrats and governments first have to admit defeat.   They they really don’t know.   Out of that truthful admission – necessity becomes the mother of invention.

It’s going to be sunny and gorgeous 84 degrees today in LA – enjoy the Sun.    And start dreaming about non conformity believers and imaginations run loose…..