COVID Update: Tuesday, May 18

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.

161 new COVID Cases announced in LA County yesterday along with 4 additional deaths.   Positivity rate unchanged and low at .6%.  Hospitalizations decline again. 

DON’T DITCH THAT MASK YET

That’s the headline on the front page of the LA Times today.  California has decided to keep masks on indoors for one more month until the State re opening on June 15th.   The CDC announced last week that the evidence indicated that vaccinated people could remove their masks in most situations.  

CA has decided it wants to give 4 more weeks for more of us to get fully vaccinated before the rules are relaxed.  It will also give businesses a bit more time to prepare for the changes.   Other States are moving more quickly towards mask removal.    I am actually OK with 4 more weeks.   A bit more prudence and less infections and deaths are worth the short delay.

The reality is that the “honor system” of who is vaccinated and who is not – is highly impractical.   Some of those individuals who didn’t want to wear a mask in the first place are still not going to get vaccinated.   And they will be the first ones to object to discussing their vaccination (or lack thereof) status with anyone.   So, given the inevitability that unvaccinated people are going to go maskless – better to give a bit more time of prudence before we all abandon our masks.  

ASIA IN LOCKDOWNS AGAIN

COVID 19 variant mutants have reversed the success of many governments that believed they had controlled the crisis.  

Taiwan has imposed strict lockdowns again.  The island nation reported several hundred infections in the past week after months without any infections.  All public spaces and public schools were ordered shut down again until the end of the month.  

Variants are flaring up across the region in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos.  Largely due to the skyrocketing numbers in India, more than 60% of the 10 million new cases worldwide were in Asia.  Sadly, many of these countries are poorer without access to life saving vaccines.  

And not just the poor nations in Asia having trouble.   MIddle income nations in Asia like Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia are all having trouble getting vaccines.  Sad.  Here in the USA where the vaccines are FREE and available – so many millions either refuse or are hesitant to receive what people across the globe are begging for…….. Just sad.  

FINANCIAL IMPACTS OF COVID

Interesting article in LA Times this morning about the disparity of financial impacts along education, racial and income lines  – according to a survey by the Federal Reserve.  

25% of US adults say they are worse off than the previous year.  Those with a bachelor’s degree, high earners or white people were less likely to be affected.

75% of the adults in the survey said they were “doing OK”.   However, only 45% of those without a high school diploma said they were OK compared to 89% of those with a bachelor’s degree who said they were OK.  

80% of White Americans said they were doing OK.  84% of Asian American said they were doing OK.   However, only 64% of Blacks and Latinos said they were doing OK.

Last year, 14% of Americans were laid off.   Those without a bachelor’s degree – 20% laid off.  Those with a bachelor’s degree – 12% laid off.   More than 20% of Black and Latino workers lost jobs compared to 14% of White workers.  

It appears that COVID has disproportionately financially impacted those who were already a bit more vulnerable to financial chaos and discomfort…..

74 degrees and sunny in LA Today.  Enjoy Tuesday !