COVID Update: Thursday, June 10

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.

202 new COVID cases announced in LA County yesterday with 4 additional deaths – again sadly – new cases and deaths coming from the category of the unvaccinated.   Get the vaccine = no transmission of COVID and no sickness or death.  Don’t get the vaccine = possible transmission of COVID and possible sickness or death.  

SAN FRANCISCO IS CLOSER TO HERD IMMUNITY THAN LA

Front page of the CA Section of the LA TImes today – San Francisco with 72% of its population having received one shot – is closer to herd immunity than Los Angeles.   

Ok.  But in all fairness – San Francisco has a population of less than 1 million people (874,691) .   LA has a population of over 10  million people.   The OC has over 3 million people.   Still – I am very happy for all my friends in San Francisco who have the ability to breathe freely without worrying about lungs filling up with liquids due to COVID.   And across the Golden Gate Bridge – Marin County has reached 75% with one shot!  (again with fairness, Marin County has a population of 258,826 people).  

The statewide rate in CA is curently 56%.   Amazing for the most populous state in the union with 40 million souls.  But we have to make more significant gains here in LA County to get Southern CA closer to herd immunity.  

Herd immunity or community immunity occurs when a significant percentage of the over all population is immune either through vaccination or from surviving a previous infection.   People without immunity to a disease are INDIRECTLY protected by herd immunity.   So, there are those of us who are willing to do what’s right to protect everyone.  And those of us who want to gamble with their lives and immune systems and refuse a shot hoping to receive the benefits without paying a price.   

Websters dictionary has a slang word for that – FREELOADERS!   A person who habitually depends on the charity of others for food, shelter…… and in this case – community immunity!   Sigh.  Whatever.   Can’t force anyone to get the shot.  Did it for myself.  I encourage others to do so using logic and reason.   And then I have to sit back and watch the daily data of cases and deaths – knowing it could have been (should have been) (would have been) different if the Donald had stuck to reality TV instead of his attempt at reality.  

Now – here comes the scary part.   There is no definitive percentage at which herd immunity to COVID is achieved.  It can only be tested when all restrictions are loosened and then we sit back and see what happens.   Well…. that is about to happen on Tuesday.   All social distancing requirements, masking and capacity limits are being loosened.   People will break out into three categories:  those who got vaccinated,  those who survived infection and those who did neither.    And COVID will NOT take the summer off.    A virus looking for available hosts to stay alive.   A virus that cannot attach itself to a host who received the vaccine at 99% of the time.   A virus that appears to be able to attach itself to someone who survived infection but did not get the vaccine.  Who wants round two?   And a virus gleefully seeking out those unvacinated who will extend its life span of contagion.

So time is running out.  Tuesday will be here soon.   It’s not too late to run in and get your first shot today.  Tomorrow.  Over the weekend.    Don’t play Roulette with your health or the health of those around you.    What would be worse than getting COVID and surviving?  Getting COVID and passing it along to a loved one in your household who will NOT survive.   Not enough Hail Mary’s in the Rosary to save you from the. guilt on that one….

Sunny and 79 degrees in LA Today.   Another perfect day!  Enjoy the warm sun and cool ocean breeze.   Breathe deeply.  It’s great to be alive……