COVID Update: Friday, June 11

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.

220 new COVID cases announced in LA County yesterday along with 7 additional deaths. Outbreaks and deaths continue in the unvaccinated population. Positivity rate and hospitalizations low and stable.

IN THE HEIGHTS
So, I started to watch “In the Heights” last night about 11 p.m. when I stumbled across it on Roku or HBO Max. Unsure which channel. I had heard about Lin Manuel-Miranda’s other musical besides Hamilton over the years. I wasn’t expecting much. Just figured I would let it lull me to sleep.

2 1/2 hours later my soul was overflowing with joy!!! The music! The dance! The splendor of it all! And then it occurred to me what was resonating……

It was people dancing in the streets. Out in the open. No virus. No COVID. No masking. Just people singing and dancing in urban streets. It was a burst of positive energy that my soul was so hungry for…… and I loved every minute of the movie. It is set in New York – but even as a native Angeleno and Latino with Mexican culture at my core – I felt the essence of those Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Cuban families telling their stories. As someone living in a dense urban city area – the sight of hundreds dancing in the barrio – reminded me of what I am missing in June. Yes. Pride month with parades and festival and thousands of people on Santa Monica Blvd. It is amazing how COVID has taught me to appreciate the beauty of human complexities and complexion. To be grateful for the normal cycles of traditions and time in communities.

So how about some more good news to start this weekend?

VIRUS CASES FALL STEADILY IN CALIFORNIA

Front page story in the LA Times today. Infections in CA are at their lowest in 14 months – fueling hope for a return to normality. Those are the headlines in the paper. And made my heart skip a beat this morning.
California will fully re open on Tuesday. Notwithstanding the gradual ease of restrictions and new variant mutants popping up all over the world – CA is holding on its low case numbers and deaths.

California has one ofhe highest rates of vaccinations in the nation with 56% of residents of all ages – and 71% of adults – having received at least one dose of vaccine. Thirteen of the States in the USA now have at least 70% of their adults at least partially vaccinated – achieving a goal set by President Biden before the 4th of July target. Also a factor, is the lingering immunity of the over 1.2 million people in LA County who caught COVID and survived.

Back in January, CA was reporting 45,000 new COVID cases per day. Now CA is reporting an average of 1,000 new COVID cases per day. The last time COVID cases were this low was back in March 2020 – at the beginning of the pandemic. Back in January, there were nearly 22,000 people in CA hospitals with COVID. Today, there are only about 1000 people in the hospital with COVID statewide. Back in January, CA was reporting about 549 COVID deaths per day. 500 dead people every day! Today, the number has fallen to about 32 deaths per day statewide.

But there is still much work to do. People who caught and survived COVID have only temporary armor against COVID. The vaccinations will give them a stronger defense system. And at this point, the vaccines are holding against the known mutants. Rural California and the Central Valley farms still remain vulnerable to infections. There are far too few farm workers being vaccinated to protect the families living in overcrowded housing conditions. And in the cities – the Black and Latino communities need to step up their game. The vaccines are there. They are free. A little focus with a little energy and effort – and thousands more can join the ranks of the protected.

Which takes me back to “In the Heights” when the abuela (grandmother) is singing the song “Paciencia y Fe” – Patience and Faith. One of the great moments in the musical:

“And as I fed these birds
my hands began to shake
And as I say these words
My heart’s about to break.
And ay Mama
What do you do when your dreams come true?
I’ve spent my whole life inheriting dreams from you.
…. Paciencia y Fe !”
Alabanza !
Alabanza !
Alabanza!
Praise!
Praise!
Praise!