COVID Update: Tuesday, June 8

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.

134 new COVID Cases announced in LA County yesterday along with 3 additional deaths.   Positivity rate remains unchanged and low at less than half percent (.40%) and hospitalizations drop.   

CALIFORNIA IS ROCKIN IT ! 

Front page ot the CA Section of the LA Times today – California’s COVID rate is among the lowest in the USA.   With our full reopening scheduled for one week from today (June 15th) we are tied for third with Nebraska at 11 per 100,000 people (seven day case rate).   Vermont is number one at 6.9 per 100,000 people.  South Dakota is second at 9.2 per 100,000 people.

But let’s compare the population size of those other three states:

Vermont population – 623,000 people

South Dakota population – 884,000 people

Nebraska population – 1.9 million people

California population – 39.5 million people

I am sorry.  No comparison in my book.   Orange County, California has 3.1 million people – about the size of Vermont, South Dakota and Nebraska put together!!!  And that’s just the OC!     And LA County has three times as many people as the OC with 10 million people.  

Minnows are spry and sleek and move quickly when required to avoid danger.   But trying turning a blue whale behemoth on a dime?!  Won’t work.   Takes lots of arcs to turn about.    

It’s a MIRACLE that CA with all its diversity and people is doing so well.   Applause for us!  It’s unbelievable at times.   Compare to the rest of the nation – 

The national average right now is 28 per 100,000.

California is at 11 per 100,000 or less than half of the national average.  

Florida sucks.  63 per 100,000.  Or three times the national average.  And their Governor De Santis wants to be President.  NOT with those numbers buddy.

Texas is at 27 per 100,000.

Pennsylvania is at 30 per 100,000.

New York City is at 18.7 per 100,000.

New York State is at 20.7 per 100,000.

During the height of the surge, remember that CA was averaging about 40,000 new cases PER DAY!!!   Over the last week, our daily average is about 900 new cases per day for the entire state.  That’s quite a drop.  

Which States rank the highest with more than 50 per 100,000?

Colorado.   Wyoming.  Florida.  Washington.  And Utah.  

TO our credit, CALIFORNIA is one of 13 States where 70% or more of adults have received at least one vaccination shot.  We have hit the goal the President wants the nation to hit by July 4th.   But only 53% are fully vaccinated here in CA.  So more work to be done to get 70% of us to full vaccination status.  

The first 50% to be fully vaccinated will seem easier than the next 25% to get fully vaccinated.   All those fully vaccinated were eager to get with the program.  We were courageous and brave and willing to risk side effects or being immobilized for a few days.   (With me – I had ZERO side effects).  

But the next 25 % are the people who claim to be too busy to get it done or have hesitation about the vaccinations.   They will get there eventually if we all keep urging them that this will save their lives!   Especially in Black and Latino communities!     

And the last 25% – the hard core resisters and deniers, the MAGAs and Trumpers, the defiant and irrationals – they may never come around.  Sadly, the daily death count will continue to come from this category in the future.  They will be the ones to suffer illness and possibly death.   This is America.  We can’t force anyone to protect themselves from injury or death.  You can choose to risk your life in the presence of a deadly pathogen.   I guess, at the end, you get to feel “right” – about God know what?  I guess your fierce independence.   

As for me – I CHOOSE LIFE.   Weathered the storms of HIV and addiction – there is no way COVID will take me down.

Sunny and 75 degrees in LA Today.  Enjoy the warmth of our Sun!