latimes--2020-12-31--Ambulance scarcity, long 911 response times: COVID pushes L.A. County to 'brink of catastrophe'

Lengthy wait times to offload patients at Los Angeles County ’ s critically overcrowded hospitals are increasingly keeping ambulances from being able to respond to other emergency calls , officials said Thursday — the latest repercussion of the rampant and widespread coronavirus surge that ’ s walloping the region ’ s healthcare system .
Sometimes , as many as 10 ambulances are queued up waiting to drop off patients , and “ we ’ ve had patients waiting in ambulance bays outside of [ emergency departments ] for seven hours , eight hours , ” said Cathy Chidester , director @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Agency .
“ We ’ re running out of ambulances , and our responses to 911 calls are getting longer and longer , ” she said during a briefing Thursday .
In the Antelope Valley , “ response times are getting longer , ” forcing officials to begin relying on ambulance companies that are not traditionally used to respond to 911 calls , according to Chidester .
And elsewhere in the county , officials are working with fire departments to staff hospitals ’ ambulance bays to help offload patients quicker so the vehicles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other cataclysms , such as a fire or an earthquake , Chidester said COVID-19 ’ s toll on hospitals has been a “ hidden disaster , ” one that ’ s not immediately apparent to the public .
But make no mistake , she emphasized , “ we are in the midst of a disaster.
” “ You can see the look in the staff ’ s eyes .
It ’ s like the deer in the headlights , ” she said .
“ They ’ re overwhelmed .
They are pale .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ they can with limited resources at this point because there ’ s so many patients.
” As the COVID-19 crisis worsens , and the number of infected individuals requiring professional care continues to balloon , some hospitals have needed hours to make room for new patients arriving by ambulance ; to send staff to treat people in the ambulances themselves ; or , in especially strenuous moments , to temporarily shut their doors to ambulance traffic altogether .
There have been such lengthy delays offloading patients that there have been “ some unfortunate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the L.A. County health services director , said this week .
The effects of an overtaxed healthcare system ripple far beyond those infected with COVID-19 .
Officials have recently expressed concern that people suffering from strokes , heart attacks and seizures are languishing outside hospitals without receiving the timely care they urgently need .
Even those afflicted by more sudden emergencies , like getting in a car accident , may be unable to get the medical attention they need if conditions continue to deteriorate .
It ’ s a “ very dire situation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ghaly said Thursday , and “ this surge is pushing all hospitals countywide to the brink of catastrophe.
” Not everyone who makes it into the hospital is lucky enough to go home , however .
The virus has killed more Californians on each of the last two days than any other day throughout the course of the entire pandemic — a back-to-back battering that has propelled the state ’ s total death toll past 25,000 .
California is the third state to reach that morbid mark , joining Texas and New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 1,100 people statewide have died from COVID-19 , including a record-high 442 Tuesday and the next-highest total , 424 , on Wednesday .
Those numbers represent roughly the equivalent of one person dying from the disease every three and a half minutes .
The situation has gotten so bleak that some mortuary and funeral home operators are saying they have to turn away bereaved families because they don ’ t have the capacity to handle more bodies .
In Los Angeles County , which officially surpassed 10,000 total coronavirus-related fatalities Wednesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seeing roughly 150 people dying from COVID-19 each day — a figure that ’ s almost as high as the average number of people dying daily from every other cause .
That equates to one Angeleno dying every 10 minutes .
Starting at midnight Thursday , county officials began posting new messages on Twitter at that interval , describing someone who may have just lost his or her battle with COVID-19 : the principal who stayed late to watch every school play , an ER nurse who pulled double shifts for months on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to uplift a community , a cherished coworker or friend , a beloved family member .
Each message was punctuated with the same plea : “ Slow the spread .
Save a life.
” “ Most heartbreaking is that , if we had done a better job reducing transmission of the virus , many of these deaths would not have happened , ” L.A. County public health director Barbara Ferrer said .
The nation ’ s most populous county has also set consecutive records for daily COVID-19 deaths this week , with 262 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Though the recent numbers were partly influenced by a reporting backlog from the Christmas holiday weekend , officials say they represent a sobering reality : that some are now paying the ultimate price for decisions they or those they came into contact with made weeks ago .
“ We have a chance to make it right , ” Ferrer said Wednesday .
“ So let ’ s start today by recognizing our shared humanity and responsibility to take care of each other.
” While there ’ s been some cautious optimism that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to level off in some areas — though , notably , not in Southern California — the recent record-high death tolls demonstrate the continued devastation wrought by the coronavirus and , officials warn , point to even darker days ahead if the state is slammed by another surge stemming from widespread gatherings and travel for the winter holidays .
California also must now contend with the presence of a new variant of the coronavirus that some scientists believe is even more contagious .
The strain , first identified in the United Kingdom , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in San Diego County , and it ’ s unclear how widely it may have circulated .
“ The next number of weeks will be challenging , in particular as it relates to this surge on top of a surge — I would argue on top , again , of a likely additional surge coming from Christmas and , hopefully , one that ’ s a little more modest from New Year ’ s , ” Gov .
Gavin Newsom said .
Everyone , he added , needs to be mindful of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Please don ’ t just assume or think or believe naively that this is something that won ’ t impact you because you ’ re younger , it ’ s ‘ just about older people , ’ ” he said Wednesday .
As hospitals struggle to keep up with the flood of COVID-19 patients , the state has also deployed 1,280 medical personnel — including from the California National Guard medical corps — to assist in healthcare operations , officials said Thursday .
A particularly precious resource are beds in hospitals ’ intensive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patients in the worst condition .
Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley have consistently had 0 % available capacity in their ICUs for roughly two weeks — a distressing metric that doesn ’ t necessarily mean no beds are open but that space , resources and staff are being stretched precariously thin .
ICU availability had fallen to 8.5 % in the Bay Area as of Thursday , according to the latest state data , and was at 14.4 % in Greater Sacramento .
All four of those regions are under state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down coronavirus transmission through strict limits on businesses and activities .
Though restrictions have been met with resistance in some corners , with a ban on outdoor dining proving to be particularly objectionable , officials and experts say they are girded in a fundamental truth : that the single-best way to curb the virus is to reduce opportunities for it to spread by cutting back on interactions and mingling between different households .
During a virtual conversation with Newsom on Wednesday , Dr. Anthony Fauci , the U.S. government ’ s top infectious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incorrect to present the situation as a choice between public health or economic strength .
“ We need to use public health measures as a vehicle , a gateway , a tool to get the economy back , ” he said .
“ It isn ’ t the economy versus public health .
It ’ s public health bridging you to getting the economy back .
That ’ s what we ’ ve got to realize , and not say , ‘ I don ’ t want to do this because I want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ open the economy when you get the level of infection down , and the only way you ’ re going to get the level of infection down before the vaccine kicks in is by the public health measures.
” Officials have earnestly urged residents to stay home and avoid the temptation to celebrate New Year ’ s with anyone they don ’ t live with .
San Francisco indefinitely extended its coronavirus stay-at-home and travel quarantine orders Thursday , and state officials said the order covering the Greater Sacramento region also will “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ projections.
” All throughout the state , officials have pleaded with residents not to gather for the holiday with people outside their immediate households .
“ The steps we have taken together have served us well , but the fact remains that San Francisco is in the midst of its worst surge yet , ” said Dr. Grant Colfax , the city ’ s public health director .
“ We must continue to take the preventive measures that we know slow the spread of the virus and save lives.
” Should those pleas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the turning of the calendar will bring more pain and suffering to a state already reeling from a year of incalculable loss .
“ We absolutely have to get this surge under control , and it will take everyone ’ s effort to do so , ” Ghaly said .
“ If we don ’ t , then the beginning of 2021 will be worse than the end of 2020 .
And that is not a situation that any of us want to have happen.
” Times staff writers Maura Dolan , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this report .

Lengthy wait times to offload patients at Los Angeles County’s critically overcrowded hospitals are increasingly keeping ambulances from being able to respond to other emergency calls, officials said Thursday — the latest repercussion of the rampant and widespread coronavirus surge that’s walloping the region’s healthcare system.
Sometimes, as many as 10 ambulances are queued up waiting to drop off patients, and “we’ve had patients waiting in ambulance bays outside of [emergency departments] for seven hours, eight hours,” said Cathy Chidester, director of the L.A. County Emergency Medical Services Agency.
“We’re running out of ambulances, and our responses to 911 calls are getting longer and longer,” she said during a briefing Thursday.
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In the Antelope Valley, “response times are getting longer,” forcing officials to begin relying on ambulance companies that are not traditionally used to respond to 911 calls, according to Chidester.
And elsewhere in the county, officials are working with fire departments to staff hospitals’ ambulance bays to help offload patients quicker so the vehicles can get back into circulation.
Unlike other cataclysms, such as a fire or an earthquake, Chidester said COVID-19’s toll on hospitals has been a “hidden disaster,” one that’s not immediately apparent to the public.
But make no mistake, she emphasized, “we are in the midst of a disaster.”
“You can see the look in the staff’s eyes. It’s like the deer in the headlights,” she said. “They’re overwhelmed. They are pale. They are trying to do the best they can with limited resources at this point because there’s so many patients.”
Advertisement
As the COVID-19 crisis worsens, and the number of infected individuals requiring professional care continues to balloon, some hospitals have needed hours to make room for new patients arriving by ambulance; to send staff to treat people in the ambulances themselves; or, in especially strenuous moments, to temporarily shut their doors to ambulance traffic altogether.
There have been such lengthy delays offloading patients that there have been “some unfortunate outcomes,” Dr. Christina Ghaly, the L.A. County health services director, said this week.
The effects of an overtaxed healthcare system ripple far beyond those infected with COVID-19. Officials have recently expressed concern that people suffering from strokes, heart attacks and seizures are languishing outside hospitals without receiving the timely care they urgently need.
Even those afflicted by more sudden emergencies, like getting in a car accident, may be unable to get the medical attention they need if conditions continue to deteriorate.
It’s a “very dire situation that’s facing the hospitals” Ghaly said Thursday, and “this surge is pushing all hospitals countywide to the brink of catastrophe.”
Not everyone who makes it into the hospital is lucky enough to go home, however. The virus has killed more Californians on each of the last two days than any other day throughout the course of the entire pandemic — a back-to-back battering that has propelled the state’s total death toll past 25,000.
California is the third state to reach that morbid mark, joining Texas and New York.
In the last three days, more than 1,100 people statewide have died from COVID-19, including a record-high 442 Tuesday and the next-highest total, 424, on Wednesday.
Those numbers represent roughly the equivalent of one person dying from the disease every three and a half minutes.
The situation has gotten so bleak that some mortuary and funeral home operators are saying they have to turn away bereaved families because they don’t have the capacity to handle more bodies.
In Los Angeles County, which officially surpassed 10,000 total coronavirus-related fatalities Wednesday, officials said they’re now seeing roughly 150 people dying from COVID-19 each day — a figure that’s almost as high as the average number of people dying daily from every other cause.
That equates to one Angeleno dying every 10 minutes.
Starting at midnight Thursday, county officials began posting new messages on Twitter at that interval, describing someone who may have just lost his or her battle with COVID-19: the principal who stayed late to watch every school play, an ER nurse who pulled double shifts for months on end, the local activist who labored to uplift a community, a cherished coworker or friend, a beloved family member.
Each message was punctuated with the same plea: “Slow the spread. Save a life.”
Grandma. #Every10Minutes #LACounty
Please physically distance. Slow the spread. Save a life. — LA Public Health (@lapublichealth) December 31, 2020
“Most heartbreaking is that, if we had done a better job reducing transmission of the virus, many of these deaths would not have happened,” L.A. County public health director Barbara Ferrer said.
The nation’s most populous county has also set consecutive records for daily COVID-19 deaths this week, with 262 reported Wednesday and 242 on Tuesday.
Though the recent numbers were partly influenced by a reporting backlog from the Christmas holiday weekend, officials say they represent a sobering reality: that some are now paying the ultimate price for decisions they or those they came into contact with made weeks ago.
“We have a chance to make it right,” Ferrer said Wednesday. “So let’s start today by recognizing our shared humanity and responsibility to take care of each other.”
California Los Angeles County records its 10,000th COVID-19 death County officials have been concerned about the risk of strokes, heart attacks and seizures among patient waiting in ambulances outside of hospitals
While there’s been some cautious optimism that the worst wave of the pandemic is beginning to level off in some areas — though, notably, not in Southern California — the recent record-high death tolls demonstrate the continued devastation wrought by the coronavirus and, officials warn, point to even darker days ahead if the state is slammed by another surge stemming from widespread gatherings and travel for the winter holidays.
California also must now contend with the presence of a new variant of the coronavirus that some scientists believe is even more contagious. The strain, first identified in the United Kingdom, has been detected in a 30-year-old man in San Diego County, and it’s unclear how widely it may have circulated.
“The next number of weeks will be challenging, in particular as it relates to this surge on top of a surge — I would argue on top, again, of a likely additional surge coming from Christmas and, hopefully, one that’s a little more modest from New Year’s,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said.
Everyone, he added, needs to be mindful of the dangers posed by the pandemic.
“Please don’t just assume or think or believe naively that this is something that won’t impact you because you’re younger, it’s ‘just about older people,’” he said Wednesday.
As hospitals struggle to keep up with the flood of COVID-19 patients, the state has also deployed 1,280 medical personnel — including from the California National Guard medical corps — to assist in healthcare operations, officials said Thursday.
A particularly precious resource are beds in hospitals’ intensive care units, which are needed for patients in the worst condition.
Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley have consistently had 0% available capacity in their ICUs for roughly two weeks — a distressing metric that doesn’t necessarily mean no beds are open but that space, resources and staff are being stretched precariously thin.
ICU availability had fallen to 8.5% in the Bay Area as of Thursday, according to the latest state data, and was at 14.4% in Greater Sacramento.
All four of those regions are under state stay-at-home orders, which aim to tamp down coronavirus transmission through strict limits on businesses and activities.
Though restrictions have been met with resistance in some corners, with a ban on outdoor dining proving to be particularly objectionable, officials and experts say they are girded in a fundamental truth: that the single-best way to curb the virus is to reduce opportunities for it to spread by cutting back on interactions and mingling between different households.
During a virtual conversation with Newsom on Wednesday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious diseases expert, said it’s incorrect to present the situation as a choice between public health or economic strength.
“We need to use public health measures as a vehicle, a gateway, a tool to get the economy back,” he said. “It isn’t the economy versus public health. It’s public health bridging you to getting the economy back. That’s what we’ve got to realize, and not say, ‘I don’t want to do this because I want the economy to open.’ You will open the economy when you get the level of infection down, and the only way you’re going to get the level of infection down before the vaccine kicks in is by the public health measures.”
Officials have earnestly urged residents to stay home and avoid the temptation to celebrate New Year’s with anyone they don’t live with.
San Francisco indefinitely extended its coronavirus stay-at-home and travel quarantine orders Thursday, and state officials said the order covering the Greater Sacramento region also will “likely be extended based on early ICU projections.”
All throughout the state, officials have pleaded with residents not to gather for the holiday with people outside their immediate households.
“The steps we have taken together have served us well, but the fact remains that San Francisco is in the midst of its worst surge yet,” said Dr. Grant Colfax, the city’s public health director. “We must continue to take the preventive measures that we know slow the spread of the virus and save lives.”
Should those pleas fall on deaf ears, officials warn that the turning of the calendar will bring more pain and suffering to a state already reeling from a year of incalculable loss.
“We absolutely have to get this surge under control, and it will take everyone’s effort to do so,” Ghaly said. “If we don’t, then the beginning of 2021 will be worse than the end of 2020. And that is not a situation that any of us want to have happen.”
Times staff writers Maura Dolan, Soumya Karlamangla and Matthew Ormseth contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-12-31--How worried should California be about the new, potentially more contagious variant of coronavirus?

How concerned should California be about the new , potentially more contagious variant of the coronavirus discovered here ?
The variant caused deep concerns in Europe after it was discovered in England just before Christmas .
The first reported U.S. case of COVID-19 caused by the variant was detected in Colorado .
Although the development is cause for concern , some say it ’ s not necessarily cause for alarm .
Here is what we know : Experts , including Dr. Anthony Fauci , say the variant is no surprise , but they also say the new strain could change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I don ’ t think that Californians should feel that this is something odd , ” Fauci said .
“ This is something that ’ s expected.
” Mutations in the coronavirus are not unanticipated , he said , considering that “ the more you replicate , the more you mutate .
So , when you have a lot of virus that ’ s circulating in the community , it means it ’ s infecting a lot of people ; it ’ s replicating a lot.
” The “ overwhelming majority of mutations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but “ every once in a while , you get a mutation that does impact a function of the virus.
” “ It appears , ” he added , “ from what we ’ ve learned from the U.K. and what we ’ ll prove here , that this particular mutation does in fact make the virus better at transmitting from one person to another.
” Some scientists , however , are more skeptical that genetic changes in the strain , known as B.1.1.7 , make it more contagious .
There are other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rapid spread in England , such as its transmission through dense communities and among people who are less likely to wear masks and socially distance .
Either way , “ there ’ s no indication at all that it increases the virulence … the ability to make you sick or kill you , ” Fauci said of the variant , adding that it appears existing vaccines also remain effective .
When England was grappling with this , some experts told The Times they did not think it would be a problem in terms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ University microbiologist , said that if the genetic changes were to have any effect on COVID-19 vaccines , it would be minimal .
“ I am not alarmist about this , ” Casadevall said .
Even changes that significantly alter the virus ’ spike protein don ’ t affect plenty of other targets , called epitopes , that antibodies use to recognize and kill virus , he said .
“ So for the virus to completely defeat [ a ] vaccine , it would have to change in many , many places where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
“ And that is a very low probability event.
” He is a San Diego man in his 30s .
Dr. Eric McDonald , medical director of San Diego County ’ s epidemiology department , said the man reported no overseas travel before getting sick , and neither has one of the two Colorado patients .
Travel history was not yet available for the second person there .
Absent evidence of travel , it would appear that those with confirmed infections picked up the virus in their communities , strongly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that first believed .
“ There are other cases in San Diego we need to be aware of , ” McDonald said .
The San Diego subject appears to have been heeding the current stay-at-home order .
“ Going back two weeks , the number of activities was also very limited , ” McDonald said .
“ There was no work activity , and there was no specific gathering ... that we ’ ve talked about being the potential for a community outbreak.
” Because he had no travel history , “ we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in San Diego County , ” Supervisor Nathan Fletcher said during a news conference Wednesday .
“ While it ’ s been pointed out that there is not yet evidence that the strain has any more severe symptoms , ” Fletcher said , “ there is significant evidence that it does spread considerably faster , that it is much more contagious.
” That ’ s all the more reason , he added , why county officials “ continue to encourage the public and plead with the public to please ... especially over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s holiday , to please follow the public health order.
” Officials have suspected the huge spread in this region might suggest a more powerful strain .
But that has not been detected yet .
Officials have yet to find any evidence of the variant in Los Angeles County , where the coronavirus is already hitting particularly hard , according to Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer .
“ This doesn ’ t mean that the variant is not circulating in L.A. County , ” she cautioned during a briefing Wednesday .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ getting tested every day , and we are just able to sample a small number of those test results and do the gene sequencing.
” Whether the variant is present , she added , “ doesn ’ t change the need for all of us to use the strategies that we have available right now to limit exposure and spread of the virus.
” Winkley and Sisson write for the San Diego Union Tribune .
Times staff writer Melissa Healy contributed to this report .

Rong-Gong Lin II, Luke Money, Lyndsay Winkley, Paul Sisson

How concerned should California be about the new, potentially more contagious variant of the coronavirus discovered here?
The variant caused deep concerns in Europe after it was discovered in England just before Christmas. The first reported U.S. case of COVID-19 caused by the variant was detected in Colorado. Although the development is cause for concern, some say it’s not necessarily cause for alarm.
Here is what we know:
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Variant is no surprise
Experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, say the variant is no surprise, but they also say the new strain could change the way the virus behaves.
“I don’t think that Californians should feel that this is something odd,” Fauci said. “This is something that’s expected.”
Mutations in the coronavirus are not unanticipated, he said, considering that “the more you replicate, the more you mutate. So, when you have a lot of virus that’s circulating in the community, it means it’s infecting a lot of people; it’s replicating a lot.”
The “overwhelming majority of mutations are irrelevant,” he continued, but “every once in a while, you get a mutation that does impact a function of the virus.”
“It appears,” he added, “from what we’ve learned from the U.K. and what we’ll prove here, that this particular mutation does in fact make the virus better at transmitting from one person to another.”
Some scientists, however, are more skeptical that genetic changes in the strain , known as B.1.1.7, make it more contagious. There are other possible explanations for the variant’s rapid spread in England, such as its transmission through dense communities and among people who are less likely to wear masks and socially distance.
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Either way, “there’s no indication at all that it increases the virulence … the ability to make you sick or kill you,” Fauci said of the variant, adding that it appears existing vaccines also remain effective.
When England was grappling with this, some experts told The Times they did not think it would be a problem in terms of vaccinations. Dr. Arturo Casadevall , a Johns Hopkins University microbiologist, said that if the genetic changes were to have any effect on COVID-19 vaccines, it would be minimal.
“I am not alarmist about this,” Casadevall said.
Even changes that significantly alter the virus’ spike protein don’t affect plenty of other targets, called epitopes, that antibodies use to recognize and kill virus, he said.
“So for the virus to completely defeat [a] vaccine, it would have to change in many, many places where the virus binds to cells,” he said. “And that is a very low probability event.”
California patient hadn’t traveled overseas
He is a San Diego man in his 30s.
Dr. Eric McDonald, medical director of San Diego County’s epidemiology department, said the man reported no overseas travel before getting sick, and neither has one of the two Colorado patients. Travel history was not yet available for the second person there.
Absent evidence of travel, it would appear that those with confirmed infections picked up the virus in their communities, strongly suggesting the U.K. strain is more widespread that first believed.
“There are other cases in San Diego we need to be aware of,” McDonald said.
The San Diego subject appears to have been heeding the current stay-at-home order.
“Going back two weeks, the number of activities was also very limited,” McDonald said. “There was no work activity, and there was no specific gathering ... that we’ve talked about being the potential for a community outbreak.”
Because he had no travel history, “we believe this is not an isolated case in San Diego County,” Supervisor Nathan Fletcher said during a news conference Wednesday.
“While it’s been pointed out that there is not yet evidence that the strain has any more severe symptoms,” Fletcher said, “there is significant evidence that it does spread considerably faster, that it is much more contagious.”
That’s all the more reason, he added, why county officials “continue to encourage the public and plead with the public to please ... especially over the next 72 hours and the New Year’s holiday, to please follow the public health order.”
More powerful strain suspected
Officials have suspected the huge spread in this region might suggest a more powerful strain.
But that has not been detected yet.
Officials have yet to find any evidence of the variant in Los Angeles County, where the coronavirus is already hitting particularly hard, according to Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.
“This doesn’t mean that the variant is not circulating in L.A. County,” she cautioned during a briefing Wednesday. “We have thousands and thousands of people getting tested every day, and we are just able to sample a small number of those test results and do the gene sequencing.”
Whether the variant is present, she added, “doesn’t change the need for all of us to use the strategies that we have available right now to limit exposure and spread of the virus.”
Winkley and Sisson write for the San Diego Union Tribune. Times staff writer Melissa Healy contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-12-31--Garcetti urges L.A. residents to stay home on New Year's Eve, LAPD vows to crack down on gatherings

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is pleading with revelers to stay home on New Year ’ s Eve and said he plans to crack down on “ super-spreader ” events in the city .
In a somber briefing Wednesday — his 83rd and final COVID-19 briefing of the year — a beleaguered Garcetti described 2020 as “ the toughest year of our city ’ s history ” and said , despite the holiday , “ it ’ s almost too painful to look backward.
” “ Nobody should be gathering in a big party , and nobody should be gathering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he said , noting that the latest coronavirus surge has been tied to Thanksgiving gatherings .
“ These are the ways this virus will spread to your loved ones , to those closest to you.
” The announcement came as Los Angeles County marked its 10,000th death from COVID-19 and broke a single-day record for deaths for the second day in a row , notching 262 fatalities on Wednesday after recording 242 on Tuesday .
The current surge has crippled the region ’ s healthcare system , and , with virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ manifest , public health officials say the worst is yet to come .
“ We won ’ t know it for a while , but we will feel it in our homes , in our ICU units and in our morgues , ” Garcetti said .
“ Please do not let us have a third surge that we simply can not take here in Los Angeles as a result of our New Year.
” The mayor said the Los Angeles Police Department will deploy significant patrolling Thursday to enforce the public health rules @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” events .
“ We will be out there in force on New Year ’ s Eve , ” he said .
Earlier this week , the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power disconnected utilities for a “ chronic party house ” in the Hollywood Hills , Garcetti said , and City Atty .
Mike Feuer has asked the event website Eventbrite to take down invitations to parties on New Year ’ s Eve .
Still , events are popping up on other websites , including a “ Winter Paradise ” rave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the event are $ 80 apiece through a site called Ticketleap .
The soiree , which is being heavily promoted by the Why Not Party group on Instagram , is touted as a “ fully immersive escapade ” that will run from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. “ Please disregard the generic email Eventbrite sent , ” the group wrote Thursday on Instagram .
“ The event is NOT CANCELLED.
” Event organizers did not immediately respond to requests for comment .
Earlier this week , Beverly Hills restaurant La Scala came @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” -style indoor dining event on New Year ’ s Eve — a move it later walked back .
Another restaurant , Westlake ’ s 101 North Eatery & Bar , is advertising a $ 195 New Year ’ s Eve tapas package for two , which it says customers can pick up and eat on their outdoor patio .
The restaurant ’ s publicist , Rachel Lucosky , said the event was not a violation of the county ’ s outdoor dining ban because no service will be provided .
She noted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up their meal and picnic on outdoor tables adjacent to the restaurant .
“ The owners would love it if everybody stayed home and picked up their food , but everybody needs a place of refuge to get some fresh air , so it ’ s more so promoting that , ” she said .
On Wednesday night , police were on hand to “ keep the peace ” at a Christian singer ’ s gathering on skid row that was deemed a potential super-spreader event .
Officer Drake Madison of the LAPD @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the event .
Madison said New Year ’ s Eve should keep the department busy .
“ It ’ s one of those nights we just need to make it through , ” he said .
The Los Angeles County Sheriff ’ s Department has also targeted “ the underground party scene , ” announcing Wednesday that it had made 235 arrests at super-spreader events throughout December .
“ I have made it clear that we will seek out and take law enforcement action against all super-spreader events occurring anywhere within Los @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said in a statement .
“ The goal of these enforcement actions is to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and the risk to our vulnerable populations.
” In Los Angeles County , 1 in 5 are now testing positive for COVID-19 , Garcetti said Wednesday — the same day that 7,546 people were hospitalized , the highest number since the start of the pandemic .
“ My message couldn ’ t be clearer , ” the mayor said .
“ Do not get together with others on New Year ’ s Eve .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in person .
Do not travel .
Celebrate virtually , stay home and welcome the New Year with people in your household and no one else .
”

The Benitez family listens to Banda Las Angelinas during New Year’s Eve 2019 in Grand Park. Mayor Eric Garcetti is asking Angelenos to stay home this year.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is pleading with revelers to stay home on New Year’s Eve and said he plans to crack down on “super-spreader” events in the city.
In a somber briefing Wednesday — his 83rd and final COVID-19 briefing of the year — a beleaguered Garcetti described 2020 as “the toughest year of our city’s history” and said, despite the holiday, “it’s almost too painful to look backward.”
“Nobody should be gathering in a big party, and nobody should be gathering in a small party, as well,” he said, noting that the latest coronavirus surge has been tied to Thanksgiving gatherings. “These are the ways this virus will spread to your loved ones, to those closest to you.”
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The announcement came as Los Angeles County marked its 10,000th death from COVID-19 and broke a single-day record for deaths for the second day in a row, notching 262 fatalities on Wednesday after recording 242 on Tuesday.
The current surge has crippled the region’s healthcare system, and, with virus transmissions linked to Christmas gatherings yet to manifest, public health officials say the worst is yet to come.
“We won’t know it for a while, but we will feel it in our homes, in our ICU units and in our morgues,” Garcetti said. “Please do not let us have a third surge that we simply cannot take here in Los Angeles as a result of our New Year.”
With infections and hospitalizations surging in L.A., please join me live for the latest COVID-19 updates and learn what you can do to ring in the New Year safely. https://t.co/0Gr4JMpoH5 — MayorOfLA (@MayorOfLA) December 31, 2020
The mayor said the Los Angeles Police Department will deploy significant patrolling Thursday to enforce the public health rules that prohibit large gatherings or “super-spreader” events.
“We will be out there in force on New Year’s Eve,” he said.
Earlier this week, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power disconnected utilities for a “chronic party house” in the Hollywood Hills, Garcetti said, and City Atty. Mike Feuer has asked the event website Eventbrite to take down invitations to parties on New Year’s Eve.
Still, events are popping up on other websites, including a “Winter Paradise” rave planned for downtown Los Angeles. Tickets for the event are $80 apiece through a site called Ticketleap.
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The soiree, which is being heavily promoted by the Why Not Party group on Instagram, is touted as a “fully immersive escapade” that will run from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.
“Please disregard the generic email Eventbrite sent,” the group wrote Thursday on Instagram. “The event is NOT CANCELLED.”
Event organizers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Earlier this week, Beverly Hills restaurant La Scala came under fire for promoting a “speakeasy”-style indoor dining event on New Year’s Eve — a move it later walked back.
Another restaurant, Westlake’s 101 North Eatery & Bar, is advertising a $195 New Year’s Eve tapas package for two, which it says customers can pick up and eat on their outdoor patio.
The restaurant’s publicist, Rachel Lucosky, said the event was not a violation of the county’s outdoor dining ban because no service will be provided. She noted that diners are simply invited to pick up their meal and picnic on outdoor tables adjacent to the restaurant.
“The owners would love it if everybody stayed home and picked up their food, but everybody needs a place of refuge to get some fresh air, so it’s more so promoting that,” she said.
On Wednesday night, police were on hand to “keep the peace” at a Christian singer’s gathering on skid row that was deemed a potential super-spreader event. Officer Drake Madison of the LAPD said Thursday that no arrests were made at the event.
Madison said New Year’s Eve should keep the department busy.
“It’s one of those nights we just need to make it through,” he said.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has also targeted “the underground party scene,” announcing Wednesday that it had made 235 arrests at super-spreader events throughout December.
“I have made it clear that we will seek out and take law enforcement action against all super-spreader events occurring anywhere within Los Angeles County,” Sheriff Alex Villanueva said in a statement. “The goal of these enforcement actions is to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and the risk to our vulnerable populations.”
In Los Angeles County, 1 in 5 are now testing positive for COVID-19, Garcetti said Wednesday — the same day that 7,546 people were hospitalized, the highest number since the start of the pandemic.
“My message couldn’t be clearer,” the mayor said. “Do not get together with others on New Year’s Eve. Do not host or attend a party in person. Do not travel. Celebrate virtually, stay home and welcome the New Year with people in your household and no one else.”


latimes--2020-12-31--Fauci's 2021 COVID California forecast: School reopenings, vaccines and some normalcy by fall

It ’ s been a grim December , and January is looking to be just as bleak as the coronavirus continues to ravage both California and the nation .
In a conversation broadcast online Wednesday , Dr. Anthony Fauci , the U.S. government ’ s top infectious diseases expert , talked to Gov .
Gavin Newsom about why the pandemic has been so hard to control in California and across the U.S .
But he also offered some hope for the future , outlining his latest estimate on when things might get back to a semblance of normality and whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some of Fauci ’ s thoughts on what 2021 might look like : Schools can safely reopen , even when there ’ s substantial community transmission Fauci said the coronavirus acts very differently from the flu when it comes to children .
With the coronavirus , children seem to have lower levels of infection than the broader community .
“ That was almost counterintuitive , but it ’ s turning out to be that way , ” Fauci said .
“ What we should do is to do everything to support the maintenance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If you really want to get society back to some form of normality , one of the first things we have to do is to get the children back in school.
” Vaccines for broader public to be distributed in late spring , early summer Initial distribution of the vaccine to the top priority group , including healthcare workers and people in nursing homes , has been slower than initially promised .
But Fauci said there ’ s a sense that by January , there will be greater momentum and that the pace @ @ @ @ @ @ @ general public receives the vaccine , though , there are other priority groups who are next in line .
It will probably be the end of March or the beginning of April before the vaccine is available to everyone .
At that point , the race will be on to get as many people vaccinated through the spring and summer , with the goal to have everyone vaccinated by the time cooler weather arrives next fall .
‘ Strong semblance of normality ’ by early autumn — if enough people get vaccinated If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people vaccinated between April and July , “ I believe ... by the time we get to the early fall , we will have enough good herd immunity to be able to really get back to some strong semblance of normality — schools , theaters , sports events , restaurants .
I believe if we do it correctly , we will be there by the early fall , ” Fauci said .
No one really knows what percentage of the population needs to be immunized to interrupt the spread of the virus , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be somewhere between 70 % and 85 % .
“ If you have the opportunity to get vaccinated , please get vaccinated , ” Fauci said .
“ It ’ s a safe and it ’ s a highly efficacious vaccine that could save your life , the life of your family and the community .
“ So I believe with those two things — adherence to the kind of things that you ’ ve been talking about in California , the public health measures , and as we gradually get more and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to be looking at this thing in the rearview mirror , ” Fauci told Newsom .
Failure to contain coronavirus would be disastrous for economy Some people think of the business restrictions implemented to control the pandemic as too high a price to pay .
But Fauci said the pandemic needs to be controlled in order to allow the economy to get back to normal .
“ We need to use public health measures — as a vehicle , a gateway , a tool — to get the economy back .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health .
It ’ s public health bridging you to getting the economy back , ” Fauci said .
The economy will reopen “ when you get the level of infection down , ” Fauci said .
“ And the only way you ’ re going to get the level of infection down before the vaccine kicks in is by the public health measures that you have been talking about.
” Fauci also looked back at the challenges of 2020 .
Here are some key points : Asymptomatic spread of the virus makes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ initial information coming out of China in late 2019 about the coronavirus was misleading , Fauci said .
Initially , the word was that the virus did not efficiently transmit between humans , which ended up being wrong .
Then , the word was that it was mostly being transmitted by people who were visibly sick .
The sobering reality was that even people without visible symptoms were transmitting the virus .
“ That , to me , is something that was the game-changer , ” Fauci said .
“ Because you can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with symptoms , because you ’ re going to miss the asymptomatic people.
” Second , it meant that mask wearing became very important .
“ If you don ’ t know who ’ s infected , then everybody should be wearing a mask , which is the real fundamental rationale for saying we need universal and uniform wearing of masks , ” Fauci said .
Wide range of outcomes — from no symptoms to death — made it too easy to dismiss the virus Fauci said he ’ s never seen a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % of those infected have no symptoms at all , while 20 % to 25 % get symptoms so severe they may need hospitalization or die .
“ The mystery of how you can have so many people who have no symptoms , and so many people who get seriously impacted , is one of the reasons why we have a messaging difficulty , ” Fauci said .
“ Because most of the people who do well are young people , and they say , ‘ What do I got to worry about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ themselves , ‘ Why do I need to interrupt my life ?
’ ” But that sentiment has had serious consequences and has been a factor in the worst death toll of any nation in the world — more than 335,000 deaths .
And public health activities such as mask wearing became politicized .
In Los Angeles County , the cumulative COVID-19 death toll of more than 10,000 is now triple the cumulative death toll from the flu in the last flu season , which was 3,133 .
This has been the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ history The best public health messages are consistent and simple .
But the COVID-19 pandemic has become so politically divisive that it ’ s been very difficult to have a consistent public health message , Fauci said .
It has even been worse than the efforts to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS , public health crises that political leaders failed to pay enough attention to in their early years .
“ It wasn ’ t anything like the divisiveness that we ’ re seeing right now , which really makes implementation of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very difficult , ” Fauci said .
U.S. should have done much better in controlling the pandemic Asked by Newsom whether he expected the U.S. would be dealing with a national death toll exceeding 335,000 , Fauci admitted he had thought the U.S. would be in a much better place by now .
Even when New York was being hit hard in the late winter and early spring of 2020 , Fauci expected that the nation would push coronavirus levels down and that public health officials would figure out how to contain flare-ups @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a low baseline , Fauci said .
Too many states abandoned stay-at-home orders too early , so when the cooler weather came with the arrival of fall , “ we just went right off the roof , ” Fauci said .
“ What surprised me and really disappointed me so much was that I thought if we would get down to a really , really low baseline , as we had these individual little blips , we could do identification , isolation and contact tracing , and we ’ d be in good @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The only trouble is , when you have ... 100,000 community cases on a given day , it makes it almost impossible to do effective identification , isolation and contact tracing , ” he said .
“ So we ’ ve been hit badly , and unfortunately , California is hit right now currently as bad as anybody , if not worse.
” We should be doing even more testing As we look ahead , Fauci said we should be looking at flooding schools and congregate living settings with testing , particularly with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ process and can be used widely in settings such as schools .
“ If we just very , very much utilize that testing — in schools for teachers , even ultimately , for the students , intermittently — you could get a good feel for what the penetrance of infection is and you can do something about it , ” Fauci said .
“ We should put much more emphasis on community-type of surveillance testing , so that you get a feel for where you are — where you are with schools , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That ’ s the way to go , ” Fauci said .
Because the virus is often transmitted by people with no signs of illness , “ you ’ re not going to get them by only testing people with symptoms.
” Colleges that have implemented this kind of routine testing have found this approach successful in maintaining a low level of virus transmission , he said .
That ’ s because this approach identifies virus-positive people early and sends them into isolation until they recover , rather than allowing the virus to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to shut the campus down .

Sylvester Roth, Allison Furbush and Andie Bristow check out sidewalk chalk designs during recess from home school in Riverside in April. Dr. Anthony Fauci says the best way to back to some form of normality is to get children back inside classrooms at schools.
It’s been a grim December, and January is looking to be just as bleak as the coronavirus continues to ravage both California and the nation.
In a conversation broadcast online Wednesday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious diseases expert, talked to Gov. Gavin Newsom about why the pandemic has been so hard to control in California and across the U.S.
But he also offered some hope for the future, outlining his latest estimate on when things might get back to a semblance of normality and whether schools can reopen safely.
Here are some of Fauci’s thoughts on what 2021 might look like:
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Schools can safely reopen, even when there’s substantial community transmission
Fauci said the coronavirus acts very differently from the flu when it comes to children.
With the coronavirus, children seem to have lower levels of infection than the broader community.
“That was almost counterintuitive, but it’s turning out to be that way,” Fauci said.
“What we should do is to do everything to support the maintenance of the children in school. ... If you really want to get society back to some form of normality, one of the first things we have to do is to get the children back in school.”
Vaccines for broader public to be distributed in late spring, early summer
Initial distribution of the vaccine to the top priority group, including healthcare workers and people in nursing homes, has been slower than initially promised. But Fauci said there’s a sense that by January, there will be greater momentum and that the pace of inoculations will accelerate.
Advertisement
Before the general public receives the vaccine, though, there are other priority groups who are next in line. It will probably be the end of March or the beginning of April before the vaccine is available to everyone.
At that point, the race will be on to get as many people vaccinated through the spring and summer, with the goal to have everyone vaccinated by the time cooler weather arrives next fall.
‘Strong semblance of normality’ by early autumn — if enough people get vaccinated
If the U.S. is diligent about getting many people vaccinated between April and July, “I believe ... by the time we get to the early fall, we will have enough good herd immunity to be able to really get back to some strong semblance of normality — schools, theaters, sports events, restaurants. I believe if we do it correctly, we will be there by the early fall,” Fauci said.
No one really knows what percentage of the population needs to be immunized to interrupt the spread of the virus, Fauci said. He guessed it would be somewhere between 70% and 85%.
“If you have the opportunity to get vaccinated, please get vaccinated,” Fauci said. “It’s a safe and it’s a highly efficacious vaccine that could save your life, the life of your family and the community.
“So I believe with those two things — adherence to the kind of things that you’ve been talking about in California, the public health measures, and as we gradually get more and more people vaccinated, we’re going to be looking at this thing in the rearview mirror,” Fauci told Newsom.
Failure to contain coronavirus would be disastrous for economy
Some people think of the business restrictions implemented to control the pandemic as too high a price to pay. But Fauci said the pandemic needs to be controlled in order to allow the economy to get back to normal.
“We need to use public health measures — as a vehicle, a gateway, a tool — to get the economy back. It isn’t the economy versus public health. It’s public health bridging you to getting the economy back,” Fauci said.
The economy will reopen “when you get the level of infection down,” Fauci said. “And the only way you’re going to get the level of infection down before the vaccine kicks in is by the public health measures that you have been talking about.”
Fauci also looked back at the challenges of 2020. Here are some key points:
Asymptomatic spread of the virus makes this pandemic far harder to control
The initial information coming out of China in late 2019 about the coronavirus was misleading, Fauci said.
Initially, the word was that the virus did not efficiently transmit between humans, which ended up being wrong. Then, the word was that it was mostly being transmitted by people who were visibly sick.
The sobering reality was that even people without visible symptoms were transmitting the virus.
“That, to me, is something that was the game-changer,” Fauci said. “Because you can’t just test people who are with symptoms, because you’re going to miss the asymptomatic people.”
Second, it meant that mask wearing became very important. “If you don’t know who’s infected, then everybody should be wearing a mask, which is the real fundamental rationale for saying we need universal and uniform wearing of masks,” Fauci said.
Wide range of outcomes — from no symptoms to death — made it too easy to dismiss the virus
Fauci said he’s never seen a virus like this one, where 40% of those infected have no symptoms at all, while 20% to 25% get symptoms so severe they may need hospitalization or die.
“The mystery of how you can have so many people who have no symptoms, and so many people who get seriously impacted, is one of the reasons why we have a messaging difficulty,” Fauci said. “Because most of the people who do well are young people, and they say, ‘What do I got to worry about?’ ... So they say to themselves, ‘Why do I need to interrupt my life?’ ”
But that sentiment has had serious consequences and has been a factor in the worst death toll of any nation in the world — more than 335,000 deaths. And public health activities such as mask wearing became politicized.
In Los Angeles County, the cumulative COVID-19 death toll of more than 10,000 is now triple the cumulative death toll from the flu in the last flu season, which was 3,133.
This has been the most politicized public health crisis in modern U.S. history
The best public health messages are consistent and simple. But the COVID-19 pandemic has become so politically divisive that it’s been very difficult to have a consistent public health message, Fauci said.
It has even been worse than the efforts to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS, public health crises that political leaders failed to pay enough attention to in their early years. “It wasn’t anything like the divisiveness that we’re seeing right now, which really makes implementation of public health measures and public health messaging very difficult,” Fauci said.
U.S. should have done much better in controlling the pandemic
Asked by Newsom whether he expected the U.S. would be dealing with a national death toll exceeding 335,000, Fauci admitted he had thought the U.S. would be in a much better place by now.
Even when New York was being hit hard in the late winter and early spring of 2020, Fauci expected that the nation would push coronavirus levels down and that public health officials would figure out how to contain flare-ups.
But the U.S. never got to a low baseline, Fauci said. Too many states abandoned stay-at-home orders too early, so when the cooler weather came with the arrival of fall, “we just went right off the roof,” Fauci said.
“What surprised me and really disappointed me so much was that I thought if we would get down to a really, really low baseline, as we had these individual little blips, we could do identification, isolation and contact tracing, and we’d be in good shape,” Fauci said.
“The only trouble is, when you have ... 100,000 community cases on a given day, it makes it almost impossible to do effective identification, isolation and contact tracing,” he said. “So we’ve been hit badly, and unfortunately, California is hit right now currently as bad as anybody, if not worse.”
We should be doing even more testing
As we look ahead, Fauci said we should be looking at flooding schools and congregate living settings with testing, particularly with so-called antigen tests that are easier to process and can be used widely in settings such as schools.
“If we just very, very much utilize that testing — in schools for teachers, even ultimately, for the students, intermittently — you could get a good feel for what the penetrance of infection is and you can do something about it,” Fauci said.
“We should put much more emphasis on community-type of surveillance testing, so that you get a feel for where you are — where you are with schools, with prisons, with nursing homes. That’s the way to go,” Fauci said. Because the virus is often transmitted by people with no signs of illness, “you’re not going to get them by only testing people with symptoms.”
Colleges that have implemented this kind of routine testing have found this approach successful in maintaining a low level of virus transmission, he said. That’s because this approach identifies virus-positive people early and sends them into isolation until they recover, rather than allowing the virus to become so widespread that officials are forced to shut the campus down.


latimes--2020-12-31--Coronavirus has besieged Filipino, Vietnamese Americans in Bay Area

Filipino Americans and Vietnamese Americans are being hit harder by the coronavirus than other Asian Americans in Silicon Valley .
The rate of new coronavirus cases among residents of Vietnamese and Filipino descent is rising faster than among other Asian groups , Santa Clara County ’ s health officer , Dr. Sara Cody , said recently .
Vietnamese Americans accounted for 28 % of coronavirus cases among Asian Americans in Santa Clara County between June 1 and Dec. 3 , yet they make up 19 % of the population of Asian Americans in the county , according to slides Cody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earlier this month .
Filipino Americans , 13 % of the Asian American population in the county , accounted for 21 % of such cases during the same time period .
By contrast , Chinese Americans , Indian Americans , Korean Americans and Japanese Americans were underrepresented in their share of coronavirus cases among Asian Americans .
Among all racial and ethnic groups , Latino residents have the highest per capita coronavirus case rate in Santa Clara County — more than 4,000 coronavirus cases per 100,000 Latino residents over the late spring , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rate of its white residents .
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders in the county also have experienced a disproportionately high coronavirus case rate of nearly 3,000 cases per 100,000 Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander residents , quadruple the coronavirus case rate of white residents .
Black residents experienced double the case rate of white residents , with nearly 1,600 cases per 100,000 Black residents .
White residents experienced not quite 700 cases per 100,000 white residents .
Asian Americans as a group were observed to have nearly 800 coronavirus cases per 100,000 @ @ @ @

Filipino Americans and Vietnamese Americans are being hit harder by the coronavirus than other Asian Americans in Silicon Valley.
The rate of new coronavirus cases among residents of Vietnamese and Filipino descent is rising faster than among other Asian groups, Santa Clara County’s health officer, Dr. Sara Cody, said recently.
Vietnamese Americans accounted for 28% of coronavirus cases among Asian Americans in Santa Clara County between June 1 and Dec. 3, yet they make up 19% of the population of Asian Americans in the county, according to slides Cody presented at a Board of Supervisors meeting earlier this month.
Filipino Americans, 13% of the Asian American population in the county, accounted for 21% of such cases during the same time period.
By contrast, Chinese Americans, Indian Americans, Korean Americans and Japanese Americans were underrepresented in their share of coronavirus cases among Asian Americans.
Vietnamese and Filipino Americans are disproportionately affected by the coronavirus among Asian Americans in Santa Clara County, health officials say. (Santa Clara County)
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Among all racial and ethnic groups, Latino residents have the highest per capita coronavirus case rate in Santa Clara County — more than 4,000 coronavirus cases per 100,000 Latino residents over the late spring, summer and fall, over six times the rate of its white residents.
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders in the county also have experienced a disproportionately high coronavirus case rate of nearly 3,000 cases per 100,000 Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander residents, quadruple the coronavirus case rate of white residents.
Black residents experienced double the case rate of white residents, with nearly 1,600 cases per 100,000 Black residents. White residents experienced not quite 700 cases per 100,000 white residents.
Asian Americans as a group were observed to have nearly 800 coronavirus cases per 100,000 Asian American residents.


latimes--2020-12-31--Earthquake: 3.6 quake recorded in San Francisco

A magnitude 3.6 earthquake was reported Thursday at 5:41 a.m. in San Francisco , according to the U.S. Geological Survey .
The USGS said the quake occurred about four miles south of Muir Beach , seven miles from Mill Valley and eight miles from Daly City .
In the last 10 days , there have been two earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby .
An average of 234 earthquakes of magnitudes 3.0 to 4.0 occur each year in California and Nevada , according to a recent three-year data sample .
The earthquake occurred at a depth of 8.9 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Consider reporting what you felt to the USGS .
Even if you didn ’ t feel this small earthquake , you never know when the Big One is going to strike .
Ready yourself by following our five-step earthquake preparedness guide and building your own emergency kit .
This story was automatically generated by Quakebot , a computer application that monitors the latest earthquakes detected by the USGS .
A Times editor reviewed the post before it was published .
If you ’ re interested in learning more about the system , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

A magnitude 3.6 earthquake was reported Thursday at 5:41 a.m. in San Francisco, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
A magnitude 3.6 earthquake was reported Thursday at 5:41 a.m. in San Francisco, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The USGS said the quake occurred about four miles south of Muir Beach, seven miles from Mill Valley and eight miles from Daly City.
In the last 10 days, there have been two earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby.
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An average of 234 earthquakes of magnitudes 3.0 to 4.0 occur each year in California and Nevada, according to a recent three-year data sample.
The earthquake occurred at a depth of 8.9 miles. Did you feel this earthquake? Consider reporting what you felt to the USGS.
Even if you didn’t feel this small earthquake, you never know when the Big One is going to strike. Ready yourself by following our five-step earthquake preparedness guide and building your own emergency kit.
This story was automatically generated by Quakebot, a computer application that monitors the latest earthquakes detected by the USGS. A Times editor reviewed the post before it was published. If you’re interested in learning more about the system, visit our list of frequently asked questions.


latimes--2020-12-31--Missing the Rose Parade, right down to the pool of spit

It ’ s a tradition , as familiar to Los Angeles ’ top high school marching band as the opening notes of “ Spanish Skies ” or the eight-hour practice marches around Dodger Stadium : The moment they finish the six-mile Rose Parade , members of the band ’ s massive brass section empty their spit traps , a single , triumphant stream of relief .
“ It ’ s really disgusting , but at the end of the parade it ’ s a satisfying feeling , ” said 17-year-old trombone player Alvin Pleitez , the youngest of four brothers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Unified School District ’ s All City Honor Band at the annual New Year ’ s Day event .
“ Throughout the whole parade , we ’ re really enthusiastic and energetic .
Everyone ’ s enjoying it , they ’ re happy , and then all the spit comes out from the instruments .
It ’ s kind of like a puddle of spit coming out.
” The spit puddle is just one of approximately 700,000 reasons the Rose Parade was canceled this year , marking the first time since World War @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not grace Colorado Boulevard .
Los Angeles County is now the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic , with more than 14,000 new cases a day and hospitals forced to convert hallways and even gift shops into makeshift COVID wards .
The Pasadena Tournament of Roses Assn .
announced the cancellation back when cases first surged in July .
Then , in October , plans were unveiled for a two-hour television event to mark what would have been the 131st Rose Parade .
Yet for many , it ’ s only now sinking in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1 .
“ People only think about the New Year ’ s celebrations just for the few days leading up to New Year ’ s , ” said Neel Sodha , who runs Pasadena Walking Tours .
“ I think this is when people really realize , ‘ Oh , my God .
We ’ re not going to have a Rose Parade in the city of Pasadena this year.
’ ” For Jerry Rodriguez , periodicals buyer at Vroman ’ s Bookstore near the heart of the parade route on Colorado Boulevard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Any other year , the thoroughfare would already be packed with tourists , trailers and tents .
Instead , a small handful of shoppers browsed the racks on an otherwise empty block .
“ There ’ s no regret about it — it ’ s just something that had to be done , ” he said .
“ It ’ s a very chill vibe right now , which is unusual for this time.
” Others said they missed the hustle and bustle of the season .
“ If you ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Eve , it ’ s wall-to-wall people , ” said Kenn Phillips , who was working behind the counter at Canterbury Records on Wednesday afternoon .
“ I go to see the floats or the marching band contest .
On New Year ’ s Eve day there ’ s a constant parade of classic cars up and down Colorado Boulevard — I miss those things more than the parade itself.
” But not everyone was ready to let go .
“ There are so many people that were so upset with the cancellation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , of Bradbury .
“ To me , it showed a lack of American spirit.
” So he decided to start a parade of his own .
Shortly after the cancellation was announced in July , he started calling car clubs across Southern California , hoping to organize a cruise along the parade route .
“ He reached out to a bunch of different clubs , ” said Brandon Riddle , president of the Sultans Car Club in Long Beach , which will be part of the New Year ’ s Day cruise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still when the Rose Parade ’ s going .
But it ’ s a tradition , and we ’ re trying to keep it alive for people who would normally enjoy it.
” Alvin , the All City Honor Band trombone player , said he understood why the parade couldn ’ t happen this year .
Unlike most seniors in the band , he ’ d already marched for four years , having joined the band in eighth grade .
He ’ d even helped tape a song he hoped might make it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ telecast nor the unofficial New Year ’ s Day cruise could replace what was meant to be the command performance of his high school career .
“ It ’ s a highlight for our kids , who come from the four corners of L.A. Unified School District , ” said band director Tony White , who has been at every Rose Parade since he was a student in 1985 .
The band “ was created specifically to march in the Tournament of Roses Parade — we look forward to it every year .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be involved.
” The group would normally have played at Disneyland and the Tournament of Roses Bandfest this week , having spent the prior week marching around Dodger Stadium to prepare for the six-mile showstopper on New Year ’ s Day .
“ You ’ re marching and playing at the same time , so your air is constantly getting used , ” Alvin said .
“ But then you hear the crowd shouting and saying ‘ Go All City , ’ and that kind of boosts your adrenaline .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Rose Parade was a dream for the Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School senior from the time he first saw his eldest brother march in 2012 .
This would have been his last year in the band , the end of an era for his family .
Instead , for the first time in more than half his life , they won ’ t be there .
“ Usually at Sierra Madre Avenue , under the bridge , we play ‘ Spanish Skies.
’ When we go under that tunnel , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everyone gets so energetic .
That ’ s the mile I ’ m gon na miss the most , ” Alvin said .
“ I should have shouted more , I should have played my heart out more — but I always thought I was gon na have one more year .
”

The Japan Honor Green Band dance their way down Colorado Blvd during the 2020 Rose Parade.
It’s a tradition, as familiar to Los Angeles’ top high school marching band as the opening notes of “Spanish Skies” or the eight-hour practice marches around Dodger Stadium: The moment they finish the six-mile Rose Parade, members of the band’s massive brass section empty their spit traps, a single, triumphant stream of relief.
“It’s really disgusting, but at the end of the parade it’s a satisfying feeling,” said 17-year-old trombone player Alvin Pleitez, the youngest of four brothers to have played with the Los Angeles Unified School District’s All City Honor Band at the annual New Year’s Day event. “Throughout the whole parade, we’re really enthusiastic and energetic. Everyone’s enjoying it, they’re happy, and then all the spit comes out from the instruments. It’s kind of like a puddle of spit coming out.”
The spit puddle is just one of approximately 700,000 reasons the Rose Parade was canceled this year, marking the first time since World War II that the iconic floral floats would not grace Colorado Boulevard. Los Angeles County is now the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 14,000 new cases a day and hospitals forced to convert hallways and even gift shops into makeshift COVID wards.
The Pasadena Tournament of Roses Assn. announced the cancellation back when cases first surged in July. Then, in October, plans were unveiled for a two-hour television event to mark what would have been the 131st Rose Parade. Yet for many, it’s only now sinking in that the streets will be empty Jan. 1.
“People only think about the New Year’s celebrations just for the few days leading up to New Year’s,” said Neel Sodha, who runs Pasadena Walking Tours. “I think this is when people really realize, ‘Oh, my God. We’re not going to have a Rose Parade in the city of Pasadena this year.’”
1 / 39 “Rise Up,” by the city of Burbank. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 39 Benjamin Davenport holds a large rose as his family enjoys the Rose Parade on Wednesday. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 39 A float by Kiwanis International. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 39 A close-up of the city of Pasadena’s float entry, “Pasadena celebrates 2020.” (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 39 A Chinese American Heritage float. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 39 A member of a troupe of stilt walkers. (Mark Boster / For the Times) 7 / 39 The opening performance for 131st Rose Parade on Wednesday morning. (Mark Boster / For the Times) 8 / 39 The Cowboy Channel’s float. (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times) 9 / 39 The UPS Store float, “Stories Change Our World.” (Mark Boster / For The Times) 10 / 39 Amazon Studios’ “Troop Zero” float. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 39 The Northwestern Mutual float. (Mark Boster / For The Times) 12 / 39 Spectators follow the parade route on Colorado Boulevard after the end of the Rose Parade. (Mark Boster / For The Times) 13 / 39 Bernie Sanders supporters march along the parade route. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 39 The Southern University and A&M College marching band performs during the parade. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 39 The Southern University and A&M College marching band. (Mark Boster/For the Times) 16 / 39 Dancers from Costa Rica’s Banda Municipal de Zarcero. (Mark Boster / For the Times) 17 / 39 The American Honda float. (Mark Boster / For The Times) 18 / 39 Co-Grand Marshal Rita Moreno waves to the crowd on the parade route. (Mark Boster / For The Times) 19 / 39 The city of Pasadena’s float entry, “Pasadena Celebrates 2020.” (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 39 A view down Colorado Boulevard during the 2020 Rose Parade in Pasadena. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 39 The Japan Honor Green Band performs. (Mark Boster / For The Times) 22 / 39 The city of Burbank’s float, “Rise Up,” paid homage to those affected by California’s wildfires. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 39 Camille Kennedy, the 102nd Rose Parade queen, waves from the Royal Court float. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 39 The University of Wisconsin marching band. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 39 The city of Pasadena’s entry focused on the 100th-year celebration of the passage of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 39 The Rancho Verde Crimson Regiment from Moreno Valley performs. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 39 The UPS Store entry, “Stories Change Our World,” rolls down Colorado Boulevard during the 2020 Rose Parade in Pasadena. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 39 The Pride of Pearland Marching Band, from Pearland, Texas. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 39 Northwestern Mutual’s entry, “Spend Your Life Living.” (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 39 A dancer with Banda Municipal de Zarcero from Costa Rica. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 39 A U.S. Air Force B-2 stealth bomber passes the Goodyear blimp during a flyover at the Rose Parade. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) 32 / 39 The 2020 Rose Parade gets underway in Pasadena. This year’s theme is “The Power of Hope.” (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 33 / 39 The U.S. Marine Corps West Coast Composite Band marches. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) 34 / 39 Honda’s float is “Our Hope for the Future.” (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) 35 / 39 Spectators take a selfie in front of a display along Orange Grove Boulevard before the start of the 2020 Rose Parade in Pasadena. (Mark Boster / For The Times) 36 / 39 Parade marshals wait on their scooters near the start of the Rose Parade. (Mark Boster / For The Times) 37 / 39 From left, Delores Jaso, Jinney Arreola and Linda Betts wait for the Rose Parade to begin. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 39 Karina Sosa, left, and her sister Brenda Sosa with a Salvadoran flag before the start of the 2020 Rose Parade in Pasadena. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) 39 / 39 Lorena Jara and nephew Noe Jara, 6 months, try to keep warm before the start of the Rose Parade. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
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For Jerry Rodriguez, periodicals buyer at Vroman’s Bookstore near the heart of the parade route on Colorado Boulevard, the cancellation came as a relief. Any other year, the thoroughfare would already be packed with tourists, trailers and tents. Instead, a small handful of shoppers browsed the racks on an otherwise empty block.
“There’s no regret about it — it’s just something that had to be done,” he said. “It’s a very chill vibe right now, which is unusual for this time.”
Others said they missed the hustle and bustle of the season.
“If you’ve ever been here New Year’s Eve, it’s wall-to-wall people,” said Kenn Phillips, who was working behind the counter at Canterbury Records on Wednesday afternoon. “I go to see the floats or the marching band contest. On New Year’s Eve day there’s a constant parade of classic cars up and down Colorado Boulevard — I miss those things more than the parade itself.”
But not everyone was ready to let go.
“There are so many people that were so upset with the cancellation,” said Richard Ur, 80, of Bradbury. “To me, it showed a lack of American spirit.”
So he decided to start a parade of his own. Shortly after the cancellation was announced in July, he started calling car clubs across Southern California, hoping to organize a cruise along the parade route.
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“He reached out to a bunch of different clubs,” said Brandon Riddle, president of the Sultans Car Club in Long Beach, which will be part of the New Year’s Day cruise. “Normally I’m asleep still when the Rose Parade’s going. But it’s a tradition, and we’re trying to keep it alive for people who would normally enjoy it.”
Alvin, the All City Honor Band trombone player, said he understood why the parade couldn’t happen this year. Unlike most seniors in the band, he’d already marched for four years, having joined the band in eighth grade. He’d even helped tape a song he hoped might make it into the program. But neither the telecast nor the unofficial New Year’s Day cruise could replace what was meant to be the command performance of his high school career.
A scene from the start of the 2020 Rose Parade in Pasadena. (Mark Boster / For The Times)
“It’s a highlight for our kids, who come from the four corners of L.A. Unified School District,” said band director Tony White, who has been at every Rose Parade since he was a student in 1985. The band “was created specifically to march in the Tournament of Roses Parade — we look forward to it every year. Those kids give up their winter holidays to be involved.”
The group would normally have played at Disneyland and the Tournament of Roses Bandfest this week, having spent the prior week marching around Dodger Stadium to prepare for the six-mile showstopper on New Year’s Day.
“You’re marching and playing at the same time, so your air is constantly getting used,” Alvin said. “But then you hear the crowd shouting and saying ‘Go All City,’ and that kind of boosts your adrenaline. It’s a really good feeling.”
Playing the Rose Parade was a dream for the Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School senior from the time he first saw his eldest brother march in 2012. This would have been his last year in the band, the end of an era for his family. Instead, for the first time in more than half his life, they won’t be there.
“Usually at Sierra Madre Avenue, under the bridge, we play ‘Spanish Skies.’ When we go under that tunnel, it’s a huge sound, and everyone gets so energetic. That’s the mile I’m gonna miss the most,” Alvin said. “I should have shouted more, I should have played my heart out more — but I always thought I was gonna have one more year.”