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2021-05-05
After eight Asiatic lions tested positive for coronavirus at the Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad, making it the first case of animals contracting COVID-19 in India, questions have been raised again about the spread of the virus among animals.
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2021-07-16
Since we aren’t getting on a plane any time soon, we road tripped it up to Tahoe. Taking advantage of having our car, we decided to drive out to places we would normally never visit, such as Sutter’s Mill and Donner Pass. As my husband called it, it was the Huell Howser California Gold tour. Something that was immediately noticeable was the rarity of people wearing masks around Tahoe and through the desert. Though mask mandates were lifted in CA June 15 for the vaccinated, I’d say about 50% of people still wear them (including my family) where we live. However, out in the more rural deserts and mountain areas, there was not a mask to be seen. I thought it was extremely interesting at Sutter’s Mill, which is a state park a couple of hours from Sacramento. The Park Rangers all wore masks indoors, and signs indicated unvaccinated must wear masks indoors. However, the tour of Sutter’s is all outdoors, with the exception of going into some of the historic buildings. I was a little nervous because I worried about my unvaccinated children going on a tour with possibly unvaccinated strangers who wouldn’t have to wear masks. However, when the tour began, I noticed all the families (all strangers to us) on the tour were wearing masks. Our docent asked each family where they were from and we were all from Los Angeles or Orange County. We all remained masked the whole tour. Our docent even commented “you know you can take off your masks outside?” He said it really nicely, but everyone remained masked. This regional difference was extremely interesting to me. I suppose Southern Californians may have a different way of thinking because our case counts were so incredibly high during the winter that they built field hospitals and ambulances were unable to pick up patients. Maybe that has made us more cautious. It was a literal war zone with the enemy being an invisible virus. Or maybe it’s just that every family on our tour took the same kind of vacation we did for the same reason - wanting a vacation but wanting to be outdoors, avoiding planes, and being able to safely distance. Donner State Park also had COVID protocol still in effect, with their interactive displays turned off.
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2021-07-18
My family was certainly filled with hope and a bit of relief when our county’s numbers began to steady at 30 cases a day with a positivity rate below 0.5 by June. However, we didn’t let down our guard. My husband’s best friend since childhood is an MD with the county and in May told us the Delta variant is here. We asked what that means and he said “well, outdoors you should be okay, but wear a mask indoors and don’t let anyone breathe on you.” He said this knowing we’re vaccinated and that our two kids, one being his goddaughter, are not old enough to get the vaccine. Numerous times since summer started I ruefully told my husband and mom “enjoy it while we can” because I think we all knew a spike would come once California lifted its COVID restrictions on June 15. It’s taken only a few weeks for LA to return to 1000 cases per day, and where we live in OC, daily cases have jumped from 30 a day to 150 a day in two weeks. Yesterday, the case count was 250 for one day. The variant is here. LA is taking swift action. Effective today, LA’s mask mandate is back in place for unvaccinated and vaccinated alike. It was immediately noticeable when we picked up dinner at King’s Hawaiian. The outdoor tent is up for to go orders pick up and mask mandate signs are posted. Honestly, if people just accepted the practice of wearing masks, I really do think it could help us return to pre June 15 levels. The report I read this week indicated that 100% (which sounds crazy, but it was cited) of the COVID hospitalizations in LA county are unvaccinated. It’s so strange to me that it is the unvaccinated who are so against wearing masks. I’m honestly wearing my mask to protect them, statistics seem to indicate if I get Delta, it should be mild. I just wish my kids could get the vaccine. Oh well, here’s to hoping the mask mandate comes back in the OC, too.
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2021-08-03
Christmas 2019 we gifted my kids (and mom) a Disney cruise for August 2020. Our plan was for my daughter and I to chop our hair right before the cruise. The cruise never happened, and neither did our haircuts. Fast forward to a year later. My hair dresser now works from out of her home, having lost her shop. Knowing that she is vaccinated and only sees one household at a time, I decided to finally get our hair cut. My baby’s first haircut only took (almost) 11 years! It was refreshing to say good bye to our quarantine hair, if only we could say goodbye to COVID, too.
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2021
Saint Anselm HI363 student prompt, Spring 2021, instructor Beth Salerno.
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2021
Saint Anselm College HI199 assignment prompt, Spring 2021.
Instructor Beth Salerno
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2021-07-23
Terrified, I put on my shoes and walked over to the canyon. I’m always nervous before a race - where will I place? What if I can’t finish? It’s adrenaline talking. This time, it was different. For the first time since early 2020, I was competing in a race, outside, with other people. When I signed up, the case count was the lowest it had been since the original shut down. I was nervous, but excited. Then Delta exploded. As the numbers climbed, I tried running with a mask that week. Two days before the race, I made it 3 miles and had to take it off. This was the Hot and Hilly 10K I was prepping for. It’s over 90 degrees and the course is all hills. I knew I wouldn’t be able to do the mask the whole time. I also knew the course had narrow parts, wide enough for only one runner. What happened if I got in a group? Was being outside enough to dissipate the virus, like current advice suggests? Or is Delta more potent? And is there a difference between standing outside unmasked and running full speed unmasked in a group of other people roughly and heavily drawing air in and out? As I waited for the gun, I wore my mask. I was the only one and that didn’t bother me. In fact, I was a little self conscious that I would be judged but I think everyone was just focused on the trail. When the race began, there was a natural small bottleneck. I left my mask on. About a mile in, I had to take it off. Luckily, the crowd had thinned. Since I am not an elite runner, I wasn’t doing the 7 minute miles of the head of the pack. On the flip, I also am not slow. I was able to find a sweet spot where I could see the front of the pack in the distance, but was far enough ahead of the average runners that I was not in a crowd. Overall, it was amazing to be racing again. I love competition. For over a year, I ran only on the treadmill. There was part of me that wondered if my ability have disappeared during the quarantine. I came in 4th place in my division and am beyond excited with that placement. I also was relieved knowing I was done with the crowds for the day. I spent two weeks secretly nervous I contracted COVID and am happy to report that the vaccine seems to have worked for me. I have another race scheduled for October and am already feeling nervous. Our hospitalization rate has shot to nearly 500 and the ICU is two away from 100. Will my next race being outdoors be enough to protect my family, especially my two unvaccinated kids at home? Will my vaccine even still be effective by October? My second shot will have been administered seven months prior at that point.
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2021-08-06
We didn’t leave the house for a year. Not exaggerating. Search my name in this archive, you will see we didn’t leave the house, nor was anyone allowed inside. However, when cases dropped this spring, we began to venture outside, albeit with masks. Now with cases on the rise, it becomes such a difficult choice. The adults are vaccinated, so we should (hopefully) be semi protected. But the kids aren’t. But do we want to lock them inside for another 18 months? Obviously not. So we’re trying to embrace a new normal. We still haven’t gone to any home get togethers - too dangerous with Delta, but we are carefully enjoying the outdoors. The zoo is all outdoors and spread out, so that has been feasible. Disneyland has been replaced by the beach, which we’re very lucky to live so close to. The beach isn’t scary - there’s plenty of room to spread out. But what do you do when your former teacher and current co worker who adores your kids invites you to school to share in a tennis picnic? My kids LOVE “gung gung” (Chinese for grandpa), and he loves teaching them tennis (he’s been the tennis coach for almost 30 years). There is no one size fits all answer. I decided because he was vaccinated, the event was completely outdoors, most of the tennis players are vaxxed and my kids could wear their masks that the risk was worth it. And it was, they had a great afternoon. So this is the new normal. Weighing the risks and making decisions that 18 months ago never would have been given a second thought.
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2021-06-29
Before he started kindergarten in 2019, I took my son to the ophthalmologist - I knew he didn’t see correctly. My mom is legally blind without lenses, I am -8, so genetics are not in his favor. They honestly thought I was crazy at first because he was barely 5, but they confirmed he was seeing 125 out of his left eye. His eyes were balancing so the plan was to check the next summer. Then COVID hit. There was no way I was taking my kid to Los Angeles in the height of a pandemic. Throughout the year of virtual learning that followed, my son covered one eye, complained his eyes were tired and watched tv from one inch away. Even his piano teacher through his FaceTime lessons saw how close he had to get to his sheet music and politely asked “does he need glasses?” When numbers finally dropped in June, I took him in, knowing he’d need glasses. What I didn’t know is how bad it was. My sweet little guy couldn’t even read the giant E on the eye chart! I guess it’s good none of us realized how bad his vision was or else I might have broke quarantine to help him. As his eye doctor said “-4. That’s quite a prescription for a first pair of glasses.” I’ll always wonder if the year of online learning expedited his decline to seeing 475, but I’m relieved we had a brief break in the high case count to allow us to secure him glasses before the new school year. It makes me wonder what other conditions have gone unchecked for people as they’ve avoided routine appointments due to fears of infection. It’s really a lose lose situation. You avoid the doctor to protect against Covid or you risk Covid to get a check up.
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2021-06-10
The day after school ended, we returned all the materials to my kid’s elementary school. While there, we were able to thank my son’s first grade teacher for all her work throughout the year in person. I will be forever in awe of this woman, keeping six year olds engaged over Zoom for a year. She is a testament to teaching and you could feel her genuine love for her students through the screen. There was something so bittersweet about my son’s first face to face meeting with her being after school ended. Such a bizarre way to begin an academic career.
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2021-08-11
In two years of everything under the sun becoming political, it’s not a shock that vaccines are yet another unnecessarily politicized topic. Of course, unlike masks, which were not a part of our daily routine prior to 2020, vaccinations and anti-vaxxers are not new. And honestly, if my two elementary aged kids could be vaccinated I would care a lot less about anti-vaxxers. I think they’re selfish, but for the most part, they’d be hurting themselves (and the immuno compromised that cannot be vaccinated.) But my kids can’t be vaccinated and I have been trying to stay positive knowing next week they’re walking into a classroom with only a mask for protection. I asked my mom “what is their teachers are unvaccinated?” I mean, every unvaccinated person poses a risk - what is the adult in charge is an anti-vaxxer and anti-masker? So it was with complete and utter shock and total relief to get the official word that teachers in the state of CA must be vaccinated. It’s a shame that this seals the fate on governor Newsom’s recall. I don’t love the guy, but I sure as heck want him more than a DeSantis and considering the last time CA recalled a governor, we ended up with the Terminator in charge…well. With Florida’s teachers being threatened with losing their pay over mandating masks, I am relieved to live in a state taking the opposite approach. Call us Commiefornia, I don’t care. Like I’ve been saying for a year and a half, this is a public health crisis. This isn’t about politics, it’s about an invisible virus that is continuing to mutate and spread. And as a teacher, I truly believe it’s my responsibility to do anything to help mitigate the spread.
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2021-08-11
My daughter is very athletic. I don’t make that statement lightly. I do not lie and I will look you in the eye and tell you my son is not an athlete. But my daughter was born with a natural ability for sports. Anything she tries, even recreationally, she excels at. When she was 3, she began gymnastics and in first grade, she joined the competitive team. It’s not just that she’s athletic, she works extremely hard. So making her sit out an entire season due to COVID was not an easy decision. I do not regret it, but it doesn’t mean it wasn’t hard. When this season began in May, we cautiously allowed her to return, fully masked. The cases were down and the coaches wore masks. We decided the risk was worth it for her mental health. Then the COVID restrictions were lifted June 15. My daughter became the only one in the full gym with a mask. We hoped for the best and have been lucky so far. But the cases are exploding. They are higher now than this time last year. What do we do? All her friends are from the gym. Truly. She doesn’t have any close friends at school because most of her time is spent at the gym. Can we take that away from her again? She worked out every single day of quarantine to stay in shape and she did. Can we look at her and basically say her work was for nothing? There is no good choice. What is more important? Protecting her physically or giving her the part of her life that secures her mental health? At the end of last week, I was seriously considering pulling her as the daily cases rose to 1,000+. However, in a move that shocked me knowing the clientele and position of the gym on this entire pandemic, even her gym has reinstated masks for all coaches. This made me feel maybe 5% better. Her one on one session is also from 8 - 9pm, which I was bummed at at first - so late for a kid! But I quickly realized we’re the only ones in the gym that late, which lowers my anxiety a bit. So we’re going to take the risk for now and allow her to continue going. I just hope it’s not a decision we regret.
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2021
This is a map of Camp Wolfeboro that was on the Golden Gate Area Council website during the summer of 2021. The map includes the various paths and trails, as well as the program areas, buildings, and campfires.
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2021-08-11
During covid my wife and I feel we are very lucky to be senior citizens. We are able to stay at home for long periods of time. We were able to get vaccinated early. We do not have to worry about our jobs or businesses. Our children are grown up, safe and vaccinated. We were able to have time to cook and clean our house ourselves. We watched with horror as people who could not get vaccinated died. Then we watched with horror as people who were able to get vaccinated and chose not to, died unnecessarily, whether for political reasons, fear, or misguided individualism.
We grew up with many vaccinations. I made a list -- smallpox, measles, mumps, german measles, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, pneumonia, seasonal flu, shingles, also yellow fever (required in 70s) and cholera for traveling. It is astounding to me how a percentage of our population does not get vaccinated. Some of the military has apparently declined covid vaccination, but 100%of them received a mandatory batch of vaccines when they enlisted – it is difficult to understand that logic.
My hope for the future is that we can get to 80% covid vaccinated in the USA. Experts speculate that may be the herd immunity threshold. More hopes are that the rich western world can vaccinate the poor parts of the world quickly to save lives there and to prevent newer covid mutations. And final hopes are that we can fully return to the full life we so enjoyed in Santa Monica before covid.
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2020-03-16
A press release from Banner Health announcing that Dr. Marjorie Bessel is leading Banner’s COVID-19 system preparedness efforts and is available to speak with the media.
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2020-03-17
A press release from Banner Health announcing a virtual hiring event, especially looking for medical assistants and positions in patient financial services.
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2020-03-18
A press release from Banner Health announcing visitor restrictions to go into effect 7 a.m. on Thursday, March 19, at all Banner hospitals.
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2020-03-18
A press release from Banner Health announcing that employers should not advise employees to use emergency rooms for back-to-work clearance
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2020-03-20
A press release from Banner health announcing restrictions now to include locations in addition to hospitals
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2020-03-23
Banner Health today announced a new process for COVID-19 specimen collection in Arizona.
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2020-03-23
Medical toxicologists and emergency physicians are warning the public against the use of inappropriate medications and household products to prevent or treat COVID-19. In particular, Banner Health experts emphasize that chloroquine, a malaria medication, should not be ingested to treat or prevent this virus.
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2020-03-24
A press release announcing how the community can help healthcare workers and that the Banner Health Foundation is accepting donations to two charitable funds.
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2020-03-24
A press release announcing that Banner Health is partnering with the region's blood bank operator in an effort to restore blood donations, which have significantly dropped during the outbreak of COVID-19 cases.
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2020-03-25
Handmade masks aim to preserve supply of personal protective equipment
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2020-03-27
Facing a massive shortage of volunteers who normally serve 400 meals a day at Banner Olive Branch Senior Center, six volunteer heroes are stepping up to do the same work typically done by 200 volunteers.
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2020-03-29
A press release from Banner Health announcing that ten nurses from three Banner hospitals in the Phoenix area arrived Sunday in Greeley to serve a two-week assignment at North Colorado Medical Center.
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2020-03-30
A press release announcing that The Banner Health Foundation is now collecting donated medical supplies and personal protective equipment, or PPE, in partnership with Project C.U.R.E. in Tempe.
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2020-04-01
A press release from Banner Helath describing efforts and how it benefits Banner Health hospitals, keeps employees on the job
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2020-04-02
A press release from Banner Health highlighting changes to policy; moves taken to save as many lives as possible; ensure safety of health care workers
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2020-04-02
A press release announcing that Banner Health is activating triage tents at its acute care hospitals to build capacity for the sickest patients amid the COVID-19 pandemic. These are not COVID-19 specimen collection sites, and they are not for the worried well or those with mild COVID-19 symptoms that can be managed at home.
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2020-04-02
A press release from Banner Health announcing that they are "working diligently and deliberately to make sure we are best prepared to handle an influx of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are monitoring capacity, resources and staffing in real-time, making adjustments to our emergency operations, when needed."
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2020-04-02
As Banner Health ensures it has the necessary supplies to keep its patients and team members safe, Banner Innovation Group is collaborating with community partners to create an array of supplies that meet CDC guidelines and are able to be sourced locally and quickly. Most recently, that innovative partnership brought in the help of the 3D printing community to create face shields.
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2020-04-06
In an effort to protect the health and safety of Banner Health employees and patients, the Banner Health Foundation is seeking 100,000 hand-crafted comfort masks donated by volunteers, sewing groups, and companies with fabrication capabilities.
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2020-04-10
A press release from Banner Health announcing that more than 100,000 Level 1 procedure masks were delivered from China to Arizona-based hospitals this week, thanks to the ingenuity and passion of a dedicated group of Chinese American residents within the state.
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2020-04-12
A press release from Banner Health announcing that four respiratory therapists deployed this weekend to help their fellow Banner Health team members in northern Colorado, which has seen a large number of patients with COVID-19. They will be in Greeley, Colo., for at least two weeks—some opting to stay at least four weeks, based on need—to help Banner balance its staffing needs across the nonprofit health care provider's six-state footprint.
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2020-04-13
A press release from Banner Health reminding residents about water safety.
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2020
Assignment prompt given to HIST4800 students of Bowling Green State University, by instructor Andrew M. Schocket, Spring 2020
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2020
Prompt given to partner class HIST 5241 of Northeastern University, Spring 2020, instructor Victoria Cain
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2021-08-11
I came across this conversation on a neighborhood app (Nextdoor) of a grandmother pleading for masks and vaccines after learning that one of her grandchildren was exposed to the virus in the classroom. I added a bit of the thread as well to show the different opinions on the matter.
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2021-08-10
I think what makes Covid memes so funny is that they are sometimes based on truth...
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2021-08-10
I came across this conversation on Facebook yesterday. I thought it was a good portrayal of what's going on in society today. As everyone is trying to get back to "normal" businesses are starting to require their employees to get vaccinated. Although most people who are fighting this option hardly ever admit that there are actually three options - get vaccinated, get tested regularly, or find a new job. I found it interesting that the original poster revised his original post to add that he was not looking to debate the vaccine even though it's clear what happened.
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2021-08-10
Signs have become so common these days that I often catch myself making sure if a business requires masks or prefers customers not to (I've seen those too). I take an extra moment to enjoy personalized signs like these. I love the solutions to the dumb questions at the end. If everyone would just wear a mask I wonder how low our numbers would be. My favorite part is the last sentence of the paragraph "Do not choose to be the reason the rest of the world is laughing at us."
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2021-08-11
While many on my social media feed are in arms about tighter vaccine regulations, some realize that the pandemic is not over. As the new school year starts there are many mothers who share in my fear. Covid is still alive and well, new strains continue to form breeding in the bodies of the unvaccinated. The worse part is that this time the elderly seem much safer than our children. Our children are being sent back to school, life has returned to "normal" as the number of hospitalized children continues to rise. I share my fears with this friend who popped up on my feed this morning. Will our kids be safe? Will my daughter get infected? Will there be another lockdown? I too feel like it's become too much to ask for my kids to simply be happy and healthy because both now depend on the actions (or misactions) of others.
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2021-08-11
I have never realized how different my friends on social media are. Growing up in Los Angeles I have many friends who are all politically and socially like-minded. My husband joined the military and then my social media was flooded with the opposite from my "liberal" friends. The differences of opinions never bothered me and hardly ever showed themselves until Trump became president. It's funny how Trump ignited a flame in so many people. Today with politics fueling everything I still see that clear distinction between my friend groups. The saddest part about the pandemic is seeing how science has been "canceled" and political views have somehow replaced common sense. Because so many Democrats are urging people to get vaccinated it seems like Republicans must refuse. I see posts like the one pictured all the time. There's always a reason to refuse common sense. First, it was because COVID wasn't real, then it was because their right to contract covid was being infringed on. I heard some say robots were being implanted, that the government was running experiments on willing democrats. When the death rate continued to rise, they said the numbers were made up. Today it seems like most covid deniers are claiming that if COVID was real essential workers would not be required to be protected against it. I will never understand their reasoning.
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1976-08-23
why i think this is important to me because human is the one that made these disease and it is killing people and are population is going down and we all work together we could fix this and even animals population would go down because they get sick as well and there population and the air around us would go bad and still is and it ant just hurting us its hurting the earh and this why its important
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2021-08-10
I’m torn. I see resilience and hope: Resilience of so many in societies across the world who reconfigured their everyday lives to attempt to keep the virus at bay and hope swept in largely by Biden and his competent army of experienced workers who believe in the power of government to be a positive and unifying agent of change. But, we have a troubled world with a geopolitical climate and an environmental climate pushing us into turbulent waters. I’m torn because I have seen the virus pull us together as a community of pods and isolate us from one another.
My hope and dream? That we learn from this Covid journey to do better with the other crises bearing down on us. That each of us take up individually and as a community the challenge to address climate change now in our homes, in our daily tasks, in the way we function in our communities, and at the ballot box.
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2021-08-08
I went to church this past Sunday for the first time since the quarantine of March 2020. I'm not sure what I was expecting but there were a lot more changes than I had imagined. Sanitizing stations, hand wipes, and masks for those who wished to wear them. People were still socializing, not everyone was wearing masks but it was nice to see that it was an option and available to those who wanted. Before the pandemic, there was always a table with refreshments where we would go and grab pastries before Sunday school. Now that table had someone there to grab pastries in an attempt to limit contact. There were so many viable changes outside but the one that stuck to me most was the one I caught inside. Communion is a very important aspect of the Christian faith, I remember growing up in a Hispanic church there was a ceremonial feel to communion. It was a special occasion, a time to reflect and remember the foundation of our faith. I kept that feeling with me growing up but this past Sunday I was taken back when I walked into church. I was handed what I thought was a trinket. I sat down and stared at this object for a second, this was how we were to take communion. Of course, it makes total sense not to pass a tray around with crackers and juice to a building full of people, especially because you can never know for sure who's been vaccinated and who hasn't. This was just an unexpected change that the pandemic brought on, I wonder if this will be part of the "new normal" everyone is always talking about.
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2021-08-09
Email sent out to all DOD employees, this includes all military members, about the COVID-19 vaccine.
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2021
Paula Flynn's 5th grade class at Franklin Elementary School, in Santa Monica, CA.
"Six Room Poem" template provided by Paula Goodman.
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2020-04-13
Jocie Rocha left North Colorado Medical Center to cheers and applause Monday afternoon and putting a smile on the faces of many hospital caregivers. Jocie was the 100th patient to be discharged from the hospital after being treated for COVID-19.
