August 3, 2020
July was the worst month of the coronavirus pandemic worldwide and also saw approximately as many cases as the first 6 months of the crisis, according to the WHO. And the numbers may be far below reality — aninvestigation into leaked Iranian government records found almost 42,000 deaths, or nearly triple those
reported by Tehran’s Health Ministry. Meanwhile, officials in the US — where deaths are approaching 155,000 — say the virus is now widespread not only in cities, but in rural areas, and that the outbreak has entered “a new phase”
For growing numbers of businesses and individuals who depend on the global tourism industry, the looming question is if they will survive until business picks up. In trying to fend off the virus, countries that put up entry barriers to tourists have done so at a mounting cost to themselves and others. Losses globally are counted in the billions of dollars, and double digit percentage drops in visitors, with countries heavily reliant on tourism trying to use bailouts to keep businesses afloat. The bright spots are few — including locals rediscovering attractions no longer crowded with foreign tourists, and animals in wild animal parks able to roam freely
As Covid-19 continues to strain the country’s hospital system, new research exposes a striking gap in access to ICU care from 1 community to the next. An area’s median household income compared to the number of ICU beds per 10,000 residents over 50 years old was examined and nearly half of the communities with a median
income under $35,000 had no ICU beds at all in the zip code cluster, compared to only 3% of communities with a median income over $90,000. The researchers warn that the staggering scarcity of critical care services in lowincome populations exacerbate existing disparities seen in deaths due to Covid-19. Many low-income
individuals are already at increased risk of infection because they are less likely to be able to work from home and may face more challenges in quarantining
The champagne industry’s turnover has fallen by a third this year, as celebratory events are cancelled around the globe. A Champagne Committee spokesperson said this year is worse than the Great Depression, with 100 million unsold bottles expected by the year’s end and $2 billion in revenue down the drain. The industry is
expected to set caps at a mid-August meeting to strictly limit production, which will hit small producers hardest – – and could see the region’s prized grapes sold off to make hand sanitizer
Major League Baseball, which has already had to postpone 19 games in 11 days due to coronavirus outbreaks among players and staff, also faces difficult decisions on how to proceed with the season. However, Commissioner Manfred says he’s confident his sport can get through the regular season and postseason, though
not every club might play all 60 games and winning percentage could be used to determine playoff teams
Over the weekend, more than 100 Pac-12 football players published a letter demanding player-approved safety standards, insurance, and the ability to opt out without losing their eligibility. At the same time, the Power 5 — 5 top Division 1 football conferences — say that if the NCAA delays or cancels its championships, they’ll just stage their own. The embattled NCAA Board of Governors is expected to meet this week, and any lack of clarity, like putting off whether to cancel championships, could further anger players and schools
As California grapples with a deluge of requests for unemployment benefits amid the Covid-19 pandemic, some state workers processing the claims say they are buckling under pressure, hampered by outdated technology, bureaucratic red tape, and a shortage of trained, experienced staff. The EDD director acknowledged they were unprepared for the unprecedented 9.3 million claims from people who lost jobs or work hours since the pandemic began in March and have redirected employees and brought in workers from other state agencies. However, some long-time employees said that the program still relies on paper forms that must be mailed back
and forth to employers and employees, and another part of the problem is the mass hiring through private contractors resulting in low paid workers with inadequate experience and training
Coronavirus hospitalizations in Los Angeles and Orange Counties have dropped over the last week, which may be evidence that actions taken to limit the virus’ spread are working, public health officials said Sunday. There are 1,784 confirmed Covid-19 patients in LA County hospitals Saturday, compared with 2,017 last Saturday, a drop of nearly 12%. OC reported 19% fewer coronavirus patients in its hospitals. The encouraging news comes 3 weeks after officials ordered heightened restrictions due to rising coronavirus cases in California
Under a tentative agreement over rules for instruction reached by the LA Unified School District and teachers, Los Angeles students will have a predictable learning schedule that resembles a regular school day when the fall semester starts in 2 weeks. The official school day will last from 9 am until 2:15 pm and classroom teachers are expected to work an average of 6 hours per day, which means that some work is expected to take place outside of the set schedule. The school day would include daily live online interaction, small group work, and independent work as well as time to focus on the social and emotional needs of the students. There is also time for office hours, during which students and families could connect with teachers. Schools would have the option to develop alternative schedules through a district waiver process, but it was not immediately clear how much latitude a waiver would allow. The union, UTLA, has said it will put the agreement to a vote of its membership, which is expected to take place this week, and the deal also would need the approval of the Board of Education
LA Public Health reported an additional 1,634 new cases and 12 deaths. Totals are now 193,788 cases and 4,701 deaths. Officials noted that these numbers may be lower due to weekend reporting lags. In the county, 1.8 million have been tested and 10% reported positive. Hopeful news for July included: the 7-day case average is going down; the 7-day average positivity rate has remained flat; and the daily number of hospitalizations have also been trending downward; average daily deaths have remained flat; and the number of deaths in skilled nursing facilities have gone markedly down. Dr. Ferrer said that LA County has been actively conducing contact tracing since March and have isolated/quarantined 193,000 people as well as provided follow up information and support. She noted that contact tracing remains a challenge because some people are fearful of sharing information even though this is confidential — 65% of those initially contacted because of a positive coronavirus result agree to complete the contact tracing interview, but 32% cannot be located or refuse to answer questions. City Breakouts (Cases/Deaths): City of LA 79,171/2,157; Long Beach 8,285/177; Carson 1,301/40; El Segundo 98/0; Gardena 880/34; Hawthorne 1,431/29; Inglewood 2,039/76; Lawndale 475/9; Lomita 174/7; Manhattan Beach 267/4; PV Estates 75/2; Rancho PV 229/12; Redondo Beach 403/9; Rolling Hills 5/0; Rolling Hills Estates 31/2; Torrance 1,054/59
Compiled by Charlene Nishimura
Media Sources: Los Angeles Times; New York Times; Washington Post; Wall Street Journal; Forbes Magazine; Business Insider; USA Today; CBS News; CNN; KTLA; OZY; ABC World News Tonight; Spectrum News 1; The Hill.com; WebMD; AP, Politico, Newsweek, Reuters, televised briefings from the White House, Governor Newsom, LA County Health Department, Mayor Garcetti; City of Torrance press releases; Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce press releases
