Case numbers and testing positivity numbers continue to decrease. Vaccine supplies are coming in, and, starting this weekend, about a half a million more people will be eligible for vaccinations in San Diego County.
As long as we don’t let our guards down, we may finally have a path out of this pandemic.
But …
The key to successfully putting our worst days behind us is simple and hard at the same time. Wearing masks, staying 6-feet from others, avoiding crowds and washing hands are simple things we can all do. They are also things we’re all pretty tired of doing by now.
That’s the hard part. But, we are so close, and we have seen what happened over the holidays when too many people let their guards down. If we can learn from that experience, we will soon be doing school drop off and pick up again, getting together with loved ones and enjoying our favorite restaurants from the inside. Businesses will start to recover. Jobs will come back.
Let’s keep our eye on that prize. It’s important, and we can do it.
Vaccine update
The County of San Diego announced yesterday that COVID-19 vaccinations will open Saturday, Feb. 27, to people who work in emergency services, child care and education, and food and agriculture (including grocery stores).
Currently, health care personnel, long-term care facility staff and residents, and those who are 65 years and older are eligible for vaccines. The county decided to open the vaccines to more people in Phase 1B, Tier 1 as vaccine supplies increase and more progress is made in vaccinating those currently eligible.
There are some specific instructions for the newly eligible groups:
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Transitional Kindergarten through 12th grade school employees will be scheduled through the San Diego County Office of Education and the California Schools VEBA (their benefits provider). The priority will be schools already open and planning to open, and then those closed, starting with those in the fourth quartile of the California Healthy Places Index. A full 20% of the county’s vaccine supply is being set aside for education, 10% more than the state’s goal.
- Appointments exclusive to the law enforcement community will be organized by Scripps Health.
- For farm workers in fields and rural locations, CAL FIRE and Operation Collaboration will take the lead in scheduling remote vaccination events.
Patience urged
With these new groups becoming eligible, vaccine providers are expecting huge demand, which will initially exceed vaccine supply. New appointments will open up as soon as new supplies arrive, so please check back often if you are eligible. If you are 65 or older, you can call 2-1-1 for help with getting an appointment.
The group after that
The county has also announced that starting March 15, people with underlying conditions can begin signing up for vaccinations. Here is a list of those conditions:
- Cancer, current with debilitated or immunocompromised state
- Chronic kidney disease, stage 4 or above
- Chronic pulmonary disease, oxygen dependent
- Down syndrome
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant
- Pregnancy
- Sickle cell disease
- Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies (excludes hypertension)
- Severe obesity (Body Mass Index ≥ 40 kg/m2)
- Type 2 diabetes mellitus with hemoglobin A1c level greater than 7.5%
OR
If, as a result of a developmental or other severe high-risk disability, one or more of the following applies:
- The individual is likely to develop severe life-threatening illness or death from COVID-19 infection
- Acquiring COVID-19 will limit the individual’s ability to receive ongoing care or services vital to their well-being and survival
- Providing adequate and timely COVID-19 care will be particularly challenging as a result of the individual’s disability
Vaccine progress
To date, over 828,000 COVID-19 doses have been delivered to the region with more than 777,000 administered. The difference between the two numbers represents approximately what is expected to be administered in the next seven days and the doses that still need to be entered in the record system. More than 6,200 doses were administered and pending documentation.
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Those vaccinated to date include more than 196,000 San Diegans who are fully vaccinated, while 19.6% of the population over age 16 has received at least one dose.
Johnson & Johnson vaccine
On Wednesday the FDA released information showing that the new Johnson & Johnson one-dose vaccine is safe and effective. The FDA is scheduled to consider emergency use authorization on Friday. You can watch the proceedings live on YouTube via this link on the FDA website. If the vaccine is approved, the company has said it could deliver 20 million doses by the end of March and 100 million total by the end of June.
Tracking and preventing variants
As per usual, good news is tempered by new concerns. A California variant of COVID-19, which has been around since late last year, now makes up between 30% and 40% of cases in the state. Similar to the U.K. variant, this new strain is potentially more contagious and more serious.
Limiting COVID-19 spread overall is the very best way to deal with these new variants and prevent new variants from emerging. The more COVID-19 spreads, the more variants will emerge, each carrying the potential to be worse, including being more resistant to vaccines.
Some health professionals have likened our current situation to a race between getting people vaccinated and new vaccine resistant variants emerging.
The same simple precautions we’ve talked about since day one are effective in preventing infection with variants of COVID-19 too.
Case updates
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Golden State Stimulus Package
On Tuesday, the governor signed a nearly $7.6 billion Golden State Stimulus Package to help people and businesses recover from the pandemic induced recession. The COVID-19 relief package was made possible by higher than expected tax revenues in California despite economic hardships brought on by the pandemic.
The relief package includes:
- $600 stimulus checks for 5.7 million Californians making $30,000 or less per year. This includes people who claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit in 2020 and immigrants with an Individual Tax Identification Number who were excluded from previous federal stimulus payments. Those individuals who fall into both categories will receive a total of $1,200.
- $2 billion in grants for small businesses and nonprofits that can assist with employee expenses, rent and cost associated with COVID-19 compliance.
- $35 million for food banks and diapers and $42 million for financial assistance to agricultural workers who have to quarantine due to COVID-19.
- Fee relief for barber and cosmetology businesses.
- Fee relief for two years to restaurants and bars that have experienced economic impacts due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- $400 million for childcare providers.
- $100 million in financial aid for low-income community college students who are carrying six or more units.
- Almost $6 million in support for CalFresh to assist university and community college students facing food insecurity.
More rental assistance
Starting March 2, low-income households can apply for the county’s emergency rental assistance program. To be eligible:
- Household income must be at or below 80% Area Median Income (see chart below).
- Household must have experienced a financial hardship directly related to COVID-19.
- Household is at risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability.
- Household must not receive any other forms of rental subsidy such as Section 8 or other rental assistance programs, rapid rehousing assistance or rental assistance from non-profit agencies.
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Apply at sdhcd.org. Only one application per household will be processed. Applicants will be able to check their status on the application portal at any point in the process. If you do not have internet access and need assistance in completing an application, call 858-694-4801. A county representative will be able to assist you.
Updated hours at parks, trails and beaches
With the new guidance on outdoor sports and days getting longer, we have resumed normal operating hours at city parks, trails and the city beach, north of Pine Avenue. These hours are:
City parks: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Trails and city beach: Open 24 hours
Milestone reached for new park
Speaking of parks, on Tuesday the City Council approved in concept the recommended master plan for Carlsbad’s newest park. Veterans Memorial Park will be located near the corner of Faraday Avenue and Cannon Road, providing sweeping views of the ocean and Agua Hedionda Lagoon. Of course, all our parks are special, so I’ll just say this new park is going to be “extra” special.
Designed in collaboration with the community, Veterans Memorial Park will bring our first bike park to Carlsbad, where families can try their off roading skills. It will also feature trails, a nature inspired playground and several elements that honor those who have served our country. The master plan report has the park layouts and renderings that will give you a feel for what to expect.
There is still a bit of process to get through before construction can start – the area is home to sensitive habitat, and the environmental review and permitting process will take some time. Construction will take about a year and a half. We are looking at about five years total until the park would be open for use.
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Pickleball open tomorrow for singles play
As a reminder, we are reopening the Poinsettia Park Pickleball courts to singles-only play tomorrow, Friday, Feb. 26. Please be sure to follow the single-play only rule. Doubles-play can resume once our county case numbers hit 14 or fewer per 100,000. We anticipate this happening soon, but until then, we must follow the current health order. Thank you for your cooperation.
COVID-19 testing kits made in Carlsbad thanks to unique partnership
Imagine if you were in the nasal swab business about this time last year? Well, COPAN Diagnostics in Murrieta occupies that very niche, and suddenly found demand increasing exponentially. It needed to drastically increase manufacturing but wasn’t sure it could do it in time to make a difference in the fight against COVID.
That’s when Apple got involved (yes, that Apple). The company provided $10 million from its advanced manufacturing program, as well as expertise in engineering and logistics, to help COPAN open a manufacturing facility right here in Carlsbad. Staff in the city’s planning department worked quickly to make sure the company had all the needed permits to open without delay.
Fast forward and now COPAN has a 38,000-square-foot manufacturing center up and running, off Palomar Airport Road, north of Bressi Ranch. The facility has created hundreds of new jobs and just celebrated shipping its 15 millionth COVID-19 testing kit.
You can read about this amazing story in this article from The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Our new neighbor
We have so much to be thankful for here in Carlsbad. More than anything, we can be thankful for each other. I mentioned Tuesday that we were set to recognize Olympic champion bobsledder Kaillie Humphries at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
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Direct from her car in a parking lot in Salt Lake City, Kaillie was an inspiration. She talked about how much it meant to return recently to her new hometown of Carlsbad to see her neighbors had decorated her walkway and posted signs of congratulations. |
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It just goes to show you, whether you are part of the “locals call it Elm” contingent or have only recently landed, when you live in Carlsbad, you are our neighbor.
Neighbors care for each other. Neighbors #Care4Carlsbad.
Scott Chadwick
City Manager
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