Monthly Archives: February 2021

Empty shelves at a Target in Burbank, Calif., on March 14, 2020. Many people across the U.S. are approaching the one-year anniversary of the moment they went into lockdown and realized life as they knew it had changed. Amy Sussman/Getty Images hide caption

Empty shelves at a Target in Burbank, Calif., on March 14, 2020. Many people across the U.S. are approaching the one-year anniversary of the moment they went into lockdown and realized life as they knew it had changed.

It has been nearly a year since much of the U.S. entered coronavirus-related lockdowns. For many people, they're approaching the anniversary of when they realized that life as they knew it was being fundamentally altered from how it had been a month, a week or even a day earlier.

The work-from-home era began. Bare grocery store shelves, empty subway cars, the absence of rush-hour traffic all seemed like post-apocalyptic scenes. Things that people often took for granted like hugs, seeing friends at birthday parties, dinners out together and midday coffee runs with colleagues were no longer considered safe and harmless as they had been before.

Professional sports leagues canceled or postponed entire seasons, and celebrities like Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson announced they had tested positive for the coronavirus.

Around the world, there was still so much unknown about the coronavirus and so much uncertainty about how life would look in two weeks let alone one year later.

As we approach the anniversary of the World Health Organization officially declaring the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic, NPR Weekend Edition host Lulu Garcia-Navarro asked her Twitter followers to use #TheMoment to share when they realized that things were going to be different where they were and what they were thinking when they realized that a shift was happening.

Thousands of responses poured in. We've collected some of those replies and are sharing them below. To share your memory from a year ago, use the hashtag #TheMoment on Twitter or email us at nprcrowdsource@npr.org with the words "The Moment" in the subject line.

For many people, the moment they realized they were entering pandemic life happened in the aisles of their grocery store as they stocked up on nonperishable food or found complete sections wiped out. Did you cook those dried beans? Try, and fail, to find hand sanitizer and toilet paper?

Child care and the blur between work and home life represented the moment for countless others. Many people shared stories of their kids coming home from school, day care or college for what was supposed to be two weeks and ended up being many months instead.

Teachers also shared moments and scenes from empty classrooms. Even today, many school districts remain fully or partially remote.

Live events, including sports and music, were where some people realized that their lives were changing and they wouldn't be able to be back in that setting for a long while.

For others, small gatherings with their friends and family were the last "normal" moments they had. Some people didn't go through with their events as planned but instead began what would become a trend: household-only events or socially distanced hangouts.

Doctors also shared when they realized that the task before them and the volume of patients they were about to see were dramatically changing.

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1 Year Of COVID-19: People Share When They Realized Life Was Changing - NPR

Dr. Anthony Fauci called all three U.S. coronavirus vaccines highly efficacious. NBC

Dr. Anthony Fauci has urged Americans not to turn their nose up at the COVID-19 vaccine theyre offered, and said all three vaccines currently available to Americans are highly efficacious in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic.

The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said people should take the single-shot Johnson & Johnson JNJ, -2.64% COVID-19 vaccine if thats what they are offered. Speaking on NBCs Meet the Press on Sunday, the veteran immunologist said, If you look at the efficacy against severe disease, its greater than 85%, and theres been no hospitalizations or deaths in multiple countries, even in countries that have the variants.

People are not given a choice between vaccines, but have raised questions about the different efficacy rates. Be careful when you try to parse this percent versus that percent, Fauci added. The only way you know one versus the other is if you compare them head-to-head, and they were not compared head-to-head. They were compared under different circumstances. All three of them are really quite good, and people should take the one thats most available today.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released the results of its trial of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine, and found the vaccine to be safe and effective. An FDA advisory committee vote 22-0 in favor of the regulator authorizing the vaccine on Friday. I think people need to get vaccinated as quickly, and as expeditiously, possible, Fauci said. I would go to a place that had J&J. I would have no hesitancy whatsoever to take it.

The single-dose J&J vaccine had an overall efficacy rate of about 66% in the Phase 3 clinical trial, and the U.S. arm of the trial showed an efficacy rate of about 72% and of 85% when protecting against severe or critical disease. Pfizer PFE, -0.98% and German partner BioNTech SEs BNTX, -2.94% two-dose vaccine has showed 95% efficacy. Meanwhile, Moderna MRNA, +4.33% said itstwo-dose vaccine was about 94% effective.

As of Sunday, 49.8 million people in the U.S. had received their first coronavirus vaccine dose and 24.8 million people in the U.S. had received two doses, according to the CDC. The U.S. has had 28.6 million infections in total, and 513,065 fatalities, according to data aggregated by Johns Hopkins University. In total, 114 million people have been infected by the virus worldwide, and there have been 2.5 million COVID-related deaths around the world.

Fauci has repeatedly said that if the U.S. achieves 70% to 85% of the population vaccinated that would equate to good herd immunity, and the country should start to see a return to normality by the fall. That, of course, may depend on individuals age, circumstances and underlying conditions. You now have three highly efficacious vaccines, for sure, theres no doubt about that, particularly with the recent results from J&J, the doctor said on Sunday.

Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, echoed Faucis sentiments in a conversation with NPR last week. What Ive been saying to my family is, as soon as the J&J vaccine is authorized, if thats what you can get, you should get it as soon as its your turn in line, he said, noting that the J&J vaccine was tested in different contexts to the other vaccines the U.S., some Latin American countries and South Africa which had different mutations.

So that 66% number really represents an amalgamation of a variety of different clinical trials. Moderna and Pfizer were not tested in those circumstances, Jha told the radio show All Things Considered on NPR. And even if you just look at the U.S. data, the Johnson & Johnson number then starts getting much closer to the Moderna and Pfizer numbers. He also pointed out that the J&J vaccine can be stored in most refrigerators.

Jha also pointed out some key advantages to the J&J vaccines authorization in the U.S. The two-shot Pfizer vaccine is particularly hard to manage in, lets say, rural settings, hard-to-reach places, doable, but harder. J&J vaccine much, much easier on that front. There are also certain people who may just decide they would rather get a single shot than two shots and, you know, that may also influence who ends up getting what.

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Dr. Fauci on J&Js COVID-19 vaccine: I would have no hesitancy whatsoever to take it - MarketWatch

The winter surge of COVID-19 brutalized much of Los Angeles County, sending case rates and deaths skyrocketing for weeks.

But in some neighborhoods, the pandemics wrath was barely felt.

In West Hollywood, Malibu and Playa del Rey, infection rates actually fell, or increased much less than elsewhere, according to a Times data analysis of more than 300 neighborhoods and cities across the county.

Those communities relative good fortune can be explained by some obvious demographic factors, such as Malibus low housing density and West Hollywoods large population of singles able to work from home.

But residents and city officials also point to other factors they believe helped keep the pandemic under control: sea breezes, easy access to open space for exercising, a strong culture of mask compliance and, crucially, limited contact with other people.

I am keenly aware that I am in the minority of people, said Shayna Moon, a project manager for a technology company who works from home in Playa del Rey, where case rates declined during the surge. So few people have been protected in the way that people in my age and income bracket and education have been.

The data analysis underscores the wrenching inequities unveiled by the pandemic in L.A. County and beyond.

Some areas the Eastside, eastern San Fernando Valley, South L.A. and southeastern part of the county have been devastated by the coronavirus. Many of these are low-income communities with a high number of residents who are essential workers, putting their lives at risk at supermarkets, manufacturing firms and other businesses. They are far more likely to live in overcrowded conditions, bringing the coronavirus home from work and spreading it among the household.

Hard-hit areas lack the assets vast recreational open space and a population with the economic means to stay home, get goods delivered and work remotely of affluent communities that fared better. It was not just living in sprawling single-family homes rather than denser apartments that made the difference, but additional economic and lifestyle factors.

When taken as a whole, these factors paint a tale of two surges showing that the luxuries of location and privilege play an important role in ones ability to avoid the coronavirus.

This story, which examined weekly case rates between Nov. 15 and Jan. 15, is about some of the places the holiday surge passed over.

Masked visitors to the Malibu Pier, which features shops, fishing and restaurants open for outdoor dining.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

In the courtyard of a Malibu shopping plaza last week, Renee Henn, 27, sat on a bench in the sun as people milled around sipping coffee, chatting over lunch at physically distanced tables and popping into a Pilates studio.

Henn, who lives in a house near the beach with her father and his girlfriend, has been able to work remotely for a local tech company during the pandemic. She said lack of density, lifestyle factors and even the Malibu climate could help explain the areas relatively tame COVID-19 numbers.

Were near the water, and the sea air heals, she said. Everybody is outside all the time.

While L.A. Countys coronavirus case rate exploded by 450% during the surge, the case rate for the city of Malibu only doubled. That places it near the top of the list of communities least affected by the surge.

Pricey real estate may have helped to insulate Malibu. The median home value in the seaside community is $2 million, according to census data, and many of the essential workers at restaurants, grocery stores and other businesses in its compact commercial district live outside the area.

The citys affluent residents were able to pivot to working remotely soon after the pandemic started, and most City Hall services and meetings immediately transitioned to online.

A lot of people in Malibu were able to adjust to working from home, said the citys mayor, Mikke Pierson, and I think it made a huge difference compared to all the people that had to head out on 9-to-5 jobs that required them to be out among other people.

Pierson noted that Malibu does not have nursing homes or long-term care facilities (although there have been efforts to establish some), which have been hubs for outbreaks of the virus.

But as a tourist destination, Malibu poses some risks. With up to 15 million visitors a year, Malibu considers crowding on beaches and trails to be a real concern during the pandemic, said city spokesman Matt Myerhoff.

To encourage healthy behavior, the City Council in November passed an ordinance requiring the use of masks. It is enforced with a $50 fine that can be avoided if the person in violation complies immediately. The city also placed digital signage along highways encouraging the use of face coverings in public.

The city has been using all of its communications channels to repeat and reinforce the [Los Angeles County] public health officials safety recommendations [and] health orders, Myerhoff said.

Additionally, the area has plenty of open space. Julia Bagnoli, 36, lives in an Airstream in the woods, she said, in the hilly area of Topanga just east of Malibu. She has a number of jobs including alcohol treatment counseling and teaching yoga at a childrens school but her primary occupation is Vedic astrology, which she has been able to practice remotely throughout the pandemic.

Compared with her woodsy home, the city is just more crowded, she said while playing with her puppy Usha at a shopping plaza on Pacific Coast Highway. She noted that there are only about 10,000 people in Topanga and fewer than 14,000 in Malibu. Theres like 14,000 people in a four-block radius in Hollywood. Were just more spread out.

Cars stream through the intersection of La Cienega Boulevard and Holloway Drive in West Hollywood.

(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

West Hollywood, in some ways, would seem a prime candidate as a superspreader locale. The city jams 36,000 people into less than 2 square miles.

But while other densely populated areas in the county, including parts of South L.A. and the San Gabriel Valley, saw coronavirus case rates skyrocket by more than 1,000% during the surge, West Hollywood saw its cases climb by only 46%.

The main difference: household size. West Hollywood is a place where many residents live alone, according to city data. And many of the areas residents have been able to work from home throughout the pandemic.

Those options are off the table for many of the essential workers and people who depend on multigenerational housing in parts of L.A. that were hit hard by the surge.

Dex Thompson, a 33-year-old actor, said he is the sole occupant of his house near the busy intersection of Fairfax Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard and has been going on Zoom auditions since the start of the pandemic. Even the decision to audition has been deliberate, he said.

Theres a little bit of narcissism here, Thompson said of West Hollywood, as he snacked on sushi and beet juice outside Whole Foods. Everyone feels a little important, like, Im about to be somebody, and youre not, so am I going to risk my life for you or for this opportunity?

A sign of encouragement shines on the Santa Monica Boulevard median in West Hollywood.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

That luxury of housing, work and choices has, in many ways, been a determining factor amid the pandemic.

Lisa Cera, a stylist, said she and her business partner have managed to keep their business afloat by working out of her apartment.

Like Thompson, she is the sole occupant of her home, which is around the corner from West Hollywoods commercial corridor. She has three interns two of whom work remotely and is tested for the coronavirus any time she has to step onto a film set.

Although Cera has friends on the East Coast who have contracted COVID-19, she said she didnt know anyone in West Hollywood who has had it.

Keeping fit may have helped her and others in her neighborhood to stay healthy during the pandemic, she said. She hikes in Runyon Canyon almost every day and is careful to pull her mask tighter when someone gets close to her on the popular trail.

Though ocean breezes and gourmet juices may seem like less-than-quantifiable factors, there is a case to be made for their correlation to health and avoidance of COVID-19.

Lifelong, systemic lack of access to primary healthcare and nutrition, as well as environmental factors like pollution, can contribute to a higher likelihood of illness and death from the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many of those factors have long plagued the poorer, denser and more diverse parts of the county that were hit hardest during the surge.

West Hollywoods network of social programs may have also made a difference. The city provided free grocery and meal delivery for vulnerable residents, expanded assistance for renters and small businesses and developed advanced technological outreach and communication efforts, according to city spokeswoman Lisa Belsanti.

Additionally, West Hollywood, like Malibu, passed an ordinance requiring the use of masks in public.

Some residents said the combination of factors worked.

Were a small city, said Douglas, 49, a real estate developer who declined to give his last name. West Hollywood is good at communicating policies and getting the information out.

In Playa del Rey, an affluent beachfront neighborhood near Los Angeles International Airport, the pandemic has barely registered.

In fact, infection rates declined by 25% during the two-month period identified by The Times.

The area in the heart of Silicon Beach doesnt have Malibus spaciousness, but it seemed to have demographic advantages. The coastal community is largely residential, with a mix of single-family homes and apartments, and it has fewer crowded households than most neighborhoods and cities in the county, according to a Times review of data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Its also among the most affluent and has a high percentage of white-collar workers, meaning many presumably have the advantage of working from home.

Moon, the project manager and a Midwest transplant to the neighborhood, has been cautious about following public health guidelines, she said, expressing gratitude that her employer has allowed her to work from home since April.

Moon said she doesnt step foot outside her apartment without a mask and rarely ventures farther than neighborhood groceries and drugstores.

I assume very little risk on a daily basis. Ive basically been insulated from it because of the demographic that Im in, she said.

Perry Chung walks through the popular commercial center of Playa del Rey with a coffee from Playa Provisions.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

But the public health precautions such as stay-at-home orders and intermittent bans on indoor and outdoor dining have taken their toll on the neighborhood.

At Playa Provisions, a well-known eatery just off the beach, business is down by 75%.

We love being that go-to staple and dependable location for people to come, said Brooke Williamson, the restaurants co-owner and co-chef. Every moment of this has been so painful.

She and her staff never relaxed their safety precautions, even as the neighborhood fared better than other parts of the county, she said.

I tried not to think about the area not being dangerous. I always treated my restaurant and staff and family as if we were in the highest-risk areas to try to avoid being relaxed in any way.

While Williamson talked, more than a dozen people walked by her restaurant. All wore masks.

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Some parts of L.A. avoided the winter COVID-19 surge - Los Angeles Times

Dale Stern(Photo: Submitted by Andrew Stern)

This obituary is part of We Will Remember, a series about those weve lost to the coronavirus.

Dale Stern, anamputee from Warren,used his talents to help design handicap-accessible vehicles and prostheses before he was laid off as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The computer-aided design engineerdied at Beaumont Hospital inRoyal Oak on Nov. 21 after becoming ill with the coronavirus.

Stern, 47, was a graduate of North Farmington High School who returned to school in his 30s to create a better life forhimself and his daughter, according to his brother Andrew Stern. He earned an associate degreein CAD Design and a bachelor's degreein construction management from ITT Tech.

Dale Stern at a concert with daughter Dena.(Photo: Submitted by Andrew Stern)

Stern, who lost his left leg below the knee to diabetes in 2017, loved Mustangs and enjoyed working on them. He hadjust completed building a 1988 Mustang when he lost his leg and could no longer drive a manual transmission. Hewas forced to sell the carafter driving it only once.

He had the gift of gab and could make friends wherever he went, said Andrew Stern,who recalled that his brother loved music, live concerts and meeting people. He was never content sitting around.

Dale Stern with the band Super Bob.(Photo: Submitted by Andrew Stern)

Stern found out he had COVID-19 on Oct. 31. He was lethargic and had a headache that grew so intense heasked his older brother to take him to the ER. He was admitted to the hospital, where he stayed until his death.

Stern leaves to cherish his memorydaughter Dena; siblingsAric, Andrew and Samantha,and his former wife, Terra Letzer.

If you have a family member or close friend who has died from COVID-19 and you would like to share their story, please visit our memorial wall and select Share a story.

Brendel Hightower is an assistant editorat the Detroit Free Press.Contact her at bhightower@freepress.com.

Read or Share this story: https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2021/02/28/warren-amputee-helped-others-disabilities-died-covid-19/4450835001/

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Warren amputee who helped others with disabilities died of COVID-19 - Detroit Free Press

Maine Restaurant Week runs every year from March 1-12. Last year, it was one of the last events to take place before the COVID-19 shutdown.

MAINE, USA For the last 13 years, March 1-12 has been dedicated to Maine Restaurant Week.

"It's a celebration of Maine's incredible restaurants. This year, of course, it is more pandemic focused and we are really eager to get the word out that we should all go out and support our restaurants," Gillian Britt, a co-founder of the event, said.

Restaurants were among the hardest hit during the pandemic, but many adapted to outdoor dining and curbside pickup, two things that will continue throughout Maine Restaurant Week.

"This year we have focused on adding curbside and outdoor, as well as indoor, as categories to Maine Restaurant Week," Britt said.

Britt explained that Maine Restaurant Week is often used as an opportunity for people to experience a new place and dine out with a three course meal, and for some people that was the last time they went out to eat before the pandemic began.

"I've had people tell me that the last meal they had out inside a restaurant was last year's Maine Restaurant Week," Britt said.

This year there isn't a mandate for restaurants to provide that three course meal because of the pandemic, but Britt said a lot of places are still planning to do so.

The original goal of Maine Restaurant Week was to provide a boost to restaurants during the cold winter months when sales are typically low.

"We've had restaurants who've told us that it makes this week in March feel like a week in August," Britt said.

Restaurant owners are excited to get the momentum rolling into spring.

Joseph Christopher, owner of Saltwater Grille and Three Dollar Deweys said he sees more and more customers each week and thinks people are starting to become more comfortable with going out.

"People are starting to get excited about being out so we're hoping it's a good lead up to spring," he said.

While things are different this year, she added that it's important to spread the word that these small local businesses are still here and need support.

"Even just a reminder that these restaurants are still here and need our help and maybe people buy gift cards," she said.

For a full list of restaurants participating in Maine Restaurant Week visit mainerestaurantweek.com.

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Supporting Maine Restaurant Week in the time of COVID-19 - NewsCenterMaine.com WCSH-WLBZ