UC Santa Cruz epidemiologist Marm Kilpatrick has unlocked clues to whether COVID-19 vaccines prevent vaccinated people from passing the virus to others. His laboratory for testing scientific — and public — opinion? Twitter.
Mallory Pickett
Follow Mallory Pickett on: Twitter. Mallory brings deep expertise in environmental issues to Lookout, as well as national reporting experience that she will now apply in her hometown of Santa Cruz. She began her career as a chemist, studying ocean acidification at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, before being drawn to journalism.As a freelance journalist she’s written about science, the environment, and politics for a variety of publications including The New York Times Magazine, The Guardian, Wired, and Slate. Her work has been included in several anthologies, including “What Future,” in 2017, and “The Craft of Science Writing,” in 2020. Her investigation into gender discrimination at a research institute in San Diego was included as a notable work in the “Best Science and Nature Writing of 2019.”“I care passionately about the well-being of the people and the environment of Santa Cruz County,” she says. “I can think of no better way to contribute to my hometown than to provide rigorous coverage of the parks, ocean, and farmlands that make this place so special.”
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Watsonville Community Hospital under new management, but veil of secrecy surrounds who’s really in charge
SPECIAL REPORT: The company that bought Watsonville Community Hospital in 2019 abruptly stopped managing it last month. The new manager has a troubled history and is under congressional scrutiny. A third party owns the hospital’s building and land. So who’s really calling the shots?
Posted inVaccine Watch
People from as far away as LA try to ‘game the system’ at Santa Cruz County vaccination site
Hundreds of people under the age of 65 — and some from as far away as Los Angeles — signed up for the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds vaccination clinic, causing “mass confusion and panic” and prompting officials to restructure the event.
Posted inCOVID 2022
UCSC gears up to to begin search for COVID-19 variants in Santa Cruz County
Genetic sequencing of virus samples sourced from the campus and partner clinics is set to begin by the end of February, providing a new surveillance tool that has the potential to detect variants and chart the pandemic’s progression here.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
How much will rail cost, and is it worth it? Santa Cruz County’s 4 mayors, others weigh in
Although three quarters of RTC members voted to accept a recommendation that both rail and a recreation path run along…
Posted inEnvironment
‘The landscape of fear’: Big cats pay a price for avoiding areas now inhabited by humans
Mountain lions burn a lot of extra calories when they are trying to navigate highly developed areas. To save precious energy, male lions reduce their range dramatically, according to new research from UCSC.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Vaccine showdown: Schools here can apply to re-open, but in-person classes unlikely until teachers get doses
In a remarkable display of unity, teachers’ unions from eight of the county’s 10 public school districts joined forces in a letter to county Health Officer Gail Newel on Friday, asking her to reconsider her stance on letting at least some teachers get the COVID-19 vaccine now.
Posted inVaccine Watch
Aegis celebrates its first vaccination clinic, more clinics scheduled across the county
There are a lot of unanswered questions about the COVID-19 vaccine and how it will be distributed in Santa Cruz County….
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Rail Trail decision day: Pivotal vote will either cement or derail passenger rail’s future on coastal line
If Regtional Transportation Commissioners accept a rail-and-trail model, the RTC staff will then create a passenger rail business plan to be presented in April. If not, RTC staff will have to go back to the drawing board
Posted inVaccine Watch
EXCLUSIVE: State says 30K vaccines given here as 8 Bay Area counties decry dearth of doses
The public health officers of eight Bay Area counties, including Santa Cruz County, say they are receiving only a fraction of the vaccines needed to vaccinate residents age 65 and older. At this pace, it could take weeks to vaccinate everyone in that age group, they say.