COVID PM & BEYOND: Fukushima wonders where it’s golden Olympic moment went; what to make of the Delta variant

Quick Take:

Kaiser Permanente’s Santa Cruz County service area is building partnerships with community and government organizations...

Happy Thursday evening, folks.

To the headlines of the day we go, some COVID and some not-so COVID…

The Delta variant: How worried should I be?

Making some sense of it: The Delta variant, the fourth most-often identified variant in California, may be twice as transmissible as the conventional strain. Unvaccinated people are most at risk. More from the LA Times here.

PREVIOUS: The new coronavirus Delta variant: Why some are worried, and some are not (LAT)

Everything you want to know about COVID-19 booster shots

No guarantees: If scientists discover that immunity to the coronavirus starts to wane months or years after vaccination, a booster shot could be deployed. More from the Times here.

Far from Olympic limelight, the waves of Fukushima are ‘healing’ for local surfers

A sign marks Kitaizumi Beach, a popular surfing spot and one of the areas affected by the 2011 triple disaster whose recovery was supposed to be highlighted by the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Credit: LA Times

Ten years later: Fukushima was hoping the Olympics would make people forget the 2011 nuclear disaster. But the best surfers in the world will not be riding the waves along the region’s coast. More from the Times here.

A U.S. town marooned at the tip of a Canadian peninsula

At the border — Notary public Julia Carlson, left, stands at the U.S.-Canada border in Point Roberts, Wash., to stamp U.S. documents for Khue Le and his wife, Shelby, who had to remain on the Canadian side. (Richard Read / Los Angeles Times)

Caught between a border and a hard place: Point Roberts, Wash., long prospered as an appendage of Canada. But pandemic restrictions cut it off from civilization. More from the Times here.

Some disabled Californians feel abandoned by Newsom’s Golden State Stimulus

Here’s why: Gov. Gavin Newsom sent $600 Golden State Stimulus checks to some Californians with disabilities, but passed over others. As the Legislature negotiates with Newsom over his proposal to expand the program, Californians who receive Social Security Disability Insurance say they’re fed up with being overlooked during the pandemic. More from CalMatters.

See you all again tomorrow night as we head into the weekend.

Mark Conley
Deputy Managing Editor