COVID PM: Being Asian American during a pandemic, the June 15 goal specifics

By Mark Conley

Source: Lookout Santa Cruz

Hello, everyone, here’s what we know on a Wednesday evening...

➤ Spike Wong asked someone to mask up after he had walked into a Santa Cruz donut store. The response he received back was appalling — and became part of the storyteller’s latest work.
➤ A June 15 reopening will require some specific goals to be met. It’s worth taking a closer took.
➤ Kids & vaccine and what those inoculation numbers will mean for school reopenings is another topic well worth a deeper dive.

Being Asian American during a pandemic

Spike Wong shows off his dad's bomber jacket.

Lookout has touched on a number of local stories surrounding the treatment of Asian Americans in Santa Cruz County in recent weeks. Spike Wong’s is one of the more disturbing, and also one of the most inspiring. Wallace Baine explores the issue with the actor and playwright here.

Among those previous stories...
➤ The Hashimoto doctrine: Keep vigilant against racism and stand up for civil rights for Asian Americans
➤ ‘I don’t deserve to be called that’: Asian American teens in Santa Cruz County talk race, identity, pain
➤ Seeking ‘safety & community’: College minister forms local Asian American group, plans vigil to grieve, heal
➤ ‘To some I’ll never be seen as a local’: Hundreds gather to honor Atlanta victims, support AAPI cause

Is a June 15 reopening practical? The specifics

COVID TODAY: June 15 is the target date officials unveiled this week amid continued optimism regarding the statewide landscape of the pandemic as the number of new COVID-19 cases continues to fall and more people are getting vaccinated. Here’s the breakdown of all that must happen from our LA Times content partner.

More California COVID news

➤ Far fewer California seniors are getting vaccinated in ‘red’ counties than urban areas (LA Times)
➤ Gavin Newsom says recall is ‘absolutely not’ influencing reopening plans (SF Gate)
➤ California Counties a Hodgepodge of Highs and Lows in Vaccinating Vulnerable Seniors (Kaiser Health News)
➤ For This Hospice Nurse, the Covid Shot Came Too Late (Kaiser Health News)

Kids, schools and the COVID-19 vaccine

Children in Santa Cruz County are enmeshed in distance learning and virtual classes amid the coronavirus pandemic.

COVID-K-12: Children may soon be eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations, potentially helping California schools to fully reopen for in-person instruction. EdSource digs deeper into this issue here.

More from here & elsewhere

➤ White House rejects U.S. vaccine passports, skirting uproar (LA Times)
➤ Five states account for 43% of the country’s new Covid-19 cases in the past week (CNN)
➤ One in 4 U.S. adults is now fully vaccinated (NBC News)
➤ Vaccine Refusal May Put Herd Immunity At Risk, Researchers Warn (NPR)
➤ United Airlines workers protest potential layoffs after company received billions in Covid relief (CNN)
➤ U.K. coronavirus variant is now the dominant strain in the U.S., CDC says (NBC News)
➤ Brazil passes 4,000 daily Covid deaths, hospitals at breaking point (NBC News)
➤ New York hospital launches COVID-19 saliva testing for those seeking to attend large events, fly internationally (ABC News)
➤ California has lowest COVID-19 positivity rate in US: Which states have highest? (SF Gate)

Two more things for today

➤ IF YOU HAVEN’T signed up for our event next Wednesday on the reopening of activities in Santa Cruz, here’s the place to do that.
➤ IF YOU HAVE tried to sign up for — or perhaps even gotten — vaccination recently, hit reply and describe your experience. We’ve only got each other!

Until tomorrow.

Mark Conley
Deputy Managing Editor