COVID PM: With California doing so well it makes sense to wonder: How much are we free to congregate?

By Mark Conley

Source: Lookout Santa Cruz

Happy Wednesday, everyone — here are your COVID/vaccine topics du jour ...

➤ Can we mingle yet? Hint: Patience is a virtue.
➤ California in the lead: The lowest COVID case rate in the continental U.S. resides in the Golden State.
➤ Vaccine fortitude: A natural next feeling for those who have been fully vaccinated: How long am I good for?

Extrapolating on those headlines ...

When will it be OK to start mixing households again?

PANDEMIC LIFE: Case rates in Santa Cruz County are among the lowest in the state. Amid this good news — and much of the economy reopening — residents may be wondering when they can reopen their homes to their friends. Short answer: not yet. More from Mallory Pickett here.

➤ COVID TODAY: California’s coronavirus case rate now the lowest in the continental U.S. | The state’s latest seven-day new case rate — 40.3 per 100,000 people — is dramatically lower than the nationwide rate of 135.3 over that same time period. (LA Times)

How long will my vaccine protection last?

VACCINE WATCH: In the United States, the number of adults who have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine is now higher than the number who haven’t. In addition, one in three U.S. adults are now fully vaccinated, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With so many Americans becoming immunized — and millions more joining them each day — it’s natural to look ahead and wonder how long this protection will last. The answer is as simple as it is unsatisfying: No one knows. More from the LA Times on that here.

San Francisco is open and uncrowded: What you can do

The skyline of downtown San Francisco with the Golden Gate bridge taken from Battery Spencer, former Fort Baker site.

PANDEMIC LIFE: With San Francisco’s move into the “orange” tier of pandemic recovery next week, restaurants can open up to half of their indoor seating — a move that puts San Francisco a few weeks ahead of much of the state because of improved COVID-19 test numbers and vaccination rates. A visitor now can expect busier restaurants, revived museums, a new Ferris wheel in Golden Gate Park, and a higher fisherman-to-tourist ratio than Fisherman’s Wharf has seen in generations. The Times details the do’s and don’t here.

➤ When your favorite California attractions will reopen, from Disneyland to Death Valley (LA Times)

More from here & elsewhere

➤ Biden hits 200 million vaccine doses. The next 200 million will be a lot harder (CNN)
➤ FDA report details flaws at Emergent facility making Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine (CNN)
➤ How Do We Stop The Next Pandemic? Here’s A New Strategy (NPR)
➤ Flush with cash, affluent Americans are chasing million dollar listings during pandemic (USA Today)
➤ Trump administration awarded a firm $1.3 billion to make COVID vaccine syringes. Where are the syringes? (NBC News)
➤ UCSF doctor weighs in on new COVID variant identified in Texas (SF Gate)
➤ There are only 20 countries in the world OK to travel to, US State Dept. says (SF Gate)

And finally ... the big event

Santa Cruz Eats!” is part of Lookout’s COVID 2021 series, a special initiative to do deep reporting and community engagement on the pandemic — and economic recovery.

Damani Thomas, owner and chef at Oswald; Brad Briske, co-owner and chef of HOME in Soquel; and Gema Cruz, chef at Gabriella Cafe, will join Lookout for a virtual conversation at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 4, hosted by Lookout food contributor Amber Turpin and me.

Click here to register for this awesome, FREE event.

Thanks for reading COVID PM and please consider becoming a Lookout member if you’re not already. We can’t provide the local journalism we do without your support.

Mark Conley
Deputy Managing Editor