COVID PM: State hits new COVID lows as June 15 approaches — several events this weekend
Happy Friday evening and welcome to the weekend.
Here’s your need-to-know as we head toward June 15...
California COVID-19 plunges to new lows
Fuels hope big reopening won’t bring new surge: The state is now reporting an average of fewer than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases per day. The last time case counts were this low was March 31, 2020 — when the pandemic was just beginning to roar to life and testing was limited. More from the LA Times here.
Officials raise alarms about another respiratory virus
As COVID-19 fades, another worry emerges: Cases of RSV, a respiratory virus, fell amid pandemic shutdowns last year. Now it’s reemerging in the South, and children may be more vulnerable. More from the Times here.
Quick Take
Nestled in Happy Valley between Granite and Branciforte Creeks, this stately Victorian home will take your breath away....
County health agencies — fighting disease — also have to fight for state funds
County health systems in crisis: As the governor and lawmakers wrangle over the budget, local public health departments are underfunded and overwhelmed. Outdated equipment and insufficient staff hamper handling of everything from asthma to syphilis. More from CalMatters here.
RELATED: ‘I was absolutely shocked’: Dr. Gail Newel on Newsom’s refusal to fund public health departments
Helping ‘lead the world out of this’: G-7 summit opens with talks on pandemic, climate change: Biden and allied leaders open the three-day Group of 7 summit in England focusing on how to end the COVID-19 pandemic and tackle climate change. More from the Times here.
Coming Saturday: Make parody great again?
Roy Zimmerman takes lefty musical satire back on road post-Trump, post-COVID: Roy Zimmerman’s Trump-bashing “The Liar Tweets Tonight” was a pandemic internet darling. Now he’s venturing back out to see how musical satire plays in real life, starting Saturday at Michael’s on Main in Soquel. More from Wallace Baine here.
Sunday paddleout & more at Cowell’s
‘There are Black people in this town — and they’d like to be part of this’: Last year’s traditional Juneteenth celebrations had to be canceled or truncated due to COVID-19, and during this year’s planning, Esabella Bonner “wasn’t sure if there would be able to be a Juneteenth.” But the organizer of the Black Surf Club Santa Cruz persevered and the pandemic has waned. Sunday’s festivities at Cowell’s should attract a crowd. More from Liza Monroy here.
Hula’s Island Grill: riding the COVID wave to a better future
Hula’s Island Grill: riding the COVID wave to a better future
Quick Take
Hula’s Island Grill has been a fixture in the community since 2006, but when the pandemic hit, they experienced...
More from here & elsewhere
➤ National park visitors surge as Covid-19 restrictions wane (CNN)
➤ Dangerous Covid variants could set back national progress against the pandemic, officials warn (CNN)
➤ Unemployed workers in these four states lose their federal benefits this weekend (NBC News)
➤ For teen vaccinations, Southern states lag while Northeast surges (NBC News)
➤ China’s children next in line for COVID-19 vaccine (ABC News)
➤ House lifts mask mandate for fully vaccinated lawmakers, staff after more than a year of restrictions (USA Today)
➤ Who is being hospitalized for Covid-19? The unvaccinated (NBC News)
➤ Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson suspended for a week from YouTube for COVID misinformation (USA Today)
➤ The CDC just moved 33 countries to the lowest level of COVID-19 travel risk (SF Gate)
Have a great weekend, everyone.
Mark Conley
Deputy Managing Editor