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Morning Lookout: How to sign your kid up for the jab; Thanksgiving special eaters digest

Good Morning! It’s Friday, November 5 and it will be mostly sunny with a high of 66.

Some big national breaking news this morning for you: The Associated Press reports Pfizer is entering the med race and will seek authorization for its new antiviral pill to treat COVID-19 after the company said it cut rates of hospitalization and death by nearly 90% in high-risk adults. Meanwhile, vaccinations are opening up for kids ages 5-11 in Santa Cruz County and our Hillary Ojeda has how you can get your kiddos signed up to get the jab. And far fewer Californians are getting booster shots than originally anticipated, a cause for alarm for public health officials.

Here is your news:

How to sign up children ages 5 to 11 for the COVID-19 vaccine in Santa Cruz County

Long Beach Department of Health & Human Services holds an evening COVID-19 vaccination clinic
(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Parents and guardians started signing up their children ages 5 to 11 for the COVID-19 vaccine this week after a final panel of experts approved the emergency use authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech shot. County officials will launch their vaccine program for the age group Monday. Here’s what you need to know.

Presented by Kaiser Permanente

Health care organizations looks to strengthen services for low-income and homeless residents of the county to bolster...

Grieving relatives sue facilities over COVID-19 deaths. Nursing homes say they’re immune

Portrait of Helena Apothaker holding a photograph of her and her mother Catherine in West Hollywood, CA.
Helena Apothaker holds a photograph of her and her mother, Catherine, in West Hollywood. Apothaker is suing Silverado Senior Living after her Catherine died of COVID-19 at a care facility near the Fairfax District. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Grieving relatives have sued nursing homes and other care facilities, accusing them of deadly failures amid COVID-19. Those facilities argue that they have immunity from such suits under a federal law — the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act — which provides protection against legal claims related to “countermeasures” during a public health emergency. Read more here.

Far fewer Californians getting COVID-19 booster shots than expected, bringing new alarms

Doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on the Vernon City Van
Doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Demand for COVID-19 booster shots in California has been slower than some health officials anticipated, sparking new concerns of at-risk populations losing immunity as the risky holiday season approaches. The alarm is particularly high for elderly people and those with compromised immune systems, groups who have the highest risk of suffering severe consequences or death from breakthrough inflections. Read more here.

QUIZ: Is it time for your COVID-19 booster shot? Take this LA Times quiz to figure it out.

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As UN tackles twin climate threats, California struggles with them, too

A logging truck is among burned trees, felled following the Rim fire, near Groveland, in 2014.
A logging truck is among burned trees, felled following the Rim fire, near Groveland, in 2014. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith california climate un

UN nations have pledged to reduce climate-changing methane and forest destruction within 10 years. Both of these are major contributors to climate change that California has tried — yet struggled — to address. Read more here.

Here’s what California could do to fix the supply chain

The Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro on Sept. 29, 2021. REUTERS/Mike Blake

Global supply chain problems have led to a massive backup at Southern California ports. At a hearing this week, California lawmakers talked with experts about what the state government could do to help, including locating temporary storage, growing the truck driving and warehouse workforces, suspending regulations, and creating a new inland port. Read more here.

READ ALSO: New study finds millions of California workers are ‘functionally unemployed’ (CalMatters)

Presented by UC Santa Cruz

Chancellor Cynthia Larive has been meeting regularly with local leaders to find ways to maximize the university’s...

LILY BELLI: Eaters Digest on Thanksgiving season, prime farmers market season & fizzy beat juice

The persimmons are out in glorious force at the farmers markets right now.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)

In this week’s Eaters Digest, Lookout Food Correspondent Lily Belli has all the things you need to prep for the upcoming holiday from where to order turkeys, baked goods and more, plus the pick of the litter from farmers markets around Santa Cruz County. Read the whole thing here.

‘A little plant paradise’: Leaf & Vine plans jam-packed weekend celebration for its second anniversary

Maria Alvarez and Clay Powell, owners of downtown Santa Cruz plant shop Leaf & Vine.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)

Santa Cruz urban plant store Leaf & Vine is celebrating its two-year anniversary, and the first anniversary of its move downtown, this weekend. The store, known for its accessibility to plants ranging from common to rare, is planning its biggest release of rare plants to date Saturday. Read more from Lookout contributor Haneen Zain here.

THIS WEEK’S BOLO Best Bets: First Friday, wearable art, sea glass and Cabrillo Gallery back in person (Team BOLO/ Lookout Santa Cruz)

DOWN THE LINE: All the biggest and best shows, gigs & events ahead in Santa Cruz County (Team BOLO / Lookout Santa Cruz)

Around the county...

San Lorenzo Valley Water District greenlights first step in exploring merger with Big Basin (Santa Cruz Sentinel)

PVUSD facing bus driver shortage (The Pajaronian)

Incentives help landlords rent to Santa Cruz County’s homeless (Santa Cruz Local)

That’s it for today. If you’re enjoying our coverage, please tell your family and friends about our Lookout Newsletter & Text Center, where they can sign up for all the newsletters and alerts we offer. You can also keep tabs on everything we’re publishing through the day by bookmarking our website and following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Have a great day!

Tulsi Kamath
Lookout Santa Cruz

As of September 2021, only 73 advisors have earned the designation in the State of California. Sam Solgan of Bay Federal...