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Category: Health

  • Responsibility in the age of Covid-19

    County's decision shifts the responsibility from government to individuals

    Yolo-dashboard-5-26-2020By Robin Rainwater

    I've been contemplating the rapidly shifting landscape in Yolo County heavily this week. Not just Yolo County, but in California as a whole. Over the last several months, the Covid-19 pandemic brings me to my data roots and plagues my change management heart. I've spent time using data to influence healthcare policy and over the last few months, I have immersed myself in the data on many levels. I have been helping people in my community understand the data and data trends so that they can make informed decisions for themselves, their families, and communities. I've felt an increasing need to inform more people as I've watched things beginning to unravel because of the balance between economy and preservation of life. A balance that is precariously tipping in a direction that frightens me.

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  • Missing my DAM workouts and my DAM teammates

    DAM-lanemates

    Taking a break between sets. That's me with the water bottle.

    By Roberta Millstein

    I started swimming with Davis Aquatic Masters, better known as DAM, shortly after I moved to Davis in 2007.  I was thrilled to have coach-led sets and a group of people to train with – so much more fun, and ultimately much more productive, than trying to swim on one’s own. 

    I quickly fell into a routine and decided that, rather than constantly reciting to myself all the many physical and psychological benefits of swimming, I would just understand that swimming three times a week was A Thing That I Would Do.  Period.  Only the most serious of reasons would cause me to miss a workout.  And I stuck with that.  Travel, serious illness, a grad student’s exam that couldn’t be scheduled at any other time – those were about the only things that would cause me to miss a workout.

    Until, of course, we finally started to realize the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic.  On March 16, DAM strongly recommended that seniors stop going to workouts.  I watched several people leave sadly.  It was an eerie, surreal practice.  I remember I went home and said to my partner sadly, “I think that might have been my last DAM workout for a while.”[1]  And indeed, by the end of the day, DAM had sent out an email cancelling workouts for everyone.  Even though the County and State official stay-at-home orders wouldn’t come for a few more days, that was really the beginning for me.

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  • Why the Bakersfield Doctors Should Not Be Believed

    Screen Shot 2020-04-28 at 1.28.07 PMBy Robert Canning

             Two physician-entrepreneurs who own a string of urgent care clinics in Bakersfield claim the data they have collected from testing for coronavirus proves that the current “stay-at-home” and physical distancing orders need to end and that COVID-19 is “just like the flu.” Their YouTube video interview from last week has been viewed more than five million times. It has garnered attention from the likes of Elon Musk who tweeted “Docs make good points” and Fox News host Laura Ingraham who played excerpts Monday night. But their claims have sparked wide controversy from experts in academia who say their assumptions are flawed, their sample biased, and their extrapolations “implausible.” The Kern County health office has stated it does not agree with their claims. And yesterday their original video was removed for what YouTube says are violations of its “community guidelines.”

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  • Blow, Virus! Blow!

    Redefining the home as a workplace and school environment 

    Battle_of_Yavin_2

    The following was sent earlier this week to Dr. Ron Chapman, Yolo County Health Officer,  and the Yolo County Board of Supervisors:

    “Dear Dr. Chapman and Supervisors,

    This is a follow-up to my early queries and comments about advice on HVAC systems and ventilation of residences and more recently links I sent with evidence on how SARS-CoV-2 particles might be distributed even through normal respiration. It’s excerpted from what’s here.

    Lately, many store workers in California have tested positive for COVID-19. There's now CDC guidance for essential workers that says to "… increase air exchange in the building.". The EPA also just sent out guidance on safety in school environments, which is still useful even though our schools are closed. It reminds schools to maintain their HVAC system. ASHRAE provides a link to an earlier version of the above-mentioned guidance from the CDC. Finally, there's also OSHA guidance on preparing workplaces for COVID-19. It's summarized here and says that the Engineering Control process includes "installing high-efficiency air filters" and "increasing ventilation rates in the work environment."

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  • Lessons from past plagues

    10plaguesBy Alan Hirsch

    The news cycle dominated by Trump and the virus plague will be interrupted midweek in some Davis homes by the Jewish holiday of Passover.

    This is a recitation of the story of earlier plagues that lead up to the exodus from Egyptian slavery. Wednesday and Thursday nights are the first nights of Passover.

    The 3,000-year-old Passover home ritual acts will seem strangely relevant this year. The ritual name “Passover” is to literally ask the plague to pass over our homes as we shelter in place.

    We are asked to wash our hands twice. To dip our food in salt water. And to get over the plagues we’re asked to take two tablets — of the 10 Commandments. And go to Mt. Sinai — the real mountain not the hospital.

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  • Davis Farmers Market remains essential

    Davisfarmersmarket(From press release) During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Davis Farmers Market remains open as an essential grocery provider.

    A few community members have expressed concern, but Executive Director Randii MacNear reminds patrons that “this is not Picnic in the Park.” County and state health officials are clear that Certified Farmers Markets are vital to community food security. The market ­– open from 3 to 6 p.m. Wednesdays and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays in Central Park – is a place to grab fresh food straight from the producer.

    “We are grateful for the many customers who have commented by email, phone or social media posts, thanking us for keeping the market open, and for providing a safe marketplace,” MacNear said.

    The market has reorganized vendor booth setups and added spacing between sellers. There are lots of signs requesting social distancing, and extra hand-washing stations. MacNear encourages shoppers to come alone to ease crowds.

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  • Governor issues clarification of stay-at-home rules

    Outdoor exercise, care for the children and elderly, and more

    Screen Shot 2020-03-21 at 8.33.40 AMBy Roberta Millstein

    Last night at around 10:30 PM, the Office of the Governor of California tweeted that there was new information available for the Governor’s Stay-at-home rule.  You can find those online at: https://covid19.ca.gov/stay-home-except-for-essential-needs/

    For example, many people had wondered whether they could still go outside for exercise.  The webpage clarifies that:

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  • Davis Pride Festival postponed

    (From press release) The sixth annual Davis Pride Festival, originally scheduled for Sunday, May 17, is postponed. For a new date, organizers are considering a Sunday in September or October.

    The decision to delay the event is prompted by public health officials’ guidance on preventing spread of the novel coronavirus. The move follows steps recommended to organizers of large public gatherings to ensure the health of the larger community.

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  • Need to focus on essentials for City’s COVID-19 Emergency

    Covid19Dear Davis City Council,

    Thank you for considering declaring a local emergency.  I am fully in support of that.  I am writing to strongly urge that you add (something like) the following to the “Proclamation of a Local Emergency in Response to COVID-19”: 

    “The City will not take action on any major development projects during the emergency, including but not limited to the Aggie Research Campus (ARC).”

    My reasons are as follows:

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  • Davis Farmers Market continues, adds precautions

    Davisfarmersmarket(From press release) The Davis Farmers Market continues its regular schedule while taking additional precautions in light of COVID-19 concerns. [Note: this is an updated announcement that contains the current no-samples policy].

    The market added a third hand-washing station, and remains vigilant about cleaning all surfaces and vendor tablecloths. Sellers stay home if they are ill.

    “Shopping outdoors is a relatively low-risk environment, and our farmers and producers look forward to sharing their weekly harvest and fresh products,” Executive Director Randii MacNear said. Those who have concerns about being in crowds are encouraged to shop the first hour of the market when it’s less crowded, and to maintain an arm’s length distance from others.

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