Dear Folks,

Good morning.  Hope you enjoyed a restful and rewarding week-end.

In my "environmental scanning" of articles about the pandemic, I came across an interesting piece in the Davis Vanguard recently written by Madison Forwood on/titled  "Healthy Davis Together"  I would recommend this article as it gave a useful review of that program.

One element that particularly caught my eye was the final two paragraphs:

Councilmember Dan Carson stated, “I am particularly excited about the Healthy Davis Together Partners Program, I think you are tapping into downtown and Chamber really well to help in these efforts because not only are they good at communication but they are a trusted source of communication to our local businesses…We are all impressed with the wide variety of things you are undertaking here. I think it’s going to make us a safer community, no question.”

However, Carson also raised a concern, stating, “You are doing so well on the numbers, but I think when I counted it was five or six clicks through websites to try and get to your dashboard and your numbers. The contrast I would give you is the Yolo County Coronavirus website. It’s one click and you are there with all of the numbers. If you could make your numbers easier to navigate, I think it would be helpful to all of you.” 

Here Dan Carson is obviously comparing the apparently less accessible UC Davis Public Facing CV Dashboard to the Yolo County Public Health Department version which is easier to navigate.

Which raises a question for me that has come up over and over:  Why does UC Davis have a separate, distinct, different Public Facing Coronavirus Dashboard at all?  From training and research in public health I know that the organization of data sources, data flows, and data displays can be complicated at the same time that it is very, very important for both communication and decision making purposes.  Especially in the midst of a pandemic!  So, why have two different dashboards with different display and presumably different data management protocols?

Can somebody help me understand why UCD has a SEPARATE public dashboard?

Regards,

John

PS  Don't want to miss Carson's positive comment about the Partners Program.  Noted!

Dear Folks,

Don't know about you, but I have never dined at French Laundry. 

This is how Lonely Planet describes this outstanding restaurant:

The pinnacle of California dining, Thomas Keller’s three-Michelin-star rated French Laundry is epic, a high-wattage culinary experience on par with the world’s best. Book one month ahead on the online app Tock, where tickets are released in groupings. This is the meal you can brag about the rest of your life.

Yes, as I said, I have never been there *** But our Governor has.  And recently.  He and the wife went to a birthday party for one of his "advisors".  Who is also a lobbyist.  Jason Kinney.  Turned 50.  Hmmm…… 

And there were so many people (a dozen) there from so many different households that they violated the guidelines from the California Department of Public Health.

Oh my!  What's up with that?

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Hello Folks,

My dear friend Brian recently got married and when we were chatting for my birthday this week, he invited me over to dinner at his home in Sacramento with his new wife Pennie.  He is a high school buddy and we have had a wonderful friendship ever since our Freshman year in high school when we were both on the Track Team at a Bay Area high school.

So, I was really interested in his invitation.

But I thought…. "Better ask him a couple of questions first".  So, I did.

ME:          Brian, did you or anyone else in the wedding party get sick after your wedding?  

BRIAN:   Not that I know of.  

Hmmm, ok.  that's good news. Sort of.  Kind of qualified, though.  But still, on the positive ledger.

And then,

ME:        Brian, have you gotten tested for the coronavirus?  

BRIAN:  No, dadgumit, I have tried to get tested at my health care provider *** but they say I do not qualify!

Further,

ME:        Well, you HAVE gotten the flu shot, haven't you?  That's pretty available now.

BRIAN:  To be honest John, I have not done that before, so no I have not gotten the flu shot this year, but I AM thinking about it.

BOOM!  Knocked me back on my feet.  Here is my dear friend, someone I have been good buddies with for OVER 50 years asking me for a first dinner at his home with his new wife (and I hear she is a good cook!) to celebrate my birthday and I REALLY wanted to go!

So, what did I tell Brian?  (Please note:  Brian knows I am spending a fair amount of time caring for my 91 year old Mother in her condo nearby).

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Dear Folks,

That's the "Test positivity" rate of Yolo County @ 6.15%  (as of a few minutes ago) vs the 10 counties of the Bay Area that are at 3.7%.  

It helps explain a few things….. on the news in the Bay Area is a new warning from the collective Bay Area Public Health Departments…. they are saying "If you are going to travel outside of the Bay Area for the holidays please check the % positivity rate of your destination before you go and decide accordingly".

And they add that if you go to a high positivity area, please self-quarantine for 14 days after you come back.

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Dear Folks,

As Yolo County is on the precipice of going in the wrong direction (from the Red Tier to the Purple Tier), we might pause and wonder:  Why is Napa County doing so much better than us?

They are firmly in the Orange Tier.

Well, maybe we can look at the dashboards for each county and see what we can find:

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Yikes!

That's the message that will be sent out to various types of business and all places of worship next week if Yolo County does not avoid sliding into the "Purple Tier" of coronavirus status.

Question: Which businesses are involved?

Restaurants for sure. Gym/fitness centers. Movie theaters. Might be more but those are for sure. I sure hope that moving to PURPLE does NOT affect the Davis Farmers' Market! The Market Manager there has been very diligent about reminding people about mask wearing and has spread out the physical positioning of booths to reduce risk of virus transmission.

Question: When will we find out?

Next Tuesday, November 10th. The State of California will review our numbers for a two week period and if we are showing bad performance in the key coronavirus indicators, then they will issue a "Move to PURPLE" order. There is some room for negotiation if the numbers from the preceding 10 days are showing improvement.

Question: How do you keep up/find out more?

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