Thousands of People Receive COVID-19 Vaccinations at Fontana's Speedway | News | Fontanaheraldnews.Com

2/3/2021 Thousands of people receive COVID-19 vaccinations at Fontana's speedway | News | fontanaheraldnews.com

https://www.fontanaheraldnews.com/news/thousands-of-people-receive-covid-19-vaccinations-at-fontanas- speedway/article_341ccb3a-65a2-11eb-86d4-2ba4ac292981.html Thousands of people receive COVID-19 vaccinations at Fontana's speedway

By JERRY SOIFER Feb 2, 2021

Vehicles enter Auto Club Speedway during the vaccination event on Feb. 2. (Contributed photo by Gilbert Gonzalez)

Auto Club Speedway is renowned for bringing people from near and far for motorsports events. The same held true on Feb. 2 for COVID-19 vaccinations.

Hundreds of health care workers, law enforcement and security personnel and other assorted workers were on hand to give the vaccine to 3,500 people who had scheduled appointments in the parking lot of the Fontana facility.

It was the historic rst-ever "super site" vaccination event held in San Bernardino County, and ofcials were pleased with the "incredible response" by the public, according to a post on the county's Facebook page. Appointments lled up very quickly, and many people hoping to get the https://www.fontanaheraldnews.com/news/thousands-of-people-receive-covid-19-vaccinations-at-fontanas-speedway/article_341ccb3a-65a2-11eb-86… 1/3 2/3/2021 Thousands of people receive COVID-19 vaccinations at Fontana's speedway | News | fontanaheraldnews.com vaccine were unable to secure an appointment.

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The event began at 10 a.m. and in the early afternoon, the line for the drive-through event stretched almost four miles along Cherry Avenue to Roanoke Road in northern Fontana, according to a Facebook post by the California Highway Patrol.

This event was only for people ages 65 and over who live or work in the county, emergency professionals who live or work in the county, and front line health care workers who live or work in the county.

A media horde was on hand, including television camera crews and newspaper photographers. They were kept at a distance from the area in the parking lot where vaccinations were administered.

Fred Berzak, a Rancho Cucamonga resident, was rst in line. As he neared the vaccination area, he was descended upon by the media.

He eagerly gave his name. Not fearing the television correspondents were carriers of COVID-19, he took off his protective mask and smiled broadly. "I want to thank President Trump for the vaccine," he said.

Nurses such as Deanna Howard, a resident of Detroit, and Jasmine Chestnut, a resident of Syracuse, came from around the country for the event.

County health ofcials said that while vaccines remain in short supply, they emphasized that soon there will be many more vaccination opportunities.

https://www.fontanaheraldnews.com/news/thousands-of-people-receive-covid-19-vaccinations-at-fontanas-speedway/article_341ccb3a-65a2-11eb-86… 2/3 2/3/2021 Thousands of people receive COVID-19 vaccinations at Fontana's speedway | News | fontanaheraldnews.com “While we are unable to immediately accommodate everyone who would like to be vaccinated, establishing this large, centrally located site represents an important milestone in our battle against the coronavirus,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Curt Hagman in a news release. “We plan to announce additional vaccination sites throughout the county, including mobile vaccination teams, as soon as the State provides the County with sufcient doses.”

The Ontario Convention Center will open as a vaccination site on Thursday, Feb. 4 and operate from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Appointments for this location will become available soon.

Appointments may also be available through non-county providers, including hospitals, pharmacies and physician practices. A list of all vaccine providers, along with links for setting an online appointment, can be found at https://sbcovid19.com/vaccine/locations/.

Residents wanting more information can also call the county’s hotline at (909) 387-3911 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Residents receiving an initial dose at the Auto Club Speedway event will be able to immediately schedule an appointment to receive their second dose at a follow-up speedway event on March 2.

https://www.fontanaheraldnews.com/news/thousands-of-people-receive-covid-19-vaccinations-at-fontanas-speedway/article_341ccb3a-65a2-11eb-86… 3/3 2/3/2021 Traffic piles up as 3,500 vaccinated against coronavirus at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana – San Bernardino Sun

LOCAL NEWS •• News Traffic piles up as 3,500 vaccinated against coronavirus at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana

Vehicles wait in a long line as they enter Auto Club Speedway in Fontana during San Bernardino County’s first “super site” to distribute the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021. As of 1 p.m. the line to enter the speedway stretched to north of Foothill Boulevard, approximately 3 miles. The site was giving out 3,500 first doses of the vaccine. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

By RYAN HAGEN || [email protected] || TheThe SunSun PUBLISHED: February 2, 2021 at 11:26 a.m. || UPDATED:UPDATED: February 2, 2021 at 5:48 p.m.

https://www.sbsun.com/2021/02/02/3500-being-vaccinated-against-coronavirus-at-auto-club-speedway-in-fontana/ 1/4 2/3/2021 Traffic piles up as 3,500 vaccinated against coronavirus at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana – San Bernardino Sun Traffic was heavy as San Bernardino Countyʼs first coronavirus vaccination super site got underway Tuesday, Feb. 2, with plans to vaccinate 3,500 people.

The Auto Club Speedway in Fontana booked all 3,500 appointments withinwithin 1717 minutes, with people over 65, medical workers and first responders eligible for thethe vaccine.vaccine.

By noon, a traffic backup had developed north of the site, beyond Foothill Boulevard, county spokesman David Wert said.

County employees then worked with the California Highway Patrol to create more vehicle capacity within the Speedway to move waiting vehicles off Cherry Avenue, he said. The move helped and officials were considering other adjustments, Wert said shortly after 4 p.m.

“The County will serve all those with an appointment and will stay open past 6 p.m. if needed,” he said. “Those in line are being notified of this.”

Workers are giving the first dose of the vaccine to people, who donʼt have to leaveleave theirtheir car.car.

All who signed up were able to schedule a follow-up appointment for the second shot at the same location March 2.

No other vaccination clinics are planned at the Auto Club Speedway.

Shots will also be given at the Ontario Convention Center on Thursday, Feb. 4, and Friday, Feb. 5, but all appointments are filled, officials have said.

More information about the countyʼs vaccine clinics, including a sign-up to be emailed when appointments become available, is available at: https://sbcovid19.com/vaccine..

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Tags: Coronavirus,, Coronavirus vaccine,, health,, public health,, Top Stories IVDB,, Top Stories RDF,, Top Stories Sun https://www.sbsun.com/2021/02/02/3500-being-vaccinated-against-coronavirus-at-auto-club-speedway-in-fontana/ 2/4 2/3/2021 As coronavirus vaccination efforts grow in San Bernardino County, key numbers improve – Press Enterprise ___

LOCAL NEWS •• News As coronavirus vaccination efforts grow in San Bernardino County, key numbers improve County-based statistics such as cases, deaths, tests and recoveries were not available by Tuesday evening, Feb. 2

By BRIAN WHITEHEAD || [email protected] || TheThe SunSun PUBLISHED: February 2, 2021 at 6:10 p.m. || UPDATED:UPDATED: February 2, 2021 at 6:29 p.m.

ThisThis criticalcritical coveragecoverage isis beingbeing providedprovided freefree toto allall readers. Support reporting like this with a subscription to The Press-Enterprise. Special Offer: Just 99¢ for 3 months.

Support local journalism

San Bernardino County continues to see week-over-week improvement in three key metrics state officials use to track the risk of transmitting thethe novelnovel coronavirus..

While the county remains in the purple tier, meaning there is widespread risk, state data released Tuesday, Feb. 2, show its adjusted case rate, positivity rate and health equity metric, or positivity rate in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities, are on the decline for a third consecutive week.

https://www.pe.com/2021/02/02/as-coronavirus-vaccination-efforts-grow-in-san-bernardino-county-key-numbers-improve/?utm_campaign=s… 1/4 2/3/2021 As coronavirus vaccination efforts grow in San Bernardino County, key numbers improve – Press Enterprise As of Jan. 23, San Bernardino County had an adjusted case rate of 50.2, a positivity rate of 12.7% and a health equity metric of 13.9%.

Though still far from what is needed to reopen more indoor businesses, the numbers represent large drops compared to three weeks ago, when those figuresfigures reachedreached pandemicpandemic highshighs ofof 102.8,102.8, 24.1%24.1% andand 26%,26%, respectively.respectively.

To advance on the stateʼs color-coded tier system, a county needs two consecutive weeks of a seven-day adjusted case rate between four and seven daily new cases per 100,000 residents, a positivity rate between 5% and 8% and a health equity rate between 5.3% and 8%.

Meeting these benchmarks would move the county from the purple tier to the red, or substantial risk, tier.

Also on the decline in San Bernardino County are COVID-19 hospitalizations.

As of Monday, Feb. 1, there were 1,017 patients in county hospitals battling the disease. Hospitalizations have declined every day since Jan. 12, figures show.

County-based statistics such as cases, deaths, tests and recoveries were not available by Tuesday evening.

County spokesman David Wert said by phone he was unsure when the latest figuresfigures wouldwould bebe inputtedinputted andand diddid notnot knowknow whywhy newnew numbersnumbers werenʼtwerenʼt posted.posted. He was trying to reach public health officials, but they were overseeing a massive vaccination clinic at Auto Club Speedway inin FontanaFontana onon Tuesday.Tuesday.

Below are the latest numbers, according to county and state public health officials.

San Bernardino County

Hospital survey: 1,0171,017 confirmedconfirmed andand 4646 suspectedsuspected patientspatients hospitalizedhospitalized Monday, including 258 confirmed and seven suspected patients in the ICU, with 25 of 25 facilities reporting. The number of confirmed patients is down 18.5% from a week earlier.

Vaccinations: TheThe countycounty hashas beenbeen allocatedallocated 169,375169,375 dosesdoses asas ofof FridayFriday andand isis not saying how many doses have been administered.

Reopening plan tier:tier: PurplePurple (widespread(widespread riskrisk level;level; manymany nonessentialnonessential indoorindoor business operations are closed) based on these metrics as of Tuesday:

https://www.pe.com/2021/02/02/as-coronavirus-vaccination-efforts-grow-in-san-bernardino-county-key-numbers-improve/?utm_campaign=s… 2/4 2/3/2021 As coronavirus vaccination efforts grow in San Bernardino County, key numbers improve – Press Enterprise

New cases per day per 100,000 residents: 59.4 Case rate adjusted for testing volume: 50.2 Test positivity rate: 12.7% (13.9% in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods) Whatʼs next: To advance to the red tier and reopen more businesses, San Bernardino County would need an adjusted case rate of 7.0 or below and both positivity rates below 8.0% for two consecutive weeks.

To see a map and list of cases, deaths and per-capita rates by community, click here..

Here is a look at how the countyʼs numbers have changed each day:

Staff writer Nikie Johnson contributed to this report.

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Brian Whitehead | Reporter Brian Whitehead is a reporter for The San Bernardino Sun, covering Colton, Fontana, Grand Terrace, Rialto and San Bernardino. He previously covered prep sports and the cities of Buena Park, Fullerton and La Palma for The Orange County Register. A Grand Terrace native and Riverside Notre Dame alumnus, he earned his journalism degree from Cal State Fullerton in 2010. Since joining The Sun in late 2017, he has reported on development, education, homelessness, marijuana, political strife and the myriad issues facingfacing SanSan BernardinoBernardino post-bankruptcy.post-bankruptcy.

[email protected]

 Follow Brian Whitehead @bwhitehead3

https://www.pe.com/2021/02/02/as-coronavirus-vaccination-efforts-grow-in-san-bernardino-county-key-numbers-improve/?utm_campaign=s… 3/4 2/3/2021 How to get your first and second COVID-19 vaccine doses in San Bernardino County - Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA

How to get your first and second COVID-19 vaccine doses in San Bernardino County

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-02/vaccine-process-san-bernardino-county-first-appointment-second-dose 1/17 2/3/2021 How to get your first and second COVID-19 vaccine doses in San Bernardino County - Los Angeles Times

Healthcare workers cart the Moderna vaccine to San Bernardino County’s ﬁrst large-scale COVID-19 vaccination event on Tuesday at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

By ADA TSENG

FEB. 2, 2021 7:50 PM PT

José Cárdenas said he got lucky. About a week and a half ago, his friend told him that San Bernardino County was starting to vaccinate seniors age 65 and older.

The Montclair resident clicked on the county’s COVID-19 response website and was able to make an appointment for Jan. 26. But he knows that most people have struggled. Even his sister has been unable to make an appointment.

Sherrie Guerrero is the chief development officer of Reach Out, a nonprofit that serves families in inland Southern California. Their Latino Health Collaborative has been

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-02/vaccine-process-san-bernardino-county-first-appointment-second-dose 2/17 2/3/2021 How to get your first and second COVID-19 vaccine doses in San Bernardino County - Los Angeles Times hosting Spanish-language webinars to reach community members who lack culturally sensitive information — and sometimes receive misinformation — about the vaccine.

She said she hears numerous stories of San Bernardino seniors struggling to make an appointment, most of them relying on their children for help.

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“I think the biggest obstacle to seniors is the technology,” she said. Her father doesn’t even own a computer.

Here’s what you need to know as you navigate the process of getting a vaccine for you — or your parents — through San Bernardino County. We also have information about the process in Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County and Ventura County. This is the most up-to-date and complete information that we have right now, but it may change.

CALIFORNIA County by county, here’s how to get a COVID-19 vaccine in Southern California Jan. 29, 2021

Where things stand

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-02/vaccine-process-san-bernardino-county-first-appointment-second-dose 3/17 2/3/2021 How to get your first and second COVID-19 vaccine doses in San Bernardino County - Los Angeles Times San Bernardino is currently vaccinating healthcare workers, long-term care facility residents, firefighters, police officers and people 65 and older who live or work in the county.

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Those who are eligible for their vaccines through work should receive information from their employers, and long-term care facilities are working with CVS and Walgreens to serve their residents.

For others, the county’s COVID-19 response website lists dates and links to appointments for the five county-run vaccination sites — San Bernardino Health Center, Ontario Health Center, Ontario Convention Center, Hesperia Health Center and Arroyo Valley High School — as well as various hospitals, clinics and pharmacies.

There is also a county COVID-19 hotline, at (909) 387-3911, that is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday for those who need help.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-02/vaccine-process-san-bernardino-county-first-appointment-second-dose 4/17 2/3/2021 How to get your first and second COVID-19 vaccine doses in San Bernardino County - Los Angeles Times But the appointments are often already full.

Those who have time to constantly check the website may luck out as Cárdenas did. But an easier way may be to sign up for email or text notifications for updates on vaccine opportunities.

County spokesman David Wert explained that the county’s main difficulty is that it doesn’t know how many doses it will receive from the state until the Friday of the week prior.

Through its notifications, it gives updates on when it has more appointments, but it also sends information about special opportunities like the county’s first large-scale one-day vaccination event at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, which was for seniors. There will be a second event in a month to give them all their second dose.

Appointments filled up in 17 minutes, Wert said.

ADVERTISEMENT https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-02/vaccine-process-san-bernardino-county-first-appointment-second-dose 5/17 2/3/2021 How to get your first and second COVID-19 vaccine doses in San Bernardino County - Los Angeles Times

San Bernardino County vaccinated about 3,500 people at a drive-through event on Tuesday. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-02/vaccine-process-san-bernardino-county-first-appointment-second-dose 6/17 2/3/2021 How to get your first and second COVID-19 vaccine doses in San Bernardino County - Los Angeles Times Although he’s happy they were able to vaccinate about 3,500 people in one day, he estimates there are 250,000 to 300,000 people over 65 in the county.

The county’s vaccine response is still in its infancy, he said. San Bernardino has 2.2 million residents, and he estimates the county has been allocated about 170,000 doses so far.

“In the long run, what will be the most effective is when we establish a number of vaccination centers that are open five to six days a week, vaccinating 300 to 500 people a day,” he said.

CALIFORNIA Tracking vaccinations in California Jan. 22, 2021

How to get your first dose

Wert knows it has been a struggle for many to get appointments at one of the county- run locations through Calvax.org, the state’s site that does sign-ups for COVID vaccination clinics. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-02/vaccine-process-san-bernardino-county-first-appointment-second-dose 7/17 2/3/2021 How to get your first and second COVID-19 vaccine doses in San Bernardino County - Los Angeles Times It prompts users to fill out pages of personal information, often just to show that there are no longer appointments available.

It’s the state’s appointment site, he explained, and they had briefly considered switching to their own after receiving many complaints. But they have been told the state is transitioning to the My Turn (myturn.ca.gov) platform, which is currently available for Los Angeles and San Diego and promises to deliver a better experience.

It doesn’t hurt to sign up for My Turn in advance, he said.

In the meantime, he said the county’s locations aren’t currently organized by vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) — the centers just distribute whatever is available that week — so there isn’t a big difference between each location.

Wherever is closest that you can find an appointment is your best bet, he said.

SCIENCE Your questions about COVID-19 vaccines answered Jan. 14, 2021

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-02/vaccine-process-san-bernardino-county-first-appointment-second-dose 8/17 2/3/2021 How to get your first and second COVID-19 vaccine doses in San Bernardino County - Los Angeles Times

How to get your second dose

Wert said that the county quickly realized that those who were trying to sign up for second doses were having trouble competing with everyone who was trying to get first doses.

So they set up a separate page on their website for second-dose appointments. The system checks that you get the same type of shot as your first (Pfizer or Moderna) and that you get it at the proper time (after 21 days for Pfizer and after 28 days for Moderna).

Those who have received the first dose will receive a vaccination card that tells you when you are eligible for the second dose, as well as an email reminder to make the second appointment.

County CEO Leonard Hernandez announced at a recent Board of Supervisors meeting that the county is working to make it so that “people who sign up for a vaccine through San Bernardino County’s portal will automatically get an appointment for the second dose at the same time.”

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-02/vaccine-process-san-bernardino-county-first-appointment-second-dose 9/17 2/3/2021 How to get your first and second COVID-19 vaccine doses in San Bernardino County - Los Angeles Times

Upcoming plans

Geographically, San Bernardino is the largest county in the nation, encompassing more than 20,000 square miles, so the county is planning to set up mobile vaccination clinics so that residents living in more remote areas don’t have to travel as far.

There will be more information about the locations in the future, but Wert said they will be targeting senior centers, libraries and large senior housing complexes. Again, sign up for the notifications to get alerts when this effort begins.

An efficient process, once you can get that appointment

Wert said that there are two main challenges of vaccine distribution for the county: infrastructure and supply. He said they have the infrastructure ready to go, but without the supply, they are stuck.

Cárdenas, 70, an air conditioning and heating technician, said that once he got the vaccine appointment, it was “super easy.”

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-02/vaccine-process-san-bernardino-county-first-appointment-second-dose 10/17 2/3/2021 How to get your first and second COVID-19 vaccine doses in San Bernardino County - Los Angeles Times

There was barely a wait. The longest part was the 15 to 30 minutes he had to stay after the shot to make sure he didn’t have any allergic reactions, which are very rare for Moderna and Pfizer, the two vaccines currently in use.

The staff made his experience so comfortable that he asked them how he could sign up to volunteer.

“They told me to wait until after I got my second shot,” he said.

He’ll have to wait until the end of February. But he’s looking forward to helping his fellow neighbors in San Bernardino get vaccinated.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-02/vaccine-process-san-bernardino-county-first-appointment-second-dose 11/17 2/3/2021 Inland Empire health officials warn against Super Bowl parties – San Bernardino Sun

LOCAL NEWS •• News Inland Empire health officials warn against Super Bowl parties

By JEFF HORSEMAN andand RYAN HAGEN || [email protected] || TheThe Press-Enterprise PUBLISHED: February 2, 2021 at 11:43 a.m. || UPDATED:UPDATED: February 2, 2021 at 6:53 p.m.

With the Super Bowl set to kick off Sunday, Feb. 7, Inland Empire county officials are urging the public to help secure a win against thethe coronaviruscoronavirus byby avoiding gatherings of people from different households as they watch the game.

In Riverside County, Public Health Director Kim Saruwatari told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Feb. 2, that the event “gives us a little bit of concern.”

In San Bernardino County, a similar message is being sent through an ad campaign.

Saruwatari said county health officials “want people to continue to mask and maintain social distance and also minimize mixing of families, even for something like the Super Bowl so that we can make sure we continue to go down in our case rate.”

San Bernardino County on Tuesday launched an ad campaign called “Keep it Small” to discourage gatherings that would violate state health orders. The message will be spread on the countyʼs social media and websites, as well as possibly digital banners, spokesman David Wert said.

https://www.sbsun.com/2021/02/02/riverside-county-official-warns-against-super-bowl-parties/?utm_content=tw-sbsun&utm_medium=social… 1/4 2/3/2021 Inland Empire health officials warn against Super Bowl parties – San Bernardino Sun State health orders prohibit people in counties in the purple tier — including San Bernardino and Riverside counties — from mixing multiple households indoors,indoors, oror moremore thanthan threethree householdshouseholds outdoors.outdoors.

After spiking in December and January, the Riverside Countyʼs COVID-19 case rate, the rate at which coronavirus tests come back positive, and other metrics are heading in the right direction,, SaruwatariSaruwatari said.said.

To discourage large gatherings to watch the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers play for the Lombardi Trophy, Los Angeles County isis requiringrequiring barsbars and restaurants to not have TVs or any other screens broadcast any programming to customers,, whowho areare allowedallowed toto sitsit outdoorsoutdoors underunder rulesrules enacted last month.

Riverside County does not plan a similar ban for bars and restaurants, county spokeswoman Brooke Federico said Tuesday. Similarly, San Bernardino County doesnʼt plan any new rules for the Super Bowl, including a ban on screens, Wert said.

In a news release, Riverside County asked residents to reduce the number of people with whom they have contact on Super Bowl Sunday. If people attend parties, they should wear a mask, avoid shared utensils, and keep 6 feet of distance from anyone outside their household, the release states.

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Jeff Horseman | Reporter Je Horseman grew up in Vermont and honed his interviewing skills as a supermarket cashier by asking Bernie Sanders “Paper or plastic?” Aer graduating from Syracuse University in 1999, Je began his journalistic odyssey at The Watertown Daily Times in upstate New York, where he impressedimpressed then-U.S.then-U.S. SenateSenate candidatecandidate HillaryHillary ClintonClinton soso muchmuch sheshe calledcalled himhim “John” at the end of an interview. From there, he went to Annapolis, https://www.sbsun.com/2021/02/02/riverside-county-official-warns-against-super-bowl-parties/?utm_content=tw-sbsun&utm_medium=social… 2/4 2/3/2021 Inland Empire restaurants reopen after temporary coronavirus closures – San Bernardino Sun

THINGS TO DORESTAURANTS FOOD AND DRINK •• News Inland Empire restaurants reopen after temporary coronavirus closures

Rosa Maria’s Mexican Restaurant in Redlands has reopened. (Photo by Fielding Buck, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

By FIELDING BUCK || [email protected]@scng.com || TheThe Press-EnterprisePress-Enterprise PUBLISHED: February 2, 2021 at 4:13 p.m. || UPDATED:UPDATED: February 2, 2021 at 4:13 p.m.

https://www.sbsun.com/2021/02/02/inland-empire-restaurants-reopen-after-temporary-coronavirus-closures/?utm_medium=social&utm_sour… 1/3 2/3/2021 Inland Empire restaurants reopen after temporary coronavirus closures – San Bernardino Sun Three restaurants have reopened in the Inland Empire that temporarily closed due to the novel coronavirus,, accordingaccording toto postsposts theythey mademade onon socialsocial media,media, and a fourth plans to reopen by the end of the week.

Blondieʼs Grille & Bar: ThisThis familyfamily stylestyle restaurantrestaurant atat 3322733227 HilltopHilltop Blvd.,Blvd., Running Springs, plans to reopen Feb. 5.. ItIt closedclosed inin mid-Januarymid-January afterafter anan employee tested positive for COVID-19.

Want to know how current events are affecting the Inland dining scene? Sign up for our weekly food newsletter The Eat Index and find out about the latest restaurant and brewery happenings in the Inland Empire. Subscribe here..

Da Coconut Cafe: ThisThis barbecuebarbecue andand pokepoke restaurantrestaurant atat 3133331333 TemeculaTemecula Parkway, Temecula reopened Feb. 1 afterafter closingclosing inin mid-Januarymid-January forfor COVID-19COVID-19 exposure and deep cleaning.. dacoconutcafe.com

Rosa Mariaʼs Mexican Restaurant: ThisThis SanSan BernardinoBernardino CountyCounty chainchain reopened two restaurants thatthat werewere temporarilytemporarily closed.closed. TheThe locationslocations areare 11541154 Brookside Ave., Redlands, and 4202 N. Sierra Way, San Bernardino. rosamarias.com

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   

County: More vaccines coming; Health director says second-dose site may be set up in Basin

Feb 02, 2021 4:19 PM News County: More vaccines coming; Health By Stacy Moore director says second-dose site may be Hi-Desert Star set up in Basin

MORONGO BASIN — As people 65 and over continue to seek vaccinations for COVID-19, San Bernardino County officials said they hope to have a mass vaccination event somewhere in the desert communities soon.

The county held its first vaccination super site Tuesday, Feb. 2, at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana. All 3,500 News Flu cases hit historic lows; here's why available appointments were booked in 17 minutes,

https://hidesertstar.com/news/178698/county-more-vaccines-coming-health-director-says-second-dose-site-may-be-set-up-in-basin/[2/3/2021 11:05:02 AM] County: More vaccines coming; Health director says second-dose site may be set up in Basin | Hi-Desert Star

county supervisors told the media.

The Desert Trail Desert Heights pot farm busted

“We understand that the location is not optimal for those living in the desert and mountain communities,” board of supervisors Curt Hagman said last week.

“We want to make sure everyone has an opportunity to Stay-at-home orders lifted in Southern get vaccinated, so we will be announcing additional California events and locations soon for these areas.”

People ages 65 and older and health care and emergency services workers who live or work in San Bernardino County were eligible to make appointments.

For people willing to drive even farther, the Ontario Convention Center will open as a vaccination site on Thursday, Feb. 4, and operate from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. News Monday through Friday. Boy Scouts recover stolen trailer and tents after crash The county also established a vaccination site at Arroyo Valley High School in San Bernardino exclusively focused on giving second doses of the Pfizer vaccine.

County Public Health Director Corwin Porter said this is the first of several second-dose vaccination sites being

set up by the county.

“We are actively working to establish second dose-only sites throughout the county, including in the High Desert,  Morongo Basin, mountain communities and elsewhere in  county,” Porter said. 

“I would ask you to be patient with us,” he said in a video directed to senior county residents. “There is a large demand for vaccination right now but a limited supply.”

Some Morongo Basin seniors have been able to get appointments at the Rite Aids and Vons pharmacies in Yucca Valley and Twentynine Palms, although many report having problems with the appointment websites.

Karen Meyers, who co-writes the Wonder Valley column for The Desert Trail, last week described her experience using the county website to make an appointment. “I have gone through this process dozens and dozens of times now and have only been successful in making one single appointment at Rite-Aid in Yucca Valley,” she wrote.

She advised people to print out the consent forms from the website, fill them out and take them to Rite-Aid to be placed on a stand-by list.

Rebecca Unger, of Joshua Tree, said getting an appointment was pretty painless for her because she has good access to the internet, but noted that’s not the case for many in the Morongo Basin.

“This is how the county prefers to book the appointments, but good internet access to the site and to download the application form, and a printer to print the form are not https://hidesertstar.com/news/178698/county-more-vaccines-coming-health-director-says-second-dose-site-may-be-set-up-in-basin/[2/3/2021 11:05:02 AM] County: More vaccines coming; Health director says second-dose site may be set up in Basin | Hi-Desert Star

widespread among Basin seniors — not to mention comfort & facility with using computers and the internet,” Unger said via email.

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2/2/2021 4:39 PM For people willing to travel even further to Moscow, Russia might be a viable option. I understand all the problems with supplies and logistics, but the County DID have months to prepare for mass vaccinations, that could have included a small event for this area. Every other county has locations spaced evenly around their jurisdictions and are getting the job done decently considering the hurdles.

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CALIFORNIA California needs more COVID-19 vaccine doses, but L.A. County’s shipments have shrunk

https://ktla.com/news/california/california-needs-more-covid-19-vaccine-doses-but-l-a-countys-shipments-have-shrunk/ 1/14 2/3/2021 California needs more COVID-19 vaccine doses, but L.A. County’s shipments have shrunk | KTLA

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by: Los Angeles Times, Carlos Herrera Posted: Feb 2, 2021 / 05:55 PM PST / Updated: Feb 3, 2021 / 06:25 AM PST

As California looks to ramp up efforts to immunize its millions of residents against COVID-19, health ofcials say they continue to run into a stubborn hurdle: the inability to secure a sufcient and reliable stream of vaccine doses.

The problem is twofold, ofcials say. First, there’s a limited supply to begin with, and some areas of the state, including Los Angeles County, have actually seen their shipments shrink over the last few weeks.

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Second, both of the currently available vaccines require two doses taken weeks apart. So, the more initial doses that are doled out, the bigger the need will be for follow-up shots down the line — creating a chokepoint that constrains how many new people can begin the vaccine regimen.

Recently, some people seeking a rst shot have even had their appointments canceled because vaccines were in short supply or needed for second doses.

Read the full story on LATimes.com. https://ktla.com/news/california/california-needs-more-covid-19-vaccine-doses-but-l-a-countys-shipments-have-shrunk/ 2/14 2/3/2021 L.A. essential workers deserve COVID vaccines, racial equity - Los Angeles Times

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Column: We owe it to essential workers to demand racial equity for COVID-19 vaccines

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-03/coronavirus-covid-vaccine-equity-latino-black-essential-workers-los-angeles 1/15 2/3/2021 L.A. essential workers deserve COVID vaccines, racial equity - Los Angeles Times

Healthcare worker Angel Martinez, 26, gets a Pﬁzer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at St. John’s Well Child & Family Center in Los Angeles last month. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

By ERIKA D. SMITH | COLUMNIST

FEB. 3, 2021 5 AM PT

Andrew Diego had no idea what was going on across the street from Harun Coffee in South L.A. on Tuesday. The young barista was just doing his job, taking orders for lattes and cold brews.

But he was the perfect example of why a group of Black and Latino activists and labor leaders were demanding vaccine equity at their hastily called news conference in nearby Leimert Park.

In what has now become a familiar refrain, the activists were calling on L.A. to ignore the guidelines from Gov. Gavin Newsom to prioritize people for COVID-19 vaccines https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-03/coronavirus-covid-vaccine-equity-latino-black-essential-workers-los-angeles 2/15 2/3/2021 L.A. essential workers deserve COVID vaccines, racial equity - Los Angeles Times purely based on age and return to vaccinating essential workers, most of whom are Latino and Black, and others at highest risk. In other words, people like Diego.

“We’re asking the local government to step up to the plate, to the original plan that the state of California had rolled out,” said Simboa Wright, a board member with Service Employees International Union Local 721. “We have folks that are going to work to serve the public every day, every night, 24/7, to make sure that services are rendered to you.”

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Diego told me he is keenly aware of the risks of serving strangers like me, who could be carrying the coronavirus. But “I try not to think about it, you know?” he said with a shrug.

I suspect that’s a common sentiment — and not just among essential workers.

Those of us who benefit from the willingness of others to risk their lives to serve us also don’t like to think about how we’re complicit in spreading COVID-19. That we’re unwitting accomplices just because we have to go to the grocery store and interact with cashiers or do something far less essential, like order a cold brew coffee from a barista.

In one way or another, whether we like it or not, we all are trapped in a system that has turned California’s existing economic and racial inequities into the life-and-death

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-03/coronavirus-covid-vaccine-equity-latino-black-essential-workers-los-angeles 3/15 2/3/2021 L.A. essential workers deserve COVID vaccines, racial equity - Los Angeles Times inequities of a pandemic. And because we all play a role in this transformation, we all need to be dedicated to vaccine equity.

CALIFORNIA Tracking vaccinations in California Jan. 22, 2021

Think about the things you’ve done recently that put others at risk. It might be asking an Instacart worker to shop for you. Or going to eat on the patio of your favorite restaurant. Or you might be, as I am, one of the millions of Americans who has moved since the beginning of the pandemic, according to Pew Research Center.

For me, that meant moving into a new Westside L.A. apartment with a balcony, something I’ve long wanted. But figuring out how to do it safely was another matter. It’s a pandemic, after all. And I live alone.

So, I did what any coronavirus-fearing, 40-something professional with some extra money in the bank would do: I bought a dolly and transported as much stuff as I could by myself and then hired essential workers to do the rest.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-03/coronavirus-covid-vaccine-equity-latino-black-essential-workers-los-angeles 4/15 2/3/2021 L.A. essential workers deserve COVID vaccines, racial equity - Los Angeles Times

A few days later, two men pulled up in an aging Toyota Highlander. Both of them Latino, both of them named Mario. They couldn’t possibly know whether I had the coronavirus or not, but their job required them to risk spending time breathing the air in my apartment.

Mario #1 had on a cloth mask.

Mario #2 had on a thicker KN95 mask.

Mario #1 had a deep cough that I pretended not to hear.

Mario #2 was clearly doing the same. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-03/coronavirus-covid-vaccine-equity-latino-black-essential-workers-los-angeles 5/15 2/3/2021 L.A. essential workers deserve COVID vaccines, racial equity - Los Angeles Times Mario #1 said they work six days a week, moving people from house to house and apartment to apartment all over Los Angeles.

Both Marios are essential workers, among the millions in Los Angeles County. Both risk their lives for a needed paycheck — and to make life more convenient for people like me. People who have the privilege to work from home and pay to move into a nicer apartment while so many others have been living in fear of eviction.

CALIFORNIA Column: How a South L.A. doctor is beating the system and distributing vaccines equitably Jan. 29, 2021

Both men have families. And both are years away from turning 65 years old.

That means that, under California’s current guidelines (which, under Newsom, we all know are subject to change), both Marios are ineligible to receive the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

So much about this just seems wrong. So horribly unfair.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-03/coronavirus-covid-vaccine-equity-latino-black-essential-workers-los-angeles 6/15 2/3/2021 L.A. essential workers deserve COVID vaccines, racial equity - Los Angeles Times According to the latest data, the number of Latino residents who are dying from COVID- 19 continues to climb rapidly. In November, on average over a two-week period, about 3.5 Latino residents per day were dying. In January, that rate was 40 per 100,000. The death rate for Latino residents of L.A. County is now almost triple that of white residents.

Black people, who also disproportionately work in essential jobs, are now dying at a rate 50% higher than that of white residents.

But, as L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer told my colleagues Rong- Gong Lin II and Luke Money, the “gap between the experiences of those in our Latinx community and all others is frankly horrifying.”

L.A. City Council President Nury Martinez is right to keep pushing for the government to do more to help those at highest risk from the coronavirus to get vaccinated.

So far, about 7.4% of all Californians have received at least one dose, putting the state in the bottom third of the pack compared with other states and U.S. territories, according to The Times’ vaccination tracker.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-03/coronavirus-covid-vaccine-equity-latino-black-essential-workers-los-angeles 7/15 2/3/2021 L.A. essential workers deserve COVID vaccines, racial equity - Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA County by county, here’s how to get a COVID-19 vaccine in Southern California Jan. 29, 2021

Racial disparities abound here and elsewhere. But the disparities have been particularly deadly here because Los Angeles is home to a disproportionate amount of overcrowded housing — typically defined as more than one person per room — and millions of essential workers live in such crowded conditions. In South L.A., where most residents are Latino or Black, nearly 1 out of every 5 homes is overcrowded.

“If we don’t focus on equity now, I’ll tell you who is going to get the vaccine: It’ll be the people who have the luxury to stay at home and send their children to open private schools and neighborhood learning pods,” Martinez said last month. “And the people who will not get the vaccine will be the nannies, the maids, the housekeepers and the gardeners, the people who take our groceries, who prepare our food every day, who deliver our mail and clean our streets.”

And the risk of more sickness and death has only increased now that outdoor dining is once again permitted in Los Angeles.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-03/coronavirus-covid-vaccine-equity-latino-black-essential-workers-los-angeles 8/15 2/3/2021 L.A. essential workers deserve COVID vaccines, racial equity - Los Angeles Times

Dr. Sheila Young, an assistant professor at Charles R. Drew University who led outreach efforts for coronavirus testing in South L.A., was fretting about this very thing, after Newsom surprised public health officials by lifting the stay-at-home order throughout California.

“One of the things that I’m very much concerned about is with the reopening of everything, you know, we are going to see a spike in cases,” she said. “You have to consider: Who are the people who are going to be cooking your food and serving you at these restaurants? Where are they in the line to receive a vaccine? They’re not.”

The Marios and Andrew Diego aren’t either.

On Tuesday, California’s secretary of Health and Human Services, Dr. Mark Ghaly, insisted that the state hasn’t abandoned racial equity in its bid to distribute doses of the vaccines faster. Details of how public health officials will proceed are apparently forthcoming.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-03/coronavirus-covid-vaccine-equity-latino-black-essential-workers-los-angeles 9/15 2/3/2021 L.A. essential workers deserve COVID vaccines, racial equity - Los Angeles Times

“This notion that there’s a choice that we have to make between speed in vaccinations and equity, this is not a choice,” he said during a news conference, about the same time activists were speaking to reporters in L.A. “This is a false choice. We can do both.”

CALIFORNIA Californians with disabilities are outraged over vaccine de-prioritization Feb. 2, 2021

I sure hope so. To do otherwise and keep allowing the most vulnerable to die is the epitome of privilege and entitlement in this county of very rich and very poor, where some 75% of residents are not white.

If we’re going to keep depending on Latino and Black people who are at high risk for contracting COVID-19 and spreading it to their families because they live in dense, overcrowded apartments, then equity in distributing vaccines must be the primary imperative.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-03/coronavirus-covid-vaccine-equity-latino-black-essential-workers-los-angeles 10/15 2/3/2021 L.A. essential workers deserve COVID vaccines, racial equity - Los Angeles Times Mario #1 coughed as he climbed back into the Highlander.

Mario #2 took my payment and waved goodbye. They had another job to do.

Whatever I paid them, it wasn’t enough.

CALIFORNIA COVID-19 PANDEMIC

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Erika D. Smith

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Erika D. Smith is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times writing about the diversity of people and places across California. She joined The Times in 2018 as an assistant editor and helped expand coverage of the state’s housing and homelessness crisis. She previously worked at the Sacramento Bee, where she was a columnist and editorial board member covering housing, homelessness and social justice issues. Before the Bee, Smith wrote for the Indianapolis Star and Akron Beacon Journal. She is a recipient of the Sigma Delta Chi award for column writing, a graduate of Ohio University and a native of the long-suffering sports town of Cleveland.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-03/coronavirus-covid-vaccine-equity-latino-black-essential-workers-los-angeles 11/15 2/3/2021 L.A. healthcare workers cope with COVID mental health toll - Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA

‘I was just bawling in my PPE’: Surge fades, but anguish remains for healthcare workers

Dr. Christine Choi, a second-year medical resident at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, tends to a COVID-19 patient in the specially constructed secure isolation area at the hospital. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

By SOUMYA KARLAMANGLA

FEB. 3, 2021 5 AM PT

Dr. Christine Choi balances the iPad in her hands and scans the callers on the screen. It is a family gathering, pandemic-style: People in the foreground have video-called https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-03/la-healthcare-workers-cope-covid-mental-health-toll 1/19 2/3/2021 L.A. healthcare workers cope with COVID mental health toll - Los Angeles Times others, who have video-called a few more. A collage of faces peer back at her.

She asks them if they are ready. Yes, they say. Stoic.

Choi taps the corner of the tablet. The camera switches from her face to that of a lifeless man in a hospital bed. Their loved one, killed by COVID-19.

The quiet in the hospital room is pierced by wailing.

Choi is a tough, upbeat second-year medical resident at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, one of four public hospitals in Los Angeles County. But even for her, the pain of what she witnesses each day — what healthcare workers across the country have witnessed over the last year — can become too much.

In the spring, when little was known about how the coronavirus spread and healthcare workers feared falling ill, Choi volunteered to enter COVID-19 patient rooms. She enjoys working in the intensive care unit, where the sickest patients are kept. She sustains an almost startlingly positive attitude despite frequent overhead pages alerting her to patients crashing and the constant beeping of the machines barely keeping them alive. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-03/la-healthcare-workers-cope-covid-mental-health-toll 2/19 2/3/2021 L.A. healthcare workers cope with COVID mental health toll - Los Angeles Times

“The sound of the family members crying,” Choi says, “I probably will never forget that.” (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

But this is the first time she has overseen this strange ritual born of the pandemic: death by FaceTime.

With families mostly unable to visit the hospital, doctors provide a final glimpse via video call of the person they had wished would be lucky enough to survive COVID-19.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-03/la-healthcare-workers-cope-covid-mental-health-toll 3/19 2/3/2021 L.A. healthcare workers cope with COVID mental health toll - Los Angeles Times They angle the tablet or phone as families say goodbye to their uncle, sister, father or wife. Sometimes they hold the device for so long their arms begin to ache.

While Choi points the iPad at her patient, her own face is hidden behind the camera. She is silent, rendered nearly anonymous by her mask, gown and face shield. She is an extra in this scene, yet her eyes, too, are wet with tears.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-03/la-healthcare-workers-cope-covid-mental-health-toll 4/19 2/3/2021 L.A. healthcare workers cope with COVID mental health toll - Los Angeles Times

Registered nurse Phu Le delivers supplies to a nurse working inside the room of COVID-19 patients at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

The horror of the pandemic has unfolded largely outside public view and inside hospitals, piling a disproportionate share of the trauma on the people whose work takes them inside their walls. In California, where a massive COVID-19 surge has begun to plateau, more than 24,000 people have died since Nov. 1, most of whom succumbed in the hospital, with only doctors and nurses by their bedsides.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-03/la-healthcare-workers-cope-covid-mental-health-toll 5/19 2/3/2021 L.A. healthcare workers cope with COVID mental health toll - Los Angeles Times ‘One can only be a hero for so long’

Being near so much pain will likely take a grave toll on medical workers’ mental health, experts say. Many worry that doctors and nurses will burn out or retire early and that the experience, unprecedented in length and scope, will trigger high rates of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder that will outlast the pandemic.

“At least with a natural disaster, it happens, people get scattered all over the place, property gets damaged or flooded, but then we begin to rebuild. We’re not there yet, and we don’t know when that will actually occur,” said USC social policy professor Lawrence Palinkas, who studies the psychological effects of disasters. “This event is almost a year in duration with no end in sight.

“One can only be a hero for so long.”

CALIFORNIA When coronavirus invaded their tiny apartment, children desperately tried to protect dad Jan. 29, 2021

Healthcare workers have become conduits for the anguish of families and patients. They field hundreds of phone calls a day from anxious relatives. Nurses hold patients’ hands when they are intubated. Staff monitor their cellphones and reply to text messages. They pray for their recovery.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-03/la-healthcare-workers-cope-covid-mental-health-toll 6/19 2/3/2021 L.A. healthcare workers cope with COVID mental health toll - Los Angeles Times

Choi prepares by donning the ﬁrst of several layers of personal protective equipment before tending to COVID-19 patients. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Fred Rogers famously advised to “look for the helpers” as a source of comfort during scary times. But the helpers need help too.

“The sound of the family members crying,” Choi said, “I probably will never forget that.”

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-03/la-healthcare-workers-cope-covid-mental-health-toll 7/19 2/3/2021 L.A. healthcare workers cope with COVID mental health toll - Los Angeles Times

Over the last year, the 32-year-old has worked many evenings in the ICU. Due to limited staffing overnight, the trainee doctor is frequently responsible for determining the care a patient should receive.

The options are grim. Many COVID-19 patients who are struggling to breathe need to be placed on a ventilator or they will die. But a ventilator doesn’t guarantee survival, and, even if they are removed from the machine, they may suffer memory problems, a loss of brain function or have a stroke and be unable to move their arms or legs, Choi said.

“I’m offering this guy two terrible options, and that’s how I feel about work: I can’t fix this for you and it sucks, and I’m sorry that the choices I’m giving you are both terrible,” she said. “The patient will say, ‘Help me. Tell me what do you think I should do?’ And I don’t have an answer.”

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-03/la-healthcare-workers-cope-covid-mental-health-toll 8/19 2/3/2021 L.A. healthcare workers cope with COVID mental health toll - Los Angeles Times

Registered nurse Phu Le, left, and nurse anesthetist Ralph Quinonez work in the negative-pressure rooms of COVID-19 patients. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Since Nov. 3, approximately 23% of people with COVID-19 admitted to hospitals in L.A. County did not survive. The death rate has been unusually high since the winter surge began because hospitals could accommodate only the sickest patients as they ran out of space and staffing.

Therapy sessions https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-03/la-healthcare-workers-cope-covid-mental-health-toll 9/19 2/3/2021 L.A. healthcare workers cope with COVID mental health toll - Los Angeles Times Hoda Abou-Ziab, the hospital’s lead clinical psychologist, said she worries that the flood of patients has stripped healthcare workers of the time necessary to process their grief. Abou-Ziab offers therapy sessions to medical providers at the hospital.

Nurses and doctors are already prone to high rates of depression and suicide, she said. The pandemic has introduced new fears of contracting the virus and bringing it home to their families, repeated exposure to death as well as an unprecedented number of very ill patients that can make healthcare workers feel helpless.

“To be able to sit with that discomfort, knowing you can’t fix it, or you can’t change it, it’s really hard, because healthcare workers are fixers,” Abou-Ziab said.

Choi recently treated a father and son both admitted to the hospital with COVID-19. Placed in the same room, they asked to keep privacy curtains open so they could see each other’s oxygen monitor.

The father died in the hospital. Choi spoke to his wife. A few days later, their son was placed on a ventilator. Though he is still alive, doctors have not been able to take him off the machine.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-03/la-healthcare-workers-cope-covid-mental-health-toll 10/19 2/3/2021 L.A. healthcare workers cope with COVID mental health toll - Los Angeles Times

Choi has worked many nights in the ICU due to limited stang overnight, and the 32-year-old trainee often ends up as making ﬁnal calls on patient care. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

“They were a family, and they were together,” Choi said. “I can only imagine what it would be like to be that mom.”

Though the COVID-19 surge in L.A. County is slowing, there are still approximately 500 patients with the disease newly admitted to hospitals each day.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-03/la-healthcare-workers-cope-covid-mental-health-toll 11/19 2/3/2021 L.A. healthcare workers cope with COVID mental health toll - Los Angeles Times Harbor-UCLA has called in extra support from the Department of Defense to help triage the huge numbers of patients and has parked two refrigerated trucks behind the hospital to store dead bodies when the morgue becomes too full, as is common.

Healthcare workers typically turn to one another for emotional support, finding solace in their shared experiences, yet many no longer have the emotional bandwidth to take care of friends and colleagues amid such a prolonged crisis. Choi said she relaxes at home by watching comedies — “Schitt’s Creek” is a favorite — and talks to her partner, who also works in medicine. But the grief can overwhelm her too.

Just last week, an older woman with COVID-19 died in the hospital. Then, her husband, also admitted with the virus, began to struggle to breathe. Choi and her colleagues suspect he is approaching the end of his life.

The young doctor held a cellphone as each of the man’s children came on the screen to tell him that they loved him, Choi recalled. “And I was just bawling in my PPE.”

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-03/la-healthcare-workers-cope-covid-mental-health-toll 12/19 2/3/2021 L.A. healthcare workers cope with COVID mental health toll - Los Angeles Times

Registered nurse Anna Hansel gives a thumbs-up sign that she understands nurse Smitha Rani, who is inside the COVID room at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

For some healthcare workers, the pain of the last year has morphed into exhaustion and anger. One ICU nurse described the blank look in her co-workers’ eyes and hugging them through personal protective equipment. One of her friends at work died of the virus in the spring, a loss that still aches.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-03/la-healthcare-workers-cope-covid-mental-health-toll 13/19 2/3/2021 L.A. healthcare workers cope with COVID mental health toll - Los Angeles Times The nurse, who works at an L.A. County public hospital but did not have permission from her employer to speak, said she, like many healthcare workers, is not accustomed to asking for help. But the pandemic has forced her to acknowledge that she too needs support.

“There are moments when I have wished I was dead so I don’t have to take care of people. I know that sounds really bad,” the nurse said. “A lot of my co-workers are depressed too.”

She feels disheartened by what she sees as a chasm between the devastation inside the hospital and the indifference with which the public treats the virus.

Over the summer, a middle-aged man was admitted to her hospital unable to breathe due to COVID-19, but insisted on leaving and said he was not sick, she said. The nurses inquired with the local health department about forcing him to stay, but learned they could not.

The nurse had to wheel him outside the hospital and return him to his family. Months later, her voice rises with fury as she remembers that she had given him doses of remdesevir, a medicine to treat COVID-19 of which there was a limited supply.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-03/la-healthcare-workers-cope-covid-mental-health-toll 14/19 2/3/2021 L.A. healthcare workers cope with COVID mental health toll - Los Angeles Times “After that I broke down and cried, because I couldn’t believe I’m helping someone and he truly believed he did not have COVID when his test results showed he did,” she said. “I realized we’re never getting out of this because there are so many disbelievers.”

Le, left, and Quinonez work in a specially secure area where nurses can chart without having to wear full PPE. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-03/la-healthcare-workers-cope-covid-mental-health-toll 15/19 2/3/2021 L.A. healthcare workers cope with COVID mental health toll - Los Angeles Times Scott Byington, a critical care nurse at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, said his hospital has also had patients whose family members wanted them discharged because they did not think having COVID-19 was serious. At least one of those patients died of the disease before the relative could take her home.

‘Their last piece of sanity’

“A lot of healthcare professionals are getting very edgy, and they’re losing their sympathy and empathy for people who don’t believe in this,” he said. “We’re in a place where everybody is holding onto their last piece of sanity.”

CALIFORNIA A year into pandemic, California’s broken unemployment agency still hurting those in need Jan. 29, 2021

Experts say that the long-term mental health effects of the pandemic won’t be understood for years, as most existing research focuses on disasters within a much shorter time frame. But there is a surprising finding from disaster research that will likely apply to COVID-19 too, said USC’s Palinkas.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-03/la-healthcare-workers-cope-covid-mental-health-toll 16/19 2/3/2021 L.A. healthcare workers cope with COVID mental health toll - Los Angeles Times When Palinkas studied people who survived difficult experiences, he found that some people thrived and the experience improved their self-worth. “It reminded me of that old saying: That which does not kill only makes us stronger,” he said.

Before the pandemic, Choi had wanted to be an internal medicine doctor who would work in an office. But treating COVID-19 patients has made her want to switch to a more hospital-based specialty and is considering additional training to become an ICU physician.

“It’s really, really emotionally difficult and stressful. ... The fact that I am quite possibly the last person this person speaks to before they are put under — and who knows if they’re going to wake up — I think that’s a great, great privilege,” she said. “It’s sad, but I’m very grateful I get to do this.”

CALIFORNIA COVID-19 PANDEMIC

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Soumya Karlamangla has been a reporter at the Los Angeles Times focusing on health issues since 2013. She was raised in Thousand Oaks and graduated from UC https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-03/la-healthcare-workers-cope-covid-mental-health-toll 17/19 2/3/2021 California needs more COVID-19 vaccine, but some areas get less - Los Angeles Times

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California needs more COVID-19 vaccine, but areas like L.A. are actually getting less

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-02/california-needs-more-covid-19-vaccine-but-areas-like-l-a-are-actually-getting-less 1/15 2/3/2021 California needs more COVID-19 vaccine, but some areas get less - Los Angeles Times

Chino Valley ﬁre paramedic Cory Whitworth, left, gives Karen Flick the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination site, Auto Club Speedway, in Fontana, on Tuesday. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

By LUKE MONEY, MAURA DOLAN, HAYLEY SMITH, COLLEEN SHALBY

FEB. 2, 2021 5:11 PM PT

As California looks to ramp up efforts to immunize its millions of residents against COVID-19, health officials say they continue to run into a stubborn hurdle: the inability to secure a sufficient and reliable stream of vaccine doses.

The problem is twofold, officials say. First, there’s a limited supply to begin with, and some areas of the state, including Los Angeles County, have actually seen their shipments shrink over the last few weeks.

Second, both of the currently available vaccines require two doses taken weeks apart. So, the more initial doses that are doled out, the bigger the need will be for follow-up https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-02/california-needs-more-covid-19-vaccine-but-areas-like-l-a-are-actually-getting-less 2/15 2/3/2021 California needs more COVID-19 vaccine, but some areas get less - Los Angeles Times shots down the line — creating a chokepoint that constrains how many new people can begin the vaccine regimen.

Recently, some people seeking a first shot have even had their appointments canceled because vaccines were in short supply or needed for second doses.

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“The supply of vaccine, we acknowledge that’s going to be our rate-limiting step,” Dr. Mark Ghaly, California’s health and human services secretary, said during a briefing Tuesday. “We always hope for more, we continue to work with the federal administration to push for more, but that will be one of our biggest challenges.”

Healthcare workers, first responders and residents and staff in skilled nursing facilities were the first groups eligible to receive the vaccine in California. That changed in mid- January, when Gov. Gavin Newsom expanded the pool to include people 65 and older.

CALIFORNIA Giving second COVID-19 vaccine shots may reduce supply for people seeking first dose Jan. 23, 2021

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-02/california-needs-more-covid-19-vaccine-but-areas-like-l-a-are-actually-getting-less 3/15 2/3/2021 California needs more COVID-19 vaccine, but some areas get less - Los Angeles Times While some greeted the news that older Californians — who have fallen severely ill and died from COVID-19 at distressingly disproportionate rates — were being given a place in line, the state’s move came amid dwindling doses, and sparked chaos and confusion as some counties moved quickly to allow seniors to enter their queues, while others did not.

PAID CONTENT Get Your (Virtual) Hands on the Mazda3 Hatch: Outnumbered 3 to 1...  By Mazda This mom took the Mazda3 Hatchback for a test drive and fell in love. Read more on the Outnumbered 3 to 1 blog.

In L.A. County, older residents were able to schedule vaccine appointments beginning the week of Jan. 18, meaning second doses will have to start going out next week.

However, the number of doses the county receives has been inconsistent and trending downward. For the week of Jan. 11, L.A. County received 193,950 vaccine doses; the following week, it received only 168,575 doses and only 146,225 doses the week after that.

As of Jan. 25, the county had received nearly 1 million vaccine doses and administered almost 800,000. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-02/california-needs-more-covid-19-vaccine-but-areas-like-l-a-are-actually-getting-less 4/15 2/3/2021 California needs more COVID-19 vaccine, but some areas get less - Los Angeles Times Given the relatively scarce supply, vaccines will need to increasingly be set aside for second doses — leaving fewer shots for people looking to begin the regimen.

CALIFORNIA Ralphs forced to postpone COVID-19 vaccine appointments after county pulls back doses Jan. 28, 2021

Last week, the L.A. County Public Health Department, acting at the request of the California Department of Public Health, “recovered” 10,000 doses from Ralphs pharmacies that were intended for upcoming appointments — allocating them instead to support the county’s mass vaccination sites.

While a spokesman for the supermarket chain said only people seeking their first dose would be affected and that those scheduled to get their second dose would still get their shots, the episode underscored how the need for second doses is overriding overwhelming demand for initial inoculations.

The move also added to confusion among residents older than 65. According to the county, those who received their first shot at Ralphs before Jan. 27 will get a call or

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-02/california-needs-more-covid-19-vaccine-but-areas-like-l-a-are-actually-getting-less 5/15 2/3/2021 California needs more COVID-19 vaccine, but some areas get less - Los Angeles Times email from the pharmacy to schedule their second dose. Those inoculated after that date will be given appointments for their second dose when they get their first dose.

The vaccine shortage is not just in L.A., either. Kaiser Permanente was forced to cancel more than 5,000 appointments for seniors in Santa Clara County because of limited supplies.

CALIFORNIA Kaiser Permanente cancels vaccine appointments for more than 5,000 seniors in Silicon Valley Feb. 1, 2021

In what Kaiser Permanente spokesman Marc Brown called “a very unfortunate development,” the hospital failed to receive the vaccines it anticipated when people had booked appointments for late January and early February.

Brown said staff members had scheduled people for the vaccine based on previous deliveries and “guidance” from the state and county.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-02/california-needs-more-covid-19-vaccine-but-areas-like-l-a-are-actually-getting-less 6/15 2/3/2021 California needs more COVID-19 vaccine, but some areas get less - Los Angeles Times

“We understand the frustration this causes, and we are continuing to do all we can to increase the supply of vaccines, working in partnership with county, state and federal governments,” Brown said in an email in response to questions from The Times.

Despite the persistent problems that have dogged the rollout, however, there are some signs that California may be starting to build momentum.

About 7.4% of Californians have received at least one dose, data compiled by The Times show, and the state has administered almost 63% of the doses that have been delivered so far — a dramatic improvement from a week ago.

CALIFORNIA Tracking vaccinations in California Jan. 22, 2021

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-02/california-needs-more-covid-19-vaccine-but-areas-like-l-a-are-actually-getting-less 7/15 2/3/2021 California needs more COVID-19 vaccine, but some areas get less - Los Angeles Times

Additional groups are also starting to get their shots. Cal State Long Beach started its vaccination program Tuesday, with the top priority being personnel working on campus and staff and faculty 65 and older or who have high-risk medical conditions.

“These educators and staff have been working on campus, and we are getting folks vaccinated to ensure we can get our campus fully reopened safely,” Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia wrote on Twitter.

Workers at the Union Rescue Mission on skid row also escorted some of their older homeless clients to be vaccinated Tuesday.

“They were very excited and relieved to have a chance to be vaccinated,” said the Rev. Andy Bales, president and chief executive of the mission.

Bales said about seven men received their shots Tuesday, but the hope is to get 40 seniors — men and women — their first dose this week.

For a time, it appeared that L.A.'s homeless population had largely escaped the ravages of the pandemic. But this latest surge was different and left no group in the hard-hit

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-02/california-needs-more-covid-19-vaccine-but-areas-like-l-a-are-actually-getting-less 8/15 2/3/2021 California needs more COVID-19 vaccine, but some areas get less - Los Angeles Times county unscathed.

“It’s been alarming,” Bales said. “And I know, for me, it’s felt like COVID-19 has been closing in around us, and really, it seems like it’s been figuring out its way around every precaution. I know that’s what a lot of our guests feel as well.”

Ghaly said that the state is continuing to work through updating vaccine prioritization — and that additional details could be released in the next week. He emphasized, though, that equity will be a cornerstone of California’s approach.

“This notion that there’s a choice that we have to make between speed in vaccinations and equity, this is not a choice,” he said. “This is a false choice. We can do both.”

However, the concept of moving to an age-based formula has already drawn criticism from groups representing some essential workers and disabled people.

Though he didn’t offer specifics on what changes may be coming, Ghaly said, “we are leading our vaccination effort by focusing on protecting those who have the highest risk and those who may suffer the worst consequences from COVID” and that the state is “working with the disability community, working with those who take care of individuals with serious chronic conditions, beginning to galvanize around a policy that we will announce later.” https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-02/california-needs-more-covid-19-vaccine-but-areas-like-l-a-are-actually-getting-less 9/15 California has few specifics on new state vaccination system

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California has few specifics on new state vaccination system By AMY TAXIN and JANIE HAR today

https://apnews.com/article/california-coronavirus-pandemic-e4a70ba99988a34bcea4c393beaabe91[2/3/2021 10:32:37 AM] California has few specifics on new state vaccination system

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California continues to change up its coronavirus vaccine system with its top health officer on Tuesday suggesting revisions to who’s next in line for still-scarce doses as officials put together a still-murky statewide distribution and data collection system aimed at ensuring speed and equity.

The state of nearly 40 million residents has administered more than 3.5 million doses, significantly boosting the daily number of shots it was giving out just weeks ago, said Dr. Mark Ghaly, California’s health and human services secretary, at his weekly briefing. https://apnews.com/article/california-coronavirus-pandemic-e4a70ba99988a34bcea4c393beaabe91[2/3/2021 10:32:37 AM] California has few specifics on new state vaccination system

But it still lags other U.S. states in vaccinations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and desperate residents report ongoing problems trying to schedule an appointment as state officials attempt to craft a system that protects the most vulnerable.

“I want to start by talking about this notion that there’s a choice that we have to make between speed in vaccinations and equity,” he said. “It’s not a choice. This is a false choice. We can do both.”

California’s rollout has been bumpy and chaotic, marked by differing county rules and too little vaccine. The Biden administration has pledged to ramp up delivery, and on Tuesday, CVS pharmacies announced it would start inoculating people in some California stores next week.

In response to the slow rollout, officials made the major announcement last week that the state was creating a new, centralized vaccine distribution system led by Blue Shield, the insurance giant. But a letter of intent signed by the state and the company released Monday shows the specifics of the program are still being developed even as state officials had said they hoped to transition to the new system in mid-February.

Dr. Ghaly declined to answer most questions about it Tuesday, saying that Yolanda Richardson, the government official in charge of the program, would brief reporters next week.

Blue Shield will be responsible for contracting with smaller providers to vaccinate people at a variety of sites, to create a new payment system that will give providers more money based on how effectively and quickly they vaccinate people and create a new data platform to help the state analyze who is being vaccinated, according to the letter of intent.

The state also released a letter of intent signed with Kaiser Permanente, the hospital system, to open two mass vaccination sites in underserved communities, but locations have not yet been chosen.

https://apnews.com/article/california-coronavirus-pandemic-e4a70ba99988a34bcea4c393beaabe91[2/3/2021 10:32:37 AM] California has few specifics on new state vaccination system

The state hasn’t estimated a cost for the services but both companies say they do not plan to make a profit. Both also declined to comment on specifics Tuesday. Blue Shield said it is “finalizing the contract with the state in the coming weeks.”

The other big sticking point remains eligibility.

Currently, the state has authorized health workers, teachers, food and agriculture employees, other first responders and people 65 and older to be inoculated. In a surprise move last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the state would next move to an age-based system, outraging, among others, people with disabilities who had been earlier in line.

In response, Dr. Ghaly on Tuesday said they are “beginning to galvanize around a policy” to be announced later.

But Judy Mark, president of Disability Voices United, is furious that the Newsom administration is “reneging on a promise to ensure that our community is safe,” she said.

“What they’re saying is, they’re willing to protect all the people and caregivers surrounding people with disabilities, but not the people with disabilities themselves,” she said. “To me, it just shows they feel like our lives are not worth it, or that we’ll stay safe because we’re not going anywhere anyway.”

Dr. James Kyle, medical director for quality, diversity, equity and inclusion at L.A. Care Health Plan, also has concerns about a system based on age. Such a system might help speed up vaccinations, but it doesn’t acknowledge the need to reach out to some of California’s most vulnerable residents who live in underserved communities of color hard hit by the pandemic, he said.

And he said vaccine hesitancy is a real problem in Latino and Black communities due to the country’s history as well as a general feeling of frustration in lower-income communities that vaccines available now are going to wealthier people.

“There’s this basic, I think, suspicion in minority communities that whatever happens they will be disadvantaged and somewhat cheated out of their opportunity to get vaccinated in a timely fashion, or they’re just afraid to get vaccinated at all,” he said.

“This is a real problem and it is going to take some real, serious messaging, by trusted voices, to convince people that this is the right thing to do.”

In a December report, Orange County health officials said there was a need to encourage women, Black and Latino people and residents in particular cities for vaccination. The findings followed a survey of residents’ attitudes toward vaccination in which about 58 percent said they were willing to be vaccinated.

While nearly 70 percent of Asian respondents were willing to be vaccinated, fewer than 40 percent of Black respondents were willing, the report said.

—-

Taxin reported from Orange County. AP’s Kathleen Ronayne contributed from Sacramento, California.

https://apnews.com/article/california-coronavirus-pandemic-e4a70ba99988a34bcea4c393beaabe91[2/3/2021 10:32:37 AM] Study finds COVID-19 vaccine may reduce virus transmission Study finds COVID-19 vaccine may reduce virus transmission By DANICA KIRKA and LAURAN NEERGAARD 12 minutes ago

https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-coronavirus-pandemic-coronavirus-vaccine-c746e10e44a1e609b3575dddf019720e?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=AP&utm_source=Twitter[2/3/2021 11:09:37 AM] Study finds COVID-19 vaccine may reduce virus transmission

AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine does more than prevent people from falling seriously ill — it appears to reduce transmission of the virus and offers strong protection for three months on just a single dose, researchers said Wednesday in an encouraging turn in the campaign to suppress the outbreak.

The preliminary findings from Oxford University, a co-developer of the vaccine, could vindicate the British government’s controversial strategy of delaying the second shot for up to 12 weeks so that more people can be quickly given a first dose. Up to now, the recommended time between doses has been four weeks.

The research could also bring scientists closer to an answer to one of the big questions about the vaccination drive: Will the vaccines actually curb the spread of the coronavirus?

It’s not clear what implications, if any, the findings might have for the two other major vaccines being used in the West, Pfizer’s and Moderna’s.

In the United States, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, dismissed the idea of deliberately delaying second shots, saying the U.S. will “go by the science” and data from the clinical trials. The two doses of the Pifzer and Moderna vaccines are supposed to given three and four weeks apart.

Still, the research appears to be good news in the desperate effort to curb the spread of the virus and also suggests a way to ease vaccine shortages and get shots into more arms more quickly.

The makers of all three vaccines have said that the shots proved in clinical trials to be anywhere from 70% to 95% effective in protecting people from illness caused by the virus. But it was unclear whether the vaccines could also suppress transmission of the virus — that is, whether someone inoculated could still acquire the virus without getting sick and spread it to someone else.

As a result, experts have been saying that even people who have been vaccinated should continue to wear masks and keep their distance from others.

Oxford’s study, however, found that the vaccine not only prevented severe disease but appeared to cut transmission of the virus by two-thirds. The study has not been peer-reviewed yet.

Volunteers in the study underwent regular nasal swabs. The level of virus-positive swabs — from both those who had COVID-19 symptoms and those who had none – was 67% lower in the vaccinated group.

“That’s got to have a really beneficial effect on transmission,” Oxford lead researcher Sarah Gilbert said at a meeting of the New York Academy of Sciences. https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-coronavirus-pandemic-coronavirus-vaccine-c746e10e44a1e609b3575dddf019720e?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=AP&utm_source=Twitter[2/3/2021 11:09:37 AM] Study finds COVID-19 vaccine may reduce virus transmission

The researchers also looked at how likely people who have been vaccinated are to get a symptom-free infection. In one subset of volunteers, there were 16 asymptomatic infections among the vaccinated and 31 in an unvaccinated comparison group.

Pfizer and Moderna also are studying the effect of their vaccines on asymptomatic infections.

Only the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are being used in the United States. Britain is using both AstraZeneca’s and Pfizer’s. AstraZeneca’s has also been authorized by the 27-nation European Union. Pfizer has not endorsed the British government’s decision to lengthen the time between doses.

Mene Pangalos, executive vice president of biopharmaceuticals research and development at AstraZeneca, said that no patients experienced severe COVID-19 or required hospitalization three weeks after receiving a first dose, and that efficacy appeared to increase up to 12 weeks after the initial shot.

“Our data suggest you want to be as close to the 12 weeks as you can” for the second dose, Pangalos said.

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the study “backs the strategy that we’ve taken” to make sure more people have gotten at least one shot to protect them. Britain’s decision has been criticized as risky by other European countries.

Stephen Evans of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said the study’s suggestion that a single dose protected people for 12 weeks was “useful but not definitive.”

He said that the authors themselves acknowledged their research was not designed to investigate the vaccine’s dosing schedule and that their conclusions were based on statistical modeling, not actual patients tracked over time.

“It certainly isn’t very strong evidence, but there is also no indication this is the wrong thing to do,” Evans said of Britain’s decision to delay second doses.

One of the lead Oxford researchers, Dr. Andrew Pollard, said scientists also believe the AstraZeneca vaccine will continue to offer protection against new variants of COVID-19, although they are still waiting for data on that. Fast-spreading mutant versions of the virus have caused alarm around the world.

“If we do need to update the vaccines, then it is actually a relatively straightforward process. It only takes a matter of months, rather than the huge efforts that everyone went through last year to get the very large-scale trials run,” Pollard told the BBC.

Meanwhile, a U.N.-backed program to supply COVID-19 vaccines to the neediest people worldwide is gearing up after a troubled start. The COVAX Facility https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-coronavirus-pandemic-coronavirus-vaccine-c746e10e44a1e609b3575dddf019720e?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=AP&utm_source=Twitter[2/3/2021 11:09:37 AM] Study finds COVID-19 vaccine may reduce virus transmission announced plans Wednesday for an initial distribution of some 100 million doses by the end of March and more than 200 million more by the end of June to dozens of countries.

Nearly all of the doses expected for the first phase are due to come from AstraZeneca and its partner, the Serum Institute of India. The AstraZeneca vaccine rollout will be contingent on the World Health Organization authorizing the shot for emergency use, which is expected to happen this month.

Some 190 countries and territories are participating in COVAX, which has seen rich nations scoop up vaccine supplies, sometimes at premium prices.

The pandemic’s worldwide death toll has eclipsed 2.2 million, including about 447,000 in the U.S., according to Johns Hopkins University data.

New cases per day in the U.S. and the number of Americans in the hospital with COVID-19 have dropped sharply in the past few weeks, but deaths are still running at close to all-time highs at an average of around 3,100 a day. Deaths often lag behind the infection curve, because it can take weeks to sicken and die from COVID-19.

As the Super Bowl approaches, Fauci is warning viewers to “just lay low and cool it” to avoid turning Sunday’s big game into a super spreader event. Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday that now isn’t the time to invite people over for Super Bowl parties.

“You don’t want parties with people that you haven’t had much contact with,” he told NBC’s “Today” show. “You just don’t know if they’re infected.”

Associated Press reporters Jill Lawless, Maria Cheng, Jamey Keaten and Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and contributed to this report.

___

Follow all of AP’s pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic, https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

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MOUNTAIN SUNRISE ROTARY CLUB

January 20, 2021 (https://thealpinemountaineer.com/2021/01/20/) Homepage (https://thealpinemountaineer.com/category/homepage/)

San Bernardino County Fire Chief Dan Munsey (Photo by Mary-Justine Lanyon)

No houses lost to wildfire

By Mary-Justine Lanyon Editor

Last year was the rst year in 25 years within the County Fire district that no house was lost to wildre.

“I am so excited about that,” Chief Dan Munsey told members of the Mountain Sunrise Rotary Club.

https://thealpinemountaineer.com/mountain-sunrise-rotary-club/ 1/5 2/3/2021 MOUNTAIN SUNRISE ROTARY CLUB

He noted that every reghter wants to go to a re. “We don’t like the destruction of it but, if you train for something and are good at it, you want to practice your skills.

“But that’s not our job,” the chief said. “I don’t want to ght res in my jurisdiction. I will do everything I can to prevent res.”

He praised the work being done by the Mountain Rim Fire Safe Council, under the direction of Laura Dyberg, to reduce the risk of res. Creating fuel breaks, identifying dead trees and getting them removed, making sure property owners know how to keep their property safe – that community risk reduction all adds up to a safer community.

Community risk reduction goes beyond a re, Chief Munsey said. The re scar, he noted, is susceptible to ooding. “We look at the potential threats to the community from ice storms, oods, earthquakes and re.”

County Fire’s goal, the chief said, is to “proactively reduce risk to the community before an incident occurs.”

He chuckled as he talked about County Fire’s use of goats to help reduce risk.

“Where do res occur every year in San Bernardino?” he asked. The answer was on Little Mountain. “We know that area will burn. What is predictable is preventable.” And so, they put goats on Little Mountain.

“It’s expensive to do,” he said, “and hard to get goats. But it’s a good investment. https://thealpinemountaineer.com/mountain-sunrise-rotary-club/ 2/5 2/3/2021 MOUNTAIN SUNRISE ROTARY CLUB

“I want to continue this trend of not burning houses down in our jurisdiction.”

People are calling 911 for reasons other than an emergency these days, Chief Munsey said. They’ll call and say, it’s not really an emergency – please don’t use lights, don’t send a re engine.

“We are there for you but, at the same time, we have nite resources,” the chief said. “So, how are we addressing this problem?”

Ten years ago, San Bernardino County Fire started thinking about it and has come up with an emergency medical dispatching system. Now, when a call comes in, the person will be asked a series of questions. “We will determine if they are breathing, if their airway is open, if they have good circulation. The longer they are on the call, the less likely it’s an emergency,” Chief Munsey said.

If it turns out to be a low-acuity problem or not an emergency at all, the call will be shifted to a nurse in the dispatch center. Chief Munsey said they have “soft started” this program, which is currently staffed part-time during peak hours. The intention is for a nurse to be available 24/7 soon.

He told the Rotarians that San Bernardino County is the rst county in the U.S. to be doing this. “Our goal is to get that caller to appropriate care in an appropriate time and with the appropriate method,” Chief Munsey said.

It can be very expensive to be transported by ambulance, he noted. “When an ambulance arrives, by law it can only take you to the ER. By sending calls to a nurse and working with Public Health, different insurance companies, Urgent Cares and doctors, we can connect a patient to the care they need without sending an expensive response.” https://thealpinemountaineer.com/mountain-sunrise-rotary-club/ 3/5 2/3/2021 MOUNTAIN SUNRISE ROTARY CLUB

While many people don’t believe that COVID-19 is a problem, the chief said he is not one of them. “I’ve seen the effects of it. We are talking about how to work together to prevent the hospital system from collapsing. Patients are staying in the back of an ambulance for hours until a hospital can nd room for them.

“We have hospitals in the county that are running out of oxygen. This is real – what I see every day.”

Chief Munsey said having ambulances in the re stations is a great system. “These folks train together. Every re engine has a paramedic on it. They save lives.

“The greatest accomplishment in my career was when someone would say, do you remember me? You were the paramedic who restarted my heart. That makes you feel incredible. Your paramedics are incredible. They train every day so they’re there for you in an emergency.”

And, he added, “your reghters are among the best. You wouldn’t believe the stories about their going out of the way to help the public.”

Chief Munsey told the story of a mountain visitor who had an emergency and was taken to Mountains Community Hospital. The man told the reghters and paramedics that his daughter had run out of gas driving up the hill. They called their mechanic, who took gas to the daughter so she could get to the hospital.

“It’s not like that across the U.S.,” Chief Munsey said. “Fire departments have gotten bigger and bigger. Some forget why they’re here. It’s not to respond to emergencies but to prevent them.”

There are three Cs that are of utmost importance to him, the chief said: community involvement, collaboration and communication.

“We are a community-based re department,” he said. “And we are great collaborators with our partners. Think about what Laura Dyberg is doing, what Rotary is doing. If we make the community better, we will make it safer. We work with Caltrans and all the re chiefs. Jurisdictional boundaries no longer matter. The closest agency will respond.”

And, Chief Munsey said, “communication is important to me. I promise you, you will know who I am.”

https://thealpinemountaineer.com/mountain-sunrise-rotary-club/ 4/5 2/3/2021 Montclair and Big Bear Lake denounce Capitol riot and urge other cities to do the same – Press Enterprise ___

LOCAL NEWS • News Montclair and Big Bear Lake denounce Capitol riot and urge other cities to do the same Resolutions condemn the Jan. 6 insurrection and urge all cities to pass similar measures

This photo made available by the U.S. National Archives shows a portion of the first page of the United States Constitution. According to NPD BookScan, which tracks around 85 percent of the print market, more than 1 million copies of the Constitution in various editions were sold since Trump took office. Two cities in San Bernardino County in 2021 adopted resolutions in support of the Constitution.(National Archives via AP)

By STEVE SCAUZILLO || [email protected] || SanSan GabrielGabriel ValleyValley Tribune PUBLISHED: February 2, 2021 at 5:49 p.m. || UPDATED:UPDATED: February 2, 2021 at 9:15 p.m.

https://www.pe.com/2021/02/02/montclair-and-big-bear-lake-denounce-capitol-riot-and-urge-other-cities-to-do-the-same/?utm_campaign=so… 1/6 2/3/2021 Montclair and Big Bear Lake denounce Capitol riot and urge other cities to do the same – Press Enterprise

The heady issues of democracy, as played out in our 245-year-old republic, are getting a boost in San Bernardino County from a surprising source: local governments.

So far, two cities — Big Bear Lake and Montclair — adopted resolutions in the past fewfew weeksweeks inin supportsupport ofof thethe ConstitutionConstitution ofof thethe UnitedUnited States,States, singlingsingling outout thethe principles of free and fair elections, checks and balances on a tri-lateral form of government, honest debates, free speech and the peaceful transition of power.

What prompted the unusual resolutions was the breach of the U.S. Capitol building Jan. 6 by a mob accused of trying to stop Congress from certifying the election of President Joe Biden. Five people were killed as a result of the rioting. As of Tuesday, Feb. 2, police have arrested and charged 230 people in connection toto thethe breach.breach.

FILE – In this Jan. 6, 2021 file photo rioting supporters of President Donald Trump climb the west wall of the the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Historians say Trump’s legacy and his electoral undoing will be largely shaped by rhetoric aimed at stirring his largely white base that tugged at the long-frayed strands of race relations in America. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

In both cities, the resolutions approved by elected officials condemn the actions of the rioters, many of them supporters of former President Donald Trump, saying the “unfortunate” events of Jan. 6 “are contrary to the principles on which thethe UnitedUnited StatesStates ofof AmericaAmerica waswas founded,founded, andand dodo notnot representrepresent thethe valuesvalues ofof thethe American people … .”

https://www.pe.com/2021/02/02/montclair-and-big-bear-lake-denounce-capitol-riot-and-urge-other-cities-to-do-the-same/?utm_campaign=so… 2/6 2/3/2021 Montclair and Big Bear Lake denounce Capitol riot and urge other cities to do the same – Press Enterprise The resolutions also say each city “rejects the use of intimidation and violence to resolve our political differences,” going on to say the city councils were saddened and disappointed in the events of that day.

Big Bear Lake adopted its resolution on Jan. 11. Montclair, after receiving a copy fromfrom thethe mountainmountain city,city, adoptedadopted thethe resolutionresolution onon Monday,Monday, Feb.Feb. 1.1.

Councilman Alan Lee of Big Bear Lake came up with the idea after watching the riot on television. He asked for a resolution from City Manager Frank Rush Jr., who said the resolution affirmed the cityʼs support for the democratic process and thethe peacefulpeaceful transitiontransition ofof powerpower asas bedrockbedrock elementselements ofof thethe republic.republic.

Lee said he wanted the resolution to be intentional, not political.

“Whether we call ourselves Democrats or Republicans, in the final analysis we recognize we are all Americans. And our core beliefs are in the Constitution and inin ourour country,country, America,”America,” hehe saidsaid atat thethe Jan.Jan. 1111 meetingmeeting rightright beforebefore thethe councilʼscouncilʼs vote.

Councilman Randall Putz asked for the resolution be sent to all cities in San Bernardino County for adoption by their city councils. A copy was also sent to Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-Yucca Valley, who took his seat in Congress three days before the riot and on the evening of Jan. 6 joined other Republicans to vote against accepting the Electoral College results from Arizona and Pennsylvania. Prior to winning a seat in the House of Representatives in November, Obernolte served as mayor of Big Bear Lake and in the state Assembly.

“This is a topic that is very important to me and I hope it is very important to everyone,” Putz said during the City Council meeting.

In Montclair, the resolution forwarded by Big Bear Lake was adopted with little comment. Mayor John Dutre asked for it to be sent to Rep. Norma Torres, D- Pomona, and the two California senators, Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla.

In an interview on Tuesday, Feb. 2, Dutre said he wanted not only all cities in the county to adopt the resolution but all cities in America.

“When I saw what happened on Jan. 6 I was horrified,” he began. “I felt it is importantimportant thatthat everyevery citycity adoptadopt aa resolutionresolution thatthat sayssays wewe standstand byby ourour ConstitutionConstitution and our democratic principles.”

What does a local government have to do with the Constitution or the workings of thethe federalfederal government?government?

https://www.pe.com/2021/02/02/montclair-and-big-bear-lake-denounce-capitol-riot-and-urge-other-cities-to-do-the-same/?utm_campaign=so… 3/6 2/3/2021 Montclair and Big Bear Lake denounce Capitol riot and urge other cities to do the same – Press Enterprise “Every council member and mayor takes the oath of office to preserve and defend thethe ConstitutionConstitution ofof thethe UnitedUnited States,”States,” hehe said.said.

Montclair Councilman Bill Ruh said his city took a stand as a reminder to its citizens and members of Congress to support the workings of the republic.

“We even have members of Congress questioning our constitutional system,” Ruh said Tuesday.

Ruh said he hoped the cityʼs resolution would spur more people to read the Constitution.

In fact, 1 million copies of the printed version of the Constitution have been sold since President Donald Trump took office in 2017. This was much higher than during the second term of President Barack Obama, when 600,000 copies were sold, according to NPD BookScan, which tracks the print market.

Also, since the Jan. 6 riot, more people have been reading the online version of thethe Constitution.Constitution. TheThe NationalNational ConstitutionConstitution CenterCenter inin PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia receivedreceived 400,000 visitors to its site in the days following the insurrection, according to news reports. The centerʼs previous record was 160,000.

Some scholars have guessed people are buying the Constitution to learn about issuesissues raisedraised duringduring thethe TrumpTrump presidency,presidency, suchsuch asas thethe impeachmentimpeachment clauseclause andand thethe 25th25th Amendment,Amendment, thethe latterlatter ofof whichwhich describesdescribes aa processprocess forfor removingremoving aa president if he or she is deemed unable or unfit to do the job.

The Constitution is available for freefree downloadingdownloading fromfrom thethe U.S.U.S. ArchivesArchives..

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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https://www.pe.com/2021/02/02/montclair-and-big-bear-lake-denounce-capitol-riot-and-urge-other-cities-to-do-the-same/?utm_campaign=so… 4/6 2/3/2021 Hesperia man fatally stabbed in suspected domestic disturbance – San Bernardino Sun

NEWSCRIME AND PUBLIC SAFETY •• News Hesperia man fatally stabbed in suspected domestic disturbance

By QUINN WILSON || [email protected] || PUBLISHED: February 2, 2021 at 9:42 p.m. || UPDATED:UPDATED: February 2, 2021 at 9:42 p.m.

A Hesperia man died following a domestic disturbance in which he was stabbed, the San Bernardino County Sheriffʼs Department reported.

Robert Robinson, 41, was pronounced deceased at the scene on Wednesday, Jan. 27.

At about 10:03 p.m., deputies responded to the report of a stabbing in the 17300 block of Manzanita Street. Robinson was found inside thethe homehome sufferingsuffering fromfrom anan apparentapparent stabstab wound.wound.

Detectives from the Homicide Detail responded and it was discovered Robinson was involved in a domestic disturbance when the stabbing happened, the Sheriffʼs Department said. No arrests have been made; there are no outstanding suspects.

Upon completion of the investigation, the report will be submitted to the District Attorneyʼs Office for review, the Sheriffʼs Department said.

Anyone with information regarding the incident was asked to contact Detective Michelle Del Rio at 909-387-3589. Callers can remain anonymous and contact WeTip at 800-78CRIME or www.wetip.com.

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Tags: domestic-violence,, stabbing,, Top Stories Sun

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Quinn Wilson | Reporter Quinn Wilson is a Missouri native who has bylines with the Riverfront Times, Sauce Magazine, Fox 2/KPLR 11, Fulton Sun and The Bakerseld Californian. He graduated form Fontbonne University in 2019.

[email protected]

 Follow Quinn Wilson @qrwriter https://www.sbsun.com/2021/02/02/hesperia-man-fatally-stabbed-in-suspected-domestic-disturbance/?utm_content=tw-sbsun&utm_campai… 1/3 2/3/2021 Another alleged victim of former Redlands High School teacher Laura Whitehurst sues district – Press Enterprise ___

LOCAL NEWS • News Another alleged victim of former Redlands High School teacher Laura Whitehurst sues district 'There'There isis aa goodgood reasonreason whywhy RedlandsRedlands UnifiedUnified School District is the national poster child for sexual abuse of students,' says the plaintiff's attorney

Convicted Redlands teacher Laura Whitehurst sits in court as she is sentenced Wednesday, August 28, 2013, after pleading guilty to sleeping with students and having one student’s baby.

By JOE NELSON || [email protected]@scng.com || SanSan BernardinoBernardino SunSun PUBLISHED: February 2, 2021 at 5:22 p.m. || UPDATED:UPDATED: February 2, 2021 at 11:02 p.m.

https://www.pe.com/2021/02/02/another-alleged-victim-of-former-redlands-high-school-teacher-laura-whitehurst-sues-district/?utm_source=t… 1/4 2/3/2021 Another alleged victim of former Redlands High School teacher Laura Whitehurst sues district – Press Enterprise A former Redlands High School student has filed a lawsuit alleging he was sexually abused by former teacher Laura Whitehurst inin 2007,2007, andand thatthat teachers,teachers, counselors and administrators failed to report it to police.

In the second lawsuit filed on behalf of one of Whitehurstʼs accusers, the first of which resulted in a $6$6 millionmillion settlementsettlement inin 2016,2016, attorneysattorneys allegeallege moremore thanthan aa half-dozen Redlands Unified School District and Redlands High School administrators, counselors and teachers were aware of allegations that Whitehurst was having sexual relations with students, but failed in their obligation as mandated reporters to notify police.

The lawsuit, filed Friday, Jan. 29, in San Bernardino Superior Court by the Irvine firmfirm Manly,Manly, StewartStewart && Finaldi,Finaldi, allegesalleges Whitehurst,Whitehurst, aa formerformer EnglishEnglish teacherteacher andand soccer coach, began having sex with the student in 2007, when he was 14 years old. Whitehurst admitted to police in 2013 she had sex with the boy 10 to 15 times inin herher classroomclassroom andand atat herher RedlandsRedlands apartment,apartment, accordingaccording toto aa policepolice report.report.

In her seven-year career with the school district in which she taught briefly at all of its high schools, Whitehurst, according to the lawsuit, had a specific method of invitinginviting malemale students,students, agesages 1414 toto 18,18, intointo herher classroom,classroom, wherewhere sheshe wouldwould engageengage inin sexualsexual discussionsdiscussions and/orand/or havehave sexsex withwith them.them. WhitehurstWhitehurst alsoalso dateddated studentsstudents and had sex with them at her home, according to the lawsuit.

A yearlong investigation by the Southern California News Group exposedexposed aa moremore thanthan decade-longdecade-long patternpattern atat RedlandsRedlands UnifiedUnified ofof administratorsadministrators failingfailing toto reportreport toto policepolice teachersteachers whowho hadhad aa proclivityproclivity forfor groominggrooming andand sexuallysexually abusingabusing students, including Whitehurst and former Redlands High School teacher and golf coach Kevin Patrick Kirkland.. ThatThat failurefailure allowedallowed teachersteachers likelike WhitehurstWhitehurst andand Kirkland to continue sexually abusing students for years.

“There is a good reason why Redlands Unified School District is the national poster child for sexual abuse of students. More than 20 teachers and administrators in RUSD have been accused of inappropriate sexual behavior with theirtheir studentsstudents overover thethe lastlast tenten years,”years,” saidsaid aa statementstatement fromfrom MorganMorgan Stewart,Stewart, thethe attorney representing the former student in the lawsuit. “The district has spent millions on civil lawsuit settlements, and two students have committed suicide. There are at least 50 victims of sexual abuse within RUSD.”

The Southern California News Group investigation led to the implementationimplementation ofof new policies and procedures atat RedlandsRedlands UnifiedUnified inin reportingreporting suspectedsuspected sexualsexual abuse of minor students and establishing firm boundaries between staff and students.

https://www.pe.com/2021/02/02/another-alleged-victim-of-former-redlands-high-school-teacher-laura-whitehurst-sues-district/?utm_source=t… 2/4 2/3/2021 Another alleged victim of former Redlands High School teacher Laura Whitehurst sues district – Press Enterprise Stewart, whose firm specializes in representing victims of sexual abuse by teachersteachers inin publicpublic schools,schools, calledcalled WhitehurstWhitehurst oneone ofof thethe worstworst predatorspredators heʼsheʼs everever seen.

“The district had complaints against her for six years. If they had acted in 2007 and removed her from the classroom, she never would have injured our clients and other children,” Stewart said.

Whitehurst pleaded guilty inin 20132013 toto sixsix felonyfelony countscounts ofof havinghaving sexsex withwith twotwo Citrus Valley High School students, one whose child she bore, and one Redlands High School student. She was sentenced to one year in jail,, butbut waswas releasedreleased onon probation after serving only six months.

The Redlands High School student Whitehurst was convicted of molesting was not thethe plaintiffplaintiff inin thethe latestlatest lawsuitlawsuit filedfiled againstagainst thethe district.district.

Redlands Unified spokeswoman MaryRone Shell did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

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Joe Nelson | reporter Joe Nelson is an award-winning investigative reporter who has worked for The Sun since November 1999. He started as a crime reporter and went on to cover a variety of beats including courts and the cities of Colton, Highland and Grand Terrace. He has covered San Bernardino County since 2009. Nelson is a graduate of California State University Fullerton. In 2014, he completed a fellowship at Loyola Law School's Journalist Law School program.

[email protected]@scng.com

 Follow Joe Nelson @GumshoeJoe

https://www.pe.com/2021/02/02/another-alleged-victim-of-former-redlands-high-school-teacher-laura-whitehurst-sues-district/?utm_source=t… 3/4 2/3/2021 OC sheriff won’t reconsider practice that delayed helicopter rescue of fatally injured Fontana boy – San Bernardino Sun

LOCAL NEWS • InvestigativeInvestigative OC sheriff won’t reconsider practice that delayed helicopter rescue of fatally injured Fontana boy 'The'The OrangeOrange CountyCounty SheriffsSheriffs DepartmentDepartment helicopters are not air ambulances,' says Don Barnes, who will not alter his agency's helicopter deployment

Ver’shad Raggins, 7, died last year, and three family members suffered injuries after theirtheir carcar stalledstalled onon thethe 241241 TollToll RoadRoad andand waswas struckstruck byby aa van.van. (Courtesy(Courtesy ofof Raggins family)

By TONY SAAVEDRA || [email protected] || OrangeOrange CountyCounty Register PUBLISHED: February 2, 2021 at 6:25 p.m. || UPDATED:UPDATED: February 3, 2021 at 12:45 a.m.

https://www.sbsun.com/2021/02/02/oc-sheriff-wont-reconsider-practice-that-delayed-helicopter-rescue-of-fatally-injured-fontana-boy/?utm_c… 1/5 2/3/2021 OC sheriff won’t reconsider practice that delayed helicopter rescue of fatally injured Fontana boy – San Bernardino Sun

Leaders of the Orange County Sheriffʼs Department and the Fire Authority are refusing to reconsider a practice that required dispatchers to send a fire helicopter to retrieve a badly injured child even though it was 18 minutes away while a sheriffʼs helicopter was close by.

The 7-year-old Fontana boy died of his injuries in the 2019 traffic accident on thethe 241241 TollwayTollway easteast ofof AnaheimAnaheim Hills,Hills, causingcausing somesome toto questionquestion ifif hehe mightmight have survived with a faster helicopter response.

At issue is the current practice not to use sheriffʼs rescue helicopters to transporttransport victimsvictims fromfrom nonrural,nonrural, pavedpaved areas.areas. ThatThat practicepractice isis nownow underunder firefire by the former head of the sheriffʼs aviation unit and an email ostensibly from an emergency dispatcher for the Orange County Fire Authority.

Some trustees on the fire board say Sheriff Don Barnes and Fire Chief Brian Fennessy should meet and find a way to ensure more victims arenʼt left waiting while a sheriffʼs helicopter is readily available.

But Barnes and Fennessy now say there is nothing to talk about, pointing to an agreement between the two agencies that limits the sheriffʼs helicopters to rural rescues.

The memorandum of understanding between the two agencies “is for off- highway search and rescue calls that we jointly respond to with the Orange County Fire Authority,” Barnes wrote in an email. “On-pavement medical air ambulance calls are very clearly not part of our MOU, nor will they be. The Orange County Sheriffs Department helicopters are not air ambulances. We are not renegotiating the MOU based on this incident.

“It is in the best interest of public safety and the mission of the Orange County Sheriffʼs Departmentʼs Air Support Bureau to directly support law enforcement services countywide and to perform remote rescues as needed,” he added.

Sheriffʼs officials went on to say department helicopters are not qualified as air ambulances.

But according to the Federal Aviation Administration, a law enforcement agency such as the Sheriffʼs Department does not need FAA certification to operate as an air ambulance as long as it is not charging for the aircraft or the pilots. Landing area — paved or off-highway — is not a factor.

https://www.sbsun.com/2021/02/02/oc-sheriff-wont-reconsider-practice-that-delayed-helicopter-rescue-of-fatally-injured-fontana-boy/?utm_c… 2/5 2/3/2021 OC sheriff won’t reconsider practice that delayed helicopter rescue of fatally injured Fontana boy – San Bernardino Sun Orange County emergency regulations define air ambulances as carrying a registered nurse, but fire helicopters as well as sheriff copters do not.

Don Wagner, a member of the fire board as well as the county Board of Supervisors, had pushed for the sheriff and chief to talk to ensure the best and closest rescue helicopter could be dispatched on future calls.

“Iʼm a little disappointed thereʼs no conversation to be had,” Wagner said. “Chief Fennessyʼs decision there should be further discussion was a responsible one, and Iʼm disappointed there will be no discussion.”

But in a statement later sent to the Southern California News Group, Fennessy said: “Sheriff Barnes and I talk regularly on how best to serve the community throughthrough coordinationcoordination andand collaboration.collaboration. IfIf changeschanges areare neededneeded inin anyany area,area, wewe will make adjustments at that time. Currently, no amendments are needed to our agreement.”

The death of 7-year-old Verʼshad Raggins andand subsequentsubsequent criticismcriticism ofof thethe helicopter response were uncovered in a Nov. 20 investigation by the Southern California News Group.

The current Fire Authority practice for handling air rescues on paved property isis toto firstfirst callcall MercyMercy Air,Air, aa privateprivate ambulanceambulance service.service. IfIf MercyMercy AirAir cannotcannot respond in a timely manner, then the fire agency takes the call. The sheriffʼs helicopters are not used.

Such was the case on Aug. 25, 2019, when Raggins was dying on the toll road asphalt near the Windy Ridge Plaza. An OCFA copter in Fullerton was dispatched instead of a sheriffʼs helicopter in nearby Loma Ridge, about one minute away.

According to the anonymous email sent to OCFA board members, dispatchers pleaded repeatedly with supervisors toto sendsend thethe closercloser sheriffʼssheriffʼs copter.copter. ButBut theythey were denied.

“In the end, OCFA ignored and disregarded the closest available resource and thisthis littlelittle boyboy dieddied andand hehe dieddied becausebecause wewe failedfailed him!”him!” endedended thethe email.email.

Sheriffʼs Sgt. William Fitzgerald, who led the aviation unit until he complained about the Ragginsʼ incident, said in an email to his supervisor: “All of us in public safety should be ashamed of ourselves about this call.”

https://www.sbsun.com/2021/02/02/oc-sheriff-wont-reconsider-practice-that-delayed-helicopter-rescue-of-fatally-injured-fontana-boy/?utm_c… 3/5