Items

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  2021-08-27

  "New York Art Fairs Are Returning, Eyes Open and Fingers Crossed"

  The New York Times article from August 27, 2021 discusses the anticipation for the Armory Show 2021 edition to go forward after many art fairs decided to cancel this year’s editions in light of the decline in progress since the resurgence of the coronavirus in the summer of 2021. The article also comments on the changes in the art world, lower attendance, loss of participating galleries and a shifting demographic. There has been a notable transition away from blue-chip gallery-centric art fairs to include smaller businesses, in which many more are women-run and or owned by people of color.
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  2021-09-21

  Hogan Choi and Reily O'Buckley Oral History, 2021/09/21

  This is an interview between two Northeastern University students on how Covid-19 that shared their thoughts about the impact of Covid 19 both personally and globally.
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  2021-07-18

  Shifting Back

  My family was certainly filled with hope and a bit of relief when our county’s numbers began to steady at 30 cases a day with a positivity rate below 0.5 by June. However, we didn’t let down our guard. My husband’s best friend since childhood is an MD with the county and in May told us the Delta variant is here. We asked what that means and he said “well, outdoors you should be okay, but wear a mask indoors and don’t let anyone breathe on you.” He said this knowing we’re vaccinated and that our two kids, one being his goddaughter, are not old enough to get the vaccine. Numerous times since summer started I ruefully told my husband and mom “enjoy it while we can” because I think we all knew a spike would come once California lifted its COVID restrictions on June 15. It’s taken only a few weeks for LA to return to 1000 cases per day, and where we live in OC, daily cases have jumped from 30 a day to 150 a day in two weeks. Yesterday, the case count was 250 for one day. The variant is here. LA is taking swift action. Effective today, LA’s mask mandate is back in place for unvaccinated and vaccinated alike. It was immediately noticeable when we picked up dinner at King’s Hawaiian. The outdoor tent is up for to go orders pick up and mask mandate signs are posted. Honestly, if people just accepted the practice of wearing masks, I really do think it could help us return to pre June 15 levels. The report I read this week indicated that 100% (which sounds crazy, but it was cited) of the COVID hospitalizations in LA county are unvaccinated. It’s so strange to me that it is the unvaccinated who are so against wearing masks. I’m honestly wearing my mask to protect them, statistics seem to indicate if I get Delta, it should be mild. I just wish my kids could get the vaccine. Oh well, here’s to hoping the mask mandate comes back in the OC, too.
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  2021-07-23

  First Race in a Pandemic World

  Terrified, I put on my shoes and walked over to the canyon. I’m always nervous before a race - where will I place? What if I can’t finish? It’s adrenaline talking. This time, it was different. For the first time since early 2020, I was competing in a race, outside, with other people. When I signed up, the case count was the lowest it had been since the original shut down. I was nervous, but excited. Then Delta exploded. As the numbers climbed, I tried running with a mask that week. Two days before the race, I made it 3 miles and had to take it off. This was the Hot and Hilly 10K I was prepping for. It’s over 90 degrees and the course is all hills. I knew I wouldn’t be able to do the mask the whole time. I also knew the course had narrow parts, wide enough for only one runner. What happened if I got in a group? Was being outside enough to dissipate the virus, like current advice suggests? Or is Delta more potent? And is there a difference between standing outside unmasked and running full speed unmasked in a group of other people roughly and heavily drawing air in and out? As I waited for the gun, I wore my mask. I was the only one and that didn’t bother me. In fact, I was a little self conscious that I would be judged but I think everyone was just focused on the trail. When the race began, there was a natural small bottleneck. I left my mask on. About a mile in, I had to take it off. Luckily, the crowd had thinned. Since I am not an elite runner, I wasn’t doing the 7 minute miles of the head of the pack. On the flip, I also am not slow. I was able to find a sweet spot where I could see the front of the pack in the distance, but was far enough ahead of the average runners that I was not in a crowd. Overall, it was amazing to be racing again. I love competition. For over a year, I ran only on the treadmill. There was part of me that wondered if my ability have disappeared during the quarantine. I came in 4th place in my division and am beyond excited with that placement. I also was relieved knowing I was done with the crowds for the day. I spent two weeks secretly nervous I contracted COVID and am happy to report that the vaccine seems to have worked for me. I have another race scheduled for October and am already feeling nervous. Our hospitalization rate has shot to nearly 500 and the ICU is two away from 100. Will my next race being outdoors be enough to protect my family, especially my two unvaccinated kids at home? Will my vaccine even still be effective by October? My second shot will have been administered seven months prior at that point.
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  2021-08-06

  New Normal

  We didn’t leave the house for a year. Not exaggerating. Search my name in this archive, you will see we didn’t leave the house, nor was anyone allowed inside. However, when cases dropped this spring, we began to venture outside, albeit with masks. Now with cases on the rise, it becomes such a difficult choice. The adults are vaccinated, so we should (hopefully) be semi protected. But the kids aren’t. But do we want to lock them inside for another 18 months? Obviously not. So we’re trying to embrace a new normal. We still haven’t gone to any home get togethers - too dangerous with Delta, but we are carefully enjoying the outdoors. The zoo is all outdoors and spread out, so that has been feasible. Disneyland has been replaced by the beach, which we’re very lucky to live so close to. The beach isn’t scary - there’s plenty of room to spread out. But what do you do when your former teacher and current co worker who adores your kids invites you to school to share in a tennis picnic? My kids LOVE “gung gung” (Chinese for grandpa), and he loves teaching them tennis (he’s been the tennis coach for almost 30 years). There is no one size fits all answer. I decided because he was vaccinated, the event was completely outdoors, most of the tennis players are vaxxed and my kids could wear their masks that the risk was worth it. And it was, they had a great afternoon. So this is the new normal. Weighing the risks and making decisions that 18 months ago never would have been given a second thought.
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  2021-08-11

  There is No Good Decision

  My daughter is very athletic. I don’t make that statement lightly. I do not lie and I will look you in the eye and tell you my son is not an athlete. But my daughter was born with a natural ability for sports. Anything she tries, even recreationally, she excels at. When she was 3, she began gymnastics and in first grade, she joined the competitive team. It’s not just that she’s athletic, she works extremely hard. So making her sit out an entire season due to COVID was not an easy decision. I do not regret it, but it doesn’t mean it wasn’t hard. When this season began in May, we cautiously allowed her to return, fully masked. The cases were down and the coaches wore masks. We decided the risk was worth it for her mental health. Then the COVID restrictions were lifted June 15. My daughter became the only one in the full gym with a mask. We hoped for the best and have been lucky so far. But the cases are exploding. They are higher now than this time last year. What do we do? All her friends are from the gym. Truly. She doesn’t have any close friends at school because most of her time is spent at the gym. Can we take that away from her again? She worked out every single day of quarantine to stay in shape and she did. Can we look at her and basically say her work was for nothing? There is no good choice. What is more important? Protecting her physically or giving her the part of her life that secures her mental health? At the end of last week, I was seriously considering pulling her as the daily cases rose to 1,000+. However, in a move that shocked me knowing the clientele and position of the gym on this entire pandemic, even her gym has reinstated masks for all coaches. This made me feel maybe 5% better. Her one on one session is also from 8 - 9pm, which I was bummed at at first - so late for a kid! But I quickly realized we’re the only ones in the gym that late, which lowers my anxiety a bit. So we’re going to take the risk for now and allow her to continue going. I just hope it’s not a decision we regret.
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  2021-07-24

  Janine Brown. Oral History, July 24, 2021

  In this two-part interview, Ashley Tibollo interviews Janine Brown on how her life was impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. In the first part of the interview, Brown discusses how her last year of college was impacted and about her transition to remote teaching. She discusses her fears of the Delta variant, what sources she uses to get her information and what her feelings are regarding government action. She also discusses family life and how she was affected by the quarantine. She ends this part with her hopes for the future. In the second part of this interview, Brown discusses her decision to move in with her boyfriend right before quarantine and what it was life navigating a new relationship amidst a pandemic. She also discusses her pets and how their moods changed as her life changed. She discusses the difficulties of house hunting and the ways that the pandemic has affected the market.
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  2021-07-08

  COVID-19-related suicide

  In Peru the pandemic is broiling, things are far from slowing down. Patients with COVID may go to the hospital only to find out that there are not enough ventilators or oxygen to go around. This story by the AP press describes a story of a COVID-related suicide. Although this topic is not widely covered in the U.S. media, it is a consistent storyline in Peru. [CN] I selected anonymous, but I didn't mean to, please curate as normal and add this to a curatorial note KKdP 07/19/2021
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  2021-07-14

  Los Angeles Covid Cases Up 500% Over Past Month; Test Positivity Rises Nearly 700% As Delta Variant Takes Hold

  The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed 1,103 new cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday. It’s the fifth consecutive day cases have been over 1,000. For perspective, one month ago, the 5-day average of cases was 201. Today the 5-day average is 1,095; this is an increase of more than 500% in just one month. That increase has come even as testing has dropped precipitously, which means the actual rise of infections is likely much greater as there are fewer chances to identify cases.
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  2021-07-14

  COVID-19: Morelos confirmó primer brote de la variante Delta [COVID-19: Morelos confirmed first delta variant outbreak]

  Mexico - La Secretaría de Salud de Morelos confirmó el primer caso de COVID-19 de la variante Delta, la cepa con mayor índice de transmisión y cuyo acelerado crecimiento amenaza, principalmente, a la población joven de 20 a 39 años que no ha sido totalmente inmunizada o se encuentra en proceso de ello. El paciente confirmado se trata de un masculino de 65 años de edad, quien actualmente recibe atención en una unidad del Instituto de Seguridad y Servicios Sociales de los Trabajadores del Estado (ISSSTE) sin reportar complicaciones ni dificultades respiratorias. Mexico - The Ministry of Health in Morelos confirmed the first case of COVID-19 of the Delta variant, the strain with the highest transmission rate and whose rapid growth is mainly threatening to the young population aged 20 to 39 years who have not been fully immunized or are in the process of doing so. The confirmed patient is a 65-year-old male, who is currently receiving care at a unit of the State Workers' Social Security and Services Institute there have been no reports of respiratory complications.
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  2021-07-14

  Protests in France against COVID-19 'health pass' rules

  Police in Paris clashed with protesters railing against President Emmanuel Macron's plan to require a COVID-19 vaccine certificate or negative PCR test to gain entry to bars, restaurants and cinemas from next month. Macron this week announced sweeping measures to fight a rapid surge in new coronavirus infections, including the mandatory vaccination of health workers and new health pass rules for the wider public. In doing so, he went further than most other European nations have done as the highly contagious Delta variant fans a new wave of cases, and other governments are watching carefully to see how the French public responds.
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  2021-07-13

  New daily COVID-19 cases in US have doubled in past 3 weeks

  The COVID-19 curve in the U.S. is rising again after months of decline, with the number of new cases per day doubling over the past three weeks, driven by the fast-spreading delta variant, lagging vaccination rates and Fourth of July gatherings. Confirmed infections climbed to an average of about 23,600 a day on Monday, up from 11,300 on June 23, according to Johns Hopkins University data. And all but two states — Maine and South Dakota — reported that case numbers have gone up over the past two weeks.
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  2021-07-14

  Summer setback: COVID deaths and cases rising again globally

  As life goes back to normal (whatever that means) here in the United States I fear that we are all turning a blind eye to the truth, COVID is not gone. Hand sanitizing stations are no longer being refilled in most places and we can go grocery shopping without masks, restaurants are busy and people are getting back to work. This would all be good news if globally our numbers continued to decline. The truth is that growing variants, like the Delta variant, are causing numbers to rapidly rise. Here in the US we have become so comfortable with life back to "normal" that we have become complacent. We are not yet safe, people are still dying.