Month: February 2021

When South Bay resident Arjun Batra, 74, heard California Gov. Gavin Newsom's announcement in mid-January that individuals age 65 and over were eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, he called his health care provider, Kaiser Permanente, in hopes of making an inoculation appointment. After waiting three hours on hold, Batra said he finally spoke with a Kaiser representative who asked him a "standard set of questions." "Based on those answers, the next thing was if there was an appointment available," he said. "She said there are no appointments available for within the timeframe in which appointments were being given.” He called the following week. Same thing. Three hours on hold, same questions, and again no appointments. ...

It's time to up your mask game. With new, more contagious strains of the coronavirus spreading in the U.S., and transmission levels still very high in many places, some public health experts recommend that Americans upgrade from the basic cloth masks that many have been wearing during the pandemic. "A cloth mask might be 50% effective at blocking viruses and aerosols," says Linsey Marr, a researcher at Virginia Tech who studies airborne virus transmission. "We're at the point now ... that we need better than 50%." When you're outdoors, where fresh air can quickly disperse virus droplets and smaller particles, a cloth mask is still fine, Marr says. But infectious particles can accumulate indoors, and that's when you want a better mask. "I am now wearing my best mask to ...

A plant-derived antiviral medication may be “highly effective” in treating the coronavirus — and could also help fight future pandemics, according to new research in the UK. Researchers at the University of Nottingham found that the broad spectrum antiviral thapsigargin is not only very effective against COVID-19, but also against a common cold coronavirus called respiratory syncytial virus and the influenza A, Eurekalert.org reported. “Whilst we are still at the early stages of research into this antiviral and its impact on how viruses such as COVID-19 can be treated, these findings are hugely significant,” said Professor Kin-Chow Chang, who led the study along with colleagues at the Animal and Plant Health Agency, China Agricultural University and the Pirbrig...

David Aberson, 86, left, and his wife Dori, 75, make their way with others in the by appointment only line to get vaccine shots to protect against the coronavirus at the Balboa Sports Complex in Encino. Dori Aberson said that they were not able to get appointments for both of them on the same day and that she has to come back the next day to get her vaccine shot. Mel Melcon | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images Amy Sullivan wakes up at 2:30 a.m., turns on two phones and two computers and pulls up the website for Publix, a supermarket chain with stores thousands of miles away from her home in Los Angeles. The grocer has been one of the only companies in the U.S. to offer a limited supply of Covid-19 vaccines to people age 65 and over in Florida, Georgia and South Car...

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported nine new coronavirus-related deaths on Wednesday as total cases topped 40,000.The total number of Mainers with COVID-19 who have died is now 627.The Maine CDC reported 273 new cases Wednesday, bringing the total to 40,233.Maine’s seven-day average for new cases is 296.9. It is the first time since Dec. 7 that the seven-day average was below 300.MAINE CORONAVIRUS DATA: Deaths: 627 Total cases: 40,233 Confirmed cases: 32,315 Probable cases: 7,918 Cumulative positivity rate: 3.01% 14-day positivity rate: 3.9% Currently hospitalized: 158 Patients in intensive care: 49 Patients on ventilators: 23Get more detailed COVID-19 data from the Maine CDCCOVID-19 symptomsPer ...