Tag: COVID-19

Bilingual commentary — Another Dispatch from the Mysterious and Insidious Covid-19 and Long-Covid Wars

by Community Contributor • March 10, 2023 • Comments Off

This a cautionary tale and for now I am still alive! I thank with eternal gratitude my family, my God, and my ancestral Spirits for their continued blessing, guidance, and loving support. Gracias jefitos for the hardheadedness that you blessed me with. This virus from hell will not kill me (not yet, anyway). This narrative, then, is a personal account, it does not present any “expert” or scientific evidence to support or refute any claims. I write to document my trials and tribulation with the Covid-19 and the Long-Covid virus. And to share and perhaps provide firsthand information and hope to the public, especially those poor folks suffering from the many complications that have come to be associated with this horrific illness.

Bilingual report — County of Ventura March 2, 2022 update

by Community Contributor • March 2, 2022 • Comments Off

COVID-19 Update

Since Monday, there have been 108 new COVID-19 cases reported and 9,152 new tests completed. There are 44 people hospitalized and 9 in the ICU.

There have been 9 new deaths of community members between the ages of 36-94. We extend our sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of the 1,434 community members who have passed away throughout the pandemic. The R-effective for Ventura County is 0.65, meaning that the spread of COVID is likely decreasing.

Updated state masking guidance: In California, starting March 1, masks are no longer required for unvaccinated individuals, but strongly recommended for all individuals in most indoor settings. After March 11, in schools and child care facilities, masks will not be required but will be strongly recommended. Masks will still be required for everyone in high transmission settings like public transit, emergency shelters, health care settings, correctional facilities, homeless shelters and long-term care facilities. For more information visit: https://www.gov.ca.gov/2022/02/28/governors-newsom-brown-and-inslee-announce-updated-health-guidance/

Bilingual report — County of Ventura Feb. 23, 2022 update

by Community Contributor • February 23, 2022 • Comments Off

Since Friday Feb. 18th, there have been 741 new COVID-19 cases reported and 18,487 new tests completed. There are 65 people hospitalized and 15 in the ICU.

There have been 10 new deaths – ages ranging from 64-89. We extend our sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of the community members who have passed away throughout the pandemic. Wellness Everyday offers grief and loss support and resources.

The R-effective for Ventura County is 0.55, meaning that the spread of COVID is likely decreasing.

Bilingual report — County of Ventura COVID-19 Update for Feb. 16, 2022

by Community Contributor • February 16, 2022 • Comments Off

As of today Feb. 16, Ventura County’s indoor mask mandate is lifted. Masks are required indoors for people who are unvaccinated per the state order and are strongly recommended for all. Updated signage is available at https://www.venturacountyrecovers.org/outreach-toolkit/. Details at https://www.vcnewschannel.com/news/511-vc-indoor-mask-order-lifted-feb-16

Ventura County Schools to Prioritize Safety Upon Return from Winter Break

by Community Contributor • January 3, 2022 • Comments Off

As Ventura County students prepare to return from winter break amid increasing COVID-19 cases in the community, local school leaders are taking all possible steps to ensure the safety of students and employees

While some colleges and universities have announced plans to revert to distance learning temporarily, this is not an option for Pre-K-12 schools. The State of California does not currently permit Pre-K-12 schools to offer distance learning and expects all schools to keep their doors open for in-person instruction. Schools do provide an independent study option that allows students to learn from home. But unlike distance learning, it must be requested individually by families and is not intended to serve large numbers of students.

“The Ventura County Office of Education is continuing to work closely with Ventura County Public Health and our local school districts to ensure the safety of students and staff,” said Dr. César Morales, Ventura County Superintendent of Schools. “A major effort is underway to expand optional COVID-19 testing for students so we can reduce the chances of the virus spreading at school. Many school districts have been working diligently during the winter break to distribute home test kits to families, and we expect a greater supply of kits to be available soon.” Free testing is also available at locations throughout Ventura County.

Aug. 24 — Hospice of Santa Barbara Virtual illuminate Speaker Series Presents A Conversation with Dr. Kelly McGonigal

by Community Contributor • January 1, 2022 • Comments Off

Since 2020, Hospice of Santa Barbara (HSB) has adjusted to the new realities that come with COVID-19 by creating their freeilluminate Speaker Series – a series which addresses aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic and offers active solutions to navigate through this new reality.

Next on the line up will be Dr. Kelly McGonigal, who will present A Conversation with Dr. Kelly McGonigal on Wednesday, August 24, 2022, 6:00 to 7:00 pm PDT. The conversation will be moderated by well-known NPR host, Jonathan Bastian. The event is free, but registration is required.

Vita Art Center’s “Through Our Eyes” community art project documents children’s pandemic experiences

by Community Contributor • April 23, 2021 • Comments Off

Twelve-year-old Phoebe Hopp’s wide eyes stared hauntingly out at her grandmother from the self-portrait she’d drawn in art class.

Lydia Hopps couldn’t see her granddaughter’s expression. Most of her face was covered by a mask, which she and other students had worn to prevent spread of COVID-19 during the class at Vita Art Center in Ventura.

“It made me think, what is this child thinking? What is she feeling?” Lydia Hopps said. “What have these children been through this past year? It just called me to take action.”

Bilingual report — Community urged to prevent COVID-19 spread during Spring Break by keeping it local and following public health guidelines

by Community Contributor • April 5, 2021 • Comments Off

The County of Ventura Public Health Department is urging the community to continue adhering to safety guidelines aimed to reduce the spread of COVID-19, during the Easter weekend and Spring Break.

“While our metrics are improving and we are close to entering the Orange Tier, we are issuing this plea to remind everyone to not let our guard down, especially during Spring break and Easter. We need to continue to bring our numbers further down as we approach a significant milestone in the pandemic: almost 80,000 Ventura County residents have tested positive for COVID. The 15 new deaths reported so far this week are a reminder that COVID is still having a significant impact in our community. Our thoughts and prayers are with these 15 families and the almost 1,000 families that have lost a loved one during the pandemic,” said Public Health Director Rigoberto Vargas.

Studies show CSUCI’s early shift to virtual instruction helped prevent further COVID infections in the county

by Community Contributor • February 16, 2021 • Comments Off

Two national studies about college campuses and COVID-19 suggest that the California State University’s (CSU) early decision to pivot all 23 of the CSU campuses to virtual instruction went a long way toward keeping communities safer throughout the state.

“Both reports carried a similar message that campuses can be super-spreaders of the virus,” said Vice Chair of the CSUCI Academic Senate and Professor of Mathematics Jason Miller, Ph.D., who reviewed the two studies and extrapolated the results for CSUCI.

Bilingual report — 2020: Year of Resilience and Growth for CenCal Health

by Community Contributor • February 4, 2021 • Comments Off

CenCal Health, the largest health plan on the Central Coast, produces a community report every year, but the 2020 digital report looks and reads like no other. COVID-19 brought unimagined challenges to the health plan’s members, providers, employees, and the community at-large. The just-published yearly overview presents updated facts and figures on membership and patient care, as well as highlighting innovative health programs and initiatives that responded to the public health emergency. Through video and still photography, the report also paints a picture of quickly emptied offices that gave rise to make-shift desks and video meetings at the homes of CenCal Health employees. Though the workplace changed, the work continued for the Medi-Cal health plan that contributes approximately $50 million a month to the local economy. CenCal Health had no wholesale layoffs, and very few furloughs were necessary among its 263 employees.

COVID-19 Punishes Latinos for Hard Work and Larger Families

by Community Contributor • January 29, 2021 • Comments Off

Latinos in the U.S. have created the world’s eighth-largest economy. How did they do it? Essentially, through hard work and larger families. Yet these very elements that enabled them to build the world’s eighth-largest economy also make Latinos a special target of COVID-19.

Latinos’ strong work ethic means that Latino households have more wage earners per household than non-Hispanic white households. Nationally, Latinos have an average of 1.6 wage earners per household, compared to 1.2 for non-Hispanic white households. This means that Latino households have more adults leaving the house every day, who are then often exposed to coronavirus-positive clients and co-workers during work hours.

Ventura County Workforce Development Board Secures Programs To Address COVID-19 Pandemic’s Impact on Ventura County’s Workforce

by Community Contributor • December 21, 2020 • Comments Off

The Workforce Development Board of Ventura County (WDB) was awarded a $315,000 grant by the State of California Employment Development Department to implement a National Dislocated Worker Grant (NDWG) to address the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the Ventura County workforce.

The funding will aid Ventura County’s response to COVID-19 by providing opportunities for employment and training services to individuals who are unemployed or underemployed as a result of the pandemic and who are unlikely to return to work in their previous occupations. Services include training and job placement in in-demand careers, especially those where there is an increased need due to the impact of COVID-19.

Guest commentary — Covid-19 in America, where do we go from here?

by Community Contributor • December 18, 2020 • Comments Off

Out of Nowhere, Disease, Death and Dread: At the start of the year no one knew what the Corona virus was, by the end of 2020 there is no one left in the world that does not know what COVID-19 virus is, and had not been devastated by its relentless and deadly onslaught. This day Monday, December 14, 2020 the United States death toll from the covid-19 virus topped 300,000 and worldwide the death count has moved pasted 1.62 million souls that have succumb to this deadly virus that has infected the entire world, with no let-up into the foreseeable future. It seems that everyone in this country, indeed throughout the world, in some painful way knows of someone close that has died or suffered horribly from complications brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

County of Ventura COVID-19 Alert — State announces new blueprint for reducing COVID-19

by Community Contributor • August 28, 2020 • Comments Off

The State of California announced a new blueprint for reducing COVID-19 in the state with revised criteria for loosening and tightening restrictions and activities.

Learn more at: Blueprint for a Safer Economy Click Here
Learn more about County Monitoring Click Here

Salons, Barbershops and Malls are able to reopen for indoor services beginning Monday, August 31. These sectors must follow the state issued industry guidance.

New Book Offers Guidelines For Happiness, Health, Success in A COVID-19 World

by Community Contributor • July 28, 2020 • Comments Off

A new book from Camarillo-based psychologist and author Dr. Noelle Nelson, “I Survived COVID-19, What Now?! Finding Happiness and Success in a Post COVID World” (available on Amazon), looks at how we can take what we’re learning from the pandemic during our forced introspection and turn it into a positive future.

“Whether it was our intention or not, we’re all learning things about ourselves during these long months of quarantine—how we think, work and dream, about how we interact with family, friends and the world,” says Nelson. “We are in a unique moment in time because of COVID-19. Everything is different now. It can feel positively overwhelming—one minute our lives are ‘reopening,’ the next minute they’re forced to closed again. It can drive us crazy if we’re not careful.”

Food Forward Ramps Up Critical COVID-19 Food Insecurity Emergency Relief Efforts in Ventura County

by Community Contributor • June 19, 2020 • Comments Off

COVID-19 is having a severe impact on the country’s food supply and demand. At the same time, the unemployment rate is skyrocketing, driving more people to seek first-time food assistance than ever before. Southern California-based produce recovery nonprofit Food Forward is stepping up to meet the need in Ventura County during this crucial time.

Bilingual report: CenCal Health Procures PPE for Central Coast Hospitals, Clinics

by Community Contributor • April 29, 2020 • Comments Off

CenCal Health, the publicly-sponsored health plan for Medi-Cal in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, has procured and is now in the process of delivering 100,000 disposable face masks, 100,000 disposable gloves and 20,000 protective gowns in order to protect and support local healthcare workers during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Bilingual report: Healthcare That Works Remotely: New Member Services at CenCal Health

by Community Contributor • April 16, 2020 • Comments Off

CenCal Health, the publicly-sponsored health plan for Medi-Cal in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, is offering alternatives for healthcare access in order to support its members during the COVID-19 pandemic. The community-based health care organization is one of 55 Safety Net Health Plans across the country that have pledged to provide necessary treatment at no cost to its members and to reduce other impediments to care.

Optimism’s Impact On Mind And Body During COVID-19 Crisis

by Community Contributor • March 25, 2020 • Comments Off

CAMARILLO — It’s been less than a week since California Governor Gavin Newsom ordered a “stay at home” mandate for the almost 40 million residents in the state. The realization that our social and work lives have dramatically changed from…

Bilingual report: County of Ventura Declares Local Health Emergency in Response to Novel Coronavirus Activity

by Community Contributor • March 13, 2020 • Comments Off

VENTURA — The Ventura County Public Health Department (on March 12) declared a local health emergency in response to 1) increased spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) across the country 2) in alignment with the Governor of California’s Declared State of…

CSUCI to transition to virtual instruction

by Community Contributor • March 13, 2020 • Comments Off

CAMARILLO — CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) has announced that it will begin to transition to virtual instruction following its spring break. The campus continues to remain safe and there are zero presumptive and no confirmed cases of COVID-19 on or related…

City of Oxnard Issues Emergency Proclamation in Response to COVID-19

by Community Contributor • March 13, 2020 • Comments Off

OXNARD — This morning City Manager Alexander Nguyen issued a proclamation of a local emergency in response to the coronavirus. This proclamation should not cause any panic. It is a necessary step for the City to take in order to 1.)…

Bilingual report: Santa Barbara County K-12 Public Schools closed from March 18 through April 3

by Community Contributor • March 13, 2020 • Comments Off

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY — Santa Barbara County K-12 Public Schools including the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District have decided to close all schools from Wednesday (March 18) through Friday (April 3) due to the COVID-19 situation changing rapidly.…

Santa Barbara First District Supervisor Das Williams — Important Update on COVID-19 (“Coronavirus”)

by Community Contributor • March 12, 2020 • Comments Off

There is very new and important information on COVID-19 (“Coronavirus”). California Governor Newsom and the California Department of Public Health announced that large gatherings that include 250 people or more should be postponed or canceled. Smaller gatherings held in venues…

Ventura County Public Health reports one presumptive positive case of COVID-19

by Community Contributor • March 10, 2020 • Comments Off

March 10, 2020 UPDATE: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed that the only presumptive positive case in Ventura County is positive. The patient remains in home quarantine. There have been 34 people tested, 1 positive case and…

Statement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on potential use of Naval Base Ventura County – Point Mugu for quarantine

by Community Contributor • February 24, 2020 • Comments Off

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), working closely with the Department of Defense and other federal partners, is taking all reasonable steps to address an evolving public health emergency. As part of that effort,…

June 23 — Free LightGabler Employment Law Webinar: “Avoiding Common Employment Law Mistakes as You Ramp Up or Reopen”

by Community Contributor • January 1, 2020 • Comments Off

Employment law firm LightGabler is presenting a free webinar, “Employer Heartburn–Avoiding Common Employment Law Mistakes as You Ramp Up or Reopen.” The webinar will be held twice, Wednesday, June 10, and Tuesday, June 23.

In this informative seminar for employers, supervisors and human resource professionals, employment law attorney Jonathan Fraser Light will discuss how to bring businesses back to normal and in compliance with the ever-changing employment laws, including those stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. Light will offer tips on multiple areas that require scrutiny to help bring back a business in a lawful and organized manner.