February 22, 2021

Orange County

OC Register: ‘Partial herd immunity’ emerging, but some challenge the value of that status

A year later, with the COVID-19 death toll reaching the 500,000 mark and despite a sluggish vaccine rollout, infection and hospitalization rates are falling dramatically, empowering some officials to declare that “partial” herd immunity has been achieved.

 

OCEA: OCEA members are on the frontlines of the public health crisis

HCA workers and OCEA members Jocelyn Argame, RN, and Perlita Gonzalez, LVN worked the weekend at a COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Magnolia High School in Anaheim organized by County Supervisor Doug Chaffee’s Office.

 

County of Orange: Social Services Agency expands Public Assistance office hours at four regional offices beginning today

The expanded hours will help to ensure a greater number of Orange County residents have in-person access to public assistance benefits and related services, while planning for the safety and protection of SSA clients and staff during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

 

OC Register: Fullerton council reverses course, won’t approve retail cannabis stores

Mayor Bruce Whitaker, along with recently elected councilmen Nick Dunlap and Fred Jung, voted to change course after the previous council in November voted 3-2 to allow the new businesses.

 

Voice of OC: Contactor possibly left some people in limbo after Disneyland COVID vaccine site is closed

“We are aware that some people did not receive the notification and (are) currently looking into the reasons,” said the county’s Acting Public Health Officer and Health Care Agency Director, Dr. Clayton Chau, in a text message Friday.

 

Voice of OC: OC leaders secretly approved $200 million in COVID contracts. Voice of OC takes a look at where the money went

The coronavirus-related contracts, which are now being detailed publicly for the first time, include over $40 million for testing, $11 million for contact tracing, and $2 million for marketing by a separate firm from the one known to have a coronavirus PR contract.

 

Labor

Labor 411: Kroger to close Seattle stores to avoid law requiring hazard pay for workers

Two Quality Food Center stores will shut down on April 24, a decision ‘accelerated by a new Seattle city council mandate that requires certain employers to provide extra pay for some, but not all, city frontline workers,’ QFC said Tuesday in a statement.

 

Nation

Associated Press: Coronavirus aid: Paycheck Protection loans expand to smallest businesses

President Biden says a lot of these mom-and-pop businesses “got muscled out of the way” by larger businesses seeking federal money in the early days of the pandemic. He said changes taking effect Wednesday will provide long overdue aid to these smaller enterprises that he says are being “crushed” by the pandemic-driven economic downturn.

 

Publication Date: February 22, 2021