December 27, 2021 Media Brief
Orange County
OC Register: OC health officials expect more COVID-19 cases will be Omicron amid spread nationally
Orange County reported 655 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, reflecting an increase from last week, when average daily cases were roughly 500, said Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong, deputy health director for the OC Health Care Agency.
Daily Pilot: Orange County’s tourism industry experienced significant job loss caused by pandemic, report shows
The pandemic’s disproportionate impact on the tourism industry is one of the key findings of the report published in October by the Orange County Center of Excellence, which analyzed labor market data from a variety of proprietor and public sources.
OC Register: 2 storms to drench Southern California before New Year’s Day
The sun was shining across Southern California Sunday, Dec. 26 after days of heavy rainfall, but forecasters warned against getting used to it as two more storms are expected to close out the year, weather forecasters said.
Voice of OC: Local politicos fuel takeover of OC’s health plan for the poor
Orange County’s health coverage for low-income and disabled people is increasingly being placed in the hands of a powerful county supervisor and one of his top aides. That kind of politicization has a history in Orange County, prompting some influential local health care leaders to raise alarm bells.
KTLA: Latest oil sheen off O.C. coast came from Oxnard-based company, officials say
DCOR, a small company based in Oxnard, was identified as the source, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response tweeted Saturday.
Voice of OC: Kwanzaa’s history and end of year celebrations in Orange County
For families still looking to safely learn about or celebrate Kwanzaa in person, Pretend City Children’s Museum in Irvine welcomes visitors to enjoy weeklong festivities through Dec. 31.
OC Register: Meet Orange County’s 125 top influencers for 2021
Top influencers include some people we know well here at OCEA: Nick Berardino, retired OCEA general manager and longtime OCEA ally Supervisor Katrina Foley.
California
KTLA: California officials concerned after jump in child COVID hospitalizations in N.Y.
“Unfortunately NY is seeing an increase in pediatric hospitalizations (primarily amongst the unvaccinated), and they have similar [5 – to 11-year-old] vaccination rates,” says Dr. Erica Pan, the California state epidemiologist.
Nation
OC Register: Flight cancellations snarl holiday plans for thousands
FlightAware, a flight-tracking website, noted nearly 1,000 canceled flights entering, leaving or inside the U.S. Saturday, up from 690 flights scrapped on Friday. Over 250 more flights were already canceled for Sunday. FlightAware does not say why flights are canceled.
Publication Date: December 27, 2021
