ARTICLE
On Monday, Napa, Santa Cruz, San Benito, and Monterey Counties became the latest to urge people who are both vaccinated and unvaccinated to wear masks while indoors in public places to slow the Delta variant virus’ spread, joining other Bay Area counties as well as Sacramento, Fresno, and Yolo. Los Angeles made that a mandated order Saturday, July 17. Is it hard, really hard getting our arms vaccinated when all medical data shows that getting a shot protects us from the spread of the virus now in a new more deadly form, the Delta variant? Listening to the news this past week, hearing the sounds of fire trucks and airplanes fighting another growing summer fire season, climate change, and a Governor Recall election makes me think of the Elvis Presley song “Return to Sender.” I have taken the liberty to put a 2021 pandemic spin on the original lyrics. So here goes: Return to sender, Return to sender, I received a message from the public health officer, She put it in an email and in a press release. Bright early the next morning, She repeated the message, Return to the vaccine clinic, address unknown. No such location, no such vaccine is necessary for me. The unvaccinated had a quarrel with the public health officer, a political spat as it be. She says, I'm sorry but my press release is coming back until you get vaccinated. Specifically, I’ll find your address, and demand you do it now to save the planet. Bright and early the next morning, the numbers of vaccinated get better but the return to sender says, I’m not the vaccinating type. No needle poke for me. You can’t get me if you don’t know where I am. This time she is gonna take it right to you and put the vaccine in your arm at a pop-up clinic where you work or at the grocery store where you shop. And if you don’t all get vaccinated, she will return again and again and again. Return to sender, we got your number and know where you are — at home, at work and in the grocery store. Your time is up and we’ll get this vaccination in your arm sooner or later. I know you are thinking, what does a 1950s Elvis Presley song have to do with our current pandemic state? Really, absolutely nothing, however, I hope I have your attention. On June 15, when the Governor announced the reopening of California businesses — there was this brief celebration that we were out of the pandemic woods. Cautiously, like all organizations and businesses that are dependent on networking and connecting people, the Chamber started back doing what we do best — we opened the doors of restaurants, held business after hours events, and ignited our summer business strategy — structuring events following the new Beyond the BluePrint guidelines. Now just one month later, July 19, the Four County press release (you can read it in the eNews) states: “With cases of COVID-19 rising locally and increased reports of the very infectious Delta variant, the Counties of Monterey, Napa, San Benito, and Santa Cruz recommend that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, wear masks indoors in public places. Out of an abundance of caution, people are recommended to wear masks indoors in places like grocery or retail stores, theaters, and family entertainment centers, even if they are fully vaccinated.” The press release continues with authority: “Businesses are urged to adopt universal masking requirements for customers entering indoor areas of their businesses to provide better protection to their employees and customers. This will also make it easier for businesses to be sure unvaccinated people are masked. Workplaces must comply with Cal/OSHA requirements.” While these are recommendations — not a mandate like in Los Angeles County — if we are listening to the public health officers and following the science, we know that the Delta variant spreads quickly, and COVID-19 hospitalizations among the unvaccinated are rapidly increasing. There is no running away from the Delta variant. The solution: Vaccinating as many people as possible, as soon as possible, continues to be our best defense against severe COVID-19 infection and the harm it can do to our region. Vaccines are very effective, free, and widely available to everyone 12 years and older. Visit www.myturn.ca.gov or call 2-1-1 to find a vaccination site near you. Americans are a stubborn independent sort, and in this generation, a bit hypercritical and self-arbored in my opinion. We are seeing this played out in the political theatre — in the United States Senate on Tuesday — where senators demur at the thought of vaxing and masking in a debate-style conversation in a Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee. Top government epidemiologist Dr. Anthony Fauci and Sen. Rand Paul traded accusations of "lying" about gain-of-function research at a Tuesday Senate hearing, continuing the long-running feud between the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) director and the Kentucky senator. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky was also asked about continued health measures like mask mandates on public transportation and vaccine mandates for school children. The discussion was again a tension-filled disagreement on the fundamentals of science, COVID-19 protocols and the vaccine. "I have never lied before the Congress, and I do not retract that statement," Fauci said. He added that the research Paul referenced was "judged by qualified staff up and down the chain as not being gain of function." Fauci added: "You do not know what you are talking about quite frankly and I want to say that officially.” Senator Paul's response was that the NIH's judgment "defines… away" work that essentially was “gain-of-function." "You're dancing around this because you're trying to obscure responsibility," Paul added. As Walensky and Fauci were appearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee, they each emphasized the importance of vaccines for stopping the Delta variant in their opening remarks. There is no secret that doing nothing as an individual to protect your health, your family’s health, and your community’s health is a recipe for disaster. We need every person to receive the vaccination. We can’t mandate this health practice, however, it is the only option. "The message from the CDC remains clear... vaccination is the most powerful tool we have," Walensky said.
On Monday, Napa, Santa Cruz, San Benito, and Monterey Counties became the latest to urge people who are both vaccinated and unvaccinated to wear masks while indoors in public places to slow the Delta variant virus’ spread, joining other Bay Area counties as well as Sacramento, Fresno, and Yolo. Los Angeles made that a mandated order Saturday, July 17.
Is it hard, really hard getting our arms vaccinated when all medical data shows that getting a shot protects us from the spread of the virus now in a new more deadly form, the Delta variant? Listening to the news this past week, hearing the sounds of fire trucks and airplanes fighting another growing summer fire season, climate change, and a Governor Recall election makes me think of the Elvis Presley song “Return to Sender.” I have taken the liberty to put a 2021 pandemic spin on the original lyrics. So here goes:
Return to sender, Return to sender, I received a message from the public health officer, She put it in an email and in a press release. Bright early the next morning, She repeated the message, Return to the vaccine clinic, address unknown. No such location, no such vaccine is necessary for me. The unvaccinated had a quarrel with the public health officer, a political spat as it be.
She says, I'm sorry but my press release is coming back until you get vaccinated. Specifically, I’ll find your address, and demand you do it now to save the planet. Bright and early the next morning, the numbers of vaccinated get better but the return to sender says, I’m not the vaccinating type. No needle poke for me.
You can’t get me if you don’t know where I am. This time she is gonna take it right to you and put the vaccine in your arm at a pop-up clinic where you work or at the grocery store where you shop. And if you don’t all get vaccinated, she will return again and again and again. Return to sender, we got your number and know where you are — at home, at work and in the grocery store. Your time is up and we’ll get this vaccination in your arm sooner or later.
I know you are thinking, what does a 1950s Elvis Presley song have to do with our current pandemic state? Really, absolutely nothing, however, I hope I have your attention.
On June 15, when the Governor announced the reopening of California businesses — there was this brief celebration that we were out of the pandemic woods. Cautiously, like all organizations and businesses that are dependent on networking and connecting people, the Chamber started back doing what we do best — we opened the doors of restaurants, held business after hours events, and ignited our summer business strategy — structuring events following the new Beyond the BluePrint guidelines. Now just one month later, July 19, the Four County press release (you can read it in the eNews) states:
“With cases of COVID-19 rising locally and increased reports of the very infectious Delta variant, the Counties of Monterey, Napa, San Benito, and Santa Cruz recommend that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, wear masks indoors in public places. Out of an abundance of caution, people are recommended to wear masks indoors in places like grocery or retail stores, theaters, and family entertainment centers, even if they are fully vaccinated.” The press release continues with authority: “Businesses are urged to adopt universal masking requirements for customers entering indoor areas of their businesses to provide better protection to their employees and customers. This will also make it easier for businesses to be sure unvaccinated people are masked. Workplaces must comply with Cal/OSHA requirements.”
While these are recommendations — not a mandate like in Los Angeles County — if we are listening to the public health officers and following the science, we know that the Delta variant spreads quickly, and COVID-19 hospitalizations among the unvaccinated are rapidly increasing.
There is no running away from the Delta variant. The solution: Vaccinating as many people as possible, as soon as possible, continues to be our best defense against severe COVID-19 infection and the harm it can do to our region. Vaccines are very effective, free, and widely available to everyone 12 years and older. Visit www.myturn.ca.gov or call 2-1-1 to find a vaccination site near you.
Americans are a stubborn independent sort, and in this generation, a bit hypercritical and self-arbored in my opinion. We are seeing this played out in the political theatre — in the United States Senate on Tuesday — where senators demur at the thought of vaxing and masking in a debate-style conversation in a Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee.
Top government epidemiologist Dr. Anthony Fauci and Sen. Rand Paul traded accusations of "lying" about gain-of-function research at a Tuesday Senate hearing, continuing the long-running feud between the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) director and the Kentucky senator. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky was also asked about continued health measures like mask mandates on public transportation and vaccine mandates for school children.
The discussion was again a tension-filled disagreement on the fundamentals of science, COVID-19 protocols and the vaccine.
"I have never lied before the Congress, and I do not retract that statement," Fauci said. He added that the research Paul referenced was "judged by qualified staff up and down the chain as not being gain of function." Fauci added: "You do not know what you are talking about quite frankly and I want to say that officially.”
Senator Paul's response was that the NIH's judgment "defines… away" work that essentially was “gain-of-function."
"You're dancing around this because you're trying to obscure responsibility," Paul added.
As Walensky and Fauci were appearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee, they each emphasized the importance of vaccines for stopping the Delta variant in their opening remarks.
There is no secret that doing nothing as an individual to protect your health, your family’s health, and your community’s health is a recipe for disaster. We need every person to receive the vaccination. We can’t mandate this health practice, however, it is the only option. "The message from the CDC remains clear... vaccination is the most powerful tool we have," Walensky said.