On Tuesday night, Ruwa Romman became the first Muslim woman in history elected to the state legislature and the first Palestinian American to hold public office. Her victory capped a stronger-than-expected showing for Democrats that defied national polls.
Romman spoke during a Nov. 9 briefing hosted by the national nonprofit Emerge, which recruits and trains women who want to run for Democratic office.
“Last night, 141 women of color, 62 women under 45, and 21 Emerge LGBTQ alumnae won,” said Emerge President A’Shanti Gholar. She added that her organization fielded more than 650 candidates across the country this election cycle. “This signals that the new American majority continues to grow,” she said.
Good morning! My name is Ruwa Romman, and I've just been elected to become Georgia's first Muslim woman in the state house and first Palestinian ever elected to any public office in the state 🌊💙 #GAPol#Ruwa4Georgiapic.twitter.com/Ib2t02v6dv
The question on many minds is how the Democrats managed to avoid the catastrophe that polls increasingly predicted. A touch of sensitivity and humanism won out over technology, according to Romman and other first-time candidates.
Romman's team knocked on more than 15,000 doors, sent some 75,000 text messages and made 9,000 phone calls in the new 97th District, just outside Atlanta, he said. And the message he got from voters was resoundingly clear.
“We heard from voters who said, ‘I want to vote for you because I know you will protect me,’” Romman said. She added that Georgia Governor Brian Kemp – who just won re-election, defeating his Democratic challenger, Stacey Abrams – “has not ruled out voting to ban contraceptives. People are very concerned about that here.”
Abortion, inflation, democracy — it was all on the ballot in an election that many viewed in existential terms. And while predictions of a Republican defeat began to mount in the final days of the season, Democrats delivered the best results for a sitting president in more than two decades.
Romman beat his Republican opponent by 15 points in what he described as a very close race that included anti-Muslim attacks from the opposing side.
Associated Press exit polls show Democrats holding a solid lead over Republicans among voters of color, though Republicans continue to gain ground among Latinos. Democrats are also favored among younger voters, which has important implications for the 2024 presidential race as more young people are of voting age.
For the speakers of the call, despite inflation problems and the president's unpopularity, the issue of abortion and reproductive health rights remains at the forefront of many voters' minds, even among some Republican men.
“We spoke to conservative white men who said they couldn’t vote Republican because of their concerns about women’s rights,” Romman said. “This is something that the polls haven’t fully captured.”
Gholar agreed. “If you attack someone’s rights, there will be consequences,” he said, describing the expected “red tsunami” as more of a “drop in the bucket.”
Gholar also echoed Romman, saying that polls that predicted a Republican onslaught failed to capture the “transformation” taking place in the electorate and that polls too often play a decisive role in channeling party dollars to favored candidates.
“Polls are tied to spending and we need to break that pattern,” he said. “We need a new system to understand the new American majority.”
In Maryland, Aruna Miller, of Indian descent, became the state's first South Asian lieutenant governor. "It's a real milestone for the community and a continued reflection of the power of women to take leadership," told India Currents Shekar Narasimhan, founder and president of the AAPI Victory Fund.
And in Connecticut, Stephanie Thomas will become the first African-American woman in New England history to be elected Secretary of State. “It is also the first time that two black people will simultaneously hold a position in our executive branch,” she said, referring to Erick Russel, who won his race for state Treasurer. Russell is the first openly gay African American to win state office in the United States.
"People were angry about what was happening to women and they supported candidates who would protect those rights," Gholar said.
He also stressed the importance of the quality of the candidates.
“Between Dobbs promoting election deniers and attacking the safety net, Republicans did not help themselves,” he said. “Democrats offered voters a strong field of candidates. That’s why voters showed up.”
GOAL is laying off more than 11,000 of the 87,000 employees currently working for the company. The American technology and social media conglomerate, based in Menlo Park, announced that it will lay off 13 percent of its workforce.
Through a letter addressed to its employees this Wednesday, November 9, the executive director of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, said that these cuts are "some of the most difficult changes we have made in Meta's history."
"I have decided to reduce our team by approximately 13 percent, which means more than 11,000 of our talented employees will leave the company. We are also taking a number of additional steps to become a more agile and efficient organization, cutting discretionary spending and extending the hiring freeze through the first quarter of 2023," the tycoon said.
The owner of the company that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, stressed that he takes responsibility for these decisions and for having reached this situation. "I know it is hard for everyone, and I am especially sorry for those who were impacted."
In reaching that decision, Zuckerberg looked back to the fact that, at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, the world moved rapidly online, and that boom in e-commerce led to massive revenue growth.
He said that many people had predicted that this would be a steady acceleration that would continue beyond the pandemic. “I did too, and that is why I decided to significantly increase our investments. Unfortunately, this did not happen as I expected.”
He stressed that not only has online commerce returned to its previous trajectory, but the macroeconomy has entered a recession, competition has increased, and the loss of advertising signal has reduced revenues much more than expected. "I was wrong, and I take responsibility for that."
In this new context, he said, "we need to be more efficient in the use of capital," so Meta has directed a greater part of its resources toward a smaller number of high-priority growth areas, such as the artificial intelligence engine for content discovery and advertising and business platforms.
"We have reduced budgets, profits and our real estate spending. We are restructuring our teams to be more efficient. But these measures alone will not be able to realign our expenses with revenue, so I had to make the difficult decision to let part of our team go," he said.
Regarding the layoff process, the Facebook founder said that all employees will receive an email informing them of what the reductions will mean for each of them. Afterwards, each affected employee will have the opportunity to speak and get answers to their questions and participate in information sessions.
"There is no good way to say goodbye to people, but we hope to be able to provide, as quickly as possible, all the relevant information to the affected people and do everything possible to help them overcome this situation."
In the United States, dismissals include compensation, meaning that 16 weeks of base salary will be paid, plus two additional weeks for each year of service, with no limit; in addition, all pending vacations will be settled.
He added that in terms of rights to acquire restricted shares, all those affected will receive their acquired rights on November 15; the cost of medical care for those dismissed and their families will also be covered for six months.
She added that three months of professional support will be provided with an external provider, including early access to job opportunities not yet published; while for those who had an employment visa, there is a notice period before it is considered to be terminated, and there are also grace periods, which allow time to plan and process the immigration status.
Outside the United States, he explained that people will have similar support and, shortly, these processes will be followed up separately, taking into consideration local labor laws.
"We've made the decision to remove access to most of Meta's systems for people who are leaving the company today over issues related to sensitive information. But we'll keep emails active throughout the day so everyone can say goodbye," Zuckerberg said.
It is worth noting that while the reductions are being made across all organisations in the company, some teams will be more affected than others.
The hiring department will be substantially impacted, as fewer staff are planned to be hired, as will the sales teams. “This is not a reflection of the great work these groups have done, but rather what we need to do moving forward. Leaders will schedule time to discuss what this means for each of the teams over the next few days.”
Mark Elliot Zuckerberg said: “The colleagues who are leaving us are talented and passionate about their work. They have had a significant impact on our company and our community. Each one has helped make Meta successful and I am grateful for that. I am sure they will continue to do great work elsewhere.”
The cuts will be added to other measures such as the reduction in real estate spending and the freezing of hiring until the first quarter, with some exceptions.
The changes are primarily for two reasons: revenue prospects are lower than expected earlier this year, and to ensure efficient operations across the family of apps and Reality Labs.
“This is a sad time. There is no escaping it. To those who are leaving, I want to thank you again for all that you have contributed. We would not be where we are today without your hard work, and I am grateful for what you have done.”
However, he said it was also a difficult time for those who remained. “Not only are we saying goodbye to people we worked closely with, but many are also feeling uncertain about the future. I want to make it clear that we made these decisions to ensure a solid future for ourselves.”
META's CEO explained that more information will be shared in the coming weeks on optimized operations to achieve priority objectives.
It is worth noting that a few days ago, the businessman and owner of Tesla, SpaceX and now Twitter, Elon Musk, fired approximately 50 percent of the 7,500 employees that the social network has worldwide, after having acquired it for more than 40 billion dollars, and as part of his plan to save money.
This, he said, was because "unfortunately there is no other option when the company is losing more than $4 million a day."
«I learned when I was 4 years old. My grandmother taught me and she also taught my sisters, and now all of us, my daughters and my nieces, we all dedicate ourselves to making rebozos.» Reyna Nuci Hernández, originally from Ahuiran, in the municipality of Paracho, Michoacán, never misses an opportunity to show her work, which has been elaborated over months with great care for the threads and feathers she uses for some of the designs.
Lo primero que hizo para su abuela fue hacer la trama y la urdimbre de los hilos, luego, una vez «junté plumas de dos pájaros y mi abuela me ayudó a hacer un rebozo de mi tamaño». Desde muy pequeñas, las mujeres p’hurépechas comienzan a usar el rebozo, o lo que en p’hure se conoce como atachi o joptsacua.
Ahora, a los 45 años, la tradición de su comunidad no se ha perdido, todo lo contrario, se mantiene viva y en constante adecuación a las nuevas tendencias de la moda en la región. Por ejemplo, Reyna elabora rebozos tradicionales para el uso diario, el que está compuesto por rayas negras y azules y que dependiendo la forma de llevarlo es su significado.
También está el rebozo de fiesta de plumas, el cual tarda hasta 4 meses de elaboración y que tiene un costo al público de entre 5 mil y 8 mil pesos ‒alrededor de 250 y 400 dólares‒. El siguiente rebozo de fiesta es el conocido como de mil flores, el cual tarda alrededor de 3 meses de elaboración y tienen un costo de entre 4 mil y 5 mil 500 pesos ‒entre 200 y 275 dólares‒; finalmente está uno más discreto llamado empuntado y que tiene una elaboración de entre 2 a 3 meses y un costo de 2 mil a 3 mil pesos ‒100 a 150 dólares‒.
Photo: Heriberto Paredes
El rebozo es, además de una parte de su identidad, la principal forma de subsistencia y es por ello que Reyna está lista siempre para ir a cualquier lugar en donde pueda mostrar y vender su trabajo. Sea el mercado de artes que se coloca en Pátzcuaro durante la fiesta de muertos, cada año, o sea en distintas tiendas en donde puede dejar su trabajo a consigna, como en El Ayate, tienda que reúne lo mejor de las artes de la región y que puede visitarse también en Pátzcuaro.
A veces Reyna viaja a la ciudad de México para mostrar a particulares su trabajo o busca constantemente dónde puede colocarlo. Siempre lleva maletas grandes y pesadas con decenas de rebozos de todo tipo y de muchos colores. «A veces vienen desde California para ver mis rebozos y me compran algunos». Todo mi trabajo es a mano y los tientes son extraídos de plantas y todo el proceso es lo más apegado a como se hacía desde muchas generaciones atrás.
Heriberto Paredes Coronel (Tlaxcala, 1983), Mexican independent photographer and journalist, dedicated to documenting organizational processes in indigenous and peasant communities, searching for missing persons and environmental issues in Mexico. He currently explores formats such as documentaries and podcasts without abandoning photography and text, where he explores new narrative routes. He has collaborated with national and international media, has directed short documentaries and is currently in the development phase of a feature documentary as well as writing a book that brings together more than a decade of work on the Michoacan coast. He lives in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán. Twitter @BSaurus Instagram @el_beto_paredes.
The City of Redwood City is updating its Consolidated Plan to address housing and community development needs, and the Housing and Human Affairs Committee (HHCC) will hold a local needs assessment workshop and public hearing at a special meeting on November 16.
El taller es parte de la recopilación de opiniones de la comunidad para identificar las prioridades para el uso de los fondos del Programa de Subvención en Bloque para el Desarrollo de la Comunidad ‒CDBG‒ y del Programa de Asociaciones para la Inversión en el Hogar ‒HOME‒ de la ciudad en el área de la vivienda, el desarrollo de la comunidad y los servicios públicos en Redwood City.
Y es que, la ciudad de Redwood City recibe fondos de subvención anuales del CDBG, de HOME, y del Departamento de Vivienda y Desarrollo Urbano de los Estados Unidos ‒HUD‒.
El programa CDBG proporciona recursos para abordar una amplia gama de necesidades de desarrollo comunitario, principalmente para hogares de bajos ingresos, y se utiliza para producir y/o preservar viviendas dignas y asequibles, para brindar servicios a los más vulnerables de la comunidad y para crear empleos a través de la expansión y retención de negocios.
El programa HOME está diseñado exclusivamente para crear viviendas asequibles para familias de bajos ingresos. Proporciona recursos que se utilizan para financiar una amplia gama de actividades, incluida la construcción, compra y/o rehabilitación de viviendas asequibles para alquiler o asistencia para la propiedad de viviendas para personas de bajos ingresos.
La reunión del Comité de Vivienda y Asuntos Humanos se llevará a cabo el miércoles 16 de noviembre a las 19:00 horas en las Salas del Concejo Municipal, ubicadas en el 1017 de Middlefield Rd, Redwood City, donde la comunidad podrá asistir de manera presencial, o si lo prefieren a través de la plataforma Zoom a través del sitio redwoodcity.zoom.us con ID de reunión: 989 4102 6123 y contraseña: 1234.
También pueden conectarse de manera telefónica al número (669) 900 6833, con el mismo ID de reunión y contraseña. Habrá interpretación en español.
Los comentarios públicos también se pueden enviar por escrito a Víctor Gaitán, analista de gestión, en la ciudad de Redwood City, 1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA, 94063 o por correo electrónico a vgaitan@redwoodcity.org.
To supplement community meetings and stakeholder outreach, Redwood City, along with the cities of San Mateo, South San Francisco, Daly City, and San Mateo County, have developed a Housing and Community Needs Survey.
To access the cuestionario de clic aquí. La encuesta estará disponible a partir de este jueves 10 de noviembre en español, chino y tagalo.
Esta encuesta está dirigida a los residentes del condado y a las personas que trabajan en el campo de la vivienda y el desarrollo comunitario, los préstamos, los servicios sociales, la vivienda justa y la defensa. La participación es voluntaria y todas las respuestas son confidenciales. Los resultados sólo se informarán en combinación con las respuestas de otros participantes.
La encuesta debería durar aproximadamente entre 5 y 7 minutos, y si completa el cuestionario y desea proporcionar su información de contacto, entrará en el sorteo de una tarjeta de regalo Visa con valor de 100 dólares.
The San Mateo County Probation Department is seeking qualified providers of programs and services for youth in custody at the Juvenile Services Center-Juvenile Hall and/or Camp Kemp, as well as those who have been released back into their communities.
Applicants may submit proposals for individual and group counseling services, substance abuse counseling, prosocial skills, health and physical education, academic tutoring, and vocational and employment training programs.
As well as those for art and music programs, emotion regulation and coping skills, gang prevention and intervention services, services for survivors of sexual abuse, and family therapy and reentry services.
The department noted in a statement that the contracts will be secured through the Youth Offender Block Grant (YOBG) and the Juvenile Justice Realignment Block Grant (JJRBG).
Those interested in offering their services can visit the website www.publicpurchase.com for more information and to submit your proposals.
American citizens residing in San Mateo County will vote on several critical issues that will soon impact their lives and those of their community, so it is important to know which ballot measures they will vote on or against this Tuesday, November 8.
Measures to be voted on in each city of San Mateo County
Belmont ‒ Measure K
Measure K proposes a two-percentage-point adjustment to the transient occupancy tax, or “hotel tax” rate, from 12 percent to 14 percent. This assessment would be paid by guests when they stay at hotels or lodging facilities in Belmont for less than 30 days. If enacted, the funds raised would be used to provide funding for general City services, such as repairing potholes, streets and sidewalks; maintaining 911 emergency response times; keeping public areas healthy, safe and clean; and maintaining senior services, including health, nutrition and transportation programs. Learn more by clicking here.
East Palo Alto ‒ Measure L
The measure seeks to give rental property owners a 1.5 to 2.5 percent business tax increase that cannot be passed on to tenants. If approved, the money raised annually would be used to fund affordable housing programs, provide rental support for tenants and protect local residents from displacement and homelessness. Learn more by clicking here.
Bayshore Elementary School District - Measure M
The proposal seeks to renew the Bayshore Elementary School District's parcel tax of $96 per parcel for eight years with exemptions for seniors and the disabled and annual adjustments. The adjustment could raise approximately $160,000 annually that would be directed toward maintaining proficiency in science, math, reading and writing; attracting and retaining quality teachers; and integrating modern technology for future student success. Learn more by clicking here.
Millbrae ‒ Measure N
Measure N seeks to increase the transient occupancy tax paid by visitors staying at Millbrae hotels and other short-term lodging by 2 percent, from 12 percent to 14 percent, beginning in January 2023. The potential additional $1.5 million would allow the city to direct funds toward general city services such as repairing potholes and streets, maintaining neighborhood/downtown police patrols, improving recreational programs/parks, attracting new businesses, and improving disaster response. Learn more by clicking here.
Brisbane ‒ Measure O
The measure seeks to adopt an ordinance imposing a business license tax on hotels and other places designed to accommodate overnight guests of $2.50 per room for each day that the room is rented, generating approximately $250,000 annually that would be used to pay general municipal expenses. Learn more by clicking here.
Brisbane ‒ Measure U
The proposed question is a measure by the City of Brisbane to fund City services/facilities, such as police patrols, fire prevention services, urban wildfire protection, crime suppression/investigation, pothole/street repair, parks and other City facilities, and to support other City services, by imposing a half-cent sales tax, generating approximately $2 million annually until determined by voters. Learn more by clicking here.
Redwood City ‒ Measure P
The measure seeks an amendment to the Redwood City Mayor's Charter to shorten the mayor's term from two years to one year, in order to allow more Councilmembers to serve as Mayor during their tenure on the City Council.
Redwood City ‒ Measure Z
This measure seeks to amend the City of Redwood City's Charter of Election Procedures to align the date of municipal elections with the state election, clarify the date by which Redwood City elections must be certified and City Council members must be sworn in, and the provision for the election of City Council members. Learn more about both measures by clicking here.
Redwood City School District ‒ Measure S
The measure seeks to improve local elementary and secondary schools by repairing and upgrading science, technology, engineering, arts and math classrooms/labs; making safety/security improvements; improving inadequate heating, cooling and electrical systems; and constructing and acquiring sites/facilities. It authorizes $298 million in bonds at legal rates, raising $24 per $100,000 of assessed home value. Learn more by clicking here.
Pacifica ‒ Measure Q
The measure asks voters whether the city should amend its municipal code to prohibit the ignition, use, discharge or sale of all state-approved fireworks in the city. Learn more by clicking here.
Pacifica - Measure Y
The measure would establish a sales tax of $0.005 for general government use and generate about $2.6 million annually for 9 years to maintain vital city services such as police, fire, 911 emergency medical response; keep trash off beaches; attract/retain jobs/businesses; pave streets; maintain storm drains to prevent flooding; and prevent coastal erosion. Learn more by clicking here.
La Honda-Pescadero Unified School District - Measure R
The measure would allow the La Honda-Pescadero Unified School District to issue up to $15 million in bonds to improve educational facilities, funded by an annual property tax of $60 per $100,000 of assessed home value, while the bonds are outstanding with an annual levy of $1 million. Learn more by clicking here.
South San Francisco School District ‒ Measure T
The measure would allow the South San Francisco School District to issue up to $436 million in bonds that would levy an annual property tax of 0.06 cents per $100 of assessed home value while the bonds are outstanding. The $27 million raised annually would be used to improve and modernize school facilities, repair or replace deteriorating plumbing and sewer systems and leaky roofs, and replace heating and ventilation systems, among other things. Learn more by clicking here.
South San Francisco – Measure AA
This measure calls for South San Francisco to be authorized to develop, construct, and acquire affordable, decent, and safe rental housing for low-income persons, in an amount up to 1 percent of the total number of existing housing units in the city for a period of 8 years. Learn more by clicking here.
South San Francisco ‒ Measurement DD
The measure seeks to authorize an annual parcel tax of $2.50 per square foot of parcel size on commercial office lots, with revenue earmarked to fund early learning and child care for families living and working in the South San Francisco Unified School District. The tax would generate about $55.9 million annually, with no automatic expiration date. Learn more by clicking here.
Menlo Park ‒ Measure V
The citizen-sponsored initiative measure seeks to amend the land use element of the general plan to prohibit the Menlo Park City Council from redesignating or zoning certain properties for detached single-family dwellings. Learn more by clicking here.
Sequoia Union High School District ‒ Measure W
The measure seeks authorization for the Sequoia Union High School District to issue $591 million in bonds to repair and improve local high school infrastructure and classrooms, raising $14 for every $100,000 of assessed home value while the bonds are outstanding. Learn more by clicking here.
Burlingame ‒ Measure X
This measure supports updating Burlingame’s business licenses, with fees ranging from $200 to $750 and 5 percent of gross receipts for cannabis businesses, with revenue to fund city services. The measure would generate approximately $2.5 million annually and would be used to repair streets and sidewalks, improve crime prevention, bury power lines and for other general government uses. Learn more by clicking here.
San Bruno ‒ Measure BB
The measure seeks to limit service on the City Council or as mayor to no more than 12 consecutive years. Learn more by clicking here.
San Mateo ‒ Measure CC
The measure would increase the existing real estate transfer tax rate for properties sold for $10 million or more from 0.5 percent to 1.5 percent. The proposal would generate approximately $4.8 million annually to be used for general city services such as street repair, parks and recreation, fire protection, emergency response, crime prevention, and improving intersections, sidewalks and bike lanes for safety and reducing traffic congestion. Learn more by clicking here.
Polls opened at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, November 8, the day of the California general election, and will close until 8 p.m. Redwood City residents will be able to decide on three local ballot measures.
There is still plenty of time to raise your voice and assert your right. Don't let the weather stop you from voting, put on rain boots and a jacket, and learn about the three local measures that will surely impact the city soon.
Proposals in Redwood City:
- Z measure. Would amend the Redwood City Charter to align the date of the Redwood City General Municipal Election with the date of the State General Election, clarify the date by which Redwood City elections must be certified and City Council members must be sworn in, and provide for the election of City Council members by district to comply with state law.
- Measure P. Would amend the Redwood City Charter to shorten the mayor's term from two years to one, to allow more councilmembers to serve as mayor during their tenure on the City Council.
- Measures. Improve local elementary and secondary schools by repairing and upgrading science, technology, engineering, arts and math classrooms/labs; making safety/security improvements; improving inadequate heating, cooling and electrical systems; construction and acquisition of sites/facilities. Authorizes $298 million in bonds at legal rates, raising $24 per $100,000 of assessed home value.
Residentes de East Palo Alto decidirán este martes 8 de noviembre, día de elecciones generales en el estado de California, si se aplica o no un impuesto sobre propiedades de alquiler residencial, en específico a los propietarios de estas unidades.
Así, la medida aumentaría el impuesto comercial para los propietarios de 1.5 al 2.5 por ciento y eliminaría la exención para los propietarios con cinco o menos unidades de alquiler.
It should be noted that the tax cannot be passed on to tenants.
Los aproximadamente 2 millones de dólares anuales que se recaudarían de esta tasación, se destinarían a la financiación de programas de vivienda asequible, a la ayuda al alquiler de los inquilinos y a la protección de los residentes locales contra el desplazamiento y la falta de vivienda.
Para que la medida sea aprobada se requiere una mayoría simple para su aprobación.
Existen exenciones específicas para garantizar la correcta focalización del impuesto y son para la vivienda ocupada por el propietario, vivienda asequible y las habitaciones individuales sin cocina.
En 2016, la Medida O, aprobada por más del 77 por ciento de los votantes de East Palo Alto, inició el Impuesto a los Ingresos Brutos para financiar viviendas asequibles y evitar el desplazamiento.
Llegó esa temporada en que muchos empezamos a sufrir estragos por los cambios de clima y por enfermedades estacionales, tal es el caso de la influenza y, con el COVID-19 aun rondando en todo el mundo, es comprensible que surjan dudas sobre como diferenciar ambas enfermedades, cómo combatirlas y qué tan importantes son las vacunas para aminorar riesgos.
«Ahora que se vienen estos tiempos de frío y cambia el clima, es cuando más te sugieren que te pongas la vacuna de la influenza y yo pienso que eso está muy bien. Sabemos que en este mundo la gente opina totalmente diferente y no todo mundo coincide con las vacunas como con el caso del COVID», comenta Carmen.
Las dudas pueden incrementarse con la propagación de noticias falsas o mitos sobre las vacunas. En este sentido, la vacunación contra la influenza durante diciembre del 2022 enfrenta no solamente retos logísticos sino también la resistencia de una parte de la población a recibir el tratamiento.
Una de las secuelas no contempladas de la pandemia del Covid-19 es la constitución de redes antivacunas. Debemos recordar que el movimiento antivacunas está considerado como una de las principales amenazas a la salud mundial.
La pandemia del coronavirus permitió a través del uso de las redes sociodigitales la constitución de enormes comunidades transnacionales que pueden difundir desinformación de manera casi instantánea.
¿Cuáles es la desinformación que más se difunde sobre la vacuna de la influenza? El equipo de Península 360 identificó algunos de los rumores que se difunden en las redes sociales y salimos a la calle a contrastar dichos rumores con la población de a pie.
Encontramos que las personas repiten los mitos encontrados anteriormente en los reportes de desinformación sobre COVID con los de la influenza.
Karen Duarte, residente de North Fair Oaks y voluntaria en un centro comunitario nos comenta que «circula mucha información allá afuera que no es verdad» en la que se dice que la vacuna «te hace sentir bien mal»; Duarte relata en entrevista que existe la creencia que de hay una supuesta asociación entre la vacunación y otras afectaciones al cuerpo como que «te da parálisis o algo así», explica.
Uno de los mitos identificados en el análisis de datos en Twitter fue la idea de que no hay ninguna diferencia entre Covid-19 y la gripe por influenza.
«Es como con la vacuna del COVID. Hay personas a las que no les gusta participar en esas cosas o prefieren pensar que ”estamos sanos, no nos vamos a enfermar”. Sobre todo, he escuchado que, con el paso del tiempo, una persona puede tener una reacción adversa a la vacuna. Se pueden enfermar o desarrollar otro tipo de enfermedad… las mismas cosas que mencionaban durante la pandemia del COVID», relata Carmen.
Otro mito que identificamos tanto en redes sociales como mencionado por las personas en las calles fue la falsa idea de que la vacunación contra el resfriado común debilita al organismo predisponiéndolo para presentar alguna enfermedad como covid o algo más severo. El supuesto razonamiento detrás de dichas aseveraciones es que la vacunación es una forma de debilitar a la población para aumentar la mortandad y controlar su tamaño. Sin embargo, la evidencia objetiva muestra que la vacunación contra la influenza disminuye la enfermedad y las muertes asociadas.
«He escuchado cosas buenas y malas. Lo malo es porque le ponen a uno el virus y con eso se pueden morir más fácil», dice Juan Piril, «sobretodo he escuchado que quienes más se mueren son las personas de mayor edad, ochenta o noventa años».
La OMS, por su parte, sostiene que la vacunación contra la influenza contribuye a mejorar la calidad de vida de la población y disminuye de forma significativa el número de muertes por esta enfermedad.
Otro mito identificado entre la población que se difunde como información supuestamente médica indica que “las vacunas son intercambiables”, esto indica que si uno se pone la vacuna de COVID, por ejemplo, estará protegido contra la influenza y viceversa, al vacunarse contra la influenza estará uno protegido contra el COVID. Para ello se menciona la semejanza entre los síntomas y la aparente equivalencia entre las pruebas de detección del COVID-19 o de la influenza.
Tanto la influenza ‒o gripe‒ como el COVID-19 son enfermedades respiratorias contagiosas, pero son provocadas por different viruses. La causa del COVID-19 es una infección por un coronavirus, el SARS-CoV-2, que se detectó por primera vez en 2019, mientras que la influenza es provocada por la infección de un virus llamado de igual manera, influenza.
De acuerdo con los Centros para el Control y Prevención de Enfermedades ‒CDC, por sus siglas en inglés‒, por lo que se sabe, el COVID-19 se propaga más fácilmente que la influenza. Cabe destacar que «no es posible diferenciar la influenza del COVID-19 solo observando los síntomas», porque algunos de los signos y síntomas son iguales para las dos enfermedades.
Los esfuerzos por aumentar al máximo la proporción de personas en Estados Unidos con su esquema de vacunación contra el COVID-19 al día siguen siendo fundamentales para reducir el riesgo de sufrir la forma grave de la enfermedad y la muerte.
«En algunas personas, el COVID-19 puede causar una enfermedad más grave que la influenza. En relación con las personas con influenza, los síntomas de las personas infectadas con COVID-19 pueden tardar más en aparecer y pueden ser contagiosos por períodos más prolongados», detalla la agencia nacional de salud.
Ante ello, es necesario hacer pruebas de detección específicas para saber de qué enfermedad se trata y confirmar un diagnóstico, y así recibir tratamiento adecuado para el virus que se tiene de manera rápida y eficaz.
Es importante saber que las pruebas de detección también permiten saber si una persona tiene influenza y COVID-19 al mismo tiempo, aunque la situación es poco frecuente. Las personas que tienen influenza y COVID-19 al mismo tiempo pueden enfermarse más gravemente que las personas que tienen solo influenza o solo COVID-19.
Si bien todos los días las autoridades sanitarias aprenden cosas nuevas sobre la COVID-19, estos son algunos síntomas comunes que comparte con la influenza:
• Fiebre o sentirse afiebrado/tener escalofríos
• Dificultad para respirar (sentir que le falta el aire)
• Tos
• Dolor muscular y molestias corporales
• Vómitos
• Cambio o pérdida del gusto o el olfato, aunque es más frecuente con el COVID-19.
• Fatiga (cansancio)
• Dolor de garganta
• Mucosidad nasal o nariz tapada
• Dolor de cabeza
• Diarrea (más frecuente en niños con influenza)
Tanto el COVID-19 como la influenza se pueden propagar de persona a persona por contacto cercano. Ambas enfermedades se propagan principalmente a través de partículas grandes y pequeñas que contienen el virus que son expulsadas cuando las personas con esos padecimientos tosen, estornudan o hablan.
Finalmente, otro mito identificado refirió que la vacuna contra la influenza supuestamente contiene óxido de grafeno. Una sustancia que, según alegan ciertos grupos antivacunas, permitirá que el gobierno te controle. Una segunda versión alega que el grafeno permitirá mantener enfermos a los «vacunados» y por lo tanto las farmacéuticas obtendrán beneficios por la venta de medicamentos.
Al contrario de esto, la OMS, compañías farmacéuticas e investigadores han negado la presencia de grafeno en cualquiera de las vacunas contra la influenza.
A pesar de que el 92.6 por ciento de la población elegible del condado de San Mateo se ha vacunado contra COVID-19, la desinformación y los miedos entre la comunidad latina continúan alrededor de esta vacuna, así como la de la influenza.
For María Segovia, a participant in the Peninsula 360 Press [P360P] community journalism workshop and a resident of Redwood City, COVID vaccine myths continue to circulate with the same force on social media, especially on Facebook and Instagram.
Entre los principales mitos que aún existen en la comunidad latina son: las vacunas contienen chips para controlar, provocan infertilidad, modifican el material genético, provocan que la gente enferme más, incluyen ingredientes peligrosos o están hechas de fetos humanos muertos, contienen magnetita, provocan abortos.
Vaccines: the path to disease control
Es cierto, aún hay muchas personas que están reacias a confiar y creer en la efectividad de las vacunas. Los miedos y mitos alrededor de ellas, sobre todo las recientes como la de la influenza y, más aún, aquella contra la COVID-19, siguen vigentes, sobre todo entre comunidades como la latina.
Las vacunas contra el COVID-19 y la influenza están aprobadas o autorizadas para uso de emergencia en Estados Unidos por la Administración de Alimentos y Medicamentos ‒FDA, por sus siglas en inglés‒ y por los propios CDC.
Hay diferentes vacunas contra la influenza aprobadas por la FDA que se producen todos los años para proteger contra los cuatro virus de la influenza que los científicos prevén que serán los de mayor circulación.
Las vacunas contra la influenza hacen que los anticuerpos se desarrollen en el cuerpo aproximadamente dos semanas después de la vacunación. Estos anticuerpos ofrecen protección contra la influenza.
Las vacunas contra la influenza estacional están diseñadas para proteger contra los virus de la influenza que, según los estudios, tendrán más circulación en la temporada que se inicia. Todas las vacunas contra la influenza disponibles en los Estados Unidos son vacunas «tetravalentes», lo que significa que protegen contra cuatro virus de la influenza diferentes: un virus de la influenza A(H1N1), un virus de la influenza A(H3N2) y dos virus de la influenza B.
COVID-19
Hay diferentes vacunas contra el COVID-19 autorizadas o aprobadas para usar en el país para la prevención de la enfermedad. Y los CDC recomiendan estas desde la edad de 6 meses en adelante.
Updated or bivalent booster doses became available on September 2, 2022.
Los CDC recomiendan que todas las personas se mantengan al día con las vacunas contra el COVID-19 correspondientes a su grupo de edad:
Vacunarse contra el COVID-19, así como los refuerzos, después de recuperarse de la infección por COVID-19 le brinda protección adicional contra la enfermedad.
Hay cuatro vacunas contra el COVID-19 aprobadas o autorizadas en los Estados Unidos: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Novavax y Janssen de Johnson & Johnson, no obstante, los CDC recomiendan que esta última solo sea considerada en ciertas situaciones, debido a cuestiones de seguridad.
Una serie de sistemas meteorológicos de noviembre está trayendo lluvia y nieve a gran parte del norte de California, lo que sirve como un recordatorio de la importancia de la seguridad ante las tormentas invernales, advirtió Pacific Gas and Electric Company ‒PG&E‒.
The utility noted that in addition to the rain and snow that fell early last week in Northern California, additional storm systems are expected to move intermittently through the Bay Area through at least Wednesday, Nov. 9.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center is predicting colder and wetter than normal conditions through November 15.
«Parece que la puerta de tormenta estará abierta durante la próxima semana o dos», dijo Neil Flaiz, meteorólogo del departamento de Operaciones Meteorológicas de PG&E.
La empresa detalló que su equipo de meteorología ha desarrollado un modelo de predicción de interrupciones por tormentas que incorpora pronósticos meteorológicos en tiempo real, datos históricos y conocimiento del sistema para predecir dónde y cuándo los impactos de las tormentas serán más severos.
Dicho modelo, dijo, permite a la compañía organizar previamente las cuadrillas y los equipos a medida que se acercan las tormentas para permitir una respuesta rápida a las interrupciones.
Ante ello, PG&E llamó a sus clientes a tomar las medidas necesarias para estar preparados y mantenerse seguros durante el invierno.
En ese sentido instó a nunca tocar cables caídos: «si ve una línea eléctrica caída, asuma que está energizada y es extremadamente peligrosa. No lo toque ni intente moverlo y mantenga alejados a los niños y los animales. Informe las líneas eléctricas caídas de inmediato llamando al 911 y llamando a PG&E al 1-800-743-5002».
A su vez, pide usar linternas y no velas debido al riesgo de incendio. Si debe usar velas, manténgalas alejadas de cortinas, pantallas de lámparas, mascotas y niños pequeños y no las deje desatendidas.
De igual manera pide tener un teléfono celular de respaldo con pila, agua potable fresca y/o hielo para evitar que los alimentos se echen a perder; usar generadores de manera segura, asegurándose de que un electricista autorizado los instale correctamente en un área bien ventilada.
«Los generadores instalados incorrectamente representan un peligro significativo para los clientes, así como para las cuadrillas que trabajan en las líneas eléctricas. Si usa generadores portátiles, asegúrese de que estén en un área bien ventilada».
En situación de emergencia, también se debe apagar los electrodomésticos: si experimenta un apagón, desenchufe o apague todos los electrodomésticos para evitar sobrecargar los circuitos y prevenir riesgos de incendio cuando se restablezca la energía.
«Simplemente deje una sola lámpara encendida para que le avise cuando vuelva la energía. Vuelva a encender sus electrodomésticos uno a la vez cuando las condiciones vuelvan a la normalidad».
Después de que hayan pasado las inclemencias del tiempo, PG&E indica asegurarse de limpiar de manera segura sin tocar cables caídos y siempre llamar al 811 o visitar 811express.com al menos dos días hábiles completos antes de excavar para que todos los servicios públicos subterráneos estén marcados de manera segura.
