In March 2020, Santiago's life, like that of millions of children around the world, changed dramatically. At 12 years old, he went from attending school to taking online classes, from playing football to exercising at home, and from seeing family and friends in meetings to talking to them via video conference.
Her life was turned upside down and she didn't know why. "I don't watch the news much, but I heard my parents talking about a virus. I got really scared. Everything changed. I stopped doing everything I loved: going to school, seeing my friends, going out to a lot of places. It was like a nightmare," she told P360P in an interview.
Santi, as his family calls him, gradually began to understand what was happening through information from his parents, teachers and the media. And although he thought it would be a matter of weeks, the news of new infections continued for months. Bored by the confinement, he hoped it would soon be over.
However, the number of new cases and deaths continued to rise. Santi is also one of the millions of children who have lost a loved one to COVID-19, as earlier this year, his great-grandmother passed away from the disease.
"That's why I want to tell my story, because I know there are many children who are afraid to get vaccinated. But nothing happens. Even though I'm scared of needles, I wanted to be brave so that nothing bad would happen to people, like my great-grandmother.
First those in front
It was in December 2020 when the story about the pandemic took an unexpected turn. "My mom yelled at me and I came out of my room. "'There's already a vaccine,' she said. I asked if we could get it, but she explained that we had to wait. Again we had to wait. I was already bored of hearing that, but I was also scared that my parents or more people would die."
"My parents told me that the first to be vaccinated would be the people who needed it most and those who were most at risk. First the grandparents and the doctors, then the adults, until finally, one day they also said children over 12 years old.
Santi was a few months away from his 12th birthday when the news came out. So at his young age he had to prepare himself mentally to fight a battle against all the fears that were going through his head, because he didn't like neither injections nor needles.
"I put everything on a scale, that's what my mom told me to do when I had doubts about making an important decision. And that's what I did, I wrote down on a sheet of paper why I should and shouldn't get vaccinated. I thought about my fear, but also about my great-grandmother. In the end, yes won out.
Take that, COVID-19: I'm not afraid anymore!
This August 1st Santi was able to receive the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine. With his left arm uncovered he closes his eyes and receives a prick that lasts only a short time. When he is told that it is over, he opens his eyes again and a smile appears on his face.
"It didn't feel like anything, just a little pinch, like being pinched, but it didn't really hurt. I thought it was going to be worse. Last time it didn't hurt either. I'm very happy because I've already been vaccinated and so have my parents.
Santi says that when he grows up he wants to be a doctor so he can help other people, he adjusts the sleeve of his shirt while he gets up from his chair and hits the air quickly shouting: "Take that, COVID".
"By getting the COVID vaccine, I showed my family that I love them and that I want to get back to training, to tell my friends that I want to see them at school again, and to tell the world that if I can fight my fears, everyone can.
"We'll still be wearing masks for a while, but if we all do our part we'll soon be smiling again."
After the Delta variant has become the leading strain in the United States, accounting for more than 85 percent of sequenced COVID-19 cases, "the only way to overcome this terrible virus is to increase vaccination rates," said Dr. Monica Gandhi.
Professor of Medicine and Associate Chair of the Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) detailed in a news briefing by Ethnic Media Services that while there are European countries where vaccination rates are high, there are also nations such as India, which is very slow.
In that sense, he explained that the U.S. is in the middle, as areas such as Vermont, Virginia or the Bay Area show the highest vaccination rates, in Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Nevada, it has been observed that the number of hospitalizations for the disease has risen.
The only way to overcome COVID-19 is to increase vaccination rates.
She said there are six strategies to increase vaccination rates:
Community-based messaging. This type of messaging, she said, has been the success of immunization campaigns in towns like San Francisco. Having an African-American mayor talk about the importance of immunization is extremely important.
2.- Bring vaccines closer to the population through pharmacies, consultations with their trusted doctors, in their workplaces and giving workers free time to do so.
3.- Free transportation to vaccination sites.
4.- Helping mothers and fathers to access free childcare while they go for immunization.
5.- Vaccination "Passports". According to Dr. Gandhi, these would serve as an incentive to encourage vaccination, where people who are not immunized would not be able to access certain enclosed spaces.
6. Mandates. This last point, he said, is particularly controversial, because although each person is responsible for his or her health, "this is a public health issue.
In that regard, he recalled that in 1905 the U.S. suffered a smallpox epidemic where 30 percent of people eligible for the smallpox vaccine did not get it. So there was a case called Jacobson v. Massachusetts that was brought before the Supreme Court.
The ruling put the common good above personal interests, mandating that all state residents be required to be vaccinated or pay fines if they did not want to be immunized.
He noted that cities such as San Francisco and New York have required public employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or to repeatedly test negative for the virus.
Every mandate, he stressed, has its exceptions, which possibly go in terms of immunity in the past, for religious reasons, or for medical reasons where the vaccine is contraindicated.
However, he pointed out that not having high vaccination rates in the country will only lead to the prolongation of the pandemic.
Vaccines, from segregation to inclusion
"Vaccines are effective, and it looks like our best chance to stop the pandemic, said pediatrician Tiffany Johnson of the University of California, Davis (UC Davis), noting that COVID-19 has had a disproportionate impact on low-income communities and communities of color.
"There are many barriers that exist in accessing health care, and those same barriers exist in accessing the vaccine," she said.
A couple of examples of this, he said, are problems with Internet access, as some populations cannot access reliable and credible information about the vaccine, or even schedule appointments to get vaccinated.
Also, he said, there are transportation problems, because even if you have a vaccination clinic five miles away, if you don't have a bus card, that distance is a long way to walk, especially if the temperature and weather are extreme.
In addition, he explained that workers are often not allowed to miss vaccinations or are docked time off, a situation that many of them cannot afford, let alone given days to recover in case they have reactions.
He added that there is mistrust on the part of communities of color toward the country's health care system.
"Whenever we talk about vaccines and underserved communities, it's always important to talk about mistrust, because health care in America was built on a foundation of racism and beyond the history of experimentation on black and brown bodies, we also have to be accountable for the ways in which we cause harm to communities of color to this day with health care disparities."
In light of this, he said that governments must work on trust with all communities, especially those of color.
"We need to earn that trust and build that trust, and it's not going to happen overnight. So we have to recognize the ways in which we fall short and we have to actively work on building trust in these communities."
While he said he is not in favor of "COVID-19 passports," he explained that he is in favor of the FDA fully approving the vaccine, and once it is approved, then discussing mandates for inoculation.
"We need to create a two-tiered system where there are groups in certain communities that don't have access to the benefits, and then there is society at large. I think we have to work on education and community empowerment, taking into account all the barriers that exist to getting vaccines," she said.
Vaccines for overcoming COVID-19, from the individual to the collective
"The fundamental problem is that vaccines are given at the individual level and individuals tend to see an individual benefit as the main driver. Vaccines work through immunity at the individual level, but on a large scale they essentially work through mathematics at the population level. So all vaccines will help anyone who gets them," Dr. Ben Neuman, chief of Virology at the Texas A&M University Global Health Research Complex, said at the time.
He explained that while there are several studies on vaccines and their effectiveness against the virus and its different variants, all agree that they are safe and work.
In addition, he said, the studies showed that the COVID-19 vaccines show a "huge 78 percent to 95 percent reduction in the likelihood of death after being administered.
Vaccinated people are 80 to 90 percent less likely to transmit the virus, and 80 to 90 percent less likely to become infected with the virus.
"Overall, it seems like the vaccines work pretty well and are protective in a number of ways ... at the population level, 80 to 90 percent vaccine effectiveness is an absolute godsend," he said.
Are we experiencing a new wave of COVID? The answer is yes
Dr. Dali Fan, a clinical professor of health sciences at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis), said the reason for that statement is multifactorial -- the Delta variant "definitely played a role, but the changes are social behavior, social policies and lack of vaccination in the underage group.
"The major vaccines are quite effective against COVID. The mRNA vaccines are 80 percent effective against infection and 95 percent effective against hospitalization. DNA vaccines are 60 percent effective against infection and 90 percent effective against hospitalization."
In the case of the Delta variant, recent data from the New England Journal of Medicine showed that the mRNA vaccine is about 80 percent effective, while in DNAs it is about 67 percent effective against coronavirus hospitalization.
So is a booster vaccine the first-line solution for the Delta variant? The answer is no, he said. "Vaccinating everyone is the right answer. So what are booster doses? Booster vaccines are given after the primary series and are necessary to boost immunity after the initial immune response."
"Remember that vaccines don't kill. The virus does it directly. Vaccines trigger your immune system to kill viruses," he reminded.
Dr. Fan noted that a booster is not yet necessary, but some populations may be the exceptions, such as residents of long-term care facilities, adults over 65 years of age, health care professionals, and the immunocompromised.
He added that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that fully vaccinated Americans do not need a booster shot at this time. "There is simply not enough evidence that the Delta variant is progressing in fully vaccinated people," he said.
After an outbreak of coronavirus was reported this week among vaccinated people in Provincetown, Massachusetts, the CDC recommended that vaccinated people resume wearing facemasks indoors, especially in high-contagion settings, because, it said, new evidence shows that new COVID-19 infections are also transmissible among the unvaccinated, albeit with mild symptoms.
The big difference among all the vaccinated people, almost all of the symptoms are mild. That means only one thing -- the COVID-19 vaccines work!" said Monica Gandhi, M.D., professor of medicine and associate chief of the Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
"There are three lessons we can learn from this," Dr. Gandhi said during a briefing held by Ethnic Media Services. First, he said, "it's important to say that the COVID-19 vaccines work. Of the more than 800 people vaccinated who were exposed to SARS-CoV-2 - in Provincetown - there were only three hospitalizations and no deaths. This is an amazingly effective vaccine in preventing hospitalizations and deaths from severe disease.
"That was really the promise of vaccines," she said. "It was always the reason we designed vaccines. Otherwise, you wouldn't have designed a vaccine against something that didn't cause death."
He also explained that the second point learned from the outbreak is that the Delta variant is highly transmissible and has high viral loads, which is why a person already vaccinated can become infected because there is no time for the B cells or memory cells, which produce antibodies to prevent the infection from entering through the nose, to act properly and therefore only produce mild symptoms.
"And because of that, the recommendation from the CDC - the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - in areas of high school children, or where the virus is latent, is to wear facemasks indoors, even among vaccinated people. It's very reasonable because all this prevents vaccinated people from getting mild infections," he said.
A third important aspect that was learned was that it cannot be concluded that vaccinated people have the same probability of transmission as unvaccinated people.
This, he said, since the results of the outbreak were based on what is called Cycle Threshold (CT), which indicates the amount of virus an infected person harbors, or a PCR test, although no culture tests have been done yet.
And "presumably, what's going to happen is that a vaccinated person is going to fight off the virus and therefore is not as contagious."
"These vaccines still work. They work. But for now, because the Delta variant is highly transmissible, it is very prudent for those vaccinated to wear masks indoors," he said.
The COVID-19 pandemic is leaving severe economic devastation in its wake. For many, it is unfeasible to afford housing, especially for those who have lost their jobs and are immigrants. For this reason, experts and partners in Los Angeles County held an information session to answer questions about how to access assistance and prevent evictions.
On June 28th of this year, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Assembly Bill (AB) 832, which extends protections for residential and mobile home tenants facing eviction due to financial hardship by COVID-19 through September 30, 2021.
The same is true locally, as the Los Angeles County Eviction Moratorium, effective March 4, 2020, will also continue until September 30 of this year, unless the local Board of Supervisors repeals or, if necessary, extends it.
This moratorium prohibits countywide evictions of residential and commercial tenants, including those who rent mobile homes. During the County Moratorium, tenants cannot be evicted for nonpayment of rent due to COVID-19 hardship.
In light of this, Manuel Ruiz, senior policy analyst at the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs (DCBA), calls on residents to exercise their rights and obtain rental assistance, without fear of applying for support.
In that regard, he explained that the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors recently launched Stay Housed LA County, a program that offers free legal services to tenants facing eviction.
In addition, the program offers workshops to learn more about your rights as a tenant and to connect with an attorney or advocate, she said at a press conference held by Ethnic Media Services.
The workshops will cover topics such as: tenant protections under the new state Assembly Bill 3088; the Los Angeles County emergency ordinance; and local city laws. The idea is to give them a better understanding of what to do if they are being harassed by their landlord or if an eviction lawsuit is filed against them.
To learn more about the program, interested parties can call to register for a workshop at 1-888-694-0040 or through the website at https://www.stayhousedla.org/workshops/.
Jessica Hayes, chief of Disaster Recovery with the California Department of Housing and Community Development, said that in addition to the moratorium on evictions, Los Angeles County residents can access California's COVID-19 Rental Relief Program.
"The goal of the program is to help families stay at home to help prevent evictions and make sure that people who live there can stay together."
California's COVID-19 Rental Assistance program offers financial assistance for past-due and/or future rent and utilities to income-eligible tenants in the state, as well as to landlords affected by the pandemic, so both tenants and landlords can apply.
Applicants may qualify regardless of immigration status and will not be asked to show proof of citizenship, and all applicant information will be kept private.
"Immigration status is not an issue in this program. It's not a question we ask," Hayes said.
The program is open until funds are exhausted, and assists with 100 percent of the period's unpaid rent and utilities.
Program Requirements rental housing relief in Los Angeles
Tenants: Have been impacted by COVID-19, income eligible (state will calculate when applicable), have defaulted rent or utilities, or need assistance with future rent or utilities. Money must be turned over to the landlord within 15 days of receipt of funds.
Landlords: Have tenants who are behind on their rent and need help with that loss of income; the tenant's household is income-eligible - the state will calculate this when you apply; and finally that all payments you receive must be used to satisfy the tenant's unpaid rent, which must go back to March 1, 2020 at the latest.
Hayes said the program is primarily looking to prioritize and help cases where households are below 80 percent of the area median income. "So we're really looking to make sure that this program is available to as many people as possible."
But what are the ways to submit an application? Or get assistance with submitting an application?
So there are three ways that people can apply to the program. The first is directly through the https://housing.ca.gov/ with self-service option, where interested parties will be able to go in, log in, use their email, their contact information, and upload their documents. "And if you don't have any questions about the application, it's the easiest way to go.
"If you have any questions, we encourage people to reach out to our COVID-19 Rental Relief call center, which is phone number 833 430 2122," Hayes reported.
If people need a little more help, or perhaps have a disability or need language assistance, or are just not sure what documents to upload or have technological barriers such as no internet access or no device to help them upload documents, they can make an appointment at 833 6870 967.
Hayes said Los Angeles County has more than 30,000 active applications for rental housing relief and 10,000 more pending.
If a tenant cannot pay rent, how can he or she take advantage of assistance to protect him or herself from eviction?
Cindy Shin, a staff attorney with the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, which is part of Stay Housed Los Angeles, noted that a landlord can file an eviction, but tenants still have rights.
"In the event that your landlord takes an unlawful detainer action against the tenant, until the rental application is denied or the funds are released, any foreclosure action brought for nonpayment may be stayed," he said.
In that sense, he recalled that both tenants and lessees are notified with three, 15, 30 and 60 day notices to prevent evictions from taking place without full notice and thus claims can be filed in court.
If the lawsuit is filed by a tenant, "the court sends a notice saying that a lawsuit has been filed, but the tenant is not required to respond to that lawsuit. Until they are personally served with the summons and complaint, and if they can't find a way to be personally served, then they get the court's permission to mail it.
But once you receive any type of notice - written or verbal - from the court or your landlord, it is important to contact a legal services provider immediately.
They can determine your rights based on where you live and help you better respond to the court's notice to remain in your home.
"We know that immigrants, in particular, have been the most impacted by the pandemic, and trying to get through the devastation and recover is a challenge. So we want to remember that these support services are available in every county, regardless of immigration status."
Outdoor travel can be a unique experience for adventurers who want to get in touch with nature, breathe some fresh air, get away from the daily routine and admire the scenery that California has to offer.
However, obtaining a permit to do so can take months, or because of their high demand they are difficult to obtain.
This situation has become even more complicated since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, as more Californians seek out nearby parks and campgrounds, which are increasingly in demand.
That's why two California-based companies are looking to make planning and permitting these trips a much friendlier affair, so that travelers only have to worry about taking the best photos to share on social media.
Somewhere Outside, trips planned from start to finish
Kendra Cobourn is a California resident whose love of outdoor travel has led her to have great adventures around the world, and that experience and knowledge of California's parks encouraged her to foundSomewhere Outside.
The company's goal is to create a specialized space for lovers of outdoor experiences to visit all the natural wonders they've always wanted to discover, without breaking their heads trying.
The services of Somwhere Outside The services we offer range from the planning of the trip to the beginning of it, adapted to the needs and tastes of each person, providing them with the necessary knowledge so that they can be prepared during their journey.
And enjoying the outdoors means enjoying great experiences such as family day hikes, overnight car camping, cabin-to-cabin trips, or multi-day backcountry walks.
Somewhere Outside is a guide for adventurers to California's best parks, including the Lake Tahoe region, two-day itineraries in Yosemite, overnight stays on the John Muir Trail, and trips to the Inyo National Forest, among others.
Bewilder, the power of outdoor information
The founder of BewilderYvonne Leow said she was only 27 years old when she went on her first backpacking trip, and although there were all kinds of experiences, in the end it was completely mind-blowing.
His love of nature, his work in editorial content, and his passion for travel were some of the reasons he founded the company, because "everyone should have the opportunity to experience the beauty and freedom of the outdoors".
And it is that in a first stage, Bewilder offered customized camping trips to various destinations in California; however, keeping the information up to date due to the wildfires was complicated by trail closures, campground closures, and park closures.
Which is why Leow turned to publishing trips for first-time campers and backpackers, as well as families with young children; so now the company acts as a free newsletter that encourages first-timers to take their first excursions into the wilderness.
This is how both companies are looking to make a difference and make outdoor travel easier in California, at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has made these types of experiences much more attractive and sought after.
Next September 14, 2021, a referendum will be held in California that aims to revoke the mandate of the current governor Gavin Newsom who has been in office since 2019.
In 2003, the state held its third referendum to recall Gray Davis and elect Arnold Schwarzenegger, so the Sept. 14 election represents a fourth effort to recall California's governor.
It should be noted that California is one of 19 states in the U.S. that can allow recall elections; to promote such elections, 1,495,709 signatures were required, or 12 percent of the total votes cast in the immediately preceding gubernatorial election.
Because the number of signatures were gathered in the time frame of April 26, 2021, Secretary of State Shirley Weber is required to schedule such a recall election within the next 60 to 80 days. In the event Newsom is recalled as governor of the state of California, one of 46 registered candidates must be chosen to replace him.
For this reason, Ethnic Media Services held a briefing with California Secretary of State Shirley Weber, who detailed the details of the process that will take place on September 14.
The California secretary of state opened her participation by saying that "not voting is a negative act that ends up weakening the democracy achieved in the country," which is why she stressed the importance of electing their leaders.
Weber explained that the ballots will contain two unique questions, "Do you want the governor removed?" - in this case, Gavin Newsom - and "Who do you want to replace the governor?" The secretary of state said the first question will have only two options and only one must be chosen - "yes" or "no." In the second question, you must choose from among the 46 candidates registered for this election in which the current governor Gavin Newsom will not be eligible. The second question will be relevant, Weber said, if "yes" gets 50 percent plus one vote.
California Secretary of State Shirley Weber urged citizens to verify their information to participate in this recall election in three steps: check, register and vote; first, verify your voting status at https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov/, as ballots will begin to be mailed out on August 16. On the website, you will need to update your information "as soon as possible. August 30 is the last day to register for easy voting at https://registertovote.ca.gov/. If you miss this step, you will be able to register on the same day as the recall election process, September 14, 2021.
Weber noted that all voters will receive a ballot via mail, which must be cast by September 14, 2021 via prepaid mail or in person at secure mailboxes, early voting sites.
"Voting by mail is secure," Shirley Weber said. Not only will the process of mailing and receiving the ballots be secure, she said, but each ballot will have unique watermarks, the ballots will be produced by California-certified printers, the return envelopes will have unique bar codes that will be scanned to ensure there are no duplicate votes, and finally, the voter's signature will be checked.
To know the status of the ballot in real time, the voter will be able to track it on the site: https://wheresmyballot.sos.ca.gov/ and you will be able to get information via text message -SMS-, voice call or email.
On Election Day, September 14, 2021, polling places will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. It will be until Oct. 22 when the California secretary of state will issue a certificate to the candidate-elect if the election resulted in the recall of the current governor. This process, Weber said, does not change the subsequent election processes and they are scheduled in a timely manner.
People can send their doubts and comments regarding these elections to the following email address: votesure@sos.ca.gov
California Secretary of State Shirley Weber said $70 million will be spent to publicize the process to the entire voting population.
"We hope the people will go out and vote on Sept. 14," Weber said. "The implications on who our next governor will be and, more importantly, the political environment of California, is in our hands."
San Mateo County has organized a series of roundtable discussions to discuss and explore the impacts of COVID-19 on local small businesses, as well as opportunities for better and earlier economic recovery.
Through these informative panels and discussions that will be held during the months of August and September, experts and researchers will present data on the economic impact of the pandemic and its prospects for the economy in the future.
Speakers will include Chris Benner, Professor of Environmental Studies and Sociology, UC Santa Cruz; Patrick Kallerman, Vice President of Research, Bay Area Council Economic Institute; and Rosanne Foust, President and CEO of the San Mateo County Economic Development Association (SAMCEDA).
Upcoming roundtables will explore strategies to get people back to work, support urban centers and small businesses, and provide communities with the essential support systems needed to create a better future for all.
Upcoming round tables on economic recovery:
Understanding the economic impacts of the pandemic: what has and hasn't changed
Date: Thursday, August 12
Time: 9:00 - 11:00 am
Back to Work: New Models for Quality Jobs and Workforce Development
Date: Wednesday, September 1
Time: 9:00 11:00 h
Supporting Vibrant Urban Centres: Helping our local businesses thrive in the future
Date: Wednesday, September 15
Time: 9:00 - 11:00 am
Building economic resilience: meeting workers' needs for childcare, housing and other essentials
At 10:15 p.m. Alaska time yesterday, July 28, a magnitude 8.2 earthquake struck off the coast of the Alaska Peninsula, the largest U.S. earthquake in 50 years. The depth of the Chignik earthquake was approximately 28.5 miles, which according to the Alaska Earthquake Center (AEC), is an intermediate depth earthquake.
The Chignik earthquake occurred relatively close, approximately 45 miles from the location of the magnitude 7.6 earthquake on Simeonof Island that occurred on July 21, 2020.
The AEC detailed that this telluric movement seems to be related to the previous earthquake, since both occurred along the interface between the Pacific subduction and the predominant North American plates, although the Chignik earthquake was the deeper of the two.
The Alaska Peninsula is a seismically active region where thousands of earthquakes occur each year. The largest earthquakes are located along the interface, which is called the Aleutian megathrust. The magnitude 8.2 event ruptured this interface in the region between the Shumagin Islands to the southwest and Kodiak Island to the northeast.
Previously, the magnitude 8.3 earthquake of 1938 ruptured that section of the interface. Perryville and Chignik are the closest communities to the epicenter of the Chignik earthquake and felt the most intense tremor. Several videos and photos are circulating on social networks, showing the intensity of the event.
It was also reported that Alaskan communities as far away as the Mat-Su Valley in south-central Alaska felt the movement intensely.
So far, more than 80 aftershocks have been counted. The largest was a magnitude 6.1, about four minutes after the main quake.
Due to the offshore location, the National Tsunami Warning Center issued a warning for much of the Alaskan coast. Several communities issued evacuations. However, recorded wave heights were below one foot, and the warning was reduced a couple of hours after the event.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said the M8.2 earthquake on July 29, 2021 - July 28, 2021 local time - occurred as a result of a thrust fault at or near the interface of the subduction zone between the Pacific and North American tectonic plates.
Large earthquakes are common in the Alaskan-Aleutian subduction zone.
Since 1900, 8 other M7 or greater earthquakes have occurred within 250 km of this July 29, 2021 event, including M7.8 on July 22, 2020 - located 62 km west of this Thursday's event - and M7.6 on October 19, 2020 - located 145 km west of today's event.
USGS said that given the temporal and spatial proximity of the July 29, 2021 earthquake to the two previous major earthquakes in July and October 2020, those events were foreshadowing of what happened this morning.
The Alaska-Aleutian Trench was also the site of the second largest earthquake recorded by modern seismic instrumentation, the M9.2 earthquake of March 27, 1964, which ruptured about 250 km from this event, at the eastern end of the 1938 rupture area.
The 1938 event produced a small tsunami that was recorded both locally and in Hawaii.
Looking up at the sky and marveling at the grandeur of the universe is a treat for millions of people, and Redwood City will have the privilege of seeing the peak of the Delta Aquariid meteor shower this Thursday, weather permitting.
This astronomical phenomenon is long and vague, and while they can be found anytime from approximately July 12 to August 23 each year, the peak this year will be on July 29.
As we get into August, a much fainter waning crescent moon will be less intrusive so that the meteor shower can be better viewed.
According to the organization Earth SkyWhen the Perseid meteor shower is reaching its peak - on the mornings of August 11, 12 and 13 - the Delta Aquarids will also continue to fly.
The forecast for Thursday calls for generally sunny skies during the day and partly cloudy at night, however we will have to wait until the moon is not so bright for the meteor shower to be seen in its entirety.
The perfect time to see this phenomenon will be late at night and in the early hours of Friday morning.
How to distinguish the Perseids from the Delta Aquarids?
If all the Delta Aquariid meteors are tracked they seem to radiate from a certain point in front of the constellation Aquarius which, as seen from the northern hemisphere, forms an arc across the southern sky. The peak of the shower almost aligns with the star Skat-Delta Aquarii . The meteor shower is named after this star.
Meanwhile, the Perseids radiate from the constellation Perseus in the northeast to high in the north between midnight and dawn.
So, being in the northern hemisphere, if you are observing the Perseids and you see meteors coming from the northeast or from the north... they are Perseids. If you see them coming from the south... they're Delta Aquarids.
In a particularly rich year for meteors, if you have a dark sky, you might even see them cross paths, making for an impressive display.
Delta Aquariid meteors tend to be a bit fainter than the Perseids and meteors seen in other major showers. That makes a dark sky with no moonlight even more imperative for viewing the annual Delta Aquariid shower.
About 5 to 10 percent of Delta Aquariid meteors leave lingering trails of glowing ionized gas that last for a second or two after the meteor has passed. The meteors burn up in the upper atmosphere about 60 miles (100 km) above Earth's surface.
By Anna Lee Mraz Bartra. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]
My sister has COVID. It's overwhelming the feeling of adrenaline rushing through your body when you hear the news and immediately think the worst. The mind works like that. The idea, once planted spreads like a virus and you think not only of the worst that could happen to your sister, but your niece, your brother-in-law, her family. Panic, if you let it, takes over.
We've all lived through the constant and pressing confinement over the last year and a half. The loss of jobs for many, the stress of having your kids in distance learning classes and that, only the lucky ones who have that privilege, have to say it.
Distance makes everything worse, talking on the phone or through the screen will never replace the hug, the smell of the person.
My sister tells me she has lost her sense of smell, I can hear her voice hoarse and her breathing heavy. She and my 7 year old niece have isolated themselves in her room. We fear for the little girl. My brother-in-law has taken refuge at his parents' house while we all keep an eye on the evolution of this virus that has turned the world upside down.
The days go by and, luckily, my sister has no fever, her oxygenation does not decrease, and my niece is perfectly fine.
Thank God that vaccines exist. It is thanks to the vaccine that nothing serious happened to me, that I didn't infect my daughter, that my husband, who has serious preconditions, didn't get infected either. I truly say it a thousand times: if I had not been vaccinated, we would all be telling a different story," Maiala Meza said with emotion.
