Pollution undoubtedly threatens the lives of all living things on the planet, but the modern world is threatening sperm counts and altering penile growth, endangering the future of the human race, a study says.
The research, included in Dr. Shanna H. Swan's book, "Countdown," points out that, as a result of pollution, an increasing number of babies have been born with a small penis.
In that sense, one of the world's leading environmental and reproductive epidemiologists points out that humanity is facing an existential crisis in fertility rates as a result of a chemical called phthalates, which causes human babies to be born with malformed genitalia.
Research by the professor of Environmental Medicine and Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City revealed that phthalate syndrome occurs when a fetus is exposed to chemicals, which over the years has resulted in the likelihood of babies being born with a shrunken penis.
Thus, Swan found that human male babies who are exposed to diphthalates during gestation in the womb, get a shorter anus-genital distance, something that is related to the volume of the penis.
How can phthalates cause the penis to shrink?
Phthalates or phthalic anhydride esters are a group of chemical compounds mainly used as plasticizers - substances added to plastics to increase their flexibility.
They are used in everything from building and construction, to textiles and cosmetics, toys, vinyl wall and floor coverings, detergents, lubricating oils, food packaging, pharmaceuticals, blood bags and tubing.
They are also used for personal care products such as nail polish, hairspray, aftershave, soap, shampoo, perfume and others, so they are in constant contact with people of all ages and conditions.
During her search, Dr. Swan learned about the devastating power of chemicals, hidden but prevalent in our daily lives, to alter the ability of men and women to conceive and give birth to a healthy baby.
In turn, he found that these chemicals do much more than reduce sperm count; they affect many aspects of health and longevity, as well as that of future generations.
According to the BJUI medical journal, the average penis size falls within the following ranges:
Average length of a flaccid penis: 9.16 centimeters-about 3.6 inches.
Average length of a stretched flaccid penis: 13.24 cm -approximately 5.3 inches-.
Average length of an erect penis: 13.12 cm -approximately 5.2 inches.
Average circumference of a flaccid penis: 9.31 cm - approximately 3.7 inches.
Average circumference of an erect penis: 11.66 cm - approximately 4.6 inches.
The study published in the prestigious medical journal also explains that other reasons why the penis could suffer alterations and reduce its size, is due to aging, weight gain, prostate surgery, Peyronie's disease, some medications and smoking.
The legend breathed for 101 years. Ferlinghetti was a co-founder of City Lights and an American author of magnificent poems that transcend reality while describing its most banal moments.
The spiritual father of the beatnik movement and founder of one of San Francisco's most iconic publishers and bookstores, City Lights - named after the Charles Chaplin film - died at 101 of lung disease, his son Julie Sasser said.
Ferlinghetti is the case of one of those writers who became canon, not only for his importance at the time but also for his activity as an editor, journalist and a disruptor in tune with his fellow Beat writers: Ginsber, Burroughs, Keurac, Kassady and of the not so famous Beat women as were Denise Levertov, Lenore Kandel or Elise Cowen among others, who in addition to their time united them, the taste for the road and travel, sex, orientalism, automatic writing, the alteration of consciousness through drugs and alcohol and the taste for jazz. More than being a style, the beatnik is a moment in which a generation opposes a system that does not give them a place and that on the other hand, they rejected.
Lawrence Ferlinghetti's life was by no means easy. The son of an Italian emigrant who died before he was born, his mother was afflicted by a growing nervous breakdown that forced him to move in with his paternal uncle, Ludovic, and his French wife Emily. Their union would also soon come to an end and Ferlinghetti went to live in France. Back in the U.S. he had to live in an orphanage while his uncle looked for work. He earned a journalism degree from the University of North Carolina, a master's degree from Columbia University and a doctorate from the Sorbonne in Paris. He became a commanding officer during the invasion of Normandy in World War II and upon his return to San Francisco in 1952 he founded with Peter D. Martin, the bookstore and publishing house City Lights where he would quickly face censorship from the U.S. government who at the end of the war became more conservative than ever for publishing Howl (Howl), from 1956, Allen Ginsberg's famous poem - dedicated to Carl Solomon, a patient Ginsberg met in a psychiatric hospital - whose beginning marked an entire generation:
"I have seen the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness."
He was accused of printing "obscene books" for this poem, but was acquitted the following year. Lawrence is more than an author who considered himself Beat in the formal terms of the word - the life of excess and excess - he was more committed to political struggles and the dream of fabricating new ideals. Let's remember that it was he who defended the publication of Howl, even more than the author himself, and that in his bookstore not only the Beat poets were presented, but it was a forum that for more than 70 years has given space within its walls to the most diverse artistic expressions of the city of San Francisco, which went from being that bohemian cradle of artists to a valley full of transnationals dedicated to technology.
Ferlinghetti was a poet who was cooked in another fire. Although he also made manifestos calling poets to come down from his Elysian Fields to make the revolution and participate in the rebellion, his metaphor occurs on a par with criticism and simplicity. Not for that reason his verses are easy or surrendered, his images are, on the other hand, of a slow temperament, but at the same time caustic.
In the words of the poet and Beat literature expert Jesús Aguado, Ferlinghetti was: "The first to realize what it meant that poetry was political, that is, an instrument of pacification in the service of history, a factory of utopias, the broom truck of those muted by the system, the compass to detect false paths".
Lawrence Ferlinghetti's books are important, for example Pictures of the Gone World from 1955 with which he debuted as a poet and as an editor in 1955. Another important icon within his career was A Coney Island of The MindThe book of poems, which sold an exorbitant number of over a million copies in 1958, is considered to be his masterpiece, followed by other important titles such as Open Eye, Open Heart 1973 and Love in days of fury1988: "a hybrid artifact of memory and fiction".
Lawrence Ferlinghetti was the conscience of a generation, his poetry has earned immortality, with his verses he mended a path and made a call:
(...)
"All of you "Poets of the Cities"" that hang on museum walls, like me, All you poets of poets who write poetry about poetry, All you poets from poetry workshops in the asshole of America..."
(...)
"Poetry is dead, long live poetry with terrible eyes and buffalo strength. Don't wait for the Revolution or it will happen without you..."
Following last week's mass shooting in Atlanta, which resulted in the deaths of six Asian women, the issue of gun regulation in the U.S. has been reignited, as distributors and retailers expect gun sales this year to surpass 2020, which became the deadliest in decades due to gun violence.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, 43,535 deaths related to firearms were recorded in the country. Of those deaths, 19,379 were homicide, murder or unintentional, while 24,156 were due to suicide.
The report, released March 24, details that during the past year, in which the COVID-19 pandemic began, 611 mass shootings and 21 mass murders were reported.
The number of children aged 0-11 years who were injured by a firearm was 697, which means that 1.9 children, daily, were victims of these devices in 2020. Meanwhile, 299 were in delicate condition.
In the case of adolescents - 12 to 17 years old - the situation did not improve, since 3,061 were wounded by a weapon, 1,073 were in delicate conditions. In that sense, 8.4 young people were affected daily during one of the deadliest years in all senses.
From January 1 to March 25, 2021, the organization has registered 9,762 deaths by armed violence, 4,218 by homicide, murder or unintentional, while 5,544 have been by suicide, which reflects that the problem already marks a trend.
Thus, during the first three months of the year, 106 mass shootings and six mass murders have already been reported.
Statistics show that from 2014 to 2020, the number of gun deaths increased by 352 percent. While from 2019 to 2020 there was a rise of just under 10 percent.
And is that in 2014 there were 12 thousand 355 deaths by weapons; in 2015 there were 13 thousand 572; in 2016, 15 thousand 122; by 2017 they reached 15 thousand 718; in 2018 they dropped to 14 thousand 885; and in 2019 it reached the terrible figure of 39 thousand 532.
Gun sales grow
For gun dealers, the industry is growing and advancing year by year, so they are enthusiastic about the increase in sales and believe that this 2021 will also show growth in the acquisition of a firearm, with a strong trend among those who acquire one of these devices for the first time.
According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), more than 2 million guns expired in January of this year alone, a substantial increase from the 1.2 million guns sold in the same month in 2020.
A report by the same association reveals that, as of last year, 84.3 percent of gun owners were white or Caucasian, while 16.5 percent were Latino, 11.3 percent were African-American, 3.5 percent were Asian, 0.11 percent were from Native American communities, and 1.1 percent were from other races or ethnicities.
The report also notes that 61.4 percent of those who own a gun are men, while 38.6 percent are women.
According to a survey conducted by the NSSF last year, gun retailers estimated a nearly 43 percent increase in sales to Asian customers in the first half of 2020. In comparison, it found that consumption by whites increased by more than 40 percent, and 58 percent by African-Americans.
Similarly, it details that more than 8.4 million first-time buyers have driven gun sales since the pandemic began. Background checks for gun purchases totaled 39.69 billion in 2020, an annual record, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Notably, federal background checks for 2021 are already outpacing last year's pace as Americans spend their stimulus checks on firearms.
In that regard, demand is outstripping supply, especially for ammunition, which has led to shortages throughout the country, including for reloading enthusiasts who manufacture their own ammunition.
And, according to surveys by various organizations, many gun buyers are motivated by fear of civil unrest, attacks on minority communities or President Biden's aggressive gun control plan, which seeks to ban the manufacture of assault rifles and high-capacity magazines for civilians, as well as increased gun control restrictions on existing rifles, including AR-15s.
According to some media reports, gun dealers across the country said Asian Americans are buying guns to protect themselves amid a surge in hate crimes against Asian Americans, which have been fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Huy Ha, a martial arts instructor in Oakland, told KPIX 5 who has never been busier giving free self-defense classes to the community.
The Oakland resident is also a gun owner and moderator of the private Facebook group, "Asian American Gun Owners of California," who said the number of participants recently grew to more than 2,000.
"For me to pull out my firearm and defend myself, I really, really, really pray that day doesn't come, but if that day does come, I know I'll be ready," Ha said.
Gun manufacturers like Smith & Wesson and Sturm Ruger are already thinking about expanding their customer demographics to reach out to more minorities, including immigrants with green cards, who can also buy guns.
Because the vaccine supply is expected to increase significantly in the coming weeks, the state of California will expand vaccine eligibility to all residents 50 years of age and older, beginning April 1.
Gavin Newsom, who didn't stop with the good news, announced that beginning April 15, everyone 16 and older will be able to begin getting vaccinated in every county in the state.
"With the increased vaccine supply and expanded eligibility to more Californians, the light at the end of the tunnel continues to get brighter," said Governor Newsom.
"We continue to focus on equity as we expand vaccine eligibility to those 50 and older beginning April 1, and to those 16 and older beginning April 15. This is possible thanks to the leadership of the Biden-Harris administration and countless public health officials across the country," he added.
According to California government estimates, the state is expected to be allocated approximately 2.5 million first and second doses per week in the first two weeks of April and more than 3 million doses during the second two weeks.
California currently receives about 1.8 million doses per week, however, the state said it has the capacity to administer more than 3 million doses per week and is developing the capacity to administer 4 million doses per week by the end of April.
"We are even closer to putting this pandemic behind us with today's announcement and vaccine supplies are expected to increase dramatically in the coming months," said Dr. Mark Ghaly, California Secretary of Health and Human Services.
However, he said, it will take time to vaccinate all eligible Californians, so during that time, don't let your guard down and be vigilant and continue to wear masks and follow public health guidelines.
In addition to increased vaccine allocations to providers serving the most impacted communities, the state detailed a series of initiatives to vaccinate those populations that have faced the highest rates of COVID-19 infections before vaccines are available to the entire population aged 16 years and older.
Such efforts include funding providers for programs that allow vaccines to reach communities facing the greatest health disparities; working with organized labor to reach essential workers; partnering with agricultural and community organizations to vaccinate farmworkers.
Also, allow vendors to target ads by zip code through My Turn with single-use codes - scheduled to launch in late March; and support a subset of community-based organizations currently partnering with the state on COVID-19 education to provide direct assistance for vaccination appointments.
Similarly, prioritize currently eligible populations and allow providers the discretion to vaccinate those living in high-impact areas - Quartiles 1 and 2 of the County's Healthy Places Index - including families.
Even with the expansion of vaccine supplies, it is expected to take several months for willing Californians to get vaccinated. According to public information shared by vaccine manufacturers and the federal government, California expects to receive several million doses of vaccine per week beginning in April.
A 43-year-old man is facing hate crime charges following his arrest Monday morning on suspicion of attacking three people of Asian descent, the San Francisco Police.
The assaults occurred shortly before 8 a.m. at Polk and Clay streets, where a man told officers the suspect was following two Asian women and threw an object at them as they began to flee, striking one of them in the back, police said.
The witness said he used pepper spray on the suspect, who threatened violence against him. The suspect took a broomstick and again threatened violence against the witness, who managed to repel the assault and used pepper spray again, according to police.
The suspect then proceeded to assault a homeless man who was lying on the sidewalk, another person intervened and was attacked with the broomstick. Both were subsequently treated by medical personnel for their injuries.
Witnesses positively identified the man located by officers who matched the suspect's description, police said.
Officers arrested Michael Lopez, found in his possession methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, police said.
Lopez is now being held in the San Francisco County Jail on suspicion of several crimes, including assault with a deadly weapon, assault and battery, aggravated hate crime, alleged possession of methamphetamine and narcotic paraphernalia.
First they came for the socialists, and I didn't say anything? because he was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't say anything? because he was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I said nothing? because he was not a Jew. Then they came for me... and there was no one to say anything for me anymore.
Pastor Martin Niemöller
This work of art created in 1970 denounces the racial hatred against Asians that, to this day, continues to kill innocent people.
It was a long time coming. It always starts the same way: a hurtful joke, a put-down, a negative connotation. Then come the insults, the humiliation. There were warning signs. The Asian community in the United States set off alarm bells.
There was a warning about the use of the "Kung Flu", the "China Virus", the "China plague" and the attacks began.
While in 2019 there were 49 reported hate crimes against Asians in the 16 major U.S. cities; between March and December 2020 there were 2808 hate crimes reported on the Stop AAPI Hate page, a site created by the Asian American Studies department at San Francisco State University in response to the escalating attacks against Asians.
On February 27, 2021, during the walkout in protest of recent hate crimes, recounts Redwood City Councilman Jeff Gee during the March 22, 2021 council meeting, a car approached to roll down the window and yelled out F**k you against families with children marching in the street.
"He doesn't hide. It's crystal clear. The hatred and intensity directed at the group cannot be misinterpreted."
Jeff Gee, Redwood City Councilman.
The artwork in question is by Liliana Porter. This piece hung on the wall in my parents' house and always impressed me. It is especially poignant because it takes the viewer from the macro to the micro, from the generic to the personal. She is You. She is Me. She is us.
Anti-Asian racism is not new. It is the product of a historical construct that has been cemented by white American men against anyone who is different.
"Despite the important role that immigrants have played in the economy of the receiving countries, the rejection of this sector is constant in almost all migratory processes. Rejection towards this sector is a constant in almost all migratory processes. The rejection is greater against people whose ethnicity, language, religion or appearance is markedly different from the inhabitants of the place of destination".
Manuel Ortiz.
The hatred of Asians began, according to historical documents, with the arrival of Chinese laborers for the construction of the railroads that connected the Union Pacific and Central Pacific to the town of Promotory, Utah in the period from 1860 to 1869.
According to the work of Manuel Ortiz: "Once the union of the railroad stretches was finished, an ideology of rejection towards this population began to increase, mainly encouraged by the different North American power circles: legislators, big businessmen and the American Federation of Labor. They described the Chinese as depraved, vicious, bloodthirsty and inhuman. They were known as the Yellow Peril.
During World War II a deep anti-Japanese sentiment was catalyzed throughout the country through racist propaganda depicting the enemy as a dehumanized monster and "110,000 people of Japanese ancestry were imprisoned in concentration camps in the United States during World War II" as can be read in the article The ghost of Manzanar.
The Vietnam War was another turning point in the structuring of anti-Asian racial hatred in the United States. According to Kathleen Belew in her book Bring the War Home: The White Power Movement and Paramilitary America; Wars abroad, like racial violence at home, are recurring - arguably even defining - features of U.S. history, and Belew notes that spikes in domestic white supremacist terrorism have regularly followed the close of major military hostilities.
"In contrast to earlier racist violence, a new stream of white militancy emerged after Vietnam... This new ideology proved so effective in attracting adherents and building coalitions that it can be seen as constituting a new social movement: white power. Beyond the attitudes and positions designated by the terms "white nationalism," "white supremacy," or even "racist right," "white power" came to represent something much more specific: a radical, well-organized movement of hard-core militants on a mission.
This racial hatred spreads today through new channels - the socio-digital networks - more quickly, more effectively. A short video, a single image, a meme, a tweet is enough to generate unreasonable and inconsequential repudiation.
It is coupled with the ease of obtaining firearms in this country; so readily available and accessible to any hostile individual with despicable ideas legitimized by a racist ex-president.
If you don't name it, you can't fight it. And here it is: last week's attacks in Atlanta where a white man cold-bloodedly murdered 8 people, 6 Asian women is a race crime, it is a hate crime, and it is a misogynistic crime. It must be punished by those who commit it and those who encourage it, and it must be made sure that it never happens again.
Gun control legislation is urgently needed in this country. Comprehensive, anti-racist, anti-misogynist and social justice education and culture must be guaranteed. I vehemently support the protests against racial hatred in the United States and this fight will not stop until it does.
Photo: Manuel Ortiz. National Historic Site: Manzanar. "At the beginning of World War II, 110,000 people of Japanese ancestry were interned in concentration camps. At the beginning of World War II, 110,000 people of Japanese ancestry were interned in concentration camps according to Executive Order 9066 of February 19, 1942. Manzanar, the first of the ten concentration camps, was enclosed with barbed wire and guard towers where 10,000 people, mostly U.S. citizens, were confined. May the injustice and humiliation suffered here as a result of hysteria, racism, and economic exploitation never emerge again."
Artist Giichi Matsumura was one of 110,000 people of Japanese ancestry who, without having committed any crime, were imprisoned by the United States government and forced to live in deplorable conditions in ten militarized concentration camps in remote areas of the country during World War II.
Photo: Manuel Ortiz. Manzanar is one of the concentration camps where the U.S. government imprisoned and forced people of Japanese ancestry to live in deplorable conditions during World War II.Photo: Manuel Ortiz. Manzanar was one of the ten concentration camps and is located at coordinates 36°43′42″N 118°09′16″W.
The concentration camps were set up in places with extreme weather conditions in California, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, and Wyoming. Matsumura was sent in 1942, along with his family, to the inhospitable Manzanar camp in the California desert.
Photo: Manuel Ortiz. Manzanar was one of the concentration camps, located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada in the Owens Valley, California, and between the towns of Lone Pine, to the south, and Independence, to the north, approximately 370 kilometers northeast of Los Angeles.
Summers in Manzanar reach 43 °C (110 °F), while in winter temperatures drop below freezing, with gusts of icy air blowing down from the Sierra Nevada mountain range that stands like an insurmountable rampart on one side of the camp.
Photo: Manuel Ortiz. Summers in Manzanar, one of the ten American concentration camps, reached 43 °C.
The order to create concentration camps for Japanese was given after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. With this excuse, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 so that all persons of Japanese ancestry, of any age and without any criminal record, would be interned as "an enemy race.
Photo: Manuel Ortiz. Manzanar, once one of the concentration camps in the USA, is now a museum.
The forced confinement was devastating because it disintegrated many families and destroyed hundreds of lives, recalled in an article in Foreing Policy magazine actor George Takei, who at the time spoke out against the detention centers for Latin American migrants and family separation created by former President Donald Trump on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Photo: Manuel Ortiz. The historical exhibition shows the daily life of Manzanar, one of the U.S. concentration camps.
Thus, in deplorable conditions, crammed together with innocent men, women and children in wooden-walled barracks without thermal insulation, victims of hatred and the violation of their most basic civil and human rights, Matsumura spent his last days. He died mysteriously in August 1945 in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada where he supposedly went with friends to draw.
Photo: Manuel Ortiz. Manzanar was located in the vicinity of Sierra Nevada, location of one of the ten concentration camps in the USA.
Some claim that Matsumura appears in the Sierra Nevada and that is why he was named the "ghost of Manzanar", a ghost that today, in the face of the colossal increase in hate attacks against Asian communities, appears across the country to remind us that this hatred, promoted in recent years by Trump, is historic and has been the cause of some of the darkest and most shameful episodes in the U.S., such as the Atlanta massacre, where eight Asian women were executed.
Photo: Manuel Ortiz. Inside Manzanar, you can see the conditions in which people were subjected during their confinement in the concentration camps.
Manzanar, which was once one of the American concentration camps. is now a museum dedicated to the memory of the 110,000 incarcerated people of Japanese ancestry; it is now a National Historic Site.
Photo: Manuel Ortiz. Manzanar, which served as one of the American concentration camps, offers to know the history of the place that is now a museum.
Currently, every day there are about 700 deaths in the U.S. due to COVID-19, which has significantly impacted the world. During the last few months, it has registered variations of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which have proven to be stronger, faster and much more contagious, so experts suggest getting vaccinated against the disease as soon as possible, because, today, it is our only weapon to win the race against it.
Stanford University School of Medicine principal investigator Dr. Nirav R. Shah said that while it's a great happiness for the country that more than 100 million COVID-19 vaccines have been given, meaning that more than 75 million Americans have received at least one dose, "we can't start celebrating yet.
And the story of virus variation involves evolution and natural selection. "What happens is that the more virus particles there are, the more chances there are that, just by chance, a single virus particle is a little bit different from the rest, many of them with variation".
During a briefing held by Ethnic Media ServicesThe expert noted that, so far, the four variations of the virus that causes COVID-19 have started where there is high exposure to it, and in places with many infected people.
"One or more virus particles is all you need to make a slight change. Although vaccines are intended to stop the spread, those strains with selective advantages will spread faster and stronger.
"This is a race to see how quickly we get people protected, that is, fully vaccinated, versus the level of the disease in a community and its ease of transmission," he said.
Classifications and Definitions of SARS-CoV-2 Variants
Variant of Interest
Dr. Shah said that the variant of interest is one that has some changes in its genetic sequence, suggesting that it may be more contagious, that it may escape immunity, or that the type of immunity that is obtained from treatments and vaccination trials may not work as well against that variant.
"Today the CDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - is looking at three variants of interest, the most common one they've heard of is the P2 variant - Brazil strain," which was discovered in April 2020.
Of it, he said, actual transmissibility and lethality are still unknown. The other two variants of this type are B.1.53 and B.1.52, both first detected in November and December, respectively, in New York.
Variant of Concern.
The variant of concern has been shown to be more contagious and/or cause more severe disease.
It has a significant reduction in neutralization by antibodies generated during a pre-vaccination infection, reduced effectiveness of treatments or vaccines, or even diagnostic detection failures.
Therefore, the therapies being developed are less effective against this specific strain, he said, adding that people who have had one strain of COVID-19 can potentially be reinfected with a new strain. "That's very worrisome because today there are five of these variants of concern that are being tracked by the CDC," he said.
The best known strain is B.1.1.7 - UK strain - and we know from research published to date, early studies show that it transmits from person to person 50 percent faster compared to some of the original strains.
He further specified that this strain can lead to increased mortality.
According to an article published March 15, he said, the antibody response to the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines is a little lower when you have this strain compared to previous strains, but it's still generally susceptible to those vaccines, as well as the Oxford-AstraZeneca and Novavax vaccines.
In the case of the B.1.3.5 variant - the South African strain - he noted that the vaccines continue to show good effectiveness, but more studies are needed to see the true impact.
These strains are joined by P.1 (Japan-Brazil) and B.1.43 (California, USA).
Variant of great consequence
Such strains, Dr. Shah said, cause more severe disease and more hospitalizations, and have been shown to defeat medical countermeasures.
According to the CDC, these types of strains have demonstrated diagnostic failure, and evidence suggests a significant reduction in vaccine effectiveness, a disproportionately high number of cases in which vaccines are ineffective, or very low vaccine-induced protection against serious disease, as well as a significant reduction in susceptibility to multiple approved or Emergency Use Authorization treatments in the country.
However, it should be noted that, so far, "there is no variant that meets this definition," nor has it been detected by the CDC.
"To win this race we have to focus on those - the variants - that are easiest to attack. And we have to get people vaccinated as quickly and broadly as possible," he said.
Similarly, he noted that several pharmaceutical companies are testing multivalent vaccines, creating different combinations to better target variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, similar to flu immunizations.
Group or Herd Immunity
For Dr. Nirav R. Shah, to get to "herd" immunity, 50 to 70 percent of people should already be resistant to existing strains, "if you're protected - vaccinated - you're not going to be a host for potential genetic variants to grow and that's an important level to reach".
However, he said there are a number of factors for that to happen. "First of all, we have seen that more than a dozen states are relaxing restrictions. So, for example, if you're not required to wear a mask, it's not surprising that a lot of people in a given state are not wearing masks. That's a problem, because what happens is that those are the public health measures that have been shown to work against the spread, because more people being infected means that we have a greater chance of variation.
He added that "there is a race" to vaccinate as many people as possible, with the goal of reaching that percentage of 60-70 or more.
And while it's true that no vaccine is perfect, the good news is that many of America's seniors are inoculated.
However, he said, one population that has been ignored and not effectively reached is the vulnerable homebound elderly, who have not been able to attend immunization appointments, go to hospitals or other places, or even register for immunization.
As of two weeks ago, the vaccination rate among homebound seniors was only 20 percent. "They're very vulnerable, so we need this level of herd immunity to protect those who are vulnerable and who are not protected by the vaccine for one or more reasons, and by fall we should be closer to that."
On the other hand, he stressed that, to date, none of the mutations or strains have completely escaped the major vaccines that exist. "Our hope is that with small modifications we can achieve a continuous evolution of the vaccines to match the evolution of the virus".
"The reality is, until the whole planet is vaccinated, we will achieve herd immunity. There will be pockets of people who haven't been vaccinated and the virus will survive, and that's all it takes. We know how fast it spreads.
An example of this is that if one of the unvaccinated people gets on a plane and exposes others who are part of the 20-30 percent who are also unvaccinated, there is a 70 percent chance that they will start another small cycle of infection and have to start all over again.
"It's a race around the world, we know that the virus doesn't respect any borders, so we should be as broad as possible in thinking about getting the vaccine to everyone.
For Dr. Dali Fan, clinical professor of health sciences at UC Davis, Johnson & Johnson's vaccine will be of great relevance in achieving herd immunity, not only because of its easy portability and single dose, but because from published clinical trial data, such immunization can provide, within 14 days of administration, 67 percent prevention of moderate to severe COVID-19 infections.
In addition, at 14 days it prevents 77 percent of severe COVID-19 infection, at 28 days that protection increases to 85 percent, and at 29 days, it provides 100 percent efficacy against severe cases.
He also noted that, at 28 days, the daily vaccine reduces hospitalization by 93 percent, 75 percent of the level of mortality, and at 10 weeks, it reduces a systemic infection by 75 percent.
All of this, coupled with easy transportation and storage, will be part of the formula for the vaccine to reach the least accessible places so that more people around the world can be immunized and finally achieve herd immunity, he said.
Dr. Daniel Turner-Lloveras, of the University of Southern California, said it's still uncertain when all people will finally be able to walk the streets without masks.
"I don't think anyone we trust can say when that will happen, but we do know that herd immunity will most likely be achieved once we reach the threshold number of people vaccinated, and so getting people vaccinated is extremely important and I think everyone will agree on that," he said.
He recalled that the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S. began under the administration of President Donald Trump, who decided that distribution should be up to the states and counties, which resulted in a lack of homogeneity.
"If we had been more unified, I think it would have helped a lot, especially with the black and Latino community, because now each state and county is coming up with their own method of providing culturally sensitive health information, some are making an excellent connection and some are not so much," she said.
Given this, he explained that it would be helpful if all levels of government could share resources in strategies to reach vulnerable populations, because the differences that are seen in terms of health have highlighted the digital divide that exists.
"I think it's a civil rights issue right now, we know that all the resources that are provided to people are now online. Minority communities are being left out in the rise of telehealth, in the race to sign up for vaccines, and unless we do something about it, they will continue to be left out and it will continue to contribute to the unequal distribution of COVID-19 vaccines."
Turner-Lloveras explained that, according to a recent report, 22 million elderly Americans do not have broadband Internet access at home -- that's 42 percent of the nation's population age 65 and older.
Before the pandemic, he said, 57 percent of Latino households said they owned a computer, and as the pandemic increased nearly 40 percent of Latinos did not have broadband Internet access at home.
He added that "this is a major barrier to access to education and health, and is one of the reasons why we started the "Compañero" Digital Program.
The volunteer-led bilingual program teaches Latino community members how to use technology to open doors, including registering for immunization appointments. "Digital literacy, skills and empowerment are no longer just a nice to have, they are a necessity.
"One of the components is teaching them the skills and getting their digital literacy level to a point where they can not only sign up for vaccines, but also expand options for finding a job during and after the pandemic," she explained.
Those interested in the program can access it through the website https://lcac19.org/digital-companero/ or WhatsApp +1 (323) 607-8861.
For her part, Dr. Kim Rhodes of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) said that to bring the African-American community together to get tested for COVID-19 and help them access vaccines, the organization United in Health Oakland, of which she is a participant, has resorted to setting up pop-up clinics throughout Alameda County in California.
"In the vaccination phase, the Alameda County Public Health Department recognized that this was a significant advantage because we were able to reach 57 percent of African Americans with our testing resources."
He noted that 60 percent of those African-American participants were first-time COVID-19 testers, so the African-American community hopes that now, through COVID-19, they will be able to access vaccines.
The Redwood City Police advised all city residents who may have information about a suspect who robbed a Subway store Monday night to contact the department for further action.
This Monday, at approximately 7:53 p.m., an unknown person entered the Subway fast food restaurant, located at 758 Woodside Road, through a back door.
According to a statement from the Redwood City Police Department, the suspect ordered a sandwich and brandished a black handgun at an employee, demanding all the money in the register, so he was able to take between $200 and $400 before fleeing out the back door onto Gordon Street.
The suspect was described as a white or Latino adult male in his late 20s, approximately 5'11" tall with a medium build. He was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, a black face covering, a black hat with a logo on the front, black shorts and black shoes with white soles.
"Anyone who may have additional information about this incident is encouraged to contact Redwood City Police Detective Sergeant Nick Perna at 650-780-7672 or the Redwood City Police Department's tip line at 650-780-7107."
Following attacks on the Asian-American community in various parts of the Bay Area, the chairman of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors is seeking to make the area a "zero tolerance zone" against racism and xenophobia.
In an interview with KPIX5Supervisor David Canepa said he plans to introduce a bill Tuesday "condemning hate crimes against the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community to establish the county as a zero tolerance zone against these attacks, from Daly City to Menlo Park.
This Tuesday, Santa Clara County will discuss a similar proposal, bringing several counties in line to banish hate crimes and attacks against the community that has been scourged since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We are all aligned and want to make sure we do not tolerate this in our county. We can no longer simply sit and listen to our Asian American friends and neighbors tell these ongoing stories of how they are victims of violent and racist hate crimes: we must take swift and definitive action to stop the hate through bold policies."
It's worth remembering that two days after the shootings at a spa in metro Atlanta that left six Asian women dead, a 69-year-old woman was attacked and robbed in a Daly City neighborhood.
The bill, which could pass Tuesday, would encourage investigators to consider motives for hate crimes.
KPIX5 detailed that the incident in Daly City left Anna Louie in shock, as, now, her trips abroad are filled with fear and anxiety about a possible attack.
Pastor Alesana Eteuati of the First Congregational Christian Church of American Samoa in Daly City said her 200-member congregation lives in fear.
"I pray for you to change your attitude, change your thinking and change your actions towards others. Embrace other people," Eteuati said as a message to those who wish to cause harm in the county and elsewhere.
Canepa will present the bill at today's board of supervisors meeting and the board is expected to hold a final vote on April 5.
