Friday, December 19, 2025
Home Blog Page 369

Second Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine Should Not Be Skipped: Study

Pamela Cruz
-
0
Second Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine Should Not Be Skipped: Study
By Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]

*Scientists analyzed blood samples from a group of Pfizer vaccine recipients to learn precisely what effects the vaccine has on the immune system.

According to a study led by researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine, the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine should not be skipped, as it induces a powerful boost to a part of the immune system that provides broad antiviral protection, which may even protect against other viruses in addition to SARS-CoV-2.

The study, published July 12 in Nature, was designed to find out exactly what effects the Pfizer-marketed vaccine has on the many components of the immune response. 

Thus, after analyzing blood samples from inoculated individuals, the researchers found that the first injection increases the levels of SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies, as expected, but not as much as the second injection.

"The second dose has powerful beneficial effects that far outweigh those of the first dose," said Bali Pulendran, professor of pathology and microbiology and immunology, and one of the study's lead authors.

This second dose, he said, "stimulated a multiple increase in antibody levels, an excellent T-cell response that was absent after the first injection, and a strikingly enhanced innate immune response."

T cells seek out and destroy immune cells that do not attach to viral particles as antibodies do, but instead scan the body's tissues for cells that show telltale signs of viral infection and, when found, destroy those cells.

However, Pulendran detailed that the second dose of the vaccine triggered the massive mobilization of a newly discovered group of monocytes, or first responder cells, which are normally rare and inactive because they barely move in response to an actual COVID-19 infection. But the Pfizer vaccine induced them.

This special group of monocytes, which are part of the innate immune system, made up only 0.01 percent of all circulating blood cells before vaccination. But after the second injection of the Pfizer vaccine, their number increased 100-fold to 1.0 percent of all blood cells. 

In addition, he stressed, their disposition became less inflammatory but intensely antiviral. "They seem uniquely capable of providing broad protection against a variety of viral infections," Pulendran said.

"The extraordinary increase in the frequency of these cells, just one day after the booster immunization, is striking," the expert stressed. "It is possible that these cells can attack not only SARS-CoV-2 but also against other viruses".

Both the Pfizer, and the one manufactured by Moderna, work quite differently from classic vaccines composed of live or killed pathogens, individual proteins or carbohydrates that train the immune system to zero in on a particular microbe and eliminate it. 

Instead, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines contain genetic recipes for making the spike protein that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, uses to attach to the cells it infects.

Traditionally, the main immunological basis for approval of new vaccines has been their ability to induce neutralizing antibodies: individualized proteins created by immune cells called B cells, which can attach to a virus and block it from infecting cells.

New vaccines, a path to new immunological horizons 

Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines, such as those from Pfizer or Moderna, use genetically modified ribonucleic acid to give cells instructions on how to make the S protein found on the surface of the COVID-19 virus. 

After vaccination, the immune cells begin to make the parts of the S protein and display them on the surface of the cells. This causes the body to make antibodies. So if there is a COVID-19 infection later on, these antibodies will fight the virus.

RNA or ribonucleic acid is the other type of nucleic acid that makes protein synthesis possible. While DNA contains the genetic information, RNA is what allows it to be understood by cells.

Once it sends the instructions, the mRNA is immediately degraded. It never enters the nucleus of cells, where DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is stored. 

You may be interested in: This is becoming the pandemic of the unvaccinated.

Authorities Tighten Rules Against Refinery Emissions

Pamela Cruz
-
0
Authorities Tighten Rules Against Refinery Emissions
Bay Area officials tightened measures to regulate particulate emissions from refineries.
By Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]

The Board of Directors of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (Air District) on Wednesday adopted amendments to regulate emissions of particulate pollutants from oil refineries, which have serious health effects on residents.

After Rule 6-5 was adopted in 2015 to minimize emissions of particulate matter from Fluid Catalytic Cracking Fluid Units (FCCUs), which are the largest single source of particulate matter produced by Bay Area refineries, the new amendments impose stricter control requirements to reduce health-threatening air pollution.

The rule is now the strictest regulation of its kind in the country.

"Today's vote by the Air District Board of Directors is a victory for all Bay Area residents, particularly those who live in the communities surrounding the refineries, as well as the refinery workers who are regularly exposed to harmful particulate pollution," said Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez, chair of the Air District Board of Directors.

"We are committed to protecting the health of both refinery workers and neighbors and look forward to implementing this landmark protection rule with Chevron and PBF," she said.

As scientific knowledge about the adverse health effects of particulate pollution advances, tighter controls are needed to protect those who live and work in refinery communities," said Air District chief executive Jack Broadbent.

He said the Air District is committed to reducing exposure to air pollution in impacted areas and "these amendments are a necessary step to control the health hazard of major air pollution in the Bay Area.

Analysis by Air District staff found that PM2.5 particulate matter - fine inhalable particles, with diameters generally 2.5 micrometers and smaller - emitted from FCCUs are the primary health threat in the Bay Area, particularly in terms of premature mortality. 

Air District said in a statement that it has calculated that for the one million people most affected, exposure to particulate matter from the Chevron refinery in Richmond increases mortality by an average of up to 11.6 deaths per year, while the PBF Martinez refinery increases mortality by up to 6.3 deaths per year.

Rule 6-5 applies to the four Bay Area refineries that have FCCUs. One of these already controls emissions from its FCCU with a wet scrubber.

More information about Rule 6-5 is available at baaqmd.gov/reg6rule5.

Tou may be interested in: "Know your zone" to save lives in the face of possibleis disasters

One year after the disappearance of Garifuna activists from Triunfo de la Cruz

Peninsula 360 Press
-
0
One year after the disappearance of Garifuna activists from Triunfo de la Cruz
Triumph of the Cross
Christian Carlos. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P].

"Alive they were taken, alive we want them!" is the demand one year after the forced disappearance of four activists. Alberth Centeno Tomas, Suami Mejía García, Gerardo Rochez Cálix and Milton Martínez Álvarez were deprived of their liberty on 18 June 2020 by individuals dressed as members of the Police Directorate of Investigations (DPI) in the indigenous Garífuna community of Triunfo de la Cruz, located in the department of Atlántida, Municipality of Tela, Honduras.

These activists are members of the Honduran Black Fraternal Organization (Organización Fraternal Negra Hondureña -OFRANEH) and the Honduran authorities have not given any details or clues as to their whereabouts.

OFRANEH is responsible for protecting the economic, social and cultural rights of the Garifuna communities.

The human rights organization Global Exchange joins OFRANEH and the Committee for the Investigation and Search for the Disappeared of Triunfo de la Cruz -SUNLA, a word of Garifuna origin- "to tell the families of the disappeared and the entire community of Triunfo de la Cruz that they are not alone".

Likewise, Global Exchange demands:

  1. The search for Snider, Suami, Milton and Gerardo must continue. The Honduran State must investigate the circumstances that led to their disappearance and find their whereabouts.
  2. Full support to OFRANEH and SUNLA in the struggle for justice and truth about the forced disappearances and the continued killings and criminalization of the Garifuna people in Honduras.
  3. That the State of Honduras immediately execute the full sentences of Triunfo de la Cruz and Punta Piedra as ordered by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

Global Exchange is one of the many organizations that joins the demands of other international organizations such as Amnesty International, the United Nations, through the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Honduras, and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR).

Man arrested on suspicion of attempted jewelry store robbery

Pamela Cruz
-
0
Man arrested on suspicion of attempted jewelry store robbery
jewelry store robbery
By Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]

Redwood City police arrested a 27-year-old man Tuesday on suspicion of involvement in an attempted jewelry store robbery on June 13.

The Police Department said the suspect, Angel Vera Galeana, entered Adriana's Jewelers, located at 2315th El Camino Real with a semi-automatic pistol.

Vera Galeana threatened the victim with the gun and demanded the safe and the items in the display case. He then struck the semi-automatic pistol several times and tried to pull the trigger, but it did not work, police said in a statement.

He added that after the gun misfired, the subject broke the glass display case with his right hand and ran out the door. 

The suspect subsequently fled in an orange 2016-2021 Toyota Tacoma on Hancock Ave.   

Finally, on Tuesday, July 20, detectives obtained multiple search warrants in Redwood City and Menlo Park after identifying Vera Galeana as a possible suspect in the jewelry store robbery. 

Detectives arrested him for attempted armed robbery, possession and attempted use of a stolen firearm, and burglary. 

Authorities have asked anyone with additional information about this incident to contact Detective Brian Luo at (650) 780-7619 or the Police Department Redwood City at (650) 780-7110.

You may be interested in: Man arrested on suspicion of auto theft in Redwood City

Delta Variant: This is becoming the pandemic of the unvaccinated.

Pamela Cruz
-
0
Delta Variant: This is becoming the pandemic of the unvaccinated.
Example Legend

Delta Variant Accounts for 83% of New Cases of COVID-19 in the U.S.

By Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P] 

Delta Variant 90% Deaths of the month

The Delta variantthe highly transmissible and infectious strain of the coronavirus, now accounts for 83 percent of all sequenced COVID-19-positive cases in the United States, representing a "dramatic increase" in numbers since the beginning of the month, when it became the leading variant in the country.

So said Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCThe percentage increases in places where vaccination is still very low, he said.

During a Senate health committee hearing Tuesday, she said that while nearly 60 percent of U.S. adults are fully vaccinated, in fact, only less than half of the total U.S. population is fully vaccinated.

The lowest vaccination rates are found in Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi, and consequently infection rates are among the highest in these states.

Alabama ranks last in vaccination rates, with only 42.4 percent of its adult population fully vaccinated, while Vermont ranks first with 77.3 percent.

Walensky also detailed that COVID-19 deaths have increased by nearly 48 percent over the past week to an average of 239 deaths per day.

"Every death is tragic and even more heartbreaking when we know that most of these deaths could be prevented with a simple and safe vaccine," he said.

Two-dose vaccines have been shown to be effective against the Delta variant, but doubts remain about Johnson & Johnson's single-dose regimen against the Delta variant.

During the last two weeks, the rate of COVID-19 infection in the country has increased by 195 percent. While the national vaccination campaign has decreased significantly, after the country administered 521 thousand doses daily, which means a decrease of 85 percent since April when 3.38 million doses were administered daily.

Just last week, Walensky said that "this is becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated. We're seeing outbreaks of cases in areas of the country with low vaccination coverage. Communities that are fully vaccinated are generally doing well.

Currently, the Delta variant represents a major challenge to controlling the epidemic worldwide. While the U.S. has a large number of vaccines, the real challenge is getting people to want to be immunized.

For his part, the director general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned of the possible emergence of new variants of the virus that could be "even more dangerous than Delta". 

"The more transmission, the more variants will emerge with the potential to be even more dangerous than the Delta strain that is causing so much devastation now. And the more variants there are, the greater the likelihood that one of them will evade vaccines and take us all back to square one," the official said Wednesday in a speech at the 138th session of the International Olympic Committee.

No one can feel safe "until we are all safe". 

You may be interested in: To vaccinate or not to vaccinate? When love is greater than fear

"No questions asked, no stigma," California to offer free school meals

Pamela Cruz
-
0
"No questions asked, no stigma," California to offer free school meals
By Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]

«Sin preguntas. Sin estigmas. TODOS los niños de California tienen acceso a comidas gratuitas en las escuelas», tuiteó el gobernador del estado, Gavin Newsom, para dar a conocer esta medida que cambiará la vida de miles de pequeños.

And that's because the state of California will begin providing free school meals on a permanent basis. The measure, which will begin this fall, has been praised by advocates as a big step toward ending food insecurity.

State officials said this action is the first of its kind in the U.S.: making free meals permanent for all public school students, regardless of their family's income.

Until before the pandemic, more than 3.6 million California students were eligible for free or reduced-price meals at school. That was nearly 60 percent of the state's entire student body.

Parents seeking to qualify their children for the federal free lunch program had to list their income and immigration status. However, when the pandemic hit, the federal government eliminated the income requirements for free meals, allowing schools to offer meals to anyone in need.

So starting this fall, everything will be different for millions of parents and students, as breakfast and lunch will be completely free without a single question.

According to School Meals for All, right now, nearly 20 percent of all California households, 27.3 percent of Latino households with children, and 35.5 percent of African American households are food insecure.

"This is double the pre-pandemic rates, which affect an estimated 8 million Californians," the organization said in a June communiqué.

In addition, universal free lunch programs ensure that no one is left behind and eliminate the stigma associated with qualifying for free or reduced-price meals because of household income, said the coalition of more than 200 organizations representing health, education, labor, agriculture and food banks.

Kathy Saile, director of No Kid Hungry, said, "For millions of California students, the breakfast and lunch they receive at school are the only meals they get. The pandemic has highlighted the incredibly important role that daily, nutritious school meals play in the fight against childhood hunger and food insecurity.

The state of California will invest $650 million in ongoing funding in fiscal 2022-23 to support universal free school nutrition, and $150 million to improve kitchen infrastructure and nutrition training, the governor's office said in a statement.

In addition, AB 130 legislation, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, will also reverse:

  • 3 billion to convert thousands of school sites into full-service community schools, with more learning time, family engagement, and comprehensive health, mental health, and social services.
  • 1.8 billion in continued funding for summer and extended day (after school) programs for all those serving the most vulnerable students with $5 billion by 2025.
  • 2.9 billion to match well-prepared teachers with the most vulnerable students, including $500 million in grants for teachers who commit to high-need schools and $250 million to attract expert teachers to high-poverty schools.
  • A continued increase of $1.1 billion to improve staff-to-student ratios in all schools serving the highest concentrations of vulnerable students, including up to five counselors, nurses, teachers, or for additional educators in each school.
  • 490 million to support construction and renovation of state preschool, transitional kindergarten, and kindergarten facilities, culminating in $2.7 billion in ongoing funding from 2025-26 to achieve universal prekindergarten for all four-year-olds.
  • More than $1.5 billion in ongoing, one-time increases to fund special education, including $260 million for early intervention for preschool-age children.

With information from NBC Los Angeles.

Support for food microenterprises in San Mateo

Pamela Cruz
-
0
Support for food microenterprises in San Mateo
By Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]

The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday provided support to local small food businesses facing economic hardship as part of a $2.8 million COVID-19 aid package.

The package includes new emergency support for small food businesses such as food truck operators and other businesses affected by the pandemic. 

The Board also launched a pilot program for home-based chefs to prepare food in their own kitchens to sell directly to consumers.

It should be noted that this is the first time the county has specifically targeted assistance to "micro food business" operators.

"What we are doing today provides new economic opportunities for those who need them most, including women, immigrants, and people of color," said Board Chairman David J. Canepa. 

He also assured that "this modest investment will make a difference for the hard-working families who happen to be excellent cooks and at the same time stimulate the local economy".

The food service industry was hard hit by the pandemic's confinement, which meant a death sentence for many small business owners.

"Supporting San Mateo businesses like food trucks and carts, and incubator kitchens are a means for entrepreneurs to create lasting businesses," Supervisor Dave Pine said. "Helping these small businesses will benefit our local economy now and in the future."

Thus, the supervisors approved three grant programs, one open to any eligible small business and two targeted to the food service industry.

First, the Board launched the Micro Food Enterprise Grant Program, which will distribute a total of $500,000 in grants to cottage food operators, caterers, food truck and food cart operators, commissary or incubator kitchens.

Applicants must have a small food service business legally operating in San Mateo County by January 1, 2021 and meet the requirements. Businesses that received assistance from previous programs are not eligible.

In addition, the Board approved the establishment of the Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operator Ordinance, the Pilot Program and the Grant Program with $238,000 in seed money.

Within the framework of the pilot programmeIn California, home chefs may legally prepare and sell limited amounts of food directly to consumers. The county is one of the few jurisdictions in California that allows home kitchens for microbusinesses.

Meanwhile, chefs who receive operating permits from the county's Environmental Health Services division will be able to apply for grants of up to $2,500 each.

Finally, the Board appropriated $2 million for the 2021 SMC Strong Small Business Assistance Program, which provides a new round of funding for local small businesses impacted by the pandemic that did not receive previous county, state or federal assistance.

In that regard, applicants must meet certain requirements for grants of up to $10,000 that can be used for past-due rent, operating expenses, and other needs.

Funding for all three programs will come from the federal American Rescue Plan or other state or federal aid programs.

You may be interested in: Regresan mascarillas to San Mateo County

Global Exchange urged Ivan Duque to respect right to life on Colombia's 211th Independence Anniversary

Peninsula 360 Press
-
0
Global Exchange urged Ivan Duque to respect right to life on Colombia's 211th Independence Anniversary

They alert aggressions by the Mobile Anti-Riot Squad -Esmad- towards the civilian population during the peaceful day.

Update: According to the first reports, clashes are reported in Usme, locality number 5 of Bogota.

In Puerto Resistencia and Loma de la Dignidad and in a large part of Cali, the Esmad has responded with violent attacks against the civilian population with gunfire and tear gas that have left one person dead and one injured.

Likewise, in Bogota, the number of injured people is reported to rise to more than 10.

colombia
Photo by Manuel Ortiz.

Christian Carlos. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P].

The organization Global Exchange published an open letter addressed to the President of the Government of Colombia, Ivan Duque, and the commanders of the National Police of Colombia before the celebration of the 211 years of the Independence of Colombia. The national strike Committee urged sectors of the population s mobilize in the streets to continue the protests arising from the national strike that began on April 28. Since the early hours of Tuesday, demonstrations have been held at strategic points of the country.

In this sense, the letter signed by the executive board of Global Exchange, refers that "social organizations, free citizens and young people" promised to protest peacefully on an important date in the history of Colombia as a nation. Therefore, Global Exchange urged "the Colombian government and local authorities to respect the constitutional rights" of freedom of expression, freedom of movement, the full right to demonstrate, "but above all the right to life, integrity and dignity".

However, local media reported riots in Puerto Resistencia and Loma de la Dignidad by the Esmad -Escuadrón Móvil Antidisturbios- in Cali with the use of tear gas at 16:40 local time. The Colombian Government Secretariat justified the acts by alleged attacks on the facilities of Portal Américas, which resulted in a confrontation between Esmad and members of Primera Línea.

In addition, users on social networks report as a balance, a person killed by shooting and one injured by the police forces of Colombia in the neighborhood of Los Alcazares in Cali.

At the same time, Ivan Duque said on his Twitter account: "We pay tribute to the families of our heroes and those of all Colombians who have lost loved ones to the pandemic and violence".

In which he also showed his support for the Colombian Armed Forces and the National Police: "Colombia must reject violence, wherever it comes from. And we reiterate that our #FuerzaPública is subject to the highest human rights standards. Therefore, we support it, we strengthen it, and we also demand it. #ColombiaNoSeDetiene," he said.

The protests originated when the president of Colombia, Ivan Duque, announced a new tax reform that would strongly impact the economy of the disadvantaged classes of the nation, which led young people, peasants, indigenous, and Afro-descendants to demonstrate in different parts of the country to demand better living conditions for the economically vulnerable sectors of Colombia who demand equal access to education, quality health services, and decent jobs.

These demonstrations turned violent when the government of Iván Duque ordered the Colombian police force to repress the protests by using weapons against the civilian population; according to the organization Temblores.Since April 28th, there have been 228 situations in which the Colombian National Police have used their weapons against the demonstrating population, so now, in the protests, the Duque government is also demanding justice for the victims whose human rights have been violated by the state in which many people have lost their lives or have been left with life-long injuries.

In the face of violence by Colombian police forces, Global Exchange reports, protesters have had to rely on "the use of protective gear such as helmets, gloves, goggles and shields" to protect themselves; however, the National Police prohibits the wearing of these items during protests.

Finally, Global Exchange recognizes that the police forces under Duque's command have generated "multiple victims and complaints" brought to local, national and international authorities about excessive use of force and alleged accusations "that attempt to criminalize social protest".

Man arrested on suspicion of auto theft in Redwood City

Pamela Cruz
-
0
Man arrested on suspicion of auto theft in Redwood City
auto theft
By Pamela Cruz / Bay City News

Police arrested a 38-year-old man for probable auto theft early Saturday morning in Redwood City.

Around midnight officers responded to a call at 1405 Marshall Street. The suspect named Gerardo Santana approached the passenger and with a gun forced the driver out of the vehicle and then drove away southbound on Chestnut, the Police Department said. 

The vehicle was located at 2:46 a.m. behind a building at 3698 Haven Avenue, where the suspect fled on foot. Officers from the Redwood City and Menlo Park police departments searched the area and a nearby homeless encampment to find Santana hiding under a trailer.

 Police arrested him on suspicion of grand theft auto and drug possession.

Authorities advised anyone who may have additional information about this incident to contact Detective Sergeant Nick Perna at (650) 780-7672, or the Redwood City Police Department tip line at (650) 780-7110.

You may be interested in: Redwood City, all "hell" has broken loose

"Know Your Zone" to save lives in the face of potential disasters

Pamela Cruz
-
0
"Know Your Zone" to save lives in the face of potential disasters
By Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]

As wildfires rage and drought grips Northern California, San Mateo County officials are promoting a "know your zone" campaign so residents can learn a short code to help save lives in an emergency.

Emergency responders will use the code to direct evacuations or issue shelter-in-place orders for specific areas of the Peninsula. And with lessons learned from last year's CZU Lightning Complex fire, local officials are looking to avoid tragedy.

"Know your zone", that's how it works: 

Emergency managers have divided the peninsula into more than 300 zones on a map available online, supported by Zonehaven, a California-based company. Each zone is assigned a short code and any resident can access to know their area.

For example: "SMC-E001" is the San Mateo Highlands, "MP-E008" is approximately Belle Haven of Menlo Park, and "DC-E004" is an area of Daly City near San Francisco.

Why approximately? Because the zones may not follow traditional neighborhood or even city boundaries. Instead, the zones are optimized for the best evacuation routes to avoid confusion over arbitrary boundaries.

In the event of an emergency, first responders will issue evacuation or other orders and warnings based on zones. This information will be sent through the media, social media such as Twitter, emergency alert notifications and other platforms.

"When it comes to emergency response every minute counts," said San Mateo County Supervisor Don Horsley, whose District 3 includes the coast from Pacifica to the Santa Cruz County border.

"Zonehaven gives emergency services the ability to develop perfectly localized evacuation plans quickly and collaboratively, and that can be shared with the public immediately," he added.

The Zonehaven platform can also be quickly updated with emergency shelter locations and other vital information if needed.

Emergency officials noted that last year's CZU Lightning Complex fire, the largest and most damaging in the county's recorded history, and the early start of the 2021 fire season make clear the need for all residents to "know their zone."

What should be done?

First, all San Mateo County residents should know their home, work and school zones, and then write those codes down in an easily accessible place.

In the event of an emergency, the Zonehaven platform is updated with real-time evacuation routes. Fire departments and other first responder agencies throughout the county will update the platform so that evacuation routes and other information is timely and localized.

As part of the "know your area" campaign, officials have urged residents to follow local emergency services on social media platforms in real time and sign up for SMC Alert, a free service that sends emergency text, voice and other messages to email accounts; cell and smart phones, tablets, landlines, home and work phones.

You may be interested in: To prepare for possible fires in San Mateo

1...368369370...448Page 369 of 448

Peninsula 360 Press made by Kainos MX