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California's intense heat wave energy savings warning

Pamela Cruz

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2021.07.10

California's intense heat wave energy savings warning

By Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]

Due to the extreme heat in California, the "Flex Alert" was extended until this Saturday, to avoid a possible power shortage in the state.

The heat wave is due to climate change and a growing wildfire in southern Oregon that threatens the California Independent System Operator's (ISO) transmission lines and the state's power grid.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, exceptional heat waves have caused the sixth month of this year to be the hottest June on record in the country.

And is that, this year's average June temperature in the U.S. was 72.6° Fahrenheit, 4.2 degrees above average, making it the hottest June in 127 years of record keeping, beating the record set in the same month of 2016.

The Flex Alert will be in effect between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. today. Here are some recommendations:

Set thermostats at 78° F or higher, health permitting.
Avoid using large appliances.
Turn off all unnecessary lights
Using fans to cool the home
Unplug items that are not in use.

Before the Flex Alert goes into effect and when solar energy is plentiful, consumers are encouraged to follow these steps:

If you need to use your major appliances, do so before the Flex Alert goes into effect, when solar power is plentiful.
Close window shades to keep your home or apartment cool.
Charge electronic devices and electric vehicles so they don't need to be charged later when solar generation is down.

In addition to this alert, the ISO is using multiple tools to help keep the grid stable, including a request to power generators in the western region to purchase additional resources.

Meanwhile, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an emergency proclamation Friday to free up additional power capacity due to the major heat wave and fire in Oregon that is impacting the state's power supply.

The proclamation allows for the use of backup power generation and frees up additional energy capacity to assist in relieving heat-generated demands on the state's power grid.

Since last summer, the state's energy agencies have taken swift action to ensure grid reliability, both this summer and in the future, to build the state's climate resilience.

This includes requiring utilities to obtain additional energy resources to meet expected demand during extreme weather, generating additional storage, and re-launching the "Flex Your Power" campaign to help California conserve energy.

As the state's ability to store solar and wind energy with batteries or other technology continues to advance, the crucial evening hours are expected to be less challenging and similar emergencies will be rarer.

For now, collective action to conserve energy is the most effective way to support grid reliability.

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Delta variety gives no respite, becomes dominant strain in California

Pamela Cruz

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2021.07.10

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*Its presence jumped from 5.8 percent on May 21 to 42.9 percent on June 21.

By Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]

The Delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has become the dominant strain in California. Last week, 634 cases were detected in the state, while the total as of Thursday was 1,85, a 71 percent increase in just a few days.

However, the numbers could be much higher since only a fraction of COVID-19 tests are genomically sequenced, a process that determines whether positive cases belong to any variant.

"I can assure you that they are going to be higher," the governor said Thursday. Gavin Newsom when questioned about the updated figures for the Delta variant.

Genomic sequence testing determined that of the variants identified as Delta shot up from 5.8 percent on May 21 to 42.9 percent on June 21.

The next closest variant on the list is Alpha, formerly the "UK variant," which is associated with approximately 50 percent more transmission and probably a higher severity of disease and risk of death.

This variant, although it decreased, remains high, going from 57.6 percent on May 21 to 30.6 percent on June 21.

It should be noted that the state publishes variant percentages once a month, so in the weeks after June 21 it is likely that the Delta strain will have increased.

As of July 9, California had 3,724,833 confirmed cases of COVID-19, resulting in 63,376 deaths.

This Thursday, 2,411 positive cases were registered in the state, which represented an increase of 3.3 new cases per 100,000; while 59 deaths were counted.

The number of tests on the same day was 121,341, with a positivity rate of 2.3 percent, a marginal increase of 0.2 percent compared to Wednesday.

In terms of vaccination, the state has administered 42 million 280,518 doses. 20 million 417,009 people over the age of 12 have been fully vaccinated (60.2 percent), while 3 million 186,612 (9.4 percent) are partially immunized.

The average daily number of vaccine doses administered is 59,737.

Race against time... and variants

While efforts have been made to get all those eligible to be vaccinated - 12 years of age and older - the numbers remain very low in several counties across the state, a situation that is not conducive to achieving herd immunity in the short term.

San Mateo County is not doing poorly in its immunization numbers, however the most vulnerable still need to be reached.

Thus, the county has administered 1,59,333,000 doses, resulting in 581,531,53 residents being immunized as of July 8, of which 515,394 are fully vaccinated, or 88.7 percent of the population eligible for inoculation.

It should be noted that if progress is not made soon in other counties where vaccination is still very low, there is a danger that the Delta variant could be the tipping point for a return to serious risk status and a need to return to closures and face protection at all times.

The great risk

A new data analysis identifies groups of unvaccinated people, mostly in the South, vulnerable to surges in COVID-19 cases that could become breeding grounds for even deadlier variants, CNN said.

Thus, the analysis by Georgetown University researchers identified 30 clusters of counties with low vaccination rates and significant population sizes.

The five largest clusters are found primarily in eight states: eastern Georgia to western Texas, and northern to southern Missouri. They are also in parts of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, and consist mainly of smaller counties, but also cities such as Montgomery, Alabama; Shreveport, Louisiana; and Amarillo, Texas.

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Mouthguards, the big question mark

Peninsula 360 Press

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2021.07.09

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Cristian Carlos. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P].

The new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that causes the disease COVID-19 - first reported, according to scientific research, in a market in the central region of Wuhan, China - has raised the number of deaths worldwide due to this easily transmissible disease that, in just one week, has surpassed the number of deaths by 4 million and more than 185 cases of contagion.

The World Health Organization -WHO- established the beginning of the pandemic by COVID-19 on March 11, 2020. Since 485 days ago, governments in different parts of the world established new health safety measures that, to date, have changed people's habits, including frequent hand washing, physical distance between people in public places and the mandatory use of masks at all times.

However, the adoption of the measure of the use of the mouthpiece was shrouded in controversy and the denial of use in a small sector of the population that caused, during the peak of the pandemic, the annoyance of those who imposed the health regulations.

For this reason, Ethnic Media Services held a briefing session to discuss people's views months into the vaccination of the population and the continued use of masks.

So far, only 158 million, 287,566 people have completed their immunization schedule in the United States, which represents 48 percent of the population.

Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding, a senior epidemiologist with the Federation of American Scientists who was also among the first people to warn about COVID-19, said the level of protection from an incomplete vaccination schedule is greatly reduced, he said, by as much as 18 percent. He warned that it is possible that, even with a complete vaccination schedule, it is possible to transmit and contract the new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, so the vulnerable population remains vulnerable.

In addition, he said the recommendations of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are "wrong" to relax the use of face masks, contrary, for example, to what the WHO has said.

He noted that protecting one's own health and the health of others should always be the number one priority for social welfare following the new back-to-school recommendations for children, which he said poses an additional risk to parents. He recommended ventilating the study area, UV disinfection and HEPA air filters, as well as the use of mouth covers for children.

"Science has clearly shown that this coronavirus is transmitted from person to person; the population should not be confident that herd immunity will soon exist." He said it is important to find the right strategies to encourage people who resist vaccination to get immunized.

Dr. Jose Perez, medical director of the South Central Family Health Center in Los Angeles, said that, as with the first strain of the new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and the delta variant, the public should protect themselves in the same way. He noted that science has shown that proper use of mouthguards is one measure that has helped successfully prevent more cases of COVID-19 and, therefore, the number of associated deaths.

He indicated that, after the massive use of the mouthpiece by the population, some people suffered disorders because they could not identify the emotions conveyed by other people in the social context; that is, the lack in the observation of facial expressions can lead to mental problems; instead, it is preferable, he said, to save lives through the use of the mouthpiece.

Dr. Ben Neuman, chief virologist at the Global Health Research Complex at Texas A&M University, said it's frustrating, from the scientific community's point of view, to ignore the recommendations the CDC has issued about relaxing the use of mouthguards, indicating that the government's stance may have influenced his personal decision to take this step.

He also said "it's a matter of time" before the new coronavirus finds an even more aggressive mutation than the delta variant. "Protection starts with oneself," Neuman said, urging people to get vaccinated regardless of their political stance.

Vaccination is not a game for the fall sports seasons.

Josué Karim Moreno

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2021.07.09

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Vaccination is not a game for the fall sports seasons.

By Josué Karim Moreno. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]

Vaccination should not be taken as a game. The start of the fall sports seasons can pose a danger of infection, especially among young people aged 12 to 18 years.

In this sense, U.S. President Joseph Biden said that one of the government's strategies will be to get closer to the communities, to be much closer to the homes.

In that sense, he said in a statement made last Tuesday, that efforts will be intensified so that doctors who serve families can offer vaccinations to the youngest, in order to achieve a safe return to school or even for the physical examinations necessary for fall sports.

And with the fall sports seasons just around the corner, hundreds of children and young people will join the various activities offered by local teams, such as football, soccer, volleyball, which are not without risk.

Delta variant wants to get on the pitch

Although the vaccination program has made significant progress, there is still a risk of infection among people who are not vaccinated. The emergence of the Delta variant has caused more than half of the new infections in the U.S.

"By the end of this week, we will have 160 million Americans fully vaccinated, up from about 3 million when we took office five months ago," he said. Biden.

However, he added that the fight against the virus is not over: communities, families and friends are still at risk because the Delta variant is easily transmissible and potentially more dangerous.

Above all, Biden said, it should be a cause for reconsideration, especially among young people, who may have thought they didn't have to get vaccinated or wouldn't have to worry about it.

Olympic Games, without public for the first time in history

COVID-19 has undoubtedly wreaked havoc all over the world and sport has been no exception. Thus, during the previous year, most of the sports activities were suspended and, later on, some of them were able to continue without assistance in the stands.

This year, Japan's authorities surprised the world by declaring a state of emergency in Tokyo: for the first time in history, the Olympic Games will be held without spectators, even of local origin as previously planned.

The move comes after the government agreed to establish a state of emergency for Tokyo from July 12 until Aug. 22, which anticipates a tightening of health measures in the midst of the Olympic Games, which begin July 23.

It should be noted that the Japanese capital has seen a surge in new cases of COVID-19 in recent days that is unprecedented since mid-May of this year, to reach above the threshold of cases that the government considers to be of utmost concern.

Thus, the Olympic Games will not have an audience for the first time since its first edition, held in 1898 in Athens, Greece. Previously, the Berlin 1916 Games had been suspended due to the First World War, as well as the Helsinki 1940 and United Kingdom 1944, due to the Second World War.

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THE U.S. WILL SEND AID TO COLOMBIA, BUT NOT BEFORE PLACING CONDITIONS ON THE POLICE. U.S. to send aid to Colombia, but not before putting conditions on the police

Pamela Cruz

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2021.07.09

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THE U.S. WILL SEND AID TO COLOMBIA, BUT NOT BEFORE PLACING CONDITIONS ON THE POLICE. U.S. to send aid to Colombia, but not before putting conditions on the police

U.S. TO SEND AID TO COLOMBIA The U.S. will send aid to Colombia,

By Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]

Colombia will receive $461 million in aid from the U.S. government in 2022 after the House Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee approves a bill to do so. However, the support will for the first time be conditional on resources going to the Colombian police.

The U.S. government made it clear that from now on, if the law is passed, 30 percent of all counter-narcotics resources going to the South American country's police will depend on a certification from the State Department confirming that the country is investigating and punishing uniformed officers involved in human rights violations.

After the demonstrations that began in April of this year in Colombia, international organizations reported on the massive human rights violations that occurred by the Colombian police against the demonstrators.

According to Temblores, an NGO that has been in charge of recording and documenting the practices of police violence through its platform "GRITA" and in assisting victims and connecting them with the administration of justice through "Policarpa", as of June 16, 4,285 cases of violence by the security forces had been identified, not including cases of disappearances.

While the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights reported Wednesday that it found "serious human rights violations" during the demonstrations against the government of Ivan Duque.

It should be noted that the conditioning of resources in aid to Colombia is not new, as this condition already existed for the army, but the restrictions are now extended to the police force.

The condition that the U.S. government seeks to impose on the resources specifies that at least $65 million cannot be delivered until certification is issued by the U.S. State Department.

It is important to detail that 80 percent of those resources - $52 million - would be for the police and 20 percent for the army.

According to El Tiempo, almost since the beginning of Plan Colombia in 2000, resources for the army had been subject to human rights evaluations. Requirements that grew with the scandal of false positives and illegal interceptions of journalists, human rights defenders, members of the high courts and congressmen.

At a congressional hearing last Thursday, José Miguel Vivanco, director for the Americas at Human Rights WatchThe governor asked congressmen to approve the new restriction on police funding.

For her part, Colombian Vice President and Foreign Minister Marta Lucia Ramirez, who is in New York, said Thursday that she sees no reason for the social unrest and recent protests that led to violence in her country to damage the relationship with the United States.

"We see no reason for bilateral relations to be affected," the foreign minister said during a telephone interview with The Associated Press.

"This is a Congress -the U.S. Congress- that has been permanently monitoring Colombia's evolution. Thanks to all this help and the confidence of Congress and the different U.S. administrations, our country has been able to face very tough challenges and, among other things, has also managed to work for the poorest, reduce the level of poverty.... fight drug trafficking, and strengthen institutions," Ramirez said.

You may be interested in: Attack on journalist Alberto Tejada planned in Colombia

Vaccine, the main weapon against COVID-19

Pamela Cruz

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2021.07.08

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By Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]

The country is getting closer every day to winning the war against COVID-19, however, that will only be achieved when all those eligible for immunization choose to roll up their sleeves and allow themselves to be given a safe and effective vaccine, the main weapon against the disease.

So far, more than 182 million Americans have received at least one dose, including nearly 90 percent of seniors and 70 percent of people 27 and older, President Joseph Biden said in a White House statement Tuesday.

He added that by the end of this week, the mark of 160 million Americans fully vaccinated will be reached.

The vaccine really works

COVID-19 cases and deaths are down 90 percent since January due to millions of vaccine applications.

Millions of fully vaccinated Americans are getting back to living their lives as before. Businesses are reopening and hiring. And projected economic growth is the highest in four decades. Yes, thanks to millions of vaccines given.

"And the bottom line is: the virus is fleeing and America is coming back. We're coming back together," Biden said in his brief speech.

The war is not over yet

The fight against this virus is not over. Today, millions of Americans are still unvaccinated and unprotected. And because of that, their communities are at risk. Their friends are at risk. The people they care about are at risk, and this concern is heightened by the Delta variant, which is responsible for half of all positive cases of the virus in many parts of the country, because it's more easily transmitted, potentially more dangerous.

"Look, let me put it another way: I think it should make everybody think twice. And it should cause reconsideration, especially in young people who may have thought they didn't have to get vaccinated, didn't have to worry about it, didn't have to do anything about it until now," Biden said.

However, the good news is that the vaccines distributed in the country are very effective. And those fully vaccinated have a high degree of protection, even against this Delta variant.

Importantly, study after study has shown that, since the beginning of May, virtually all hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 in the United States have occurred among the unvaccinated.

So, if you're vaccinated, you're protected. But if you're not vaccinated, you're not, and you're putting yourself and, more importantly, perhaps, from your perspective, your family and friends at risk.

So get vaccinated today. It works and it's free.

Actions. Love and Protection

For the rest of the summer, the government will focus on efforts to keep vaccination moving forward and stop deaths from the virus.

While mass vaccination sites will be closing, efforts will now focus on communities and neighborhoods. Door to door.

And in that regard, it will seek to ensure that the communities most affected by the virus have the information and access to get vaccinated, including 42,000 local pharmacies where residents can get vaccinated without an appointment, and can do so even while shopping or picking up their medications.

It's time. Get vaccinated.

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Attack on journalist Alberto Tejada planned in Colombia

Peninsula 360 Press

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2021.07.08

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Attack on journalist Alberto Tejada planned in Colombia

Cristian Carlos. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P].

According to information from the Inter-Church Commission for Justice and Peace -CIJP-, a Colombian organization in charge of defending and promoting human rights, it was announced that 30 million Colombian pesos -approximately 7,800 dollars- "have been raised" to "attempt against the life" of journalist José Alberto Tejada Echeverry, better known as "Cucho Tejada".

José Alberto Tejada is a journalist for Canal 2, a community media outlet in Cali, Colombia, and has covered the National Strike in Cali and Valle del Cauca extensively. On June 4, while Tejada was covering the events live at one of the CAI - police command post - in Paso del Comercio, Cali for Channel 2, a National Police officer threatened to kill him: "I have just received a death threat from a uniformed police officer," the journalist denounced. "He's good enough to shoot him," Tejada was quoted as saying in the presence of lawyers.

The Inter-Church Justice and Peace Commission obtained relevant information from outside sources confirming the harassment of Tejada "in the exercise of his journalistic work and family life".

The external testimony to the CIJP reported that last Sunday, July 4, 30 million Colombian pesos were collected in the neighborhood of Mariano Ramos to "get" young people from two nearby cities to carry out the attack against journalist José Alberto Tejada Echeverry.

In addition, the CIJP denounces that on Tuesday, July 6, "an intelligence operation with tracking" was carried out on motorcycles and a white vehicle; in addition to the "visual searches" that a couple of people carried out 20 meters from the headquarters of Channel 2.

The harassment and threats to the integrity of the Canal 2 journalist could be identified from the morning of 22 June when José Alberto Tejada was followed on motorcycles to his place of work; subsequently, the CIJP denounced harassment in person for hours outside the Canal 2 headquarters.

Finally, the CIJP reports that on the night of Wednesday, June 30, three volunteers from the Civil Protection of Peace who were guarding the safety of José Alberto Tejada were threatened. "Don't turn around or look back, listen: take care of Cucho, they are offering money to shut him up," said one of the volunteers.

Clean California" program launched to eliminate trash and beautify spaces

Pamela Cruz

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2021.07.08

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Clean California" program seeks to eliminate trash and beautify public spaces. — Public spaces in California.

By Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P

In an effort to revitalize and beautify the state's streets and public spaces through litter removal projects, Governor Gavin Newsom in partnership with local governments launched the Clean California, with a budget of $1.1 billion.

The program Clean California seeks to complement addressing the homeless crisis, the governor announced Wednesday.

Among other solutions to the problem, which together add up to a $12 billion investment, is the expansion of "Homekey," a program to increase the number of housing units for the homeless, along with strategies to ensure accountability and transparency in spending.

According to Newsom, Clean California will massively expand state and local litter reduction efforts and generate an estimated 10-11,000 jobs over the next three years, including for people coming off the street, at-risk youth, veterans, those returning to society from incarceration, local artists and students.

"It offers an historic opportunity to transform our streets and roads that have been plagued by decades of trash and hazardous waste, and with more resources than ever to provide safer housing and shelter alternatives. We are delivering on our commitment to move people from unsanitary encampments to safer, more stable housing," he said.
Gavin Newsom, governor of California.

"With potential projects in all 58 counties, this is truly a statewide effort that directly engages and invests in our communities to create public spaces that all Californians can be proud of," he added.

The state program includes potential projects in all 58 counties, and nearly one-third of the funds will be invested directly in cities, counties and transit agencies to clean and improve local streets and public spaces.

Caltrans will award $296 million in matching grants to fund projects that impact local streets and roads, tribal lands, parks, trails and transit hubs in underserved, rural and urban communities.

Clean California will remove 1.2 million cubic yards of trash or 21,000 tons of litter from state highways each year, the equivalent of filling the Rose Bowl three times or enough trash bags to stretch from Los Angeles to New York City.

The initiative also includes funding for a public education campaign to foster a sense of shared responsibility to prevent littering, as well as to protect waterways, natural resources, public health and safety.

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Worried about getting the COVID-19 vaccine? You're more likely to die in a crash

Pamela Cruz

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2021.07.07

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Worried about getting the COVID-19 vaccine? You're more likely to die in a crash

Are you worried about getting the COVID-19 vaccine? — COVID-19 Vaccine

By Pamela Cruz. Pamela Cruz Reyes [P360P] .

Did you know that you are more likely to die in a car crash than have a severe allergic reaction from getting the COVID-19 vaccine? According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC90 people die every day in such accidents, while only 1.3 people per million are allergic to vaccines.

The COVID-19 vaccines distributed in the country - Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson - have proven effective even against dangerous variants of the virus, such as Delta.

Currently, 157.6 million people have been fully vaccinated in the U.S. and if this pace continues, deaths will be exceeded by a large percentage.

So far there are 33 million 582 thousand 352 COVID-19 positive cases in the country. However, the number of daily deaths has decreased, thanks to vaccination against the virus.

On July 6, 229 COVID-19 deaths were detected nationwide, bringing the total to 603,656. But the numbers can still go down if vaccination continues.

Serious side effects are very unlikely to occur after receiving any vaccine, including COVID-19 vaccine.

Vaccination monitoring has historically shown that side effects generally occur within six weeks after vaccine administration. For this reason, the FDA required that all licensed COVID-19 vaccines be studied for at least two months after the final dose is administered.

Millions of people received the COVID-19 vaccines and no long-term side effects were detected. CDC continues to closely monitor the safety of the vaccines.

If scientists find a connection between a safety problem and a vaccine, the FDA and the vaccine manufacturer will work to find an appropriate solution to address the specific problem.

What you need to know by getting vaccinated against COVID-19

COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective.
Millions of people in the U.S. were vaccinated against COVID-19 under the most stringent safety monitoring in U.S. history.
CDC recommends that everyone 12 years of age and older get vaccinated as soon as possible to protect against COVID-19 and its related, potentially serious complications.
The CDC, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and other federal government agencies monitor the safety of COVID-19 vaccines. (FDA) and other federal government agencies monitor the safety of COVID-19 vaccines.
The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) receives reports of any adverse reactions following vaccination.

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San Francisco Airport to Offer Free COVID-19 Vaccination

Pamela Cruz

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2021.07.07

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By Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]

San Francisco International Airport will offer Janssen-Johnson & Johnson's single-dose vaccine free of charge at its SFO Medical Clinic.

The vaccine will be available to all persons 18 years of age and older, including arriving and departing passengers of any nationality or country of residence.

While it is recommended to perform a quoteAny eligible person can receive the vaccine at the San Francisco airport.

Eligibility requirements for access to the vaccine are at least 18 years of age, no history of having received COVID-19 vaccine from a different manufacturer, and no current symptoms or positive diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2.

It also states that if you have received monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma to treat COVID-19, you should wait at least 90 days to receive the vaccine to prevent the treatment from interfering with immunization.

The opening hours to receive the vaccine are Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

International passengers who want the vaccine, upon arrival should collect their bags, exit the Federal Inspection Area and then proceed to Level 3, Departures Hall A-side.

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