Coronavirus Disinfecting Services

Saturday, 30 January 2021

Violent threats against Gov. Newsom, his businesses under investigation

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Law enforcement officials are investigating escalating threats of death and violence against California Gov. Gavin Newsom, his family and the wineries, shops and other businesses he founded.

A voicemail and emails provided to the Sacramento Bee contained graphic abusive language about Newsom, violent sexual threats against his wife and a reference to his children. The newspaper said one communication included a threat to burn down one of the wineries owned by PlumpJack Group, the hospitality company Newsom founded in 1992, with patrons inside.

Brian Ferguson, a spokesman for Newsom’s Office of Emergency Services, said he couldn’t answer specific questions about the threats but confirmed that law enforcement agencies are investigating.

“We can confirm that we are aware of these threats,” Ferguson wrote in a statement. “Any threats against elected officials, including public or private property, are taken seriously and closely monitored by the appropriate local, state or federal law enforcement.”

The Democratic governor is the subject of a recall effort pushed by political foes angered over his aggressive approach to the coronavirus outbreak. Newsom received wide praise when he issued the nation’s first statewide stay-at-home order last spring, but there has been growing public unrest over subsequent health orders that closed schools and businesses, and investigations continue into a massive unemployment benefits fraud scandal.

False rumors spread online that Newsom has given coronavirus aid money to his own businesses. In fact, PlumpJack Group received about $2.8 million in loans through the Paycheck Protection Program administered by the federal government, not California.

Newsom placed all of his businesses in a blind trust when he took office to reduce potential conflicts of interest. The trust legally bars him from being involved in the businesses’ day-to-day operations or participating in buy-and-sell decisions.

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Anti-vaccine protesters temporarily shut down CA vaccine site

LOS ANGELES (AP) — One of the largest vaccination sites in the country temporarily shut down Saturday because dozen of protesters blocked the entrance, stalling hundreds of motorists who had been waiting in line for hours, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The Los Angeles Fire Department shut the entrance to the vaccination center at Dodger Stadium about 2 p.m. as a precaution, officials told the newspaper.

The protesters had members of anti-vaccine and far-right groups, the Times reported. Some of them carried signs decrying the COVID-19 vaccine and shouting for people not to get the shots.

There were no incidents of violence, the Times said.

“This is completely wrong,” said German Jaquez, who drove from his home in La Verne and had been waiting for an hour for his vaccination when the stadium’s gates were closed. He said some of the protesters were telling people in line that the coronavirus is not real and that the vaccination is dangerous.

An official said the fire department planned to reopen the vaccination site about 3 p.m. The site is usually open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

A post on social media described the demonstration as the “SCAMDEMIC PROTEST/MARCH.” It advised participants to “please refrain from wearing Trump/MAGA attire as we want our statement to resonate with the sheeple. No flags but informational signs only.

“This is a sharing information protest and march against everything COVID, Vaccine, PCR Tests, Lockdowns, Masks, Fauci, Gates, Newsom, China, digital tracking, etc.”

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2 women found dead after man barricades himself in Vacaville apartment: police

VACAVILLE Calif. (KTXL) – Two women were found dead in a Vacaville apartment Saturday morning after a man livestreamed himself with a gun on social media, according to investigators.

The Vacaville Police Department said in a news release that officers were called to do a welfare check at an apartment complex on Rocky Hill Road near Holly Lane around 12:42 a.m. after a caller reported seeing an armed man livestreaming himself carrying a gun.

The caller told police that they could see two women lying on the floor and not moving during the stream.

When officers arrived at the apartment, they found the man had barricaded himself inside and identified him as a 29-year-old Santa Rosa man who was wanted for “an outstanding warrant for various felonies including domestic battery and assault with a deadly weapon,” according to the release.

Officials said a SWAT team was called to help with negotiations, but those efforts were unsuccessful.

Officers evacuated other units in the apartment building and used distraction devices that cause loud noises and chemical agents to get the man to surrender, police said.

At around 8:32 a.m., officials say police entered the apartment and found the man hiding inside.

After a short struggle, investigators say an officer used a Taser on the man before arresting him.

Officers found two women dead inside of the apartment. The cause of their death is under investigation.

The identity of the man has not been released.

This story is developing. Check back for updates.

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Poem inspired by Bernie Sanders' mitten meme

KINGSTON, N.Y. (WTEN) — New Yorker John Haber wrote a poem inspired by the viral Bernie Sanders mitten memes he was seeing on his Facebook feed.

Only a few days after posting it, the poem had garnered more than 14,000 shares.

Haber, of Kingston, was inspired to write the poem after seeing how much unity the memes were creating online after months of negative rhetoric.

"They were laughing at each other's memes, they were interacting more positively," he said. "And I thought, 'This is pretty amazing,' so I felt like I wanted to say something about that.”

So he did:

You sat there, quite comfy, in your hand-made mittens

We all took one look, and were suddenly smitten

You unintentionally became a work of art

You warmed your hands, and warmed our hearts

What you've accomplished, no one could dream

You united a country under a blanket of memes

Just sitting there, you set us on an upturn

You gave us what we needed, and we all feel the Bern"
John Haber

After reading that Sanders used the proceeds from his own meme merchandise to donate to charity, Haber was inspired.

"Being inspired by Bernie himself, capitalizing on his own memes to support Meals on Wheels, I will follow his example."

Haber, a pediatric occupational therapist, updated his post to reflect information about his small business, Nogginsland, which he said is "focused on and dedicated to the support, growth and health of our children."

The business offers tools to help children build fine motor skills through play. Haber's post provides information on ways to support.

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Friday, 29 January 2021

Johnson & Johnson vaccine could help reach herd immunity quicker

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) - The Johnson and Johnson vaccine could help us get to herd immunity faster, according to medical experts.

Herd immunity is a term we have heard a lot about during this pandemic.

A new California health care poll out says a large number of people now believe in getting vaccinated.

Herd immunity or as an infectious disease expert calls it, community immunity, is the goal of this pandemic.

That would allow us to get back to living our lives so the Johnson and Johnson news is significant because as the experts remind us, the more virus out into peoples' arms the faster we can move on.

Plus, the Johnson and Johnson vaccine is uniquely suited to help accomplish that goal.

Bay Area medical experts explain that the Johnson and Johnson vaccine was created differently from Pfizer and Moderna and the difference could be quite significant in the fight against SARS-CoV-2.

D. John Swartzberg with UC Berkeley's Public School of Health and a member of the UC Berkeley UCSF joint medical program joined KRON4.

“You can use it, and then at the end of the day, if you have some leftover in the vial, you put it back in the refrigerator, and the next day you use it again. You can't do it with these more fragile vaccines, Moderna and Pfizer's vaccine,” Dr. Swartzberg, MD, FACP, said.

Unlike Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that require freezing temps, and once thawed must be used or thrown out, Johnson and Johnson can be kept in normal refrigerator and it is a one-and-done deal.

Although a notch-less efficacious or effective than the other two, he gives us this:

“The influenza vaccine, ranges from 40 to 60 percent depending on the year, in terms of efficacy and I will miss an influenza vaccine because you know, if you're going to tell me I have a 50 percent less chance of getting influenza, I'm going to go for it, and if you're going to tell me I have a 70 percent chance of not getting SARS-CoV-2 by getting the JNJ vaccine, I'm gonna go for it. Sure it would be nice to have something, 94, 95 percent but we've got to get people vaccinated quickly because that's what's going to save people's lives,” Dr. Swartzberg said.

That gets us to herd immunity or as the doctor likes to say community immunity.

While a recent California healthcare poll says 70 percent of residents say they will get the vaccine, is that enough?

The doctor says that is complicated, well, because we live in a complicated world.

“If you have, let's say the city of San Francisco, and you walled it off and didn't let anybody come in, or let anybody go out, then if you're talking herd immunity, and I much prefer the term community immunity, so if you're talking about community immunity in that walled-off San Francisco, you can talk about that, but we don't live in a world where we are walled off from other people,” Dr. Swartzberg said.

Then there is this.

“There is a debate about what will it take. On the low end, people say about 60 percent of the population being immune, and that's on the real low end and most people think it's hight than that,” Dr. Swartzberg said.

The bottom line, the goal posts keep moving so we must keep moving and striving to do all we can to outsmart the virus to end this.

Meaning getting more vaccines out, there fix the supply and administration of the vaccine, mask and social distance in the meantime.

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CDC issues federal mask mandate effective next week on planes, mass transit, taxis and trains

WASHINGTON (NewsNation Now) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an order late Friday requiring masks in interstate transportation and at transit hubs, including airplanes, mass transit, taxis and trains, starting late Monday.

The CDC said the mask mandate, effective from Feb. 1 at 11:59 p.m. EST, also covers ride-share vehicles and subways and makes not wearing a mask as instructed a violation of federal law. The order does not apply to private cars or commercial trucks being driven by a sole operator.

The CDC directive follows an order from President Joe Biden on Jan. 21 directing agencies to "immediately take action" to require masks on transportation and at transit hubs.

People must wear masks that cover both the mouth and nose when awaiting, boarding, traveling on, or disembarking public conveyances. People must also wear masks when entering or on the premises of a transportation hub in the United States.
CDC Order

Details of the order:

The following are attributes of masks needed to fulfill the requirements of the Order:

A properly worn mask completely covers the nose and mouth.
Cloth masks should be made with two or more layers of a breathable fabric that is tightly woven (i.e., fabrics that do not let light pass through when held up to a light source).
Mask should be secured to the head with ties, ear loops, or elastic bands that go behind the head. If gaiters are worn, they should have two layers of fabric or be folded to make two layers.
Mask should fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face.
Mask should be a solid piece of material without slits, exhalation valves, or punctures.

The following attributes are additionally acceptable as long as masks meet the requirements above.

Masks can be either manufactured or homemade.
Masks can be reusable or disposable.
Masks can have inner filter pockets.
Clear masks or cloth masks with a clear plastic panel may be used to facilitate communication with people who are hearing impaired or others who need to see a speaker’s mouth to understand speech.
Medical masks and N-95 respirators fulfill the requirements of the Order.

The following do not fulfill the requirements of the Order.

Masks worn in a way that does not cover both the mouth and nose
Face shields or goggles (face shields or goggles may be worn to supplement a mask that meets above required attributes)
Scarves, ski masks, balaclavas, or bandannas
Shirt or sweater collars (e.g., turtleneck collars) pulled up over the mouth and nose.
Masks made from loosely woven fabric or that are knitted, i.e., fabrics that let light pass through
Masks made from materials that are hard to breathe through (such as vinyl, plastic or leather)
Masks containing slits, exhalation valves, or punctures
Masks that do not fit properly (large gaps, too loose or too tight)

Full Order

Reuters contributed to this report. Reporting by David Shepardson/REUTERS.

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San Francisco restaurants hope for boost in business as they open for outdoor dining

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) - Bay Area restaurants that are now open for outdoor dining are hoping for a boost in business this weekend, especially since we are expected to stay dry in most locations.

Il Casaro Pizzeria and Mozzarella Bar in North Beach started serving outside again here in their parklet Thursday, which was the first-day outdoor dining was allowed to resume here in San Francisco.

On Friday, around the noon hour business was pretty slow but the owner says by the calls he's gotten, he believes there is some pent-up demand.

“Last night, we probably receive three dozen phone calls, people making reservations, we have over 80 reservations tonight, I think people really can't wait an amazing time coming soon,” owner Francesco Covucci said.

Over at Soda Popinski's, a bar in Russian Hill that has partnered up with a local restaurant, were getting ready to take down the chicken wire surrounding their parklet.

Friday night will be their first night back open since the shelter in place order was lifted. He says a lot went into opening back up, rehiring staff, negotiating with vendors, and he's hopeful the weather holds.

“If it's a little bit nicer than it has been last few days I think we'll get some business I'm not holding my breath I think I'm gonna take some time for people to get back used to it this is a traditional kind of a slower time especially for outdoors it's cold will take we can get at this point,” owner Ben Bleiman said.

But not every restaurant has been able to reboot so quickly, including the owner of Altovino on Mason and Pacific.

“We have staff at a town we're trying to rebuild our team up and only a couple days notice wasn't enough to get it together and we don't wanna rush it, we don't have much outdoor covering with the weather being like what it is this week, next week looks nice. We're looking for a Wednesday opening weather dependent,” owner Nick Kelly said.

San Francisco has some new rules in place with outdoor dining, in addition to limiting service to six people per table.

They are limiting it to no more than two households per table. In terms of enforcement, most restaurants KRON4 talked to say they will be using the honor system.

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