The impacts of COVID-19 in San Diego 5 years later
Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Tuesday, March 11th>>>>
5 years ago today (Tuesday) the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. More on the impacts it had to San Diego’s healthcare system coming up next. But first... let’s do the headlines….
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San Diego County is looking for public input on the upcoming fiscal year’s budget.
County residents can take an online survey and rank their budget priorities, from housing and homelessness to public safety.
The county says this information will be used to help develop the its budget recommendation – set for release on May 1st.
For more information on how you can participate go to engage dot san diego county dot gov.
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March Madness is almost upon us and the fate of two San Diego teams will be decided this week.
San Diego State and UC San Diego will play for a spot in the N-C-double A tournament at their respective conference championships.
The Aztecs face Boise State in their first game at the Mountain West tournament this Thursday and the Tritons play Friday in the Big West Championship.
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The Trump administration has overhauled a cellphone app once used to let migrants get in line for asylum.
The app, which had been called C-B-P One, can now be used by migrants to identify themselves for self-deportation.
When the Trump administration first took down the app, thousands of people were left stranded at border crossings across northern Mexico.
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From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now.Stay with me for more of the local news you need.
On this day in 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic.
Health reporter Heidi De Marco says, five years later, a crucial question remains — how prepared is San Diego for the next pandemic?
The Covid-19 pandemic tested the limits of San Diego's health care system. To date It has claimed 6,653 lives.
This was a generational, once-in-a-lifetime event.
In March 20-20 Dr. Juan Tovar was working in the emergency room at Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista.
So nothing that we could have done would have been able to prepare us 100% for it. But I like to think we were as prepared as we could be.
Hospitals had to improvise fast.
we created examination rooms out of cubbies. We treated patients outside…We set up two tents, we set up a trailer.
But the strain wasn't just logistical, it was emotional.
We saw patients' family members looking through windows at their loved ones dying. We had to hold their hands as they were dying because they were alone.
That trauma led Scripps and other hospitals to create peer support groups to help staff cope.
Tovar’s emergency room colleague Dr. James Cunningham says that uncertainty in the early days made the crisis even harder.
I think the most challenging part was the unknown and the anticipation.
Instead of a sudden surge, Cunningham says it was more of a slow rising tide of critically ill patients.
We also didn't realize as well that people would get sick but stay sick for weeks. And most of the time, a hospital is set up to take care of somebody in a in an acute illness for a few days.
Adding to the pressure, San Diego hospitals weren’t just treating local patients.
In Baja California, there’s over 400,000 American citizens who live there. And so a lot of those people cross the border to seek care here.
Dr. Ghazala Sharieff is Scripps chief medical officer. She says the experience forced hospitals to rethink patient flow.
So we have personally leased some beds with skilled nursing facilities, so that if there's an influx of patients we have a place to discharge patients to,
Public health experts are also working to catch the next outbreak early.
At UC San Diego, researchers are leading a 5-year, CDC-funded pandemic preparedness project aimed at detecting new viruses before they overwhelm hospitals.
Marva Seifert is leading the study’s clinical component.
So instead of just seeing when people are sick enough to go to the hospital, this program will allow us to know what's actually circulating in the community.
She says real-time data could help detect new virus strains before they spread.
And so then we're better prepared when something changes, when there's a new variant or a new strain of Covid or, or flu that pops up.
Sharieff says the data can also help hospitals predict surges.
Predictive analytics are really helpful, not just looking at the pandemic itself, but also helping us with staffing models. So we were able to staff up when we needed to in advance instead of just waiting for the storm to hit.
She says communication between hospitals and the county has also improved.
We have a better relationship, closer relationship with the county than we did before. And we know who to call, you know, when we need something.
But even as hospitals are better prepared, the personal impact of the virus remains a challenge.
Psychiatrist Dr. Alan Lee is still experiencing the effects of long covid. Constant fatigue forced him to stop working.
When you're sick and you're tired and then you're trying to access treatment, that's hard enough. And then this is a new illness. The story is being written as we go.
Lee says the biggest problem isn’t just the illness, it’s the lack of recognition.
Because without awareness, people forget. And then there's no family and friends support which these patients need. There's no funding, which is the fuel for the research and the treatment that's needed.
Until that treatment is found, Lee says he’ll continue to try anything his doctors suggest to manage his symptoms.
Back at Scripps Chula Vista…Dr Juan Tovar is optimistic about the county’s future emergency response.
It feels like we're more of a community now than we were previously. It feels to me like we have something special in San Diego. And we came out of this, this very messed up disease state, this, this period, and now we’re doing much better for it.
Experts agree that San Diego is in a better position than it was 5 years ago, but predicting the next pandemic remains the biggest challenge. For now, hospitals and researchers are watching potential threats closely, hoping their work will give us a head start next time.
Heidi de Marco, KPBS News.
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County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer says the Trump administration’s proposed federal funding cuts could impact more than a million San Diego residents within the year.
She wants a plan to notify those affected and will present it at Tuesday’s board meeting.
Reporter Melissa Mae explains who’s at risk.
San Diego County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer says the cuts could threaten essential services for food, housing and medical care.
“The US House budget proposal includes a 15% cut to housing assistance, jeopardizing housing security for nearly 10,000 households in San Diego. Federal food assistance programs have also been targeted with the House Budget Committee proposing 20% cuts that could leave 400,000 families in San Diego struggling to afford groceries.”
And almost 900-thousand San Diegans could lose their healthcare.
Lawson-Remer is urging the Board of Supervisors to direct the Chief Administrative Officer to develop a clear, countywide notification strategy within 30 days to inform residents at risk of losing assistance. Melissa Mae, KPBS News.
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Hundreds marched through downtown San Diego yesterday (Monday) to shine light on what they call a life-and-death situation.
Reporter John Carroll tells us about the march to support the Environmental Protection Agency.
The protest and march were organized by the climate action group, San Diego 350. Through their words and on their signs, their message was clear — a demand to the Trump administration: do more to protect the climate and start by rehiring EPA employees. David Fege worked for the EPA for 34 years.
“Urge this administration to put EPA back on its feet. They want clean water, they want clean air, they want climate change attended to, and they don’t like what’s going on.”
The protesters marched from the downtown federal courthouse to San Diego City Hall. The symbolism was unmistakable—from the federal courts to local government—a plea not only to rehire the fired EPA employees but also to do more to protect the environment because, as one sign put it, "There is no Planet B." John Carroll, KPBS News.
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A special election that could impact the balance of power on the county Board of Supervisors is less than a month away. Seven candidates are vying for the District 1 supervisor seat.
South Bay engagement producer Marielena Castellanos spoke with voters in the district to learn more about what issues are at stake.
Homelessness, housing, stability, the arts and prioritizing the most vulnerable. These issues were at the forefront of a conversation with voters in District One this month at the Sherman Heights Community Center.
Sebastian Martinez lives in Chula Vista. He's the deputy executive director of Community Advocates for Just and Moral Governance and has worked to help people who are experiencing homelessness.
“The biggest issues for me are, number one, how the most vulnerable are going to be treated. I want to see a supervisor in that position who’s not going to criminalize the unhoused. I’d like to see a supervisor in that position who is not going to bend to pressure to demonize immigrants.”
Local artist Kim Phillips-Pea is the art director with Southeast Art Team. She hopes the next supervisor will focus less on their personal ambitions and more on the needs of the community.
“Arts and culture is very important. It’s not a luxury. It is a necessity. It brings jobs to our districts. It employs artists. All of those are very important.”
You can learn more about the upcoming special election on our website at KPBS.org/VoterHub.
Marielena Castellaños, KPBS News
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That’s it for the podcast today. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. (Tease to next day). I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great day.
