Category: Covid-19

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The Mothership co-owner Ricky Ramirez, shown pouring a cocktail early this year at the Bay View bar, has returned to serving carryout only during the surge of COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin.(Photo: Mike De Sisti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Ricky Ramirez started worrying before the November election, when Wisconsin's COVID-19 cases began their astronomical rise.

The co-owner of the Mothership bar, at2301 S. Logan Ave. in Bay View, said he worried that interacting with customers coming from points far and wide could sicken him and his employees. And COVID-19 began hitting closer to home, as well.

"With our friends getting sick and our friends getting positives just the worry you see in your employees' faces every day before you turn on the open sign," he said, made him consider the risks of serving drinks inthe bar.

It reached what Ramirez called a boiling point in a weekly meeting with beer and spirits vendors: the concern that he wouldn't be able to sell what he was buying, the speculation that the city might order a lockdown because of the ballooning cases.Im sorry, I just cant do this right now," he recalled saying.

So the Mothership made a pre-emptive move: It put itself on lockdown last week, shutting down indoor seatingand switching to carryout only, something that several other bars and at least one restaurant havedone recently. It's reminiscent of the lockdown ordered by Gov. Tony Evers in March to flatten the curve, in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.

"I think its a good time for somebody to do something," Ramirez said. Namely, take a step back and figure out, as an industry,what we can do to help each other stay alive this winter. Its going to get bad." He's turned to online ordering of the Mothership'stiki and classic cocktails, prepared in batches of four drinks or so, and mixed six-packs of beer.

Last week, Lucky Joe's in Wauwatosa closed its dining room and lounge to return to takeout for a while because of the rocketing number of new cases. Co-owner Jarod Packard said his wife is a respiratory therapist at Froedtert Hospital.

"Anything I can do to prevent her from getting any busier, is what Im trying to do," he said.

He hasn't put an end date on the dining room's closure, instead waiting to see where the COVID-19 numbers go.

"I think its just a lot safer if we all do our part and close down and stay as safe as possible," Packard said, adding, "Everybody else around me is who I dont want to affect."

Jarod Packard squeezes fresh lime juice for craft cocktails served at Lucky Joe's, as shown in 2017. Lucky Joe's recently reverted to carryout only through COVID-19.(Photo: C.T. Kruger/Now News Group)

The move to takeout-only comes at a cost, in a year when many restaurants and bars have taken big financial hits because of the pandemic. Lucky Joe's, at1427 Underwood Ave., also shut down briefly in October, during protestsover the decision by the Milwaukee County district attorneynot to charge a police officer in the shooting death ofBlack teenager Alvin Cole in Wauwatosa.

"Usually winter is our busier season," Packard said.

The night before Thanksgiving traditionally is huge for bars, when people travel home for Thanksgiving and gather with friends the night before for a drink. Along with get-togethers leading up toChristmas and celebrations on New Year's Eve, the last quarter of the year is the big moneymaker for the hospitality industry.

"Its a tough decision," Packard acknowledged. "Were definitelynot going to make any money through all this." But he said he's hopeful Lucky Joe's will be ableto hang on by taking phone orders for cocktails kits and menu items including dinners for two while trying to keep people safe.

John Revord, owner of Boone & Crockett bar at 818 S. Water St. in the Harbor District, has shifted to The General Store at the bar, with online ordering ofcocktail kits, beer, wine and cold-brew coffee.

"Its not going to make us any money;its not going to pay any bills," he said. But takeout will provide paychecks to a few employees he's able to keep on staff. "Thats better than nothing," he said.

He worries whatclosings the coming months will bring if Congressdoesn't passrelief bills, namely the Restaurants Act and Save Our Stages Act. Although government loans and grants in the early phase of the pandemic were effective, he said, "there's a need for Round 2."

Bars like his were able to make it through the first lockdown and tougher times of the pandemic thanks to a cushionfrom the 2019 holiday season, he said.

"Everyone had their holiday nest eggs. Unfortunately,nest eggs are a rarity these days," Revord said.

Boone might have been the first Milwaukee bar to revert to only takeoutbecause of rising COVID-19 cases, on Oct. 30. Snack Boys restaurant on the east side, of which Revord is a co-owner, began its temporary shutdown Nov. 10.

"The numbers in Wisconsin are so insane, there was no way we could justify staying open by any sort of metric," Revord said. As it was, he considers it lucky that Boone was already closed when he and a couple others there became ill with COVID-19, shortly after he tested negative twice within a week for the coronavirus.

But many bars have to stay open because the owners simply can't afford to close to patrons, an "unfortunate side effect of the lack of aid," he said. "For some folks that does mean life or death, and thats a really unfortunate position to be put in."

Revord said he was able to close Boone for the winter because of good weather in summer and a greatly expanded patio. The barroom itself was open for perhaps a month for service, in September and October; he estimated no more than a dozen people sat there in all that time. Everyone wanted to be outside, where the risk of catching the coronavirus was lower.

"Theres no question what a packed room full of drunk people does to a disease thats easily transmissible," Revord said, adding "the quicker we get past this, the quicker we can get back to the people we want to see."

Contact dining critic Carol Deptolla atcarol.deptolla@jrn.com or (414) 224-2841, or through the Journal Sentinel Food & Home page on Facebook. Follow her on Twitter at @mkediner or Instagram at @mke_diner.

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With Wisconsin's COVID-19 cases high, some bars and restaurants put themselves on lockdown - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The autumn COVID-19 surge has now spread not only through major urban areas like Los Angeles but even to the far northern rural reaches of California, a troubling sign as the state faces its greatest challenge yet from the pandemic.

A Times data analysis found that most California counties are now suffering their worst daily coronavirus case rates of the COVID-19 pandemic, surpassing even the summer surge that had forced officials to roll back the states first reopening in the late spring.

The data suggest California will face new problems in December if the unprecedented rise in cases continues. In earlier phases of the pandemic, different parts of California could help harder-hit areas San Diego County and San Francisco, for example, took in patients from Imperial County. But that could be difficult in this wave, with the pandemic worsening in most places across California simultaneously.

We cant depend on our counties next to us, because they are under the same stress and strain, said Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, the Santa Clara County coronavirus testing officer. They cant provide us with beds in their counties. So we are on our own. And our hospitals are hurting at this point.

The Times analysis also demonstrates how the coronavirus has managed to break free from densely packed neighborhoods in urban areas and farming communities in agricultural valleys, where the virus infected essential workers many of them Latino who had no choice but to leave home to work.

Now, infections are spreading faster in other communities. In Marin County, health officer Dr. Matt Willis said the pandemic has moved from hitting predominantly Latino communities. Now, in just the last month, the majority of cases are among our white residents, Willis said.

Were finding a greater proportion of those cases among people who are gathering indoors, and might have a more reasonable option to avoid those exposures, because theyre based on personal choices, Willis told the Board of Supervisors. Its most discouraging that thats what is driving it but also encouraging because we think those are behaviors that people have more control over, because its not a matter of economic necessity.

In just the last week, record average daily coronavirus case rates have hit L.A. and other hot spots such as San Bernardino and San Diego counties, The Times analysis found. Such areas have already received much attention in recent weeks as hospitals there have begun to fill and, in some cases, the daily death toll has risen. The crisis has only become exponentially worse in recent weeks.

Many other counties are also seeing record highs in their average daily case rates observed in the last week, according to The Times analysis, including Ventura, San Luis Obispo, Santa Clara, Sacramento, San Mateo, Solano and Santa Cruz. Counties across Northern California have also posted record highs in recent days, such as Napa County; Yolo County, home of UC Davis; Nevada, Placer and El Dorado counties, which sprawl from the state capitals suburbs to Lake Tahoe; and sparsely populated Mariposa County, home to Yosemite Valley.

In all, more than 23 million Californians, living in 31 counties, are in whats shaping up to be the worst wave of the pandemic, The Times analysis found.

Across California, the seven-day average of daily coronavirus cases has more than quadrupled since mid-October, from fewer than 3,000 a day to nearly 14,000 a day as of Wednesday. In just two weeks, average daily deaths have doubled: In the seven-day period that ended Wednesday, the state had an average of 74 COVID-19 deaths a day, up from 38.

As of Friday evening, California had a total of more than 1.18 million confirmed coronavirus cases in California and more than 19,000 related deaths, according to The Times coronavirus tracker.

Officials sounded alarm bells all over the state, from the Mexican border, where officials in Imperial County established an overflow medical tent with 50 beds to handle a surge in patients, to Shasta County in the far north, which reported hundreds of people in isolation and thousands in quarantine.

Dont make someone feel guilty for not wanting to gather in person, said an announcement from the Shasta County Health and Human Services Agency. Be clear: Say no to anything that could increase risk for you or the people you care about.

Besides Shasta County, other counties posting record average daily case rates since Nov. 18 include Calaveras, Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lassen, Mendocino, Plumas, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne and Yuba counties, The Times analysis found.

The rate of coronavirus transmission in Los Angeles County is now at the highest since the first few weeks of the pandemic. Officials now estimate that every infected person, on average, transmits the virus to 1.27 other people.

We have not seen [a transmission rate] this high in Los Angeles County since mid-March at the very beginning of the pandemic before any of the prevention or safety measures were put into place, said Dr. Christina Ghaly, the countys director of health services.

Thats an especially distressing number given that L.A. Countys seven-day average of new daily coronavirus cases is about 4,300. The county is on pace to see the number of new daily coronavirus cases double in two weeks and quadruple in a month, Ghaly said.

Just last week, nearly 200 people a day were being admitted to hospitals in L.A. County; that number is now close to 300 hospital admissions daily, Ghaly said Wednesday. If disease transmission doesnt dramatically change soon, hospitals in L.A. County could see anywhere from 375 to 1,000 new hospital admissions a day, she said.

Hospitals can ramp up their capacity if needed, but that ability for hospitals to be able to surge and open up additional beds is not endless, Ghaly warned; the number of available nurses and doctors who are trained in intensive care is limited.

Nursing homes are also seeing more cases. In remarks to the L.A. County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, the director of public health, Barbara Ferrer, said the county is seeing an increase in coronavirus cases among staff and residents at our skilled nursing facilities where many residents are medically fragile and at great risk for serious illness and death from COVID-19.

In the last week, Ferrer said Monday, the county reported an additional 842 coronavirus cases among healthcare workers.

This is the highest number of weekly cases we have seen in a very, very long time. And its a troubling increase, since it represents a huge number of new cases reported amongst healthcare workers just very recently, Ferrer said. The best way for each of us to show our gratitude is to take immediate actions that will stop spreading the virus.

The number of outbreaks is also growing. From Halloween to mid-November, L.A. County reported a 67% jump in outbreaks at worksites and a tripling of outbreaks at food facilities, which include restaurants, food processing facilities, grocery stores, bottling plants and other food-related businesses.

Case rates in several regions of the state have far exceeded levels seen since the summer months, The Times analysis found.

Over the last seven days, Southern California counties reported an average of 40 daily coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents. Thats almost 50% higher than the summer peak, which was 28 daily coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents in July. The rate is even worse in the rural northern third of the state, where it has skyrocketed to an average of 48 daily cases per 100,000 residents, up from an average of 12 daily cases in August.

Cases in the Sacramento region and on the Central Coast have risen 57% and 22%, respectively, above the highest levels seen in mid-August. The nine-county San Francisco Bay Area is reporting 18 average daily cases per 100,000 residents, matching its summer peak.

A region that includes the San Joaquin Valley, the Eastern Sierra and Yosemite is the only one in California with case rates lower than its summer wave, which was extraordinarily bad. Those counties reported an average of 37 daily coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents, well below the previous peak of 55. The case rates in this section of inland Central California, however, are still increasing at a dramatic pace, on par with most other regions of the state.

Bay Area officials warned that the sharp jump in that region, too, is in danger of maxing out hospital capacity if the situation doesnt change soon.

Even in our own county hospitals, were seeing a strain on ICU beds, said Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez.

As some of the nations busiest shopping days approach, officials in Silicon Valley said they would roll out a ramped-up enforcement effort to ensure that crowds dont form, stores adhere to capacity limits and people wear masks. Retailers can open at up to 25% of capacity in California counties in the most restrictive COVID-19 reopening tier, in which 95% of Californians live.

We do not want crowds. A crowded situation promotes the spread of COVID, said James Williams, county counsel for Santa Clara County.

Though officials had been issuing warnings before, a supersized staff of inspectors which will include firefighters is set to begin issuing citations that will result in fines.

In helping to enforce those pandemic restrictions, we can save lives, said Tony Bowden, chief of the Santa Clara County Fire Department.

Health officials have voiced grave concerns about reports of many people ignoring federal, state and local health recommendations to cancel travel plans for the Thanksgiving holiday. Authorities fear substantial travel will cause coronavirus transmission to further worsen, just as it did in China for the Lunar New Year, which fueled the initial spread that brought the contagious virus to the rest of the world.

Were hearing really distressing data that people are traveling. And thats not good, said Fenstersheib, the Santa Clara County coronavirus testing officer. With vaccines likely to be available in a matter of months, he urged the public to hold out on gatherings for just a few months longer.

Times staff writer Ryan Menezes contributed to this report.

Excerpt from:

New COVID-19 spike spreading to all of corners of California - Los Angeles Times

"This morning we received notification that Coach Saban tested positive for COVID-19," Dr. Jimmy Robinson, Alabama medical director and Jeff Allen, head football athletic trainer, said in a statement.

"He has very mild symptoms, so this test will not be categorized as a potential false positive. He will follow all appropriate guidelines and isolate at home."

Saban tested positive for the virus in October, but returned to the sidelines for the team's game against the University of Georgia on October 17 after it was determined to be a false positive under conference protocols, according to team physician Dr. Jimmy Robinson. The Crimson Tide won that game 41-24.

Other FBS head coaches such as Kansas' Les Miles and Arizona's Kevin Sumlin have also tested positive for Covid-19 this season.

No. 1 Alabama is scheduled to face No. 22 Auburn Tigers at home on Saturday. The team is currently undefeated with a 7-0 record, while rival Auburn sports a 5-2 record and is on a three-game winning streak.

Saban has been Alabama's head coach since 2007, and he has won five national championships during his tenure with the school.

Alabama has averaged over 1,000 new Covid-19 cases for 42 straight days, and the state saw it's highest seven-day average for new daily cases yesterday, according to Johns Hopkins University.

CNN's Jason Kurtz, Jill Martin, Alaa Elassar, Cesar Marin, Amanda Watts and Virginia Landmaid contributed to this report.

Originally posted here:

Alabama's Nick Saban tests positive for Covid-19 and is displaying symptoms - CNN

Staff members and incarcerated individuals are beginning to see spikes in COVID-19 infections in Maryland prisons, echoing upward trends in other areas of the state.

This content was republished with permission from WTOPs news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up forMaryland Matters free email subscriptiontoday.

Staff members and incarcerated individuals are beginning to see spikes in COVID-19 infections in Maryland prisons, echoing upward trends in other areas of the state.

Maryland Matterscompiled a database of confirmed COVID-19 infections among inmates and department staff at the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, finding that 1,349 inmates and 1,003 staff members have been infected since the pandemics start.

The data, made publicly available byMarylands Open Data Portal, is a weekly snapshot of confirmed cases across state and local congregate living facilities dating back to April 29.

These figures only capture new positive COVID-19 tests for the reported week, and do not account for any recoveries among either population.

While cases continue to trend upwards across the department, some facilities are seeing alarming surges.

The number of infections among inmates at North Branch Correctional Institution in Cumberland jumped by almost 130 in one week, and have increased dramatically at MCI-Hagerstown and Roxbury Correctional Institution in Western Maryland since early September.

November has shown a slight uptick for both staff and inmates at Jessup Correctional Institute in Anne Arundel County. But the last month-and-a-half have presented a stark upward trend at the Eastern Correctional Institution on the Eastern Shore, projecting what could be a rough winter season.

Once the inmates got it, the officers are going to get it or vice versa, AFSCME Council 3 President Patrick Moran toldMaryland Mattersin an interview last week. Its never gonna affect one subsection of the population unless they get it really early and theyve quarantined these people and its just you dont know.

Its gonna affect everyone. Its always going to affect everyone.

Mark Vernarelli, spokesman for the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, said in a statement that the agency continues to adhere to guidelines put forth by the Maryland Department of Health.

Some areas of the state are seeing an increase in cases, and since COVID is transmitted in communities everywhere, the Department continues to implore its employees to take precautions and follow all health guidelines in and outside of their workplaces, he said.

As of Nov. 25, the departments website reported confirmed COVID-19 cases among 949 staff members and 1,468 inmates. Since the start of the pandemic, two department employees and 13 incarcerated individuals have died.

Moran saidthat, early on in the pandemic, the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services was more proactive in its attempt to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But then they ramped everything down, just sort of like, We dont need to worry about this now, oh we got it under control, he explained. Its just totally and absolutely nave and irresponsible.

In the spring, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr (R) ordered the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services to conduct universal testing in an effort to target the virus behind prison walls.

But their testing tactic has shifted.

Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services Secretary Robert Green told members of the House Judiciary Committee last Friday that staff members are tested on a monthly basis, save for workers at the Baltimore Central Booking and Intake Center who are tested weekly.

Since late August, the department has been conducting serial testing of the incarcerated population in addition to testing inmates upon their entry to the facility.

According to Dr. Clifford Mitchell, director of the Environmental Health Bureau for the Maryland Department of Health, serial testing involves 60 to 70 people from each facility being tested in order to manage outbreaks of the virus.

Moran says that serial testing is not the way to prevent COVID-19s spread in Marylands state prisons.

Look, youve got to test people on a regular basis and youve got to test everyone. Thats the only way youre going to be able to control things, he asserted. Even if they confine things and they limit activity, they still cant practice social distancing, theyre still people exposed to each other, theres still people that are going to come in contact with each other.

Its just impossible, Moran stressed. So thats why they have to have more aggressive programs.

According to Green, approximately 1,247 incarcerated individuals are tested weekly; there are about 18,000 prisoners in state custody.

The agencys medical contractors began serially testing the state prison population in late August, and have since completed 15,745 tests.

I can tell you this total is dated it literally changes hour to hour, Green said Friday.

As of Nov. 17, the department had conducted 66,305 COVID-19 tests in total.

The department continues to significantly expand and utilize COVID-19 testing capacity and protocol, said Green before the House committee.

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COVID-19 Infections On The Rise In Marylands Prisons - WTOP

"We can confirm that on November 25, Acting Deputy Administrator John Barsa tested positive for COVID-19 after receiving a rapid diagnostic test," acting USAID spokesperson Pooja Jhunjhunwala said in a statement to CNN on Wednesday.

"The Acting Deputy Administrator has been isolating since he began exhibiting symptoms late Monday, November 23, and will continue to until a retest is conclusive."

Barsa, a Trump political appointee, has been regularly going to the office and holding meetings, including with officials from the White House, without a mask, a source familiar with the situation told CNN.

The source also said the Biden transition team has been informed about Barsa's diagnosis, and that Barsa had not met with them.

Jhunjhunwala said that "since the beginning of the pandemic, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has prioritized the health and safety of our employees, and taken seriously the guidelines for safety protocols and physical distancing issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

A growing number of lawmakers from both parties and chambers of Congress have also announced they've tested positive.

Rep. Rick Allen, a Republican from Georgia, and Rep. Susie Lee, a Democrat from Nevada, announced separately on Wednesday that they had contracted the virus.

As of Wednesday evening, there were at least 12.7 million cases of Covid-19 in the US and more than 261,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

The average number of new daily cases across a week in the US was 174,225 on Tuesday -- the highest on record, and more than 2 1/2 times greater than the previous peak in late July.

Multiple state reports dated November 22 and obtained by CNN show a critical assessment from the task force at a time when it says Americans must undertake "significant behavior change," urging state and local officials to take proactive steps toward those ends.

This story has been updated with additional information Wednesday.

Link:

Acting head of USAID tests positive for Covid-19 - CNN

CHICAGO (CBS) This Thanksgiving has by no means been a regular holiday.

COVID-19 has meant the smells of pies and turkey from Grandma, and the hugs and kisses from loved-ones, have been replaced with virtual meetups and well-wishes.

CBS 2s Steven Graves had a look Thursday about how people were rethinking Thanksgiving. The Groth-Searle clan in Chicago let him into a pre-dinner virtual conversation, with the inevitable occasional distraction.

People chimed in once everyone could log into Zoom, video or not.

We all get on though thats the thing, said family friend Carlson White. We all find a way.

Normally, the family and friends would be joined around a table. But the virtual alternative does not take away from the thankful spirits.

I am currently thankful to be healthy and at home, said family friend Mallory Backman.

Im just grateful that we can even if we cant get together typically, that we can do this in this way, said grandmother Mary Galvez. It still offers connection.

Love and happiness many blessings coming our way, White said.

It was also a unique Thanksgiving in many ways for new parents Josh and Lauren Ruge. They are confined to a hospital room in Hoffman Estates with a 2-day-old son.

Hes our little Thanksgiving turkey, Josh Ruge said. Hopefully, the most unique Thanksgiving we ever have.

Nurses and doctors at the hospital became temporary family.

They do have like a special Thanksgiving meal, said Josh Ruge. Theyre all great considering whats going on right now.

It is a situation that is by no means easy to navigate for mom and son though.

Its a lot, said Lauren Ruge. You know, obviously we have the emotions of having a new son and then its just so different with coronavirus. Everyone is masked up. I have to remember to take my mask off so he can see my face.

And while for most loved ones, a smiling face by computer screen is all they will see this Thanksgiving, it makes some moments even more special.

Even more people are swapping home-cooked meals for takeout. Graves takes us to restaurants swamped with orders on Hour 18 Thursday evening.

Also From CBS Chicago:

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COVID-19 Has Meant A Virtual Thanksgiving For Many, But Spirit Of Thanks Remains - CBS Chicago

Chris Varjabedians first stop after picking up his grandmother Zizi from her nursing facility was the salon. She hadnt left the Mission Hills nursing home since March, before the COVID-19 pandemic erupted locally, and needed to get her hair and nails done if she was going to be home finally for the big holiday.

She was on Cloud Nine, like being in Disneyland, said Varjabedian, 34. Shes really happy and in good spirits, and grateful to spend Thanksgiving with her family.

Limited outdoor visits and calls from behind windows just hadnt been enough for Varjabedian, who stops by Ararat Nursing Facility every Sunday to spend time with his grandmother whom he got extra close with after his fathers death. So, after the better part of a year apart and a family decision that ensuring Zizis mental health was worth the risk of bringing her home, they did just that on Wednesday.

Resident Dikran Hamparian, left, poses for a picture with executive director Margarita Kechichian, right, on Thanksgiving at Ararat Nursing Facility in Mission Hills.

(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

Its so rewarding, said his mother, Suzy Varjabedian, of seeing Zizi light up at the chance of being with family again.

In a normal year, Thanksgiving is a festive time at many hospitals, nursing homes and other care facilities. Family members of patients stream in to pick up their loved ones, or bustle in with food to have fun there. They hug and laugh with their relatives, pushing back against the weight of whatever illness or injury has brought them there.

But in 2020, amid the latest surge of COVID-19 cases in Southern California and across the country which on Thursday included 37 new deaths and more than 5,000 new cases in L.A. County alone much of that has been curtailed. Hospitals and other facilities have implemented safety protocols severely restricting visitors, and in some instances banning them, in a desperate effort to ward off the spread of the virus.

Into the void have walked doctors and nurses, care providers and technicians, hospital facilities staff and administrators some of whom are bound by the Hippocratic Oath to care for patients, all of whom have accepted personal health risks and intense mental and emotional fatigue to stare down the greatest medical threat of a generation and push forward, day after day, to help those in its crosshairs.

Cedars-Sinai Medical ICU staff pose for a photograph during a Thanksgiving shift. From left: Christopher Newell, RN; Yuhwen Tseng, RN; Anita Girard, VP Nursing; Olga Martinez, RN; Karen Estrella, RN.

(Cedars-Sinai)

There are also the families of the elderly, ill or otherwise vulnerable, desperate to make the right decisions for their loved ones on a holiday even more oriented around family gatherings than most. Some are choosing head over heart and staying away, others deciding time together is too crucial to pass up during an already lonely year. Still others are trying to find some sort of balance, visiting through window panes or in socially distanced outdoor settings forgoing the tactile comforts of a good holiday hug for fear that it might turn out to be a deadly embrace.

Those who are keeping their distance are leaving their loved ones in the care of health workers who themselves are sacrificing family time. Many said Thursday that they were doing their duty, showing up as they have for months on end, despite the fatigue.

We should be very thankful that we do have such a great healthcare system that has pivoted in just a matter of months to improve treatment and take care of people, said Dr. Bill Stringer, a pulmonary critical care physician and head of the pulmonary division at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. Its an army.

Executive Director Margarita Kechichian gestures to a resident on Thanksgiving at Ararat Nursing Facility in Mission Hills.

(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

Stringer, 63, said he signed up to work the Thanksgiving holiday so younger colleagues with families could be at home. This year, that means dealing with patients who are critically ill from COVID-19 and the strange circumstances that come with the associated precautions like trying to help patients communicate electronically with family members who cant be in the hospital, even as some patients approach death.

Thats obviously hard on the family, hard on the patient, but its hard on us too, because we have to be the ones who are there in the last minutes, the last seconds of peoples lives, Stringer said.

Still, Stringer said he wouldnt want to be anywhere else this year. Being a healthcare provider is a gift, he said, and I think were all thankful for that.

Ronnel Leones has always made it a point to put on a happy face when he makes rounds and sits at the bedsides of patients at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Downey. Coming from a big family of nurses including his wife, his mom and dad, his twin brother and his sister-in-law Leones said he wants to make his family proud and do right by his patients by giving his all.

Nurse Ronnel Leones poses for a portrait at the Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Downey.

(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

But that instinct has never been more important than this year, he said, when the extra effort might be as simple as giving a patient an extra clean shave so he can look his best for a FaceTime call home to family.

We want patients here to feel loved, cared for. Its what they deserve, and its what we signed up for, Leones said in the middle of a Thanksgiving shift Thursday. We want to show resiliency and hope.

Leones, a 34-year-old father of two girls ages 5 and 6, contracted COVID-19 himself in March, along with one of his closest friends. He recovered, but his friend an otherwise healthy 38-year-old died, he said. For weeks he was terrified his daughters would get sick.

Now, back at work, Leones believes his own experience with the illness has helped him treat patients in the intensive care unit. He said this year has been tough, but days like Thursday working the holiday away from family have been made easier by the bonds that hospital staff have made with one another after such a tough year.

Its about our camaraderie, he said. We give hope to each other.

Erika Flores Uribe, an emergency medicine physician at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, was working a 7 a.m.-to-3 p.m. shift on Thursday. Usually on Thanksgiving, doctors and nurses have a big potluck lunch, she said. Not wanting to gather this year, they just ordered pizza, she said. But the shift seemed extra special.

Having grown up in southeast L.A., seeing COVID-19 disproportionately affect communities of color there has made her work this year feel personal, and being at the hospital on Thanksgiving helping Spanish-speaking patients feel more comfortable by conversing with them in their native tongue all the more important, she said.

The way that weve shown up every day, especially the holidays, really reflects that oath we took to take care of the community, she said.

Joel Clark, an emergency room technician, was spending his Thanksgiving working at El Centro Regional Medical Center as part of a traveling assignment to help hospitals across the country. The 22-year-old, spending his first big holiday away from his family in Santa Cruz, described his 12-hour holiday shift as part of a team effort one in which he knows some of his patients are homesick just like he is.

Not only am I alone here, but the patients are, too. They dont have access to family members visiting. So its like were all together, he said. It kind of feels like a community. Were kind of all alone, but were still here.

Dr. Nikhil Barot, a pulmonary critical care physician at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, said he was working day shifts Thursday and through the weekend, assisting staff as they watch over ICU patients with COVID-19 as his superstar wife a nurse on leave watched over their 5-month-old twins at home.

Even at night, he takes calls, as he did Wednesday night. Four times between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. Thursday, staff reached out to him about a COVID-19 patient who was crashing. Despite their best efforts, the patient died, he said.

Barot said he and other medical staff fear a coming wave of new patients. They will be there to meet it, he said, but they hope people outside of hospitals will do their part to flatten the curve wearing masks, washing their hands, following the directions from public health officials.

Jeanie Bergen, 36, left, visits her sister Edna Bergen, 37, at the care facility where Edna lives. Jeanie is the guardian of Edna, who has an intellectual disability, but has been unable to visit her in person for much of this year due to COVID-19 restrictions.

(Jeanie Bergen)

Jeanie Bergen, 36, hopes for the same for her and her sisters sake.

Bergens sister Edna, 37, has intellectual disabilities and lives in a care facility in the Valley. Bergen is her sisters guardian, with their parents having passed away, and tries to visit her as much as possible. But in recent months, the facility locked down completely after having several COVID-19 cases among staff and residents.

Finally this week, Bergen was able to visit again, but only from a distance. She and her sister sat outside, socially distanced. It was a comfort after only seeing her sister through a pane of glass for so long, Bergen said, but they still couldnt communicate by holding hands and sitting close and hugging, as they always have.

It was hard, especially when she thought about others in Los Angeles who have not heeded public health messages to stop the spread of the virus.

I wish people would realize that we are all connected and their choices affect other people that they will never meet, she said. I cant hold my sisters hand, I cant take her in the car, I cant explain to her why none of that is happening. Its really hard. Its painful. And I just have to pray every day and hope that theres not another outbreak.

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Amid COVID-19 surge, health workers and families do their Thanksgiving best - Los Angeles Times

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Nearly 900 people spent Thanksgiving in St. Louis hospitals fighting COVID-19 - KMOV.com

Decisions made on Thanksgiving Day will determine the trajectory of the pandemic for the rest of 2020 and likely into the new year.

We are here for you, but how we behave and how we work together over these next several days and weeks will really determine capacity across our hospital systems, Susan Stacey, chief operating officer at Providence hospitals in Spokane, told reporters Wednesday.

Statewide hospitalizations for COVID-19 have doubled in the month of November alone, and have nearly reached the peak levels from March.

On Nov. 1, there were 471 Washington residents being treated for COVID-19 in hospitals statewide. Just 23 days later, there are currently more than 1,000 Washington residents hospitalized for COVID-19.

These trends parallel what is happening in Spokane County, where hospitalizations continue to break previous records nearly every day over the last two weeks.

As of Wednesday, there were 123 COVID-19 patients across the countys four hospitals, executives from MultiCare Deaconess Hospital and Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center said. All Spokane hospitals still have capacity, but that does not eliminate the need to drive down community transmission.

Hospitals are predicting and expecting a surge in coronavirus cases in the coming weeks; however, what happens on Thanksgiving could determine what hospitals will experience well into December and January.

Modelers at the Institute for Disease Modeling found that if people followed the governors restrictions , it could begin to affect transmission of the virus, slowing the increase in case counts and hospitalizations by the end of November.

If people continue to gather, by early December, hospital admissions could double the peak numbers the state saw in late March, the report says.

COVID-19 cases are growing exponentially statewide, including in all five of the states largest counties: Clark, King, Pierce, Snohomish and Spokane.

In the last three days, the Spokane Regional Health District has confirmed 1,216 cases. In the last week, the district confirmed 2,340 cases. Of the countys 15,745 cases, only 61.5% of those cases are considered recovered.

While local and state health departments did not release new case counts on Thanksgiving, epidemiologists and health workers did work at Spokane Regional Health District and other local health jurisdictions to continue to call people who have tested positive for the virus.

Statewide, adults from 25 to 59 are testing positive in the highest volumes .

The governors order closing restaurants for indoor dining, limiting capacity in retail stores and prohibiting gatherings is set to expire on Monday, Dec. 14. On Wednesday, State Health Officer Kathy Lofy said it was too early to determine whether that date would be extended.

Im not seeing a lot of positive signals in our data right now, but well be watching it really closely, she said.

Arielle Dreher's reporting for The Spokesman-Review is funded in part by Report for America and by members of the Spokane community. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspapers managing editor.

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Thanksgiving could be the turning point for the COVID-19 surge or not - The Spokesman-Review

Red Bull's sporting director Jonathan Wheatley will miss Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix after testing positive for COVID-19, the Formula One team said on Thursday.

"We can confirm that during mandatory pre-race testing in the UK, Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley tested positive for COVID-19," the former champions said on Twitter.

"In accordance with official protocols he will continue to isolate for the 10-day period and not attend the Bahrain Grand Prix."

The team said its trackside operations will not be affected with no other members needing to isolate. Wheatley's duties will be shared by a number of team personnel, Red Bull added.

Red Bull, who are second in the overall standings behind champions Mercedes, are the latest team to have registered a positive COVID-19 case.

Earlier this month the Williams team said it had registered a number of positive COVID-19 cases including acting team principal Simon Roberts who missed the last race in Turkey.

Racing Point have had both their drivers, Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll as well as team owner Lawrence Stroll, test positive while Mercedes have also had COVID-19 cases.

A McLaren employee tested positive at the Australian Grand Prix which was then cancelled in March.

Formula One embarked on a shortened 17-race season in July with strict rules and teams operating in bubbles within bubbles. Personnel cannot access the paddock without a negative result and are tested every five days. Teams also do their own tests.

Bahrain marks the start of a whirlwind floodlit Middle Eastern triple-header that wraps up the season.

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Red Bull sporting director Wheatley tests positive for COVID-19 - ESPN