Today on AirTalk, we talk to newly-appointed Los Angeles district attorney George Gascón about the implementation of policies he ran on. Also on the show, we answer your COVID-19 questions and update you on the latest; tribute John Lennon on the anniversary of his death; and more.
COVID-19: FDA Says Pfizer Vaccine Is Effective, How Hospitals Are Handling Limited Capacity
In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Shruti Gohil, professor of medicine at UC Irvine.
Today’s topics include:
FDA says Pfizer vaccine is safe and effective
How are hospitals weighing tough decisions with limited capacity?
What happens if LA County hits ICU bed capacity?
Should hospitals consider cancelling elective surgeries?
WSJ: Scientists investigate whether exposure to early coronavirus helped Asia fight COVID-19
The argument for producing generic coronavirus vaccines
Has the Thanksgiving surge officially arrived?
Guest:
Shruti Gohil, M.D., professor of medicine and associate medical director for epidemiology and infection prevention at UC Irvine’s School of Medicine
Britain Commences Mass COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign
A retired British shop clerk received the first shot in the country’s COVID-19 vaccination program Tuesday, the start of an unprecedented global immunization effort intended to offer a route out of a pandemic that has killed 1.5 million.
Margaret Keenan, who turns 91 next week, got the shot at 6:31 a.m. on what public health officials have dubbed “V-Day.” She was first in line at University Hospital Coventry, one of several hospitals around the country that are handling the initial phase of the United Kingdom’s program. As luck would have it, the second injection went to a man named William Shakespeare, an 81-year-old who hails from Warwickshire, the county where the bard was born.
The U.K. is the first Western country to start a mass vaccination program after British regulators last week authorized the use of a COVID-19 shot developed by U.S. drugmaker Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech. U.S. and European Union regulators may approve the vaccine in the coming days or weeks, fueling a global immunization effort.
Britain’s program is likely to provide lessons for other countries as they prepare for the unprecedented task of vaccinating billions of people. U.K. health officials have been working for months to adapt a system geared toward vaccinating groups of people like school children and pregnant women into one that can rapidly reach much of the nation’s population.
Amid the fanfare that greeted Britain’s first shot, authorities warned that the vaccination campaign would take many months, meaning painful restrictions that have disrupted daily life and punished the economy are likely to continue until spring.
Other vaccines are also being reviewed by regulators around the world, including a collaboration between Oxford University and drugmaker AstraZeneca and one developed by U.S. biotechnology company Moderna.
With files from the Associated Press
Guest:
Rich Preston, senior journalist at the BBC World Service; he tweets
How The COVID-19 Pandemic Is Forcing Us To Rethink How We View And Approach Aging And Retirement
When the coronavirus pandemic is finally over, experts across the board say it’s likely Americans will have a very different view of what aging and retirement looks like.
The Wall Street Journal’s retirement reporter Anne Tergesen dives into what, exactly, this might look like in her recent piece “How Covid-19 Will Change Aging And Retirement.” Tergesen writes that while there will certainly be the obvious financial and practical considerations that people have to make as far as what retirement costs and how to save for it, the bigger changes will come in the form of things like more older Americans choosing to age at home as opposed to going to a nursing home or assisted living facility, which have been hotspots during the pandemic.
Technology is evolving as well, and new innovations that were already in the works before the pandemic are now being developed at an accelerated speed as more people are starting to look at what they need to be able to age comfortably at home. Experts say telemedicine is likely here to stay as well, and that could mean that older Americans and seniors getting care may become easier and more cost-effective. And that’s just the beginning.
Today on AirTalk, we want to hear from you -- how has the pandemic changed the way you are planning for aging and retirement? Have you had to make any concrete changes to either your plan, or if you’re already retired, your way of life as a direct result of the pandemic? What financial, personal, familial and other considerations are you having to make now that you didn’t before the pandemic? Join our live conversation by calling us at 866-893-5722.
Guests:
Anne Tergesen, reporter covering retirement for The Wall Street Journal and author of the recent article “How Covid-19 Will Change Aging And Retirement”; she tweets
Pinchas Cohen, M.D., professor of gerontology, medicine and biological sciences and dean of the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology at USC
LA County DA George Gascón On Eliminating Bail And Other Reforms
George Gascón took the oath of office Monday as Los Angeles County's 43rd district attorney, announcing a dizzying array of policy changes that include vows to lock up fewer people, end cash bail and seek the early release of thousands of state prison inmates whom he said are unfairly serving overly long sentences.
The new DA also made good on his campaign promises to stop seeking the death penalty, stop charging juveniles as adults, and to review hundreds of police shootings. In another big initiative, Gascón will no longer seek bail for anyone facing a misdemeanor charge or non-violent or non-serious felony. For defendants facing more serious or violent charges, Gascón has instructed prosecutors to ask judges to impose detention without bail. The new policy likely will result in the release of hundreds of people from L.A. County jails and a dramatically reduced jail population. Calling that move "just a first step," the D.A. said that by Jan. 1, "my office will roll out a plan to end money bail in L.A. in its entirety." Today on AirTalk, we talk with Gascón about his decision to eliminate bail and add context to other actions he plans to take as the new DA. Do you have thoughts or questions? Call 866-893-5722.
With files from LAist. Read the full story from Frank Stoltze here
Guests:
George Gascón, Los Angeles County district attorney, he’s the former district attorney for the city and county of San Francisco and former assistant chief of the Los Angeles Police Department; he tweets
Frank Stoltze, KPCC public safety correspondent; he tweets
40 Years After His Murder, John Lennon’s Musical And Personal Legacy Live On
After returning from a recording session with his wife Yoko Ono on December 8th, 1980, legendary Beatles frontman and songwriter John Lennon was shot four times in the back and shoulder as he returned to The Dakota apartment complex where he and Ono lived on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The shooter, Mark David Chapman, turned out to be a man for whom Lennon had autographed a copy of his album “Double Fantasy.” Chapman has been in jail ever since, and in a recent transcript from a hearing with a parole board, which denied his release for an 11th time, said that he did it because Lennon was famous and he sought self-glory.
40 years later, Lennon’s legacy continues as both a rock and roll legend and troubadour. His discography, including songs like his anthem for world peace “Imagine,” continue to resonate with generations beyond his own.
Today on AirTalk, we’ll remember John Lennon on the 40th anniversary of his murder and explore how his musical and personal legacy live on in 2020.
Guest:
Kenneth Womack, professor of English and popular music at Monmouth University in New Jersey, author of the book “John Lennon 1980: The Last Days in the Life” (Omnibus Press, September 2020) and co-host of the “Everything Fab Four Podcast” about the enduring influence of The Beatles; he tweets
Pandemic Be Damned! The LA Times 101 List, Highlighting The Top Restaurants In The Southland, Is Here
With in-person dining suspended across L.A. County due to spiking coronavirus case numbers and many restaurants shut down or on the brink of shutting down due to financial troubles, it may seem to some like an inopportune time for The Los Angeles Times to release its annual list of 101 restaurants that define how L.A. eats.
But, as restaurant critics Bill Addison and Patricia Escárcega write in their preview of this year’s list, the thought of foregoing the project altogether this year seemed just as bleak. The restaurants we love and the food they make, the critics write, have served as beacons of hope for many during the pandemic and given us something to look forward to -- our favorite meal from our favorite local spot -- in a time when it can often seem like there’s not much to which one can look forward. Not only that, they write, but the list’s release is also a testament to the resiliency of local restaurants, the majority of which have bent over backwards and replied “how high?” when asked to jump to meet state and local COVID safety requirements.
Today on AirTalk, we’ll talk with the L.A. Times restaurant critics who put together this year’s 101 list to hear more about the importance of still publishing the list this year, find out what some of their highlights are, and of course, learn who got the top spot in the rankings.
Guest:
, restaurant critic for The Los Angeles Times and co-author of The Times’ 101 List