Today on AirTalk, we update you on the latest COVID-19 news and answer your questions. Also on the show, we discuss the need for civic education in California schools; examine what the pandemic has revealed about friendships between men; and more.
COVID-19: California ICU Capacity Outlook, UK Warns Of Severe Allergic Reactions To Pfizer Vaccine
In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Tim Brewer from UCLA.
Today’s topics include:
ICUs are filling up. Where does SoCal stand?
UK warning those with severe allergies to avoid Pfizer vaccine
Outdoor CA playgrounds can reopen
Trial shows Chinese vaccine is 86% effective
WSJ: Scientists investigate whether exposure to early coronavirus helped Asia fight COVID-19
The argument for producing generic coronavirus vaccines
Should people still wear masks after they’re vaccinated?
Guest:
Timothy Brewer, M.D., epidemiologist and professor of medicine at UCLA’s school of public health; has served on the advisory boards of the World Health Organization, the National Institutes of Health, and the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Speaking With A Member Of The FDA Panel Meeting To Decide Whether To Recommend Approval Of The US’s First COVID-19 Vaccine
The U.S. is taking a major step this week towards the approval of the nation’s first COVID-19 vaccine as an independent panel of experts convened by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will meet on Thursday to discuss whether the evidence is strong enough to recommend emergency use authorization (EUA) of the vaccine developed by Pfizer and German biotechnology company BioNTech.
Thursday’s public meeting will be closely watched by health authorities around the world and is considered key to bolstering confidence in the shots amid skepticism about vaccine safety among many Americans. A final FDA decision and the first shots could follow within just days.
The meeting comes after U.S. regulators on Tuesday released their first scientific evaluation of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine and confirmed it offers strong protection, setting the stage for the government to green light the biggest vaccination effort in the nation’s history. FDA scientists reanalyzed data from Pfizer’s huge, still-unfinished study and found that so far, the vaccine appears safe and more than 90% effective across patients of different ages, races and underlying health conditions. The FDA specifically confirmed it works well in older people, who are especially vulnerable to the virus.
Today on AirTalk, we’ll speak with one of the independent advisers on the FDA panel that meets Thursday to find out more about what exactly the panel will discuss during its meeting and the specific considerations she will be taking as she sees and hears the evidence.
With files from the Associated Press
Guest:
Archana Chatterjee, M.D., vice president of medical affairs and dean of the Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, a private health sciences university in North Chicago, Illinois; she is a member of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, which is meeting Thursday to discuss emergency use authorization of Pfizer’s and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine
With Heightened Polarization, Should CA Schools be Investing More In Civic Learning?
California public schools are lacking when it comes to civic learning and democratic engagement, according to a new Leveraging Equity and Access in Democratic Education (LEADE) report.
The report found that only about 15% of schools mentioned civic education in their mission statements, and most students don’t experience substantial civic learning through their school. There’s also little staffing to support civic education agendas. Researchers who authored the report say the findings reveal an urgent need to invest more in this type of societal learning. By doing so, they say students can move into adulthood capable of thoughtfully engaging with others and participating in the democratic process. They argue this is especially important given current political polarization and misinformation. Today on AirTalk, we discuss the findings of the report and consider the challenges at play when it comes to heightened polarization. Are you a teacher who has experience with civic education? Do you think schools need to focus more attention on it? What challenges have you faced? Are you a parent or student? What would you like to see included in civic learning? Share your thoughts or questions by calling 866-893-5722.
Guest:
Joseph Kahne, professor of policy and politics at UC Riverside, where he’s also co-director of the Civic Engagement Research Group, he’s one of the authors of a new report looking at civic learning in California schools; he tweets
On Day 3 Of California’s Updated Stay-At-Home Order, What Are You Seeing In Your Community?
Late Sunday night, a stay-at-home order went into effect that will effectively keep much of Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley under state restrictions for at least three weeks.
The order comes as many ICUs in the state are filling up with patients, circumstances that are becoming increasingly dire as limited emergency resources and personnel are stretched. Some restaurants in cities like Pasadena had previously been holding out against LA County’s ban on outdoor dining, but have since been targeted in the stricter state order. Outdoor dining closures have been met with widespread resistance from restaurants, who fear the financial hit from losing that source of revenue.
In contrast to the spring, many Californians have described feeling fatigued by the restrictions and the whiplash of so many reopenings and closures. Under the new state guidelines, even meeting with a friend outdoors is not permitted, though stores remain open. Many residents, exhausted and confused by the guidelines, may not be doing much to change their behavior.
What are you seeing in your communities? If you are a restaurant owner or worker, how are you doing? Have customers been supporting your takeout business? We want to hear from you! Give us a call at 866-893-5722.
Local Economists Weigh In On UCLA Anderson Forecast Predicting Strong American Economic Recovery After Mass Vaccinations
On Wednesday UCLA economists released their quarterly Anderson Forecast, in which researchers predicted an enthusiastic economic rebound through the 2020s.
“The ’20s will be roaring, but with several months of hardship first,” reads the forecast. “These next few months will be dire, with rising COVID infections, continued social distancing, and the expiration of social assistance programs.” The forecast assumes Americans will be vaccinated en masse by summer, releasing pent-up demand and driving annualized growth from 1.3% in the current quarter to 6% in next year’s second quarter, and 3% for each subsequent quarter after into 2023. The report also predicts that California’s recovery will mirror the national picture. California joblessness will drop from 8.9% in the last quarter of this year to 6.9% in 2021 and 4.4% in 2023 according to predictions. But that still leaves it higher than the pre-pandemic rate of 3.9%, in February 2020.
Today on AirTalk, we’re learning more about the UCLA Anderson Forecast and what it predicts for national and statewide recovery. Questions? Leave them below or give us a call at 866-893-5722.
NOTE: Our guests were not involved with the UCLA Anderson Forecast quarterly report. The authors had prior engagements during our air time that could not be rescheduled, but they joined our sister show, Take Two, after the airing of this segment to share and contextualize their quarterly report. You can hear that interview by visiting Take Two's show page here.
Guests:
Manfred Keil, professor at of economics and finance at Claremont McKenna College and chief economist at the Inland Empire Economic Partnership
Eugene Cornelius, Jr., senior director of the Center for Regional Economics and California Center at The Milken Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan economic think tank; he has held several public service positions, most recently as senior advisor to the Office of International Trade in the U.S. Small Business Administration
How The Pandemic Is Forcing Some Men To Examine The True Depth Of Their Friendships
For many of us, the pandemic has been eye-opening in terms of exposing just how reliant we are on social interactions with our friends to help provide us a sense of purpose.
With bars and restaurants closed in many states and private gatherings frowned upon if not prohibited as well, Friday nights out at the club or pub crawling across your favorite neighborhood have been replaced with things like Zoom game nights that we can conduct from the safety of our homes.
And as a recent Washington Post article details, this change has been particularly challenging for male friendships. Experts say while women’s relationships with one another are often rooted in face-to-face interactions like going out for a coffee or grabbing lunch, men’s relationships thrive more on “shoulder-to-shoulder” interactions like watching sports or playing video games. The Washington Post also surveyed male readers and said it got responses from lots of men who said they found themselves having long phone chats or going on walks with their male friends and actually having deeper conversations catching up on life and its challenges instead of just shooting the breeze about the score of the game last week.
Today on AirTalk, we’ll discuss how the pandemic has changed male relationships and maybe even made some deeper than they were before. If you have a friendship that has changed in this way, share your live experience by calling us at 866-893-5722.
Guest:
Geoffrey Greif, professor of social work at the University of Maryland and author of several books, including “Buddy System: Understanding Male Friendships” (Oxford University Press, August 2008)