Today on AirTalk, we update you on the latest COVID-19 news and answer your questions. Also on the show, we discuss entertainment guilds calling for a halt to local production as COVID-19 surge continues, update you on the latest political news; and more.
COVID-19 AMA: US Death Toll Tops 350,000 As Cases Surge Into New Year
In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine at the UCSF Medical Center.
Topics today include:
U.S. coronavirus cases top 350,000
L.A. County’s new mandatory quarantine order for travelers is now official
LAT: Workplaces in L.A. hit hard with coronavirus
L.A. homeless sites overrun with COVID-19
New coronavirus strain detected in Big Bear
Outbreak at San Jose hospital blamed on inflatable costume
WSJ op-ed: It’s time to consider delaying the second dose of the coronavirus vaccine
U.K. spacing out coronavirus vaccine doses, against Pfizer’s recommendation
The U.K. is also the first country to start using doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine
Guest:
Peter Chin-Hong, M.D., infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine at the UCSF Medical Center; he tweets
Entertainment Guilds Call For Local Production Hold As COVID-19 Cases Surge And Hospitals Face Crisis
Sunday evening, the film and television labor union SAG-AFTRA joined with the Joint Policy Committee (JPC) and the Producers Guild of America (PGA) to call for a halt to local production.
The guilds released the recommendation in response to surging COVID-19 cases in the Southern California region, putting hospitals in a capacity crisis. “Southern California hospitals are facing a crisis the likes of which we have never seen before,” said SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris in a press release. “Patients are dying in ambulances waiting for treatment because hospital emergency rooms are overwhelmed. This is not a safe environment for in-person production right now.” She cited not only the risk of workers contracting COVID-19 on set, but also that if a crew member were to be injured in a work-related accident, their access to good care could be jeopardized in an overwhelmed hospital.
Today on AirTalk, we want to hear from you. If you work in entertainment, are productions going forward, or have they been put on hiatus? If you’re a union worker, what do you make of the call to halt production? And if you work in non-union entertainment, what are you seeing on set? Give us a call at 866-893-5722.
If you're on a production set that is not following COVID-19 protocols, you can report it anonymously here: 844-723-3773
Guest:
David White, national executive director of SAG-AFTRA; he tweets
As Coronavirus Vaccine Rollout Continues, What Are Some Of The Ethical Questions We (And Public Health Experts) Will Be Considering?
The first doses of two different coronavirus vaccines are being distributed to frontline health care workers and people living in long-term care facilities, with people 75 and older who are not in a nursing home setting and essential workers next in line to be immunized. But who should qualify as an essential worker? Should essential workers get the vaccine before people 75 and older? These are just some of the ethical questions we’ll be asking as more doses of the vaccines are administered in the U.S. and worldwide.
One issue that ethicists expect to be front and center is the verification of who has been vaccinated, who hasn’t, and how being vaccinated may allow you to do certain things that your unvaccinated peers can’t? The New York Times reported that major airlines like United and Jet Blue are expected to introduce an app that will verify virus test results, and eventually vaccination status, for passengers. This method could start being used by employers, schools, businesses and more as more doses of the vaccine are administered, and some medical ethicists worry this could create winners and losers, shutting those who haven’t been vaccinated out of parts of society that people who have would be able to access.
Today on AirTalk, medical ethicist Dr. Aaron Kheriaty from the UC Irvine School of Medicine joins Larry Mantle to talk about this and other ethical considerations that will be made as doses of the coronavirus vaccine continue to be administered. Have a question for Dr. Kheriaty? Join our live conversation by calling 866-893-5722.
Guest:
Aaron Kheriaty, M.D., professor of psychiatry at UCI School of Medicine and director of the Medical Ethics Program at UCI Health; he has served as a consultant on Covid response, ventilator triage, and vaccine allocation to the UC Office of the President, the California Department of Public Health, and the Orange County Department of Health; he is also a member of the Orange County COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force; he tweets
Politics Roundup: Trump Pressures GA Officials To Recalculate Votes, Pelosi Re-Elected House Speaker And More
Today on AirTalk, Larry talks with experts on the latest politics news.
Today’s topics include:
Trump pressures Georgia officials to recalculate votes
CA Rep. Ted Liu, fellow House Dem makes referral to FBI for investigation of Trump call
GOP members of Congress say they’ll object to electoral votes
Nancy Pelosi narrowly reelected as House speaker
Plans for Biden’s inauguration
The latest on Georgia runoff
Georgia campaigns attempt to mobilize young voters
What happened to the push for $2,000 stimulus checks?
Guests:
Anna Edgerton, politics editor for Bloomberg; she tweets
Zach Courser, co-director of the policy lab and visiting assistant professor of government at Claremont McKenna College; he tweets
Rory Little, professor of law at UC Hastings where he focuses on criminal and constitutional law; he tweets
Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), Congressman representing California’s 28 Congressional District, which includes Burbank, parts of Pasadena, and Glendale; chairman of the House Intelligence Committee; he tweets