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Podcasts Take Two
Coronavirus Hospital Prep, The OC Update, Corona Comedy: Ronny Chieng
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Apr 6, 2020
Listen • 51:37
Coronavirus Hospital Prep, The OC Update, Corona Comedy: Ronny Chieng

Gov. Newsom announced today that the state has expanded bed capacity, how homelessness is affecting the OC right now and some comedy relief with Ronny Chieng
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 13: California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a news conference at the California State Capitol on March 13, 2019 in Sacramento, California. Newsom announced today a moratorium on California's death penalty. California has 737 people on death row, the largest death row population in the United States. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 13: California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a news conference at the California State Capitol on March 13, 2019 in Sacramento, California. Newsom announced today a moratorium on California's death penalty. California has 737 people on death row, the largest death row population in the United States. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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Corona Hospital Prep

Governor Gavin Newsom announced today that the state has expanded bed capacity by re-opening hospitals like St. Vincent's Medical Center in Los Angeles. KPCC's Elly Yu has been following all of this and joins A Martinez to review hospital capacity and readiness to deal with the rise in COVID-19 cases.

Guest:

  • Elly Yu, KPCC's Investigative Reporter

Coronavirus Inequity

COVID-19 is a concern for each and every one of us right now - especially after a warning this weekend from Surgeon General Jerome Adams that this will be “the hardest and saddest week of most Americans’ lives.” But not all lives are disrupted equally. New data from USC shows that older people of color and others living on the margins will likely suffer far more during the pandemic. 

Guest:

  • Manuel Pastor, director of the USC Program for Environmental and Regional Equity

Ask an Expert - All Things Coronavirus

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported a jump in new COVID-19 cases today  - 1083 in the last 48 hours with 420 of those being diagnosed in the last day.

This spike of course comes as more testing is being done, but director Barbara Ferrer did have this warning: 

" There is a lot of virus circulating in our community, and you are not safe when you go out and about, so please only go out for those medical appointments that are essential."

She reinforced the need to stay home and if you MUST go out to please wear a clean face covering not an N95 mask, but a simple cloth cover over your nose and mouth. We have a tip on how to make one out of a T-Shirt on our website LAist.com. So with that, it's time to answer your questions about all of this. 

Guest:

  • Dr. Shruti Gohil, University of California Irvine 

Coronavirus Water Quality

Another question we've been asked: can we go in the ocean? Kimberly Prather, distinguished chair in atmospheric chemistry at UC San Diego, provides some answers.

Midshow Moment of Zen

With so much going on these days, it can be hard to find a little peace of mind. So - as often as possible - we're going to bring you encouraging words from members of our community to help you slow down... take a breath... and find peace. On this Friday, Curb Your Enthusiasm's Larry David has some wise words: stay home.

The OC Update

In this week's OC Update, we look at how homelessness in Orange County continues to be a major focus during the coronavirus crisis. We recap county officials' latest updates on this issue.

Guest:

  • Nick Gerda, the Voice of OC writer 

Corona Comedy: Ronny Chieng

If I can laugh at any mortal things 'tis that I may not weep. That philosophy kinda fits the bill right now. And for comedy, esp. stand up, right now, it has to be funny, obviously. Insightful reflection of the time, yep. And, ideally, it holds up as time goes by….but that last one is the hardest to fulfill. Ronny Chieng's Netflix special "Asian Comedian Destroys America" does all three. It was taped in the Alex Theater in Glendale LAST September and has only been out for a few months, but it feels so relevant to the time we're in now. So A Martinez reached out to him in Australia to talk about it.