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Podcasts Take Two
What To Know About UK's New COVID-19 Variant, Coronavirus Outbreaks Tick Up At LA County's Child Care Facilities, How Contagious Acts of Kindness Can Save Us
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Dec 21, 2020
Listen • 49:19
What To Know About UK's New COVID-19 Variant, Coronavirus Outbreaks Tick Up At LA County's Child Care Facilities, How Contagious Acts of Kindness Can Save Us

What to know about the UK's new COVID-19 variant, coronavirus outbreaks tick up at childcare facilities and how to give this holiday season because kindness is contagious.
This picture taken on November 18, 2020 shows a syringe and a bottle reading "Vaccine Covid-19" next to the Moderna biotech company logo. - The CEO of Moderna warned European countries on November 17 that dragging out negotiations to purchase its promising new Covid-19 vaccine will slow down deliveries, as other nations that have signed deals will get priority. The biotech company Pfizer said the day after that a completed study of its experimental Covid-19 vaccine showed it is 95 percent effective, after Moderna said its own vaccine was 94.5 percent effective, according to a preliminary analysis. (Photo by JOEL SAGET / AFP) / -- IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE -- (Photo by JOEL SAGET/AFP via Getty Images)
This picture taken on November 18, 2020 shows a syringe and a bottle reading "Vaccine Covid-19" next to the Moderna biotech company logo. - The CEO of Moderna warned European countries on November 17 that dragging out negotiations to purchase its promising new Covid-19 vaccine will slow down deliveries, as other nations that have signed deals will get priority. The biotech company Pfizer said the day after that a completed study of its experimental Covid-19 vaccine showed it is 95 percent effective, after Moderna said its own vaccine was 94.5 percent effective, according to a preliminary analysis. (Photo by JOEL SAGET / AFP) / -- IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE -- (Photo by JOEL SAGET/AFP via Getty Images)
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JOEL SAGET/AFP via Getty Images
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What To Know About UK's New COVID-19 Variant

Though we got good news at the end of last week that vaccines from Moderna and the National Institutes of Health have been approved for emergency use, the coronavirus case count in California remains stubbornly high. On Monday, state officials reported more than 37-THOUSAND new cases and the state's positivity rate is now at 12 percent. Here in Los Angeles County, it's not looking too much better ... and now there is news from officials in England and South Africa and elsewhere of new, variant strains of the virus. How to make sense of it all?

Guest:

  • Paula Cannon, a virologist with USC's Keck School of Medicine

From Urban Planner to LA City Councilmember, Meet Nithya Raman

One of LA's newest councilmembers is Nithya Raman, who ran on a platform to better address homelessness in the city. She hit the ground running by introducing two motions on the issue. She joins Take Two to talk about her vision for what lawmakers could do better to help homeless Angelenos.

Guest:

  • Nithya Raman, LA City Council Member 

Respiratory Care Practitioner Dawn Rethmeier Shares Her Story about Working During Pandemic

As the global pandemic continues to stretch on and ICU bed capacities plummet across the states, frontline workers are being tested in an entirely new way and being pushed to the brink. In an effort to better understand hospital workers and first responders are going through, we've been bringing you their stories. Our next one story comes from Dawn Rethmeier, a respiratory care practitioner at Pomona Valley Hospital. Her job -- connecting, treating and disconnecting patients from ventilators - is a task that has become nearly unbearable as case numbers climb higher everyday.

Guest:

  • Dawn Rethmeier, respiratory care practitioner

Coronavirus Outbreaks Are Ticking Up At LA County's Child Care Facilities

Coronavirus outbreaks at child care facilities in Los Angeles County are ticking up as the surge in cases continues. While the number of cases is relatively small, concerns are rising among parents and providers. KPCC's Mariana Dale reports.

Kindess is Contagious - How That Can Help Us Now

The holiday season is a time of year where people engage in greater acts of kindness and generosity. Research shows that acts of kindness are contagious -- to those involved and to those who witness the actions. 

Guest:

  • Dan Fessler, Director of the Bedari Kindness Institute at UCLA