National City Mayor Participates In COVID-19 Vaccine Trial

November 13, 2020 at 11:06 AM PST

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I encourage my residents to find out more about the vaccine trial itself. And so I hated my own advice. I'm Maureen Kavanaugh. This is KPBS mid-day edition. We'll examine why San Diego's in the purple while the Bay area settles into orange and yellow. You know, anytime there's sort of the hint of things moving in the wrong direction, they kind of respond to that tamps down on it. And our weekend, If you takes a look at San Diego's virtual performances from theater to ballet, stay with us for midday edition coming up Next. Now with more than a million cases of Corona virus documented in California, and more than a hundred thousand people being diagnosed in the U S each day, the COVID-19 news this week was grim, but there was also some hope results from the Pfizer vaccine trials are showing its vaccine is 90% effective, but the Pfizer vaccine is just one of several being tested, a major trial of a Johnson and Johnson vaccine is being conducted through UC San Diego. And today one prominent volunteer participated in that trial national city mayor Alejandro Sotelo Soliz was vaccinated this morning and she joins us now, mayor, welcome to the show. Thank you so much. First of all, how did the vaccination go this morning? I mean, was it just like getting a flu shot? It was, um, in addition to getting a blood drawn going on the scale, getting to nasal swabs, but yeah, it was just like the flu shot outside of those three new different components and filling out paperwork. But I think for the most part, the injection itself feels just like the flu shot. Why Did you want to volunteer for this Trial? Well, I think it's really important. Uh, you, you talked about, you know, the nation's number of COVID-19 infection rate and the positive rate going up. And for us in national city, we've been at the forefront, you know, battling in the pandemic from asking to testing sites, to providing resources to those who are impacted. So when we announced the partnership with UC San Diego for the vaccine trial site, I encouraged my residents to find out more about the vaccine trial itself. And so I hated my own advice. I actually looked it up. I found out what it took and one of the things that it asks if you'd had cancer, you know, within the year and last year had shared with the public that a mole that we had been monitoring was actually melanoma. And almost a year to the date, I was cleared a 100% cancer, free it to go. I got the thumbs up from my doctor and I got the thumbs up to participate in the trial because I was able to do that. Follow-up with my doctor and it's that type of checkup that helps the participants, you know, if they have those comorbidities or even cancer per se, to really see if they are qualified or eligible. Should I say for the, uh, COVID-19 trial? Yeah. Tell us a little bit more about what the screening process is like to see if you do qualify to be a test subject for this vaccine. Well, you have to fill out a really quick, uh, online survey and that's the initial, uh, COVID 19 sd.com website survey. And you send in your information and they've collected about 1800 names for that bank of potential participants. Once you fill that out, then you have another zoom interview, uh, where they will ask you additional questions, like a health screening. And then once you get accepted into the third phase or the screening, then you go and today, uh, was that portion for me where I got the blood draw, the two nasal swabs, the both the, the deep, for some people who have had the COVID-19 tests, you know what I'm talking about, the one that goes a little deeper and then just the initial one right in the nose. And then, you know, making sure that all of the paperwork, all the consents are done. And then after that they administer the vaccine. And again, it's a double blind study. So you can be one who receives the vaccine, or you can be one that receives a placebo. As in many of the trials around the nation, Right now the Johnson and Johnson vaccine trial was suspended for a time because one of the trial participants got sick. Are you concerned about having a bad reaction to the vaccine? If that is indeed? Well, you know, for me, knowing that they actually took that pause and were very purposeful. Uh, this is part of protocol for any vaccine and, um, I'm glad they actually took the time to, to do that and to stop because it means that the person who actually was affected, uh, whether it have been a reaction to the vaccine or not, I think it's really important to know that they value that person's participation and that they will stop if there are reactions. And so for me, that's why I felt that that trust, that safety in what was being done and the protocols that they were meeting. So it wasn't fear. It was okay. So what happens, they addressed it and then they were able to move on. Did the doctors give you any special instructions after you were vaccinated? Are you supposed to go home and rest? Well, I was observed for 30 minutes after the shot and I was able to learn a little bit more about what's symptoms to monitor for redness in the shot area, if there's any swelling, any headaches or fever, and you have a, an E diary that you keep. So any of those symptoms you can actually document and you have a 24 hour line as well. So if you feel something off, you can dial that number and speak to a medical professional, uh, to help maybe easier your concern or raise it to the next level to where, you know, maybe you have to follow up with, uh, one of the doctors there, Mayor, I wonder, are you encouraging more national city residents to sign up for this test? I am encouraging not only national city residents, but the diversity that is San Diego County. We know Latinos have been disproportionately impacted, uh, but I would encourage all within our community to consider, uh, participating because we are the makeup of, of San Diego County, African American, Filipino, Vietnamese. We need to know what and how we can all contribute to the solution of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. And this is one way to do it. I've been speaking with national city mayor Alejandro Sotelo. So Elise, I hope you have a very peaceful weekend with no side effects. Thank you so much for speaking with us. Thank you so much. Well, San Diego County slipped backwards to the purple tier Bay area counties have moved forward in the system meant to control COVID-19 spread. Much of the Bay area has moved to the less restrictive yellow and orange tiers KPBS, investigative reporter, Claire Treg assert tells us the reasons why come down to timing, politics, demographics, and public health histories On March 16th, San Francisco, mayor London breed had a press conference, her message that day shaped her city's future for months to come. The new public health order that we're announcing will require San Franciscans To remain at home With exceptions only for essential outings. The Bay area was the first region in the state to issue a stay at home order with the rest of the state. Following three days later says John, Swartzberg an infectious disease expert at UC Berkeley. A lot given how fast the pandemic is spreading. Um, certainly San Francisco's initial response also set the tone for its stance on reopening elected officials, health officials, and residents all seem to understand the region would remain restrictive, says Aaron all day, the San Francisco Chronicles health right From the start has been just really aggressive and really fast. So just, um, you know, any time there's sort of the hint of things moving in the wrong direction, they, they kind of respond to that and clamp down on it. After two months with a statewide stay-at-home order, governor Gavin Newsome started allowing counties to reopen businesses, public health officials now largely view that as a mistake, the state began to see a surge in COVID-19 cases, counties responded differently, Did experience a summer term. Um, it never really blew up, um, quite like it did in other places. And as soon as they sort of saw that happening, the city immediately halted its reopening. Um, whereas many other counties kind of kept pushing, kept moving forward Was one of those counties. Public health officials allowed restaurants to reopen at limited capacity in late may, then salons and barbershops a week later, then gyms, hotels and bars two weeks after that, supervisor Nathan Fletcher, unsuccessfully advocated for a more restrained approach. The minute we can possibly open things, we open things to be more cautious. And by doing that, they have not lived on the precipice of opening close All day says the San Francisco region has another asset. Its history with public health. The city was the epicenter of the AIDS epidemic in the United States in the 1980s, which established a robust public health response. She says it also established a trust between the community and public health officials. You just don't get any of that. Kind of like, I don't know, is this real, uh, by trust with what my leaders are saying, Another possible reason San Francisco and Alameda counties have lowercase counts is that inequality is more pronounced there than in San Diego County says Rebecca fielding Miller an epidemiologist at UC San Diego. So in some ways it comes back to housing prices like most things do in San Diego, like people who live, who are residents in those large counties are people who can afford to live in those large counties. Whereas their essential workforce is pushed off into other counties and has to commute in at least in CA across the County of San Diego housing prices are diverse ish enough that the frontline workers, the people who are really at the highest risk also live in the same County Spite its demographics. There's plenty San Diego County can control. She says the County could adopt a more gradual strategy of reopening and further boost its outreach efforts in the South Bay. In other parts of the County that are being hit hardest by COVID-19 Claire Traeger, sir KPBS news. This is KPBS mid day edition. I'm Maureen Kavanaugh for many in the local arts scene, the new purple tier restrictions in San Diego won't change much performers, visual artists, dancers, and even film festivals will simply continue bringing us new works in virtual forms. And sometimes even from the great outdoors this weekend, we can safely settle in and experience new film theater and ballet journey. Me as KPBS arts editor, Julia Dickson Evans, and welcome Julia. Hey Maureen. Now let's start with the women's museum of California. They're presenting their film festival this weekend virtually tell us about the women's film Fest. Yeah, so they have about 22 films in video on demand format. They're all centering on this platform of women, filmmakers and storytellers. There's a mixture of shorts and features. One I'm looking forward to is called the fight about the work of modern civil rights lawyers. If like me, you recently watched on the basis of sex after the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, this one's a really incredible documentary followup to it. And following the screening of the fight, there's a prerecorded conversation with Carrie Washington and five of the ACLU lawyers that are featured the fight Screens as part of the women's film festival, which takes place online tonight through Sunday in the visual art world with museums closing again, due to the purple tier restrictions, there's an innovative way to experience an art exhibition and it doesn't involve a screen. Tell us what Mesa college art gallery has come up with. Yeah. So first of all, Mesa college's museum studies program is pretty special. Their courses build these full exhibitions each semester, sometimes solo shows have mid-career artists. Sometimes group shows the gallery is such a gem in the San Diego art scene. And they've come up with a way to still curate a show and continue that learning model. It's a drive-thru, they're hanging an exhibition in a parking lot at Mesa college. Um, artists created work for these huge three by five banners that hang on the fences and they've also put together a full program. You can be online or pick up a printed copy of, and there's an audio tour. So you can pull up drive the short route and listen to some explanations and insights from your car speaker, if you want. There's 35 pieces in total work from Bhavna Metta, Sheena, Ray dallying, Michelle mantra, Lauren's Mikhail, and a bunch more College art galleries drive through exhibition is open to the public today through December 9th from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM on weekdays. Now in the virtual theater world, the roust abouts theater company have a powerful new work from a local playwright. Tell us about no way back. Yeah. This started a short piece of creative non-fiction. It was part of the local San Diego memoir showcase and featured in the shaking, the tree anthology it's by writer and childhood refugee machine [inaudible] Rasta bats heard the piece and they approached her to write a full play. It follows her harrowing experience as a ten-year-old in Iran and trying to escape with her family. It's a full length, fully produced in stage one woman play featuring Jessica, John, who was pretty incredible in this, in the role, the way it's performed as like an almost hypnotic memory with Jessica, John summoning, the voices of the other characters around her in a way that the ten-year-old child would remember them. And here's a portion of the opening scene. Something is wrong. I can't catch my breath. I punched in my stomach and my arms and legs. I'm so hazy sounds outside of scaring me. They're so angry aloud. I have screams and gunshots. I'm six years old and I'm so scared, but I think I will buy it. That's Jessica, John in the roust abouts production of no way back, which streams on demand Saturday through December 13th, city ballet presents a jam packed collection of ballets this month. What can we find in the moving forward program and how can we watch them? Yeah. City ballet has kept their dancers moving and working together. This pandemic with COVID safe practices and this weekend's program is the kickoff to a completely retooled season for them. The four ballets featured have a nice mix of styles. And the camera work in these little films is really immersive. So there's some traditional pieces. And then two new world premieres by the company's resident. Choreographers Elizabeth with Stritch takes a beautiful Brahms piano concerto and sets the choreography in the 1960s. And I'm pretty excited for the fates, which is a new work by Jeff Gonzalez, with music from Rachmaninoff, Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky, exploring the story of the three fates. It's all really steeped in history, but the settings and cinematography really seemed to push the boundaries of modern dance. You can screen city ballet's moving forward production online today through November 29th. And let's leave on a song. Shall we? Where can we find the voice finalist? The singer said dress this weekend. Yeah. So on Saturday local poet Gil. So two U has paired up seven local artists with seven local non-profits for B about it. And they're creating custom performances about that particular nonprofit organizations like outdoor outreach, Muslim community services, and so many great local acts like Mariah performing arts. So to himself, Rebecca Jade, poet, Bridget gray and comedian Cree and San Diego's recent reality star series for a taste of what he might find. Here's her newest release room to grow. I can bring the base [inaudible] That San Diego centuries with room to grow she'll live stream with six other performing artists on Saturday at 10:00 AM, from the Jacobs center for neighborhood innovation on Facebook or Instagram live for more arts events or to sign up for the weekly KPBS arts newsletter go to kpbs.org/arts. And I've been speaking with KPBS arts editor, Julia Dickson Evans. Julia, thank you so much. Thanks Marie. And have a good weekend. [inaudible].

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Leading by example, National City Mayor Alejandra Sotelo-Solis participated in the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine trial conducted by UC San Diego. Plus, while San Diego is falling back into the purple tier, the most restrictive of the state’s four-tier reopening guidelines, the Bay Area is able to move to the less restrictive tier. And, here’s a guide for your socially distanced weekend fun.