COVID-19

California Surgeon General Embraces Idea of NBA Partnership for Vaccination Outreach

“Yes, absolutely. Please tell LeBron James to call me,” Dr. Burke Harris told California Black Media (CBM), referring to one of the league’s most high-profile Black members who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. “I think it’s a wonderful partnership and I am excited for that to happen because we want to use our trusted messengers.”

Published

4 years ago

January 29, 2021

Kiki

Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, California Surgeon General

When Dr. Nadine Burke Harris heard that the National Basketball Association (NBA) was discussing educating the African American community about receiving COVID-19 vaccines, she said partnering with the league could be a game-changer in the state of California.

Dr. Burke Harris, the Surgeon General of California, said she would embrace that strategy with open arms.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said on January 18 that the league’s players could use their influence to provide information to African Americans, other ethnic minorities, and the general public about vaccine safety and efficacy. It is something that the NBA is “particularly focused” on, he said.

“In the African American community, there has been an enormously disparate impact from COVID … but now, somewhat perversely, there has been enormous resistance [to vaccinations] for understandable historical reasons,” Silver said. “If that resistance continues, it would be very much a double whammy to the Black community because the only way out of this pandemic is to get vaccinated.”

The Surgeon General, California Dept. of Public Health officials, medical experts, and community leaders joined a Zoom news briefing last week with African American media in the state organized by CBM and the Center at Sierra Health Foundation.

Participants discussed how African American communities can continue to stay safe. They also talked about the state’s plan for COVID-19 vaccine distribution, and the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.

Burke Harris, Dr. Elaine Batchlor, CEO of Los Angeles’ Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital, and Shantay R. Davies-Balch, founder of Fresno’s Black Wellness and Prosperity Center, were speakers at the virtual news briefing. The group stressed the necessity of speeding up statewide vaccinations to reduce hospitalizations and stem the spread of the disease.

Twenty-year-old Sacramento Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton said he was open to the idea of getting vaccinated for the NBA.

Haliburton, who left Iowa State University after two seasons and entered the 2020 NBA draft, is originally from Oshkosh, Wis., north of Milwaukee. To deal with frigid temperatures, he said getting flu shots before the winter was routine.

“I myself, am just going to listen to the public officials and I plan on getting the vaccine,” Haliburton said. “At a young age, I got all my vaccinations. So, I don’t see any reasons to stop now. Internally, we’ve (Haliburton’s teammates and other players in the NBA) talked about it. There are guys in the league that say they will get it and there are guys that say they won’t. That’s their opinion. I am going to get vaccinated.”

Silver said much of the mistrust about taking the vaccine in the Black community originated from a history of racism and malpractice against Blacks by the country’s medical establishment.

One specific example stands out: the infamous Tuskegee experiment.

In 1932, the United States Public Health Service, working with the Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in Alabama, began a study to record the natural history of syphilis in hopes of understanding treatment programs for African Americans. It was called the “Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male.”

When penicillin was discovered and become the primary drug for treating syphilis in 1947, subjects were never provided the highly effective medication or a chance to resign from the study. The experiment continued until 1972 when the media exposed that it was still being conducted despite the fact a cure had been available for 25 years. A reporter from The Associated Press investigated the study and broke the news.

Nearly 400 participants in the study, primarily sharecroppers, suffered severe health problems, including blindness, mental illness or death. The study also led to the uncovering of other medical atrocities committed on Black citizens.

Haliburton shared with the media his knowledge of the Tuskegee Study. “I do understand why there is a drawback from some people with everything that has happened in the history of the world and vaccinations,” Haliburton said. “I’ve learned about the Tuskegee study and that crazy situation. I do understand how that can be crazy for African Americans. It’s their choice. It’s their bodies.”

Another medical incursion was Henrietta Lacks and her family. In 1951, without her knowledge and consent, cancer cells were taken from Lacks, a young Black woman with five children from Baltimore, Md. The cells, later called “HeLa,” were used to study the results of toxins, drugs, hormones, and viruses without experimenting on humans.

Lacks died at the age of 31. Reportedly, many medical institutions and related businesses profited from her cells without sharing any of the largesse with her surviving family. Lacks’ case became a focal point of medical ethics, sparking debate about whether researchers should be required to conduct such studies without the subject’s permission.

Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said over the weekend that Pres. Joe Biden has talked about using pharmacies, community vaccine centers, and mobile units to speed up the process of getting more people vaccinated.

Fauci said there will be a “revving up of the capabilities and implementation of getting larger numbers of people vaccinated,” including, the Black community.

“One of the things that is a concern to me, and the reason why we are putting a considerable amount of effort into it, is to get over the vaccine hesitancy that we see in some segment of the population,” Dr. Fauci said. “Particularly and understandably, the minority population who have some hesitancy and skepticism based on some historical mistreatments. We need to vaccinate, we need to implement it, but we also have to overcome the hesitancy associated with it.”

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Bay Area

Authorities Warn: There’s a COVID Surge in California

According to data estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the coronavirus in California’s wastewater has spiked for eight consecutive weeks. Hospitalizations and emergency room visits have also increased since the rise of the new subvariants. Over the last month, Los Angeles County experienced an average of 389 hospital patients per day that tested positive for the coronavirus. The FLiRT subvariants such as KP.3.1.1. Made up over 2% of coronavirus samples nationwide, an increase of more than 7% last month.

Published

3 months ago

August 17, 2024

Oakland Post

Photo provided by California Black Media.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

California is experiencing a COVID-19 surge this summer, experts warn, as numbers of infections increased for the third month this year.

State public health authorities attribute the summer COVID surge to more infectious subvariants that have emerged as the coronavirus evolves.

Dr. Elizabeth Hudson, regional chief of infectious disease at Kaiser Permanente Southern California, stated that subvariants of COVID-19 called FLiRT increased in recent months, particularly one named KP.3.1.1 that has become the most common strain in the country.

Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious diseases expert at UC San Francisco, said that the subvariant KP.3.1.1 seems most adept at transmission.

“The subvariant is the one that people think will continue to take over, not only in the United States, but … around the world,” Chin-Hong said.

The majority of the people who tested positive for COVID-19 complained of a sore throat and a heavy cough. Risk factors that can increase the illness include age, underlying health issues, and vaccine dosage.

Health experts stated that the demand for the COVID-19 vaccine has increased in Northern California. However, people are having a hard time getting the vaccine due to the increasing number of cases.

Oakland Post

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Alameda County

Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley Gives Small Business a $30,000 Boost

On Jan. 6, Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley (D6) presented a $30,000 check to small business owner William “Bill” Owens, owner of Cascos Martial Arts Studio at 74th and MacArthur in Oakland. Miley, whose business has been facing financial challenges due to COVID Pandemic restrictions, says he was nearing bankruptcy. “This check will go a long way and is greatly appreciated,” he said.

Published

10 months ago

January 24, 2024

Oakland Post

Oakland Private Industry Council (OPIC) Business Managers Frank Smith, Diane Lewis with OPIC President Raymond Lankford, Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley, Cascos Martial Arts Studio Owner William "Bill" Owens, OPIC Board Members Kitty Epstein and Developer Alan Dones, Oakland City Councilmember Kevin Jenkins, and OPIC Business Manager Andrew Rodrigues. Photo By Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

On Jan. 6, Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley (D6) presented a $30,000 check to small business owner William “Bill” Owens, owner of Cascos Martial Arts Studio at 74th and MacArthur in Oakland.

Miley, whose business has been facing financial challenges due to COVID Pandemic restrictions, says he was nearing bankruptcy. “This check will go a long way and is greatly appreciated,” he said.

For Miley, starting 2024 on a high note was important. “I can’t think of a better way to start the new year,” he said. “Small businesses are vital to our communities and when you help a committed business owner, you help a community. It’s an honor to add value by contributing to a small business that has trained so many young people, watched them grow up and have viable careers.”

OPIC Business Outreach Team Members Diane Lewis and Frank Smith celebrated the new collaboration with the martial arts studio.

“It’s always exciting to launch new programs,” said Lewis. “It’s encouraging to see Black men supporting one another and helping them rise to another level,” said Smith.

The check was presented to Owens along with the Oakland Private Equity Council (OPIC).

Pastor Raymond Lankford of the Oakland Community Church and president of the (OPIC) was also present.

“This is martial arts studio has been a big part of this community and helping support Mr. Owens is a win-win for the community,” said Lankford.

OPIC Board Member Kitty Epstein also praised Owens.

“It’s important to support this business and its contribution to the community,” said Epstein.

Cascos Martial Arts Studio has been in business for more than 50 years. Owens and his wife Mary have taught the community the art of self-defense together. “When COVID happened, we were hit with social distancing regulations in our small space,” explained Owens. “We went from having a couple hundred students to a few.”

After the check presentation, Owens invited attendees to see his training in action. For him, teaching the art of self-defense has included naming his moves and techniques after cultural icons like Martin Luther King, Jr. and other activists.

Owens says he bridged the innate rhythms and movements of African American culture with the techniques of Asian martial arts. However, upon traveling the world, Owens noticed many of the moves were less fluid.

“Often the moves are more frigid, and our influence has added more fluid movements,” said Owens as he moved, mimicking some boxing movements and fancy footwork.

“We want to ensure Owens is in business for years to come,” said Pastor Raymond Lankford, president of the Oakland Private Industry Council.

Owens also demonstrated how women and the elderly can protect themselves from theft, injury, or even being trafficked. 2022 statistics noted that of the 1500 people reported missing, over half were African American.

“We have to teach our young people these techniques. We can all support small businesses and expand services throughout the community,” added Owens who plans to add a mobile service to his business.

Oakland Post

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Activism

Business Owners Talk Future of Economic Development in Oakland at Downtown Event

The city of Oakland is taking steps to streamline permits for businesses to entice them to stay and bring new projects to the city. Additionally, the city is committing $200 million for affordable housing, which is “unprecedented in the city of Oakland” says Councilmember Nikki Fortunato-Bas, who was also at the event. “We have committed to supporting our community, supporting our local businesses and really showing that we can work together for safer communities,” Fortunato-Bas emphasized in an interview with the Post.

Published

11 months ago

December 11, 2023

Oakland Post

Improving downtown blight like the graffiti on this building façade in Oakland is one area business owners hoped would bring more foot traffic to the area. Photo by Magaly Muñoz.

By Magaly Muñoz, Post Staff

Developers and business owners in the Bay Area came together for the “Oakland Structures” event hosted by San Francisco Business Times to discuss economic development projects in Oakland last Thursday.

Mayor Sheng Thao opened up the event as the keynote speaker, sharing her experiences from her first year in office and the measures her administration has taken to address the key issues plaguing the city.

Thao inherited the largest deficit Oakland has ever seen- $360 million- and came into her position as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic were hitting the city hard. The once bustling city has faced difficulties as people transitioned to hybrid or work-from-home jobs, which has caused foot traffic to slow down and businesses to lose clientele.

“I refuse to stop until we get our businesses back up and running at full capacity, and make sure that people feel safe, not just safe in the commercial corridors, but safe everywhere,” Thao said.

Thao shared that the economic development in Oakland is slowly, but surely, growing as new companies bring their business to downtown. PG&E has recently been among the bigger corporations that’s settled in Oakland, bringing 7,000 jobs with them, which will not only open up potential opportunities for Oaklanders, but also increase foot traffic for businesses in town.

Thao acknowledged several initiatives that have already been implemented to give the city a boost, including Five After Five, a cost-effective parking program; Activate Oakland grants, which gives businesses up to $15,000 to host events that will bring the community to downtown; and the film initiative to encourage filmmakers and TV shows to shoot their projects in Oakland.

“We have committed to supporting our community, supporting our local businesses and really showing that we can work together for safer communities,” Fortunato-Bas emphasized in an interview with the Post.

As the holiday season approaches, Fortunato-Bas urges the community to shop and dine locally, all the way from the Fruitvale to Grand Lake, areas she represents, as this will help boost and support these businesses.

During a panel with investors and business owners who have new projects breaking ground as early as 2024, a pressing question emerged among the attendees and panelists was “Is Oakland the right city to maintain and bring in businesses?”

Real estate developer Riaz Taplin, CEO and founder of Riaz Capital, said that people need to want to come back to the office and revitalize the commercial corridors of the city, but also that businesses need the support of the government sector to thrive.

He feels as though new entrepreneurs who are starting out in Oakland today do not have the advantage that many, like himself, did pre-COVID, where they could just walk into a city office and be helped on how to get the right permits because everything and everyone was so accessible.

More people would feel enticed to come back downtown if they felt that they were safe, so public safety needs to be high on the list of priorities for the city, Taplin said, emphasizing issues such as litter, vandalized business fronts and homeless encampments.

“Something needs to happen to make Broadway a place people want to go,” Taplin said after sharing a story about downtown Alameda being the busiest area with the most foot traffic out of Oakland and San Francisco.

Another panelist, Oakland Roots president Lindsay Barenz, shared that although Oakland is struggling to keep sports teams, the time is now to invest in those projects to keep the sports culture in the city.

“A sports team can be a critical component to that [a place where people enjoy living],” Barenz said.

She emphasized that the Oakland Roots see themselves as significant to the culture of Oakland as institutions like the zoo, museum, and Fairyland. She believes that the morale boost that a sports team can provide is what Oakland needs.

When asked to give a headline of what is to come in Oakland in the next five to 20 years, Taplin said, “Clean it and they will come.”