Reporting in from Home in LA
Thirty-one new people died in LA on Easter Sunday, and there were 1900 new Covid 19 cases in a county of 10 million. Total loss of life is now 296 and there have been 9,192 confirmed cases; the real numbers are certainly much higher as only 47 thousand Los Angelenos have been tested. About a quarter of those with confirmed cases have had to be hospitalized. The growth in hospitalizations and deaths seems to be slowing, but it has not yet turned down. The spread of Covid 19 in nursing facilities, prisons and jails and among the homeless is steadily becoming ever more challenging.
Of the deceased in LA, 1/3rd are Latino, almost 1/3rd white, about 20% Asian and 15% African American. Latino death rates are a little lower than their percent of the population and African Americans a little higher. The highest infection rates are in the more affluent communities likely due to better access to testing and diagnosis and greater exposure through global travel.
We are still in lock down but for essential trips for groceries or medical care where we are required to wear masks, and typically we wear gloves as well. At the local farmer’s market, there are long wide spaced lines to get in, enforced separation once you are in, and great appreciation between the farmers who can sell and the customers who can buy fresh fruits and vegetables. Some local farmers are now doing home deliveries for some of their customers who can no longer shop in person. The air is clear; our famed air pollution has disappeared for the time being.
In our neighborhood, there is an eerie quiet, but for birds and squirrels chattering and dogs barking. Rabbits have appeared brazenly enjoying their garden paths to themselves. Street traffic is now at a minimum as if it were the middle of the night. We see our neighbors when out for a walk to pick up groceries or medications. Everyone is warmer and friendlier, knowing we are all in this together. Kind offers of assistance from our neighbors to seniors such as us are frequent. Yesterday, there was a wonderful sound of neighborhood children laughing as they searched for Easter eggs. Each night some of the neighbors howl at about 8 pm in support of the city’s health care workers.
We live for the weekly zoom gatherings and face times with family and old friends. We are all going a little stir crazy and touch deprived, but coping virtually.
Lucien Wulsin
4/13/20