On Sunday, Pasadena reported an additional 6 cases of VOCID-19 and no new fatalities. So far, there have been 122 deaths and 2,564 cases. Currently Huntington Hospital is treating 21 local residents, according to PasadenaNOW.

LA County reported 815 new cases of coronavirus and 10 deaths. To date, county Public Health officials have identified 267,801 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County, and a total of 6,514 deaths. 

As the world moves toward another morbid threshold in the pandemic, a coronavirus death toll of one million, the countries where fatalities are increasing fastest remain spread out across the globe, with new hot spots constantly emerging.

The number of lives lost daily to the virus has been rising through most of August and September, reaching more than 5,000 in an average measured over seven days. As of Sunday morning, the global total stood at 993,600, according to a New York Times database.

On Saturday, India, the world’s second-most populous nation, continued to lead in daily virus-related deaths, with about 7,700 over the most recent seven-day period. The United States is second, with more than 5,000, Brazil third with more than 4,800, and Mexico fourth with nearly 3,000. Those four countries account for more than half of the world’s total deaths from the virus, according to the Times database.

On Tuesday, the American fatalities due to COVID-19 reached 200,000 dead  (though in truth, it likely happened earlier).

Americans are becoming increasingly pessimistic about the US economic rebound, with almost 90 per cent saying Washington needs to pass a new stimulus package to mitigate the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that he and Speaker Nancy Pelosi had agreed to resume talks on another economic relief package. But similar negotiations have had multiple false starts in Congress, and lawmakers are pessimistic that this round will fare better. One thing most people can agree on, though, is that more stimulus is needed.

New unemployment claims rose again last week, a sign that layoffs are continuing at a high rate even six months into the pandemic. The latest jobs data, coupled with recent market volatility and grim outlooks from the Federal Reserve and analysts at Goldman Sachs, suggest that the summer’s economic rebound is losing steam.

The growing concern about the economy, detailed in a new poll of likely voters for the Financial Times, comes even as Americans increasingly believe the country has turned the corner after the spike of infections this summer, which forced several states to slam the brakes on reopening plans.

Americans have lost $145 million to fraudulent claims related to the pandemic, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

Pearls before Swine cartoon
From the LA TIMES: 

Coronavirus cases in California have topped 800,000, according to The Times’ tracker, another milestone in a state that is leading the nation in infections.

The sobering figure comes as California has seen declines in both new cases and deaths over the last month after a summer spike that alarmed officials and prompted the reversal of some business reopenings.

Still, America’s most populous state ranks much lower after adjusting for population. Home to 12% of the country’s population, thus far California has accounted for roughly 11% of the country’s coronavirus cases, according to The Times’ tracker.

California topped 15,000 COVID-19 deaths earlier this week, a death toll comparable with that of Texas, which was reporting 15,267 fatalities as of Wednesday. But that number remains far below that of New York, which has recorded more than 33,000 deaths. New Jersey has reported more than 16,000 coronavirus-related deaths. Florida on Friday surpassed 14,000 deaths, reaching 14,083.

Earlier this week, the state announced that nail salons across California could reopen. Dr. Mark Ghaly, California’s Health and Human Services Department director, said Tuesday that state officials have worked with business sector leaders and county officials to ensure that nail salons can operate indoors in low-risk environments. In some parts of the state, salons have been operating outdoors.

Los Angeles County, for example, has refrained from allowing operations to resume at indoor malls, despite having the state’s permission to do so. County health officials have said that such changes will not come until late September, at the earliest, after data that would show whether there has been a Labor Day infection surge and the effects of the state’s new reopenings are assessed.

Following the Grand Jury decision not to indict any of those responsible for the death of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, we can expect protests in Pasadena and the LA area. Prtests in Pasadena have been peaceful, with the exception of the pick-up truck driver who apparently intentionally drive into protesters weeks ago (and was subsequently arrested).

From the Pasadena Star-News: 

Fire crews continued to make significant gains in the battle against the persistent Bobcat fire, with fire officials saying the blaze was 50% contained by early Thursday.

The second-largest fire in Los Angeles County history has ravaged 113,986 acres since Sept. 6.

Firefighters have continued to make progress on securing a line around the blaze, which has moved through the Angeles National Forest and prompted several evacuation orders and warnings.

Containment is the percentage of the perimeter that fire officials believe the blaze won’t grow beyond.

HERE IS A COMPREHENSIVE LOST OF GRANTS AND LOANS FROM LA COUNTY SUPERVISOR KATHRYN BARGER:

Disaster Help Center TEL (833) 238-4450 Email DisasterHelpCenter@lacounty.gov 

Funding Resources for Businesses 

Grants funded by Los Angeles County: 

 

Grant provided by the County of Los Angeles in partnership with institutional and corporate philanthropy to support Micro-entrepreneurs, small business, and Non-profits across Los Angeles County. 

  • • Pandemic Compliant Fund-WDACS (1-100 employees): Awards up to $5,000 per business to help businesses offset costs related to compliance with local health orders and recommended safety measures. 
  • • General EAG Funds-WDACS (1-100 employees): Awards up to $25,000 to businesses that have been impacted by COVID-19 for a variety of eligible uses. Prioritization will be given to businesses based on CalEnviroscreen 3.0 scoring and to those businesses that have not received local CARES Act grants. 
  • • Social Impact Funds-WDACS: Awards up to $50,000 to support LA County Social Enterprises, Social Community Business Enterprise (CBEs) and B Corporations. Prioritization will be given to Social Enterprises. Others will be prioritized by CalEnviroscreen 3.0 scoring and those that have not received local CARES Act grants. 
  • • LADCA COVID-19 Childcare Provider Grant: www.childcaregrant.lacda.org 

 

The Los Angeles County COVID-19 CARES Act Childcare Grant Program provides grants up to $10,000 or $40,000 to eligible childcare operators in Los Angeles County who have been impacted by COVID-19. 

Grants for all types of business: 

 

Specific Grants by Industry: 

Entertainment Sector (Actors, Actress, Musicians, Etc.) 

 

With a focus on support and education, the Entertainment Assistance program services include: One-on-one counseling and resources and emergency financial assistance for basic living expenses such as rent or medical expenses. 

 

To assist American authors who have published at least one full length work. 

Hair Salons/Nail Professionals 

  • • Professional Beauty Association: https://www.probeauty.org/covid-relief-fund-application/covid-19-application 

 

This fund will assist license beauty professional who are unable to work due to COVID19. 

 

Provides financial assistance to stylists and salon workers in the Virtue community. 

Loans for all types of businesses: 

 

Provides interest free loans up to $10,000. 

 

The EIDL program is designed to provide economic relief to businesses that are currently experiencing a temporary loss of revenue due to coronavirus (COVID-19) 

EDD (Employment Development Department) 

 

Designed to assist unemployed Californians that are not usually eligible for regular Unemployment Insurance. This includes business owners, self-employed workers, independent contractors, and those with a limited work history who are out of business or have significantly reduced their services as a direct result of the pandemic.

OTHER HELPFUL LINKS:

The Pasadena Department of Public Health has posted health orders, links to COVID-19 related permitting, reopening protocols and more. You can find that information here: https://www.cityofpasadena.net/covid-19/#info-for-businesses