Tag Archives: WorldNews

Vaccine prevents 98.9% of COVID-19 deaths — Israel

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Citing Health Ministry data, Israel has also said that the rate of COVID-19 infections dropped massively among people who received both shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

L.A. County sheriff searches offices of LA Metro, oversight board member in criminal probe

Watch and see who is using office to reward-punish others???

Los Angeles County sheriff’s detectives this week searched the headquarters of L.A. Metro and the offices of a nonprofit run by a civilian oversight commissioner critical of the department’s leadership, sheriff’s officials announced Friday.

Detectives served warrants for unspecified records at both locations on Thursday, Feb. 18, but a spokesperson declined to provide details about the nature of the probe.

“The search warrant was signed by a judge, and partially sealed, in connection to an ongoing criminal investigation,” said Deputy Eric Ortiz, a member of the sheriff’s information bureau, in an email. “We are unable to offer further comment at this time, in order to preserve the integrity of this active investigation.”

In an email, Metro spokesman Dave Sotero confirmed the transportation authority received a warrant.

“However, given the limited information contained in the warrant, we cannot determine the nature of LASD’s investigation,” Sotero said.

Peace Over Violence, the nonprofit targeted in the search, operates L.A. Metro’s “Off Limits” sexual harassment counseling hotline. Spokeswoman Darcy Pollan also confirmed the search warrants served at Peace Over Violence, which is based out of Metro’s headquarters on Wilshire Boulevard. She declined to comment further.

Patricia Giggans, executive director of Peace Over Violence, is a member of the Civilian Oversight Commission and was appointed by county Supervisor Sheila Kuehl. The nine-member commission advises the Board of Supervisors and was created to increase transparency and accountability at the Sheriff’s Department.

Kuehl’s office referred questions about the search warrants to L.A. County Counsel. The county’s attorneys then deferred to Metro.

Commission’s rocky history with sheriff

Commissioners have clashed with the department, and Sheriff Alex Villanueva in particular, in the past two years. Giggans chaired the commission when Villanueva defied a subpoena to appear at one of its meetings. Measure R, approved by voters in March 2020, grants that power to the Oversight Commission. In response, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge threatened Villanueva with contempt over the issue.

LDN-L-SHERIFF-VILLANUEVA-0129.jpg?fit=62Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

The commission, Kuehl and Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas called for Villanueva’s resignation in September. Earlier this year, the Board of Supervisors discussed possible legal strategies for removing the sheriff from office shortly after the California Attorney General announced a civil rights investigation into the department.

It is uncommon for the Sheriff’s Department to conduct investigations into other county agencies. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office typically handles public corruption cases in the county through its Public Integrity Division. The Sheriff’s Department did not respond to questions about whether it is working with other agencies, nor would it address whether it has taken steps to avoid any conflicts related to investigating a commissioner.

A spokesperson for the Oversight Commission took a message from a reporter, but no one returned the request for comment.

Peace Over Violence’s contract questioned

While it is unclear what exactly the Sheriff’s Department is investigating, Metro’s sole sourced, no-bid contract with Peace Over Violence for the sexual harassment hotline has faced scrutiny recently.

In September, Fox 11 released an investigation into the hotline and determined the low volume of calls — sometimes only a few dozen per month — amounted to a cost of about $8,000 per call. A Metro employee, Jennifer Loew, alleged Peace Over Violence received the contract in 2017 via a behind-the-scenes push from supervisor Kuehl, a close friend and ally of Giggans. Loew previously sued Metro in February 2020, alleging discrimination and conspiracy, but a judge dismissed the case in August for a “lack of prosecution” after Loew, who represented herself, did not respond to a court order, according to court records.

LDN-L-HOMELESS-COUNT-0605-17BM.jpg?fit=6LA County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl on June 4, 2019. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)

Kuehl is a member of Metro’s board and a member of Peace Over Violence’s advisory board. In a FAQ on its website, Peace Over Violence confirmed Kuehl and Giggan’s friendship, but denied it played any role in the selection.

“POV categorically refutes these accusations as false and self-serving fabrications on the part of the whistleblower,” the FAQ states.

The hotline’s contract never came before the board for a vote because it was below a $500,000 threshold. Peace Over Violence has worked on other projects with Metro and its total pay from the agency, across multiple contracts, is more than $800,000 as of 2021, according to the nonprofit’s website. The contract is set to expire at the end of the year.

Metro similarly told Fox 11 that Kuehl had no influence over Peace Over Violence’s contract. Kuehl’s office at the time stated that Metro CEO Phil Washington, who is set to step down when his employment agreement expires in May, made the decision. An employee from Kuehl’s office offered recommendations on the proposed scope of work, which was described as “appropriate given the supervisor’s role as a Metro board member,” according to the statement to Fox 11.

Nonprofit first hired in 2015

An FAQ on Peace Over Violence’s website indicates the nonprofit began working with Metro in 2015 in response to a survey showing that one-fifth of Metro riders faced unwanted sexual behavior. At the time, Metro, Peace Over Violence and the Sheriff’s Department under Villanueva’s predecessor partnered on a public information campaign, titled “It’s Off Limits,” that was credited with contributing to a decline in sexual harassment on the public transportation system.

That collaboration later led to the 2017 contract for the 24/7 “Off Limits” hotline, which offers “immediate counseling, safety planning, advocacy and referrals” to callers. The hotline provides a “direct link” to Metro Security for reporting and tracking where and when assaults are occurring, according to the nonprofit.

The hotline has reportedly helped more than 200 victims of sexual harassment or assault and handled “thousands” of calls from distressed riders. Fox 11’s investigation suggested publicly released information about the number of calls may have been inflated because many were hangups or wrong numbers.

Peace Over Violence denied the allegation. The website states there is no quota associated with the hotline and questioned putting a “price tag on serving a survivor of violence.”

“According to our contract, all calls coming into the hotline are legitimate,” the FAQ states. “Hangups are common on hotlines, and we do not classify them as live calls from survivors. We repeatedly called attention to the low number of calls received and continued to encourage Metro to advertise this service.”

Metro no longer advertises the hotline’s number and instead refers callers reporting sexual harassment to the non-profit if they need counseling.

‘Mama Amy,’ beloved nurse at West Covina hospital, dies of COVID-19 complications

RIP

  • Amelia Baclig, a nurse at Queen of the Valley Hospital in West Covina, died from complications from COVID-19 on Jan. 22. She was 63 and the first nurse at the hospital to die as a result of COVID-19 complications. (Photo courtesy of Aubrey Joy Baclig)

  • Amelia Baclig, a nurse at Queen of the Valley Hospital in West Covina, died from complications from COVID-19 on Jan. 22. She was 63 and the first nurse at the hospital to die as a result of COVID-19 complications. (Photo courtesy of Aubrey Joy Baclig)

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  • Friends, family, members of the West Covina Police Department and hospital staff attend a memorial for Amelia Baclig, a nurse at Queen of the Valley Hospital who died from complications from COVID-19 on Jan. 22. The caravan memorial was on Saturday, Feb. 13. (Photo courtesy of Antoinette McDaniel)

  • Friends, family and leaders in West Covina, including Mayor Letty Lopez-Viado, center, attend a car caravan memorial for Amelia Baclig, a nurse who died from complications from COVID-19, at Queen of the Valley Hospital in West Covina on Saturday. (Photo courtesty of West Covina)

  • Amelia Baclig, a nurse at Queen of the Valley Hospital in West Covina, died from complications from COVID-19 on Jan. 22. She was 63 and the first nurse at the hospital to die as a result of COVID-19 complications. (Photo courtesy of Aubrey Joy Baclig)

  • Amelia Baclig, a nurse at Queen of the Valley Hospital in West Covina, died from complications from COVID-19 on Jan. 22. She was 63 and the first nurse at the hospital to die as a result of COVID-19 complications. (Photo courtesy of Aubrey Joy Baclig)

  • Friends, family, members of the West Covina Police Department and hospital staff attend a memorial for Amelia Baclig, a nurse at Queen of the Valley Hospital who died from complications from COVID-19 on Jan. 22. The caravan memorial was on Saturday, Feb. 13. (Photo courtesy of Antoinette McDaniel)

  • Friends, family, members of the West Covina Police Department and hospital staff attend a memorial for Amelia Baclig, a nurse at Queen of the Valley Hospital who died from complications from COVID-19 on Jan. 22. The caravan memorial was on Saturday, Feb. 13. (Photo courtesy of Antoinette McDaniel)

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For almost 30 years, Amelia Baclig was known as “Mama Amy” to the team at Queen of the Valley Hospital in West Covina.

Baclig, 63, kept fellow nurses well-fed and well cared for and served as a beloved mentor to younger members of the team. “She just cared,” said Daisy Martinez, a friend and fellow nurse. “She just gave her all.”

On Jan. 22, Baclig became the first nurse from Queen of the Valley to die from COVID-19 complications. She was infected at least six weeks earlier, before she had a chance to be vaccinated.

“Before she died, I Facetimed with her,” said coworker Juliet Baltazar, who knew Baclig for more than 30 years. “I start crying and she also cried. (I said) ‘You’re so short of breath, I have to stop the conversation because I want you to rest so you can get better and strong and come back to work.’ We talked five minutes only.”

About a week after she was diagnosed with COVID-19, Baclig was taken by paramedics to St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton. Daughter Aubrey Joy Baclig said she and her mother wanted her to go to Queen of the Valley, but the hospital was over capacity, like so many medical centers during the relentless winter surge.

“My mom has been a nurse there for almost 30 years,” Aubrey said. “We knew, my mom knew, too, that was where she would feel comfortable. She was very firm. (She said) ‘If I need to go to the hospital, I need to go to Queen of the Valley.’”

The paramedic crew didn’t have a choice; their computer directed them to St. Jude, where Baclig spent five weeks, three of them in the intensive care unit, her daughter said.

“I can imagine how scared she was,” Martinez said. “It just breaks my heart. I myself, having COVID, it was just very traumatic. I can just imagine. When she got admitted at St. Jude, it would have been wonderful for her to be admitted at our hospital so that we could have been there with her. It didn’t work out that way.”

Her peers recalled Baclig as a dedicated, compassionate healthcare worker and a motherlike figure who offered guidance to new nurses, encouraged them to continue their education — and always made sure everyone had something to eat. She spoke three languages, kept them team laughing even during the toughest of times and hosted memorable parties at her home.

“She was just very dedicated, she never complained,” Martinez said. “She loved her job. She really loved her patients. She really loved her work family. We see the worst of the worst. We were always there to try to support each other. She was there always to reassure us.”

“It’s so painful for me to lose her,” Baltazar said. “I’m not expecting that’s she going to pass away. It’s so hard to get over it. We were always happy together.”

The hospital and her family organized a three-hour car caravan memorial, featuring about 20 cars, with friends and family leaving flowers and condolences. West Covina Mayor Letty Lopez-Viado and members of the city’s Police and Fire departments also participated.

A van driven by a family member played the song “Always and Forever,” the song Baclig sang during karaoke at parties, said her daughter.

“There was no way I was going to miss the memorial,” said Martinez, who said she was battling fever and chills after getting her second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine just before the memorial.  “We cried and we laughed and remembered what a beautiful person and supporting person she was and how much we are going to miss her.”

Another 50 people participated in a Zoom vigil that day. Zoom prayer meetings were held for nine days, too, with as many as 100 people attending each night. Nearly 150 called in for the final session.

“Every night I was able to share something about my mom’s life, something different every time,” Aubrey said. “On the final night, we had a few people singing. My mom’s sisters were singing with their choir. The last night was pretty big.”

Antoinette McDaniel, labor representative for the California Nurses Association, said the pandemic has taken its toll on healthcare workers.

“Especially during the time of the surge,” she said. “It was putting nurses at even a higher risk because of the amount of patients that they had to care for.”

“Heroes do work there,” said Lopez-Viado. “They do save lives. They sacrifice. They come in and they take care of others unselfishly.”

Coworker Marisol Streams also tested positive with COVID-19, back in December.  “I got sick with COVID first,” she said. “About four days later, (Baclig) called me at my hotel, telling me ‘I’m sick, too.’ She asked me the process of what does she do, how to get tested.”

Streams helped Baclig get tested and guided her through the process of reserving a hotel room if she needed to quarantine.

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Weeks later, Streams still battles shortness of breath, low energy and body aches. And she misses her teammate.

She recalled how hard Baclig worked to keep her team’s spirits up. Among her favorite moments: When Baclig recreated scenes from her favorite movies, including “Coming to America.”

“When she would imitate a scene, being her age, being who she is, and her imitating Eddie Murphy. That’s funny, that cracks me up. She was amazing,” Streams said.

“We all loved her,” she said. “We still love her.”

Amelia Baclig is survived by her husband, Nestor Baclig, three children, James Anthony Baclig, Aubrey Joy Baclig and Joanne Mae Baclig, two grandchildren, Trixia Baclig and Styke James Baclig, four sisters and two brothers.

Coronavirus tracker: California reported 7,244 new cases, 425 new deaths and 410 fewer hospitalizations on Feb. 18

The end-of-day totals from California public health websites for Thursday, Feb. 18, reported 7,244 new cases, bringing the total number of cases there have been in the state to 3,492,363.

The 14-day total of new cases, 9,283, is down 78% from the Jan. 1 high of 42,268.

There were 425 new deaths reported Thursday, for a total of 48,349 people in California who have died from the virus. The 14-day average of 374 deaths as of Thursday is down 31% from the Feb. 1 high of 543 average new deaths.

There were 8,156 people needing hospital care Thursday, a 64.3% drop since the Jan. 1 high of 22,853.

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Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Johns Hopkins University, the World Health Organization, the California Department of Public Health, The Associated Press, reporting counties and news sources

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