The Brave News

by Joaquin Medrano, Managing Editor

During the last few weeks, several talks on the matter of a future reopening for schools across Los Angeles County has left many in shock due to the high number of cases in the area. So, what would the reopening of schools be like with such a high number of cases?

According to weekly reports, the cases in LA County have been on the rise, with ICU availability close to zero in many areas, worrying citizens day and night.

Stay at home orders have been in place for weeks, but with such a high number of cases, many wonder whether those restrictions are being respected and treated seriously by the people.

Schools were still allowed to be open over the last few weeks, as long as small cohorts were created. The cohorts resulted to be effective as people were getting a closer experience to a normal school year.

Cases in Los Angeles have increased from last week’s 84.4 new cases per 100 thousand, to 63.9 new cases per 100 thousand, positivity rate is at a whopping 11.4 %, compared to 8.4% from last week, and ICU availability is currently at 2%, compared to 13.3% from last week, an all-time high rate of cases since the start of the second wave. 

As new reports of vaccines being rushed to those in need increase, the approval from the FDA of the Moderna vaccine, and how it will work along with the Pfizer vaccine, with several doses delivered to LAX, many questions remain unanswered.

How will the new vaccine allow for more doses to be administered? Is there going to be a penalization for those who deny to take the vaccine? And, can life really return to normal after the vaccine starts to immunize the general population?

Even as many of those answers can only be determined by time, many stipulate that the vaccines could never bring life back to normal as the virus created several challenges, not to mention the lives that were lost in the process, and how the general public regarded governments responsible for the containment or general economic support of the virus.

For school, the centers of learning for many, the spaces where concentration can only work, hope to continue campaigns that will allow for small cohorts to be present under safety guidelines stipulated by each state.

Many students and parents will hope to take advantage of the opportunity, after seeing a significant drop in the performance of students in the classroom, and the support system that became difficult for teachers and school officials to really take into consideration.

The virus changed how people view every little aspect of life. Many saying that the virus ruined the start of a new decade, others that the virus was an aid for progress as no vaccine has ever been released so quickly and been approved by so many authorities in the world.

2020 came to change humanity forever, perhaps becoming a turning point in human history, proving how fragile humans really are, and how a small virus can take down so many citizens at once.

by Pedro Ochoa

Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE received U.S. regulatory authorization for their COVID-19 vaccine on December 11, making it the first vaccine company to get the green light in the United States.

U.S. drugmaker Pfizer and German partner BioNTech are the coronavirus vaccine front runners.

The nation’s first COVID-19 vaccine will begin arriving in states Monday morning, as the outbreak has killed nearly 300,000 Americans

Trucks rolled out Sunday morning as shipping companies UPS and FedEx begin delivering Pfizer’s vaccine to nearly 150 distribution centers across the states. Initially, about 3 million shots are expected to be shipped nationwide.

It was unclear exactly who would receive the first doses of the vaccine, though health workers and nursing home residents were the priority. Perna said health authorities would decide.

A similar number of shots will be held back for those recipients’ second dose, which is needed for full protection from COVID-19.

Distribution locations include hospitals and other sites able to meet those ultra-cold storage requirements. Within three weeks, vaccines should be delivered to all vaccination sites identified by state governments, such as local pharmacies, Perna said.

The vaccine was timed to arrive Monday morning so that health workers would be available to receive the shots and begin giving them.

While determined to be safe, regulators in the U.K. are investigating several severe allergic reactions. The FDA’s instructions tell providers not to give it to those with a known history of severe allergic reactions to any of its ingredients.

The FDA next week will review a second vaccine from Moderna and the National Institutes of Health that appears about as protective as Pfizer’s shot. It was next to release full data analysis for a late-stage trial on Nov. 30, with its vaccine showing a 94.1% efficacy rate. FDA advisers are due to review it on Dec. 17 and the EMA will do so by Jan. 12.

by Joaquin Medrano, Managing Editor

After California Governor Gavin Newsom announced in a press conference the plans for a safer California, many of such actions are beginning to take effect on LA County after a week of the announcement.

It is no surprise that after such a long-waited holiday, people would have incredible motivation to go outside during Thanksgiving/Black Friday specials.

Hundreds of millions alone flooded the busy outlet mall of Citadel in LA county. Even as people were required to wear masks, many did not social distance and took off their masks at points of conglomerations.

As the incubation period for the virus varies from 2-14 days, it is no surprise that many cases would be expected in the following weeks of the holiday season.

To understand the severity of the situation calculated in numbers here is a rundown of what this week looks like for new cases and a possibility of going back to normal:

Cases have increased to 34 new cases per 100 thousand, positivity rate is at a whopping 8.4%, and ICU availability is currently at 13.3%, forcing the county to enforce stay-at-home order due to the high amount of cases and rate of infection.

In order to reduce the rate of infection, people need to cooperate and stay at home until the situation gets better. No matter what holiday it is, it is better to stay at home and prevent the spread to relatives and friends.

The situation in Los Angeles County has taken an immense toll on essential workers as they are constantly on the line and at a higher risk of becoming infected by interacting with people who are unaware of having the virus. For those reasons, staying at home becomes the best possibility, but for those that are needed in the fields, the best thing to do is keep precautions and practice social distancing.

The numbers are clear, Los Angeles County is currently one of the most affected counties in all of California, given the number of people who call this their home as well as the focus of business in the area.

As stay-at-home orders begin to take effect, authorities urge the population to only go out when needed and put on hold leisure activities while the situation stabilizes.

Starting December 8th, health authorities began to send “emergency alerts” to residents in the Los Angeles County are, with strict order to stay at home, unless it is urgent to go outside.

To stay in line with the guidelines of the state governor, ICU availability would have to go up to at least 15% in order to be back into activities pre-Thanksgiving. 

As people become tired of stay-at-home orders, nothing will continue to improve. Unless people vow to cooperate with state authorities, very little could be achieved.

The COVID-19 pandemic affected the streets of LA in ways never imaginable, taking the city of angels to a period of loneliness and despair.

by Joshua Hernandez, Editor-In-Chief

Over the past few weeks, President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris have dedicated their focus on their presidential transition. Despite President Trump continuing to press forward with his failure to concede the election, Americans are getting a glimpse at the upcoming Biden Administration through his Cabinet picks.

According to election polls, incumbent President Donald J. Trump has lost the election.

While this may seem like old news, the Trump Administration and Campaign team have continued their self-described “legal battle” against the election results, echoing their baseless claims of voter fraud and uncertified ballots even as key battleground states where lawsuits were filed – such as Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada – have doubled down, or even tripled down, with their confirmation of President-Elect Biden’s election victories in their state.

Whereas President Trump and his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, the former Mayor of New York City, have decided to wage war against Republican Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia and other state officials over their refusal to believe the President’s accusations of voter fraud, President-Elect Biden has swiftly begun his duties as the soon to be Commander-In-Chief, assembling his cabinet members and taking briefings on both COVID-19 and matters of Intelligence and National Security. 

A glimpse into a potential Biden Administration and Biden Cabinet has gotten clearer by the day for Americans, as the President-Elect has prioritized political and administrative experience in choosing his supporting staff, a stark contrast to President Trump’s Cabinet, which has featured many political outsiders and relatively inexperienced figures. 

Thus far, President-Elect Biden’s cabinet is fronted by veterans of the Obama Administration and politically experienced figures with plenty of history in D.C. and abroad, while also being tremendously diverse. 

Antony “Tony” Blinken, President-Elect Biden’s pick for Secretary of State, served as Deputy Secretary of State under President Barack Obama and likely has a rapport with President-Elect Biden.

Of course, the Blinken pick has been met with backlash from Republicans due to his time in the Obama Administration.

Amongst other cabinet picks for President-Elect Biden include former Secretary of State and 2004 Democratic Nominee for President John Kerry as Climate Envoy and Linda Thomas-Greenfield for U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. 

Moreover, Avril Haines was selected as the Director of National Intelligence, while Alejandro Mayorkas was selected as Secretary of Homeland Security. On Monday, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra was selected as the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the first Latino to hold the position if confirmed by the Senate. 

Dr. Rochelle Walensky was selected as the Director of the CDC, while Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has gained the admiration and trust of the American people throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic, will return as Chief Medical Adviser for COVID-19 to President-Elect Biden. 

President-Elect Biden’s Cabinet picks have looked tremendously diverse thus far as promised. The selection of Janet Yellen as Secretary of the Treasury leads that pack, as she will be the first woman to front that post if confirmed. 

On Monday, alongside Xavier Beccera being selected for Secretary of Health and Human Services, President-Elect Biden selected Retired General Lloyd Austin as Secretary of Defense, according to CNN sources.

President-Elect Biden has also filled some personal staff positions that do not require Senate confirmation. Ron Klain is yet another experienced selection for the Biden Administration, as he served as Chief of Staff to Vice President Al Gore from 1995-1999, while serving then-Vice President Biden as Chief of Staff from 2009-2011. 

Furthermore, President-Elect Biden has hired an all-female senior communications team. While the President-Elect is far from finished with making his Cabinet and staff selections, he is already fulfilling a promise he made to the American people as his supporting staff stands to be one of the most diverse – if not the most diverse – in American history, a stark contrast to the Cabinet and staff employed by President Trump during his sole term in office. 

On the election front, President Trump and his Administration have pressed forward with their baseless claims of election fraud, even after Rudy Giuliani tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday. Despite opposition from President Trump and Giuliani, Georgia certified Joe Biden’s election victory for a third – yes, third – time. 

Barring anything unforeseen, President Trump’s hail mary attempt to overturn the election results are essentially over, even if he and his team continue to press forward with their resistance to President-Elect Biden’s victory. 

On January 5th, the Georgia Senate Runoff Elections are set to take place, with two Senate seats potential up for grabs. If the Democrats win both seats, it will be a crushing blow for Republicans, as the Senate will be a 50-50 split, leaving Vice President-Elect Harris as the tiebreaking vote in the Senate in favor of the Democrats. 

The runoff election will see Democratic Nominee Jon Ossoff take on incumbent Republican Senator David Perdue, and Democratic Nominee Reverend Raphael Warnock take on incumbent Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler. 

Despite the 2020 Presidential Election being over, the political realm of the United States is still overwhelmingly active and constantly shifting. As Inauguration Day nears for President-Elect Biden, there will be a litany of developments between now and next month that will arise in our country as 2020 comes to a close. 

Between COVID-19, the Senate runoff election results, the remainder of President-Elect Biden’s Cabinet picks and President Trump’s continuous refusal to concede the election, the American people may have a tumultuous, intense, and action-packed month ahead.