Optimism about declining COVID-19 cases, LA School Board President on Reopening LAUSD, Why US Struggles to Ramp up Vaccine Production

Social distancing seating measures are in place as people wearing facemasks ride Splash Mountain at Walt Disney World Resort's Magic Kingdom during the COVID-19 pandemic in Orlando on July 23, 2020. - The United States on July 23 recorded 76,570 new coronavirus cases in the previous 24 hours, Johns Hopkins University reported, after the nation's total number of infections topped four million earlier in the day. The US has seen a coronavirus surge, particularly in southern and western states, as Texas, California, Alabama, Idaho and Florida all announced record one-day death tolls. (Photo by Bryan R. Smith / AFP) (Photo by BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images)
BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images

Take Two | February 23, 2021

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49:20

Optimism For Getting to the Other Side of The Pandemic

There's a sense of optimism that we are turning a corner on the pandemic and that the summer might seem, well, normal. To put in all in context and answer all our coronavirus related questions, we turn again to one of our local health experts.

Guest:

Professor Robert Kim-Farley, an epidemiologist with UCLA's Fielding School of Public Health.

When it Comes to Reopening Schools, LA School Board President Kelly Gonez says Most Vulnerable Families Should Be Prioritized

The Los Angeles Unified School District will resume some in person tutoring as early as next week, and there’s talk of reopening elementary schools as early as April...assuming the coronavirus case counts continue to drop. Already, smaller districts in LA County have allowed some of the youngest students back in the classroom - and are making plans for a return of the older kids as well...possibly before this school year is up.

Guest:

LA School Board President Kelly Gonez, representing the 6th district

The Pandemic's Hit to Early Childcare Facilities

Life IS slowly starting to return to some semblance of normal but a lot has been lost in the last year. At the onset of the pandemic, researchers warned HALF of California's child care slots could disappear permanently. KPCC's Mariana Dale reports on the thousands of providers who've closed in the state.

The Struggles To Ramp Up Vaccine Production

President Biden has promised enough vaccine doses for all American adults by August, but how can the companies responsible ramp up production fast enough to get us there?

Guest:

Ryan Gabrielson is a reporter for ProPublica.

When Can Theme Parks Reopen in LA County?

After being closed for almost a year, Six Flags Magic Mountain announced on Twitter late last week that it would reopen in "Spring 2021." There was a LOT of excitement in response to that. But also a lot of skepticism. After all, current state rules only allow theme parks to reopen if the county they're in has reached the yellow tier of less than one daily COVID case per one-hundred-thousand people. And Magic Mountain is in Los Angeles County, which we ALL know is still in the most restrictive purple tier. So the question is -- how likely is it that Six Flags, or any park, could reopen this spring?

Guest: