Like everything else this year, the 2020 holiday season may be filled with tough choices, changes and challenges for families. The good news is the holidays are also a time when showing kindness, compassion and gratitude is all important, and Thanksgiving is the perfect holiday to spread this message!

So in the spirit of the holiday season, thank you to the people who have continued wearing a face covering, even when it’s annoying or inconvenient, and to those who are mindfully keeping their distance from others, as painful as it may be. The life you save may be that of a dear friend or family member, or someone else's.

And thank you to the people who are thoughtfully looking out for the elderly and working to keep their neighbors fed, housed and healthy, often for meager wages. They deserve more, as well as those who are unemployed, alone or homeless during this devastating pandemic.

Wishing You and Yours a Safe and Happy Thanksgiving!!

With Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other seasonal holidays upon us, the OC Health Care Agency (HCA) is reminding Orange County residents to avoid usual large family gatherings this year in order to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their neighbors from the spread of COVID-19. 

Launching a new marketing and advertising campaign, “Who Should You Get Tested For?,” HCA wants to remind residents to protect the people they love by wearing a face covering, washing their hands often, staying at least six feet apart, and accessing our COVID-19 testing network to get a COVID-19 test. 

Orange County has several options for people who can’t get a COVID-19 test from their health care provider. And just this week, HCA in partnership with Ambry Genetics launched at-home saliva-based COVID-19 test kits. For a full list all available County testing options, please click here. 

County officials and HCA continue to see an increase in the number of lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases, aligning with state and national trends. Cooler weather and the holidays will push case counts even higher if proper precautions are not implemented. 

This is simply not the time to get together with your grandparents and all your aunts, uncles and cousins over the holidays. Family traditions may be able to resume next year, but we must be creative in 2020. Send your famous fruitcake or sugar cookies as a care package. We want to see all those smiling faces in our picture frames around the table next year! For more information, please click here or see the County Health Officer's Tips for a Healthier Thanksgiving.

With the holiday season rapidly approaching, the Orange County Board of Supervisors is calling on residents to safely connect with their elderly neighbors amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Happy Holidays Neighbor! is a public awareness micro-campaign targeted at raising awareness of the dangers related to senior isolation and suggesting ways everyday citizens can reach out and make a difference.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, there are many public health risks linked to social isolation and loneliness. With one-fourth of adults aged 65 and older considered to be socially isolated, this makes seniors more susceptible to increased risk of serious medical conditions, such as dementia and heart disease.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic threatens to further cut off seniors from regular social engagement as well as limit their ability to access needed food, supplies and medication. During the holiday period, seniors face further challenges related to gift buying, mailing packages and decorating their home exteriors.

The Happy Holidays Neighbor! public awareness micro-campaign suggests ways to connect and support seniors this holiday season in COVID-safe ways that focus on physical distancing but still maintain a social connection. It features a printable postcard that neighbors can fill out and send to local seniors, asking what assistance they need and providing the neighbor’s contact information. Additionally, the micro-campaign provides information about County and local senior resources that are important during the holiday season.

The physical health of our seniors is critical, but we can’t overlook the importance of mental health. The holidays are a time to come together to show how much we care for the health and well-being of our seniors.

For more information on how residents can support neighbors in their community, please visit the Orange County Office on Aging website.

Holiday travel may look different this year, as airports across the nation are implementing safe travel measures for what is traditionally a busy travel season. Passengers traveling through John Wayne Airport during the Thanksgiving holiday between November 20 through November 30 can expect to experience a number of measures designed to keep Airport guests safe.

As passengers take to the skies this holiday season, we urge everyone to be mindful of safe and healthy travel practices. Passengers are encouraged to review the Airport’s Healthy Travels practices and plan accordingly to avoid delays and enjoy stress-free holiday travel. For more information, click here. To view the JWA Healthy Travels video, click here or on the image below.

Click the image for the JWA Healthy Travels video.

Recognizing the stresses that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is having on OC residents, the OC Health Care Agency (HCA) is launching three new mental health awareness campaigns in the coming weeks, with the first one aimed at reducing the stigma in support of wellness and recovery, as the other two are focused on suicide prevention.

Introduced a year ago, StigmaFreeOC is launching a new advertising and community outreach campaign on Nov. 5. This campaign addresses the stigma surrounding mental illness and alcohol and drug misuse so everyone is supported in getting the help that they need. Engaging 15-second video ads show a person’s face veiled by animated swirls of textured colors, then transitioning to reveal the human face with the poignant message: See the person not the condition.

Reducing the stigma associated with these conditions is even more important, as many adults are reporting specific negative impacts on their mental health and wellbeing, such as “... increases in alcohol consumption or substance use (12%), and worsening chronic conditions (12%), due to worry and stress over the coronavirus," according to Kaiser Family Foundation.

Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn will be used as the primary platforms for promoting the Stigma Free OC campaign along with digital and print ads in Orange County. The campaign website, StigmaFreeOC.com, provides behavioral health resources as well as the opportunity to sign a pledge to support a stigma-free community in Orange County. Individuals and organizations that take the StigmaFreeOC pledge are listed on the website.  

In addition, the first suicide prevention campaign, Help is Here, focusing on adult males, will roll out in early November and run through the end of the year targeting the holiday season, which has historically shown greater incidents of suicide. The campaign includes outdoor billboards, television and radio spots, transit shelter ads, digital and social media placements. Multiple ad executions were created to reflect real men representing this high-risk group. 

Suicide is also a major concern when it comes to young people. According to the American Association of Suicidology, suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15- to 24-year-olds. The Be A Friend For Life campaign directs youth to reach out to friends who exhibit warning signs of suicide and seek professional support.

The campaign targets youth ages 15 to 22-years old, with a specific focus on the LGBTQ+, foster youth and high-achiever demographics who are at higher-risk for suicide. The campaign will appear in transit shelters, and digital and social media.

COVID-19 has brought to the forefront many of the behavioral health issues people were already facing before the pandemic. We hope that by raising awareness and providing critical resources, we can help turn someone’s life around, and give them an opportunity for a brighter future.

For more on these campaigns, please visit:

• StigmaFreeOC.com
• HelpIsHereOC.com
• BeAFriendForLife.com

For more information about mental health and suicide prevention resources, visit OC Health Care Agency’s Behavioral Health Services. 

As reported in my newsletter last week, upon assessment of the recent and unprecedented rate of increase in COVID-19 cases across state, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has taken action to help prevent further spread of the virus. 

To that end, the State Public Health Officer issued a Limited Stay at Home Order, effective in counties under Tier One (Purple) of California's Blueprint for a Safer Economy, including Orange County, requiring that all gatherings with members of other households and all activities conducted outside the residence, lodging, or temporary accommodation with members of other households cease between 10 PM and 5 AM, except for those activities associated with the operation, maintenance or usage of critical infrastructure, or required by law.

Nothing in this order prevents any number of persons from the same household from leaving their residence, lodging, or temporary accommodation, as long as they do not engage in any interaction with (or otherwise gather with) any number of persons from any other household, except as specifically permitted herein. 

This order took effect November 21 and shall remain in effect until 5 AM, December 21, and may be extended or revised as needed. For more information, click here.

In addition, the state also pulled an emergency brake in the Blueprint for a Safer Economy, putting more than 94 percent of California’s population, including Orange County, in the most restrictive tier. The state will reassess data continuously and move more counties back into a more restrictive tier, if necessary. California is also strengthening its face covering guidance to require individuals to wear a mask whenever outside their home, with limited exceptions.

In addition, the state issued a travel advisory late last week, along with Oregon and Washington, urging people entering the state or returning home from travel outside the state to self-quarantine to slow the spread of the virus. The travel advisory urges against non-essential out-of-state travel, asks people to self-quarantine for 14 days after arriving from another state or country, and encourages residents to stay local. For a listing of COVID-19 State Guidance Documents, click here. 

Hoag and JWA officials have announced plans for the Fly Well Clinic, a first-of-its-kind health care facility will offer travelers health services including office visits, telehealth consultations, immunizations, treatment of cold and flu symptoms and prescriptions.

The partnership represents the first airport health clinic in Orange County and comes at a time of heightened health awareness among passengers and Airport employees.

In advance of the Fly Well Clinic’s official opening next spring, Hoag is currently hosting a Pop-Up Health Fair at JWA.  Located across from Gate 10 in Terminal B (post security), Hoag will offer Airport guests complimentary flu vaccinations and screenings, nutrition and exercise tips for travelers, virtual reality health demonstrations and more.

Hoag Pop-Up Health Fair currently at JWA. 

The permanent 850-square-foot Fly Well Clinic, opening in spring 2021, will offer an onsite licensed health care provider, general health and wellness information and other services, including:

• On-site office visits
• Treatment of cold and flu symptoms
• Rapid COVID-19 testing
• Vaccinations – including flu shots
• Virtual Reality demonstration, including relaxation and mindfulness journeys
• Blood pressure and other vital screenings
• On demand telehealth appointments

The Fly Well Clinic also will provide travelers and Airport employees with the ability to access Hoag doctors through on-demand telehealth appointments including video visits.

The OC Health Care Agency continues to release daily COVID-19 case counts in Orange County. As of today, HCA is reporting 73,152 positive cumulative cases and 1,559 deaths, as well as 479 currently hospitalized with 115 in ICU.

Please be advised that city data is reflective of where cases live, not necessarily where transmission occurred. Additionally, city numbers should not be interpreted to reflect where transmission is geographically focused or not, as COVID-19 is present in all communities in Orange County.

Case counts are also not reflective of all disease transmission in any given community because testing is prioritized for those at greatest risk or most sick. Asymptomatic and persons with mild disease may not be reflected due to not being tested.

Because transmission occurs throughout the County, it is important for all residents to practice social-distancing as directed by the Governor and the Orange County Health Officer regardless of the case count in their city. Doing so will help to reduce the spread of infection, ease the burden on our hospitals and healthcare system, as well as protect those most vulnerable in our county.

The County of Orange is conducting a survey of attitudes toward vaccination for COVID-19, which will be of great assistance in planning for distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available.

It will take less than five minutes to complete a simple questionnaire regarding your attitude about being vaccinated against COVID-19. You need not to give your name nor any other identifying information. All responses are anonymous and confidential. For more information, click here.

With flu season now upon us, the OC Health Care Agency (HCA) is already anticipating the potentially devastating effects of a double whammy of influenza and COVID-19 cases hitting in the fall and winter months and urges everyone to get a flu shot.

Recognizing all of the things that people are worried about, such as paying bills and dealing with the stress of social isolation due to COVID-19, the County has launched a flu vaccine campaign designed to encourage people to get their flu shot so they have one less thing to think about. The tag line is “Don’t worry about the flu, too!”

According to a Centers for Disease Control study of the 2018-19 flu season, of people 19 years of age and older,
48.7% of White people received flu shots, while only 39.4% of Black people and 37.1% of Hispanics received the vaccine. 44% of Asian people were vaccinated. A study conducted in Orange County of the 2015-16 flu season produced very similar breakdowns in people vaccinated.

The flu vaccine will be available as a shot or mist form at the Family Health Clinics by appointment only, 8 AM - 11:30 AM and 1 PM - 4 PM, Monday - Friday. Clinics are closed 11:30 AM - 1 PM. People who live in the County should call 1-800-914-4887 for an appointment. There will also be flu pop-up clinics throughout the community that will be listed here.

The similarities in symptoms between the flu and COVID-19 are startling. Our website features a lot of important resources about the similarities and differences between the two illnesses, as well as treatment and prevention. In order to mitigate the spread of the flu, I urge people to read these materials and get the shot as soon as possible!

If you thought wearing masks wasn’t cool in Orange County, think again! All of Orange County’s 34 mayors have teamed up to send a message to residents, businesses and visitors: “Mask Up to Open Up OC!”

The message comes in a video featuring Orange County’s mayors socially distant and masked up at iconic locations across Orange County, including Laguna Beach’s Festival of the Arts / Pageant of the Masters. The video drives home the point that across diverse Orange County, we are all in this together and must work together to keep fighting coronavirus in our communities.

As Orange County’s COVID-19 case numbers and testing positivity rates continue a dramatic decline, we’re moving toward gradual reopening of more businesses and activities. But as we do so, wearing masks will be more important than ever to ensure we maintain our progress, keep our cases low and prevent another shutdown. To view the video, click here or on the image below.

Click the image above to view the video.

Many of you are at home working or self-isolating and spending more time on the internet. Unfortunately, thieves are taking advantage of this situation and coming up with new and innovative ways to separate you from your money. Now would be a good time to educate yourself on the various ploys used by scammers for COVID-19.

Additionally, a large-scale coronavirus scam has erupted, as impostors are filing claims for unemployment benefits using names of people who have not filed claims. Victims learn about the fraud when they get a notice from their state unemployment benefits office or employer about their supposed application for benefits.

Sadly, people exploiting older adults are often family members or other trusted people who are handling the financial affairs of an incapacitated parent, relative or friend. As such, caregivers and assisted living and nursing facilities can also work together to help protect elderly residents from financial exploitation, both during the pandemic and after life returns to a new normal.

Lastly, if you’re having trouble paying your rent during the coronavirus pandemic, there are relief options and protections available for many renters.    

As the spread and far reaching impacts of COVID-19 continue to dominate the world news, we have all witnessed and experienced the parallel spread of worry, anxiety, and uncertainty. The way to overcome this natural tendency is to build our mental resilience, the ability to refocus, clear our minds, and discard negative thoughts.

Here's what you can do...

1) Remember that knowledge is power. Understanding the factors that affect a person’s immune response to COVID-19 will matter as much as, or more than, understanding the virus. There is great information available on the Orange County Health Care Agency's What You Feel is Real webpage. 

2) Don’t accept everything you read or hear. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides information and frequent updates on the COVID-19’s spread, severity, risk assessment, etc., on the CDC's website. 

3) Get your emotional support system in place:

• Maintain familiar routines in daily life as much as possible; take care of your basic needs and employ helpful coping strategies; rest during work or between shifts, eat healthy food and engage in physical activity.
• Stay connected with friends and family, even virtually connected, and maintain your social networks.
• Have the emails and phone numbers of close friends and family handy.

4) Take control, incorporate preventative measures:

• See the CDC’s list of preventative measures.
• The constant stream of news reports can cause anyone to feel anxious or distressed. Instead, seek updates and practical guidelines at intervals during the day.
• Be supportive to others. Assisting others in their time of need can benefit the person receiving support as well as the helper.

If you or a loved one are feeling anxiety, worry or fear related to the social disruption caused by COVID-19, you can also reach out to these resources for support:

• Call (855) OC-LINKS or visit the OC Links website Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 5 PM to talk or chat with a trained clinical navigator.
• The NAMI Warmline is also here to provide non-crisis support for anyone struggling with mental health concerns Monday through Friday from from 9 AM to 3 AM, and Saturday and Sunday 10 AM to 3 AM. Call (877) 910-WARM or visit www.namioc.org.
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
• Download the NAMI HelpLine Coronavirus Information and Resources Guide
• American Psychological Association (APA) ‘Building Your Resilience’

In their first self-produced virtual choir, Pacific Chorale sings a stirring performance of Bobby McFerrin's heartfelt setting of The 23rd Psalm, dedicated to his mother, Sara. Sara McFerrin was an accomplished singer, veteran music educator here in Orange County, and a longtime Board member of Pacific Chorale. She passed away last December.

Sara and Bobby McFerrin

Pacific Chorale dedicates this virtual performance of "The 23rd Psalm (Dedicated to My Mother)" to all who have suffered illness and loss due to COVID-19. To view the video, click on the image below.

Click on the image above to the video.

For those of you who may have missed any of my previous  Fifth District Dispatch newsletters, featuring up-to-date COVID-19 facts and other information pertinent to South County, click here. 

Thank you to all of our residents for your outstanding efforts in helping to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Orange County, as we're all in this together!

Wishing You and Yours a Safe and Happy Thanksgiving!