TimesOC: Orange County goes viral over COVID-19, again

Good morning and welcome to the TimesOC newsletter.

It’s Friday, April 30. I’m Ben Brazil, bringing you the latest roundup of Orange County news and events.

Orange County went viral this week after Supervisor Don Wagner asked O.C. Health Care Agency
Director Clayton Chau whether tracking devices are injected along with COVID-19 vaccines.

A short clip of the exchange caught the attention of thousands on Twitter. The Washington Post and Daily Beast published articles on it. The coverage and social media attention wasn’t positive for Wagner, who disputed how the public and media perceived and portrayed the issue.

“In the name of public health, Dr. Chau and I are calling out the media outlets who did not verify sources before reporting, furthering the issue of vaccine hesitancy and spreading misinformation,” Wagner initially said on Twitter, tagging reporters in his post. “… In the name of public health, we request a public retraction of the misinformation and a clear explanation of our positions. We do not want individuals to read false stories by second-tier reporters and not get the vaccine.”

Wagner and Chau streamed a press conference on Facebook on Thursday to further address the issue.

“We hear rumors, some of them crazier than others, but they are out there,” Wagner said. “… The responsible thing to do is debunk them. We hear about vaccine passports. We hear from our constituents, ‘Oh, you’re going to vaccinate our children without our consent.’ We hear that there’s going to be tracking and of course about these injectable microchips. We have hundreds of people coming to our board meetings. We have thousands of emails and phone calls coming into our offices worried about these issues. It does not make them true, but vaccine hesitancy is out there.

“At the board meeting, all I was doing was walking Dr. Chau through some of those claims, not because I wondered whether they were true, not because I thought they might be true, I know they’re not. I’m on the board that’s directing the county’s vaccination efforts. I myself have been vaccinated. I raised those not because they’re true, but to allow Dr. Chau to assure the public that the vaccines are safe. Dr. Chau and I were addressing rumors to help overcome vaccine hesitancy.”

For the last two Board of Supervisors meetings, dozens of people have been showing up at public comments to rail against the vaccine and spout off conspiracy theories about COVID-19.

A few weeks ago, Chau and county supervisors tried to quell rumors about a vaccine passport. At that meeting, many claimed there was no pandemic and vaccines lack efficacy. A Bible verse was read aloud and the power of God was referenced more than once. Terms such as “communism” and “fascism” were used.

Snopes, the fact checking website, said that Wagner was dispelling rumors among people who spoke during public comments.

“Wagner raised the question only in order to debunk tracking device allegations made during the course of 67 public statements from a largely anti-vaccine, pro-conspiracy theory group of Orange County citizens,” the website said.

The exchange in the clip went as follows:

“Is there any intention of tracking folks?” Wagner asked Chau.

“Nope,” Chau said.

“Is there any in the vaccine, we heard about an injection of a tracking device, is that being done anywhere?” Wagner said.

“I’m sorry, I just have to compose myself,” Chau said after laughing. “There is not a vaccine with a tracking device embedded in it that I know of that exists in the world. Period.”

NEWS

— Some Huntington Beach parents and students held a protest this week after the Huntington Beach City School District decided to not send two middle schools back to full-time instruction. More than 2,000 students will continue to spend only part of their school week on campus.

— The California State Guard activated Orange County units to respond to natural disasters and civil unrest. Team Shield and Team Blaze could provide traffic control and man checkpoints during wildfires or civil unrest.

— A popular pair of osprey at the Sunset Aquatic Marina in Huntington Beach have hatched three chicks. Local residents and wildlife photographers have been monitoring the bird couple for the past four years.

— Following a national search, Laguna Beach selected Shohreh Dupuis as the new city manager. She had been serving as the assistant city manager.

— Now that students have returned to full-time instruction, the Newport-Mesa Unified School District must figure out how to conduct transportation services for special needs and general education students.

— The Orange County arts community has lost more than $100 million and thousands of jobs since the beginning of the pandemic. Now, some venues may begin to recover, though it may take awhile.

— The 360 Clinic, an Orange County healthcare organization, has forged a partnership with the U.S. Navy in an effort to test Navy families for COVID-19 in Bremerton, Wash., and San Diego. The 360 Clinic continues to expand, with 50 sites in Orange County and surrounding cities.

SPORTS

— After former Angels player Tyler Skaggs died at age 27, the organization and baseball community was left in shock and disbelief. Now, two years later, the team’s longtime communications director, Eric Kay, will face a trial this summer after being charged with giving Skaggs oxycodone pills laced with the deadly drug fentanyl.

— Angels pitchers helped pull out a 4-3 win against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday night. The Angels got off to a quick start with four runs in the top of the first, but the Rangers almost came back.

— The Edison High School softball team upset second place Los Alamitos this week.

LIFE AND LEISURE

— Disneyland is reopening today. Here are some guidelines on how to navigate the park amid ride closures and new safety guidelines.

— Park goers aren’t the only ones vying to return to Disneyland. The theme park’s workers are also ready, and it’s not just for the paycheck.

OPINION

— Columnist Patrice Apodaca wrote that Orange County has a hate problem. She reports that the number of hate-related incidents have been on the rise in the county.

*** This article has been archived for your research. The original version from Los Angeles Times can be found here ***