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- Exclusive Interview: 888 Aims for WSOP Pennsylvania Online Poker Launch By Summer Senior Vice President and Head of US at 888 Holdings Yaniv Sherman talks exclusively to pokerfuse about plans for Michigan and Pennsylvania, shared liquidity, the deployment of Poker 8 and more.
- Established in 1997, 888.com quickly developed its brand and reputation as the market leader in the global online gaming industry. The 888.com brand was founded with the principles of trust and credibility at its core, defining the ethos for the company's activities to this day. 888.com has consistently demonstrated a clear focus on enriching your gaming experience.
I expect that we'll see an expanded shared liquidity network inside 2021. That's my main expectation.
888 provides the software platform for the largest interstate online poker network in the United States. Its All American Poker Network powers its own 888 New Jersey, but it is perhaps better known as the platform that powers two World Series of Poker apps: WSOP.com New Jersey and WSOP.com Nevada.
And that network is set to grow both geographically, with new US states coming soon, and as a platform, with its all new Poker 8 desktop and mobile app in the pipeline for US states, pokerfuse has been told.
In order to maintain a secure environment, anyone under the age of 21 is not permitted to play at 888casino. If you are a minor, you are not permitted to play at 888casino. At 888casino it's important to ensure that players have a safe and responsible gaming environment.
In a wide-ranging interview, pokerfuse spoke with Yaniv Sherman, SVP and Head of US at 888 Holdings, to discuss 888's plans for the new American poker environment. And it is clear that the company sees big potential in the expansion of legal, safe regulated online poker across the United States.
First, the recent launch of online poker in Michigan opens up the opportunities there, as does the recently regulated Pennsylvania online gaming market. Sherman tells pokerfuse that the company is prioritizing the launch of WSOP PA and the aim is that this will come with the new Poker 8 platform.
The goal is to be ready for the 2021 WSOP Summer festival. If they can pull it off, it could mean players in Pennsylvania will be able to compete for WSOP bracelets this year from their home.
The company will then look to roll out the Poker 8—which represents a complete overhaul of the online poker experience, with updates to both Windows and Mac clients, as well as Android and iOS—to other states as soon as possible.
Poker is right up there with sports. I do think that over the next 12 to 18 months we'll see existing states compact with each other.
Then there is the favorable decision handed down by the US Court of Appeals on the scope of the Wire Act significantly altering the online poker landscape in the US.
Sherman told pokerfuse that they had started the licensing process in Michigan, but indicated that the launch may hinge on whether the regulator will pursue shared liquidity. Currently, PokerStars Michigan is the only online poker room in the state.
He is overall bullish on the possibility of more states allowing cross-border networks, noting West Virginia as one specific example.
Read below for the full interview, which covers the threat of offshore operators, their approach to brand ambassadors in the US, real names at the tables and a whole more.
Poker 8, Pennsylvania and Michigan
When will we begin seeing the rollout of the new Poker 8 platform, and which states do you anticipate will come first, or will it rollout to all regulated US markets at the same time?
Right now, we are looking to prioritize Pennsylvania with our partner Caesars to deploy it for the WSOP brand. We then will aim for a phased rollout across the states.
The recent First Circuit ruling threw a few of the cards in the air because now we are hoping to try and pool some of the existing states together at some point, but that's still a work in progress. We're talking to the various regulators to make sure that we have the infrastructure in place. We're focusing on Pennsylvania and our new infrastructure.
It's not just Poker 8, we are deploying a whole new platform backend with a lot of new capabilities that we've been working on globally. Then we will start rolling out Poker 8, in Pennsylvania first, and then hopefully the other states, and new states will follow hopefully this year.
When do you expect to go live in Pennsylvania? Will you go live initially with Poker 8, or do you anticipate that you could launch there and then deploy Poker 8 at a later time?
The plan is to go live with Poker 8. The work is ongoing. Naturally, pending certification, so that is up to the regulator. We are working hard to go live the first half of the year, hopefully sooner, but right now that is our plan – sometime during the first half of 2021 to go live.
We are aiming to be there in time for the WSOP tournament, which I hope that we'll be able to see it back. I don't know if we will. Any way that Caesars would want to schedule that, typically in mid-year, they want to run the tournaments, so we are trying to meet that timeline.
Last we checked, we didn't see an application for 888 in Michigan. What more can you tell us about your status in that state?
We've already initiated our licensing process in Michigan. The regulator is still very much focused on getting most operators live on sports and casino.We are definitely looking at bringing 888poker to other states as well.
That has already been initiated and is in motion. We've started our discussions, and depending on their position on shared liquidity, that will determine the timing of when we can launch Michigan as well. Naturally, we are hoping to do that hopefully with other states in mind.
888 Brands in the United States
888 has a big B2B presence in the US through its partnerships with WSOP.com and the racinos in Delaware. So far we have only seen an 888poker branded online poker room in New Jersey. Are there plans to have that brand associated with online poker in other states when you launch?
First of all, we are making sure that we get WSOP rolled out in the additional state, Pennsylvania, and then Michigan. We are definitely looking at bringing 888poker to other states as well.
As you can imagine, when we deploy our infrastructure and Poker 8 into those states, then the incremental work for investment to deploy 888poker is much less substantial. In that regard, I think that 888poker will be riding on the same trend where we can connect as many states to the shared liquidity pool as possible.
It will be a much smoother or more cost-effective way of deploying it. I can't get into too many details, but we are definitely working to extend and expand 888poker the network beyond New Jersey, hopefully, in the near future.
As far as branding goes, we saw, initially, with the rollout in New Jersey, the All-American Poker Network was a brand that 888 was trying to push. It seems like that has lessened in recent years. I'm just wondering if that is a brand that you plan to revive with the new opportunities for shared liquidity across the states?
That is a good question. I think that brand or that joint venture that we had with Avenue Capital back in the day was struck in 2012, early 2013 when poker was the frontrunner for all US regulated gaming, and casino was just available in Delaware and New Jersey. I don't think that the All-American Poker Network is necessarily the brand that we would get behind. I think 888poker has just as much, if not more, brand equity in North America.
That was the anomaly, but what we expected back then was for poker to roll out much faster across the US because it was less contentious than casino.
What happened in practice was poker was a lot slower to be adopted. I think mostly because a lot less operators felt that they could participate, so that trend subsided and everything reemerged on the back of the PASPA repeal in 2018. Gaming in general, along with sports betting, has taken the front stage.
I don't think that the All-American Poker Network is necessarily the brand that we would get behind. I think 888poker has just as much, if not more, brand equity in North America. I think that it is definitely a question that we are still asking, but unless proven otherwise, I think 888poker is a very effective brand.
Generally speaking, I think poker now, you can look at this as a three-wave approach. We've had gaming, initially, on the back burner, then sport arrived and washed over everything from 2018 until probably late 2019. I think gaming is getting back to center stage because everybody understands how much more you can do with more than just sport.
In gaming, everybody is talking about casino, which is great because it leaves much less competition in the poker vertical, and that is what we are building on. I think that poker will always be the smallest product. I just think it gets so much bigger than what it is right now on the back of the shared liquidity, and that we have the opportunity to take a bigger piece of maybe a smaller pie.
But nevertheless, I think it is going to be much more substantial with what we are already seeing, which is, right now, between New Jersey, Delaware, Nevada, Michigan, Pennsylvania, I think we are looking at well north of about $200 maybe $250 million worth of total addressable market with only two or three potential players or operators on it. It is definitely a very big opportunity, at least from our perspective.
Wire Act and Shared Liquidity
Let's take a wider view of shared liquidity and the recent Wire Act decision. How do you see that decision changing the landscape for online poker in the US? What changes do you expect to immediately happen in 2021?
I think that what it did is mostly remove the uncertainty that engulfed poker. I think policymakers and regulators were hesitant to take decisive action before they saw more clarity around the DOJ opinion.
Listen, poker was the main casualty for that opinion from 2018. I don't think anybody expected e-payments or ilottery or even casino to be heavily impacted. They were all very much ringfenced inside their state lines. Sport has always been part of the Wire Act. Poker was the biggest casualty in that regard.
I think policymakers and regulators were hesitant to take decisive action before they saw more clarity around the DOJ opinion. Now that that seems to have been resolved, theoretically, they could still appeal, but it doesn't look like that, I think regulators can move on and do one of two things or both.
One is opt to start compacting with one another. Hopefully on one shared network. We already see those conversations going.
The other thing is for other policymakers and states to move forward with their gaming initiatives. Some states that have already enacted sports betting like Indiana are now contemplating adding gaming with poker included. Perhaps bigger states like New York and other states can help the cause, but I definitely see a domino effect.
What we've seen in 2020, on the back of the pandemic, is the resurgence of poker as an entertainment destination. I think it is a much less contentious product on the back of sport, which is consensus more center of the road with casino being a more, let's call it, risky – perceived at least as risky from a political standpoint.
Poker is right up there with sports. I do think that over the next 12 to 18 months we'll see existing states compact with each other. West Virginia is another state that could very well do that, it has said that it won't move until it sees the DOJ issue resolved.
Then new states coming on board when they can already partner or compact with the existing network will be a lot easier for new states to go live based on that than to need to set up infrastructure and operations at every state ringfenced.
When will we begin seeing the rollout of the new Poker 8 platform, and which states do you anticipate will come first, or will it rollout to all regulated US markets at the same time?
Right now, we are looking to prioritize Pennsylvania with our partner Caesars to deploy it for the WSOP brand. We then will aim for a phased rollout across the states.
The recent First Circuit ruling threw a few of the cards in the air because now we are hoping to try and pool some of the existing states together at some point, but that's still a work in progress. We're talking to the various regulators to make sure that we have the infrastructure in place. We're focusing on Pennsylvania and our new infrastructure.
It's not just Poker 8, we are deploying a whole new platform backend with a lot of new capabilities that we've been working on globally. Then we will start rolling out Poker 8, in Pennsylvania first, and then hopefully the other states, and new states will follow hopefully this year.
When do you expect to go live in Pennsylvania? Will you go live initially with Poker 8, or do you anticipate that you could launch there and then deploy Poker 8 at a later time?
The plan is to go live with Poker 8. The work is ongoing. Naturally, pending certification, so that is up to the regulator. We are working hard to go live the first half of the year, hopefully sooner, but right now that is our plan – sometime during the first half of 2021 to go live.
We are aiming to be there in time for the WSOP tournament, which I hope that we'll be able to see it back. I don't know if we will. Any way that Caesars would want to schedule that, typically in mid-year, they want to run the tournaments, so we are trying to meet that timeline.
Last we checked, we didn't see an application for 888 in Michigan. What more can you tell us about your status in that state?
We've already initiated our licensing process in Michigan. The regulator is still very much focused on getting most operators live on sports and casino.We are definitely looking at bringing 888poker to other states as well.
That has already been initiated and is in motion. We've started our discussions, and depending on their position on shared liquidity, that will determine the timing of when we can launch Michigan as well. Naturally, we are hoping to do that hopefully with other states in mind.
888 Brands in the United States
888 has a big B2B presence in the US through its partnerships with WSOP.com and the racinos in Delaware. So far we have only seen an 888poker branded online poker room in New Jersey. Are there plans to have that brand associated with online poker in other states when you launch?
First of all, we are making sure that we get WSOP rolled out in the additional state, Pennsylvania, and then Michigan. We are definitely looking at bringing 888poker to other states as well.
As you can imagine, when we deploy our infrastructure and Poker 8 into those states, then the incremental work for investment to deploy 888poker is much less substantial. In that regard, I think that 888poker will be riding on the same trend where we can connect as many states to the shared liquidity pool as possible.
It will be a much smoother or more cost-effective way of deploying it. I can't get into too many details, but we are definitely working to extend and expand 888poker the network beyond New Jersey, hopefully, in the near future.
As far as branding goes, we saw, initially, with the rollout in New Jersey, the All-American Poker Network was a brand that 888 was trying to push. It seems like that has lessened in recent years. I'm just wondering if that is a brand that you plan to revive with the new opportunities for shared liquidity across the states?
That is a good question. I think that brand or that joint venture that we had with Avenue Capital back in the day was struck in 2012, early 2013 when poker was the frontrunner for all US regulated gaming, and casino was just available in Delaware and New Jersey. I don't think that the All-American Poker Network is necessarily the brand that we would get behind. I think 888poker has just as much, if not more, brand equity in North America.
That was the anomaly, but what we expected back then was for poker to roll out much faster across the US because it was less contentious than casino.
What happened in practice was poker was a lot slower to be adopted. I think mostly because a lot less operators felt that they could participate, so that trend subsided and everything reemerged on the back of the PASPA repeal in 2018. Gaming in general, along with sports betting, has taken the front stage.
I don't think that the All-American Poker Network is necessarily the brand that we would get behind. I think 888poker has just as much, if not more, brand equity in North America. I think that it is definitely a question that we are still asking, but unless proven otherwise, I think 888poker is a very effective brand.
Generally speaking, I think poker now, you can look at this as a three-wave approach. We've had gaming, initially, on the back burner, then sport arrived and washed over everything from 2018 until probably late 2019. I think gaming is getting back to center stage because everybody understands how much more you can do with more than just sport.
In gaming, everybody is talking about casino, which is great because it leaves much less competition in the poker vertical, and that is what we are building on. I think that poker will always be the smallest product. I just think it gets so much bigger than what it is right now on the back of the shared liquidity, and that we have the opportunity to take a bigger piece of maybe a smaller pie.
But nevertheless, I think it is going to be much more substantial with what we are already seeing, which is, right now, between New Jersey, Delaware, Nevada, Michigan, Pennsylvania, I think we are looking at well north of about $200 maybe $250 million worth of total addressable market with only two or three potential players or operators on it. It is definitely a very big opportunity, at least from our perspective.
Wire Act and Shared Liquidity
Let's take a wider view of shared liquidity and the recent Wire Act decision. How do you see that decision changing the landscape for online poker in the US? What changes do you expect to immediately happen in 2021?
I think that what it did is mostly remove the uncertainty that engulfed poker. I think policymakers and regulators were hesitant to take decisive action before they saw more clarity around the DOJ opinion.
Listen, poker was the main casualty for that opinion from 2018. I don't think anybody expected e-payments or ilottery or even casino to be heavily impacted. They were all very much ringfenced inside their state lines. Sport has always been part of the Wire Act. Poker was the biggest casualty in that regard.
I think policymakers and regulators were hesitant to take decisive action before they saw more clarity around the DOJ opinion. Now that that seems to have been resolved, theoretically, they could still appeal, but it doesn't look like that, I think regulators can move on and do one of two things or both.
One is opt to start compacting with one another. Hopefully on one shared network. We already see those conversations going.
The other thing is for other policymakers and states to move forward with their gaming initiatives. Some states that have already enacted sports betting like Indiana are now contemplating adding gaming with poker included. Perhaps bigger states like New York and other states can help the cause, but I definitely see a domino effect.
What we've seen in 2020, on the back of the pandemic, is the resurgence of poker as an entertainment destination. I think it is a much less contentious product on the back of sport, which is consensus more center of the road with casino being a more, let's call it, risky – perceived at least as risky from a political standpoint.
Poker is right up there with sports. I do think that over the next 12 to 18 months we'll see existing states compact with each other. West Virginia is another state that could very well do that, it has said that it won't move until it sees the DOJ issue resolved.
Then new states coming on board when they can already partner or compact with the existing network will be a lot easier for new states to go live based on that than to need to set up infrastructure and operations at every state ringfenced.
Poker, of all the three gaming verticals or gambling verticals, as you well know, is more operationally demanding. Maybe we will see a couple of newcomers take a stab at this, but it is also much like daily fantasy [sports]. It's a liquidity-based market. I think the top two or three networks will also set the tone over the next couple of years.
Do you expect anything major to happen in 2021 as a result of the recent decision?
Yes. I expect that we'll see an expanded shared liquidity network inside 2021. That's my main expectation.
Offshore Operators
Do you think that offshore operators pose a threat to legal regulated online poker sites in the US?
They don't pose a threat. It's just whenever you venture into a state, then you need to acknowledge the fact that people are already playing in that state. Once we are able to advertise on Google and on TV and create that brand awareness, the trust is there.
Much like sports betting, you have to offer them or pry them away from offshore networks. From what I know today, these aren't the good old days between UIGEA and Black Friday.
It's a very different landscape. I think that the offshore networks are much less dominant. There is no Full Tilt out there, there is no PokerStars. We don't see the brands. There's really only a couple of them out there today, but I think they're more focused on sports betting and casino.
Generally speaking, wherever we launch, once we hit the liquidity critical mass, there is really no reason for a poker player to continue playing [offshore]. Sorry, I'll rephrase that. For some types of players, they'll naturally opt to play where they can create the most rake and grind, and those are mostly the sharks. Much like professional sports betters, they are price-sensitive, and they will probably play both regulated and offshore and wherever they can get their best return. We are a recreational destination.
The more states come across, once we hit that liquidity critical mass, there is really no reason for someone to play [anywhere] other than our platform, or other regulated platforms, because the products are so much better. Consumers eventually vote with their fingers and their mouses, and the customer experience is so much better from a regulated perspective.
You get the advantage of better apps, and better software, and higher stakes tournaments.
WSOP has been running six-figure Sunday guarantees for a while, covering them there beautifully—-the main events were all already millions of dollars' worth. Offshores can't offer that today. I think the challenge is the footprint or reach, so that's why I think the more states we get across, then there really is no reason for someone to play [offshore]. Once we are able to advertise on Google and on TV and create that brand awareness, the trust is there.
In any regulated market, by the way, globally, once we start rolling, consumers eventually vote with their fingers and their mouses, and the customer experience is so much better from a regulated perspective. I don't see them as a threat, but more of something that we need to continue educating players about so that they understand that they're playing with a safe and regulated operator versus an offshore one that can, much like we've seen in the past, just disappear one day with players' funds. It is mostly around education, I'm not very concerned. I think all of us have enough firepower and agenda to plow through.
Real Names and Brand Ambassadors
We know that 888poker has been one of the top operators in their use of brand ambassadors to promote its products. What's your general philosophy about brand ambassadors as it relates to the US market?
You're right that 888poker has done a great job over the past, I would say decade, in using brand ambassadors alongside the brand to push both a global and local agenda. Brand ambassadors should also be able to carry their personas and their influence across brands.
Just with Shane Warne and Georges St-Pierre and some of the other prominent poker players up to our WSOP winner from two years ago.
That's definitely part of our agenda in the US, not just for poker. We at 888, in general, are looking at this with more of a holistic view, that brand ambassadors should also be able to carry their personas and their influence across brands. As far as poker is concerned, we have seen others partner with athletes and celebrities. I think it is very important, at least from poker's perspective, that that person also enjoys playing poker. Just using someone as the face of the brand, without them actually being part of it, is, I think, not as effective.
That's why I think Shane Warne was such an amazing brand ambassador, because he is actually a poker player. I think that is what we are looking for when we are assessing our options here in the US, and also it's about the footprint.
I think 888poker needs to be in a few more states, and then we can really take it up a notch in terms of the brand ambassadors and partnerships we can strike. There is a great amount of interest.
To our other point about offshore bookies, most of the A-listers and the brand ambassadors that we've been considering will never play with offshore bookies if they are aware of the agenda. We are definitely [a company] that people want to get involved with. It's very high up on our brand awareness and marketing operations agenda.
The last topic that I have is the use of real names at online poker tables. I was wondering if 888 has any plans to implement such a policy in the US, and I would like to get your thoughts about the use of real names at the online poker tables in general.
That's a great topic. I reached back, by the way, to our guys, and the issue revolves – and the US is slightly different than the rest of the world, or materially different. I think the more real, or the more honest and transparent everyone is, the better for the poker industry
Just on a poker level, naturally using real names helps you with all types of bots and collusion and other fraud elements, people are recognized by their own name. It's the same, by the way, trend as in if you want a blue check mark on Twitter, you have to use your real name as a precondition. It's very much the same. I think, on the back of that, there are other issues that we need to tackle first that we need to look into. There's also privacy elements around that, people being requested to identify by their real name.
I think it eventually will come down to a choice. If I have to assess how this would evolve and it will be more evolutionary than a one strike type of feature. Maybe build incentives around players who are using their own name, either be acknowledged or rewarded for it.
Overall, I think the more real, or the more honest and transparent everyone is, the better for the poker industry, because if we talk on a general note, we all know that the poker industry has suffered greatly through the years. As players evolved so did machines. The whole industry has been fighting those phenomena. We've been able to curtail that with several measures that we built into our existing or previous product and this one.
I think that is the bigger agenda – we're looking at this, as I said, in a more holistic way of how do we make sure that Poker 8, much like our previous poker product, is the destination of choice for recreational [players] and novices, as opposed to just professional players. I think real names is one of the features that is definitely being considered, but there are also others like the number of current tables you can play, game pace, and the overall experience. I think that that's a big part of it.
At the end of the day, I think the biggest development that we're seeing now, hopefully, is that after poker networks have been fragmenting for a good decade, we're starting to see the convergence both in Europe and in the US. I hope to see that trend continue and even see cross-Atlantic alliances at some point, where players will be able to play on a regulated network, not just across the US states, but potentially North America, generally, and maybe even Europe. I think it's very important to put the product back on track. It certainly has a huge market in the US still.
LATEST UPDATES: Tracking COVID-19 | Vaccines | Racial Justice
- Trackers and Map
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Monday, March 8, 2021
By KPBS Staff
This is a breaking news blog for all of the latest updates about the coronavirus pandemic. Get our complete coronavirus coverage here →
COVID-19 Vaccine Made Available To Convention Center Shelter Residents, Staff
– 6:13 p.m., Monday, March 8, 2021
The single-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine will be made available Tuesday and Wednesday to shelter residents and staff of Operation Shelter to Home at the San Diego Convention Center, the mayor's office said in a release Monday.
City of San Diego Fire-Rescue Department Firefighters and Lifeguards will administer the vaccinations on-site Tuesday and Wednesday.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria had announced on March 5 a timeline and plans for residents of the Convention Center shelter to be relocated to several other city shelters by the end of March.
'The vaccines offer another level of protection against the COVID-19 virus ahead of the moves that are slated to begin the week of March 22,' read the release.
Operation Shelter to Home was launched April 1, 2020 to provide shelter for those experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic. – KPBS Staff
– 5:20 p.m., Monday, May 5, 2021
San Diego County public health officials reported 307 new COVID-19 infections Monday, as the county awaits state data Tuesday which could promote it to the less-restrictive red tier of the state's four-tiered economic recovery plan.
San Diego County remains in the most restrictive purple tier, but just barely. The county's state-calculated, adjusted case rate is currently 10.8 cases per 100,000 residents. It needs to be below seven per 100,000 to head into the red tier.
The testing positivity percentage is 4.2%, placing the county in the orange tier. While the testing positivity rate for the county qualifies it for orange, the state uses the most restrictive metric — in this case, the adjusted case rate — and assigns counties to that tier. The county's health equity metric, which looks at the testing positivity for areas with the lowest healthy conditions, is 6% and is in the red tier.
The California Department of Public Health assesses counties on a weekly basis. The next report is scheduled for Tuesday. — City News Service
– 11:23 a.m., Monday, March 8, 2021
Fully vaccinated Americans can gather with other vaccinated people indoors without wearing a mask or social distancing. That's according to long-awaited guidance from federal health officials. The recommendations were announced Monday.
They also say that vaccinated people can come together in the same way with people considered at low-risk for severe disease, such as in the case of vaccinated grandparents visiting healthy children and grandchildren.
Officials say a person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the last required dose of vaccine. About 30 million Americans or only about 9% of the U.S. population have been fully vaccinated with a federally authorized COVID-19 vaccine so far. — Associated Press
– 5:45 p.m., Friday, March 7, 2021
San Diego County public health officials reported 187 new COVID-19 infections and five deaths Sunday, increasing the totals to 262,968 cases and 3,390 deaths.
As of Sunday, of the county's population over the age of 16, 23.4% — or nearly 629,783 people — have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and 12.2% — or more than 327,958 people — have been fully inoculated. — City News Service
– 5:42 p.m., Saturday, March 6, 2021
San Diego County public health officials reported 421 new COVID-19 infections and 14 deaths Saturday, increasing the totals to 262,781 cases and 3,385 deaths as stadiums and theme parks have been cleared to reopen in California beginning April 1 subject to strict conditions.
Theme parks can reopen at 15% capacity in the red tier of the state's four-tiered reopening plan. Capacity levels will shift to 25% in the orange tier and 35% in the yellow tier.
Of 12,946 tests reported by the county Saturday, 3% returned positive.
The number of hospitalizations declined to 371, with 117 of those in intensive care units. There are 61 staffed, available ICU beds in the county.
There were no new community outbreaks reported Saturday. There have been 28 outbreaks over the last seven days with 123 cases associated with those outbreaks.
San Diego County is in the most restrictive, purple, tier, but numbers are trending downward at such a rate the county could be promoted to the red tier this month.
Of the county's population over the age of 16, 23.1% — or nearly 620,000 people — have received at least one dose and 11.9% — or more than 319,000 people — have been fully inoculated. – City News Service
– 6:49 p.m., Friday, March 5, 2021
San Diego County public health officials reported 499 new COVID-19 infections and 12 deaths Friday, increasing the county's totals to 262,360 cases and 3,371 deaths.
Of 13,752 tests reported by the county, 4% returned positive. The 14-day rolling average decreased to 3.4% from Thursday's 3.6%.
The number of hospitalizations declined to 405, with 128 of those in intensive care units. There are 67 staffed, available ICU beds in the county.
One month ago, there were 1,246 people hospitalized with COVID-19, 360 of whom were in ICU beds.
Of the county's population over the age of 16, 23.1% — or nearly 620,000 people — have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 11.9% — or more than 319,000 people — have been fully inoculated. — City News Service
California To Let Major League Baseball, Disneyland Reopen
– 3:00 p.m., Friday, March 5, 2021
California is allowing people to attend Major League Baseball games and other sports, go to Disneyland and watch live performances in limited capacities starting April 1.
The rules announced Friday coincide with baseball's opening day. The San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Angels and Oakland Athletics all have home games scheduled for April 1.
California divides its counties into four color-coded tiers based on the spread of the coronavirus. Attendance limits are based on what tier a county is in.
Theme parks can open at 15% capacity in the tier that's the second-highest risk level and only people who live in California can buy tickets. Sports in areas with the most spread will be limited to 100 people. — Associated Press
San Diego Administers Its 1 Millionth Dose Of COVID-19 Vaccine
– 12:00 p.m., Friday, March 5, 2021
San Diego County has administered its 1 millionth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine Friday, San Diego County Chair Nathan Fletcher said.
'We are moving faster than any other county in the state of California to administer these vaccines so we can get our kids back in school, get our businesses open, get back in the ballpark for Opening Day and really move forward,' he said.
There are 27 vaccination sites or events located throughout the San Diego County region, though delays in vaccine shipments have caused some sites to temporarily close lately.
The county has the capacity to administer 33,000 vaccinations on a daily basis and more than 1 million per month, but is averaging about 14,000 vaccinations each day because of the shortage.
Fletcher said the county now expects to receive its first shipments of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine next week. — KPBS Staff
Legoland California Opens For 'Build 'N Play Days'
– 10:18 a.m., Friday, March 5, 2021
Legoland California Resort begins its 'Build 'N Play Days' Friday, allowing families to enjoy some of the park's outdoor attractions in a socially distanced environment.
The limited-time event, running through May 5, is also allowing the park to bring back hundreds of employees furloughed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Guests will have access to play structures within the park such as Kai's Spinners and Cole's Rock Climb, building activities, a scavenger hunt in Miniland U.S.A., live entertainment, character meet-and-greets and shopping at the Big Shop.
Build 'N Play activities include a Miniland dance party where guests can do the 'Lego limbo' and design their own Minifigure on the roof of the model shop. Two building activities are intended to stretch children's imaginations with separate sanitized brick packs and a space for children's creations to stay on display each weekend.
Legoland was forced to shut down last March, along with other theme parks, which are not allowed to fully reopen until the least-restrictive yellow tier of California's four-tiered reopening system is reached. San Diego County remains in the most restrictive purple tier.
Legoland California Resort President Kurt Stocks said he is optimistic they'll be able to reopen in the near future.
'Obviously, we're waiting on Governor Newsom to give us the green light to fully reopen, but at this moment we are going out into the market and we are advertising quite literally hundreds of jobs that we will need filled as we get ready to reopen,' he told NBC7.
Those interested can apply at legolandjobs.com.
Tickets for Build 'N Play Days start at $19.99 and can be purchased by clicking here. — City News Service
San Diego County Reports 508 New COVID-19 cases, 17 Deaths
– 7:30 p.m., Thursday, March 4, 2021
San Diego County public health officials reported 508 new COVID-19 cases and 17 additional deaths Thursday, increasing the totals to 261,861 cases and 3,359 deaths.
Of 17,763 tests reported by the county, 3% returned positive. The 14-day rolling average decreased to 3.6% from Wednesday's 3.7%.
The number of hospitalizations declined to 430, with 144 of those in intensive care units. There are 62 staffed, available ICU beds in the county.
One month ago, there were 1,265 people hospitalized with COVID-19, 369 of whom were in ICU beds.
Of the county's population over the age of 16, 22.1% — or more than 594,000 people — have received at least one dose and 10.7% — or more than 287,000 people — have been fully inoculated. — City News Service
– 12:00 p.m., Thursday, March 4, 2021
The Scripps Del Mar Vaccination Super Station will be closed on Saturday, March 6, due to the low number of COVID-19 vaccine doses that were delivered to Scripps Health this week.
The station will reopen the following day on Sunday, March 7.
Patients who had appointments at the super station on Saturday, which were all for second doses of the Pfizer vaccine, are being rescheduled for Sunday automatically through the MyTurn online appointment system. — KPBS Staff
County Prioritizes Second Dose Appointments As Vaccine Shortage Continues
– 7:10 p.m., Wednesday, March 3, 2021
Local vaccination sites are prioritizing people with second dose appointments because of the ongoing vaccine shortage, the county announced Wednesday.
There is currently a delay in Moderna vaccine shipments because of bad weather a few weeks ago across the U.S. The county shortage of Moderna vaccines is conflated with the Pfizer vaccines being used almost exclusively for people due for their second doses.
Those two issues are causing delays in the release of new appointments for people getting the vaccines for the first time.
'Our sites are working diligently to complete the vaccinations of people who are due for their second doses,' county Public Health Officer Dr. Wilma Wooten said. 'When we get through the Moderna backlog, and more doses arrive, including the new Johnson and Johnson vaccine, first-dose appointments will be released for the many people who are both eligible and eager to get vaccinated.' — KPBS Staff
San Diego County On Path To Red Tier
– 4:36 p.m., Wednesday, March 3, 2021
San Diego County public health officials reported 352 new COVID-19 cases and 25 additional deaths Wednesday as health care sites await more vaccines, including the one-dose vaccine from Johnson & Johnson.
On Wednesday, Supervisor Nathan Fletcher said the county should be proud of the sacrifice it had made during the pandemic and suggested a change in the formula the state uses to calculate its four-tiered reopening structure could be on the way.
He said the more that vulnerable populations receive vaccines, the 'more it changes the calculus' of the state's metrics. However, vaccine shortages have frustrated efforts to get doses into arms.
'It is consistently erratic and consistently unpredictable,' Fletcher said of vaccine deliveries.
The county's largest vaccine site, Petco Park, reopened Wednesday after closing Saturday due to a Moderna vaccine shortage. It had to temporarily shutter several hours later, however, due to a winter storm bringing lightning.
'As of noon today, the Petco Vaccination Super Station has briefly paused operations due to safety concerns related to nearby lightning,' UC San Diego Health wrote on Twitter. 'The site will reopen as soon as authorities determine it is safe to do so.' — City News Service
– 5:22 p.m., Tuesday, March 2, 2021
Despite considerable improvement in handling the COVID-19 pandemic in recent weeks, San Diego County will remain in the state's 'Purple Tier' for at least one more week, it was announced Tuesday, as county officials reported 376 new infections and 14 deaths related to the virus.
Posting an adjusted case rate of 10.8 new daily cases per 100,000 people, the county still has to drop below 7 per 100,000 to enter the red tier in the state's four-tiered reopening system. In the red tier, some indoor businesses such as gyms, movie theaters and indoor dining can reopen.
County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher said it was just a matter of time before the county moved up.
'San Diego County is headed in the right direction, our cases are dropping and the number of vaccines administered continues to lead our state,' he said Tuesday. 'We are seeing more school openings and know we are on the path to a lower tier. It is vital we continue to do everything we can to slow the spread and continue our forward progress and momentum.'
The county's other metrics under the state reopening plan are also trending favorably. The seven-day positivity rate is just 4.2%, low enough to put San Diego County in the orange or moderate tier. The health equity quartile positivity rate — which looks at the worst-performing quarter of a county's residents — is in the red tier with 6%. The state judges each county by its worst-performing metric — in San Diego County's case, the daily case rate. — City News Service
– 3:29 p.m., Tuesday, March 2, 2021
President Joe Biden says the U.S. expects to take delivery of enough coronavirus vaccine for all adults by the end of May — two months earlier than anticipated.
He's also pushing states to get at least one shot into the arms of teachers by the end of May to hasten school reopenings. Biden has also announced that drugmaker Merck will help produce rival Johnson & Johnson's newly approved one-shot vaccine.
Despite the stepped-up pace of vaccine production, the work of inoculating Americans could extend well into the summer. It depends on both the government's capacity to deliver doses and Americans' willingness to roll up their sleeves. — Associated Press
San Diego County Not Among 7 Counties Moving Into Less Restrictive Red Tier
– 12:50 p.m., Tuesday, March 2, 2021
San Diego County was not among the seven counties that moved into a less restrictive COVID-19 tier, from purple (widespread) to red (substantial), the state announced Tuesday.
San Diego County is reporting 11.3 new COVID-19 cases per day per 100,000 people. In order to move into the Red tier, the county needs to be reporting under seven new daily COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people.
The seven counties moving into Red tier are:
–El Dorado
–Lassen
–Modoc
888 Live Casino
–Napa
–San Francisco
–San Luis Obispo
–Santa Clara.
No counties moved to a more restrictive tier.
Forty counties remain in the purple tier, 16 in the red tier, and 2 remain in the orange (moderate) tier. — KPBS Staff
– 7:36 a.m., Tuesday, March 2, 2021
Starting Tuesday, low-income renters throughout the San Diego region who have experienced COVID-19-related loss of income will be able to apply for additional rental and utility assistance grants.
San Diego County's Emergency Rental Assistance Program, funded by more than $100 million in state and federal monies, is intended to help lessen housing cost burdens and maintain housing stability.
The program will primarily aid eligible people who are behind on rent and/or utility payments, covering the period from April 2020 to March 2021. Utilities include costs such as electricity, gas, water and sewer, trash and other energy costs not included in the rent.
'This is a new lifeline for people who are having trouble making ends meet due to the pandemic,' said County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer. 'We want to make sure this public health crisis does not leave San Diegans in debt or without a home. If you are having trouble paying rent or utilities, we are here to help.'
The amount of rental arrears covered will depend on whether the landlord agrees to participate in the program. Landlords owed back rent can also apply on behalf of their tenants. — City News Service
– 5:55 p.m., Monday, March 1, 2021
San Diego County public health officials reported 269 new COVID-19 infections Monday and no deaths, while the vaccine shortage kept Petco Park's COVID-19 superstation closed.
The closure comes at an inopportune time, as more than 500,000 emergency services, child care and education and food and agriculture workers were scheduled to be eligible to receive vaccines beginning this week.
The county's existing doses will be largely reserved for second doses until the vaccine supply issue can be resolved.
Of the county's population over the age of 16, 21.3% -- or 572,546 people-- have received at least one dose and 10.1% -- or 272,377 people -- have been fully inoculated the county reported on Saturday.
Monday's data increased the cumulative totals in the county to 260,625 cases. No new deaths were reported and the death toll remains at 3,303.
Of 7,180 tests reported by the county, 4% returned positive. The 14- day rolling average decreased to 3.8% from 4.4% Sunday. — City News Service
– 12:35 p.m., Monday, March 1, 2021
For the second year in a row, San Diego Comic-Con has canceled its in-person event because of the ongoing pandemic and will go virtual, the organization announced Monday.
The annual pop-culture convention plans to also host a smaller 'Comic-Con Lite' three-day event in November with details to be announced later.
'While we lament the postponement of the in-person Comic-Con, our commitment to this community of fans and our celebration of comics and the related popular arts endures as an import of who we are,' Comic-Con International said in a statement posted to Twitter.
Fans who opted to have last year's passes rolled over to this year can have their passes rolled over again to 2022 or request a full refund. — KPBS Staff
– 8:25 a.m. Monday, March 1, 2021
California's public schools could get $6.6 billion from the state Legislature if they return to in-person instruction by the end of March, according to a new agreement announced Monday between Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state's legislative leaders.
Most of California's public schools have not met in-person since March because of the coronavirus. Many districts have struggled to reach agreements with teachers' unions on the best way to return students and staff to the classroom.
Newsom, who could face a recall election later this year spurred by his handling of the coronavirus, has been at odds with legislative leaders on the best way to encourage school districts to return students to the classroom. California can't order schools to return to in-person instruction, but state officials can offer a lot of money to those that do.
The agreement sets aside $6.6 billion for schools that return to in-person instruction by March 31. The bill is a deal between Newsom, state Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, all Democrats. It was confirmed by Atkins' office. Newsom's office has scheduled a formal announcement for late Monday morning.
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