In Depth: Looking into a possible COVID-19 vaccine, childcare and LAPD reform
LOS ANGELES - Segment A: COVID-19 vaccine update
Dr. Matthew Waxman talks to us about why the Moderna vaccine that is currently in human trials is unique. He says the vaccine works by using the genetic code of the virus to teach our own bodies to make a little piece of the virus protein. That protein will then prime the body to respond with antibodies to a COVID-19 exposure. This is a new way of creating a vaccine.
Waxman tells us that this is just one of the vaccines in the pipeline, and that a vaccine developed by Oxford University has a lot of potential as well. Waxman says that we have the potential of having a Coronavirus vaccine in about 18 months, which is unheard of in vaccine creation.
Segment B: LAPD reform
Civil rights attorney Connie Rice and UCLA professor Jorja Leap join Hal to talk about the recent reforms being put in place by the LAPD chief intended to take the force from a "warrior force" to a "guardian force."
The LAPD will revisit the idea of the Community Safety Partnership. Rice tells us about how she was instrumental in creating the CSP about ten years ago. Rice explains the intent of the plan, and how it will proceed.
Leap spearheaded a recent study that showed that those citizens involved in the CSP said they felt safer, arrests are down, crime is down and there is greater trust between residents and the police, Rice and Leap discuss the promotion of Emada Tingirides to Deputy Chief to be in charge of the new bureau.
Segment C: Childcare options
JessIe Salazar, the Executive Director of Pathways LA, joins Hal to discuss options for parents feeling the squeeze from schools not having in-person instruction this Fall, but still needing to go to work. Salazar says that Pathways can offer options for childcare and instruction, from home care to more formal settings. He also says that Pathways can assist low income parents in getting funding to assist with childcare. He refers parents to Pathwaysla.org or 213-427-2710 for further information on their programs.
Segment D: Wrap up
We finish with a performance by hundreds of piano students on the piano instruction app "Playground Sessions" who all learned Josh Groban's "You Lift Me Up" and then sent in clips of themselves playing it. They were combined into a spectacular video.