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- Written by: Laura Kurtzman
During the COVID-19 pandemic, however, unemployment in the U.S. has reached highs not seen since the Great Depression, officially peaking at 14.7 percent in April 2020.
UC San Francisco researchers now have an estimate of how many people may have died as a result of pandemic-related unemployment, a number that adds to the nearly 500,000 deaths that have been directly attributed to the virus itself.
“Adequately responding to the pandemic involves not only controlling COVID-19 cases and deaths, but also addressing indirect social and economic consequences,” said Ellicott Matthay, PhD, a postdoctoral scholar with the Center for Health and Community at UCSF and first author of the paper published Feb. 18, 2021, in the American Journal of Public Health.
The research team projected that the spring 2020 spike in unemployment in the United States would lead to 30,231 excess deaths among 25- to 64-year-olds in the ensuing 12 months. As with the deaths that were directly caused by the virus, those linked to unemployment have taken a disproportionate toll on Black people, men, older people (in the case of workers, those who were 45 and up), and especially those with the least education.
While about 37 percent of Americans aged 25 to 64 years have a high school education or less, this group accounted for a startling 72 percent of the deaths the researchers attributed to pandemic-related unemployment. Likewise, while Black people make up 12 percent of the working-age population, they comprised 19 percent of the projected excess deaths.
The 30,231 figure represents what the researchers said is their best estimate, based on recent studies of the risk of death associated with unemployment, as well as unemployment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics during the pandemic.
Depending on the assumptions they put into their model, the number of deaths could be much higher or lower. If they assumed the April 2020 unemployment rate was just 10 percent, and that unemployment was half as harmful as has been seen in past recessions, their estimate fell to 8,315.
But if they assumed that unemployment reached 26.5 percent, which would be the highest estimate using a different definition of who was participating in the labor force, and also that the effects of losing a job in the pandemic were three times as deadly, their estimate rose to 201,968.
The researchers emphasized that some excess deaths are preventable if the proper policies are put in place.
“We urgently need policies that protect workers and lessen the harms of unemployment, particularly policies that are crafted to support those experiencing the unjust double burden of both COVID-19 and unemployment,” Matthay said.
Authors: Matthay was joined in the study by Kate A. Duchowny, PhD, MPH; and Alicia R. Riley, PhD, MPH, both of UCSF’s Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics; and Sandro Galea, MD, DrPh, of the Boston University School of Public Health.
Funding: The work was supported by the National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health (grant T32 AG049663).
Laura Kurtzman writes for the University of California, San Francisco.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
The advent of COVID-19 one year ago caused nearly every service and nonprofit organization to have to cancel their fundraisers.
Lakeport Rotary was unable to hold the Konocti Challenge in October and its main fundraiser, selling the beer at the Lake County Fair, also was canceled.
“Service clubs and other charitable organizations in Lake County are in a tough place right now, given the COVID restrictions and the safety of our community members,” Strong pointed out. “Fundraising is so crucial to the success of these organizations. The money raised at these events is what is used to provide the impactful community service projects programs we all do. So now we pivot and time to think outside the box.”
This time of year there would normally be dozens of crab feeds available to those crustacean lovers of Lake County but so far there have been few.
To meet that need, Lakeport Rotary Club, with the help of its premier sponsors Adventist Health Clearlake and Pro Farms, is stepping up to offer a nontraditional crab feed experience by providing a sumptuous crab dinner with all of the fixings available for drive-thru pickup at the Lake County Fairgrounds on Saturday, March 13, between 5 and 7 p.m.
The dinners will include a generous portion of fresh cracked crab, salad, french roll, butter and a yummy cake pop donated by My Tiny Diner.
The cost is $50 per person with the ability to add on fresh-made clam chowder, a bottle of Lake County wine or cans of craft beer from O'Meara's.
Crab dinner tickets are available for purchase at www.lakeportrotary.org. Tickets are available in limited quantities so order soon.
There will also be an online auction opening on Friday, March 12, running through Sunday, March 14.
They will have some amazing auction items taking shape including a variety of incredible desserts, a winery lunch and barrel tasting, a scenic flight and lunch, a stay in a beautiful San Diego condo, a “Day as a Deputy with Sheriff Martin,” a gift card tree worth hundreds, a wagon ride and wine tasting in Kelseyville, and stays in local lodging establishments just to name a few. More items are coming on every day so check back often.
Information on the online auction will be available soon at www.lakeportrotary.org and tickets for the crab dinner are already on sale and going fast.
“We wish we could throw that big in-person crab feed that is always so much fun,” shared Lakeport Rotary Club President Jeff Warrenburg, “but these times call for something special. We look forward to seeing our friends and neighbors, all while providing a yummy meal, donned in a mask, and thanking you from afar as you safely drive through to pick up your meal.”
Sponsorship opportunities are available and donations of auction items are greatly appreciated. Contact Jennifer Strong at
The Rotary Club of Lakeport was founded in 1925. It has undertaken hundreds of community projects over the years, funded college and vocational school scholarships for local high school graduates and contributed money and other resources to many worldwide initiatives, including efforts to eradicate polio and advance programs that promote goodwill and peace. In recent years, Lakeport Rotary has led efforts to help Lake County residents recover from wildfire devastation and begin the rebuilding process.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Last week, Public Health Dr. Gary Pace announced that after 16 months on the job he was resigning. He’s planning to return to private practice, as Lake County News has reported.
Pace, who lives in Sonoma County, plans to stay on with Lake County until April 16.
County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson told the board Tuesday that there has been a fair amount of turnover in Public Health officers across California and it will be a challenge to find Pace’s successor.
In Lake County, it’s been a challenge to keep the job filled in recent years, even when not faced with a pandemic.
Since December 2017, Lake County has had three Public Health officers, Huchingson explained to the board.
For nearly a decade, Dr. Karen Tait had filled the job, joining the county in April 2008 and retiring in December 2017.
Following her retirement, Pace was appointed interim Public Health officer, remaining in the post until early 2018, when the board appointed Dr. Sara Goldgraben to the post.
By summer, Goldgraben had left and Pace was again appointed as interim Public Health officer. He was in the job until October 2018, when Dr. Erin Gustafson was appointed.
Gustafson left in August 2019 to accept a job in San Bernardino County and Health Services Director Denise Pomeroy asked Pace to again come back as the interim Public Health officer.
The board would appoint him to the job in a permanent capacity in October 2019.
Huchingson said that the way these recruitments usually work is once the county has a candidate pool developed, the County Administrative Office will put together a panel to screen and interview the candidates.
Those top candidates will be presented to the board, which will interview them in closed session and announce any hiring decision it makes in open session, Huchingson said.
Pomeroy, who spoke at the Tuesday virtual meeting, said she is back to work on a part-time basis after having been on leave for a few months.
She said the recruiter the county has used in the past has a sound resume, and she’s currently waiting on two quotes from the company – one for recruiting a new Public Health director and one for the Health Department’s director of nursing, a job which the county has been trying to fill for 15 months.
The last time they used the recruiter, Pomeroy said the company brought them nine good candidates and they were able to recruit from that list.
“I’m excited to get this moving as quickly as we can to get some candidates on board for your interview and decision,” Pomeroy said.
Supervisor Jessica Pyska said the county needs to be aggressive in the search for a new Public Health officer.
“It’s a difficult time. It’s a difficult position to fill,” she said.
“I want all options on the table,” said Board Chair Bruno Sabatier.
He said he wants to be open to both hiring a permanent, salaried employee, or to contract with someone. “I want to make sure that we are open for any way of getting those people on board.”
He asked staff about what the “Plan B” is if an initial recruitment doesn’t succeed, as the county needs to have the position filled.
Huchingson said the backup plan is to use Pace longer if they must and then, if they can’t recruit a new doctor, to speak with two other doctors they’re contracting with to see if one of them would take the job.
She said counties are known to help each other out, just as Lake County has done in helping neighboring counties cover jobs like agriculture commissioner and air quality director. Huchingson said she will be reaching out to other counties to see if Lake can get assistance from them on a part-time basis.
The board reached unanimous consensus to move forward with the recruitment plan staff proposed.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The city of Lakeport said the process to rename a city street in honor of the man whose vision resulted in the creation of Westside Community Park is complete.
Westside Park Road has been renamed “Charlie Jolin Way.”
Jolin, who died in June at age 96, was the guiding force in the creation more than 20 years ago of Westside Community Park.
City officials also credit him with being instrumental in the development of Library Park.
Jolin, a proud World War II Navy veteran, was a devoted community volunteer.
He was a member and chair of the Lakeport Planning Commission, chair of the Citizens Advisory Committee for the development of the city's general plan, a longtime Boy Scout leader and the 2014 recipient of the Stars of Lake County Lifetime Achievement Award.
In June, shortly after Jolin’s death, the Westside Community Park Committee approached the Lakeport City Council and requested that Westside Park Road be renamed to honor Charlie Jolin and to recognize his commitment to the park and the city.
The committee believed there would be no Westside Community Park if it were not for Jolin.
The Lakeport City Council approved beginning the street renaming process in July, with the proposal then going to the Lakeport Planning Commission.
In October, the commission recommended approval of the name change to the Lakeport City Council.
The council gave final approval for the name change in November.
On Jan. 19, the street was officially renamed Charlie Jolin Way.
While the street signs have been changed, mapping platforms still reflect Westside Park Road, the city reported. When providing directions, residents may want to advise travelers of the new street name.
Email Elizabeth Larson at