What we know (and don't know) about the newest coronavirus variant
Quema Del Diablo comes to Joshua Tree and where to donate used items this holiday season
Hello and Happy Chanukah from California’s high desert, which continues to experience unseasonably warm temperatures. I hope you had a filling Thanksgiving both in tasty treats and in quality time with loved ones. It felt like a respite of the last two years to have all our guests together under one roof cooking together for what I believe is the best holiday.
The big news of the last few days has been Omicron, the most recently identified variant of the novel coronavirus. It was first identified in South Africa on November 24, but has since been identified across Europe, Asia, and as of this morning, California. The US has restricted travel from some countries in southern Africa, but hasn’t yet adjusted its recommendations for US citizens abroad or from other countries in which the variant has been found.
The strain has been classified as a “variant of concern” among world health officials and has at least 10 mutations to what’s called its spike protein, which is the microscopic arms the virus uses to latch onto human cells. Delta had similar albeit fewer mutations to the spike protein, which is why officials are concerned that Omicron (pronounced ah-mih-crahn) might be more transmissible than previous variants.
But there’s also still a lot we don’t know about the variant, such as whether it is deadlier or whether it can evade vaccine protection. Early research has suggested that it can infect individuals that have previously had COVID-19 and were thought to have natural immunity. Health officials have stated that we will likely know more about vaccines’ effectiveness and other outcomes within the coming weeks which, unfortunately, comes too little too late for the holiday gathering season. So far, illness in vaccinated individuals looks to be mild, similar to previous variants.
On Monday, CDC officials recommended that immunocompromised folks and those over 60 years of age not travel in December regardless of vaccination status out of an abundance of caution. Those that choose to travel should remember to mask up, wash their hands regularly, and observe social distancing measures, the agency said.
The best thing someone can do is get vaccinated if not already, and get a booster vaccine if they are more than six months out from their last dose. I got my booster on Monday at Circe Health in Yucca Valley, and am happy to answer any questions you have about the process.
I am choosing to take this week’s news as a reminder that we are not totally out of the woods yet, although I would very much like to be. I am tired of all of it, frankly, but I recognize that this might be something we have to live with for the foreseeable future. I think the quicker we realize that this is our new normal — that the coronavirus will be with us for years to come — and act accordingly, hopefully, we can limit the amount of unnecessary suffering both in lives lost but also in lives interrupted and business lost.
None of this had to happen this way, a frustrating realization to be sure, but we can still change how we move forward.
And now, onto this week’s news:
Joshua Tree Retreat Center is hosting its annual Quema Del Diablo on Saturday, December 4
Quema Del Diablo is an all-day celebration based on the Guatemalan tradition of clearing the bad from the previous year and rising anew from the ashes. It will be held at the Joshua Tree Retreat Center on Saturday, December 4.
As part of the celebrations, Joshua Tree Country Kitchen will host taco night on Friday, December 3, from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. on the patio. Tacos Rexico will have meat tacos, veggie tacos, and gluten-free tacos along with beer.
The main event is the burning of the devil, complete with live music, and will be held on Saturday evening at the Retreat Center.
Tickets start at $20 on Eventbrite. Proceeds from this year's celebration will benefit the Joshua Tree Retreat Center's community programs.
Cleaning out your closets ahead of the holiday rush? Morongo Basin Humane Society and Unity Home are both currently accepting donations
If you are going through sweaters, winter coats, blankets, and other wintertime items ahead of the holiday season and opting to donate those you no longer need, both Morongo Basin Humane Society and Unity Home are accepting lightly used items.
Morongo Basin Humane Society is currently accepting towels, blankets, stuffed toys, and cleaning items for the shelter’s resident dogs and cats. Interested groups can leave donations in front of the shelter’s gate Tuesday through Saturday between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Email morongobasinhumanesociety@gmail.com with any additional questions.
Unity Home is a nonprofit that helps victims of domestic violence and abuse. The organization operates a thrift store in which it sells donated items, but its members are given the first right of refusal for any donated items. They are currently seeking winter jackets, socks, journals, storage containers, and many other items. The full wishlist is posted here.
Morongo Basin Humane Society is located at 4646 Sunview Ave in Joshua Tree. Unity Home’s administrative office is at 7237 Joshua Lane in Yucca Valley.
Pupdate of the week: We hosted a friend’s dog, a very small chihuahua-dachshund mix, that very much confused the larger dogs of the household. Oliver lost interest over a few days and was allowed to make friends, but Alice’s abundance of energy was a bit much for the older, smaller lady.
Trail tip of the week: We took several trips out into the park when our friends were in town, and I have to say that I would not be surprised if this year is the park’s busiest yet. I hand-picked trash off some popular trails, helped people navigate the park’s entry fee system, and thanked the park staff and volunteers profusely for their work over the long weekend. Please, if you want to come enjoy the land, respect it. Throw your trash in the dumpsters, make sure those dumpsters are properly closed when you do, and otherwise try to minimize your impact on the environment by sticking to posted trails and parking areas.
Book of the week: I just wrapped up Win Me Something by Kyle Lucia Wu, a coming-of-age novel that follows a young woman in New York City that is offered a position nannying for a wealthy family in Manhattan. Throughout the book, the protagonist faces her upbringing spread across two families after her parents’ divorce where she didn’t truly fit into either, then her penchant to float through life without making many of her own decisions. I found it an extremely compelling and beautifully written look at how important it is for people to feel like they belong, regardless of what it may be that they belong to.
Show of the week: If you are in the market for mindless trashy TV, I cannot recommend Selling Sunset enough. If you ever watched The Hills on MTV, this is essentially the same show but with multi-million-dollar mansions around Los Angeles. There is a lot of low-stakes drama and tension that naturally make for good television, but it’s easy enough to watch several episodes in a single evening.
Small business of the week
The newest face in town, although their labels have been a fixture of the pandemic, is Joshua Tree Distilling Company. The craft distillery was originally supposed to open back in early 2020, but COVID-19 had other plans and the team quickly moved to create hand sanitizer in their facilities.
Now, the space is open and offering tours and tastings Thursday through Sunday. They distill whiskey, vodka, and gin, and ship throughout California. It is open from 12:30 through 8 p.m. each weekend.
Joshua Tree Distilling Company is located at 58945 Business Center Drive (off Yucca Trail), Suite G, in Yucca Valley.
That’s it for this week! I hope you have a great weekend and are able to get outside.
- Megan
Thanks for the mention Megan! Love your writing!