The recent COVID-19 reports have all Bay Area counties, except for Marin, as widespread. The impact of the possible spreading of the virus over the holiday will not show up in reported positive tests for another few weeks. You can see the marker for the Bay Area, California, and the United States from two weeks ago as a comparison to the current statistics. The bottom chart shows the spread of … [Read more...]
The Tech Behind the California COVID-19 Notification Trial
The Lab, along with several of the UC campuses, is participating in a trial of a smartphone-based app that uses location technology to notify a person if they have been in the proximity of someone who has a positive test for COVID-19. Participation is voluntary and no personal data will be shared. The app uses Google Apple Exposure Notification technology specifically for its privacy … [Read more...]
Q&A with Lab Director Mike Witherell; Join the State of the Lab Town Hall Monday, Oct. 19, 11 a.m.
Lab Director Mike Witherell and other members of Lab senior leadership will update employees on the current status and future direction of Berkeley Lab’s research mission and operations on Monday, Oct. 19, from 11 a.m. to noon at streaming.lbl.gov. Lab Chief Communications Officer John German sat down with Director Witherell recently for a sneak peek at his talk and a look at some of the most … [Read more...]
Roundtable Interview on Air Quality
For the past several weeks two groups, the Ventilation Working Group and the Indoor Air Quality Working Group have delved into air quality issues related to COVID-19 and to the impact of wildfire smoke on indoor air quality. The charter of the Ventilation Working Group was to determine if engineering controls such as adjustments to the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, … [Read more...]
Three Questions For COVID Help Line’s Rhett Persaud
Rhett Persaud, who normally serves the Lab as an Emergency Management Specialist, found himself in a new role in April shortly after the Lab went into a curtailed operation at the start of the shelter-in-place. Rhett was tapped to form a new group with a unique purpose -- to answer questions from employees about the Lab’s operations and COVID-19. Rhett quickly set up a mini call … [Read more...]