In Episode 20 we talk with Dr. Jonna Mazet and gain an insightful peek into the world of #virushunters. Mazet is an epidemiologist and Executive Director of the University of California, Davis One Health Institute. She is a professor of Epidemiology and Disease Ecology at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, where she focuses on global health problem solving, especially for emerging infectious disease and conservation challenges. Mazet is a leader in the field of One Health and is active in international research programs, most notably in relation to disease transmission among wildlife, domestic animals, and people and the ecological drivers of disease emergence.

Episode 19 of the COVID-19 Report highlights the work of two local nonprofit/community leader rock stars - Anne-Marie Flynn, Outreach Development Coordinator for Mutual Housing California, and Gina Daleiden, Executive Director of First 5 Yolo. Both organizations serve important roles working with very specific  communities within Yolo County. Both work with a variety of community partners, and each had to do a hard pivot to meet need during this unprecedented time. 

The Covid-19 pandemic has closed or curtailed most stores, with the Davis Food Co-op and other grocers among the few exceptions. So what has it been like to work in the Co-op during the pandemic? Has the experience changed as shoppers adjusted to new conditions, are there insights here as other Davis stores prepare to re-open, and why are flour and toilet paper rarely on the shelves?

My guests today are two employees of the Co-op: Madison Suoja, the co-op’s education and outreach specialist, and Laura Sanchez, the store’s operations manager. A few items from the interview: Sales for the second quarter are up almost 11 percent from a year ago, shoppers are buying significantly more items per trip (and lately, making fewer trips), and the Co-op just started offering online shopping, with curbside pickup.