VOSD Podcast: What Death Certificates Revealed About Covid Year Two

By Nate John, the Voice of San Diego

December 16, 2022

This week on the podcast, Voice journalists Jesse Marx and Will Huntsberry unleash an authoritative account of Covid: Year Two.

Two years ago, we had to sue the county to gain access to county death records that mentioned Covid as a cause. Marx and Huntsberry led a team to analyze them to grasp the toll of Covid in various communities and demographics in the county.

Their recent slate of stories (which you can see here) revealed how the vaccine changed things in the second year of the pandemic. About half as many San Diego residents died in the second year, compared to the first. Further, Marx and Huntsberry reveal how localized public health initiatives, anti-vaxx sentiment and misinformation molded San Diegans’ behavior, and ultimately, their lives.

On the show this week, we weed through the series from its inception — when Voice sued the county for death records — to its current findings as it offers a discerning reflection of what happened to us since March 2020.

(This interview starts around minute 29, marked for reference.)

Also on the show: Hosts Scott Lewis, Andrew Keatts and Andrea Lopez-Villafaña review a column focused on Ammar Campa-Najjar following his spate of attempts at public office. Plus: Why San Diego still doesn’t have a safe campground for unhoused Downtown residents.

ICYMI: Lewis and Keatts got together with SANDAG CEO Hasan Ikhrata to untangle critical aspects of his role in the regional planning and gettin’ around agency. It was a thorough interview to assess what progress, if any, is being made to change how San Diegans’ behavior and environment is changing — and whether Ikhrata will stick around. Check out that interview and report here. It’s in your feed.

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