Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I hope you have had some time to pursue your hobbies and passions wherever you are bunkered down. While there is some weighty news below, I also tried to bring some levity and entertainment into your Sunday evening.
King County Hospitals Faced With Mounting Pressure From COVID-19
The Northwest Healthcare Response Network (NWHRN) tracks information on hospital capacity in our region. It is reporting that hospitals in King County are maintaining available hospital capacity but also seeing significant impacts on hospital operations as the number of COVID-19 cases increases.
Hospitals have taken multiple steps to meet the demand related to care of COVID-19 cases and are trying to adapt operations in the face of reduced PPE resources and other challenges to their operations.
The unprecedented steps our hospitals have taken are helping ensure hospital and ICU bed and ventilator capacity remain available in the region at this time. Hospitals have responded to the increase in patients with COVID-19 and COVID-like illnesses by using surge strategies, such as postponing elective and non-emergency procedures changes to managing health care needs while decreasing opportunities for transmission of COVID-19 include holding drive, bringing in additional staff, and increasing the number of hospital beds. Other innovative -through clinics and telehealth.
Hospitals are continuing to find ways to maximally conserve limited supplies of PPE, to protect and care for front line health care teams, to use space efficiently, and to support each other by sharing resources across the region. Their close collaboration with each other, the Northwest Healthcare Response Network, as well as Public Health and the state, has made it possible to meet the need today while preparing for a potential much greater challenge in coming weeks or months.
Given this strain on the healthcare system, Public Health reminds everyone to stay home to slow the spread of COVID-19 and to preserve the emergency room for critical health needs. Do not go to the emergency room unless you are having an immediate medical emergency.
People who receive a positive test result for COVID-19 should not go the emergency room unless they are experiencing severe symptoms (such as difficulty breathing) that require hospitalization. Less severe symptoms can be treated at home.
Caring For Sick Loved Ones
Many of us are worried about, or trying to take care of, loved ones who are at higher risk for getting very sick from COVID-19.
The WA State Department of Health has released guidance for taking care of someone who is at high risk or is already sick with respiratory illness, as well as guidance for practical strategies to reduce your risk of getting sick while caring for someone even if you don’t have access to standard personal protective equipment.
Read more in DOH's daily blog post.
Information and Concerns about Isolation Sites
King County has been taking action to create and support a range of temporary housing options for people exposed to, at risk of exposure, or becoming ill with the novel coronavirus.
Today, one such facility in Issaquah went live and will now to be used to assist some of the most vulnerable members of our community. While most people will continue to isolate and recover in their own homes, we must recognize that sadly many fellow residents of King County have no place to call home.
These quarantine and isolation sites are good policy and the right thing to do. We can be confident that some of the best and brightest scientists and public health experts in the world are based here in King County. They have recommended these spaces be used to protect our community and reduce the spread of COVID-19.
These sites will be closely monitored with 24/7 security and site managers. Constant communication will occur with residents, and food and supplies provided. Transportation to and from the site also will be provided, and health care professionals will monitor those in isolation. The spread of coronavirus remains our biggest risk and having sites like these will go a long way to keep our entire community safe.
As a community, we are stronger together. As your councilmember I will continue to keep you up to date on these sites.
Seattle Expanding Resources for Those Experiencing Homelessness
I am heartened to see the City is deploying six hygiene stations, including fourteen toilets, throughout the city. For those living without shelter, access to this basic and essential resource has dwindled as businesses who allowed them into their restrooms have had to shutter their storefronts. I can only wish these stations would remain open for longer hours, instead of being closed nearly half the time—but this is a good start.
Latest Statistics on Confirmed Tests, Deaths, and Recoveries
Locally, Public Health—Seattle & King County is reporting the following estimated positive cases and deaths due to COVID-19 through 12:48 p.m. on 3/29/20. More details and a range of information can be found on Public Health’s dashboard.
- 2159 estimated positive cases (up 82 from yesterday)
- 141 estimated deaths (up 5 from yesterday)
On a brighter note, the United States currently reports more people (4,432) have recovered from confirmed cases than have died (2,438). You can find these data, as well as figures from around the world here.
We have a long way to go to get out of this dark tunnel, but I believe what we are doing is apparently having some positive effect.
Pacific Science Center Needs Our Help
Yesterday, I highlighted the needs of SightLife (www.sightlife.org), the world’s leading and largest eye bank, along with Bloodworks Northwest, two critical healthcare non-profit organizations struggling to survive.
Today, I want to focus on another non-profit organization that has impacted families throughout King County and helped inspire local scientific thought and discovery for generations. The Pacific Science Center is a local institution in every sense of the word, and I personally cannot imagine our community without it.
But for years, the Science Center has faced difficult budget decisions with dwindling resources. I have been actively looking for long-term ways to support the Science Center’s mission through County funding options, and I hope to identify a dependable and regular source in our budget to fund this vital community resource. But in the short term, with the drastic implications that the COVID-19 pandemic has for business models based on visitor traffic, the easy assumption that the Science Center will always be here is no longer a given.
Please visit the Science Center’s website to discover how you can help in its time of need. You may be surprised, as there are many ways to help, broken down here.
I will continue to highlight a local non-profit organization – large and small -- in each e-News edition, as I am hearing from so many of them how dire things are. Please reach out and let me know of the organizations that matter to you.
The Science on Coronavirus
I found this article to be particularly informative about the science surrounding this particular coronavirus. There also is included an excellent list of resources at the bottom of the article:
https://www.newyorker.com/science/elements/from-bats-to-human-lungs-the-evolution-of-a-coronavirus
Metro Adding Back Some Weekday Bus Trips to Promote Social Distancing
Metro continues to adjust to ridership flow, and will be adding some weekday bus trips, including the Rapid Ride D Line. Read here for more information.
Entertaining Yourself While Staying at Home
I posted this video yesterday, but after all the work this man put into his Rube Goldberg device, I think he deserves an encore. Be sure to check it out if you didn’t see it last time.
NPR put together this list of now-free entertainment options while you are at home. Our own Seattle Symphony is mentioned.
Finally, here is a set of funny videos Huffpost put together of people have made while maintaining (or losing??) their sanity while staying at home. I personally think that dog must be fake!
Keep in Touch
Thank you again for taking the time to read my daily update over the weekend. Feel free to forward them to others who can subscribe by clicking here. You can also visit my Facebook page for the latest info.
Finally, to prevent these updates from going straight to spam or junk folders, I encourage you to whitelist these emails by adding the email address to your contacts or address book. And be sure to check your spam folder if you think you may have missed an update.
Be well, and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Jeanne
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