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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
As I mentioned yesterday, newly published findings suggesting the spread of COVID-19 slowing is good news, and health officials stress that continuing social distancing guidelines is the most effective way to continue this positive trend and avoid a resurgence of the epidemic.
Modeling from the Institute for Disease Modeling in Bellevue, released in a study on Tuesday, April 14, suggests that the average infected person may be likely to infect just one or no additional person with COVID-19, down from an average of 2.7 persons in late February.
Public Health — Seattle & King County encourages the public to sustain what's working and to continue to suppress transmissions as much as possible.
If the current trend can be sustained, the next steps would be to transition from social distancing measures, in a gradual, step-wise manner, with each step followed by at least two weeks of observation to see if and how rapidly the illness is spreading.
According to Dr. Jeff Duchin, our County Public Health Officer, a number of key requirements would have to be taken before that can happen, including:
- Widely available access to testing for COVID-19.
- A health care system that remains prepared for any surge in new cases.
- Enough personal protective equipment for health care workers and others in the community who need them to care for patients.
- Adequate capacity for county and state health officials to conduct rapid and widespread case investigations, contact tracing, and isolation and quarantine, to prevent widespread transmission.
Health officials warn that without these measures in place, any relaxing of social distancing guidelines would likely lead to a major rebound of the epidemic, perhaps larger than the initial peak.
Keep doing your part. We are saving lives, together, but apart.
The rest of this e-newsletter is meant to provide you with an update on some of the other issues on which I’ve been working as well as on helpful information related to the COVID-19 crisis. As always, I would like to hear from you. Please do not hesitate to contact my office if you have any questions or comments. You can call me at 206-477-1004 or you can reach me by email at jeanne.kohl-welles@kingcounty.gov.
All the best,
Latest numbers from Public Health
As of this update, Public Health is reporting 77 new positive cases of COVID-19 in King County (4,697 total) and 9 new COVID-19 related deaths (312 total), so we’re pretty much “flattening the curve.” Hopefully we’ll begin soon to see a downward trajectory.
Detailed information about demographics of those who died from COVID-19 are available on Public Health’s data dashboard. And, interestingly, you can click on your zip code to learn of the number of “positive” cases and fatalities where you reside.
Also, and again, here is an excellent website that offers real-time COVID-19 data in clear formats, broken down by country and state: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries
COVID-19 help line
Do you need information or answers to your questions and concerns about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19)? You can call 1-800-525-0127 or text 211-211 for help.
You can also text the word “Coronavirus” to 211-211 to receive information and updates on your phone wherever you are. You will receive links to the latest information on COVID-19, including county-level updates, and resources for families, businesses, students, and more.
County launches Project C.A.R.E.
 King County on Tuesday launched the Project C.A.R.E. website to centralize opportunities for donations and volunteer opportunities during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. You can visit the site to quickly and easily find ways to help and get involved.
Project C.A.R.E—which stands for COVID-19 ACTION and RESPONSE ENLISTMENT—set up this comprehensive website to list opportunities for people to give back to their community and help connect would-be volunteers with the organizations where their help is most needed.
Thanks to Councilmember Reagan Dunn for sponsoring this initiative. It was passed by the Council unanimously.
Please visit the new site to learn more: www.kingcounty.gov/CARE.
Sports stars join public education campaign
Russell Wilson, Sue Bird, Nicolás Lodeiro and Megan Rapinoe have joined Public Health's COVID-19 public education campaign to encourage King County residents to “Stand Together. Stay Apart." These athletes are appearing in ads showing that the most important actions to slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect our health care system are to stay home and stay at least six feet away from others when you must go out, such as for an essential job or to buy groceries.
The campaign is funded by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and is running on digital and social media platforms as well as TV and radio spots donated by regional business partners including Windemere, Puget Sound Energy, Washington State Association of Broadcasters, Microsoft, Washington Roundtable and Facebook.
Additional helpful and informative links
Today's moment of levity
Today’s moment of levity isn’t quite as silly or uplifting as some of the more recent items I have shared. However, it is very informative and entertaining. This video features ping-pong balls and mousetraps to illustrate the importance of social distancing and how it works when done right. Click the following link to watch the video in its entirety: https://mashable.com/video/ping-pong-balls-mouse-traps-social-distancing/
Keep in touch
Thank you again for taking the time to read my update. You can expect ones to continue being sent out on a daily basis, sometimes more than one. Feel free to forward them to others who can subscribe by clicking here.
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.
And please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns and, most importantly, be well.
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