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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Greetings to you on the 100th day since we became aware of the first reported Covid-19 case in our state. It seems on one hand like quite a long time ago, but on the other hand it seems like an extraordinary short amount of time for our lives to have become so incredible upended. You may know already of Governor Inslee’s announcement this afternoon that he has issued a new guidance to hospitals and health care providers giving them more leeway to carry out non-urgent medical procedures that had previously been prohibited in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He also indicated there would be more information on Friday regarding whether or not he will extend the stay home order. I think it’s likely it will be extended with perhaps some level of relaxing. We’ll see.
Hospitals will still have to comply with state regulations on personal protective equipment, including maintaining sufficient supplies, and providers will consider non-urgent surgeries based on patients’ health, how a further delay would impact them and whether they could become more at-risk for COVID-19 by delaying.
You can read more about the new guidance in The Seattle Times.
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 helpful information related to the COVID-19 crisis. You can now read previous updates I sent out on an archive page so you can find any information you may have missed. I have been sending updates every day since March 1 (sometimes more than one in a day). Click here to visit the archive page.
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
Since yesterday’s update, Public Health is reporting 128 new positive cases of COVID-19 in King County (6,182 total) and 9 new COVID-19-related deaths (436 total). So, as seems to be the pattern lately, we’re pretty much staying the course which means we’re not yet ready to get away from our social distancing and stay-at-home requirements.
As of April 27, there were 13,842 confirmed COVID-19 cases statewide and 786 related deaths. (Note: We do not receive the statewide data daily in time to include in our daily enews.)
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
De-intensification of shelter sites continues in District Four
As you may know from my previous updates, the County is taking various steps to protect our residents experiencing homelessness. One of these strategies is by “de-intensifying” existing shelter sites to allow for social distancing and other protective measures. Two new sites have been leased in District Four, in the Queen Anne neighborhood: 505 1st Ave. N. Seattle (at the Queen Anne Inn) and 325 7th Ave North, Seattle (at the Civic Hotel). They will be operated by Catholic Community Services and The Salvation Army, respectively. I just found out about this development earlier this afternoon. There will be engagement opportunities for the residents, organizations, and businesses located nearby. You can read more by clicking the following link: https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/news/2020/April/29-covid.aspx
If you have questions about these sites and other protective measures for our vulnerable populations please join a weekly webinar, hosted by the City of Seattle, in partnership with King County.
Date: Weekly, every Friday
Time: 2:30 p.m.- 4:00 p.m.
Join via Skype: https://tinyurl.com/DON-webinar
Join via Phone: 206-386-1200 Conference ID: 720627#
Link for live captioning: https://www.streamtext.net/player?event=Covid-19WebinarDON
Avoiding accidental poisoning
With more people using cleaning products during the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s been an increase in accidental poisonings across the state. The Washington Poison Center reported a 23% increase in calls about accidental poisonings from cleaning solutions compared to this time period last year.
There has also been some misinformation circulating, so Public Health wants to make it clear: When using a cleaner or disinfectant, always follow the product’s directions and never apply these products to yourself or others. Click the following link to read a great post by Public Health Insider with cleaning safety tips: https://publichealthinsider.com/2020/04/29/a-clean-house-is-awesome-accidental-poisoning-is-not/
LGBTQ community and coronavirus
Many people in the LGBTQ community have experienced the physical and psychological stress of being rejected by loved ones and discriminated against by community members and by health care providers. This health disparity means that disproportionately more people who identify as LGBTQ have the underlying chronic health conditions that put us at higher risk for getting very sick from COVID-19. Click the following link to learn more: https://medium.com/wadepthealth/lgbtq-community-and-coronavirus-d238d5d48bc3
Funding for public health services
David Kroman had a great piece in Crosscut today on public health funding, a responsibility delegated to Counties across Washington state. I was reminded of a sentiment shared at the launch of a report on socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19 by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres when he said, “Let us remember that we are only as strong as the weakest health system in our interconnected world.” COVID-19 is shining a light on the need for us to think, and act, collectively. This is a conversation we’ll have to be prepared to have as a state, a nation and a world.
Additional helpful and informative links
Today's moment of levity
We’re back again with another episode of “Some Good News” the YouTube show put together by actor John Krasinski. For high school students all over the country, cancelling the spring semester has meant no prom for many. In the face of that missed rite of passage, Krasinski and some other musical guests hosted a live-streamed version of prom that was truly heartwarming to watch. Take a moment to reminisce and enjoy by clicking the following link: https://www.facebook.com/JohnKrasinski/videos/prom-2020-some-good-news-ep-4/2453383474973092/
Keep in touch
Thank you again for taking the time to read my update. You can expect these 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 mark this email address as a “safe sender” 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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