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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
As you likely know, the coronavirus is spreading rapidly across the country, including here in Washington state and King County. And as you’ll see below in today’s new numbers, we need to be very concerned even though we’re far behind most other localities where the numbers are spiking. Because of the increases in the state, Gov. Jay Inslee announced yesterday that he is extending the pause on phased reopening until at least July 28 as statewide cases continue to rise. The pause means no counties can be approved for moving to the next phase of reopening until that date if the order is not extended further. Inslee indicated that if the spread of COVID-19 continues, he and health officials could consider further restrictions. When the pause was announced two weeks ago, Inslee also announced a requirement that businesses in Washington refuse service to anyone not wearing a cloth mask.
The rest of this e-newsletter includes updates on the COVID-19 crisis and other issues. And you can click here to visit the archive page where you can find all of my previous enews updates.
As always, I would like to hear from you. You can call me at 206-477-1004 or you can reach me by email at jeanne.kohl-welles@kingcounty.gov.
All the best and I hope you are staying safe.
COVID-19 UPDATES
Since yesterday’s update, Public Health is reporting 109 new positive cases of COVID-19 (12,353 total) and 14 new COVID-19-related deaths (620 total) as of this afternoon. The number of new hospitalizations is 25 (1,731 to date). Of the 9,362 cases in which race and ethnicity information is available, 3,797 of those are white and 5,565 are Black, Indigenous and People of Color. I must say, the number of new deaths is alarming.
Yesterday, Public Health reported 145 new positive cases of COVID-19 (12,244 total) and 2 new COVID-19-related deaths (606 total). The number of new hospitalizations was 8 (1,706 total).
Statewide, as of July 14th, the state’s total confirmed cases are 43,046 with 1,421 deaths, and total hospitalizations of 4,829. The state Department of Health (DOH) is working on changes to provide more context to death reporting by reporting death counts that reflect deaths in which COVID-19 caused or contributed to the death. It has made additional steps in this process and is removing 39 deaths from its counts. All of these are natural deaths, and after review it was determined that COVID-19 did not cause or contribute to the death. We will continue to update death counts as additional information on cause of death is received.
Detailed information about demographics of those who died from COVID-19, as well as on rates of hospitalization, is available on Public Health’s data dashboard where you can click on your zip code for the number of “positive” cases and fatalities where you reside.
Real-time COVID-19 data broken down by country and state: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries
Updated list of places open for COVID-19 testing: https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/news/2020/May/~/media/depts/health/communicable-diseases/documents/C19/community-health-center-testing-locations.ashx
   
COVID UPDATES
Washington State Department of Health publishes detailed COVID-19 preliminary death data report
The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has published a new death data report that includes different categories of COVID-19 deaths. Among those who have tested positive for COVID-19, these categories include confirmed due to COVID-19, suspected of being due to COVID-19, non-COVID-19 deaths and deaths pending or missing a cause of death. In addition, there are 77 deaths that are probably due to COVID-19, but they are not among those who have tested positive for COVID-19.
Approximately 89 percent of the deaths among lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases also reference COVID-19 on the death certificate. An additional 4 percent have been determined not to be COVID-19 related and have been removed from the dashboard count. The remaining 7 percent are pending or the death certificate is unclear and requires further examination and review. Our data dashboard represents approximately 96 percent (89 percent + 7 percent) of all deaths to lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases.
Washington Listens supports people affected by the stress of COVID-19
Washington Listens helps people manage stress and anxiety they may be experiencing because of COVID-19. If you or anyone you know is having difficulties managing stress, call the Washington Listens support line at 1-833-681-0211. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. TTY and language access services are available by using 7-1-1 or their preferred method. Resources and self-help tips are available on walistens.org.
Fact sheets are now available in multiple languages. Access them by calling 1-833-681-0211. The English fact sheet is available here.
Masks offer much more protection against coronavirus than many think
A story in yesterday’s Los Angeles Times reports that masks may protect the person wearing it more than previously thought: “There’s a common refrain that masks don’t protect you; they protect other people from your own germs, which is especially important to keep unknowingly infected people from spreading the coronavirus. But now, there’s mounting evidence that [wearing a mask] also protect[s] you.”
Washington Mask Challenge
Want to help? Join the Washington Mask Challenge. The Lt. Governor’s office has partnered with the United Ways of the Pacific Northwest and Serve Washington to organize a statewide homemade mask-making initiative to encourage the general public to make, wear, and donate cloth masks. Visit www.wamaskchallenge.org for information.
An update from Metro: Wearing a mask or face covering is required
It is required to wear a mask or face covering while waiting for or riding any transit service. Metro fares will remain suspended through the month of August. Metro continues to operate with some service reductions. And soon Metro will be providing free masks at transit stops and on the buses themselves. This came from legislation I worked on with Councilmember Rod Dembowski and that we were able to include in the Third Covid-19 Budget passed by the Council last month.
All Sound Transit Express bus service – including ST Express bus routes operated by Metro – requires a $3.25 flat fare. Link and Sounder trains are charging full fares.
Map shows county-by-county risk of encountering COVID-19 at an event
As reported by KING 5 News, a new tool developed by Georgia Tech allows people to look up their risk of encountering COVID-19 at an event, based on the county they live in. Select the county and expected size of the event, and calculate the risk that at least one person there will have COVID-19.
RACIAL, ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE UPDATES
Vulnerable populations hardest hit in pandemic labor market downturn
The WSU Insider reports on a new study by WSU labor economist Ben Cowan, which has found that vulnerable populations, such as racial and ethnic minorities, people born outside the U.S., women with children, the least educated, and workers with disabilities, have experienced the largest declines in the likelihood of full-time work and work hours. The working paper was published by the National Bureau of Economic Research.
King County Board of Health to take up racism as a public health crisis
Members of the Board of Health are masked up and ready for tomorrow’s meeting (mine shown above). The public is welcome to view the virtual session tomorrow, Thursday, July 16, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. Instructions on viewing the meeting and accessing the agenda can be found here.
UW’s EarthLab funds environmental justice studies on air pollution, Indigenous practices and urban planning
Researchers from the University of Washington School of Public Health are part of two interdisciplinary teams to win Innovation Grants this year from the UW's EarthLab.
This initiative provides essential funding to applied research teams that are led by and with community partners who are impacted by a complex environmental problem. Each team will research a complex environmental issue and develop science that can be acted upon to help the most impacted communities.
The first of two grants awarded to the School of Public Health (SPH) will research green remedies to air pollution in cities. Using a drone with air quality sensors, researchers will measure particle pollution at varying altitudes at sites across Seattle and King County. The team will then evaluate air pollution levels as they relate to plant growth at each site. This study is a collaboration with El Centro de la Raza, a Seattle organization centered on the Latinx and Chicanx community, and other air quality stakeholders and community partners, including Puget Sound Clean Air Agency and Washington state’s Department of Ecology and Department of Health.
The second grant will fund studies of Indigenous communities to better plan cities. The research will explore the social and ecological dynamics of Indigenous communities and how traditional practices provide valuable ecosystem services. The project will focus on two communities in Peru. The first is a self-managed settlement that has maintained traditional practices. The second community, located nearby, has urbanized and left traditional practices behind. The research team seeks to understand whether traditional practices play a role in reconnecting cities to the biosphere and reducing the ecological footprint of cities while enhancing resilience, health and quality of life of residents.
For more information, see the full story here.
It’s National Disability Voter Registration Week
National Disability Voter Registration Week (NDVRW) takes place every July and is coordinated by the American Association of People with Disabilities REV UP (Register, Educate, Vote! Use your Power) campaign. It is a non-partisan initiative to “increase the political power of people with disabilities by sharing resources and getting folks registered to vote.”
An estimated 35 million people with disabilities are eligible to vote in 2020. However, there is still a voter participation gap between voters with disabilities and voters without disabilities. According to research on the 2016 election, if people with disabilities had voted at the same rate as people without disabilities, 2.35 million more people would have voted in the 2016 election.
To register to vote – or update your registration – visit King County’s Elections Office here.
OTHER UPDATES
Help local farms and find fresh, healthy food near you
Yesterday King County launched Local Food Finder, an interactive map that identifies convenient ways customers can get fresh produce, berries, flowers, meat, honey, cheese, and more delivered from local farms to their doorstep, to a nearby pickup location, or picked up directly at the farm.
King County’s new Local Food Finder interactive map offers a convenient way for residents to support local farms hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic that has disrupted farmers markets and restaurant sales. Residents can have fresh food and flowers delivered from local farms or place an online order for pick up directly at the farm.
Customers can search the mobile-friendly map for farms that are located nearby and offer u-pick or farm stand sales, order pickup, or order home delivery. The map also helps customers subscribe to a farm’s Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA, program where farms deliver weekly boxes of their harvest.
The website was designed to make it easy for farmers to update data on what food and product availability, new drop sites, and pick-up locations. The website is free of charge for all farmers to use and extensive outreach was conducted to local farms so that the website is accessible to all farmers across King County.
For more information, please read the full press release here.
Sheriff’s Office proposal moves forward
At yesterday’s meeting of the Council’s Committee of the Whole, members were briefed on the charter amendment changing the sheriff position from an elected office to an appointed one. Members of the Charter Review Committee gave this PowerPoint presentation, which was not able to be broadcast as part of the meeting. The proposal passed out of Committee by a vote of 6-3 and will be taken up by the full Council at its meeting next Tuesday, July 21st at 1 p.m. If it passes, the measure will be placed on the November ballot for voter approval.
Additional helpful and informative links
- Need some good news about COVID-19? Here are six reasons for optimism. – The Washington Post
- If police are defunded, Seattle firefighters could face a new reality – Crosscut
- How to reopen schools: what science and other countries teach us – The New York Times
- In fight against COVID-19 smallpox slayer William Foeges’ words offer wisdom – UW magazine
- WA’s eviction ban faces uncertain future, leaving renters in limbo – Crosscut
- Pregnancy and childbirth during the pandemic: 10 things to know – Public Health Insider blog
- As cities nationwide reconsider back-to-school plans, Seattle teachers union pushes back, School Board members eye an alternative – The Seattle Times
- How risky is using a public restroom during the COVID-19 pandemic? Minnesota experts weigh in – The Star Tribune
- Coronavirus updates: Port of Seattle unveils new safety measures – The News Tribune
- Sound Transit: major projects could be delayed without more federal relief money – KIRO 7
- Seattle protesters seek recompense for injury and death linked to police action – The Guardian
- Early results are promising from coronavirus-vaccine testing in Seattle – The Seattle Times
- Bat research critical to preventing next pandemic - WSU Insider
- Reopening schools was just an afterthought - The Atlantic
- Four ways to feel good on a hard day in lockdown – The Greater Good, UC Berkeley
- U.S. rescinds plan to strip visas from international students in online classes – The New York Times
- Global vaccine plan may allow rich countries to buy more – The Seattle Times
- Millions have lost health insurance in pandemic-driven recession - The Seattle Times
- Why we’re losing the battle with COVID-19 – The New York Times Magazine
Today’s moment of inspiration
Nine-year-old Kenyan boy is honored for inventing handwashing machine that prevents COVID-19 spread
One of the few positive things to come from this pandemic has been hearing stories of amazing ingenuity. According to the Good News Network:
“Stephen Wamukota managed to construct his little sanitary station using just a bucket, a few pieces of wood, and some basic tools. Since the sink’s mechanism is triggered by foot pedals at the base of the station, people can wash their hands without being forced to touch its surface and risk contracting the virus.
Stephen’s father James praised the project in an interview with BBC, saying: “I had bought some pieces of wood to make a window frame, but I when I came back home after work one day, I found that Stephen had made the machine. The concept was his, and I helped tighten the machine. I’m very proud.”
Keep in touch
Thank you again for taking the time to read my updates, which I’m sending out on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays - - and sometimes more frequently. Feel free to forward them to others who can subscribe by clicking here.
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And please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns and, most importantly, be safe.
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