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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
As you may have heard, many health professionals have had concerns about the spread of misinformation about the coronavirus. As The New York Times reports today in the article Coronavirus doctors battle another scourge: misinformation, “Physicians say they regularly treat people more inclined to believe what they read on Facebook than what a medical professional tells them.”
And CNN recently reported that Covid-19 misinformation is spreading in 25 different languages, leading to deaths and injuries, study finds. Last week Psychology Today posted a fascinating article, Why misinformation goes viral.
Just as each of us has a responsibility to mask-up in the public and be vigilant about physical distancing and hand-washing, we must also take on the task of correcting misinformation when we hear it. Social media is likely not a reliable source of information on COVID-19, or many other things for that matter.
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 – Seattle & King County (Public Health) is reporting 181 new positive cases of COVID-19 (17,824 total) and 4 new COVID-19-related deaths (691 total) as of this afternoon. The number of new hospitalizations is 13 (2,109 to date). Of the 13,203 cases in which race and ethnicity information is available, 5,120 of those are white and 8,083 are Black, Indigenous and People of Color.
Yesterday, Public Health reported 129 new positive cases of COVID-19 (17,643 total) and 1 new COVID-19-related death (687 total). The number of new hospitalizations was 9 (2,096 total). On Saturday, Public Health reported 174 new positive cases of COVID-19 (17,514 total) and 0 new COVID-19-related deaths (686 total). The number of new hospitalizations was 6 (2,087 total). On Friday, Public Health reported 136 new positive cases of COVID-19 (17,340 total) and 1 new COVID-19-related death (686 total). The number of new hospitalizations was 8 (2,081 total).
Statewide, according to the state Department of Health (DOH), as of Sunday, August 16th, the total number of positive cases was 67,721. Total number of deaths statewide was 1,785, and total hospitalizations were 6,296. So we continue to be in a way stuck in another plateau.
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
   
COVID UPDATES
State changing how it counts negative coronavirus test results
Last week the state Department of Health (DOH) announced COVID-19 testing data will soon be reported using the total number of tests completed. This is a change from the current reporting, which reflects the total number of unique individuals ever tested. For example, under the current approach, someone who had a negative COVID-19 test result in May then another negative result in July would only be counted once. The most recent test would not be included. That means testing data do not fully reflect the actual testing volume or the current test positive rate, since only the first negative result for each person is included.
During this transition, DOH’s COVID-19 testing dashboards will not be updated and will show preliminary data through August 10 using the old methodology. DOH estimates the switch to the new system will take at least one week so we should be seeing it soon. Please note this change applies only to the testing data.
See The Seattle Times article on this change here.
Where to find help during the pandemic
 Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash
Several resources are available to help residents find assistance dealing with a variety of impacts from the pandemic. Many government programs have expanded eligibility due to the Coronavirus. Check out the COVID-19 Community Resource Guide for communities and small businesses put together by King County’s Office of Equity and Social Justice. For links to the guide in several languages, please see this page.
Put together by the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions, this list of financial resources is for Washington consumers impacted by the Coronavirus. It includes links to assistance and information on unemployment, student loans, rent and mortgages, emergency loans, medical assistance and more.
Also, see this list of resources from the County’s Department of Community and Human Services (scroll down to view list). The Seattle PI has also compiled this list.
Participants needed for state CORONA Survey
The Washington state Department of Health (DOH) is conducting a Community Recovery-Oriented Needs Assessment (CORONA) Survey and needs your help. Health departments across the state will use the results to help communities recover from the pandemic. The survey asks questions related to behavioral, economic, social and emotional impacts and needs.
In order to equitably inform recovery plans at the state and local levels, DOH is requesting residents from across Washington go to http://www.wacornonasurvey.com/to take part in the survey. You can take the online survey in six languages English, Somali, Spanish, Russian, Tagalog, and Vietnamese (To take the survey by phone, call 855-530-5787—interpreters are available to assist.)
The survey is voluntary and confidential. As a thank you for your time and participation, you will be eligible to be one of three participants selected each week of the survey to receive a $100 Amazon.com gift code. If you have additional questions, visit the survey website here or call the state Department of Health at 1-800-525-0127.
New model being developed by UW researchers will help guide vaccine distribution
 Dennis Wise/University of Washington
UW News reports on a new model that could help lower COVID-19 infections in King County and how best to distribute a vaccine, once one is available.
Metro Health Ambassadors handing out free masks this Wednesday, 1-5 p.m.
 The County’s Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) is launching the Health Ambassador program to help inform the public about staying safe during the pandemic. Many of the County Health Ambassadors are former Metro part-time operators. Ambassadors will be at Metro locations this Wednesday, distributing masks, hand sanitizer and Metro contact cards (as needed) to passengers. The teams will be at the following locations:
Downtown Seattle Transit Stops:
3rd & Main / 3rd & Pike / 3rd & Pine / 3rd & Union / 5th & Jackson / 3rd & Virginia
Transit Centers:
Burien Transit Center / Tukwila International Boulevard Station / Federal Way Transit Center / Kent Station / Aurora Village Transit Center
And a few reminders from Metro: Metro is operating with some reduced service. Metro fares are suspended through August. Pay a fare on all Sound Transit service. Follow these guidelines to stay healthy. Sign up here for Transit Alerts. Text your Stop ID to 62550 for predicted departure times. Be safe.
JUSTICE UPDATES: RACIAL, ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL, CRIMINAL
The 19th amendment, 100 years later
 On August 18th, 1920, the 19th amendment to the constitution was ratified. The amendment reads: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”
Many researchers and news organizations are looking back over the last 100 years. The following video and articles are especially interesting. An important fact that is not included, though, is that women (with the exception of Native American women) won the right in Washington State ten years earlier in 1910, voted on by the State Legislature and approved by voters—all men at the time. Unfortunately, Indigenous people and Native Americans were not able to vote until 1924, when Congress passed the Indian Citizenship Act, granting them citizenship and voting rights. And, of course, African Americans, immigrants and others were regularly disenfranchised even after passage of the 19th amendment, due to Jim Crow era laws and entrenched racism.
Video: Stanford researchers mark nineteenth amendment centennial
The New York Times: The 19th amendment: an important milestone in an unfinished journey
NPR: The nudge and tie breaker that took women's suffrage from nay to yea
The Seattle Times: Celebrate the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage with 3 books that might shift your perspective (including on the significance of Black women’s involvement in the Suffrage movement.)
Crosscut: The road to women's suffrage began in Washington state
Girl Up webinar series on COVID-19's intersectional impact on women and girls worldwide
 Girl Up campuses across the world are hosting webinars on the multifaceted effects of COVID-19 on women and girls. The series began on July 26th and continues through August 29th. The next two webinars will be held tomorrow and Thursday:
- Aug 18th, 8:00 a.m. PT: COVID-19 and Female Genital Mutilation
The Session will discuss the meaning of FGM, the different types of FGM, health implications, reasons why it is performed, and more. Click here for more information and to register.
- Aug 20th, 7:00 a.m. PT: Global Trafficking and Exploitation During COVID-19
Girl Up Edinburgh and The Fuller Project, a nonprofit newsroom reporting on global issues that impact women, are partnering for a webinar panel examining how the COVID-19 crisis affects women and girls worldwide who are at risk of trafficking and exploitation. Click here for more information and to register.
OTHER UPDATES
Council meets tomorrow, August 18th at 1 p.m.
The full Council will meet remotely tomorrow, and the public is welcome to view the meeting, offer testimony and submit comments. We will take up several measures, and will have public hearings on a few proposals, including ordinances establishing Juneteenth as an official County holiday and protecting the Miranda and other legal rights of people under the age of 18. To view the full packet, including the agenda and instructions for joining the meeting or submitting comments, see this page.
Guide for businesses: Healthy streets
Recently, the Washington state Department of Health (DOH) and Public Health -- Seattle & King County (Public Health) co-published the Healthy Business Streets Guide. The guide is an important tool for encouraging more cities, business districts, and businesses to repurpose sidewalk and street space for greater physical distancing and outdoor dining and markets. As cities and businesses continue to address the challenges of COVID-19, we need to adapt our streets to changing circumstances. Recovery of our local businesses is necessary for our region’s economic health, and physical distancing is critical for our public health.
Keeping young children safe: Window screens do not protect children from falling out windows
 According to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle (owned by King County and part of UW Medicine), every year between 3,500 and 5,000 U.S. children are hospitalized after falling from an open window, many with serious injuries.
Window screens appear to be a factor: Over 85% percent of children who fall through windows first fall through a screen.
In this video, Dr. Beth Ebel, a UW Medicine pediatrician and researcher at Harborview's Injury Prevention and Research Center, says window screens give a false sense of security. She suggests specific ways that parents can safeguard their homes to reduce the chance of window falls.
Additional helpful and informative links
- What type of mask is best? How often should I wash it? Answers to your questions about masks - The Seattle Times
- COVID-19 forces some U.S. schools to close, as new cases remain high in most states – Reuters
- Computer model offers insights on COVID-19 super-spreading - Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center News
- Less than a week after starting classes, UNC-Chapel Hill reports 4 covid-19 clusters – NPR (And it was reported today that undergraduates have now been sent home.)
- Your questions about coronavirus testing, answered – The New York Times
- What should we still disinfect to prevent COVID-19? Here's what experts say. - HuffPost
- How to test every American for COVID-19, every day – The Atlantic
- Do office reopenings mean a return to the 'old normal'? - BBC
- Opinion: Six steps to real, enduring police reform - The Seattle Times
- Women on the front lines: Nearly 2/3 of Seattle-area essential workers are female - The Seattle Times
- U.S. west power prices at record high as California eyes more outages – Reuters
- 'Highest temperature on Earth' as Death Valley, US hits 130F - BBC
- Amid shock of Chief Carmen Best’s departure, Black Seattleites weigh city’s moves on police defunding - The Seattle Times
- Commentary: Another huge unemployment wave is coming—and there’s an obvious way to stop it – Fortune
- A pop-up stand powered by friendship and connection sells flowers from Hmong family farms - The Seattle Times
- Augmented reality app reveals Seattle protest art in surprising places - Crosscut
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Today’s moment of inspiration
Mural in Warsaw cleans the air
 According to this article in the Good News Network, local artists in Warsaw, Poland produced a giant mural made of special, sun-activated, smog-cleaning pigments. The mural was produced using photocatalytic paint with titanium dioxide that attracts airborne pollutants before converting them into harmless nitrates through a chemical process involving sunlight.
According to the article, “The mural reportedly purifies the surrounding air equal to 720 trees…”
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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