COVID-19 UPDATES
We will be including a new weekly update on the so-called “R Naught” number, also known as the “reproductive number,” which is updated every Wednesday on this page. This number represents the estimate for the number of people each person infected with COVID-19 infects others. The goal is to get and keep the number below 1.0.
As of today, Public Health – Seattle & King County (Public Health) is reporting that the “R-Naught” number for King County is 0.6, which is great news!
Since Monday’s update (the data were not updated yesterday due to a power outage), Public Health is reporting as of this afternoon:
- 120 new positive cases of COVID-19 (20,440 total)
- 7 new COVID-19-related deaths (741 total)
- New hospitalizations is 19 (2,283 to date)
So, not bad news relatively on the number of new cases but higher than usual number of new deaths. The best figures for quite a while were on Monday (see below). Of the 15,114 cases in which race and ethnicity information is available, 5,669 of those are white and 9,445 are Black, Indigenous and People of Color. Full information with detailed demographics of those diagnosed with COVID-19, including by age and gender, as well as on rates of hospitalization, is available on Public Health’s data dashboard.
On Saturday, September 5th, Public Health reported 92 new positive cases of COVID-19 (20,165 total) and 2 new COVID-19-related deaths (734 total). The number of new hospitalizations was 10 (2,259 total). On Sunday, September 6th, Public Health reported 99 new positive cases of COVID-19 (20,264 total) and 0 new COVID-19-related deaths (734 total). The number of new hospitalizations was 1 (2,260 total). On Monday, September 7th, Public Health reported 56 new positive cases of COVID-19 (20,320 total) and 0 new COVID-19-related deaths (734 total). The number of new hospitalizations was 4 (2,264 total). Public Health did not update the data yesterday, due to a power outage that impacted the state Department of Health.
Statewide, according to the state Department of Health (DOH), as of yesterday, September 8th, the total number of positive cases was 78,009. Total number of deaths statewide was 1,978, and total hospitalizations were 6,966.
   
COVID AND OTHER UPDATES
Tomorrow, Thursday, September 10th at 6:30 p.m.: Coexisting with COVID-19: Are We There Yet?
 Join the UW’s Public Lectures Office tomorrow for a half-hour COVID-19 update from two of the University’s experts, Christopher Murray, Institute Director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), and Helen Chu, Board certified physician with UW Medicine and UW assistant professor of Medicine and Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Moderated by Hanson Hosein. To register, click here.
Looking back at the past few months:
- WHO declares coronavirus a pandemic, urges aggressive action – The Seattle Times, March 11, 2020
- What a time capsule of 6-month-old headlines tells us about coronavirus now - CNN
- Experts predicted a coronavirus pandemic years ago. Now it's playing out before our eyes. – CNN
- Five months in: A timeline of how COVID-19 has unfolded in the U.S. – USA Today, June 23, 2020
COVID and wildfire smoke
 Public Health has some warnings and advice on dealing with wildfire smoke. As of yesterday, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency has determined that air quality conditions in most of the Puget Sound region are unhealthy for everyone.
Irregular winds may cause air quality in some areas to shift, so we can expect to see air quality across the Puget Sound region move in and out of unhealthy levels. The Puget Sound Clean Air agency expects that air quality could be at UNHEALTHY FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS and UNHEALTHY (for all) levels through today and possibly beyond.
Air quality conditions may change quickly, and Public Health encourages everyone to check the current air quality status frequently (at http://www.pscleanair.org) or follow the Puget Sound Clean Air agency on Twitter (@pscleanair) for current smoke levels. When the air quality is at unhealthy levels, you should stay indoors if possible and keep the indoor air clean with filters (see the links above for Public Health and the Puget Sound Clean Air agency for more details) and pay attention to the temperature inside your house, as heat can also be dangerous. More details on wildfire smoke, including its effects on COVID, how best to cope and additional information on air quality can be found at this link: https://pscleanair.gov/517/Wildfire-Smoke.
Microsoft launches new funding opportunity for Black-led community-based nonprofits: Applications due by September 30th
Microsoft recently opened preliminary applications for the community skills program, part of its larger commitment to address racial injustice. The program will award up to 50 unrestricted, cash grants of up to $100,000 per year for three years to Black- and African American-led nonprofits that provide digital skills and workforce development to the Black and African American community. The program also includes support for leadership development and technology capacity building. Learn more about the program at http://aka.ms/community-skills-program.
Climate justice is racial justice: Four webinars, first one tomorrow at 6 p.m.
 The Seattle chapter of 350.org is hosting four webinars - “Learning Series” – beginning tomorrow evening, once a week for four weeks. The sessions will explore the ways racial inequities intersect with the threats of climate change. Attendees will have the chance to ask questions, and be offered a clear way to learn more and support each issue. You can participate for individual webinars or the whole series. To register and for more information see this link: http://bit.ly/350Seattle-learning-series
Reminder: Executive Constantine’s series on an equitable, sustainable post-COVID future starts tomorrow
 County Executive Constantine will be hosting a free three-part series exploring one burning question: How can we make our region’s post-COVID future more equitable and more sustainable? The first of the three events will be held tomorrow, Thursday, September 10th at 5 – 6 p.m. Pacific Time. The next two sessions will take place at the same time on the 15th and 17th.
In these discussions, Executive Constantine will be joined by twelve local leaders to explore the challenges our region faces and what we can do during this period of upheaval to address issues including economic inequality, racism, access to healthcare, climate change, unemployment, small business recovery, education, housing, childcare, food access, and transportation.
Tomorrow’s panel will focus on Identifying and agreeing on the gaps to focus on in recovering from the pandemic. Speakers include Dr. Benjamin S. Danielson, Clinic Chief, Seattle Children's Odessa Brown Children's Clinic; Estela Ortega, Executive Director, El Centro de la Raza; Harpreet Dha, Owner, Punjab Sweets; and Gordon McHenry Jr., President & CEO, United Way of King County.
Register via Eventbrite to confirm your seat today! Space is limited. For more information see this post on Facebook.
Reminder: Census deadline is September 30th!
 Complete the census by September 30th and make sure everyone in King County counts! If our community is undercounted, we will not have equitable funding and a fair and full voice in policy and decision-making. We must be counted to be represented.
Counting people through the census is also how funding is distributed where it’s needed for the next ten years—for things like our schools, affordable housing, hospitals, and public transportation.
Visit 2020Census.gov to complete the census or call 844-330-2020.
District Four organizations receive emergency COVID-19 funding
Last week, the Council approved a fourth round of emergency funding in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ordinance, which I sponsored as the Council's Budget Chair, passed unanimously and totaled nearly $100 million in new expenditures using federal and state funds. The vast majority of funding included is to continue to bolster Public Health’s response to the pandemic, to support and continue to expand testing, and to maintain the isolation and de-intensification sites throughout the County. It also provides funding to organizations and local small businesses suffering from the economic fallout caused by COVID and much more.
In previous budgets, I was able to secure funds for other neighborhood organizations to provide food security and housing stability assistance. In this budget, I included $100,000 for five organizations and non-profits serving residents of District Four and beyond (the same as provided in the other Council districts). These funds will be used to help organizations weather the economic fallout caused by COVID and to support response efforts aimed at providing help to those most in need. The organizations are:
Center for Children and Youth Justice: Works to create better lives for generations of children and youth by reforming the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. CCYJ develops and advances innovative approaches to systemic change to support kids, stabilize families, and strengthen communities.
National Nordic Museum: The National Nordic Museum shares Nordic culture, values, and ideas with people of all ages and backgrounds to create connections, generate dialogue, and inspire new perspectives. This fantastic institution is important in bringing in much needed sales tax and tourism revenue back to the region.
United Indians of All Tribes’ Labatayeh Youth Home: United Indians’ Labateyah Youth Home provides a safe and nurturing environment for homeless youth, combining Native American wisdom and ceremony with modern health and social services, achieving exemplary results.
YouthCare Orion Center: Orion Center serves as a safe and welcoming place for young people (runaways and youth experiencing homelessness) ages 12-24 during the day. Following dinner, the Orion Center transitions into the Young Adult Shelter where twenty young people ages 18-24 can enjoy a hot meal, work on goals with their case managers, and sleep safely at night.
Phinney Neighborhood Association: A non-profit organization founded in 1980 by Phinney neighbors to build community. PNA's mission is to build, engage and support a diverse community through programs, services and activities that connect neighbors and foster civic engagement.
The budget also provided funds for health care organizations, such as NeighborCare clinics.
County Council allocates funding for tourism industry recovery
In the Second Emergency COVID budget, in April, the Council approved the allocation of funding from the federal CARES Act to help tourism-dependent businesses weather the economic impacts of the pandemic. This was an initiative my Council colleague Rod Dembowski, County Executive Constantine and I worked on for months.
For more information see these two articles:
- King County Council OKs $8M tourism recovery campaign as museums reopen – Puget Sound Business Journal (National Nordic Museum mentioned)
- The King County Council unanimously approved the awarding of $8 million from CARES funding in support of county-wide tourism recovery promotion – FTN News
Visit Seattle along with Seattle Southside promotes tourism throughout King County and recently launched the All Clear King County pledge – an initiative to encourage responsible travel through strict safety protocols and a way to promote those businesses implementing them.
Request for Applications (RFA): School-Based Behavioral Health Diversion Project
Public Health is requesting applications from qualified community organizations to assist with its School-Based Behavioral Health Diversion Project. There will be a pre-proposal conference on September 16th, 2-3 p.m. on Zoom. The proposal is due no later than October 15, 2020 by 3 p.m.
The primary focus of this pilot project is to intervene with students showing early signs of behavioral issues that could lead to discipline and suspension in schools. The goal is to reduce Black and brown students’ disproportionate referrals to the juvenile legal system and increase their connection to appropriate services. The awardee(s) will be working closely with teachers, school personnel, counselors, and probation officers to identify students and offer early intervention by connecting students and their families to culturally responsive and trauma-informed care for appropriate services.
See details and access application materials at https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/partnerships/funding/BHD.aspx
Ballard P-Patch purchases property
Thanks to a years-long effort on the part of dedicated community members, the Ballard P-Patch secured a loan from Verity Credit Union and was able to provide Our Redeemer’s Lutheran Church with the full purchase price of $1.95M as well as closing costs for the property. The group has until August of 2022 to raise the approximately $300K required to make the match to the Conservation Futures Grant and repay the loan in full. Without this loan, the beloved community P-Patch would likely have been sold for development. In February the County Council voted unanimously to recommend that the County’s Conservation Futures program award funding to the P-Patch to help purchase the property from the church.
And, very excitingly, its award for about $1.25 million from Conservation Futures was announced today at the meeting of the Council’s Mobility and Environment Committee. The P-Patch serves 90 families and annually donates 2,500 pounds of produce to local food banks. I love it and am thrilled it will continue.
DID YOU KNOW?
At my request, the County Council included an additional $650,000 funding in our Fourth COVID budget passed last week to expand flu vaccination for individuals uninsured or underinsured in communities disproportionally impacted by the pandemicin our latest COVID emergency budget. Why? See these two articles:
- Opinion: Flu vaccine vital as COVID-19 deaths rise and America tries to avoid dueling winter crises – NBC News
- As autumn nears, fears about COVID-19 impact on the rise - KOMO News
Additional helpful and informative links
- How the aging immune system makes older people vulnerable to COVID-19 – The New York Times
- The Gates Foundation, a global health behemoth, aims its massive bank account and disease-fighting expertise at COVID-19 – The Seattle Times
- College quarantine breakdowns leave some at risk - The New York Times
- People experiencing homelessness move on from Seattle community centers set up as temporary shelters during COVID-19 - The Seattle Times
- A new theory asks: could a mask be a crude ‘vaccine’? - The New York Times
- Nursing homes where majority of residents are Black suffered higher death rates during the coronavirus pandemic, Post analysis finds – The Washington Post
- Opinion: Fighting racial dialogue fatigue - South Seattle Emerald
- Have you been counted? It’s down to the wire on the 2020 census in Washington state as anxiety lingers and lawsuits fly – The Seattle Times
- Language in Seattle-area rental ads divides neighborhoods along racial lines, UW study finds - The Seattle Times
- Seattle's Fremont Brewing among many in the beer industry looking for ways to help Black brewers - The Seattle Times
- Seattle theaters get inventive, finding ways to perform even during pandemic closures - The Seattle Times
- Orphaned horse taken in by grieving mom is ready to begin racing career at Emerald Downs - The Seattle Times
- Wildfire smoke billows into Seattle area with flurry of 911 calls - KUOW
- Twenty-one (unspoken) rules to follow if you live in Seattle – Seattle PI
Today’s moment of inspiration
Beautifying Skid Row one makeover at a time
 Photo courtesy Shirley Raines – From CNN.com: Shirley Raines (right) and Cherish Benham, a woman who credits Raines for helping her get the job and permanent housing she has today.
CNN reports on Shirley Raines, a remarkable woman who has pulled together a team of people to help those experiencing homelessness look and feel better. According to CNN, ““For a few hours every Saturday morning, Los Angeles' Skid Row -- home to one of the nation's largest concentrations of homeless people -- transforms into an outdoor beauty salon. There, where tents line entire city blocks, homeless people gather to get free makeovers from Shirley Raines, or a member on her team of volunteers, made up of licensed hair stylists, barbers, makeup artists.”
The service began three years ago with Raines and her five children helping to hand out food, drinks, hygiene kits and beauty products.
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. And you can click here to visit the archive page where you can find all of my previous enews updates.
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