COVID-19 UPDATES
Since yesterday’s update, Public Health is reporting as of this afternoon, which definitely could be better:
- 93 new positive cases of COVID-19 (21,896 total)
- 0 new COVID-19-related deaths (758 total)
- 11 new hospitalizations (2,353 to date)
For full demographic information, including new infections by age and gender, click on this link. It will take you first to the overview page so after clicking, scroll down until you see the header “Public Health – Seattle & King County COVID-19 Outbreak Summary.” Above and below that header are five tabs. Click the tab for “Demographics” and you’re there.
Yesterday, Thursday, September 24th, Public Health reported 126 new positive cases of COVID-19 (21,803 total) and 0 new COVID-19-related deaths (758 total). The number of new hospitalizations was 2 (2,342 total).
Statewide, according to the state Department of Health (DOH), as of yesterday, the total number of positive cases was 84,238. Total number of deaths statewide was 2,080, and total hospitalizations were 7,357.
The graphs we usually include here are not available at this time. We apologize for any inconvenience.
COVID AND OTHER UPDATES
Gov. Inslee announces new standards for airports in Washington
Yesterday Gov. Jay Inslee announced that Washington is setting new requirements for commercial airports and recommendations for airlines. The new requirements and recommendations represent a statewide approach to the COVID-19 pandemic to help protect the health and safety of workers, passengers and crew in the aviation sector.
“The steps we’re taking will help protect those who need to fly,” Inslee said. “This guidance isn’t just about SeaTac — these requirements apply to airports across the state — Pullman, Spokane, Tri-Cities and Everett too.”
In addition to the new baseline guidance from the state, Delta Air Lines, Alaska Airlines and the Port of Seattle announced additional steps to protect the health and safety of airline passengers and staff.
Although states’ authority is more limited than the federal government’s, Washington state's new guidance sets a baseline standard for airports throughout the state. You can read the full story on the Governor’s blog, or see this article from The Seattle Times: Inslee announces safety guidelines for air travel amid coronavirus pandemic.
Pregnancy and childbirth during the pandemic
We are all dealing with heightened anxiety at this time, but the situation is even more stressful for expectant parents. See the links below for some helpful resources, including a recent story from NPR on new data on pregnancy and COVID:
- Data begin to provide some answers on pregnancy and the pandemic - NPR
- Pregnancy and childbirth during the pandemic: 10 things to know – Public Health Insider
- Pregnancy, birth, and caring for your newborn (during the pandemic, additional languages available) – State DOH
State increases culturally and linguistically relevant COVID-19 help for small-businesses owners
 Small business owners now have more places to seek culturally and linguistically relevant help for dealing with COVID-19, thanks to expansion of the Small Business Resiliency Assistance program. Read the full news release from the state Department of Commerce here.
Request for Proposals (RFP): Focused communications for COVID-19 prevention among young people
Public Health is soliciting requests for proposals (RFP) for an individual, an organization, or multiple organizations to develop and implement a COVID-19 prevention campaign aimed at a diverse audience of young people in King County. The campaign is part of Public Health’s emergency response to the pandemic. Campaign work will occur from October to December, 2020. The deadline for proposals is October 7th by 5 p.m. See details and access the RFP document at www.kingcounty.gov/rfp/covid-young-people.
Food insecurity heightened by the pandemic
 As we’ve discussed in past newsletters, the pandemic has taken a serious toll on our economy, including an increase in the number of households experiencing food insecurity. As with so many other economic and health effects of this pandemic, food insecurity disproportionately impacts historically marginalized groups, including refugees, BIPOC (Black and Indigenous people, people of color), low-income people and those experiencing homelessness.
The County Council was able to add $4.8 million to the Third Emergency COVID budget to support a food security assistance program in response to increased demand for food assistance as a result of the COVID-19 public health emergency. And, see this article in the Seattle P-I: Seattle to expand grocery voucher program to 3,500 more households amid coronavirus pandemic.
For information on emergency food assistance, see:
- Interactive map of COVID-19 Seattle-area emergency food resources
- King County: Emergency food access resources
My statement on the Breonna Taylor grand jury decision
It is truly horrific that in the wake of the announcement of no indictments for Breonna Taylor’s murder, so many people were simply not surprised. This is the reality now. The people of this country demanded justice for hundreds of days and were met with a verdict that insulted Breonna’s memory. However, we absolutely cannot normalize a lack of accountability and we must not lose sight of the severity of threats this poses for our collective liberation.
As the King County Council Budget Chair, I am committed to furthering County Executive Constantine’s proposed budget that leads with equity, invests in Black, Indigenous and POC communities, and reimagines a law enforcement system that for too long has not protected our most vulnerable neighbors. As the Council moves into the review process of his proposed $12.4 billion biennial budget, we need your voice. We’re all adapting to doing this process differently but most importantly, we can’t do it alone. We need reforms at the federal level but we can’t forget the importance of reforms at every level of government—including at the County. Email me your ideas at jeanne.kohl-welles@kingcounty.gov. Thank you.
Also, see these recent articles:
- Breonna Taylor protests, COVID and stalled progress - Politico
- Family demands release of evidence in Breonna Taylor’s case – The Seattle Times
Two new baby orcas for J pod, and an orca “all-night party”
 This photo, by Katie Jones from the Center for Whale Research, shows J57, a healthy baby orca, and his mother, J35. Scientists believe that he was born on September 4, 2020.
We all needed some good news and I’m thrilled to learn that two baby orcas are the newest members of J pod. The first calf, born early in the month, is a healthy male born to J35, also known as Tahlequah. Tahlequah brought the world’s attention to the plight of these amazing animals two years ago, when she carried her dead calf for 17 days. Her new baby appears to be healthy and active, and according to this Seattle Times article, “… has been seen rolling, spyhopping, and swimming alongside his mother as she forages for food…”
We just learned that another baby has been born to J pod, to J41, but scientists are not yet able to determine its state of health or gender. With a tiny population of a mere 74 orcas in the southern resident J,K and L pods each birth is cause for celebration.
Speaking of celebrations, in a fascinating interview on KUOW, Howard Garrett, co-founder of the Orca Network, explained that on the day Tahlequah’s new baby was born, whales from all three pods got together for what whale researchers refer to as a “super pod” or a “greeting ceremony.”
I recommend reading or listening to the entire interview, but here is one brief excerpt: “Whales from three pods converged in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, north of the Olympic Peninsula. The J-Pod orcas swam down from the Georgia Strait, where they’d been for five days… K and L pods, which hadn’t been seen or heard from since July, came in from the West,” Garrett said. “The whales “seemed to have had a pre-arranged meeting time and place,” he said. Truly amazing!
E-newsletter survey results and next steps
Thanks so much to those of you who participated in the survey last month. It was very brief, only four questions, two of which included an opportunity for providing comments. The survey was active from August 21st – 31st, 2020.
Over 200 people responded, a small number but nevertheless appreciated out of about 11,000 subscribers. We asked respondents for feedback on frequency and length of the e-newsletter and to rank topics in order of importance. We also provided opportunities for open-ended comments.
We received a good deal of positive feedback as well as some helpful critiques. A few things stood out. The information and updates on the pandemic were by far the most important content for the overwhelming majority of respondents, and the majority was also overall satisfied with the length and frequency of the e-newsletters.
In terms of content, updates on equity, justice and anti-racism initiatives were also considered very important, as well as were updates on county services. In open-ended comments, respondents also listed several issues they would like to see covered in the future including:
- Climate change/green new deal
- Disabilities – challenges, assistance, COVID impacts
- Seattle City Council
- Crime/safety
- Police (City of Seattle)
- Homelessness – King County actions, plans, resources
- Economic impacts of COVID, economic assistance
- Education
My staff and I have been reviewing the comments and are incorporating feedback into the content and format of my e-newsletter. As I mentioned in the introduction, due to the extremely heavy workload in my role as Budget Chair, we are reducing the e-newsletter frequency to twice a week, beginning next week. Most respondents favored keeping the frequency at three times a week, and while I would love to oblige, my office is fully immersed in the budget process and the current schedule is too much at present.
Thanks so much to those of you who participated in the survey!
DID YOU KNOW?
We all know that trees store carbon and release oxygen. But did you know that faster-growing trees store the most carbon during their first decades? Faster-growing trees in our area include big leaf maple, black cottonwood, cascara, Oregon ash, Pacific willow, red alder, Douglas fir, Sitka spruce, black hawthorn, and western crabapple.
However, long-lived trees provide great environmental benefits as well. They can keep carbon stored for generations without releasing it in decomposition. Western hemlock, western red cedar, Douglas fir, and Sikta spruce can all live 1,200 years or more.
Trees help keep the water and air clean, provide food and shelter to all kinds of creatures and help keep neighborhoods cooler during the summer. For more information, see King County’s “Trees 101” page.
Additional helpful and informative links
- Here’s how the pandemic finally ends – Politico
- COVID-19 may have a hidden impact on the heart – The New York Times
- AUDIO: State ombuds talks about protecting loved ones in long-term care – KNKX
- COVID Bites: Cracked Teeth Another Coronavirus Scourge – Health Day
- University of Washington and DOH test smartphone technology that tells you if you were exposed to the coronavirus; here’s how it works – The Seattle Times
- See how Seattle-area commutes have changed over the years — including the impact of COVID-19 - The Seattle Times
- New department of commerce data tool reveals racial disparities in state unemployment – The South Seattle Emerald
- Jury trials resume in King County and expand to Bellevue - KUOW
- Microaggressions aren't just innocent blunders – new research links them with racial bias – The Conversation
- Fewer students are going to community college, despite high unemployment - NPR
- Ginsburg, champion of gender equality, becomes first woman to lie in state - NPR
Today’s moment of inspiration
89-year-old pizza delivery driver gets $12,000 tip surprise from 'TikTok Family'
 Photo from CNN.com
CNN reports on an 89-year-old Utah man, Derlin Newey, who started delivering pizzas when he realized he couldn’t live on social security alone. He delivers pizzas 30 hours a week and has several regular customers.
"It's insane. Everybody loves him," said Carlos Valdez, according to CNN. “The family claims his signature phrase with each delivery is, "Hello, are you looking for some pizza?"
According to the CNN story, “The Valdez family said they always ask for him when ordering pizza and started recording his deliveries as TikTok videos...” They have more than 53,000 followers on their TikTok channel and said, “…they often got comments asking why Newey was delivering pizzas at his age. The family agreed that he shouldn't have to work so much and decided to use their platform for some good. They asked their followers to make a donation to help Newey, and the money started rolling in. They were quickly able to raise $12,000. They presented a signed check to him from his "TikTok Family.”
Keep in touch
Thank you again for taking the time to read my updates, which I will be sending out on Mondays and Thursdays, beginning next week. 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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