COVID-19 UPDATES
Since yesterday’s update, Public Health is reporting as of this afternoon:
- 126 new positive cases of COVID-19 (23,149 total)
- 2 new COVID-19-related deaths (766 total)
- -11 new hospitalizations (data adjustment, 2,386 to date)
To view a breakdown of COVID-19 cases by race and ethnicity (updated on Mondays), click this link.
Yesterday, Sunday, October 4th, Public Health reported 82 new positive cases of COVID-19 (23,023 total) and 0 new COVID-19-related deaths (764 total). The number of new hospitalizations was 2 (2,397 total). On Saturday, October 3rd, Public Health reported 153 new positive cases of COVID-19 (22,941 total) and 0 new COVID-19-related deaths (764 total). The number of new hospitalizations was 13 (2,395 total). On Friday, October 2nd, Public Health reported 228 new positive cases of COVID-19 (22,788 total) and 6 new COVID-19-related deaths (764 total). The number of new hospitalizations was 4 (2,382 total).
Statewide, according to the state Department of Health (DOH), as of today, the total number of positive cases is 90,276. Total number of deaths statewide is 2,158, and total hospitalizations are 7,622.
The bottom and unfortunate line is that we are once again trending up in the number of new positive cases…
   
COVID AND OTHER UPDATES
Reducing coronavirus risk as we spend more time indoors for fall and winter
 This interview with Dr. Jeff Duchin, Health Officer, includes tips on improving indoor airflow, proper mask wearing and this important reminder: “Remember, the guidance is not “mask up OR stay 6 feet or more of distance.” Rather, the safer thing to do is to wear a mask AND stay 6 feet or more apart from others.”
COVID-19 resources: Guidance, assistance, information
- Latest COVID-19 reopening guidance for businesses and workers from Gov. Inslee
- King County COVID-19 resources, including information in multiple languages
- From DOH: Find a COVID-19 testing location near you - - statewide.
- King County COVID-19 testing locations
- Sign up here for weekly state updates for employers, workers and business owners.
- Washington 211 COVID-19 call center is a general information line related to COVID-19. If you need information or have a general question, call 1-800-525-0127 or text 211-211 for help. You can also text the word “Coronavirus” to 211-211 to receive information and updates on your phone wherever you are.
- 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.
Free internet access for low-income students: OSPI launches new program
 Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
Last week the state’s Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) launched a K-12 internet access program. The program allows students from low-income families to connect to their learning online from home at no cost to them. OSPI will cover the costs of internet connectivity for eligible students for the remainder of the 2020–21 school year. The program is reserved for students who are low-income and did not have internet access before August 2020. More information from OSPI is available here.
Grants available for art and cultural organizations
The Washington State Department of Commerce and the Washington Arts Commission have partnered to provide federal CARES Act funding to art and cultural organizations impacted by COVID-19. Grants are available up to $10,000 each, no funding match is required. Applications will be accepted between September 28th and October 23rd and the funds must be expended by December 31, 2020. Application guidelines are available here (pdf).
October is domestic violence awareness month: COVID-19 restrictions increase risk and incidence of domestic violence
The economic recession and restrictions on travel, work, school and other activities have led to an increase in domestic violence. Economic stressors and limits to mobility and social interactions have put domestic partners – and their children – at increased risk of violence. See the following recent news articles for information on an alarming increase in King County (and elsewhere), and see the links and resources for those who need help immediately or those who need information about helping a friend, neighbor or relative who is threatened by domestic violence:
- Man charged with South Lake Union murder in King County’s 13th domestic-violence homicide this year – The Seattle Times
- King County has already seen 13 domestic violence homicides in 2020 - KUOW
- Woman shot outside Edmonds market dies - The Seattle Times
- Domestic violence deaths in King County quadrupled this year over 2019 – KING5 News
- An unacceptable crisis: Incidents of domestic violence have nearly doubled during the coronavirus pandemic - Forbes
- The coronavirus is making it harder for domestic violence victims to find a place to live, a study shows - CNN
Help and resources:
- Domestic violence prevention: Public Health
- Domestic violence resources: King County Prosecutor’s office
- Sexual and domestic violence hotlines and services: DOH
- How to help a friend who is being abused: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services / Office on Women’s Health
Tomorrow, October 6th at noon - - Voting Matters: Disinformation
The Washington Post is hosting a free webinar tomorrow at noon Pacific Time to discuss potential impacts of disinformation on the 2020 election. Tomorrow’s discussion, which includes former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, will focus on the role of disinformation in the voting process - looking at how disinformation fills gaps in data, knowledge and understanding, how it impacts turnout and how it could affect the 2020 election. To register, click here. You can watch the livestream of the discussion here: wapo.st/votingmattersdisinformation.
You may also be interested in these articles:
- Russia doesn't have to make fake news: Biggest election threat is closer to home - NPR
- Twitter expands misinformation rules ahead of U.S. election – Reuters
- Political divides, conspiracy theories and divergent news sources heading into 2020 election - Pew Research Center
- Podcast: Training your brain to fight misinformation and partisanship - Crosscut
Voting security in King County and Washington state, voter resources
Speaking of misinformation, one of several untrue rumors about the upcoming election is the assertion that mail-in ballots are not secure. See information below from the King County Elections office and the Washington State Office of the Secretary of State, which oversees elections in our state:
- Elections Security and accountability: King County
- Voting system security: Secretary of State
- Secretary of State news release on postal service and ballot delivery in Washington state (August 14th): Secretary of State: USPS will maintain excellent delivery standards during Washington’s general election
- Video tour of King County elections
Key dates, information and links for voters
DATES:
- October 14th: Ballots for the general election will be mailed.
- October 15th: Ballot drop boxes will open. .
- October 26th: Online and by mail registrations must be received.
- November 3: Election Day
Additional resources:
- King County voting plan checklist
- King County accessible voting options
- The King County Elections Department webpage has more information about how to register, update your registration, return your ballot and track your ballot. Please email elections@kingcounty.gov or call at 206-296-VOTE (8683) if you need additional assistance.
Seattle Police presentation of crime in Belltown neighborhood
A very helpful and informative presentation was held last week by the Seattle Police Department on crime prevention and safety in the Belltown neighborhood. Guests included City Councilmember Andrew Lewis, as well as representatives of the Belltown Community Council and other Belltown community groups. A pdf of the slide presentation is available here.
Senior and disabled property owners in King County waiting on approval of tax deferral or exemption can opt for extension: October 19th deadline
King County is extending the second half payment of property taxes until January 31, 2021 for seniors, people with disabilities and others with qualifying condition who applied for property tax exemptions or deferrals but are still waiting for a determination. Seniors seeking property tax payment extensions must have mailed or filed an application on or before October 19th. For more information on the program, see this page.
Affected property owners will be contacted, and will need to notify the Assessor’s Office at 206-296-3920 or exemptions.extension@kingcounty.gov to opt in to this program. The statutory deadline of November 2nd remains in effect for all other property taxpayers.
County’s Budget and Fiscal Management Committee to meet tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday
Tomorrow kicks off a big week of budget review for the County Council. The Budget and Fiscal Management Committee, which I chair, will meet (virtually, of course) the next three days to examine specific issue areas within the Executive’s proposed budget. The meetings all begin at 9:30 a.m. and the public is welcome to view the meetings. Agendas, meeting materials and full information on how to view and access the meetings can be found at the Committee’s webpage or at the links below:
- Tuesday, October 6th agenda and materials
- Wednesday, October 7th, agenda and materials
- To download the agenda for Thursday’s meeting click here. The meeting materials are not yet available, but you can check the committee webpage in the next day or so for all materials for the Thursday meeting.
For more information on the Council’s review process for the Executive’s proposed biennial budget, see this page. For details on upcoming opportunities to comment on the biennial budget, see this page.
Metro Virtual Town Hall: Join Councilmembers Zahilay and Dembowski and me on October 14 at 6 p.m.
 Metro Transit is seeking community feedback on restructuring the current transit network as three new Link light rail stations open in north Seattle next year. Please join my Council colleagues and me to discuss how we can help ensure a safe, reliable and affordable transit system.
DID YOU KNOW?
… that the ancient Greeks voted with pebbles? One of the earliest depictions of the act of voting appears on a fifth century Greek wine cup. Voters (adult male citizens) deposited a pebble into the urn of their choice. According to the Getty Museum, “In ancient Greece a pebble was called a psephos, which gives us the dubious term psephology, the scientific study of elections. Another modern word, ballot, preserves this ancient history of bean-counting: it comes from medieval French ballotte, a small ball.”
Additional helpful and informative links
- Social but distanced activities to do when Seattle-area weather gets bad – The Seattle Times
- How COVID-19 affects some people long after they become infected with the coronavirus - The Seattle Times
- COVID-19 looks like it's about to spike: Hospital researchers – ThinkAdvisor
- Increase transparency at the FDA: We need sunlight to fight the pandemic – Stat News
- How do pandemics end? – The BBC
- Seattle may have lowest rate of COVID-19 cases among major U.S. cities - The Seattle Times
- Online privacy loss: another COVID-19 aftershock – Stat News
- Monoclonal antibodies could fill the COVID-19 treatment gap until vaccines arrive — but at a cost - The Seattle Times
- India's new paper Covid-19 test could be a ‘game changer’ – The BBC
- Six months in, the shape(s) of the economic crisis – The New York Times
- In pandemic budget cuts, Metro will stop work on Rainier Avenue RapidRide bus line - The Seattle Times
- How I survived the collision of racism and the stigma of mental illness - The Seattle Times
- California wildfires have burned 4 million acres and the season isn't over yet - NPR
- Wildfire smoke is still hurting Washington, weeks later - Crosscut
- AUDIO: Washington Gov. Jay inslee on how to stay optimistic on fighting climate change - NPR
- AUDIO: Street food: cities turn parking spaces into dining spots and no one seems to mind - NPR
Today’s moment of inspiration
 Photo: CNN
From CNN comes an amazing story of a young man, Lual Mayen, born in the midst of war in South Sudan and brought up in a refugee camp in northern Uganda. In 2007, when he was 15, he first saw a computer at a refugee registration center and was fascinated. Although his family had no money, his mother, Nyantet Machot, worked and saved for three years and managed to buy him a computer, changing his life and the lives of many others.
Mayen had to walk three hours each way in order to charge the computer so he could learn how to use it. According to CNN, Mayen said, “"I asked myself, If my mother can save $300 for three years to be able to buy a computer, 'How about me?' If she was able to take us from a war-torn country to an environment of a refugee, I can also make it. It inspired me so much to start looking for ways to be able to utilize the product that my mother got for me."
On one of his trips to charge the computer, a friend introduced him to “Grand Theft Auto.” He immediately understood the power of video games and wondered about creating a game to promote peace and conflict resolution.
I recommend reading the full article, it’s an amazing story. Mayen is now CEO of Junub Games in Washington, D.C. and is about to release his first product "Salaam," as an instant mobile game. Salaam means “peace” in Arabic.
According to CNN, "Salaam"…puts the player in the shoes of a refugee. The character is running from people trying to shoot and capture them and the players needs to keep their characters alive by getting them food, water, and medicine and eventually lead them to safe ground.”
But “Salaam” is more than just a game. Mayen will be partnering “…with non-profits so that when players buy food, water and medicine in the game, they are actually buying those items for people in refugee camps.”
Lual and his mother, Nyantet Machot. Photo: CNN
Keep in touch
Thank you again for taking the time to read my updates, which I am now sending out on Mondays and Thursdays. 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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