COVID-19 UPDATES
With almost a week of updates to share, Public Health—Seattle & King County is reporting the following positive cases, hospitalizations, and deaths:
-Monday, November 30th—666 new positive cases, 37 hospitalizations, and 1 death
-Sunday, November 29th—356 new positive cases, 26 hospitalizations, and 2 deaths
-Saturday, November 28th—298 new positive cases, 16 hospitalizations, and no deaths
-Friday, November 27th—364 new positive cases, 16 hospitalizations, and 1 death
-Thursday, November 26th—748 new positive cases, 21 hospitalizations, and no deaths
-Wednesday, November 25th—641 new positive cases, 18 hospitalizations, and 1 death
-Tuesday, November 24th— 742 new positive cases, 19 hospitalizations, and 1 death
In King County, that brings us to a total of 44,406 cases, 3,227 hospitalizations, and 859 deaths.
To view a breakdown of COVID-19 cases by race and ethnicity (updated on Mondays), click this link. Click here to view the “Key Indicators” data dashboard.
Statewide, according to the state Department of Health (DOH), as of today, the total number of positive cases is 162,700. Total number of deaths statewide is 2,703, and total hospitalizations are 10,759.
   
COVID AND OTHER UPDATES
New research about why COVID complications tend to be more serious in older adults
Since about March, we’ve seen that the rates of hospitalization and death are higher for individuals over the age of 50 than it is for individuals under 50. An article in the South Seattle Emerald discusses new research coming out that suggests that the seriousness of these cases may correlate with whether and when individuals had their MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) vaccines which have been generally administered to children since they were introduced in 1971. This research is new and still needs to be replicated, but I found it to be an interesting and thought-provoking read. If you feel so inclined, you can read the full article here.
A Message from Dr. Jeff Duchin, Health Officer for Public Health—Seattle & King County
As cases skyrocket and hospitalizations increase, Dr. Jeff Duchin, Health Officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County (PHSKC) and Matias Valenzuela, Equity Director for Public Health, shared updates on COVID-19 spread, reviewed what the public needs to do to turn this trend around, and discussed new data that show where people most frequently report being exposed to COVID-19. Please take a moment to watch his video update here.
COVID-19 Vaccine Updates:
New information about various vaccines for COVID has been continually coming. The COVID-19 Task Force is talking about rolling out vaccines as early as December, although restrictions will likely need to remain in place for some time. The FDA is warning that desperation for vaccines may drive individuals toward scams, and they outline things to look out for. Moderna has asked US and European regulators to allow emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine as new study results come out.
This Thursday: “Election 2020 Retrospective—Information, Policy, and Outcomes” with the UW Evans School of Public Policy Dean’s Forum
On Thursday, December 3rd from 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. (PST), consider joining the Evans School Forum on race and public policy. It will be moderated by Alison Cullen, Interim Dean of the Evans School, and Jevin West, Director of the Center for an Informed Public. They will be joined by Patrick Berry, Fellow and Counsel in the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program and Kate Starbird, Co-Founder of the Center for an Informed public, and will discuss the policy and information drivers and barriers (and the efforts to confront them) that influenced the 2020 U.S. Elections.
King County Election Certifies the 2020 General Election Results, Confirms Record Breaking Turnout at Over 86%
According to an update sent out on November 24th, King County Elections (KCE) certified the county’s 2020 general election results, marking the official end of vote counting. Out of 1.4 million registered voters in King County, 86.67% turned out this election, breaking the last record of 85% in 2012. This year over 909,000 (73.9%) voters returned their ballots to ballot drop boxes, with more than 307,000 (24.98%) returning by mail and over 13,500 (1.1%) by fax. A little over 10,000 (0.85%) ballots were rejected for signature issues, and 707 (0.06%) were returned too late, making up just 0.91% of total ballots.
Final results are posted on the Elections’ webpage, which includes daily results through Certification Day and reconciliation reports to be posted by 4 p.m. Final precinct level results were posted on Wed., Nov. 25 at 4 p.m.
Regional housing needs continue to grow
As a member of the Growth Management Policy Board of the Puget Sound Regional Council, I attended its recent meeting at which we recently had a robust discussion about a new report on how much housing our region needs. How much do we need? At least 800,000 new homes by the year 2050, according to early findings from PSRC’s regional housing needs assessment. Nearly half of all new housing units will likely require new zoning, incentives, bonuses, or subsidies to meet the region’s affordability needs. Take a look at the full presentation here.
This Thursday: “Election 2020 Retrospective—Information, Policy, and Outcomes” with the UW Evans School of Public Policy Dean’s Forum
On Thursday, December 3rd from 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. (PST), consider joining the Evans School Forum on race and public policy. It will be moderated by Alison Cullen, Interim Dean of the Evans School, and Jevin West, Director of the Center for an Informed Public. They will be joined by Patrick Berry, Fellow and Counsel in the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program and Kate Starbird, Co-Founder of the Center for an Informed public, and will discuss the policy and information drivers and barriers (and the efforts to confront them) that influenced the 2020 U.S. Elections.
Updates from the State Department of Commerce
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· Applications for a new round of small business grants are opening. An application portal for this new round of Working Washington emergency relief grants will launch this week. The amount of $50 million will be available for grants up to $20,000 each, with a focus on businesses most impacted by the current public health measures or who have experienced significant cumulative impacts. Watch for application information at www.commerce.wa.gov/bizgrants The Dept. of Commerce is also distributing nearly $20 million in grants to eligible applicants from our earlier resiliency grant round who didn’t receive funding. Those applicants will hear soon from our network partners and don’t need to take any action.
· $30 million for business recovery loans through a new revolving loan fund program to be developed and launched in the first quarter of 2021. This is a longer-term financial tool that will provide small businesses a bridge to recovery. Follow Commerce's small business resources page for updates.
· $20 million in rental assistance is added to the current Eviction Rent Assistance Program. Partner agencies in each county, not Commerce, provide the assistance payments to landlords to cover their qualified tenants. Note that coverage was expanded from 3 to 6 months of eligible rent. Find the list of appropriate contacts by county here.
· $15 million in utility payment assistance expands the existing Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), also administered through agency partners at the county level, not Commerce. Find information and contacts for each county here.
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Additional helpful and informative links
Today’s moment of inspiration: Shop local SeaTac
In preparation for the holiday season, a local group of friends (Tara, Caleb, Wil and Max) put together a crowdsourced list featuring BIPOC-owned small businesses in the Seattle and Tacoma areas. If you are looking to purchase gifts this year from a small, local business, please explore this resource at www.shoplocalseatac.com. They are continuing to add new businesses to the site, and submissions can be sent to shoplocalseatac@gmail.com
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