COVID-19 UPDATES
Since yesterday’s update, Public Health -- Seattle & King County is reporting these numbers as of this afternoon:
- 513 new positive cases of COVID-19 (60,632 total).
- 13 new COVID-19-related deaths (1,056 total)
- 26 new hospitalizations (4,066 to date)
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.
- On Sunday, December 27th, Public Health reported 182 new positive cases of COVID-19 (60,182 total) and 0 new COVID-19-related deaths (1,043 total). The number of new hospitalizations was 23 (4,042 total).
- On Saturday, December 26th, Public Health reported 169 new positive cases of COVID-19 (60,000 total) and 0 new COVID-19-related deaths (1,043 total). The number of new hospitalizations was 36 (4,019 total).
- On Friday, December 25th, Public Health reported 525 new positive cases of COVID-19 (59,831 total) and 11 new COVID-19-related deaths (10,043 total). The number of new hospitalizations was 9 (3,983 total).
- On Thursday, December 24th, Public Health reported 479 new positive cases of COVID-19 (59,306 total) and 9 new COVID-19-related deaths (1,032 total). The number of new hospitalizations was 65 (3,974 total).
- On Wednesday, December 23rd, Public Health reported 464 new positive cases of COVID-19 (58,750 total) and 10 new COVID-19-related deaths (1,022 total). The number of new hospitalizations was 14 (3,909 total).
- On Tuesday, December 22nd, Public Health reported 179 new positive cases of COVID-19 (58,286 total) and 19 new COVID-19-related deaths (1,012 total). The number of new hospitalizations was 2 (3,895 total).
Overall, fairly mixed but without the enormous increases in recent days, although today’s figures are a bit of a setback.
Data note for December 28th from the state DOH: “Negative test results data from November 21-30, 2020 are currently incomplete. Also, death data have not been systematically updated since December 24, 2020 due to a processing issue. We are currently working to address these issues as quickly as possible.” I think it’s important to keep in mind how overwhelmed the system has been with all that goes on in responding to a global pandemic.
Statewide, according to the DOH (with the caveats outlined above), as of today, the total number of confirmed positive cases is 229,672. The total number of probable cases is 9,000, for a total of 238,672 cases. The total number of deaths statewide is 3,195, and total hospitalizations are 14,276.
The graphs we usually include here are not available today. We apologize for the inconvenience.
COVID AND OTHER UPDATES
The latest on vaccines: New vaccine trials at the UW, prioritizing vaccine recipients and more
 Lots of information included in these articles:
- UW Medicine starts Novavax COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial: Volunteer enrollment begins for Phase III clinical trial that will determine the efficacy of Novavax vaccine candidate. – UW Medicine News
- COVID-19 vaccine from Novavax is latest to enter Phase 3 trial in U.S. – CBS News
- People are dying. Whom do we save first with the vaccine? – The New York Times
- Opinion: Let the ultra-rich and influential skip the line for COVID-19 vaccines? Hear me out. – Stat News
- What we know (and a few things we don’t) about COVID-19 vaccines: A conversation with Dr. Jeff Duchin – Public Health Insider blog
- Mysteriously, COVID-19 hasn’t spread among Seattle’s vulnerable homeless population. What does that mean for a vaccine? – The Seattle Times
Washington State Department of Health (DOH): COVID-19 transmission flattening, but not enough to reverse skyrocketing trends from early November
The DOH is warning that our state remains in a highly precarious situation. The estimated proportion of the population with active COVID-19 infections is around the same as mid-November, and hospitalizations are higher. According to the DOH, “If we don’t maintain the behaviors that have lowered transmission over the past month, we could see exponential growth again—this time starting from a much higher baseline.”
It’s not just the lungs: How COVID-19 affects the brain
 Photo by ALAN DE LA CRUZ on Unsplash
Some of this information may be new to you, as it was to me.
- Research strongly suggests COVID-19 virus enters the brain – UW News
- How the coronavirus attacks the brain – The New York Times
Infographic from Public Health: When can I be around others again?
Public Health has put together a helpful multi-page infographic for use following a positive COVID test or exposure to an infected person. It helps with calculating how long to stay isolated and/or quarantined, depending on the status of your symptoms and results (and date) of your most recent COVID test. The information is available in multiple languages.
Looking back at 2020
 What a year. Here are a few articles that take a look back:
- 2020 wasn’t all bad: Here are 8 small but great things that happened in Seattle – The Seattle Times
- How COVID-19 reshaped Seattle, season by season - Crosscut
- STAT’s most memorable photos of 2020 – Stat News
- Zoomification of society: Tech's influence (and necessity) was impossible to ignore in 2020 – NBC News
- Opinion: Trim the tree with 2020’s local heroes – The Seattle Times
- Did COVID lockdowns really clear the air? – Bloomberg News
- Why a stressful year has led us to drink, eat and shop. It's our brains on cortisol. - NBC News
- 2020 year in review: stories of solutions and inspiration - Crosscut
- The stories of these eight Seattleites show the extent of the chaos we experienced in 2020 – The Seattle Times
- Good news in 2020? Yes, it's true! Here are 100 positive things that happened this year – USA Today
- Pictures of the Year 2020: More images than ever for a year that was more of everything – The Seattle Times
- The new words for our new misery: The lexicon of the pandemic – The New York Times
- Eleven original NPR comics that brought joy, hope and help during the pandemic (in 2020) – NPR
- Performing in the pandemic, by zoom, drive-in and doorstep – The Seattle Times
- County Executive Constantine’s 2020 Year in Review – King County Executive News
Eviction moratoriums extended in City of Seattle and State of Washington
On December 23rd Gov. Inslee announced he is extending the eviction moratorium to March 31st, 2021. The current eviction moratorium was set to expire on December 31st. On December 17th Mayor Durkan also extended the moratorium on evictions through March, 2021. See the articles below for more information.
- Gov. Inslee to extend Washington statewide eviction moratorium to March 31 – The Seattle Times
- Seattle mayor extends COVID-19 eviction moratoriums through March – The Seattle Times
The King Council will likely take up extending our moratorium in the unincorporated areas which is expiring in March.
Support local businesses: Do Something Nearby
 As we all know, local businesses and non-profits have suffered enormous losses during the pandemic. Do Something Nearby helps you find local businesses near you that provide the services you’re looking for.
Each of these businesses has taken the All Clear King County Safety Pledge backed by public health care protocols to help it operate responsibly. Sort by city, neighborhood or type of business to discover – or rediscover – what makes King County so special. Get Out, Mask Up, and Do Something. If you have a business in King County and would like to be part of this effort, take the All Clear King County Pledge here. For more information on locating restaurant service see this helpful article (updated today):
- Seattle-area restaurants offering takeout, delivery service during the coronavirus pandemic – The Seattle Times
Federal funding plan short on funds for local governments, crucial services
I am pleased that Congress passed a COVID-19 relief bill last week, which was finally signed by the President yesterday after threatening to not sign it for several days. But, frankly, it is not enough and does not provide direct funding to local governments - - the quickest way to get funding to those in need. But he did not do so prior to the extension of unemployment benefits expiring Saturday at midnight. Fortunately, Governor Inslee on Sunday provided $54 million to extend a one-time Pandemic Relief Payment to 94,555 people in our state.
The Federal CARES Act bill enacted early in 2020 provided more than $262 million directly to King County that the Council allocated through unanimous passage of five emergency COVID budgets between March and November. Importantly, those funds directly supported not only our public health response but also small businesses and non-profit and community-based organizations throughout our county, including those serving BIPOC and underserved communities. The reality is we need more funding to go directly to local governments so we may continue to provide relief and tackle this pandemic head on.
However, the current bill does fund some much-needed services and support, such as:
-
Unemployment insurance – Additional $300 per week through March 14, 2021 and continues the extension of coverage to gig workers and self-employed.
-
Direct payments - $600 for individuals making up to $75k and $1200 for couples making up to $150k, $600 for each child dependent.
-
PPP loans – additional $284 billion for first and second forgivable PPP loans and expands eligibility to 501(c)(6) organizations
-
EIDL (Economic Injury Disaster Loan) grants for businesses in low-income communities -- $20 billion
-
Direct Support - Live venues, independent movie theaters and cultural institutions - $15 billion.
-
Coronavirus Relief Fund - availability is extended through Dec 31, 2021.
-
Transportation – Includes $15 billion to airlines for payroll reimbursement, $1 billion for airline contractor payrolls, $2 billion for airports and airport concessionaires, $10 billion for state highways, $14 billion for transit, $2 billion for the private motor coach, school bus, and ferry industries, $1 billion for Amtrak.
-
Vaccine/COVID - $69 billion, including $22 billion directly to states for testing, tracing and mitigation programs.
-
Mental health funding - $4.5 billion
-
Public health care providers - $9 billion
-
Education - $82 billion for education support, which includes a $4.05 billion Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund, $54.3 billion for an Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund and $22.7 billion for higher education.
-
Rental assistance – $25 billion federal rental assistance program to be distributed by state and local governments and extends the existing CDC eviction moratorium through Jan 31, 2021.
-
Nutrition Assistance - $13 billion additional to SNAP
-
Child care - $10 billion to child care sector through the CDBG program and $250 million for Head Start providers.
-
Broadband - $3.2 billion for low-income families, $250 million for telehealth and $65 million to complete the broadband maps. New $300 million grant program to fund broadband in rural areas.
-
Employee Retention Tax Credit - extended refundable payroll tax credits for paid sick and family leave through March 31, 2021.
And, since then, the U.S. House today passed a type of trailer bill granting $2,000 to individual Americans. We’ll see what the U.S. Senate does with it. Plus the House voted today to override the President’s veto of the Defense bill with the Senate expected to do so as well.
Federal funding plan will address equitable access to the Internet
 While King County included $2,195,000 for “digital equity” in two of our COVID emergency budgets, a lot more is needed, especially for students who are attending school remotely, unemployed and laid off workers seeking employment, individuals with disabilities, and others. It’s essential to fund not only broadband access but also devices as needed.
- Millions of low-income Americans will receive internet access rebates under stimulus plan – The Seattle Times
- Digital equity and inclusion: Ensuring all residents have the opportunity to thrive – King County
The County Council will return from its two-week recess next week with the first full Council meeting of the year scheduled for next Tuesday, January 5th at 1 p.m.
DID YOU KNOW?
… there’s a town in Australia that turns trash into Christmas trees every year? Every year residents of the town of Lismore create festive Christmas trees made from repurposed garbage. According to Atlas Obscura, it all began in 2015 with a tree made from discarded bicycles. “Like most things in this unusual year, the 2020 tree was a little different. It was a group effort, since most staff worked from home due to COVID-19 restrictions. And the tree is an ode to resilience.”
Additional helpful and informative links
- Coronavirus daily news updates, December 28: What to know today about COVID-19 in the Seattle area, Washington state and the world – The Seattle Times
- Mask up! How public health messages collide with Facebook's political ads ban - NPR
- The $900M stimulus package may not offer enough relief for local governments – KOMO News
- Number of WA Notify users tops 1.5 million, exceeds 25% of adults in Washington state – The Washington State Department of Health (DOH)
- Can vaccinated people still transmit COVID-19? The answer is key for herd immunity, research finds – GeekWire
- One hero of the coronavirus pandemic: Respiratory therapists – 9News (Denver)
- Opinion: How it feels in a pandemic where the death rate really is 20% – The Seattle Times
- Contact tracers provide valuable resources to people who test positive for COVID – Seattle Medium
- Glimmers of optimism from state's COVID-19 case curve but concerns linger – KOMO News
- Seattle gets three new COVID-19 testing kiosks – KIRO 7 News
- ‘The best Christmas present.' Seattle senior living community gets Covid-19 vaccine - KUOW
- Every day is an emergency: The pandemic is worsening psychiatric bed shortages nationwide – Stat News
- Opinion: We can’t win the fight for the soul of Seattle from the sidelines – South Seattle Emerald
- Kirkland’s EvergreenHealth, where coronavirus outbreak was first identified in February, gets first vaccinations – The Seattle Times
- As federal aid falls short, state and local money provides relief for immigrants in Washington state – The Seattle Times
- Season of giving: Where you can donate food in Seattle during the pandemic – Seattle PI
- Holidays in a pandemic? Here’s what happened in 1918 – The New York Times
- 95,000 unemployed Washingtonians will get a $550 one-time payment after lapse in federal benefits – The Seattle Times
- Explore Seattle neighborhoods while getting your arts fix with these two events – The Seattle Times
- Still disinfecting surfaces? It might not be worth it - NPR
Today’s moment of inspiration
Photo from CNN
CNN first told the story of California veterinarian Kwane Stewart (now known as “The Street Vet”) back in February of this year. He has continued his work, walking the streets of California, providing free care to the pets of those experiencing homelessness. According to CNN, Stewart commonly “… treats allergies, skin and ear infections, flea infestations, bad teeth, and even arthritis.” Stewart often covers the costs of vaccines, medicines and food himself; for more expensive problems, he set up a GoFundMe page. Read the CNN story for the full background of how Dr. Stewart found his calling, and check out his Facebook page for up to date information on his work.
Keep in touch
Thank you again for taking the time to read my updates, which I am now sending out on Mondays and Thursdays. This week we will send out a shortened version on Thursday, New Year’s Eve. 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.
|
