COVID-19 UPDATES
Since yesterday’s update, Public Health -- Seattle & King County is reporting these numbers as of this afternoon:
- 334 new positive cases of COVID-19 (64,912 total).
- 5 new COVID-19-related deaths (1,096 total)
- 47 new hospitalizations (4,296 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, January 3rd, Public Health reported 469 new positive cases of COVID-19 (64,578 total) and 0 new COVID-19-related deaths (1,091 total). The number of new hospitalizations was 4 (4,249 total).
- On Saturday, January 2nd, Public Health reported 810 new positive cases of COVID-19 (64,109 total) and 0 new COVID-19-related deaths (1,091 total). The number of new hospitalizations was 51 (4,245 total).
As a reminder, the number of COVID-related deaths is not reported over the weekend.
The data for Thursday, December 31st and Friday, January 1st are not available at this time. We apologize for the inconvenience.
- On Wednesday, December 30th, Public Health reported 593 new positive cases of COVID-19 (61,392 total) and 16 new COVID-19-related deaths (1,082 total). The number of new hospitalizations was 16 (4,116 total).
- On Tuesday, December 29th, Public Health reported 167 new positive cases of COVID-19 (60,799 total) and 10 new COVID-19-related deaths (1,066 total). The number of new hospitalizations was 34 (4,100 total).
Data note from the state Department of Health (DOH) for Monday, January 4, 2021: Negative test results data from November 21, 2020 through today are incomplete, thus percent positivity on the Testing tab should be interpreted with caution.
Statewide, according to the DOH (with the caveat outlined above), as of today, the total number of confirmed positive cases is 246,376. The total number of probable cases is 10,059, for a total of 256,435 cases. The total number of deaths statewide is 3,482, and total hospitalizations are 15,160.
The graphs we usually include here are not available today. Apologies for any inconvenience.
COVID AND OTHER UPDATES
Gov. Inslee press conference tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. on state response to pandemic
Gov. Jay Inslee is holding a news conference at 2:30 p.m. tomorrow, Tuesday, January 5th, to provide on update on the state’s response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. He will be joined by: Dr. Umair Shah, Secretary, Department of Health; Lacy Fehrenbach, Assistant Secretary, Prevention and Community Health, Department of Health; Dr. Scott Lindquist, State Epidemiologist for Communicable Diseases, Department of Health; and Nick Streuli, Executive Director of External Affairs, Office of the Governor.
The public is invited to view the press conference live at TVW here.
COVID-related news to watch in 2021
Stat News has published some timely articles on COVID-19 issues to look out for this coming year:
- Stopping the syndemic: COVID-19 plus other debilitating and deadly diseases
- Five key milestones in the COVID-19 pandemic that we’re anticipating in 2021
- Opinion: Instead of debating ‘first-shot’ vs. ‘set-aside’ vaccine approaches, hospitals’ studies should compare them
Hope for the year ahead: A message from Dr. Jeff Duchin of Public Health – Seattle & King County
 Public Health has published a hopeful message from Dr. Duchin, looking realistically at our current situation with the COVID-19 pandemic and the potential for getting the virus under control in 2021.
View COVID-19 end-of-year media briefing by the state Department of Health (DOH)
On December 30th Washington state’s new Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah and other DOH leaders briefed members of the media and took questions on the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The recording of the briefing is available from TVW here.
County Council meets tomorrow for first time in the new year
The full Council will meet tomorrow, January 5th, at 1 p.m. for the first meeting of 2021. Among several items, the Council will discuss organization of the Council and its committees. Click here for information on how to view the meeting, provide public comments and to view the agenda and meeting materials.
Climate action year in review
 This past year was about more than the coronavirus. In 2020 King County made headway in its goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and confront the impacts of climate change. Metro moved one step closer to an all-electric fleet, the Climate Action Toolkit, developed with the King County Cities Climate Collaboration (K4C), was released, the County surpassed its five-year goal of planting one million trees, and, in partnership with the City of Seattle, the County completed a one-day heat-mapping project. This project records ground-level temperatures to help identify the areas most likely to experience the worst effects of rising temperatures.
In addition, the County is in the process of updating its Strategic Climate Action Plan (SCAP), a five-year blueprint for County staff and agencies to integrate climate change action into all areas of County operations and its work in the community. The 2020 updates to the SCAP are rooted in the fundamental understanding that climate change is an urgent local and global challenge and that climate change creates complex challenges - - particularly for communities disproportionately affected by historic and current inequities and who have limited resources to adapt. The proposed 2020 SCAP includes a new community-driven section focused on climate justice to address these disparities. The Plan will be taken up by the Council’s Mobility and Environment Committee soon.
One example of the local effects of climate change is the plight of local salmon runs, which face polluted water, higher water temperatures, nighttime light pollution, and invasive predators. These problems were highlighted in this recent Seattle Times article: Lake Washington sockeye hit record low, another signature Seattle fish at brink of extinction.
The County works with local groups, homeowners and businesses to protect critical salmon habitat in County watersheds, rivers and streams. For more information on this work, see this link: https://www.kingcounty.gov/services/environment/watersheds.aspx
Child care assistance
 Access to affordable, quality child care has been a growing challenge for the past several years, a problem exacerbated by the pandemic.
The Washington State Department of Commerce (Commerce) on Wednesday, December 30th announced that it awarded a second round of grants to 24 organizations working to expand child care capacity throughout the state. Grantees will receive just over 38% of the award from state general funds administered by Commerce, and a nearly 62% match from donors who supported the Safe Start Fund for a Healthy Economic Transition and Recovery.
See these pages for additional information at the County level:
- King County COVID-19 Child Care Support
- King County COVID-19 guidance for schools and child care
Long-term care
 Issues with our long-term care systems have received a good deal of exposure with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, but problems with the sustainability and affordability of our system have been apparent for many years. See the following articles and websites for information and helpful resources.
- We need long-term solutions for older Americans – Stat News
- Washington State: First out of the gate on LTC financing (2019) – Leading Age News
- Long-Term Care services & information – Washington State Department of Health and Human Services
- Aging and Disability Services: Area agency on aging for Seattle and King County
DID YOU KNOW?
… that there appears to be a scientific basis to claims about a “Seattle Freeze?” As you may know, that term refers to the supposed “cold shoulder” response that many new transplants to the City have claimed to experience. According to Wikipedia, “While some residents dispute the existence of the Seattle Freeze, a 2008 peer-reviewed study published in Perspectives on Psychological Science found that among all fifty states, Washington residents ranked 48th in the personality trait extraversion. In 2014 a similar report by the Seattle CityClub ranked the population 48th out of 50 similarly sized cities in activities such as ‘talking with neighbors frequently.’ The rapid growth of Amazon and its accompanying influx of largely young, male technology workers may have exacerbated the phenomenon.” See the full article on Wikipedia for the citations and more background.
Additional helpful and informative links
- In deadliest week so far, U.S. loses more than 18,400 lives to COVID-19 – Reuters
- Positive-test rates in King County soared in early December; hospitalizations, deaths were up – The Seattle Times
- At Houston hospital, head of COVID-19 unit sees some staff wary of a vaccine - NPR
- Large numbers of health care and frontline workers are refusing covid-19 vaccine - Forbes
- Some COVID survivors haunted by loss of smell and taste – The New York Times
- Opinion: As a doctor in the COVID-19 era, I’ve learned that judging patients’ decisions comes easier than it should – Stat News
- WA Notify app is working to alert users of coronavirus exposures, but no data on how well – The Seattle Times
- Are you eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine? Washington state to launch tool, rely on honor system - The Seattle Times
- New York, Florida tell hospitals to dispense COVID-19 vaccines quicker or lose supply – Reuters
- Statehouses could prove to be hothouses for virus infection – The Seattle Times
- TSA screened more than 1.3 million people Sunday, the most since the pandemic began - The Seattle Times
- Vaccination drive enters new phase in U.S. and Britain - The Seattle Times
- Experts say picking your nose isn't just gross, it's dangerous in the time of coronavirus – CTV News
- 'Steamrolled us in every direction': The year grief hit from all sides - NPR
- Personal essay: There’s never a good time to be homeless in Seattle. Now it’s even harder - The Seattle Times (I strongly recommend reading this op-ed!)
- Fishermen team up with food banks to help hungry families – NPR (A great idea!)
- A ‘homelessness authority’ was supposed to get Seattle and its suburbs on the same page; after a slow year, they may be further apart - The Seattle Times
- Hydroponic kits and toys for black bears: Washington science teachers get creative during pandemic learning - The Seattle Times
- Need for free food in Washington state has doubled, many groups report, as COVID-19 rips away jobs and security - The Seattle Times
Today’s moment of inspiration
 Photo from CNN
CNN reports on Keith Walker, a man experiencing homelessness who rescued all the animals trapped in an Atlanta shelter after it caught on fire. According to the CNN story, “Walker, who is homeless, keeps his dog at the W-Underdogs Shelter every night, and was going by to pick him up for a walk when he saw flames.” Although Animal Control was on the way, Walker realized there was no time and risked his own life to save the animals. The shelter owner called Walker a "guardian angel." Read the full story here.
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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