COVID-19 UPDATES
Since yesterday’s update, Public Health -- Seattle & King County is reporting these numbers as of this afternoon:
- 453 new positive cases of COVID-19 (70,547 total).
- 14 new COVID-19-related deaths (1,165 total)
- 1 new hospitalization (4,495 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 Wednesday, January 13th, Public Health reported 572 new positive cases of COVID-19 (70,094 total) and 3 new COVID-19-related deaths (1,151 total). The number of new hospitalizations was 6 (4,494 total).
- On Tuesday, January 12th, Public Health reported 334 new positive cases of COVID-19 (69,522 total) and 7 new COVID-19-related deaths (1,148 total). The number of new hospitalizations was 22 (4,488 total).
January 14, 2021 data note from state DOH: Total case counts may include up to 660 duplicates and negative test results data are incomplete from November 21-30, 2020 and December 30 through today. Thus, percent positivity (Testing tab) and case counts should be interpreted with caution. The Epidemiologic Curves tab is the most accurate representation of COVID activity and is updated daily as new cases are identified and duplicates are resolved.
Today’s data on hospitalizations is incomplete due to an interruption in the data reporting processes. The DOH expects to be able to make a full update tomorrow (January 15, 2021).
Statewide, according to the DOH, as of today, the total number of confirmed positive cases is 271,643. The total number of probable cases is 12,134, for a total of 283,777 cases. The total number of deaths statewide is 3,876, and total hospitalizations are 16,074.
   
COVID AND OTHER UPDATES
Questions about the COVID vaccines…
Many of you have contacted my office with questions about when you’ll be eligible and how to get the vaccinations. Please do keep in mind that the information is changing quickly and that some of it seems to be bureaucratic-speak. For example, see this article in The Seattle Times: Washington state caught by surprise as U.S. makes abrupt shift on coronavirus vaccines.
I’ll try to answer the most common questions below. But first, a few important things to know (as of today) about getting the vaccine in Washington state:
- Because doses are limited, vaccinations are being prioritized and are occurring in phases. Those most at risk are getting vaccinated first, and vaccinations will increase as more doses become available.
- See this visual timeline to see when different population groups are expected to become eligible for vaccinations between now and April.
- We are currently in Phase 1A (PDF) of vaccinations. The state Department of Health (DOH) expects the state to enter Phase 1Bby the end of the month. Phase 1A has two tiers. Tier 1 of Phase 1A is focused on high-risk health care workers and first responders, and residents and staff of long-term care facilities. Tier 2 of Phase 1A covers vaccination of all other workers in health care settings, once high-risk workers are vaccinated.
- You can read the state DOH’s Summary on Washington State COVID-19 Vaccine Prioritization Guidance And Interim Allocation Framework here. (Updated Jan 5)
… Answers to the three most commonly asked questions about the COVID vaccine
 We’ll do our best here to answer (or at least, direct you to the answers of) three of the most common questions we’ve heard about the vaccines:
Q: Can I get vaccinated now?
We are currently in Phase 1A, Tier 1 for vaccine distribution. Distribution is taking place to the Phase 1A priority groups:
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Long-Term Care Facilities: The federal and state governments have set up partnerships with pharmacies to vaccinate adults working in or residing in long-term care facilities. Pharmacies are working directly with care facilities to schedule vaccine clinics.
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Workers in high-risk health care settings: A growing number of hospitals and health care facilities in King County are enrolled to receive vaccine. As supplies increase and staffing and scheduling systems are put into place, more facilities will expand vaccinations to eligible health care staff who do not work for them.
Phase 1A Tier 2 will include all workers in health care settings. Vaccination of Tier 2 will begin after completion of Tier 1. Learn more about vaccine distribution plans.
Q: I don’t fall into Phase 1A, but think I’m in a high-risk group. When can I expect to be eligible for the vaccine?
Once Phase 1A is completed, we will move into Phase 1B, expected by the DOH to begin by February and go through April. Phase 1B opens eligibility to broader groups of people, prioritized by vulnerability to the virus. To view the timeline of population eligibility for Phase 1B, which the DOH expects will take through April, click here. Eventually, everyone who wants a vaccine will be able to get one.
Q: I’m eligible for a vaccine under Phase 1A. Who do I contact?
The first step is to confirm Phase 1A eligibility. Employers must identify workers who meet eligibility criteria for Phase 1A. For complete Phase 1A eligibility guidelines, refer to WA State COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Guidance for Phase 1a.
The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has created Phase Finder, an online self-assessment so that people can find out if they are eligible for vaccination. The pilot version of Phase Finder is at findyourphasewa.com. Anyone outside of Phase 1A should not use Phase Finder yet. Phase Finder will also provide confirmation of eligibility that can be shown at a vaccination site and a link to a list of available sites for vaccination and how to schedule an appointment.
Right now the list of available sites is limited, but DOH is adding more providers to the list. Phase Finder does not have the ability to create vaccination appointments, nor does it guarantee that a provider can take everyone asking for vaccination. Phase Finder currently is being pilot tested only for those eligible for phase 1A but will be open to other priority groups as the state moves to new phases of vaccine distribution.
King County Director of Public Health briefed Council on vaccines Tuesday
 Public Health – Seattle & King County Director Patty Hayes updated the County Council at our regular meeting on Tuesday this week on the status of vaccines and vaccinations in the County. Dr. Jeff Duchin, Health Officer, also provided a brief update.
You can view a video of the full briefing here. I think you will find it highly informative. If you’d like to review the PowerPoint presentation from Director Hayes, see the pdf here.
VIDEO: Short Q&As on COVID-19 vaccines with Dr. Jeff Duchin, Chief Health Officer, Public Health – Seattle & King County
 - Does the vaccine cause long-term side effects? What about short-term side effects? (48 second video)
- Were COVID vaccine trials rushed? (59 second video)
New County and State COVID-19 updates
- New County data dashboard: Summary of COVID vaccinations among King County residents (Updated daily, Monday – Friday)
- State DOH: COVID-19 data show high activity and signs of a recent uptick (January 13). Read the full situation report here(pdf).
For more information on COVID-19 vaccines:
The following pages are excellent sources for information on the vaccines, including comprehensive FAQs and information in multiple languages. These pages are updated frequently, so please remember to hit “refresh” on your web browser, and scroll down the page to see all the content.
- Getting vaccinated in King County (updated January 10)
- COVID-19 vaccine/King County (updated January 13)
- Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccine/DOH (updated January 11)
Recent news articles on COVID vaccines
- U.S. plan to expand access to COVID-19 vaccine likely sets up new debacles – Stat News
- Vaccine distribution begins: County to dedicate funds to rollout effort – Queen Anne & Magnolia News (I’m quoted)
- Washington preparing to start Phase 1B of coronavirus vaccine rollout as cases tick up once again – Seattle PI
- Disproportionately hit by COVID-19, WA Latinos brace for vaccine - Crosscut
- Washington state will move to the next phase of coronavirus vaccination in the ‘coming days.’ – The Seattle Times
- Give more people one dose of the coronavirus vaccine for now? Nope, Washington officials say. - KUOW
- Seattle Fire will go door to door with coronavirus vaccines to adult family homes – The Seattle Times
- COVID-19 vaccines are ‘remarkable achievement,’ but soothing mistrust is necessary to end pandemic – UW News
Stormwater and sewage overflows at three King County facilities
 As we all experienced this week, there was a big storm on Tuesday night that resulted in power outages and flooding around Western Washington. Unfortunately, the high volumes of stormwater also led to overflows at three King County wastewater facilities, resulting in the spill of 11 million gallons of stormwater and sewage into Puget Sound.
King County notified health and regulatory agencies, is testing water quality and has posted beach closure signs at Discovery Park (nearest West Point), Carkeek, Golden Gardens, Richmond and Medina Park beaches warning people to avoid contact with the water over the next several days as a precaution to protect public health.
I am extremely disappointed and dismayed to learn of the spills at three facilities Tuesday night, including West Point Treatment Plant, which is located in my district alongside Discovery Park in Magnolia. These spills are unacceptable to the people, communities, wildlife, marine life and waters of Puget Sound. We deserve better and I am hopeful we will receive a comprehensive report as soon as possible on the factors that led to this overflow.
As climate change continues to seriously impact our weather systems, human health and environment, heavy rainfall and storm events will continue to happen. What we’ve seen in the past few years is that events that used to be once-in-a-generation occurrences are starting to happen far too frequently. With that knowledge, this cannot be allowed to become ‘business as usual.’
Addressing these overflow events may require a fundamental reevaluation of the county’s combined sewer system and facilities. I am immediately reaching out to my colleagues to discuss legislative options and policies that can work to prevent these all-too-frequent disasters.
I led the King County Council’s response to the West Point event in the wake of a massive failure in February of 2017 that was reported as “one of the biggest infrastructure catastrophes in regional history.”
This tragic failure resulted in 235 million gallons of untreated wastewater pouring into Puget Sound, including some 30 million gallons of raw sewage. Since then, a series of new protocols and trainings have been implemented that likely contributed to keeping the plant itself operational and undamaged during this storm, unlike in 2017.
For more information on this week’s overflow, see this article in The Seattle Times: Heavy rain sends untreated wastewater into Puget Sound.
County’s WaterWorks accepting grant proposals
 If you have a great project idea that will help protect water quality, control pollution, and build healthy communities in King County, $2.2 million in funding for community-driven projects is available through King County’s Wastewater Treatment Division’s WaterWorks Grant Program.
Three free online information sessions for prospective applicants will take place:
January 21, 12:00 – 1:30 p.m.
January 26, 6:30 – 8 p.m.
February 1, 4-5:30 p.m.
Advance registration is required; contact water.grants@kingcounty.gov
New work from local artists depicts the impacts of COVID-19 and racism
 Image by Toka Valu
New works by seven local artists – part of a project by King County’s Communities of Opportunity - offer fresh ways of understanding the intersection of the COVID-19 pandemic with race, bias and culture. See this blogpost at the Public Health Insider for details.
Council appoints four members to 2021 districting committee
See this article in The Seattle Medium for news on the County’s Districting Committee. The committee will redraw the boundaries for King County Council districts using 2020 census data. I was very pleased that my nominee, Sophia Danenberg, was selected.
Renter’s Commission seeking new board members
King County is recruiting renters to serve on the first-ever King County Renter’s Commission. This is an exciting opportunity to play an important role in developing housing policies and protections for renters of single-family homes, apartments and mobile home parks in unincorporated King County. Seven people will be selected and will meet monthly for one or two-year terms. Applicants must live in King County, must be renters and cannot be landlords. The deadline to apply is January 31. Contact Xochitl (pronounced So-chi) with any questions at xochitl.maykovich@kingcounty.gov.
DID YOU KNOW?
… that, according to Wikipedia, Lady Gaga’s meat dress “…went on display in 2011 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame after being preserved by taxidermists as a type of jerky?”
Additional helpful and informative links
- COVID-19 took a bite from U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 – The New York Times
- As coronavirus mutates, the world stumbles again to respond – The New York Times
- When it comes to COVID-19 risk, what counts as ‘outdoor’ dining? – Popular Science
- Washington releases increasingly elaborate guidelines for outdoor dining – Seattle Eater
- CDC to require all air travelers to US to show negative coronavirus test - CNN
- Tribal elders are dying from the pandemic, causing a cultural crisis for Native Americans – The New York Times
- Lummi Nation begins COVID-19 vaccinations, starting with 300 doses – The Seattle Times
- Quarantine and Isolation Guidance – UW Environmental and Health Safety (Although intended for UW faculty, staff and students, this is a helpful guide for everyone.)
- COVID-19 has been ‘an emergency’ for women. Melinda Gates proposes some solutions – The Seattle Times
- The future of the coronavirus? An annoying childhood infection – The New York Times
- What it takes to reopen Washington schools in a pandemic - Crosscut
- What happened to flu season?’ Doctors say flu cases are lowest in recorded history – KIRO 7
- Alert: spike in fatal overdoses in our community – Public Health Insider Blog
- King County jail system to begin COVID surveillance testing on incarcerated adults – The South Seattle Emerald
- How much will homelessness rise? Grim study shows possible ‘impact of doing nothing,’ researchers say. – The Seattle Times
- Federal ruling against a Philadelphia supervised drug-use site raises questions for Seattle plans - The Seattle Times
- 'Extremely complicated:' A look at social media and free speech in light of Capitol chaos – q13
- The link between the capitol insurrectionists and abusers - Elle
- Cuomo outlines plans to ‘bring arts and culture back to life’- The New York Times
- Inslee: Washington state must work toward a ‘new normal’ – The Seattle Times
Today’s moment of inspiration
 Photo by Igor Bobic via BBC.com
The BBC is reporting on one member of the Capitol Police, Eugene Goodman, an Army veteran who reportedly spent time in Iraq. According to the BBC, Goodman put himself in harm’s way in order to save lives on January 6th. The BBC quotes Senator Bob Casey: "Last Wednesday, I was inside the Senate chamber when Officer Eugene Goodman led an angry mob away from it at great personal risk. His quick thinking and decisive action that day likely saved lives, and we owe him a debt of gratitude." 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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