COVID-19 UPDATES
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. And see this page for the County’s daily COVID-19 outbreak summary.
Since yesterday’s update, Public Health -- Seattle & King County is reporting these numbers as of this afternoon:
- 102 new positive cases of COVID-19 (81,277 total).
- 0 new COVID-19-related deaths (1,345 total)
- 10 new hospitalizations (5,082 to date)
On Sunday, February 21st, Public Health reported:
- 316 new positive cases of COVID-19 (81,175 total).
- 0 new COVID-19-related deaths (1,345 total)
- 10 new hospitalizations (5,072 to date)
Data were not reported for Saturday, February 20th.
On Friday, February 19th, Public Health reported:
- 224 new positive cases of COVID-19 (80,859 total).
- 14 new COVID-19-related deaths (1,345 total)
- 20 new hospitalizations (5,062 to date)
So we continue to see an overall slowdown in all, which we hope will continue!
Statewide, according to the DOH, as of today, February 18th:
-Total number of confirmed positive cases is 314,655; the total number of probable cases is 17,352, for a total of 332,007 cases.
- The total number of deaths statewide is 4,803
- The total number of total hospitalizations is 18,934.
COVID AND OTHER UPDATES
Video: Dr. Jeff Duchin on COVID-19 trends & vaccine rollout
 On February 19th, Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin provided updates on trends in COVID-19 cases and shared information on COVID vaccination efforts. View the press conference here.
Late shipments of COVID-19 vaccine caused by winter weather in the east create vaccination delays
Both the Washington state Department of Health (DOH) and Public Health - - Seattle & King County (Public Health) alerted the public last week to the fact that delayed vaccine shipments would create the need to cancel or reschedule vaccination appointments over the weekend and into this week.
The DOH sent out this press release on Saturday: Mass vaccination sites (in eastern Washington) forced to close due to weather-delayed vaccine shipments. According to the release, “…most Pfizer vaccines will not arrive until Monday. Moderna expects to deliver its backlog throughout the early part of the week and no later than Wednesday.”
For news on getting vaccinated in King County, continue checking this website for frequently-updated information: https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/covid-19/vaccine/distribution.aspx
A County update from Friday included the following: “In King County, this delay will impact most vaccination appointments scheduled for Friday to Monday, February 19-22. Vaccine providers will reach out to reschedule appointments. If your second dose appointment is cancelled, make sure to reschedule with the same provider as your first dose appointment.
Most vaccine supply expected to arrive this week was scheduled to fulfill second dose appointments. You should get the second dose as close to the recommended 21-28 day timeframe as possible, but you can still receive a second dose of both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines up to 6 weeks (42 days) after the first dose.”
Legislature passes and Governor signs bill to allocate $2.2 billion in federal COVID aid
Gov. Inslee on Friday signed a bill that will distribute federal COVID funding to help speed up vaccinations and help schools, small businesses, renters and immigrants. For more information, see the following:
- Gov. Jay Inslee signs bill distributing $2.2B in federal COVID-19 aid for schools, renters, vaccines – The Seattle Times
- Video: Governor’s February 19th bill-signing and press conference on TVW.
- Inslee signs $2.2 billion COVID relief bill -- Governor’s press release
Everything you wanted to know about masks: Ever hear of a mask brace?
 New face mask designs – and advice on how to use and maintain them – seem to come out almost daily. Here are a few links to reliable information on types of masks, how to wear them, when and whether to double-up - - and using “mask braces” or “mask fitters.”
- Use masks to slow the spread of COVID-19 – The CDC
- Improve how your mask protects you – The CDC
- It’s a good time to improve our masks and how we wear them, as more contagious COVID-19 variants emerge (updated February 10th) – Public Health Insider blog
- The CDC just outlined 5 tips to make your face mask more protective – Business Insider
COVID-19 and mental health
 The fact that the pandemic is affecting our mental health has been widely documented. Reports include an increase in sleep problems, depression, isolation, substance abuse and other mental health problems. See below for information and resources on how to cope as we all go through this unprecedented time.
- Coping with COVID: Depression and anxiety – DOH blog
- Black mental health matters: Culturally relevant resources are available in King County – Public Health Insider blog
- Community support and well-being: Tools and resources to support your emotional health – Public Health
Video chat: The pandemic's toll on mental health - - Thursday at 10 a.m.
For all the disease and death that the pandemic has caused, it is also having a stark impact on people's mental well-being. This Thursday, February 25th, at 10 a.m. PT, Stat News will speak with global experts about how mental health clinicians have responded, the lasting effects of the crisis, and how the mental health system can be strengthened to better serve people even beyond the pandemic.
Click here for more information and to register.
Some historical perspective on the pandemic
Last April Crosscut published a fascinating article about Seattle during the 1918 flu pandemic, at which time, according to Crosscut, “…bad actors ripped off renters, exploited dead sailors and drank illegal whiskey.” It is amusing in some ways but deadly serious in others. I recommend reading it.
This week at the Council
Electric vehicles: Tomorrow at 10 a.m.
- Tomorrow the Council’s Local Services Committee will discuss expanding the County’s electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. I will be attending and speaking at tomorrow’s meeting (although I don’t serve on that committee) as I sponsored the EV legislation that will be under discussion, Proposed Ordinance 2020-0417.
In 2020, the Council adopted my proviso to accelerate the adoption of EVs. This was part of legislation introduced earlier by my colleague Councilmember Rod Dembowski and me (the “Jump Start” plan). The discussion tomorrow is related to that earlier legislation.
The public is welcome to view the (virtual) meeting and submit public comments. For instructions on viewing the meeting and submitting comments, and to view the agenda and meeting materials, see this page.
Briefing from Public Health on the COVID-19 response: Tomorrow at 1 p.m.
Staff from Public Health will update Councilmembers on the status of the County’s COVID-19 response and vaccination efforts. The briefing will take place at tomorrow’s meeting of the full County Council beginning at 1 p.m. The public is welcome to view the (virtual) meeting and submit public comments. For instructions on viewing the meeting and submitting comments, and to view the agenda and meeting materials, see this page.
County’s Climate Action Plan: Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.
Councilmembers will discuss the County’s Strategic Climate Action this Wednesday, February 24th at 9:30 a.m. at the meeting of the Council’s Mobility and Environment Committee. The public is welcome to view the (virtual) meeting and submit public comments. For instructions on viewing the meeting and submitting comments, and to view the agenda and meeting materials, see this page.
Clarifying the motion on the helmet law
 Photo by Sean Benesh on Unsplash
There seems to have been some confusion about the intent of my helmet law amendment approved by the Board of Health last week. To clarify, the amendment had nothing to do with repealing the helmet law. In fact, it was simply to add to this year’s work plan of the Board an item to look into the reported disparate enforcement of the helmet law which, based on citation records, appears to target homeless people and People of Color.
For the record, I strongly support helmet laws on the basis of safety and the incredible costs to the public for hospital stays and medical treatment, especially with regard to Traumatic Brain Injury. However, the question of unequal – and possibly discriminatory – enforcement of the law is an appropriate one for the Board of Health to take up. For more information, see the following:
- Community bicycling groups hope to get ‘arbitrary’ and ‘troubling’ helmet laws on county public health board’s agenda in February – South Seattle Emerald
- Press release: Board of Health to weigh how helmet laws may discriminate against homeless individuals – King County Council
- King County to reexamine decades-old bicyclist helmet law - Crosscut
- Racial disparities prompt calls to repeal King County’s bicycle helmet law – The Seattle Times
Survey input appreciated; stay involved in the budget process
As I mentioned in an earlier e-newsletter, my staff and I surveyed subscribers through a Google poll to get a sense of your priorities for the County’s budget as we begin our 2021 budget process.
I am most grateful to the 153 people who responded and provided helpful input to me as Chair of the Budget Committee. The responses made clear that public health continues to be your top priority for funding, followed by housing and homelessness services and then food security. Mental and behavioral health was your fourth priority and economic recovery was ranked last in funding priorities.
At our February 9th Council meeting, the Council adopted our 2021 COVID-19 budget priorities. We anticipate having four COVID-specific budgets this year, the first of which, “COVID 6” (we passed five COVID budgets in 2020), was transmitted to the Council by Executive Constantine last week and will be taken up at a March 10th special meeting at 1 p.m. of the Council’s Budget and Fiscal Management Committee.
Council priorities for 2021 are public health response above all, followed by the following in no ranked order: food security and access services; housing stability and homelessness services; child care and workforce support services; economic recovery services; mental health, behavioral health, substance use disorder, safety and security services; and access to the judicial system. The motion can be viewed here.
Information on the County’s 2021 – 2022 biennial budget – passed last November – is available here. The COVID emergency budgets will be worked on within the Council’s Budget and Fiscal Management Committee, which I chair.
Save the Date: Virtual Town Hall, March 3rd from 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
I hope you’ll be able to join Councilmembers Dembowski, McDermott and Zahilay, and me on March 3rd to discuss issues in King County, including the County’s response to the pandemic. Click here for more information and save the date!
CORRECTION: Ballard District Council presentation
I misspoke recently during a presentation at the Ballard District Council. We were speaking about the JustCARE program, an effective but fairly expensive program to address homelessness. I unfortunately had received incorrect information. It does not cost $1 million per participant; in fact, the number is closer to $100,000. With that said, this program is still expensive. However, the work they are doing is promising because they are connecting with a truly difficult population to house and are reporting positive outcomes.
I met with the Director of County’s Department of Community and Human Services and requested a more comprehensive analysis about JustCARE’s work and how we might be able to fund this program or similar programs at less cost to the County. The new Health Through Housing (HTH) initiative may be able to help drive down some of the costs of implementing JustCARE’s operation.
DID YOU KNOW?
… that Black pioneer George Bush (c.1790-1863) helped establish the first non-Indigenous American settlement in Washington?
Additional helpful and informative links
- Detroit's COVID vaccination queue is one of first to include people with ADHD, other disabilities – NBC News
- Opinion: Caregivers are missing from the long COVID conversation – Stat News
- Vaccine alarmism: And what else you need to know today. – The New York Times
- Is the COVID-19 vaccine safe for me? – The DOH blog
- How herd immunity works — and what stands in its way - NPR
- Opinion: How we’re handling the ‘have-shots’ vs. ‘have-nots’ vaccine divide (just guess) – The Seattle Times
- ‘A massive gap in information’: Most vaccine clinical trials fail to report data on participants’ ethnicity or race – Stat News
- Health officials too late with equity measures, say AAPI leaders – NW Asian Weekly
- Opinion: New CDC school opening guidelines fail to follow the science – Stat News
- Editorial: Teachers union should soften vaccine stance to encourage safe in-person instruction – The Seattle Times
- Opinion: ‘Building back better’ requires big new investments in women and caregiving – The South Seattle Emerald
- Almost a year into the pandemic, working moms feel 'forgotten,' journalist says - NPR
- Should snowbirds get the COVID-19 vaccine in Seattle or elsewhere, and what are the CDC’s new quarantine rules? – The Seattle Times
- Opinion: What cancer survivorship can teach us about Covid-19 – Stat News
- Will downtown Seattle bounce back after the pandemic? – The Seattle Times
- How to prepare for a disaster in Seattle – Seattle Met
Today’s moment of inspiration
 Photo from CNN.com
CNN is reporting on a story from California’s Bay Area, where hundreds of volunteers have been escorting older Asian Americans following a spike in violence. According to CNN, it started with Jacob Azevedo, who offered to walk with anyone who felt unsafe in Oakland's Chinatown. Stories of his efforts spread and the group now has a name - Compassion in Oakland – and more than 300 active volunteers. 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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