COVID-19 UPDATES
Since yesterday’s update, Public Health -- Seattle & King County is reporting these numbers as of this afternoon:
- 185 new positive cases of COVID-19 (87,567 total).
- 0 new COVID-19-related deaths (1,461 total)
- 15 new hospitalizations (5,303 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.
Statewide, according to the DOH, as of Saturday, March 27:
-Total number of confirmed positive cases is 338,658; the total number of probable cases is 22,457, for a total of 361,115 cases.
- The total number of deaths statewide is 5,218
- The total number of hospitalizations is 20,363
COVID AND OTHER UPDATES
Quote of the Day: "Logic can take you from point A to point B. Imagination can take you wherever you want" - Albert Einstein
VIDEO: Dr. Jeff Duchin press conference and COVID-19 update on March 26
 Public Health Officer Dr. Duchin discussed the recent increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations and took questions from reporters last Friday, March 26th.
Special health insurance enrollment events through June 30, 2021
 Find locations here where you can receive free expert personal help with insurance plans (Healthplanfinder and Apple Health) and other public services.
Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.: Q&A in Korean on COVID -19 vaccine
 Public Health and the Seattle Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs will host a Q&A discussion on COVID-19 vaccine in Korean, this Wednesday, March 31st at 5:30 p.m. This discussion may be particularly helpful for organizations serving immigrants and refugees. Click here for more information.
Auburn vaccination site expanded for south King County residents
King County, with the support of Boeing, has moved its Auburn vaccination site to the Outlet Collection in Auburn as of today to expand vaccine access to more south King County residents.
The larger facility will allow for six times the appointment capacity of the previous site. More information on King County vaccination locations is available in multiple languages on this page.
UW Medical School Resident publishes essay in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) on combating anti-Asian hate
 Artwork by Yvonne Chen
According to the UW Medicine’s newsroom, Dr. James Lee, a first-year psychiatry resident at the UW’s School of Medicine, was feeling overwhelmed by the increase of anti-Asian hate crimes during the pandemic and thought it would be useful to offer guidance to health care providers about how to help. His perspective, “Combating Anti-Asian Sentiment — A Practical Guide for Clinicians,” was published March 24 in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).
You may also be interested in this piece from the Public Health Insider blog: We stand in solidarity with our Asian American & Pacific Islander communities.
COVID transmission study includes UW students
This new study, which includes students at the UW, will include crucial data about how the virus is transmitted. See this Seattle Times article: New study of students at UW, other colleges, will answer a key question about coronavirus transmission.
More on hand sanitizers
 Photo by Kelly Sikkema, Unsplash
A couple more articles to follow-up on Thursday’s story about the inclusion of the carcinogens Methanol and/or Benzene in some hand sanitzer products.
- The 19 best hand sanitizers of 2021, according to experts – Women’s Health Magazine
- FDA (Food and Drug Administration) updates on hand sanitizers consumers should not use – FDA.gov
The coronavirus pandemic: The Brazilian Crisis and More
 This event is free of charge and no pre-registration is required. It is presented jointly by The Forum at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and The World from PRX & GBH.
The event will be livestreamed tomorrow, March 30th at 9 a.m. Pacific Time at Facebook, YouTube, and on The Forum site.
The public can send questions for the panelists in advance or during the Q&A to theforum@hsph.harvard.edu or post them to @ForumHSPH
Update from Sound Transit on West Seattle and Ballard Link extensions
 Due to reduced revenue resulting from the pandemic, as well as increasing construction and real estate costs, the Sound Transit Board is currently undertaking a process it is calling “realignment.” This process includes assessing changes to plans and timelines for projects that are not yet in construction, such as the West Seattle and Ballard Link Extensions (WSBLE).
To stay updated on Sound Transit’s “realignment process” and to learn about timing for public engagement, check out the program realignment webpage here.
4Culture project grants: Deadlines are April 28th, 2021
 4Culture arts and heritage project grants support the cultural life of King County – and arts and culture are sorely needed at this time! Unfortunately, due to the economic impact of COVID-19, 2021, Lodging Tax revenues – which support these grants – are much lower than in years past. For full information on the grants, see this page.
You may also be interested in this piece by County Executive Dow Constantine, which appeared in artsfund.org: COVID, the arts, and what I’m looking forward to when all this is over.
More e-newsletters!
- To sign up for Governor Inslee’s email updates: https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/WAGOV/subscriber/new
- To sign up for Executive Constantine’s email updates: https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/WAKING/subscriber/new?qsp=WAKING_51
DID YOU KNOW?
... that a March 2011 report released by the Obama administration entitled, “Women in America: Indicators of Social and Economic Well-Being,” was the first comprehensive federal report on the status of American women since the report produced by the Commission on the Status of Women in 1963? I was very surprised about this.
Additional helpful and informative links
- Live: Coronavirus daily news updates, March 29: What to know today about COVID-19 in the Seattle area, Washington state and the world – The Seattle Times
- Some people are lying to get vaccinated, and it’s testing their friendships – The Washington Post
- Targeting a new antibody supersite key to COVID immunity - UW Medicine Newsroom
- How local business giants drove down Seattle’s COVID rates – Post Alley
- Opinion: We need to start thinking more critically — and speaking more cautiously — about long COVID – Stat News
- Opinion: How will people act after getting vaccinated? The complex psychology of safety – Stat News
- For the first time in 10 months, there’s optimism among most Washington state small businesses - The Seattle Times
- How two legislative tacticians scored big wins on child poverty in the stimulus – The Seattle Times
- Fifteen books to read to learn more about Asian American history and experiences, in Seattle and elsewhere – The Seattle Times
- The deepening economic divide: How the pandemic has hurt small businesses – The Seattle Times
- Ban on renter evictions during COVID-19 pandemic is extended – The Seattle Times
- Gun violence deaths: How the U.S. compares with the rest of the world - NPR
- Few facts, millions of clicks: Fearmongering vaccine stories go viral online - NPR
- Crews prep boring machine for new sewage tunnel from Ballard to Wallingford - MyNorthwest
Today’s moment of inspiration
 Billy Adams on one of his daily clean-up walks
A software executive in Washington, D.C. decided to make his daily walks more productive. Since last June, Billy Adams has been slowly cleaning up the city. According to the Good News Network, Adams “... sets off from his Maryland home just over the D.C. line at 8:30am and uses his hands to pick up the trash for three hours... He even gets an empty bag from Starbucks at the half-way mark near Canal Road in Georgetown to continue his clean-up, depositing full bags of litter in public trash cans.” 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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