COVID-19 UPDATES
Since yesterday’s update, Public Health -- Seattle & King County (Public Health) is reporting these numbers as of today:
- 604 new positive cases of COVID-19 (89,643 total) A very significant increase!
- 0 new COVID-19-related deaths (1,472 total)
- 15 new hospitalizations (5,381 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 state Department of Health (DOH), as of April 3:
-Total number of confirmed positive cases is 344,516; the total number of probable cases is 23,887, for a total of 368,403 cases.
- The total number of deaths statewide is 5,278
- The total number of hospitalizations is 20,688
COVID AND OTHER UPDATES
Quote of the Day: “Spring won't let me stay in this house any longer! I must get out and breathe the air deeply again.” – Gustav Mahler
Vaccine locator for Washington state – just enter your zip code to find appointments near you: https://vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov
COVID tests are still a crucial public health tool
Remember COVID-19 testing? It's still important! Most of Public Health’s testing sites now use the shorter swabs that look like Q-tips. These have been proven to be just as accurate, making testing efficient and pain-free. For a list of free testing sites, visit http://kingcounty.gov/covid/testing
The City of Seattle had been planning to stop its COVID-19 testing program at its sites in Rainier Beach and West Seattle (which are now mass vaccination sites) at the end of March, according to KUOW. But due to the recent increase in cases, it has decided to continue testing at these locations.
KUOW reports, “According to the Mayor's Office, cases are spiking most severely in North Seattle, specifically around the University of Washington — zip codes 98105 (University District) and 98115 (Green Lake, Maple Leaf, Ravenna, Roosevelt, Sand Point, Wedgwood).”
Note: I was retested at the North Seattle Aurora facility last Thursday even though I’ve received the two vaccines, as I was notified on my mobile phone that I had been exposed to someone testing positive. I’d signed up for the WA Notify program through the state Department of Health. Fortunately, my result was negative.
Getting vaccines into every community
Photo PHSKC/Ben Stocking
The Public Health Insider blog has an important article about some of the efforts that have been made get accurate information and COVID-19 vaccinations into immigrant and refugee communities, where language and cultural barriers may make access difficult. You may also be interested in these articles:
- WA Indigenous leaders tackle vaccine distribution with community in mind - Crosscut
- King County non-profit fights against COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy – Q13 Fox
Dr. Duchin discusses rising COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations
At a press conference on Friday, April 2nd, Public Health’s Dr. Jeff Duchin discussed the recent steady rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. You can view the event on this page. He has been holding these press conferences about every Friday around noon.
A shift in the debate on homelessness?
Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash
Seattle Times columnist Danny Westneat thinks there’s been a fundamental shift in Seattle’s long-time debate on homelessness. He explains why in this very interesting piece: Something just shifted in Seattle’s stuck homelessness debate.
April 22nd deadline – County Van Donation Program
Each year, the King County Council donates serviceable seven-passenger minivans that have been retired from Metro’s van pool program. The County Code is designed to ensure that the program provides a benefit to the county transportation system. As a result, these vans are donated to eligible non-profit organizations throughout the County that serve the transportation needs of seniors, youth, people with disabilities, and low-income people. The County Council acted to amend this process so that during the continuing COVID-19 emergency, organizations may also transport goods and supplies (including, but not limited to, food, clothing, school supplies or medical equipment) to serve the needs of those populations. As always, services must be provided to eligible individuals without regard to their affiliation with any organization.
Four minivans are allocated for my district, so if your organization meets the above qualifications and serves King County Council District 4, please email my Chief of Staff at adam.cooper@kingcounty.gov to learn more. Adam coordinates my efforts around this program, and he will answer any of your questions as well as provide and help you with the required forms. Again, the deadline to apply with my office is Thursday, April 22. Depending on the number of qualified applicants my office receives, I will determine this year’s recipients and respond by the end of the month to let you know the outcome of your application.
Lights, camera, King County – Harbor Island sound stage to jumpstart local film production
The sound stage takes shape
On Saturday County Executive Constantine unveiled a new film production facility at the former Fisher Flour Mill on Harbor Island.
Although I could not attend, I had visited the site a few weeks ago. And I am pleased to have a quote of mine included in his press statement: “I am very excited that Harbor Island Studios is opening as it is a critical step in reinvigorating the film industry in King County and our region. Harbor Island Studios will create hundreds of environmentally-friendly union jobs, plus will kickstart our tourism and hospitality sectors as we recover economically from the impacts of COVID. I have championed film industry development for many years while in the State Senate and here at the Council and I look forward to continuing to support local actors, filmmakers, crew members and support services as our film sector continues to grow. I envision that the next productions set in Seattle, King County and the state are actually shot here, too, and Harbor Island Studios opens that curtain.” You may be interested in this article:
- King County opens new film studio on Harbor Island to bring industry back to Seattle – Seattle PI
This week at the Council
Briefing on safety audit on County jail system
At tomorrow’s meeting of the Council’s Law and Justice Committee, committee members will be briefed on an audit done on safety within the County jail system.
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.
Proclamations and COVID response briefing at full Council’s Tuesday meeting
The full Council meets tomorrow, Tuesday, April 6 at 1 p.m. and two proclamations will be introduced. The first is a Proclamation of April 5-11, 2021 as Public Health Week in King County, and the second a Proclamation of April 2021 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month in King County. Councilmembers will then receive a briefing from Public Health staff on the County’s COVID response followed by action on several proposed ordinances and motions.
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 on County Executive’s COVID-19 response
On Wednesday, April 7 at 9:30 a.m., Councilmembers will be briefed by County Budget Director Dwight Dively on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic at the meeting of the Committee of the Whole which will also be taking up the proposed Best Starts for Kids levy renewal being considered for voter approval on the August 3rd Primary Election ballot.
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.
DID YOU KNOW?
...that confusion over the state of Washington and the city of Washington, D.C., led to renaming proposals during the statehood process for Washington in 1889, including the suggestion from famed attorney David Dudley Field II to name the new state "Tacoma"?
Additional helpful and informative links
- UW Medicine, Microsoft seek fast future pandemic responses – UW Medicine Newsroom
- What you need to know about your vaccine card – The New York Times
- In light of anti-Asian attacks, medicine needs to listen to Asian American trainees – Stat News
- Washingtonians will need to ‘pack their patience’ when COVID vaccine appointments open to all 16 and older – The Seattle Times
- Opinion: Many hospitalized Covid-19 patients are given antibiotics. That’s a problem. – Stat News
- Can vaccinated people spread the virus? We don’t know, scientists say. – The New York Times
- WA leads on addressing COVID risk in multigenerational homes - Crosscut
- The unmitigated chaos of America’s attempt at color-coded COVID guidance – The New York Times
- Tents in Seattle increased by more than 50% after COVID pandemic began, survey says – The Seattle Times
- For some Seattle-area residents with COVID vaccines, ‘re-entry anxiety’ is real – The Seattle Times
- A break for working families – The New York Times
Today’s moment of inspiration
CNN first reported on Kentucky residents Ryun King and Jeremiah Swift last June when they were offering to cover up hate or gang-related tattoos for free. At the time, they had received about 30 requests. According to CNN, today they’ve received several hundred inquiries, from across the country as well as internationally. "Ireland, Canada, Korea. ... I even had a girl call me from South Africa," King said, according to CNN.
“Their 'Cover the Hate' campaign was inspired by the racial justice protests that swept the globe last May after the killing of George Floyd.”
"Seeing people risking their lives for the Black Lives Matter movement on TV, that moved me greatly," King said. Read the full story (and view images) 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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