COVID-19 UPDATES
Since yesterday’s update, Public Health -- Seattle & King County (Public Health) is reporting these numbers as of today:
- 372 new positive cases of COVID-19 (104,256 total).
- 1 new COVID-19-related deaths (1,533 total)
- 10 new hospitalizations (5,924 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 today:
-Total number of confirmed positive cases is 380,109; the total number of probable cases is 30,966 for a total of 411,075 cases.
- The total number of deaths statewide is 5,553
- The total number of hospitalizations is 22,664
COVID AND OTHER UPDATES
Quote of the Day: “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” ― Marie Curie
Gov. Inslee pauses reopening; King County to remain in Phase 3 for now
 On Tuesday Gov. Jay Inslee announced a two-week pause on movement in the Healthy Washington: Roadmap to Recovery reopening plan. Under the pause, every county will remain in its current phase. At the end of two weeks, each county will be re-evaluated.
The decision was made in consultation with the Department of Health (DOH), and reflects current data suggesting Washington’s fourth wave has hit a plateau.
Dr. Jeff Duchin, Health Officer, Public Health — Seattle & King County, said this: “Our best path out of the painful cycle of COVID-19 resurgences and restrictions — and for a return to normalcy as quickly as possible — is by getting vaccinated as soon as possible. As more people get vaccinated, the number of infections and hospitalizations will go down and all of us will be safer.”
You can view the Governor’s Tuesday press conference here on TVW and can read the Governor’s full statement here. You may also be interested in the following articles:
- Inslee pauses COVID reopening plan; no Washington counties to roll back for 2 weeks. – The Seattle Times
- King County remains in Phase 3: What that means for our community and our way forward – Public Health Insider blog
- Surprising day For WA counties on the verge of a phase rollback - KUOW
While we remain in Phase 3 for the next two weeks, it's imperative that we continue using safety measures we know work.
From the CDC: What we still don’t know about COVID-19 and vaccination
 On the CDC’s webpage featuring guidance on activities that are safe for fully-vaccinated people, the agency includes a breakdown of what is known about the COVID vaccines, and what we still need to learn. This is vitally important information, as the “unknowns” are the reason we must all still mask up and take all the other precautions we’ve been taking for the past year - - even for those who have been fully vaccinated (in certain circumstances). Please read the following advice from the CDC, or visit this webpage.
What We Know
- COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing COVID-19 disease, especially severe illness and death.
- Other prevention steps help stop the spread of COVID-19, and that these steps are still important, even as vaccines are being distributed.
What We’re Still Learning
- How effective the vaccines are against variants of the virus that causes COVID-19. Early data show the vaccines may work against some variants but could be less effective against others.
- How well the vaccines protect people with weakened immune systems, including people who take immunosuppressive medications.
- How well COVID-19 vaccines keep people from spreading the disease.
- Early data show that the vaccines may help keep people from spreading COVID-19, but we are learning more as more people get vaccinated.
- How long COVID-19 vaccines can protect people.
Pop-Up clinic tomorrow: No appointment needed, walk-ups encouraged
Tomorrow, May 7, from noon – 5 p.m., the City of Seattle’s Office of Economic Development (OED) and Seattle Fire Department (SFD) are partnering with U District Partners to host a pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic. No appointments are needed, walk-ups are welcome. This site will provide the Johnson & Johnson and Moderna vaccines. The clinic will take place between N.E. 43rd Street and University Way (The Ave), in front of Kai’s Thai Street Food and Bar. For full information, see this page.
Tomorrow: King County Health Officer to provide update on COVID-19 trends and vaccine distribution
Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin will brief the public and take questions from reporters tomorrow, Friday, May 7 at 12:15 p.m. He will provide updates on trends in COVID-19 cases and share the latest information on COVID-19 vaccination efforts. The briefing will be livestreamed on the Public Health – Seattle & King County Facebook page.
What is causing our current fourth wave of cases?
 We are in midst of our fourth wave of COVID infections and have ample supplies of vaccine and appointments to stop the spread. Most new COVID-19 cases are due to the new, more contagious variants.
Public Health officials believe that – in addition to the more contagious variants - this fourth wave is being caused by people becoming more active, less careful with masking and spending more time in crowded, indoor places. Rising cases among younger adults are also driving up the numbers.
We now have enough vaccines for everyone. As more people get vaccinated, the overall number of infections and hospitalizations are expected to decline. In older adults (65+), vaccination rates are about 80% and hospitalizations have gone down dramatically. Around the world, communities that have high vaccination rates are seeing improvements for everyone. You may also be interested in this article in The New York Times: U.S. vaccinations are slowing. What’s to blame?
Video: Yesterday’s Department of Health press conference
Yesterday, May 5, the Washington Department of Health (DOH) held a virtual media briefing on the state's response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Participants included Secretary of Health Umair A. Shah and other DOH staff, VACCS Director Dan Laster, and HIV Vaccine Trials Network & COVID-19 Prevention Network's Director of Social & Behavioral Sciences and Community Engagement Michele P. Andrasik. The briefing can be viewed here on TVW.
Free and discounted rides to vaccine appointments
Are you having trouble getting to a vaccination site? The state Department of Health (DOH) is trying to make transit easier by partnering with private groups including Uber, Lyft, United Way Worldwide, Washington 211 and Sea Mar Community Health Centers. If this interests you, call the state COVID-19 information hotline at 833-VAX-HELP and a hotline specialist will assist in coordinating the rides. For more information, see this article from the DOH blog: Private partners increase vaccine access by providing free and discounted rides to vaccine appointments.
Vaccine incentives and free rides to vaccines gaining popularity
- A social science experiment suggests $100 vaccination incentives can pay off – The New York Times
- N.J. university will give students up to $1K in incentives to get COVID vaccine – MSN
- Maryland Is Offering A $100 Incentive To State Employees Who Get The COVID-19 Vaccine – NPR
- States ramp up vaccine incentives as demand slows – Yahoo News
Praise vs. shame: New UW report
 The UW Foster School of Business has released a new report that shows “Offering praise is the best way to induce preventive behaviors in a pandemic.” According to this article in the UW Foster School of Business Magazine, “In efforts to motivate behaviors that prevent the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19, praise works better than shame—and much better when trying to convince political conservatives.”
Eviction moratoriums
 An interesting legal ruling is working its way through the federal court system regarding the CDC’s eviction moratorium. Fortunately, this decision does not impact state or local eviction moratoriums. As a reminder, Councilmember Zahilay and I introduced a transformative tenant protections package in King County. You can view the discussion on tenant protections including Just Cause Eviction at the April 26 meeting of the Council’s Community, Health and Housing Services Committee here. The discussion begins at about 1:51:17.
You may be interested in the following articles:
- Justice Dept. to appeal judge's order vacating CDC eviction moratorium – The Hill / Newsbreak
- Judge strikes down CDC’s national moratorium on evictions. Here’s where Seattle, state moratoriums stand – The Seattle Times
- Counties giving millions in rental assistance before state eviction moratorium ends – KING 5
- For assistance: King County Eviction Prevention and Rental Assistance Program
Time for menthol to go
 Public Health has an important article on the Public Health Insider blog looking at the tobacco industry’s long history of racist marketing and the local youth voices driving change. Read the full story here. You may also be interested in this New York Times article: Menthol cigarettes kill many Black people. A ban may finally be near.
Update on facial recognition software ban
Yesterday, my proposed legislation banning the use of facial recognition technology in county government (not in the private sector) was discussed in the Council’s Committee of the Whole. I was pleased that many people provided public testimony in support of the legislation—thank you! You can view video of the discussion here, at about the first-hour mark.
Some of my colleagues had questions about the way that our proposed legislation interacts with the National Child Search Act. The legislation does comply with the NCSA, but since there were questions the vote was delayed until the next Committee of the Whole meeting, which is scheduled for May 19th, 2021 at 9:30 a.m. You may be interested in these articles:
- King County Council delays vote on facial recognition ban – The Seattle Times
- King County considers ban on facial recognition technology – KING 5
For more on this issue, please see The Seattle Times Op-Ed I wrote with Jennifer Lee, the Technology and Liberty Manager at the ACLU of Washington that was featured on the Opinion Page on May 2: King County government must turn its back on facial recognition technology.
Also this week at the Council:
Transit changes to the North End
In Council on Tuesday, we approved a new transit plan that will affect service provision in North Seattle, Shoreline, and other areas. Since new Link Light Rail stations in the University District, Roosevelt, and Northgate will be opening, some bus routes are being adjusted or eliminated. For more info on how those changes affect you, there is good coverage in The Seattle Times.
Strategic Climate Action Plan
We took some big steps in terms of climate justice this week! We voted to pass the Strategic Climate Action Plan, one of the most aggressive government plans to combat climate change in the nation. King County government will cut its carbon emissions by 80% by the end of the decade and revolutionize how we’ll protect disproportionately affected communities.
Next week at the Council: Executive Constantine’s State of the County address
County Executive Dow Constantine will address the full Council next Tuesday, May 11 at its meeting 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.
This coming Wednesday, May 12th at 1 p.m. the Budget and Fiscal Management Committee, which I chair, will be meeting to discuss amendments to the Executive’s proposed COVID 7 budget. Much of the COVID 7 budget will be allocating federal COVID relief funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. Information on that meeting, including the agenda, is available here.
We will provide an update and links to information for the rest of next week’s Council and Committee meetings in the Monday e-newsletter.
People of color hardest hit by air pollution from nearly all sources
 The UW is reporting on a new study from multiple universities – including the UW – that modeled people’s exposure to air pollution based on race/ethnicity and income level, and shows that exposure disparities among people of color and white people are driven by nearly all, rather than only a few, emission source types.
Various studies show that people of color are disproportionately exposed to air pollution in the United States. However, it has been unclear whether this unequal exposure is due mainly to a few types of emission sources or whether the causes are more systemic. Read the full story here.
Help create the Regional Equity Strategy
The Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) brings together elected officials and other leaders to make decisions about transportation, growth management and economic development in our region. The PSRC is seeking members for its new Equity Advisory Committee to help guide the development of the Regional Equity Strategy.
The Regional Equity Strategy will include data, strategies and best practices that PSRC and its member jurisdictions can put to work to advance racial equity within the central Puget Sound region. Click here for more information.
Anti-Racist public service: Discussion May 13 on Zoom
The UW’s Evans School of Public Policy and Governance is convening a webinar series focusing on transforming public service. The first discussion will be held next Thursday, May 13 at 4 p.m. on Zoom. Participants will share their experience around addressing racial inequities and systemic injustices. Listen to be inspired and engage in a collective conversation about how to leverage this moment in our history and advance a new vision for anti-racist public service. For more information, click here. To register, click here.
It's happening: Northgate Link station opens October 2
 Reliable, traffic-free trips of only 14 minutes between Northgate and downtown Seattle will soon be a reality. For details on the project, see this article from Sound Transit.
DID YOU KNOW?
... that in the 1970s, spoon worms helped promote biodiversity around the effluent outlets from the Los Angeles sewage system? According to Wikipedia, “The burrowing and feeding activities of these worms churned up and aerated the sediment and promoted a balanced ecosystem with a more diverse fauna than would otherwise have existed in this heavily polluted area.”
Additional helpful and informative links
- COVID-19 death toll is more than double the official count, UW analysis suggests – The Seattle Times
- Editorial: Take the vaccines to the people – The Seattle Times
- Seattle ‘Mobile Vaccination Teams’ to target young adults at breweries, outdoor dining areas, parks, and beaches – Capitol Hill Seattle Blog
- Taking ‘extraordinary measures,’ Biden backs suspending patents on vaccines – The New York Times
- Psychology behind vaccine hesitancy key in reaching high immunization, experts say – KOMO News
- Poll shows parents are reluctant to get their children vaccinated for COVID-19 – The New York Times
- This new COVID vaccine could bring hope to the unvaccinated world - The New York Times
- It’s not just India: New virus waves hit developing countries – Bloomberg
- COVID 'doesn't discriminate by age': Serious cases on the rise in younger adults – Health Leaders Media
- ‘Turning the Corner’: U.S. COVID outlook reaches most hopeful point yet – The New York Times
- VIDEO: An easy way to understand coronavirus variants — using puzzle pieces - NPR
- Inspectors shut Seattle bar for repeated COVID-19 violations - AP / U.S. News & World Report
- 'Covid nails' could be a sign you had the virus – Huffington Post
- No, Inslee’s ‘vaccine seating’ doesn’t stifle freedom — it expands it – The Seattle Times
- What will it take for you to return to King County Metro post-pandemic? – MyNorthwest
- How a book a day can keep pandemic stress away – National Geographic
- Opinion: King County voters have spoken: Police reform and a new sheriff are coming (By County Executive Dow Constantine) – The Seattle Times
- King County Council takes big step to combat climate change – KNKX
- Seattle’s theater stagehand community, still idled by COVID shutdown, fears a mental health crisis – The Seattle Times
Today’s moment of inspiration
 As you know, restaurants and all hospitality businesses have suffered enormously and many have been forced to close since the pandemic began. Over the last year, we’ve featured stories of restaurants supplying free food for essential workers and those in need, as well as stories of neighborhoods and communities coming together to help their local restaurants – and their workers - weather the pandemic. Here are a few stories that highlight the connections between restaurants and the communities they serve:
- The best things that happened to restaurants in the worst of COVID times - HuffPost
- Gwinnett neighbors help restaurants, COVID-19 frontline workers – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
- Seattle restaurant converts to community kitchen to help neighbors – KING 5
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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