COVID-19 UPDATES
Since yesterday’s update, Public Health -- Seattle & King County (Public Health) is reporting these numbers as of today:
- 212 new positive cases of COVID-19 (includes 203 confirmed cases and 9 probable cases, for a total of 107,593).
- 1 new COVID-19-related death (1,566 total)
- 3 new hospitalizations (6,072 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 392,754; the total number of probable cases is 33,094 for a total of 425,848 cases.
- The total number of deaths statewide is 5,690
- The total number of hospitalizations is 23,478
COVID AND OTHER UPDATES
Quote of the Day: “I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” – Louisa May Alcott, “Little Women”
King County Health Officer issues Directive urging continued use of face masks to slow the spread of COVID-19
King County Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin has issued a Local Health Officer Directive that strongly urges residents to continue wearing a face mask in indoor public settings, whether or not they are vaccinated. Public Health – Seattle & King County recommends that businesses that serve the public continue policies to ensure customers and employees wear masks indoors. Read the full story here, or see this article from today’s Seattle Times: Businesses should continue indoor masking policies in King County, health officials say.
Also, see this Q&A on Dr. Duchin’s announcement just posted on the Public Health Insider blog: What you need to know about King County’s mask directive for indoor spaces.
Confusion continues over CDC mask guidance
 Photo by Ayelt van Veen on Unsplash
- Fauci says the public is ‘misinterpreting’ the CDC’s latest mask guidance - The Washington Post
- CDC director defends updated mask guidance as confusion grows across the country – NBC News
- Memo to the CDC: Say what? – The Baltimore Sun / The Seattle Times
- Vaccinated or not, keep your mask on, King County’s top health official urges – The Seattle Times
- Keep Wearing Masks Indoors, King County Health Officer Urges- Patch
- Waiting for local guidance on masks? ‘Respect the rules of the room,’ says Washington state secretary of health – The Seattle Times
- Facing shifting guidance, many Seattle-area businesses keep mask requirements – The Seattle Times
- When to mask up? Clarity on conflicting guidelines – KUOW
- COVID-19 transmission continues to decline in Washington, but mask guidance confusion remains – The Seattle P-I
- Don’t throw away that mask just yet. California won’t lift COVID-19 rules for another month – The Los Angeles Times
- Even with the no-mask guidance, some pockets of the U.S. aren't ready to let go – NPR
Tuesday, May 25th: Seattle Kraken hosts pop-up vaccination clinic
Next Tuesday, the Seattle Kraken hockey team is hosting a vaccination event, featuring 25% off merchandise and participants having a chance to win tickets to Eric Church, Bad Bunny or Kane Brown. The event, hosted in partnership with Virginia Mason, will take place Tuesday, May 25 from noon – 6 p.m. at the team’s Chandler’s Cove store on South Lake Union. For full information, see this page.
Seattle Public Schools hosting student vaccine clinics
Seattle Public Schools wants to make sure kids can get vaccinated before in-person graduations this summer and the return to full-time, in-person learning this fall. See the full story here from KING 5 News.
You may also be interested in this announcement from the state Department of Health (DOH): School testing program will now include funding for screening tests. (Screening testing can help schools head off potential outbreaks before they occur, and it can be a useful tool for students participating in athletics or other extracurricular programs.)
State’s vaccine outreach shifts from mass vaccination sites to mobile vaccination clinics
 The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has just announced it is transitioning the state-led mass vaccination effort from stationary sites to mobile vaccination clinics. Read the full story here.
DOH: All counties move into Phase 3 after reopening pause
 On Tuesday, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) announced that all Washington counties have moved into Phase 3 of Governor Jay Inslee’s Healthy Washington: Roadmap to Recovery phased reopening plan. As the governor announced last week, the state is also moving toward June 30 as the date Washington will fully reopen, assuming at least 70% of Washingtonians over the age of 16 have been vaccinated.
Women, caregivers and the need for affordable child care
 We know that the impacts of COVID have hit women, and specifically caregivers, especially hard. At the County level, some of the COVID-related federal funds were directed to child care specifically, but it isn’t enough. This New York Times article highlights a few compelling stories of how the pandemic has impacted working women. You may also be interested in this article: Child Tax Credit monthly payments to begin rolling out July 15 – The Detroit Free Press
To find assistance locating and paying for child care see these links:
- Working Connections Child Care – Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families
- City of Seattle’s child care assistance program – Offering 50% off co-pays through June, 2021.
Rental assistance
King County's Eviction Prevention and Rental Assistance Program (EPRAP) is one of the ways the County is helping residents facing financial hardship and housing instability due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information see this article from the County’s Department of Community and Human Services blog. To apply for assistance, see this link: https://rent-help.kingcounty.gov.
I am working with my colleague, Councilmember Girmay Zahilay, on a striking amendment for our just cause evictions/tenant protections legislation that may be included on the agenda for the Council’s Community, Health, and Housing Services Committee June 9th meeting.
You may also be interested in these articles:
- King County launches new help for tenants behind on rent. Here’s how to apply – The Seattle Times
- King County accepting applications for rental assistance before eviction moratorium expires – KING 5 News
Public Health Director Patty Hayes retiring; establishes anti-racism endowment
UW Alum Patty Hayes (BSN ’76, MN ’80) has announced that she will retire as Director of Public Health – Seattle & King County. Hayes and her husband, Bob, have established an endowment at the UW School of Nursing and are asking others to join them in their support of the school’s Center for Antiracism in Nursing, launched earlier this year. Also, see this article from the UW School of Nursing News: Endowment Established in Honor of Hayes Retirement. I of course wish Patty the best but am very saddened that she is leaving us.
Council wrap-up from this week
As I mentioned above, my Facial Recognition Technology ban (which applies only to King County government and not to the private sector) passed out of committee unanimously on Tuesday and will be taken up by the full Council on June 1.
Work on the County’s 7th COVID emergency budget was delayed this week to allow more time for consideration of amendments and will be taken up for a vote next Tuesday by the full Council at its 1 p.m. meeting. I’ll include full details on all Council and committee meetings next week in Monday’s e-newsletter.
Request for Applications (RFA): School Based Health Center at Denny Middle School
Public Health - Seattle & King County is seeking a community health service agency to provide services at Denny Middle School for a School-Based Health Center. Visit https://kingcounty.gov/depts/health/partnerships/funding/denny-middle-school.aspx to access the full RFA document to learn more.
May 25: The Coronavirus Pandemic: Latin America’s Unfolding Crisis
 As the world grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, Latin America is confronting a deepening crisis. Join The Forum at Harvard on May 25 at 9 a.m. Pacific Time for a live online Q&A with Marcia Castro, Chair, Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Presented jointly by The Forum at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and The World from PRX & GBH. The Q&A will stream live here.
June 2nd Annual Supreme Court Symposium: The Increased Incarceration of Women and Girls of Color
The Washington State Minority and Justice Commission is proud to present the 2021 Annual Supreme Court Symposium, co-sponsored by the Washington State Gender and Justice Commission, on June 2 from 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. This year’s Symposium will study the increased incarceration of women and girls of color in Washington State. The event is open to the public, and everyone is welcome to register for the event or watch the livestream here on TVW.org.
World Bee Day
 Photo by UN FAO/Greg Beals
Bees and other pollinators, such as butterflies, bats and hummingbirds, are increasingly under threat from human activities. To raise awareness of the importance of pollinators, the threats they face and their contribution to sustainable development, the UN designated May 20 as World Bee Day.
According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), pollination is a fundamental process for the survival of our ecosystems. Nearly 90% of the world’s wild flowering plant species depend, entirely, or at least in part, on animal pollination, along with more than 75% of the world’s food crops and 35% of global agricultural land. Not only do pollinators contribute directly to food security, they are key to conserving biodiversity.
The primary threat to bees is Colony Collapse Disorder, which has now been confirmed to be linked to pesticides, in particular Neonicotinoids. The European Union has banned the use of Neonicotinoids.
For information on alternatives to pesticides and other hints for natural yard care, see this page from the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks.
DID YOU KNOW?
... that a recent study found that flowers respond to pollinator sound within minutes by increasing nectar sugar concentration? According to the study abstract, “Both the vibration and the nectar response were frequency-specific: the flowers responded to pollinator sounds, but not to higher frequency sound. Our results document for the first time that plants can rapidly respond to pollinator sounds in an ecologically relevant way.”
Additional helpful and informative links
- Hospitals serving the poor struggled during COVID. Wealthy hospitals made millions - NPR
- Return to 'normal' amid pandemic will cause anxiety for some, UW expert says – KING 5 News
- How the COVID pandemic ends: Scientists look to the past to see the future – Stat News
- ‘Pints for pokes?’ Washington breweries, wineries and other businesses offer incentives to get people vaccinated - The Seattle Times
- The race is on to deliver vaccine equity – UW Magazine
- Seattle extends free outdoor-dining permits to restaurants through May 2022; will patio dining become a staple? - The Seattle Times
- Ten Things the Fully Vaccinated Need to Know – The AARP
- Why do all those people sign up to help at Seattle’s COVID vaccination sites? – The Seattle Times
- Local leaders call for American Rescue Plan act to invest more in Black community – South Seattle Emerald
- Please stop donating trash, Goodwill stores beg – The Seattle Times
- Seattle suburbs crack down on homeless camping with fines and jail time - KUOW
Today’s moment of inspiration
 Photo: Far Out Ocean Research Collective
The Good News Network is telling the story of another inter-species adoption, regardless of an enormous size difference between the new mother and the adoptee. According to GNN, “Off the coast of New Zealand, a group of marine biologists has discovered a mother bottlenose dolphin that has adopted a baby pilot whale. The Kiwi-based Far Out Ocean Research Collective discovered the mammals sailing in the Bay of Islands in Northern New Zealand, and has now documented the pair on two separate occasions five weeks apart.” 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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