COVID-19 UPDATES
As of today, Public Health -- Seattle & King County (Public Health) is reporting these numbers:
- 251 new positive cases of COVID-19 (includes 243 confirmed cases and 8 probable cases, for a total of 109,196).
- 10 new COVID-19-related deaths (1,588 total) Ugh!
- 9 new hospitalizations (6,129 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 399,710; the total number of probable cases is 33,991 for a total of 433,701 cases.
- The total number of deaths statewide is 5,754
- The total number of hospitalizations is 24,018
COVID AND OTHER UPDATES
Quote of the Day: “Let us develop respect for all living things. Let us try to replace violence and intolerance with understanding and compassion. And love.” – Jane Goodall
Homebound and need a COVID-19 vaccine?
The state Department of Health (DOH) is providing a secure online form if you or someone you know is homebound. After filling out the form, DOH staff will connect you to available County and/or State Mobile Vaccine Teams. If you have any questions, call the COVID-19 hotline at 1-800-525-0127, then press #. Language assistance is available.
Mental health and reopening anxiety
 For many of us, the transition to reopening is quite stressful. There are still many unknowns, and the behavior to which we’ve become accustomed over the last 14 months is not easily forgotten or changed. See below for articles and information on coping with this stressful – though also hopeful – time.
- “No health without mental health”: Resources to support mental health & well-being in our community - Public Health Insider blog / Cross-posted from the state’s Department of Community & Human Services (DCHS) blog
- AUDIO: As life begins to return to normal, psychologists say expect anxiety – NPR
- Washington reopens June 30, but there are some questions. We asked the state's top doc – KNKX
- Community support and well-being: Tools and resources to support your emotional health – Public Health – Seattle & King County webpage
More creative ideas for vaccine incentives
 I hope you’ve already been vaccinated against COVID-19! If not, please do so as soon as you can. See articles below on some of the latest vaccination incentives being offered around the country:
- A whirlwind’: 1st Ohio vaccine lottery winners speak out – The Seattle Times
- United Airlines holds drawings for free flights for those who get the shot – NPR
- United link: https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/travel/your-shot-to-fly-sweepstakes.html
- Free Krispy Kreme glazed doughnut – just show your COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card – Krispy Kreme webpage
- CVS offers vacations, cash and a super bowl trip as incentives for COVID vaccine – NBC News
- Inslee not ruling out more robust incentives for people to get COVID-19 vaccines – KING 5 News (May 14)
- Maine’s COVID-19 Vaccine Incentive Program (Called “Your shot to get outdoors,” incentives include L.L. Bean gift certificates and free hunting and fishing licenses) – State of Maine webpage
- Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announces COVID-19 vaccine incentives – CBS News
- Corporations encourage employee vaccination but stop short of mandates – Kaiser Health News
State Department of Health launches mobile vaccine Care-A-Van; public health officials focus more on mobility and less on “max vax” sites
 The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is launching a new mobile COVID-19 vaccination effort across Washington state, working with community partners and local health jurisdictions to increase access to vaccine for priority communities. More information on this effort is available here. If your organization is planning a community event and would like the Care-A-Van to participate, let DOH know by filling out this form (preferably one month in advance of the event).
You may be interested in these articles:
- City of Seattle to close all but one of its mass COVID vaccination sites, including at Lumen Field - The Seattle Times
- COVID vaccinations offered aboard Washington ferries - The Seattle Times
Bringing COVID-19 vaccines to people experiencing homelessness
 According to the Public Health Insider blog, “Mobile vaccination teams are holding clinics at homeless shelters and encampments across the county. They have visited more than 170 sites and vaccinated more than 2600 people since the beginning of April.” Read the full story here.
Free rides to get your vaccine
As I mentioned in Monday’s e-newsletter, Uber and Lyft are both offering free rides to vaccine sites. Now, Hopelink Mobility is also offering rides to and from your vaccine appointment. For more information, see this page.
Council passes largest supplemental budget in history
 I am pleased to let you know that on Tuesday the County Council approved a seventh round of emergency funding in response to COVID-19, this time totaling more than $631 million.
As I mentioned above in my introduction, this budget is funded primarily through the federal American Recovery Plan Act. The purpose of the COVID emergency budgets is to fund COVID-19 public health interventions as well as assistance and relief for individuals and businesses impacted by the pandemic.
This seventh COVID budget was not only large, its total at $631 million is larger by over $200 million than all previous COVID budgets combined. It provides truly meaningful support for the mother struggling to provide food and care for her child, for the renter on the edge of eviction, for the business owner seeking relief from the new BIPOC economic resiliency fund, for the survivor of sexual assault or gender-based violence seeking justice, and many, many more. I appreciate the ambitiousness of Executive Dow Constantine’s original proposed budget as transmitted to the Council, and the collaboration of my colleagues in crafting this final budget. Our work is not finished but these investments will help us find our way out of this extraordinary challenge. You may find these articles of interest:
- King County passes $631M rescue plan spending for COVID-19 recovery, Seattle unveils its $128M proposal – The Seattle Times
- County Council Approves $631 Million Emergency COVID Budget – The Seattle Medium
The Budget and Fiscal Management Committee (BFM), which I chair, is now beginning work on the County’s first omnibus budget for 2021 - 2022. And the County Executive is expected to transmit his COVID 8 budget in mid-June, which will be taken up by the BFM Committee soon thereafter. Another year of multiple budgets as we anticipate one more COVID budget in the fall.
Eviction moratoria are set to end June 30. Help is available: Solid Ground webinar on June 3, County eviction prevention assistance also available
 If you’re behind on rent and worried that you could face eviction after the state’s moratorium expires at the end of June, register for Solid Ground’s next Rent Smart webinar on June 3 and found out what services and programs are available to help you stay in your home.
Also, 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. And to apply for assistance, see this link: https://rent-help.kingcounty.gov.
You may also be interested in this Seattle Times article: Seattle City Council poised to ban some school-year and post-pandemic evictions, guarantee lease renewals.
Trailhead Direct service starts June 5
 Lace up your hiking boots! Rides will be available to the Issaquah Alps and Mt. Si. A reminder: Masks are required on Metro buses. For more on Metro’s COVID safety measures see this page. And, here are the latest COVID guidelines from the County Parks department. For more on Trailhead Direct, click here.
Public Health Director Patty Hayes will be missed...
 Following a remarkable seven-year tenure as Director for one of the largest local health departments in the country, Public Health Seattle & King County Director Patty Hayes is wrapping up her distinguished career this week. We thank her for her wisdom, passion, and dedication to the people of King County. I mentioned Patty Hayes’ upcoming retirement in a recent e-newsletter. While I wish her all the best, she will be missed by many of her colleagues at the County, including me!
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, next Wednesday, 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.
Calling all animal lovers
You may find these two recent Seattle Times articles of interest:
- Help name one of the baby lemur triplets at Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo
- Cats big winners in Seattle pandemic pet-adoption surge
DID YOU KNOW?
... that, according to reporting by CBS in Miami, a new study published in the journal Current Biology found that “...sharks use the Earth’s magnetic field as a sort of natural GPS to navigate journeys that take them great distances across the world’s oceans.”?
Additional helpful and informative links
- King County health officer: No summer surge of COVID expected, but unvaccinated remain at high risk – Seattle P-I (On Dr. Duchin’s press conference today.)
- Washington now asking businesses to prove mask-less workers are vaccinated – KIRO radio
- A Vaccine Patch Could Someday Be An Ouchless Option – KUOW
- Physician warns Tokyo Olympics could spread variants - The Washington Post
- COVID-19 mortality linked to signs easily measured at home – UW News
- How to protect your COVID-19 vaccination card, and where to use it – Consumer Reports
- Public health officials target vaccine-hesitant via dating apps – Roll Call
- Millions are saying no to the vaccines. What are they thinking? – The Atlantic
- Opinion: The CDC’s latest blunder is really about trust, not masks – Stat News
- Study finds majority of severe COVID-19 cases had long-term symptoms, as officials race to vaccinate - CNN
- Immunity to the coronavirus may persist for years, scientists find – The Seattle Times
- Think like a virus to understand why the pandemic isn't over yet – and what the US needs to do to help other countries — The Conversation
- Classic tech meets new science: How a chicken egg could help end the pandemic – PATH news
- The beginning of the end of the American pandemic – The New Yorker
- Public health funding will improve service, outcomes in Washington State – DOH news
- Singapore approves COVID breath test with 1-minute result – The Seattle Times
- Mapping a pandemic: Track the spread of coronavirus across Washington and the world - The Seattle Times
- ‘Breakthrough’ infections are rare, and just 2% result in COVID-19 deaths, CDC says – The Los Angeles Times / The Seattle Times
- Amtrak strives to roar back from pandemic as it restores more Seattle service - The Seattle Times
- Video: King County seeing rise in gun violence, particularly with younger victims – q13fox
- A year after George Floyd’s murder, what’s changed in Washington state? - Crosscut
- One year since George Floyd's death: How western Washington has taken steps toward police reform – KING 5
- Thirty-eight million dollar set of gifts from Ballmer Group to address behavioral health crisis aims to bolster workforce, resources across Washington through UW-led programs – UW News
- EU privacy groups set sights on facial recognition firm – Yahoo News
- Opinion: Bringing broadband to all homes – The Seattle Times
- Climate activists defeat Exxon in push for clean energy – The New York Times
Today’s moment of inspiration
 Photo: UNC-CH, CC license
According to an article from the Good News Network, building managers, architects and others “...have realized that something as seemingly insignificant as the water droplets from the underside of air conditioning units have the potential to quench the thirst of thousands.”
Microsoft’s campus in Israel is one example from the article. According to Microsoft: “All of the air conditioning condensate water is reused for irrigation and to reduce energy needs for cooling. This is an additional estimated saving of over 3 million liters of water per year.”
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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