COVID-19 UPDATES
As of July 2nd, Public Health -- Seattle & King County (Public Health) is reporting these numbers:
- 79 new positive cases of COVID-19 (includes 73 confirmed cases and 6 probable cases. Total number of cases to date is 112,749).
- 1 new COVID-19-related death (1,664 to date)
- 6 new hospitalizations (6,522 to date)
Vaccination rates in King County: As of July 2nd, 79.7% of King County residents 16 and over have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 73.6% have received both doses. To view updated County vaccination data, see this page: https://kingcounty.gov/depts/health/covid-19/data/vaccination.aspx
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 July 2nd:
-Total number of confirmed positive cases is 415,515; the total number of probable cases is 36,968 for a total of 452,483 cases.
- The total number of deaths statewide is 5,939
- The total number of hospitalizations is 25,538
NOTE: Data are no longer being updated on the weekends. This applies to both the state DOH and Public Health.
COVID AND OTHER UPDATES
Quote of the Day: "You don’t make progress by standing on the sidelines. You make progress by implementing ideas." - Shirley Chisholm
The latest news on COVID, vaccines and variants
- Live: Coronavirus daily news updates, July 4: What to know today about COVID-19 in the Seattle area, Washington state and the world – The Seattle Times
- Reopening doesn’t spell herd immunity for Washington, warn scientists – My Northwest
- Biden: US 'coming back together,' but COVID not yet finished – AP News
- With COVID cases now ‘relatively stable,’ King County refocuses its response efforts - MyNorthwest
- Ninety-nine percent of U.S. COVID deaths are unvaccinated people, Fauci says – The Seattle Times
- Delta variant exploits low vaccine rates, easing of rules – AP News
- COVID Is a Greater Risk to Young People Than the Vaccines – The New York Times
Reopening and masks
 I’m sure many of you have had questions about the proper protocols now that our state has largely reopened. The biggest question seems to be whether and/or when fully vaccinated individuals need to continue wearing masks. As a reminder, masks are still required - even for fully vaccinated folks - on transit, in health care settings and K-12 schools and in a few other instances. See below for more information.
- Secretary of Health’s masking order, which took effect on June 30th - State Department of Health (DOH)
- FAQ on masks and face coverings – DOH
- Masking Guidance – King County
- COVID-19 Reopening Guidance for Businesses and Workers – Governor’s website
- Washington ready for reopening, but some COVID-19 precautions remain – DOH
- Safe Reopening – King County webpage, includes FAQs about reopening
Survey on COVID vaccines and disabilities
Several disability organizations in Washington are partnering to collect information about people’s experiences with finding and getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Please consider spending a few minutes taking the survey available in multiple languages here.
You may also be interested in this important Opinion piece by David Axelrod in The New York Times: When It Comes to People Like My Daughter, One Size Does Not Fit All.
Wildfires, heat waves and planning ahead
 Photo by Patricia Zavala on Unsplash
- Wildfire smoke expected to start drifting into Western Washington – KOMO News
- King County is already planning for the next heat wave - KUOW
- Expecting more heat waves, Seattle’s long-term care facilities weigh need for air conditioning – The Seattle Times
- Fire preparedness starts with an escape plan and ‘go bags’ for family and pets – OregonLive
- At least 29 deaths in western Washington linked to historic heatwave – KOMO News
- Opinion: Communities of color are the ‘first and worst’ hurt by climate change; urgent action needed to change course– The Seattle Times
- Preparing for wildfires – King County
- Hints for dealing with wildfire smoke – Puget Sound Clean Air Agency
- Wildfire smoke information – Washington State Department of Ecology
Health care coverage costs have declined in our state
 Washington Health Benefit Exchange (Exchange) reports that tens of thousands of Washingtonians now pay less each month for health care coverage. Within two months of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) becoming federal law, the Exchange passed on the expanded savings it made available to new and current customers on the state’s insurance marketplace, Washington Healthplanfinder. See this page for more information.
Increase in domestic violence in King County over last year
King County’s dashboard on the Social, Economic, and Overall Health Impacts of COVID-19 have been updated recently, and the findings are very interesting. Among them is the finding that the number of domestic violence calls is up - - there were 222 calls to the National Domestic Violence Hotline by King County residents in May 2021. This is lower than in April 2021 (245) but still a 17% increase compared to January 2020. Explore some of the other findings on the dashboard here.
For resources that provide help to victims of domestic violence, or if you are a concerned friend, family member or co-worker, see this page from King County.
Rental assistance
I was pleased last week when the Council passed the “Just Cause” tenant protection legislation I sponsored, along with Councilmembers Zahilay and Upthegrove, on which I’d worked with former Councilmember Larry Gossett beginning two years ago. The legislation provides additional protection from eviction for residents of unincorporated King County.
Assistance is available for King County tenants – throughout the County - who are worried about possible eviction. To apply for assistance, see this link: https://rent-help.kingcounty.gov. For additional information, see this page. You may also be interested in this article from The Seattle Times: Some evictions can resume in Washington under new state guidance.
This week at the Council
Note: Council meetings are still being held remotely. Instructions for viewing are included in the links below.
Tomorrow at 1 p.m.: Discussion of RapidRide J Line, property tax levy and more
The full County Council will meet tomorrow, July 6, at 1 p.m. Councilmembers will discuss Metro’s RapidRide J Line, the public safety advisory committee, a property tax levy for road maintenance and more.
The public is welcome to view the (virtual) meeting and submit public comments. For instructions on viewing the meeting and providing your input, and to view the agenda and meeting materials, see this page.
Tomorrow at 3 p.m.: COVID response funding, briefing on rental assistance
The Budget and Fiscal Management Committee, which I chair, will meet tomorrow, Tuesday, July 6, at 3 p.m. for a special meeting. Committee members will be briefed and begin deliberations on our eighth COVID emergency budget as well as being briefed on the time table and process for awarding rental assistance funds to tenants and landlords.
The public is welcome to view the (virtual) meeting and submit comments. For instructions on viewing the meeting and providing your input, and to view the agenda and meeting materials, see this page.
Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.: Update on COVID-19, Ranked-Choice Voting and more
The Council’s Committee of the Whole will meet this Wednesday, July 7, at 9:30 a.m. Councilmembers will receive a briefing on the County’s COVID response and will discuss a proposed ordinance on using ranked-choice voting to elect County officials, sponsored by Councilmember Girmay Zahilay and me.
The public is welcome to view the (virtual) meeting and submit comments. For instructions on viewing the meeting and providing your input, and to view the agenda and meeting materials, see this page.
Wednesday at 3 p.m.: Briefings on County’s Clean Water Plan, wastewater treatment and more
The County’s Regional Water Quality Committee will meet this Wednesday, July 7, at 3 p.m. and will receive briefings on water pollution abatement and wastewater, as well as a briefing and discussion on the County’s Clean Water Plan.
The public is welcome to view the (virtual) meeting and submit comments. For instructions on viewing the meeting and providing your input, and to view the agenda and meeting materials, see this page.
DID YOU KNOW?
... that, according to HistoryLink, on July 4, 1889, a massive fire in Ellensburg destroyed 200 homes and 10 business blocks? The city quickly rebuilt, this time using less flammable materials. In 1977 Ellensburg's historic downtown was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Today’s moment of humor
This video of a momma bear and cubs was too good to pass up. It really is priceless! (Scroll down for the Moment of Inspiration.)
Additional helpful and informative links
- Fauci says he would wear a mask in communities with low vaccination rates – The New York Times
- The health care workforce is understaffed for life after COVID-19 – Stat News
- Something to celebrate: delivering vaccines to essential workers – Stat News
- Are Masks a New Signifier of Social Class? – The New York Times
- July 4, Juneteenth and the meaning of national holidays – AP News
- ‘There’s poop in the water’: King County officials close three beaches for high bacteria counts – KIRO 7
- A government watchdog may have missed Clearview AI use by five federal agencies in a new report - BuzzFeed
- The push to make Seattle’s Aurora Avenue safer for all – The Seattle Times
- Man dies after being hit by bus on Aurora Bridge – The Seattle Times
- Water crisis reaches boiling point on Oregon-California line – AP News
Today’s moment of inspiration
 Billions of people use GPS every day; however, most don't know the hidden figures behind its creation. Gladys Mae West is one of them.
According to Wikipedia, “The work of Gladys West is credited as instrumental in the development of computational techniques for detecting satellite positions with the precision needed for GPS... Gladys West was inducted into the Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Hall of Fame in 2018 for recognition of her computational work which led to breakthroughs for GPS technology.”
View a video story about West on Accuweather here or read about her here on Wikipedia.
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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