COVID-19 UPDATES
Note: Public Health notes that due to several issues related to processing laboratory results, it anticipates overestimated test positivity as the backlog is addressed.
As of today, Public Health -- Seattle & King County (Public Health) is reporting these numbers, which include data from the last two days:
- 1,202 new positive cases of COVID-19 (includes 1,115 confirmed cases and 87 probable cases. Total number of cases to date is 148,058).
- 5 new COVID-19-related deaths (1,854 to date)
- 43 new hospitalizations (7,925 to date)
To see the progression of the virus in King County since our last newsletter, you can view screenshots of the Daily Dashboard here. Note the correct date appears when you click on the document (one day earlier than is listed). The data are not updated over the weekends.
Vaccination rates in King County:
Among all eligible residents (those 12 years and older), as of today, 85.8% of King County residents 12 and over have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 79.8% have received both doses.
- View updated County vaccination data here.
- View COVID outcomes according to vaccination status here.
To view a breakdown of COVID-19 cases by race and ethnicity, click this link. Click here to view the “Key Indicators” data dashboard.
Statewide, according to the state Department of Health (DOH), as of today:
-The number of confirmed positive cases is 567,011; the number of probable cases is 70,356, for a total of 637,367 cases.
- The total number of deaths statewide is 7,434
- The total number of hospitalizations is 35,689
COVID AND OTHER UPDATES
Quote of the Day: “A man must be excessively stupid, as well as uncharitable, who believes there is no virtue but on his own side.” - Joseph Addison, English politician and writer, 1711
Federal endorsement on booster shots
Following on the FDA’s approval of a Pfizer vaccine booster or third shot, CDC advisors are endorsing third shots of Pfizer for older Americans but not for health care workers, teachers and others who might have higher exposure on the job.
- Federal panel recommends booster shots, opening new campaign against the virus – The New York Times
- J&J: Booster dose of its COVID shot prompts strong response – The Seattle Times
State Department of Health (DOH) requests federal resources to support hospital surge efforts in Washington
Like most health care systems nationwide, Washington hospitals and health care workers are under tremendous strain as a result of staffing shortages and increasing numbers of COVID-19 patients. In alignment with Governor Inslee, our state Secretary of Health Dr. Umair A. Shah, submitted to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra a request for additional medical staff and other resources to support hospitals and long-term care facilities statewide. For more information see this press release from the DOH. You may also be interested in these two news stories:
- Inslee, Idaho Gov. Brad Little clash over ‘clogging’ of Washington hospitals – MyNorthwest
- Oregon hospitals overwhelmed by COVID postpone care for cancer patients, ‘hope they come back’ - The Seattle Times
The latest news on COVID
Note: For the latest on children and COVID, see the blurb below this one.
- Washington state analyzed two COVID scenarios for fall. One is much worse than the other – The Seattle Times
- Moderna vs. Pfizer: both knockouts, but one seems to have the edge – The New York Times
- Nearly half of the unvaccinated say they’re willing to get a coronavirus shot. The challenge is trying to get it to them. - The Washington Post
- ‘Post-Vax COVID’ is a new disease – The Atlantic
- Washington moves to enforce vaccine mandates, even if workers leave – Crosscut
- No, vaccinated people are not ‘just as likely’ to spread the coronavirus as unvaccinated people – The Atlantic
- Remdesivir reduces COVID hospitalizations when given early, study shows – Stat News
- In Seattle, public health resisters have always pushed back - Crosscut
- Vaccine inequity comes into stark focus during UN gathering – AP News
- King County extends COVID vaccination deadline to Dec. 2 in agreement with unions - The Seattle Times
- UW researchers help develop test to detect COVID variants in hours, not weeks - MyNorthwest
The latest news on kids, COVID and schools
 Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash
- COVID-19 creates dire U.S. shortage of teachers, school staff – AP News
- Is the delta variant of the coronavirus worse for kids? – AP News
- For parents of disabled children, school mask wars are particularly wrenching – The New York Times
- In three weeks, three exposure events have happened in Vashon Island School District – Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber
- COVID vaccinations: Oakland school officials approve COVID vaccination mandate for students – KPIX / CBS News
- Florida makes quarantine optional for exposed students – AP News
Reminder for parents from Public Health: Many Seattle School-based health centers offer Flu Shots & COVID-19 Vaccines to the SPS community, ages 12+, no matter your insurance status or ability to pay.
Also, Public Health has compiled a Back-to-School toolkit. Although designed to help schools communicate with parents and students, it includes many good resources that parents may want to review.
How to up your mask game
 As most of you are aware, the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus is at least twice as contagious as the original virus. It also appears to cause more serious illness in unvaccinated people than the original virus. Because even vaccinated people can spread the virus, and because of the increased risk of contagion and serious illness, we all should be looking at our masking practices and how to improve them. It’s all about fit and filtration! See the links below for practical tips and guidance on improving how your masks function.
- Is your mask good enough to face COVID’s delta variant? – The Seattle Times
- Does my mask protect me if nobody else is wearing one? – The New York Times
- It’s a good time to improve our masks and how we wear them, as more contagious COVID-19 variants emerge – (From February 2021, still accurate) – The Public Health Insider blog
- Improve how your mask protects you (From April 2021, still accurate) – The CDC
City of Seattle, State of Washington extend eviction moratoria
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan announced yesterday that she is extending the moratorium for residential and commercial evictions in Seattle through January 15th, 2022.
And Gov. Inslee this afternoon announced that the statewide eviction moratorium – currently scheduled to expire at the end of this month, will be extended through October 31, to give counties additional time to distribute COVID-19 rent relief.
Questions about County rental assistance?
I’ve received some inquiries on how best to receive updates on applications for County rental assistance. Fortunately, with the Governor’s and Mayor Durkan’s announcements, renters have some more breathing room right now. To check on the status of your application, you can send emails or voicemails to the dedicated email line at DCHSRentalAssistance@kingcounty.gov. If you have questions about the portals or the database, here is the link to the HELP desk. For general information on the King County Eviction Prevention and Rental Assistance Program, see this page.
As the County increases the rental assistance payments being sent out directly to landlords and to tenants, depending on the size of the rental building and number of tenants receiving payments, both tenants and landlords benefit.
King County seeks community input for new approach to in-person services
With COVID-19 still a concern, King County is using the extended pause on in-person services to re-imagine how we deliver services to our residents. To help guide plans for a new centralized services site in downtown Seattle, King County is inviting the community to participate in a survey at bit.ly/KCServiceSurvey. The survey is 100% anonymous and should take less than ten minutes to complete. The new location is expected to include services such as vehicle and vessel licensing, document recording, property assessments, treasury, vital statistics, taxi and TNC permitting, public records, and more. The survey will be open through October 8, and the new central services site is expected to open in the spring of 2022.
New connections, more service: Metro improving service as Sound Transit Link light rail expands to Northgate
 Big changes are coming to transit service starting October 2nd as King County Metro launches updated connections to three new Sound Transit Link light rail stations in Seattle. Metro also will restore some previously suspended bus routes across King County, add hundreds of bus trips, and revise and improve other service in partnership with City of Seattle. Read more details here.
Metro is encouraging all riders to review the service change information as 116 of a total 194 bus routes will be impacted by these changes.
King County prepares to welcome Afghan refugees with temporary housing and community investments
 On Tuesday, County Executive Constantine announced that King County is investing $500,000 and collaborating with community partners to provide temporary housing at a recently purchased hotel, along with language and other support, as part of its efforts to welcome Afghan refugees as they prepare for resettlement.
This includes providing temporary housing at the Extended Stay America in Federal Way, which the County purchased in July to house people experiencing chronic homelessness in South King County. It will be repurposed in the short-term for arriving Afghan refugees. Additional County efforts and investments include: Partnering with World Relief, the International Rescue Committee, and other local resettlement agencies to make available temporary housing; utilizing $250,000 from the Office of Equity and Social Justice’s language access program to provide translation and interpretation services; and utilizing $250,000 from the Department of Community and Human Services to provide one-time grants to community-based organizations that are supporting Afghan resettlement efforts. More details are available here.
Reminder: 2021 Homelessness Debates, September 29 and 30
The public is invited to join The Seattle Times and “We Are In” for the 2021 Homelessness Debates. On the evenings of September 29th (7 p.m.) and 30th (5:30 p.m.), hear where candidates for Mayor of Seattle, Seattle City Council, Seattle City Attorney, and King County Council stack up on issues of homelessness and affordable housing in our region. Candidates will be going head-to-head in a debate format moderated by The Seattle Times' Project Homeless reporting team. For more information and to register see this page.
Tomorrow: More Than a Game: The Role Sports Play in Our Democracy
Join Seattle CityClub this Friday (tomorrow) on Zoom for “More Than a Game: The Role Sports Play in Our Democracy,” this Friday at noon PT. The program will feature a panel of sport leaders from the Kraken, Seahawks, and Sounders teams about the civic work they're doing in our region and the responsibility they hold in our democracy. See this page for more information and to register. (Note: This is a fundraising event, but you can attend for free by clicking the “Community Member / Complimentary” option when you register.)
September 28: Join Neighborcare for a community chat
Neighborcare will be hosting its second monthly Community Chats next week, on September 28th at 5 p.m. These chats provide an open forum for community members to discuss that month's topic with one another and with a member of Neighborcare's program staff to learn how the topic connects to their work.
This month's topic is Meeting the evolving needs of students as the new school year starts and a member of Neighborcare's School Based Health team will discuss the work the team is doing on this issue. Prior to the chat, Neighborcare will send out a variety of resources, as well as a few questions to help get the conversation started. To register, see this page.
Podcast: Washington Game Changers, featuring NAMI Washington
The League of Education Voters’ Washington Game Changers podcast features leaders who give back to our community, drive innovative solutions, and inspire others in making our state more equitable and just. In this episode, League of Education Voters CEO Lauri Hennessey talks with Sage Walund and Lauren Seaton from the Washington state affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI Washington).
The discussion covers everything from the stigma around mental illness to how youth are faring during the pandemic, as well as the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on young people. Listen here.
Volunteer for Mental Health
 HERO House is an organization that benefits and supports people living with serious mental illness by helping them find meaningful community connections and work opportunities at locations in Bellevue, Seattle and Everett.
HERO House is looking for volunteers to help put on its second annual 5K race fundraising event on October 8 and 9. There are a wide variety of tasks and roles available for volunteers. To help make a difference for individuals living with serious mental illness, sign up to volunteer today. More information on the event is available here.
Save the date: StolenYouth’s Annual Town Hall, October 7 from 4-5 p.m. PT
 Did you know that between 2019 and 2020, the number of youth sold for sex in King County increased 162.5%?
Join StolenYouth on Thursday, October 7th from 4-5pm PST for a webinar to hear local and national experts discuss the dangerous realities of sugar dating (see next paragraph) and learn how you can talk to your children and friends about being safe online.
Sugaring or Sugar Dating is commonly defined as a transactional dating practice typically involving an older wealthier person (most often sugar daddy) and a younger person in need of financial assistance (sugar baby). The practice of sugaring and the language around it has become normalized in pop culture, making the practice seem acceptable and mutually beneficial when in fact it is a fast path to abuse and sex trafficking. To register for the webinar see this page.
You may also be interested in viewing this guidance on how to recognize When a Child Is at Risk for Commercial Sexual Exploitation (CSE). For more information on this issue, see the King County CSEC (commercially sexually exploited children) Task Force webpage.
Also, if you know or suspect that someone has been a victim of human trafficking, please see this page for information and resources.
Supporting Hempfest
 A few weeks ago, I was delighted to meet up with Vivian McPeak at Myrtle Edwards Park, the founder and Executive Director of Hempfest, to present this “big check” of $5,000 to support Hempfest. The festival hasn’t been able to run in its traditional form for the past two years due to COVID, but Hempfest was established in 1991 as a “protestival” for marijuana policy reform advocates and the community at large. With musical performances, educational stands, and food vendors, Hempfest has been a wonderful community event. As a State Senator and leading advocate for the legalization of marijuana, I have attended and spoken at many of the festivals here at Myrtle Edwards Park, Hempfest’s location since 1995. I hope this funding will be helpful in ensuring that Hempfest comes back stronger than ever!
DID YOU KNOW?
... that on this day in 1968, the Seattle School District introduced a new textbook stressing the role of racial minorities in American history? The book was prepared specifically for the Seattle School District's desegregation program. Read more here from HistoryLink.
Additional helpful and informative links
- Gates Foundation pledges $922 million to address global malnutrition and hunger – The Seattle Times
- EPA rule sharply limits HFCs, gases used as refrigerants – AP News
- Opinion: Every native child matters in Seattle too – South Seattle Emerald
- UW and UC San Diego researchers honored for their work discovering that someone could hack a car – UW News
- How community pressure helped rebuild Black-owned businesses in Seattle's Central District - KUOW
- I loved my downtown Seattle neighborhood, but it became too depressing to stay – Op-Ed, The Seattle Times
- Seattle lawmakers must acknowledge our public safety problem and take action – Op-Ed, The Seattle Times
- The National Nordic Museum gets a new labyrinth – The Norwegian American (I’m mentioned)
- King County could take control of troubled City Hall Park – NewsnationUSA (on my legislation)
- Encampment fires at a dangerous pace around Seattle – KOMO News
Today’s moment of inspiration
 A calf enters a pen specially designed for cattle to urinate in, as part of a study to find out whether cows can be toilet-trained. (Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology)
Well, here are two more stories about human ingenuity in the face of challenges - - and they’re both about urine! In one story, by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, researchers figured out how to potty-train cows (yes, really) in order to reduce the amounts of ammonia, nitrate and nitrous oxide – a powerful greenhouse gas – released into the environment. I knew that cows produce methane – another extremely powerful greenhouse gas – but had no idea about the nitrous oxide from cow urine.
I highly recommend reading this story, if for no other reason than to learn the clever tricks and the training process used by researchers to potty train the cows (and view the photos). It is quite extraordinary!
The other story, from Reasons to be Cheerful, focuses on human urine. As of a century ago, Paris recycled half of its urine. Today, it’s being used as a high-grade fertilizer again. It began with two men talking, one from a waste management company, the other working on using natural plant processes to make crop yields more efficient. Apparently, human urine contains several important nutrients for crop growth including nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus.
According to the story, “The pair conspired to no longer let this liquid gold go down the drain... The challenge was making it potent enough to compete with the leading brands.” One of the men, Michael Roes, went on to co-found TOOPI Organics, a French biotech company that collects and transforms human urine into fertilizer products, in 2019. And it works. According to the report: “Testing carried out at Bordeaux’s National School of Agricultural Engineering found that the fertilizer later produced by TOOPI helped corn plants grow 60 to 110 percent more than a traditional mineral fertilizer.”
 The team at TOOPI Organics. Photo courtesy TOOPI Organics
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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