My grandson Eli.
COVID-19 UPDATES
As of today, Public Health -- Seattle & King County (Public Health) is reporting these numbers for the last seven and last fourteen days:
- 2,731 new positive cases of COVID-19 in the last seven days (includes 2,530 confirmed cases and 201 probable cases. Total number of cases to date is 162,563). These numbers include 1,157 new cases since October 22nd, and a 1% increase in the reported number of daily positive cases in the last seven days, over the prior 7 days.
- 42 new COVID-19-related deaths in the last two weeks (1,974 to date). That number includes 4 new deaths since October 22nd.
- 90 new hospitalizations in the last seven days (8,379 to date). That number includes 35 new hospitalizations since October 22nd.
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, 88.0% of King County residents 12 and over have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 82.6% 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 632,820; the number of probable cases is 83,495, for a total of 716,315 cases.
- The total number of deaths statewide is 8,480
- The total number of hospitalizations is 39,619
The graph below shows the cases in King County.
COVID AND OTHER UPDATES
Quote of the Day: “There is hope … we are the hope – we, the people... For me, the hope lies in democracy – it is the people who have the power. If enough people stand up together and repeat the same message, then there are no limits to what we can achieve.” – Swedish 18-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg, 2020. The UN’s 26th climate conference, “COP26,” begins Sunday, October 31st.
Proof of vaccination or negative test starts today in King County!
 King County’s vaccine verification policy goes into effect starting today, October 25th. Customers are now required to verify full vaccination status or a negative test to participate in outdoor public events of 500 or more people and to enter indoor businesses such as gyms, restaurants, and bars, as well as taking part in indoor events such live music or the performing arts. This temporary policy aims to protect customers and workers, preserve local hospital capacity, and help keep businesses open.
You can read this Public Health Insider blog post for more information, or see some of the links below.
- Here’s what you need to know about King County’s vaccine or test requirement – The Seattle Times
- King County vaccine verification webpage
- Public Health and the Seattle Chamber of Commerce worked together to produce this business toolkit to help businesses get ready to verify vaccination status.
- Check out this short video by Public Health and King County TV about what to expect as vaccine verification takes effect.
High levels of hospital occupancy likely to continue through fall 2021
 Photo by Rusty Watson on Unsplash
The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has just released its latest COVID-19 modeling and surveillance situation report. The report shows that case counts, hospital admissions and hospital occupancy have declined, yet the levels remain high. Hospitals across the state are operating at full capacity, and projections suggest high levels of occupancy are likely to continue through the fall months. On a positive note, some declines in trends indicate the effectiveness of vaccinations and masking. For more information, see this press release from DOH.
Getting ready for emergencies: Losing power and more
 Emergency preparedness can sound daunting: Getting your personal papers together, is there enough dog food in your go-bag? How about extra medications? For how long? Three days, two weeks? These questions can seem overwhelming, but most emergency preparedness guides will tell you to take it one step at a time. And, right now, the emergency facing many King County residents is what to do when the power goes out. Also important is to be aware of potential of trees falling, especially as two people tragically died near Issaquah yesterday when a tree fell on their car.
Public Health is reminding us all that if you lose power, make sure to protect yourself from carbon monoxide poisoning, with these safety tips in multiple languages. And, as a reminder, never use a generator indoors, in garages, or in carports. For more on emergency preparedness, see the following.
- King County emergency preparedness webpage
- Live: Weather updates: Storms, power outages continue Monday across Seattle and Western Washington – The Seattle Times
- Two people dead after tree falls on their car near Issaquah in Sunday’s storm - The Seattle Times
- Is your ‘go bag’ ready? (September 6) - The New York Times / The Seattle Times
- How to get through a power outage – The Seattle Times
- Washington State very thorough, comprehensive emergency preparedness guide
- More information on preparedness from the Washington State Emergency Management Division
- Video: Disaster Preparedness in three Steps from Washington state, watch here on YouTube.
 Photo from The Seattle Times / Eastside Fire and Rescue
Election deadlines: Today is last day for online registration, and more
All voters should have received their ballot by TODAY. Those who have not received their ballot or misplaced it should request one online.
The general election is next Tuesday, November 2nd. Ballots must be in drop boxes by 8 p.m. sharp on Tuesday (or postmarked by Tuesday, November 2). The deadline to register to vote online is TODAY, October 25th. (Register online at the Washington Secretary of State's website at the link above, available 24 hours a day).
After today’s deadline has passed, voters can still register to vote, update their registration or signature, receive a replacement ballot, or use an assistive device at one of King County’s six Vote Center locations or the Student Engagement Hub at the University of Washington’s Husky Union Building until 8 p.m. on Election Day, or give King County Elections a call at 206-296-VOTE (8683) during business hours.
As always, full information on registering to vote, updating your registration, returning your ballot and more can be found at the KCE website.
This week at the Council
Note: Council meetings are still being held remotely.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, October 26th at 9:30 a.m. – Local Services Committee: Briefing on rental assistance distribution in unincorporated King County, discussion and possible action on request to the Executive to review home occupation and home industry regulations and update as necessary to account for workforce and business operation changes related to the COVID-19 pandemic, County agriculture commission appointments.
For instructions on viewing the meeting and providing your input, and to view the agenda and meeting materials, see this page.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, October 26th at 1 p.m. – Full County Council meeting: Discussion and action on motion on need for race-and gender-conscious affirmative action practices, participatory budgeting in unincorporated parts of the County and a judicial appointment.
For instructions on viewing the meeting and providing your input, and to view the agenda and meeting materials, see this page.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, October 26th at 1:30 p.m. – Employment and Administration Committee: Briefings on Council policies and procedures, and recruitment and hiring process for Council Chief of Staff position.
For instructions on viewing the meeting, and to view the agenda and meeting materials, see this page.
Wednesday, October 27th at 9:30 a.m. – Mobility and Environment Committee: Discussion and possible action on the County’s green building and sustainable infrastructure program, clean energy and resiliency financing and grant funding allocation for WaterWorks projects; Briefing on Metro’s strategic plan, service guidelines and long-range plan.
The agenda and meeting materials, as well as instructions on viewing the meeting and providing your input, can be downloaded on this page and will soon be available here.
Update from Sound Transit on West Seattle and Ballard Link extensions
Sound Transit has been working to develop a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that will help the Sound Transit Board, as well as partner agencies and the public, better understand the potential impacts and benefits of the project. The agency had expected to publish the Draft EIS this fall, but due to ongoing coordination issues, it now expects to publish the document in early 2022.
Also, a reminder that this Wednesday at 5 p.m. is the deadline for submitting an application for people who live along the route to submit an application to join one of several community advisory groups.
UW’s men’s and women rowing programs recognized by County Council
 On October 12th, at a meeting of the full County Council, I read a Council Recognition of the accomplishments of the UW’s rowing programs that recently won major titles. You may be interested in viewing the reading of the proclamation here at approximately minute 24:00.
Stories About Home: Stories of homelessness and resilience
 Join The Seattle Times and Path with Art (PwA) for an evening of storytelling about one of the region's most pressing issues - homelessness. Hear from community members about what home means to them, how homelessness has impacted their lives and what they wish more people understood. “Stories About Home” will feature five storytellers, two of them PwA participant artists. Through spoken-word storytelling, they’ll offer a more personal and nuanced look at many of the issues facing the more than 12,000 people who are living outside, in vehicles or in shelter across King County.
This hourlong event will be live-streamed via Zoom and will conclude with a live question-and-answer session between audience members and storytellers. “Stories About Home” is free to attend; registration is required. To learn more, see this article in The Seattle Times: Join The Seattle Times for an evening of storytelling about homelessness and resilience.
DID YOU KNOW?
... that, according to HistoryLink, on this day in 2004, “... the King County Council approve[d] three controversial ordinances, known collectively as the Critical Areas Ordinance or CAO, that limit rural development, in an effort to protect the environment and comply with the state Growth Management Act's requirement that regulations be based on the ‘best available science’”?
Additional helpful and informative links
- Live: Coronavirus daily news updates, October 25: What to know today about COVID-19 in the Seattle area, Washington state and the world - The Seattle Times
- UW Medicine study seeks local participants to understand COVID spread - MyNorthwest
- COVID cases falling, but trouble signs arise as winter looms – AP News
- Compare vaccination rates across Washington state agencies with our updating tracker - The Seattle Times
- Recipients of Johnson & Johnson shot rush to get boosters – The Washington Post / The Seattle Times
- Boosters for all 3 coronavirus vaccines available in Washington state for eligible individuals - The Seattle Times
- Are vaccine boosters widely needed? Some federal advisers have misgivings. – The New York Times
- Gates Foundation to spend $120M on access for COVID-19 pill - The Seattle Times
- Fake, substandard vaccines and medicines spell trouble for controlling COVID-19 – Stat News
- New estimates show 50% drop in COVID infections in Washington, according to state report - The Seattle Times
- When can we start enjoying nightlife again? - Vox
- Opinion: Rebuilding the nation’s health care workforce during and after COVID-19: Lessons from disaster management – Stat News
- They didn't pay rent and stole the fridge. Pandemic spawns nightmare tenants - NPR
- Moderna says its low-dose COVID shot works for kids 6 to 11 – AP News
- FDA scientists say benefits of Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine clearly outweigh the risks for children ages 5 to 11 – Stat News
- UN: Greenhouse gas levels hit a new record, cuts fall short – AP News
- Big tech data centers spark worry over scarce Western water - AP News
- Fire-scarred California braces for more storms, flash floods – AP news
- Seven hidden-gem attractions to check out at Seattle’s Pike Place Market - The Seattle Times
- EXPLAINER: Just what are 'The Facebook Papers,' anyway? – AP News
- Inside the world of Buy Nothing, where dryer lint is a hot commodity – The New York Times / The Seattle Times
- Devastating fires have left White Center in a ‘state of emergency.’ When will help arrive? - The Seattle Times
Today’s moment of inspiration
 Photo: Harvard, via The Good News Network
Many animals use tools, and crows in particular are well-known for their intelligence and skills with tools. But this story from The Good News Network – via The Harvard Gazette – tells about a new paper “... co-authored by Dakota McCoy, a graduate student working in the lab of David Haig, George Putnam Professor of Biology, who found that crows behaved more optimistically after using tools. The study is described in an Aug. 19 paper in Current Biology.”
According to the story, “To test how they felt about tool use, the crows were then put through a series of tests over a number of days — one in which they had to use a tool to extract a piece of meat from a box and another in which the meat was readily available.”
“They enjoyed the easy condition, that was no surprise,” McCoy said. “But the surprise was that, clearly, they don’t just like tool use because it’s difficult. We controlled for difficulty and that wasn’t what was motivating their interest — there is something specific about tool use they’re enjoying.”
“One potential answer for why tool use evolved is because crows are used to picking up objects and caching them,” she said. “They actually love, when you’re experimenting with them, to pick up your equipment and cache it way up high where you can’t get it.” To view a video of the experiments on Harvard’s YouTube channel, click 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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