Public Health Updates
COVID resources
King County’s community level of COVID remains currently classified as low, although there are still 319 daily new cases, according to the most recent reports. Please continue to exercise caution throughout each day to keep yourself, your family, and your community safe.
For up-to-date information on cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in the County, see the Daily COVID-19 outbreak summary dashboard. The links to the data by demographics and geography are on the same page.
COVID-19 Data Dashboards have been updated to provide a more intuitive view of King County Data. For more information on these updates, see this article from the Public Health Insider. View all County COVID-related Data Dashboards here, including vaccination rates and outcomes according to vaccination status.
View the most recent statewide COVID-19 data from the state Department of Health (DOH).
Visit this page to access the Say Yes! COVID test portal, which allows for two free orders per household, each month, while supplies last. Input your zip code on the website to see if you are eligible.
Monkeypox resources
New monkeypox cases in King County seem to have peaked in July and August. As of Wednesday, September 21st, there have been a total of 445 cases in King County. For the most up-to-date data and advice from Public Health – Seattle and King County, visit this page.
The King County Department of Health has launched an interactive monkeypox virus (MPV) data dashboard. This new dashboard includes case counts at county and state levels, total weekly case counts, case information by sex at birth, and age groups of people who have MPV. This page will be updated every Tuesday and Thursday. More information is available on the Washington State Department of Health MPV information page. Visit the new dashboard here.
Helpful Public Health-related articles
Department of Health introduces monkeypox data dashboard to track viral activity – Bothell-Kenmore Reporter
How One Seattle Doctor Used Grindr to Help Patients Get Vaccinated for Monkeypox – The Stranger
Biden Says the Pandemic Is Over. But at Least 400 People Are Dying Daily. – The New York Times
Don’t ask when the pandemic will end. Ask how we’re going to live with covid. – GRID
WA state employees likely to get $1k bonuses for COVID booster, raises – The Seattle Times
How long should I wait to get a bivalent booster if I recently had a shot or contracted Covid? – The New York Times
DOH: Rates of STDs increasing in Washington – FOX 13 Seattle
This week at the King County Council
Regional Transit Committee
On Wednesday, members of the Regional Transit Committee met and received two briefings. The first covered RapidRide prioritization and the second addressed innovative and flexible mobility services in King County. A recording of the meeting can be found here.
Next week at the King County Council
Full Council
The King County Council will meet on Tuesday, September 27th. The agenda is still being finalized, but we expect that a short, special Council meeting will convene at 10 a.m. for Executive Constantine to speak on his proposed biennial budget, which is being transmitted next week. Then, the Council will reconvene for our normal Council meeting at 1 p.m. When available, the meeting agenda and materials will be available here.
Employment and Administration Committee
On Tuesday, September 27th, the Employment and Administration Committee will meet right after the council meeting concludes. The committee will receive two briefings, one update on human resources from Deandra Stanley, and an update from King County Council Chief of Staff Stephanie Cirkovich. The committee will also discuss the appointment of Jason Lambacher to the Citizens' Elections Oversight Committee. For more information on this meeting, click here.
Budget and Fiscal Management Committee
On Wednesday, September 28th, the Budget and Fiscal Management Committee will meet at 9:30 a.m. The committee will receive presentations from elected officials on their proposed 2023-2024 budgets. Presenters will include King County Assessor John Arthur Wilson, King County Elections Director Julie Wise, King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg, King County Superior Court Presiding Judge Patrick Oishi, King County District Court Presiding Judge Matthew York, and Department of Public Defense Director Anita Khandelwal. These will be the first conversations following the Executive’s transmittal of his proposed biennial budget. There will be plenty of opportunities for public comment regarding the County’s budget in the next couple of weeks, which I’ll share with you in the next enews. In the meantime, more information on this meeting and how to join it is available here.
Affordable Housing Committee
The Affordable Housing Committee will meet on Thursday, September 29th, at 1:00 p.m. When available, the meeting agenda will be available here.
News from King County
Executive Constantine announces proposed millions in funding for new policing alternatives
On Monday, King County Executive Dow Constantine announced new proposed public safety investments that focus on reducing crime, gun violence and behavioral health crises. Executive Constantine’s robust public safety network centers around four key themes: deploying a highly trained and coordinated safety network, ensuring safe and appropriate places for people in crisis, being data-informed and responsive to community needs, and providing accountability and victim support. The Executive’s biennial budget proposal, to be transmitted next week, includes these investments along with funding proposals for King County Sherriff, Public Health, Metro, Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention, Department of Community and Human Services and more. Read the full story here, and read The Seattle Times article here.
Public meeting about the projects taking place at West Point Treatment Plant
On Thursday, September 29th at 6:30 p.m., learn more about the projects taking place at the West Point Treatment Plant (WPTP). Capital improvement projects at WPTP focus on maximizing ratepayer investments through making its system more reliable, maintaining worker and public safety, and increasing efficiency. If you are interested in joining this meeting, you can join via Zoom here.
New estimate for number of WA residents eligible for student loan forgiveness
Last month, President Biden announced that his administration would cancel up to $10,000 in federal student loan debt for borrowers earning under $125,000 annually, and Pell Grant recipients can receive up to $20,000 in debt forgiveness. In Washington state, nearly 700,000 residents with student loan debt are eligible for student loan forgiveness. For more information and helpful, interactive graphs, read the full story here.
A week without driving
For the week of September 19th to September 25th, Disability Rights Washington has challenged elected officials to leave their car keys at home and get to each destination and activity without driving themselves. The goal of this challenge is to bring attention to the systemic barriers to mobility that many people with disabilities face daily. I have accepted this challenge and encourage others who have the ability to participate to do so as well! Read more about this challenge here.
Smoke from Eastern Washington covers Puget Sound again
Due to the smoke from the Bolt Creek fire, the Puget Sound is experiencing low air quality conditions. However, the air quality is still not hazardous for most people. Dan Jaffe, professor of atmospheric chemistry at the University of Washington, says that he expects the wafts of smoke to continue to sit over the Puget Sound through Thursday. For more information, click here.
Funding opportunities
Application for Best Starts for Kids Child Care Subsidy is now open to families
The Best Starts for Kids Child Care Subsidy program is now available to help families gain better, more equitable access to childcare. This program is a taxpayer investment, with $20 million each year, for the next six years, allocated to expand childcare accessibility in King County. Interested families may fill out the eligibility form here. Families must reside in King County and have one or more children under the age of twelve. More information can be found here.
More helpful and informative links
What the heck was that sound that rumbled across Seattle on Saturday night? – KUOW
Teachers ratify new 3-year-contract with Seattle Public Schools – FOX 13 Seattle
WA students can now take excused mental health days – Crosscut
Undocumented immigrants can apply for WA COVID-19 relief funds – The Seattle Times
‘This program’s really saved us’: As Canada offers safer opioids to curb overdoses, will U.S. follow? – STAT
Keep in touch
Thank you again for taking the time to read my updates. 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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