West Seattle, Washington
20 Friday
A quick look at tonight’s pandemic notes:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here are the cumulative totals from Public Health‘s daily-summary dashboard:
*89,039 people have tested positive, 253 more than yesterday’s total
*1,472 people have died, 1 more than yesterday’s total
*5,366 people have been hospitalized, 12 more than yesterday’s total
*976,357 people have been tested, 388 more than yesterday’s total
ONE WEEK AGO: Last Saturday, those numbers were 87,112/1,461/5,256/959,118.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 130.7 million people have tested positive, and more than 2,846,000 people have died; U.S. deaths exceed 554,000. Most cases: U.S., Brazil, India, France, Russia (same as last week). See the breakdown, nation by nation, here.
LOOKING FOR VACCINE? If you’re eligible now, here are links to try:
*Check for West Seattle city-run site appointments here; sign up for the city’s notification list for all four of its sites here.
*Health-care providers (particularly bigger ones like UW Medicine (one reader specifically recommends Valley Medical Center), Franciscan, Swedish, Kaiser Permanente, etc.)
*covidwa.com (volunteer-run aggregator) – you can also follow its tweets for instant notifications
*The state’s Vaccine Locator (as mentioned above)
*The CDC’s Vaccine Finder
*Pharmacies big and small – Safeway, Rite Aid, QFC, Pharmaca, Costco
*Sea Mar clinics
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
Tonight’s pandemic headlines:
KING COUNTY NUMBERS: First, the latest stats from the Public Health daily-summary page, cumulative totals:
*88,786 people have tested positive, 417 more than yesterday’s total
*1,471 people have died, 5 more than yesterday’s total
*5,354 people have been hospitalized, 9 more than yesterday’s total
*975,969 people have been tested, 3,723 more than yesterday’s total
On to our weekly check of key numbers on the COVID Vaccination Among King County Residents dashboard:
*727,140 people have received one dose
*422,486 people have received both doses
*1,083,085 doses have been allocated to King County (not counting pharmacy programs)
One week ago, the first four totals were 86,536/1,459/5,261/958,183, and the vaccination totals were 628,239/348,784/935,435.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 130.2 million cases, 2,838,000+ deaths – see the nation-by-nation numbers here.
COUNTY HEALTH OFFICER’S BRIEFING: In his weekly briefing, Dr. Jeff Duchin warned that “cases and hospitalizations are climbing at a steady pace” and there’s no indication it’ll level off any time soon. He also talked about increasing numbers of variants – more than 600 cases identified so far. And he concluded with an extended baseball analogy, including that “it’s time to rally (against COVID-19) and shut it down for once and for all.”
NEED HELP FINDING A VACCINATION APPOINTMENT? Get in-person help in West Seattle on Saturday.
IF YOU’RE SEARCHING ONLINE – here are links to try:
*Check for West Seattle city-run site appointments here; sign up for the city’s notification list for all four of its sites here.
*Health-care providers (particularly bigger ones like UW Medicine (one reader specifically recommends Valley Medical Center), Franciscan, Swedish, Kaiser Permanente, etc.)
*covidwa.com (volunteer-run aggregator) – you can also follow its tweets for instant notifications
*The state’s Vaccine Locator (as mentioned above)
*The CDC’s Vaccine Finder
*Pharmacies big and small – Safeway, Rite Aid, QFC, Pharmaca, Costco
*Sea Mar clinics
IF YOU NEED TESTING SATURDAY: Remember that the city extended the operations of the West Seattle test site (2801 SW Thistle), so you can still get tested there Saturdays (as well as weekdays).
GOT INFO OR PHOTOS? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you!
(WSB file photo)
Driving through Alki around sunset, we noticed activity inside the months-closed Il Nido restaurant at the Alki Homestead (2717 61st SW), whose fans have been eagerly awaiting its reopening. Turns out tonight was the night. And something very different – no reservations! Il Nido offers patio and indoor seating, with “aperitivo hour” 4-5 pm, dinner 5-9 pm, Tuesdays-Saturdays.
If you or someone you know would like in-person help figuring out how to make a vaccination appointment, the Greater Seattle Filipino-American SDA Church has an event for you tomorrow (Saturday, April 3rd). 2-4:30 pm at the church (2620 SW Kenyon), in partnership with the city, you can get help registering for an appointment. The church asked us to let you know about the opportunity – just show up!
11:11 AM: If you are eligible and looking for vaccine, a pop-up clinic tomorrow (Saturday, April 3rd) in West Seattle has openings. The clinic is run by health-care organization Pliable and will be at Neighborhood House High Point (6400 Sylvan Way). Organizers say the BIPOC community is the priority but the overarching goal is to make sure the appointments get filled, so they’re open to all. Register here. Note that they will be administering the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
2:42 PM: Organizers called to tell us this is fully booked.
Vaccination news tops tonight’s roundup:
VACCINATION SITUATION: An average of 56,000 people are getting vaccinated every day in our state, according to the weekly Department of Health briefing. And supplies are increasing – next week will see 460,000 more doses arrive. The state says the gap is closing between what providers are requesting and what the state is getting. (Here’s the latest detailed vaccine-distribution report.)
NEWEST NUMBERS: Here’s the latest on King County, from the Public Health daily-summary dashboard – today’s cumulative totals:
*88,369 people have tested positive, 302 more than yesterday’s total
*1,466 people have died, 2 more than yesterday’s total
*5,345 people have been hospitalized, 14 more than yesterday’s total
*972,246 people have been tested, 2.290 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, the four totals we track were 86.373/1,458/5,251/956,675.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them, county by county, on the state Department of Health page.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 129.5 million cases worldwide, 30.5 million of them in the U.S. See the nation-by-nation breakout here.
BACK TO SCHOOLS: The Seattle district and teachers’ union announced a tentative agreement today for getting middle- and high-school students back to some in-person learning as of April 19th.
FREE FOOD ON FRIDAY: Two 2-5 pm food-box events tomorrow – at Highland Park Elementary (1012 SW Trenton) and at Food Lifeline (815 S. 96th).
LOOKING FOR VACCINE BY PHONE: You can use this hotline – 800-525-0127.
LOOKING FOR VACCINE ONLINE: Try these links:
*Check for West Seattle city-run site appointments here; sign up for the city’s notification list for all four of its sites here.
*Health-care providers (particularly bigger ones like UW Medicine (one reader specifically recommends Valley Medical Center), Franciscan, Swedish, Kaiser Permanente, etc.)
*covidwa.com (volunteer-run aggregator) – you can also follow its tweets for instant notifications
*The state’s Vaccine Locator (as mentioned above)
*The CDC’s Vaccine Finder
*Pharmacies big and small – Safeway, Rite Aid, QFC, Pharmaca, Costco
*Sea Mar clinics
GOT INFO/PHOTOS/TIPS? 206-293-6302, text or voice, or westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
From the “you asked, so we checked” file: A reader note this morning reminded us that the mayor’s office had announced two weeks ago that the city was ‘developing a plan to reinstate the 72-hour parking ordinance that will be back in effect starting April 1, 2021.” That day has arrived, but no followup announcement ensued, so we asked about the status. The reply came from mayor’s office spokesperson Rachel Schulkin:
The 72-hour parking rule suspension included in the latest COVID-19 Executive Order ended yesterday (3/31/2021). We will not immediately resume issuing citations starting April 1 and will instead have a grace period in which we remind the public about the parking rules.
SPD and SDOT are finalizing an education plan. Typically, when there’s a change, the City has a period of education in which SDOT and SPD work together to get the message out in a variety of ways including social and media relations, coupled with Parking Enforcement “courtesy notices” letting people know about the new requirements and that they are technically in violation. After that period, the City will then start to enforce with citations.
Our question didn’t specifically address people living in vehicles, but the reply addressed that too:
Regarding outreach, the City has implemented a series of programs including SPU Purple Bag Program, SPU Pump Out Pilot Program, Scofflaw Mitigation Work, Safe Park for Vehicles, client assistance with diversion funds to help with vehicle repair and will continue its practice of providing outreach and connecting individuals living in their vehicles to services and shelter through City-contracted Outreach coordinated by the HOPE team.
The city announced the rule’s suspension in March of last year, for two weeks that became 12 months.
In last night’s pandemic-news roundup, we mentioned the Seattle Education Association had told its members that an agreement about middle- and high-school in-person learning was close. Now, it’s official – a tentative agreement was just announced. From the news release:
Seattle Education Association and Seattle Public Schools have now reached a tentative agreement to provide in-person learning for grades 6-12 that meets the guidelines of the Governor’s proclamation. The agreed-to schedule does its best to finish this year strong keeping educators and students connected.
Students — in-person and remote learners — begin April 5 for 6-12th grade Special Education Intensive Service Pathways students and April 19 for all other secondary students….
The tentative agreement strives to keep students with their current educators and provides four full days of instruction for all students. Students in secondary schools regardless of learning model will receive synchronous remote classes in the morning four days a week.
In the afternoons, middle and high schools will offer all students both remote and in-person small group and individual instruction and support. Students that select the in-person instructional model will attend class two (2) half days per week. Students enrolled in an intensive service pathway will receive four (4) half days of in-person instruction. K-8 schools will determine whether secondary students receive in-person instruction in the morning or afternoon. Wednesdays will continue to be remote for all students.
More information will be distributed to families by email and on the SPS website. …
This tentative agreement is subject to approval by both SEA members and the school board. SPS will send families an intent to return survey. Families will be asked to select the 100% remote model or hybrid, in-person model for the remainder of the year.
The week of April 12th is the district’s spring break.
The vaccination situation tops March’s final roundup of local/state pandemic headlines:
ELIGIBILITY EXPANDS, AND WILL EXPAND AGAIN SOON: On the day that 2 million more people in our state became eligible to get vaccinated, Gov. Inslee announced that instead of May 1st, April 15th will be the date everyone is eligible. (No vaccine is approved for children yet, so that’ll be everyone 16 and up.)
CITY ADDS ANOTHER COMMUNITY VACCINATION HUB: The city is now running four sites – West Seattle, Rainier Beach, Lumen Field, and now North Seattle. The new site at North Seattle College is mostly drive-up, and instead of being staffed by Seattle firefighters, the Seattle Visiting Nurse Association is the clinical partner.
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Seattle-King County Public Health daily-summary dashboard, the cumulative totals:
*88,067 people have tested positive, 341 more than yesterday’s total
*1,464 people have died, 2 more than yesterday’s total
*5,331 people have been hospitalized, 2 fewer than yesterday’s total (data adjustment)
*969,956 people have been tested, 594 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, the four totals we track were 86,037/1,456/5,241/953,472.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find all the numbers, county by county, on the state Department of Health data page,.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them, nation by nation, here.
BACK TO SCHOOL: Seattle Public Schools and the Seattle Education Association are still negotiating about middle- and high-school students’ return to in-person learning. SEA says it thinks a tentative agreement can be reached this week. Its update is here; SPS’s update, including links to recent counterproposals, is here.
MASS MASKING: University of Washington research found that 89 percent of people in King County are wearing masks in public.
STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS’ BRIEFING: The weekly briefing by Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah and other top state health officials is scheduled for 9:30 am tomorrow. It’ll be livestreamed here.
IF YOU’RE VACCINE-ELIGIBLE AND LOOKING FOR IT … here are links to try:
*Check for West Seattle city-run site appointments here; sign up for the city’s notification list for all three of its sites here.
*Health-care providers (particularly bigger ones like UW Medicine, Franciscan, Swedish, Kaiser Permanente, etc.)
*covidwa.com (volunteer-run aggregator) – you can also follow its tweets for instant notifications
*The state’s Vaccine Locator (as mentioned above)
*The CDC’s Vaccine Finder
*Pharmacies big and small – Safeway, Rite Aid, QFC, Pharmaca, Costco
*Sea Mar clinics
GOT INFO? Email us at westseattleblog@gmail.com or phone us, text or voice, at 206-293-6302 – thank you!
move
3:47 PM: The governor has just announced that all Washingtonians – 16 and up, since no vaccine is yet approved for younger people – will be eligible for vaccination as of April 15th, 2+ weeks earlier than previously announced. This comes on the day 2 million more became eligible. He also warns of a “disturbing uptick” in cases, so he urges everyone to continue precautions such as mask-wearing and social distancing. Updates as the briefing goes.
3:54 PM: He says he’s very concerned about the 28 percent of people over 65 – more than 333,000 in our stqte – who have not yet been vaccinated and so are “living in the danger zone.” So if you know someone that applies to, he says, do everything you can to urge them to go get it. …. Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah says the state is now vaccinating 54,000 people a day, beyond its goal, and that 3.2 million doses have now been administered. If internet use is a barrier to someone making an appointment, he notes there’s a hotline, 800-525-0127. He also echoes the warning that “the pandemic’s not over until it’s over.”
4:07 PM: Before getting to media Q&A, the governor moves off the pandemic for a bit and talks about climate legislation in Olympia and DC, as well as hate crimes targeting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. “We have to stand up against (hate),” he urges. Today, he also notes, is César Chávez Day. … On to Q/A: Asked if vaccine allocation needs to be moved around because of uneven demand by region, he says there’s only an “infinitesimal” number of wasted doses in the state – “doses are getting into arms.” … Asked about supply to match the increase in eligibility, the governor says yes, supplies are increasing … He was also asked about the national report of 15 million doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine lost to some kind of factory mistake, but didn’t think that would affect our state much … He also says the state is in the “top third” nationwide in terms of “efficiency” in getting vaccine administered.
4:30 PM: So how long will it take, at current supply levels, to get everyone vaccinated? Dr. Shah reiterates that supplies are continuing to increase – though after a 400,000+-dose week this week it’s going back down under 400,000, pending future increases – they can’t make a specific prediction, as it could change further. … The briefing ends at 4:34 pm; the archived video should be available in the same window above shortly. Here, meantime, is the news release about the eligibility-expansion announcement.
Tonight’s pandemic toplines:
ELIGIBILITY EVE: At midnight, 2 million more people in our state become eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations. Some providers were allowing the almost-eligible to book in advance; others weren’t. To recap, here’s who’s eligible starting Wednesday, in addition to everyone else already eligible:
*Anyone with two or more comorbidities
*Anyone between the ages of 60 and 64
*Anyone living in congregate settings (correctional facilities, group homes for those with disabilities, those experiencing homelessness, etc.)
*Additional workers in congregate settings (restaurants, manufacturing, construction)
If you’re still not eligible, you have one month at most to wait, as the state has said it will comply with the federal decree to make everyone eligible by May 1st. How long it’ll take after that to get enough vaccine for everyone who wants it – too soon to tell. Later in this roundup, you’ll find our nightly list of links for seeking vaccination appointments. But first:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Checking today’s daily summary from Seattle-King County Public Health – here are the cumulative totals:
*87,726 people have tested positive, 159 more than yesterday’s total
*1,462 people have died, 1 more than yesterday’s total
*5,333 people have been hospitalized, 30 more than yesterday’s total
*969,362 people have been tested, 4,553 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, the totals were 85,733/1,455/5,232/950,579.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
NATIONAL/WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 128.2 million cases worldwide, 30.3 million of them in the U.S. – see other nation-by-nation stats by going here.
‘BREAKTHROUGH’ CASES: The state confirms that about 100 people out of the 1 million-plus who are fully vaccinated have gotten the virus anyway.
NEED FOOD? Here’s another place to get it free this Friday.
NO GARAGE SALE DAY: Canceled by the pandemic again this year.
LOOKING FOR A VACCINATION APPOINTMENT? Here’s our ongoing list:
*Check for West Seattle city-run site appointments here; sign up for the city’s notification list for all three of its sites here (that form was down for a while earlier today but appears to be working now).
*Health-care providers (particularly bigger ones like UW Medicine, Franciscan, Swedish, Kaiser Permanente, etc.)
*covidwa.com (volunteer-run aggregator) – you can also follow its tweets for instant notifications
*The state’s Vaccine Locator (as mentioned above)
*The CDC’s Vaccine Finder
*Pharmacies big and small – Safeway, Rite Aid, QFC, Pharmaca, Costco
*Sea Mar clinics
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
Big week – with vaccine eligibility expanding dramatically on Wednesday. But first, here’s our nightly roundup of local pandemic news:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Seattle-King County Public Health daily summary:
*87,567 people have tested positive, 185 more than yesterday’s total
*1,461 people have died, unchanged since Saturday
*5,303 people have been hospitalized, 15 more than yesterday’s total
*964,809 people have been tested, 5,251 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, those totals were 85.629/1,452/5,220/949,161.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 127.5 million cases, 2,791,000 deaths – 550,000 in the U.S. See the other stats – nation by nation – here.
STILL IN THE DANGER ZONE: Here’s county health officer Dr. Jeff Duchin‘s advice, in a Twitter thread, on working to hold off a fourth wave.
TEST SITE NOT CLOSING AFTER ALL: One week after we learned the West Seattle testing/vaccination site was set to become vaccination-only as of this Wednesday, the city changed the plan today, and will continue offering testing there (Southwest Athletic Complex parking lot, 2801 SW Thistle) at least through April 17.
KING COUNTY VACCINATION MILESTONE: More than 1,000,000 doses administered.
VACCINE ELIGIBILITY: Announced today by the state Health Department:
Phase Finder, the state’s online vaccine eligibility tool, will no longer be required to verify COVID-19 vaccine eligibility starting March 31.
That means that people who want a vaccine should check DOH’s prioritization guidance webpage to see when they are eligible to get vaccinated. Those who are eligible can then use Vaccine Locator to find an appointment. After March 30, those who visit the Phase Finder site will be directed to Vaccine Locator. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has informed vaccine providers of this change. DOH has asked that providers no longer require Phase Finder to schedule an appointment or ask for it when patients arrive for their appointment.
LOOKING FOR A VACCINATION APPOINTMENT? Here’s our ongoing list:
*Check for West Seattle city-run site appointments here; sign up for the city’s notification list for all three of its sites here.
*Health-care providers (particularly bigger ones like UW Medicine, CHI Franciscan, Swedish, Kaiser Permanente, etc.)
*covidwa.com (volunteer-run aggregator)\
*The state’s Vaccine Locator (as mentioned above)
*The CDC’s Vaccine Finder
*Pharmacies big and small – Safeway, Rite Aid, QFC, Pharmaca, Costco
*Sea Mar clinics
NEED FOOD? This week’s nearest Food Lifeline distribution is 2-5 pm Friday (April 2nd) at 815 S. 96th.
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
(Photo from seattleschools.org)
Friends of Roxhill Elementary is hoping you can help with this:
TODAY, teachers are walking back into their classrooms—many for the first time in a year—preparing for the physical return of their students. And we want to make sure they have everything they need to keep themselves and our children safe.
We are launching an emergency fundraiser to make sure the school has the support and supplies they need not provided by the district; such as classroom air purifiers, extra masks, thermometers, buckets to keep coats and clothing from touching, and so much more. We are facing new challenges daily and know we will need to be able to respond to these evolving needs and costs quickly.
Our immediate goal is $4,500. Will you help us today?
Here’s the link if you’re able to donate.
We asked the district what PPE they’re providing; the response just pointed us to this webpage, which says “Seattle Public Schools will provide staff with PPE in accordance with Labor & Industries safety and health rules and guidance” and also notes that masks are available for students who don’t already have them.
One week ago, we reported that the city was going to stop offering COVID-19 tests at the Southwest Athletic Complex parking lot, to devote that site entirely to vaccinating. Today – with an ongoing countywide increase in cases – the city has changed its mind, and says it’ll keep offering testing there through at least April 17th. While our area is not described in the announcement from the mayor’s office as having a spike in cases, it is seeing a rise in testing demand at the West Seattle site. You can make a testing appointment by going here. (Vaccinations will continue there, too.)
Tonight’s pandemic news:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: After two Sundays without updates on the King County Daily Summary Dashboard page, tonight they’re back.
*87,382 people have tested positive, 270 more than yesterday’s total
*1,461 people have died, unchanged from yesterday’s total
*5,288 people have been hospitalized, 32 more than yesterday’s total
*959,558 people have been tested, 440 more than yesterday’s total
WEST SEATTLE TRENDS: Time for our weekly check. These numbers are shown in two-week increments via the “geography over time” tab on the daily-summary dashboard; to determine WS status, we combine the totals from the West Seattle and Delridge “health reporting areas” (HRAs): For the past two weeks, 95 positive test results; 83 in the 2 weeks before that; 64 in the two weeks before that. … We also are noting WS death totals each week. The total deaths for the entire pandemic in the two HRAs comprising West Seattle: 64, unchanged from last week.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 127 million cases and 2,783,000+ deaths, 549,000+ of them in the U.S. – see the nation-by-nation breakdown here.
BACK TO SCHOOL: The first Seattle Public Schools students to return to campuses will start tomorrow.
TWO MORE DAYS OF TESTING AT SWAC: As we first reported last Monday, the Southwest Athletic Complex city-run site (2801 SW Thistle) stops testing and goes vaccination-only this Wednesday (March 31st). City Councilmember Lisa Herbold‘s latest newsletter includes a list of local testing alternatives.
LOOKING FOR VACCINE? Eligibility expands Wednesday – but if you’re eligible now, here are links to try:
*Check for West Seattle city-run site appointments here; sign up for the city’s notification list for all three of its sites here.
*Health-care providers (particularly bigger ones like UW Medicine, CHI Franciscan, Kaiser Permanente, etc.)
*covidwa.com (volunteer-run aggregator)
*The state says it’s improved its own lookup tool
*Here’s another multi-provider search to try
*Pharmacies big and small – Safeway, Rite Aid, QFC, Pharmaca, Costco
*Sea Mar clinics
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
Tomorrow’s a big day for many Seattle Public Schools students. First, bell times change for all elementary and K-8 students, as announced:
New Elementary and K-8 Bell Schedules
Elementary and K-8 schools will begin at 8 a.m. and end at 2:30 p.m. for students in both the remote and hybrid, in-person model (part-time in person and part-time remote).
This change does not include 6th-8th grade comprehensive middle schools. Comprehensive middle schools will continue to begin at 9 a.m.
Bell Schedule
8 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
Morning Block: 8 – 10:45 a.m.
Afternoon Block: 11:45 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.8 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. Wednesday
All students will be remote
The district says the change will make it possible for them to offer more bus service as more students return to in-person learning. Tomorrow, meantime, is the first day of that for the first wave of returning students – preschoolers and students enrolled in elementary special education Intensive Services Pathways. Other district updates on returning to in-person learning are here. No word of a deal yet for bringing back 6th-12th graders.
Midway through March’s final weekend, here’s the latest pandemic news:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here are the cumulative totals from Public Health‘s daily-summary dashboard – note that tonight includes one “data correction”:
*87,112 people have tested positive, 576 more than yesterday’s total
*1,461 people have died, 2 more than yesterday’s total
*5,256 people have been hospitalized, 5 fewer than yesterday’s total*
*959,118 people have been tested, 935 more than yesterday’s total
ONE WEEK AGO: Last Saturday, those numbers were 85,283/1,452/5,203/942,501.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 126.7 million people have tested positive, and more than 2,777,000 people have died; U.S. deaths exceed 548,000. Most cases: U.S., Brazil, India, France, Russia (France jumped past Russia and the UK to get into the top 5). See the breakdown, nation by nation, here.
LOOKING FOR VACCINE? Eligibility expands Wednesday – but if you’re eligible now, here are links to try:
*Check for West Seattle city-run site appointments here; sign up for the city’s notification list for all three of its sites here.
*Health-care providers (particularly bigger ones like UW Medicine, CHI Franciscan, Kaiser Permanente, etc.)
*covidwa.com (volunteer-run aggregator)
*The state says it’s improved its own lookup tool
*Here’s another multi-provider search to try
*Pharmacies big and small – Safeway, Rite Aid, QFC, Pharmaca, Costco
*Sea Mar clinics
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
Tonight’s pandemic headlines:
BACK TO SCHOOLS: Seattle Public Schools teachers have approved the deal with the district to start offering in-person lerning next week and beyond. Meantime, the governor’s official back-to-school proclamation is now updated with the new 3-foot rule.
KING COUNTY NUMBERS: First, the latest stats from the Public Health daily-summary page, cumulative totals:
*86,536 people have tested positive, 163 more than yesterday’s total
*1,459 people have died, 1 more than yesterday’s total
*5,261 people have been hospitalized, 10 more than yesterday’s total
*958,183 people have been tested, 1,508 more than yesterday’s total
On to our weekly check of key numbers on the COVID Vaccination Among King County Residents dashboard:
*628,239 people have received one dose
*348,784 people have received both doses
*935,435 doses have been allocated to King County (not counting pharmacy programs)
One week ago, the first four totals were 85,073/1,450/5,200/942,237, and the vaccination totals were 535,724/291,838/802.355.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 126.1 million cases, 2,767,000+ deaths – see the nation-by-nation numbers here.
COUNTY HEALTH OFFICER’S BRIEFING: In his weekly briefing, Dr. Jeff Duchin reiterated that case numbers are increasing, as are hospitalization rates – mostly among 40- to 69-year-olds. But the death rate has decreased – down now to 2 a day. That’s mostly because vaccination has brought cases down dramatically in people 75+.
LOOKING FOR VACCINE? here are links to try:
*Check for West Seattle city-run site appointments here; sign up for the city’s notification list for all three of its sites here.
*Health-care providers (particularly bigger ones like UW Medicine, CHI Franciscan, Kaiser Permanente, etc.)
*covidwa.com (volunteer-run aggregator)
*The state says it’s improved its own lookup tool
*Here’s another multi-provider search to try
*Pharmacies big and small – Safeway, Rite Aid, QFC, Pharmaca, Costco
*Sea Mar clinics
IF YOU NEED TESTING SATURDAY: This will be the last Saturday for the city’s West Seattle test site (2801 SW Thistle), which becomes a vaccinations-only site as of Wednesday.
GOT INFO OR PHOTOS? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you!
The Seattle Education Association has just announced that its members have approved the Memorandum of Understanding allowing some in-person learning for Seattle Public Schools students in preK through 5th grades as well as Special Education Intensive Service Pathways. From the union announcement:
The new agreement has assurances that remote learning remains high-quality for those who choose it. It also includes a commitment to keep as many students as possible with their current classroom educator, maintaining six-foot distancing, adequate educator leave for COVID quarantine, and clear signage for each work space being occupied to indicate that health and safety standards are being met.
The district and union are still in negotiations over the second phase of returning to in-person learning, middle- and high-school instruction. As recapped on the district website, elementary and K-8 schedules change on Monday; that’s also when preK students and those in elementary Special Education Intensive Pathways return in person, while other elementary students return April 5th.
Vaccination news tops tonight’s roundup:
VACCINE SUPPLY: In two state briefings today, it was mentioned that the state is expecting more than 400,000 doses of vaccine next week, the most ever – just in time for 2 million more people to become eligible as of next Wednesday. So far, more than 1 million people are fully vaccinated. Next week’s allocation, the state says, will include the first significant allocation of the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, about 42,000 doses.
BUT OTHERWISE … acting state health officer Dr. Scott Lindquist warned in the morning briefing that in the realm of “cautious optimism,” he’s “more cautious than optimistic” because of cases rising in some counties. Not all, though – 23 counties have fewer than 100 cases per 100,000 people. Here’s the newest statewide situation report.
SPEAKING OF NUMBERS … here are the newest King County numbers, from the Public Health daily-summary dashboard – today’s cumulative totals:
*86.373 people have tested positive, 336 more than yesterday’s total
*1,458 people have died, 2 more than yesterday’s total
*5,251 people have been hospitalized, 10 more than yesterday’s total
*956,675 people have been tested, 3,203 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, the four totals we track were 84,859/1,444/5,199/940,597.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them, county by county, on the state Department of Health page.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 125.4 million cases worldwide, 30 million of them in the U.S. See the nation-by-nation breakout here.
GOVERNOR’S SCHOOL-RULE CHANGE: During his briefing this afternoon, Gov. Inslee said the state “is embracing” the CDC guidance that says a 3-foot separation between students is safe.
IN-PERSON GRADUATIONS? Seattle Public Schools tells WSB it’s a possibility.
FREE FOOD ON FRIDAY: Food Lifeline distributes free food boxes 2-5 tomorrow at its South Park HQ (815 S. 96th).
NO FOOD DISTRIBUTION TOMORROW … at Highland Park Improvement Club, which tells us their distribution team is dealing with a positive test.
LOOKING FOR VACCINE? here are links to try:
*Check for West Seattle city-run site appointments here; sign up for the city’s notification list for all three of its sites here.
*Health-care providers (particularly bigger ones like UW Medicine, CHI Franciscan, Swedish, Kaiser Permanente, etc.)
*covidwa.com (volunteer-run aggregator)
*The state says it’s improved its own lookup tool
*Here’s another multi-provider search to try
*Pharmacies big and small – Safeway, Rite Aid, QFC, Pharmaca, Costco
*Sea Mar clinics
GOT INFO/PHOTOS/TIPS? 206-293-6302, text or voice, or westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
(WSB photo from June 2018 WSHS graduation at Southwest Athletic Complex)
Last month, we reported on local students’ online petition asking Seattle Public Schools to allow in-person high-school graduations, instead of a second year of virtual ceremonies. Since then, the governor has ordered schools to offer some in-person learning to all students, so it’s likely the Class of 2021 will be back on campus to finish out the year. Especially in light of that, is the district reconsidering the graduation plan? After readers emailed us, asking for an update, we took the question to district spokesperson Tim Robinson. He says there’s no final decision yet, but he quotes “one of the key members of the group that is meeting about graduation” as saying: “We are working to adjust to the information that the governor and OSPI sent late last week. We are working to try and get to an in-person graduation with limited numbers of guests. We hope to have an update for school leaders late Friday or early next week.” (Here’s the latest state guidance for outdoor events.)
Tonight’s pandemic news:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Seattle-King County Public Health daily-summary dashboard, the cumulative totals – note that if you look at the SKCPH source page, the “new since yesterday” numbers are wrong again, so the “more than yesterday’s total” numbers below are from our math:
*86,037 people have tested positive, 304 more than yesterday’s total
*1,456 people have died, 1 more than yesterday’s total
*5,241 people have been hospitalized, 9 more than yesterday’s total
*953,472 people have been tested, 2,893 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, the four totals we track were 84,574/1,444/5,188/938,453.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find all the numbers, county by county, on the state Department of Health data page,.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them, nation by nation, here.
VACCINATION ELIGIBILITY: The state is reported to have confirmed it plans to comply with the federal mandate to open eligibility to everyone by May 1st. (Everyone 16 and up, that is – so far, there’s still no vaccine approved for children.)
IF YOU’RE ELIGIBLE AND LOOKING FOR AN APPOINTMENT … here are links to try:
*Check for West Seattle city-run site appointments here; sign up for the city’s notification list for all three of its sites here. (Note: Commenters say they’ve been told at this site that if you’re eligible, you can just show up during the day without an appointment. We have not verified that as official policy. We have verified the practice of offering “leftover” vaccine at day’s end – to the oldest people in line first.)
*Health-care providers (particularly bigger ones like UW Medicine, CHI Franciscan, Swedish, Kaiser Permanente, etc.)
*covidwa.com (volunteer-run aggregator)
*The state says it’s improved its own lookup tool
*Here’s another multi-provider search to try
*Pharmacies big and small – Safeway, Rite Aid, QFC, Pharmaca, Costco
*Sea Mar clinics
STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS’ BRIEFING: The weekly briefing by Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah and other top state health officials is scheduled for 9:30 am tomorrow. It’ll be livestreamed here.
PANDEMIC RELIEF: King County Executive Dow Constantine proposed a $600 million spending plan for mostly federal and state funding today.
GOT INFO? Email us at westseattleblog@gmail.com or phone us, text or voice, at 206-293-6302 – thank you!
Two days after we reported that the Southwest Athletic Complex testing/vaccination site will stop offering testing after next Tuesday (March 30th), the city has officially announced the change. Dropping testing services, the mayor’s office says, will enable another 3,000 vaccinations a week, just as eligibility expands. And the testing demand Is lower – dropping in recent weeks to 200 or fewer per day at West Seattle (with more than 78,000 tests given since it opened). The city says it can scale testing back up if demand increases. The announcement notes, as we did on Monday, that a Curative testing kiosk remains open at Don Armeni Boat Ramp (1222 Harbor SW), with numerous appointments available, and adds the reminder that there’s a drive-through test site in SODO (3820 6th Ave. S.). You can find out more about the city’s vaccination program – including getting on the notification list – by going here, or by calling 206-684-2489.
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