West Seattle, Washington
19 Thursday
Another anniversary tops our pandemic roundup tonight:
ONE YEAR SINCE ‘STAY HOME’ ORDER: Though the West Seattle Bridge closure might be your most vivid memory from one year ago tonight, there was one other big announcement – at 5:30 pm on March 23, 2020, Gov. Inslee announced the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order. He promised, “This challenge is temporary” – at least two weeks, he speculated. Instead, it lasted two months.
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Checking today’s daily summary from Seattle-King County Public Health – the cumulative totals – we note a glitch on that page; while the totals are updated, the “change from yesterday” numbers were not changed from the previous day, so we’ve done the correct math:
*85,733 people have tested positive, 104 more than yesterday’s total
*1,455 people have died, 3 more than yesterday’s total
*5,232 people have been hospitalized, 12 more than yesterday’s total
*950,579 people have been tested, 1,418 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, the totals were 84.416/1,441/5,185/936,284.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
NATIONAL/WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 124.2 million cases worldwide, 29.9 million of them in the U.S. – see other nation-by-nation stats by going here.
CHIEF GETS VACCINATED: Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scoggins was at the city-run Rainier Beach site today to get his first shot:
(SFD photo)
Acting SFD Capt. Brian Wallace administered the shot. More details are on the SFD Fireline site.
IF YOU’RE ELIGIBLE AND LOOKING FOR AN APPOINTMENT … here are the 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 search to try
*Pharmacies big and small – Safeway, Rite Aid, QFC, Pharmaca, Costco
*Sea Mar clinics
LEFTOVERS? The city-run West Seattle site offers leftover vaccine at day’s end to people who are there in hopes of getting lucky – but they sort by age, and so far we haven’t heard of anyone outside their 60s getting vaccinated this way.
IN-PERSON LEARNING: The Seattle Public Schools board meeting tomorrow is likely to have some updates, as well as action items such s approval of the new elementary and K-8 schedules.
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
After another Sunday without a King County update, we start tonight with two days’ worth of numbers:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: We asked Seattle-King County Public Health if update-less Sundays were the new norm; they said no, just happened to happen two weekends in a row – this time the problem was a staffing emergency. So remember the daily summary from Seattle-King County Public Health, represents the changes since Saturday:
*85.629 people have tested positive, 346 more than Saturday’s total
*1,452 people have died, unchanged from Saturday’s total
*5,220 people have been hospitalized, 17 more than Saturday’s total
*949,161 people have been tested, 6,660 more than Saturday’s total
One week ago, those totals were 84,303/1,437/5,180/933,980.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 123.6 million cases, 2,722,000 deaths – 542,000 in the U.S. See the other stats – nation by nation – here.
PHASE 3: Reminder – the entire state is now in Phase 3 of reopening, which means 50 percent capacity for many types of businesses. But not all are choosing to reopen that fully, so be mindful of what your favorite businesses decide to do.
TEST SITE CLOSING: Announced tonight – the city-run West Seattle testing/vaccination site will be vaccination-only as of March 31st.
IF YOU’RE ELIGIBLE AND LOOKING FOR AN APPOINTMENT … here are the links we’ve amassed:
*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 search to try
*Pharmacies big and small – Safeway, Rite Aid, QFC, Pharmaca, Costco
*Sea Mar clinics
LEFTOVERS? Here’s what commenter SD said happened late today at the West Seattle site.
SCHOOL SURVEY: Seattle Public Schools is reminding elementary families to answer the latest reopening-related survey by Wednesday.
NEED FOOD? This week’s nearest Food Lifeline distribution is 2-5 pm Friday (March 26th) at 815 S. 96th.
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
After seven months, the city will soon stop offering COVID-19 testing in the Southwest Athletic Complex parking lot. Tonight’s Seattle-King County Public Health pandemic-news update says it’ll become a vaccinations-only site at the end of the month, just as eligibility expands again. The last day of testing there will be March 30th, says Public Health. If you need a test after that in West Seattle, in addition to health-care providers, the self-testing Curative kiosk at Don Armeni Boat Ramp (1222 Harbor SW) will continue to be available.
Now that Seattle Public Schools has a plan for meeting the governor’s order to offer some in-person learning to elementary students by early April, it’s surveying families to find out how many intend to accept that offer. The district sent this reminder tonight for families to return those surveys:
Seattle Public Schools sent an important survey last week to families with students in kindergarten through fifth grade in order to determine how many students from those groups will be returning to in-person learning in SPS schools next month. Survey responses are due by midnight Wednesday, March 24.
The survey, which was sent to families on Friday, March 19, 2021, is the primary way for the district to ascertain the instructional model choice of families:
• A hybrid instructional model of in-person part-time and remote part-time —
* M-T-Th-F half-day in-person, half-day remote
* W full-day remote for all students
• A full remote instruction model.Return Dates
• March 29 – All preschool students and students enrolled in elementary special education Intensive Services Pathways;
• April 5 – All other kindergarten to 5th grade students;
• April 5 – Students enrolled in middle and high school special education intensive pathways.Preschool and elementary students enrolled in a K-8 school will follow the start dates outlined above.
The announcement includes a reminder of the schedule changes announced over the weekend. Meantime, the return to schools isn’t finalized yet – the Seattle Education Association is voting this week on whether to accept the agreement.
Tonight’s pandemic news:
PHASE 3 TOMORROW: The entire state moves into Phase 3 of the governor’s updated reopening plan. What does that mean? See page 4 here. Key points of what’s allowed:
-Indoor dining, 50 percent capacity
-Indoor shopping, 50 percent capacity
-Personal services, 50 percent capacity
-Indoor worship, 50 percent capacity
-Indoor entertainment venues, 50 percent capacity or 400 people, whichever is less. (If food or drinks are served, eating and drinking requirements apply)
-Indoor fitness, 50 percent capacity, showers allowed
NO COUNTY DASHBOARD UPDATE: For the second consecutive Sunday, the King County daily-summary dashboard wasn’t updated today, so no new daily numbers. (Take note, that means the Monday update will be two days’ worth of stats.)
WEST SEATTLE TRENDS: Since this is a weekly check, we can still do it with the latest info in the system (which is from Saturday). The 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, 94 positive test results; 65 in the 2 weeks before that; 71 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, one more since last week.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 123.1 million cases and 2,715,000+ deaths, 542,000+ of them in the U.S. – see the nation-by-nation breakdown here.
IF YOU’RE ELIGIBLE AND LOOKING FOR AN APPOINTMENT … here are the links we’ve amassed:
*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
*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!
First pandemic update of spring 2021:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here are the cumulative totals from Public Health‘s daily-summary dashboard:
*85,283 people have tested positive, 210 more than yesterday’s total
*1,452 people have died, 2 more than yesterday’s total
*5,203 people have been hospitalized, 3 more than yesterday’s total
*942,501 people have been tested, 264 more than yesterday’s total
ONE WEEK AGO: Last Saturday, those numbers were 84,031/1,437/5,175/927,326.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 122.7 million people have tested positive, and more than 2,709,000 people have died; U.S. deaths exceed 541,000. Most cases: U.S., Brazil, India, Russia, UK. See the breakdown, nation by nation, here.
SCHOOL SCHEDULES: As Seattle Public Schools moves toward complying with the governor’s order to offer students in-person learning, the district has announced a change in elementary and K-8 schedules.
IF YOU’RE ELIGIBLE AND LOOKING FOR AN APPOINTMENT … here are the links we’ve amassed:
*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
*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!
Thanks for the tip. With email to families and an update on the district website, Seattle Public Schools announced tonight that it’s trying to deal with a bus-driver shortage by changing schedules for elementary and K-8 schools as they reopen for some in-person learning:
Providing SPS student transportation became significantly more challenging to plan and staff as a result of the governor’s order to return all K-5 students by April 5.
The transportation department had been thoughtfully building full-time routes for a phased increase of students beginning with preschool and K-12 students enrolled in Special Education Intensive Pathways.
The governor’s March 15 order to immediately increase K-5 students in addition to the 1/2 day in-person instructional model agreed to with Seattle Education Association didn’t leave the transportation team enough time to rebuild routes, and our bus contractor to hire and train drivers. To serve students per the district’s pre-pandemic transportation service standards and follow additional bargained agreements, approximately 400 buses would have been required. As of March 18, about half the number of required bus drivers were available.
The district recognizes and is deeply concerned about the inequities created for our students and families during our pandemic response – especially those furthest from educational justice.
To address this and keep school start and end times consistent, the district determined yellow buses would be prioritized for students that we are legally obligated to provide transportation and those most vulnerable. These students include students receiving special education services whose Individualized Education Program (IEP) requires transportation, Head Start participants, McKinney-Vento (a program that serves students experiencing homelessness), students receiving foster care services, and students with a 504 accommodation for transportation.
We know these efforts didn’t go far enough to provide access to in-person learning for students who need it most.
To support students’ equitable access to in-person learning, we are taking the immediate step to increase yellow bus transportation and accommodate as many students as possible.
This requires a change to elementary and K-8 bell schedules, school start and end times. We are asking everyone to adjust a little so that we can serve more students that need and want in-person learning.
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 is subject to Board approval. 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
This 30-minute adjustment to bell schedules will allow more students the opportunity to participate in the 1/2 day, in-person hybrid learning model. With an hour between elementary and secondary start times, we can use the same drivers and buses to transport students, increasing access to yellow bus transportation. This approach is a return to our normal transportation model and operations for in-person learning.The change will take place on March 29 for all elementary and K-8 students and continue through the end of this school year.
While the district can’t guarantee transportation to students beyond those that we are legally obligated to support, we will continue to work to increase transportation access in the most equitable way possible. The district will use our school equity tiering system as we develop routes and expand opportunities for general education students to return in person with transportation.
Once 6-12th grade students return to school buildings, Orca Cards will be provided. We are working with King County Metro to coordinate additional safety and timing for routes.
One other big announcement as SPS moves toward reopening schools – Superintendent Denise Juneau is leaving at the start of May instead of the end of June, making way for Dr. Brent Jones to take over sooner as interim superintendent.
Here are the major local pandemic updates as we head into the weekend:
KING COUNTY NUMBERS: First, the latest stats from the Public Health daily-summary page, cumulative totals:
*85,073 people have tested positive, 214 more than yesterday’s total
*1,450 people have died, 6 more than yesterday’s total
*5,200 people have been hospitalized, 1 more than yesterday’s total
*942,237 people have been tested, 1,640 more than yesterday’s total
On to our weekly check of key numbers on the COVID Vaccination Among King County Residents dashboard:
*535,724 people have received one dose
*291,838 people have received both doses
*802.355 doses have been allocated to King County
One week ago, the first four totals were 83,806/1,435/5,166/926,928, and the vaccination totals were 459,191/260,713/714,115.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 122.2 million cases, 2,701,000+ deaths – see the nation-by-nation numbers here.
COUNTY HEALTH OFFICER’S BRIEFING: In his weekly briefing, Dr. Jeff Duchin said “The forecast is partly sunny with storm clouds on the horizon.’ But he said clear signs of the vaccines’ success is the drop in case numbers among older people – the majority of new cases now are in younger and middle-age adults. Bad news is, cases are on the rise again, “and we can’t let optimism blind us to the situation.” He urged everyone – vaccinated or not – to keep taking precautions, particularly masking and (when you’re indoors) ventilation.
VACCINATION LEFTOVERS: Dr. Duchin said that right now the county is only getting an average of 1 dose a week for every 8 eligible people, though the supply is expected to increase soon. In light of that, before we get to the “where to look” list, we have an interesting report from reader Brian: He says people are gathering at the West Seattle community vaccination site late in the afternoon, hoping for a chance at a leftover shot – as you’ve probably heard, the two-dose vaccines can’t be saved, once opened. (Brian sent a photo of the crowd gathered today, but we don’t want to violate anyone’s medical privacy, so we’re not publishing it.) He reports that yesterday, about 50 people showed up, and 8 got shots; today, about 100 were there, and 12 shots were available. We asked city spokesperson Kelsey Nyland about the official policy for these “leftovers.” She replied:
Generally, the Seattle Fire Department has around four-five doses left at the end of each day at our Rainier Beach and West Seattle vaccination hubs. We have found that residents in the area gravitate toward each site at the end of each day. If unused vaccine is available, SFD will vaccinate the oldest people in the line outside the site. SFD has found that this approach results in more older adults getting vaccinated through end-of-day doses than the standby list we previously used.
IF YOU’RE ELIGIBLE AND LOOKING FOR AN APPOINTMENT … here are the links we’ve amassed:
*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)
*Pharmacies big and small – Safeway, Rite Aid, QFC, Pharmaca, Costco
*Sea Mar clinics
IF YOU NEED TESTING SATURDAY: The city’s West Seattle test site (2801 SW Thistle) continues to be open on Saturdays.
GOT INFO OR PHOTOS? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you!
More big announcements from the governor:
MORE VACCINATION ELIGIBILITY: Everyone 60 and up will be eligible as of March 31st, as will everyone 16 and up with at least two of the conditions on these CDC lists. Plus, Gov. Inslee said in an afternoon briefing, restaurant/food-service and construction workers will be added too. Here’s his full announcement, which also included word he’s expanding permission for long-term-care visits and extending the statewide eviction moratorium.
EARLIER IN THE DAY … you might have guessed an eligibility-expansion announcement was on the way because the weekly Department of Health briefing featured news that the federal government was “significantly increasing” supply in the next several weeks, to the point where Secretary of Health Dr Umair Shah expressed more concern about vaccine hesitancy than about supply. He said virus variants have been identified in 156 cases around the state, but so far they don’t seem to have raised the risk of severe disease or death. Here’s the latest state report on variants.
BUT ‘WE’RE NOT OUT OF THIS PANDEMIC’ … warned Dr. Shah, saying the downward trend had definitely flattened. Tonight’s King County numbers certainly bear that out. From the Public Health daily-summary dashboard, here are today’s cumulative totals:
*84,859 people have tested positive, 285 more than yesterday’s total
*1,444 people have died, unchanged from yesterday’s total
*5,199 people have been hospitalized, 11 more than yesterday’s total
*940,597 people have been tested, 2,144 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, the four totals we track were 83,653/1,429/5,159/925,061.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them, county by county, on the state Department of Health page.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 121.7 million cases worldwide, 29.6 million of them in the U.S. See the nation-by-nation breakout here.
HAZARD PAY LAWSUIT DISMISSED: A judge threw out the lawsuit against the new city requirement of hazard pay for grocery-store workers.
FREE FOOD ON FRIDAY: Highland Park Elementary will give out food boxes 3-5 pm outside the school at 1012 SW Trenton … Food Lifeline distributes free food boxes 2-5 tomorrow at its South Park HQ (815 S. 96th).
LOOKING FOR VACCINE? The state has upgraded its appointment-search tool. Meantime, here’s our list of links:
*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)
*Pharmacies big and small – Safeway, Rite Aid, QFC, Pharmaca, Costco
*Sea Mar clinics
GOT PHOTOS/TIPS? 206-293-6302, text or voice, or westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
2:49 PM: Gov. Inslee‘s holding another pandemic briefing right now and among his announcements, he’s expanding vaccination eligibility again – on March 31st, it’ll extend to more groups than were originally in the next tier, including restaurant and other food-service workers, construction workers, people 60-65, and people over 16 with two or more co-morbidities (added: from either or both linked lists, the state says).
(Graphic from governor’s office)
He’s also extending the statewide eviction moratorium through the end of June (which Seattle’s mayor has already done) and the utility-shutoff moratorium through the end of July.
The governor said the eligibility expansion is possible because the supply is increasing – something also noted in the weekly briefing by health officials earlier today. Dan Laster, director of the state’s COVID-19 Vaccine Action Command and Coordination System (VACCS) Center, promised that the state is working on improving support for finding vaccination appointments, both online and by phone.
2:59 PM: The governor also announced that some indoor visitation will be allowed at long-term care facilities.
3:33 PM: The briefing is over; the archived video should be viewable in the same window above shortly. Here are full details of what the governor just announced.
Tonight’s pandemic news:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Seattle-King County Public Health daily-summary dashboard, the cumulative totals:
*84,574 people have tested positive, 158 more than yesterday’s total
*1,444 people have died, 3 more than yesterday’s total
*5,188 people have been hospitalized, 3 more than yesterday’s total
*938,453 people have been tested, 2,169 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, the four totals we track were 83,471/1,429/5,156/924,499.
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 SITUATION: The mayor’s office says the city is administering almost 2,000 doses of vaccine per day this week. From their news release:
With nearly 14,000 doses of both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, the City will vaccinate Washington State Department of Health-eligible residents across its three fixed vaccination sites at the Lumen Field Event Center, Rainier Beach, and West Seattle, as well as continue to vaccinate vulnerable older adults living in affordable housing through the Seattle Fire Department Mobile Vaccination Teams. …
This week, the Community Vaccination Site at the Lumen Field Event Center will administer first doses of the Pfizer vaccine Tuesday, March 16, and Saturday, March 20. The City and Swedish will administer approximately 1,200 doses on March 16, and 3,200 doses on March 20. In addition to these first dose clinics, the City and Swedish are partnering on a second dose clinic on March 17, for approximately 1,200 people. Going forward, the Lumen Field Event Center, operated by the department of Finance and Administrative Services and Swedish Health Services, will provide vaccine Wednesdays and Saturdays until supply increases.
The Community Testing and Vaccination Hubs in Rainier Beach and West Seattle, operated by SFD, will administer approximately 5,700 doses of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines this week. The SFD community hubs operate six days per week and have the ability to administer up to 1,500 vaccinations per day, per site. …
This week, the SFD MVTs will administer the Moderna vaccine to older adults living in affordable housing buildings throughout Seattle. The SFD MVTs are also partnering with several community-based organizations that primarily serve Latinx communities to post a pop-up vaccination clinic at the South Park Community Center.
You can check for West Seattle site appointments here; sign up for the city’s notification list for all three of its sites here.
Other places to check for vaccination appointments:
*Health-care providers (particularly bigger ones like UW Medicine, CHI Franciscan, Swedish, Kaiser Permanente, etc.)
*covidwa.com (volunteer-run aggregator)
*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.
GOT INFO? Email us at westseattleblog@gmail.com or phone us, text or voice, at 206-293-6302 – thank you!
Schools and shots top the pandemic news tonight:
SCHOOLS: Looks like Seattle Public Schools will meet the first of two deadlines set by the governor for offering some in-person learning to students – the district and the Seattle Education Association announced a tentative agreement today that would cover all but middle- and high-school students by the April 5th deadline (one week before spring break); they’re still talking about how to get those older students some in-person instruction by April 19th. (By the way, though Gov. Inslee would not on Friday answer the question of what happens if schools don’t meet those deadlines, his full proclamation issued today says, “Violators of this order may be subject to criminal penalties.”)
SHOTS: Vaccination eligibility expands tomorrow to add everyone in Phase 1B, Tier 2, summarized as including “workers in agriculture, food processing, grocery stores, public transit, firefighters and law enforcement, among others, (and) people over the age of 16 who are pregnant or have a disability that puts them at high-risk.” (Check the PhaseFinder tomorrow if you’re unsure.)
ELIGIBLE BUT NOT VACCINATED YET? Here’s our list of where to look for an appointment:
*For the city-run Lumen Field, West Seattle, and Rainier Beach sites – get on the notification list here; check for West Seattle-specific appointments by going here
*Check with health-care providers (particularly bigger ones like UW Medicine, CHI Franciscan, Swedish, Kaiser Permanente, etc.)
*covidwa.com (volunteer-run aggregator)
*Pharmacies big and small – Safeway, Rite Aid, QFC, Pharmaca, Costco
*Sea Mar clinics
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Checking today’s daily summary from Seattle-King County Public Health – the cumulative totals:
*84.416 people have tested positive, 113 more than yesterday’s total
*1,441 people have died, 4 more than yesterday’s total
*5,185 people have been hospitalized, 5 more than yesterday’s total
*936,284 people have been tested, 2,304 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, the totals were 83,274/1,421/5,150/920,798.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
NATIONAL/WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 120.6 million cases worldwide, 29.5 million of them in the U.S. – see other nation-by-nation stats by going here.
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
Just in, a joint announcement from Seattle Public Schools and the Seattle Education Association, saying they’ve made a deal to get some students back into the classroom, four days after Gov. Inslee announced he would order schools to offer some in-person learning:
The tentative agreement includes our joint commitment to bring all pre-kindergarten and elementary special education intensive services pathways students back into classrooms first on March 29. SEA and SPS recognize the unique challenges that remote learning has presented these students. All other elementary students whose families choose the in-person instructional model and secondary special education intensive pathway students will start on April 5. …
Throughout bargaining the teams focused on meeting the needs of our entire school community whether in-person or remote. Additionally, to allow students more days of in-person interaction with classmates, the parties agreed on a hybrid (in person part-time and remote part-time) instructional model where students would attend either morning or afternoon in-person class four days a week, with remote teaching and learning on Wednesdays. All Families will also have the option of a 100% remote model. …
Kindergarten to 5th grade families will receive an Intent to Enroll Survey later this week and an opportunity to select the in-person instructional model or 100% remote.
Once the organizations ratify the tentative agreement next week, more details will be available.
Bargaining continues as SEA and SPS now focus on coming to an agreement to bring middle and high school students back to classrooms.
April 5th is the governor’s deadline for all students through elementary grades to be offered some in-person learning; for middle- and high-school students, he set April 19th. (His full proclamation is here.)
The vaccination situation once again tops tonight’s pandemic headlines:
SCHOOL PROCLAMATION: No updates today from Seattle Public Schools or the Seattle Education Association regarding what they plan to do in response to Gov. Inslee‘s order that schools start offering some in-person instruction to all students soon. As promised, the governor did issue the full proclamation today – you can read it here.
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: No King County update yesterday, so these are two days’ worth of numbers on the daily summary from Seattle-King County Public Health, representing the changes since Saturday:
*84,303 people have tested positive, 272 more than Saturday’s total
*1,437 people have died, unchanged from Saturday’s total
*5,180 people have been hospitalized, 5 more than Saturday’s total
*933,980 people have been tested, 6,654 more than Saturday’s total
One week ago, those totals were 83,196/1,416/5,147/918,491.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 120.1 million cases, 2,660,000 deaths – 535,000 in the U.S. See the other stats – nation by nation – here.
EVICTION MORATORIUMS EXTENDED: Mayor Durkan has extended the residential and commercial eviction moratoriums another three months, until the end of aJune.
GUARANTEED LAWYER FOR RENTERS? The City Council delayed for two weeks a vote on guaranteeing legal representation to renters facing eviction. The bill’s sponsor, Councilmember Kshama Sawant, was not happy.
PARKING RULES: Today the mayor also announced the year-long suspension of the 72-hour parking limit will end April 1st, though some other changes, such as short-term pickup zones in front of restaurants and other businesses, will continue for now.
ELIGIBLE BUT NOT VACCINATED YET? Here’s our list of where to look for an appointment (remember that eligibility expands on Wednesday):
*For the Lumen Field site as well as the city-run West Seattle and Rainier Beach sites – get on the notification list here; check for West Seattle appointments available in the next few days by going here
*Your health-care provider (particularly bigger ones like UW Medicine, CHI Franciscan, Swedish, Kaiser Permanente, etc.)
*covidwa.com (volunteer-run aggregator)
*Pharmacy chains 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 (March 19th) at 815 S. 96th. … Also on Friday, Highland Park Elementary (1012 SW Trenton) will be offering free food boxes 3-5 pm.
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
Tonight’s pandemic news:
NO COUNTY DASHBOARD UPDATE: The King County daily-summary dashboard hasn’t updated today, so no new numbers.
WEST SEATTLE TRENDS: Since this is a weekly check, we can still do it with the latest info in the system (which would be from Saturday). The 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, 80 positive test results; 64 in the 2 weeks before that; 100 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: 63, two more since last week.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 119.8 million cases and 2,653,000+ deaths, 534,000+ of them in the U.S. – see the nation-by-nation breakdown here.
VACCINATING EDUCATORS: The city had a special vaccination clinic today at the Rainier Beach “hub” for educators/school staff, child-care providers, and youth-services providers. They planned to inoculate 1,000 people with the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, first time the city has used that vaccine.
ELIGIBLE BUT NOT VACCINATED YET? Here’s our list of where to look for an appointment (potentially useful on Wednesday and beyond if you’re among those becoming eligible then):
*For the Lumen Field site as well as the city-run West Seattle and Rainier Beach sites – get on the notification list here; check for West Seattle appointments available in the next few days by going here
*Your health-care provider (particularly bigger ones like UW Medicine, CHI Franciscan, Swedish, Kaiser Permanente, etc.)
*covidwa.com (volunteer-run aggregator)
*Pharmacy chains 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!
Last pandemic update before Daylight Saving Time arrives:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here are the cumulative totals from Public Health‘s daily-summary dashboard:
*84,031 people have tested positive, 225 more than yesterday’s total
*1,437 people have died, 2 more than yesterday’s total
*5,175 people have been hospitalized, 9 more than yesterday’s total
*927,326 people have been tested, 398 more than yesterday’s total
ONE WEEK AGO: Last Saturday, those numbers were 82,941/1,415/5,137/914,177.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 119.5 million people have tested positive, and more than 2,648,000 people have died; U.S. deaths exceed 534,000. Most cases: U.S., Brazil, India, Russia, UK (Brazil and India have traded places since last Saturday). See the breakdown, nation by nation, here.
MASS VACCINATION SITE OPENS The mayor returned to the Lumen Field Event Center today as it went into service as a mass vaccination site:
The Seattle Times reports ~2,160 shots were given today. The city says that’s just a fraction of what the site could handle if and when enough vaccine is available.
ELIGIBLE BUT NOT VACCINATED YET? Here’s our list of where to look for an appointment:
*For the Lumen Field site as well as the city-run West Seattle and Rainier Beach sites – get on the notification list here; check for West Seattle appointments available in the next few days by going here
*Your health-care provider (particularly bigger ones like UW Medicine, CHI Franciscan, Swedish, Kaiser Permanente, etc.)
*covidwa.com (volunteer-run aggregator)
*Pharmacy chains 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!
For the second consecutive night, a big announcement from the governor leads the roundup:
GET BACK IN THE CLASSROOM, SAYS GOVERNOR: By mid-April, “every student” must have the option of some in-person learning, by order of the governor. Seattle Public Schools says it’s waiting until the governor puts this all in writing to “analyze” it; no official reaction yet from the Seattle Education Association yet, either. Side note: Oregon’s governor announced a similar order today.
KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here are the latest stats from the Public Health daily-summary page, cumulative totals:
*83,806 people have tested positive, 153 more than yesterday’s total
*1,435 people have died, 6 more than yesterday’s total
*5,166 people have been hospitalized, 7 more than yesterday’s total
*926,928 people have been tested, 1,867 more than yesterday’s total
Now, our weekly check of key numbers on the COVID Vaccination Among King County Residents dashboard:
*459,191 people have received one dose
*260,713 people have received both doses
*714,115 doses have been allocated to King County
One week ago, the first four totals were 82,818/1,412/5,125/913,804, and the vaccination totals were 393.154/218,184/622,155.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 119 million cases, 2,639,000+ deaths – see the nation-by-nation numbers here.
STATEWIDE SITUATION REPORT: The newest one was released tonight. Key points:
-Case counts have increased slightly in western Washington and plateaued in eastern Washington as of late February.
-Most counties have seen declines in case counts since the first week of January, but cases have flattened in several counties and are starting to increase again in others.
=Cases are increasing among younger adults aged 20-29 and 30-39. This has previously been an early warning sign of larger surges in the general population.
-We are seeing sharp declines in hospital admission rates among people 70 and older, possibly because those groups are among the first to get vaccinated.
-COVID-19 transmission is continuing at about the same level after declines through January and February.
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-The estimated prevalence (percentage of people with active COVID-19 infections) began to plateau in early February after declines in January.
COUNTY HEALTH OFFICER’S BRIEFING: In his weekly briefing, Dr. Jeff Duchin said “The forecast is partly sunny with a chance of rain.’
VACCINATION SITUATION: Dr. Duchin and the county continue warning that supply is far behind demand, and that’s even before the eligibility expansion that kicks in next week. If you’re seeking vaccine:
If you’re eligible now, here are places to look:
*For the city-run West Seattle and Rainier Beach sites and Lumen Field Event Center hub – get on the notification list here; check for West Seattle appointments available in the next few days by going here
*Your health-care provider (particularly bigger ones like UW Medicine, CHI Franciscan, Swedish, Kaiser Permanente, etc.)
*covidwa.com (volunteer-run aggregator)
*Pharmacy chains big and small – Safeway, Rite Aid, QFC, Pharmaca (a reader reports they opened up appointments tonight), Costco
*Sea Mar clinics
IF YOU NEED TESTING SATURDAY: The city’s West Seattle test site (2801 SW Thistle) continues to be open on Saturdays.
GOT INFO OR PHOTOS? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you!
11:39 AM: Almost exactly one year after he ordered schools to close, the governor says he’s issuing an emergency proclamation to “give every K-12 student” the “option” of in-person learning. (Watch his briefing live above.) He says there’s “now undeniably a mental-health crisis” for youth and so it’s imperative that they have the opportunity to go back. He adds that “the order allows for staggering the re-introduction”:
*By April 5th, all elementary students must have the option of in-person learning
*By April 19th, all other students must have the option
He underscores that districts “are still required” to follow health/safety precautions. He says his order will require at least two in-person days a week. He acknowledges that returning to in-person learning won’t instantly solve the mental-health crisis, so other measures will be taken to address that.
11:47 AM: The governor turns the microphone over to state superintendent Chris Reykdal. He says about 50 percent of the state’s students are already getting some in-person learning. He expresses concerns such as a high absence rate in middle and high school, and an increase in F/incomplete grades for their work, with a 50 percent jump in students as a result not getting credit for coursework, so “this is the time for us to double down” – reopening “needs to be sped up significantly. … The science says we can open schools up safely.”
11:56 AM: Swedish‘s director of pediatrics Dr. Nwando Anyaoku is speaking now. She says they’ve seen a dramatic increase in children needing emergency attention for mental-health crises “and that’s just the tip of the iceberg … that’s something we can’t allow to continue.” She’s followed by Dr. Peter Asante, from the board of the Washington state chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The “impact of school closures (is) now at epidemic proportions,” he says. Masking, screening, ventilation are among “simple strategies that work” to keep everyone safe – so far outbreaks at schools have been “highly uncommon.”
12:10 PM: They and the governor all reiterate that the pandemic has brought inequities into the light and work to remedy them will have to continue long term. Inslee now moves on to media Q&A. He’s asked what changed enabling him to make this kind of order, since he’d said before that he couldn’t, and what happens if unions/district defy it? “Look, this is a legally binding proclamation,” he replies. But “we’re not here today for threats, we’re here for success.” As for the authority, he cites the new information about the mental-health crisis: “We’re responding to the new science that we have. … The conditions changed. The scientific information changed. The authority did not change – the conditions did not exist in which (we could) use the authority.” He also says vaccination of educators should not be an issue, as “they have an almost exclusive” access through the federal pharmacy program, along with access via other channels.
Pressed again, what happens if a district says it can’t meet the new deadlines? “That’s not going to happen because we know they can,” Inslee insists. “… Schools are making it work in every imaginable (type of) district across the state of Washington.” He declares the situation a “win-win-win,” and also reiterates that this is an order to offer the option, not to require families to send their kids back to school if they’re not comfortable with it. (Still no reply to the question of what happens if the order is defied.)
12:41 PM: The briefing is over. The archived video should be available in the same window above shortly. We’ll be updating as reaction comes in.
2:46 PM: Here’s the official statement we obtained from Seattle Public Schools:
Seattle Public Schools has been working to bring back our students, beginning with our most vulnerable, for in-person instruction: students receiving special education services and preschool students.
We are in active negotiations with the Seattle Education Association for a safe and successful return. We have a plan and have been on track in partnership with SEA to come to an agreement that would return these students beginning on March 29.
The governor’s proclamation and details will be released on Monday. We will need time to analyze the details of the proclamation and determine the impacts for our students, families, and staff.
3:26 PM: A spokesperson for the Seattle Education Association tells WSB that the union has no official comment yet.
7:15 PM: Here’s what SEA has sent to its membership, noting, “With our bargaining team in non-stop bargaining, we have not had time to fully process how this will impact the current negotiations.”
Big announcements at the top of tonight’s roundup:
MORE REOPENING, MORE VACCINATION ELIGIBILITY: Two big headlines from Gov. Inslee‘s midafternoon briefing (video here) – both involving phases:
*Reopening moves to the newly defined Phase 3 on March 22nd. Here’s how the governor’s announcement explains it (pending full details next week):
Sports guidance will change in Phase 3 to allow in-person spectators at events for the first time in a year. Spectators will be allowed to attend outdoor venues with permanent seating with capacity capped at 25%. The change affects both professional and high school sports, as well as motorsports, rodeos, and other outdoor spectator events. Social distancing and facial covering are still required.
The new phase also allows for up to 400 people maximum to attend outdoor activities, as well as events in indoor facilities — so long as 400 people does not exceed 50% capacity for the location, and physical distancing and masking protocols are enforced. Larger venue events are capped at 25% occupancy, or up to 9,000 people, whichever is less, and must follow spectator guidelines.
Additionally, Phase 3 will allow up to 50% occupancy or 400 people maximum, whichever is lower, for all indoor spaces. This applies to all industries and indoor activities currently allowed; restaurants, gyms and fitness centers and movie theaters, among others, may all increase their capacity. A full list of industry-level changes for the new phase will be released next week.
*Vaccination eligibility opens to everyone in Phase 1B, Tier 2 – including “workers in agriculture, food processing, grocery stores, public transit, firefighters and law enforcement” and “people over the age of 16 who are pregnant or have a disability that puts them at high-risk.”
PRESIDENT’S ANNOUNCEMENT: President Biden spoke to the nation this evening (here’s the video), and said he’s telling states that vaccination eligibility has to open to all adults in the U.S. by May 1st. How’s that going to happen? This White House-issued fact sheet has the detailed plan.
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily-summary dashboard, here are today’s cumulative totals:
*83,653 people have tested positive, 182 more than yesterday’s total
*1,429 people have died, unchanged from yesterday’s total
*5,159 people have been hospitalized, 3 more than yesterday’s total
*925,061 people have been tested, 562 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, the four totals we track were 82,716/1,411/5,113/912,028.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them, county by county, on the state Department of Health page.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 118.5 million cases worldwide, 29.2 million of them in the U.S. See the nation-by-nation breakout here.
ANOTHER VARIANT; The one from Brazil has turned up here, Public Health says.
VACCINATION UPDATE: King County’s status report says 76 percent of the people eligible in the county have had at least one dose.
SEEKING VACCINE? If you’re eligible now, here are places to look:
*65+ Seattle residents are eligible for the city-run West Seattle and Rainier Beach sites and Lumen Field Event Center hub – go here
*ADDED: The mayor’s office says WS appointments are available in the days ahead for ANYONE now eligible, not just 65+ – register here
*Your health-care provider (particularly bigger ones like UW Medicine, CHI Franciscan, Swedish, Kaiser Permanente, etc.)
*covidwa.com (volunteer-run aggregator)
*Pharmacy chains big and small – Safeway, Rite Aid, QFC, Pharmaca, Costco
*Sea Mar clinics
NEED FOOD? All welcome at the weekly distribution of food boxes 2-5 pm tomorrow at Food Lifeline (815 S. 96th).
GOT PHOTOS/TIPS? 206-293-6302, text or voice, or westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
2:37 PM: The governor says on March 22nd, every county in Washington will move into Phase 3 – which means 50 percent restaurants, fitness, movie theaters, more. Click above to listen. We’ll add more as it goes.
2:41 PM: He also says sports guidance is changing – so sports venues “with permanent outdoor seating” will be open up to 25 percent capacity – that means, for example, he says up to 9,000 fans when the Mariners open their season. High-school sports is included too. He says youth sports and summer camps are being evaluated as well.
He has vaccination news too – with more open appointments, he says, the next tier of eligibility will kick in March 17th, sooner than previously expected – “everyone in tier 2 will be eligible.” That’s food processing. grocery stores, law enforcement, firefighters, pregnant people, transit, farmworkers, and those with disabilities that put them at higher risk.
But even with all this, he says, “we gotta understand, we’re still in a fight,” so don’t drop your safety precautions. “If we do this, we (should) have a tremendous summer.”
2:47 PM: On to Q&A. Yes, the governor’s office got Seattle/King County signoff on the stadium-reopening plan. … As for youth sports, March 18th is the date they’ll open to some spectators “so more parents and loved ones can watch kids play sports,” said Inslee staffer Nick Streuli. … What about the variants? The governor says they’ll be assessing stats like hospitalizations, county by county, to see if anyone needs to regress to an earlier phase but if people keep up masks and distancing, he’s optimistic that won’t be necessary. Today’s announcement also again changes the metrics they’re watching to assess reopening readiness – see below:
3:03 PM: Here are the details. Counties will be evaluated individually every three weeks, so the next evaluation for reopening will be April 12th. The full industry-by-industry changes will be published next week.
3:17 PM: The briefing is over – the video window above should take you to archived video soon. Meantime. the announcements have started coming in – Mariners expect fans for their April 1st home opener; Sounders FC says it’s hoping to have fans at Lumen Field for its April 16th home opener.
5:59 PM: The governor has issued one correction – the vaccine eligibility is going to Tier 2 *of Phase 1B*.
The city’s vaccination acceleration tops tonight’s pandemic headlines:
1ST MASS VACCINATION SITE: The mayor, governor, and county executive teamed up at Lumen Field Event Center to announce its first day as a mass vaccination site will be Saturday (March 13). It’ll operate a few days per week at the beginning but can scale up to 7-day operations once vaccine supplies increase – potentially 150,000 shots a week.
GET ON THE LIST: If you’re currently eligible for vaccination, you can get on the city’s notification list for the new Lumen Field site, plus the West Seattle and Rainier Beach community sites, by going here.
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Now, from the Seattle-King County Public Health daily-summary dashboard, the cumulative totals:
*83,471 people have tested positive, 197 more than yesterday’s total
*1,429 people have died, 8 more than yesterday’s total
*5,156 people have been hospitalized, 6 more than yesterday’s total
*924,499 people have been tested, 3,701 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, the four totals we track were 82.507/1,404/5,109/910,371.
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.
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.
GOT INFO? Email us at westseattleblog@gmail.com or phone us, text or voice, at 206-293-6302 – thank you!
(Governor’s Office photo from today’s announcement)
When the city announced its West Seattle community vaccination site last week, it also announced a “mass” site would open soon at the Lumen Field Event Center on the south side of downtown. Today, with the mayor, county executive, and governor there for the occasion, the city announced it will open this Saturday.
Also part of the announcement: If you’re eiigible for vaccination, you can get on this list to get notification of available appointments there or at the West Seattle and Rainier Beach community sites. Back to Lumen Field (the former CenturyLink), it will initially be in operation two or three days a week, vaccinating up to 5,000 people a week, but has the capacity to inoculate up to 150,000 people a week when supplies allow (here’s how). The site is a partnership between the city, Swedish, and First & Goal, which is providing the space rent free, as well as free garage parking for people going to vaccination appointments there. The mayor says it will be the “largest civilian-run vaccination site in the country.”
Our nightly roundup of local pandemic news:
BACK TO SCHOOL: Seattle Public Schools and its teachers’ union made a joint announcement today that they are close to agreeing on resuming in-person instruction at month’s end for special-education “intensive pathways” students and preschoolers. Meantime, Highline Public Schools to our south announced today that it has reached an agreement with its teachers union to start phasing in some in-person classes starting this Thursday, and by April 1st they expect to have preschoolers through 5th graders all in “hybrid” mode.
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Checking today’s daily summary from Seattle-King County Public Health – the cumulative totals:
*83,274 people have tested positive, 78 more than yesterday’s total
*1,421 people have died, 5 more than yesterday’s total
*5,150 people have been hospitalized, 3 more than yesterday’s total
*920,798 people have been tested, 2,307 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, the totals were 82,363/1,399/5,120/910,070.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
NATIONAL/WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 117.5 million cases worldwide, 29 million of them in the U.S. – see other nation-by-nation stats by going here.
VACCINATION SITUATION: If you’re eligible, here are some places to look:
*65+ Seattle residents are eligible for the city-run West Seattle and Rainier Beach sites, at least through Saturday – go here
*Your health-care provider (particularly bigger ones like UW Medicine, CHI Franciscan, Swedish, etc.)
*covidwa.com (volunteer-run aggregator)
*Pharmacy chains 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!
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