West Seattle, Washington
15 Sunday
Here are tonight’s local toplines in the pandemic:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: First the numbers, as shown in today’s daily summary from Seattle-King County Public Health – the cumulative totals:
*60,799 people have tested positive, 167 more than yesterday’s total
*1,066 people have died, 10 more than yesterday’s total
*4,100 people have been hospitalized, 34 more than yesterday’s total
*739,941 people have been tested, 3,367 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, the totals were 58,286/1,012/3,895/720,714.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
NATIONAL/WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 81.9 million cases worldwide, 19.5 million of them in the U.S. – see other nation-by-nation stats by going here.
BRIEFING TOMORROW: Even during this between-holidays week, state health experts will present their weekly Wednesday briefing tomorrow. You can watch at noon – here’s the link.
NEED FOOD? Food Lifeline‘s South Park HQ offers emergency food boxes 2-5 pm tomorrow, at 815 S. 96th.
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
Ten months ago tonight, King County’s first COVID-19 case was announced. Here’s the latest:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here are the toplines of today’s daily summary from Seattle-King County Public Health – the cumulative countywide totals:
*60,632 people have tested positive, 513 more than yesterday’s total
*1,056 people have died, 13 more than yesterday’s total
*4,066 people have been hospitalized, 26 more than yesterday’s total
*736,574 people have been tested, 9,233 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, the totals were 58,107/993/3,893/717,680.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them – nation by nation – here.
NOTIFICATION TOOL UPDATE: The WA Notify tool is now being used by 1.57 million people.
NEED HELP PAYING UTILITY BILLS? The city is reminding residents of the Utility Discount Program.
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
The state of economic relief starts tonight’s roundup:
PRESIDENT SIGNS BILL, GOVERNOR ORDERS STOPGAP: After a delay, tonight President Trump signed the bill passed by Congress – but that was too late to avoid a lapse in benefits for some, so Governor Inslee ordered a bridge payment for about 100,000 people in our state who get Pandemic Unemployment Assistance because they’re not eligible for regular unemployment. Here’s the announcement.
KING COUNTY’S NEWEST NUMBERS: Here are the cumulative totals from the Public Health daily-summary dashboard – again, remember that testing availability is limited during holidays, so we won’t get a full picture of the current situation for at least a few more days:
*60,182 people have tested positive, up 182 from yesterday’s total
*1,043 people have died, unchanged since Friday
*4,042 people have been hospitalized, up 23 from yesterday’s total
*732,257 people have been tested, up 1,488 from yesterday’s total
One week ago, the King County totals were 57,630/993/3,885/715,472.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 80.7 million cases and 1,764,000+ deaths – see the nation-by-nation breakdown here.
FOOD FOR STUDENTS: Though Seattle Public Schools is on break again this week, the district is offering food boxes available with a week’s worth of breakfast and lunch items. They’ll be available Tuesday (Dec. 29), 11:15 a.m. – 1:15 p.m, at two West Seattle locations: Denny International Middle School (2601 SW Kenyon) and Madison Middle School (3429 45th SW).
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT? OR? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
Midway through the weekend after Christmas, here are the local pandemic toplines:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: First, the cumulative totals from Public Health‘s daily-summary dashboard – keep in mind that testing availability’s been low the past few days because of the holiday:
*60,000 people have tested positive, 169 more than yesterday’s total
*1,043 people have died, unchanged from yesterday’s total
*4,019 people have been hospitalized, 36 more than yesterday’s total
*730,769 people have been tested, 4,025 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, those totals were 57,129/993/3,825/711,497.
WEST SEATTLE TREND: Here’s our weekly check of this stat, with numbers shown in two-week increments via the “geography over time” tab on the daily-summary dashboard, combining the totals from the West Seattle and Delridge “health reporting areas.” For the past two weeks, 253 positive test results; 426 in the 2 weeks before that; 382 in the two weeks before that.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 80.3 million people have tested positive, and more than 1,757,000 million people have died; U.S. deaths have passed 331,000. Most cases: U.S., India, Brazil, Russia, France (fourth week with no change). See the breakdown, nation by nation, here.
CHILD-CARE ASSISTANCE: Need it? The city might be able to help., as explained here.
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
Yes, even on Christmas night, we have virus news. And first, a reminder that it’s now been 43 weeks since the Friday night announcement of the first King County case of COVID-19. Here’s what’s new:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily summary:
*59,831 people have tested positive, 525 more than yesterday’s total
*1,043 people have died, 11 more than yesterday’s total
*3,983 people have been hospitalized, 9 more than yesterday’s total
*726,744 people have been tested, 674 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, those totals were 56.693/978/3,823/708,641.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 79.8 million cases, 1,750,000+ deaths – see the nation-by-nation numbers here.
TEST SITE REOPENS: After a holiday closure, the West Seattle COVID-19 testing site at Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle) reopens Saturday. Registration for a testing time starts here, depending on whether you do or don’t have symptoms.
GOT INFO OR PHOTOS? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you!
Even on Christmas Eve, we have virus-crisis news (tomorrow, though, depends on whether there’s a data update):
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily-summary dashboard, the cumulative totals:
*59,306 people have tested positive, up 479 from yesterday’s total
*1,032 people have died, up 9 from yesterday’s total
*3,974 people have been hospitalized, up 65 from yesterday’s total
*726,070 people have been tested, up 4,705 from yesterday’s total
One week ago, those totals were 55,919/976/3,803/704,029.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them, county by county, on the state Department of Health page,.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 79,3 million cases worldwide, 18.6 million of them in the U.S. See the nation-by-nation breakout here.
SITUATION REPORT: The state’s newest situation report is out. It’s mixed, but there’s some positive news, including case-count declines in the state’s largest counties, including ours. Here’s the summary.
GROCERY-STORE COVID CASE: Posted today on the PCC Community Markets website:
PCC learned today that a staff member at its West Seattle store has tested positive for COVID-19. This staff member last worked in the store on December 21, 2020. PCC has been in regular contact with the King County Health Department. They have informed us that our current, rigorous COVID-19 cleaning protocol is sufficient to address the situation and that no store or department closures are required. Additionally, they’ve indicated that no other staff members at West Seattle PCC need to self-quarantine if they are asymptomatic. The staff member who tested positive is receiving care and will not return to work until guidance from public health officials allows it. PCC is following the guidelines of the CDC and federal and local governments to protect the individual to ensure they do not lose wages as a result of these steps.
TESTING: The city’s West Seattle test site is closed again today.
GOT PHOTOS/TIPS? 206-293-6302, text or voice, or westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Tonight’s toplines in the pandemic:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: First, from the Seattle-King County Public Health daily-summary dashboard, the cumulative totals:
*58,750 people have tested positive, 474 more than yesterday’s total
*1,022 people have died, 10 more than yesterday’s total
*3,909 people have been hospitalized, 14 more than yesterday’s total
*721,289 people have been tested, 575 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, the four totals we track were 55,212/954/3,765/703,210.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them, county by county, on the state Department of Health page,.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them, nation by nation, here.
STATE BRIEFING: We’re on a “downward trend,” state health officials said. Still way higher than anyone wants to dee, and “not out of the woods” yet, but statewide there’s a downturn – “hopeful numbers going in the right direction.” No post-Thanksgiving spike, so they’re urging everyone to keep up the safety measures for Christmas too. See the full briefing here.
VACCINE UPDATE: Thousands of people have been vaccinated, per the state’s update:
Last week, providers across the state began administering initial doses of COVID-19 vaccine to high-risk health workers, and now, more than 30,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine have been administered. We are thrilled with this progress in such a short time. This week, we allocated 44,850 Pfizer doses and 127,900 Moderna doses. That includes:
*153,925 doses distributed to more than 220 sites in 37 counties
*18,825 doses distributed to support long-term care facilities as well as 14 Tribes and Urban Indian Health Programs
During the aforementioned briefing, officials said it’ll be “several weeks” until vaccinations move on to the next eligible group.
EVICTION MORATORIUM EXTENDED: The city moratorium was extended a week ago through the end of March; today Gov. Inslee announced the same extension for the entire state.
GOT INFO? Email us at westseattleblog@gmail.com or phone us, text or voice, at 206-293-6302 – thank you!
Here’s the latest pandemic news:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: First the numbers, as shown in today’s daily summary from Seattle-King County Public Health – the cumulative totals:
*58,286 people have tested positive, 179 more than yesterday’s total
*1,012 people have died, 19 more than yesterday’s total
*3,895 people have been hospitalized, 2 more than yesterday’s total
*720,714 people have been tested, 3,034 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, the totals were 54,849 /948/3,748/700,591.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
NATIONAL/WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 78 million cases worldwide, 18.2 million of them in the U.S. – see other nation-by-nation stats by going here.
BRIEFING TOMORROW: State health experts continue their weekly Wednesday briefings. You can watch at 8:30 am tomorrow – here’s the link.
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
Time for our nightly toplines in the virus crisis:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here are the toplines of today’s daily summary from Seattle-King County Public Health – the cumulative countywide totals:
*58,107 people have tested positive, 477 more than yesterday’s total
*993 people have died, unchanged since Friday
*3,893 people have been hospitalized, 8 more than yesterday’s total
*717,680 people have been tested, 2,208 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, the totals were 54,649/935/3,714/694,880.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them – nation by nation – here.
TEMPORARILY CLOSED: Illusions Hair Design (WSB sponsor) announced today that one of its employees has tested positive, so the salon is closing for 2 weeks while everyone quarantines.
GOVERNOR’S BRIEFING: Today he focused on the buzz about new variants of the virus overseas, with expert guests. The bottom line: Don’t panic. That said, he did take action as announced below:
Today Gov. Jay Inslee issued a 14-day quarantine requirement for anyone returning to Washington state after visiting the United Kingdom, South Africa, and other countries where a new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, 501Y.V, has been circulating.
Health experts believe this new variant may be more transmissible than other variants. The order applies to anyone who has been present in these countries within the prior 14 days. An individual is permitted to leave quarantine to perform certain essential activities (for example, seek medical treatment), provided that they avoid public transportation and ride-share services, wear a facial covering, separate themselves from other people to the greatest extent reasonably possible, and follow other appropriate social distancing measures. All individuals who are impacted by this order are strongly encouraged to be tested within seven days of returning to Washington. The full proclamation is available here.
See the briefing video here.
RELIGIOUS SERVICES: Also covered in the governor’s post-briefing news release: a removal of the attendance cap on religious services, based on a recent court ruling.
NEED FOOD? On Wedmesday (December 23rd), food boxes will be available 2-5 pm at Food Lifeline (815 S. 96th).
NEED A HOLIDAY MEAL? The Christmas People are waiting for your call “between now and 12/24 to order Christmas Day take-out meals (12-4) for shut-ins, seniors, veterans … people who need a nice meal at Christmas. Call Fred at 206-719-4979 or email pialley@jps.net. We will do this until the food runs out.” They have volunteer drivers to help make this happen.
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
(WSB file photo)
The latest West Seattle business to have to suddenly close temporarily after an employee tested positive for COVID-19 is Illusions Hair Design (WSB sponsor). This announcement just went out to clients:
Over the weekend, one of our staff experienced slight symptoms of Covid-19. She was tested on Saturday and results came back this morning … Positive for the Covid-19 virus. As part of our business protocols and safety procedures, all of our staff and their households are being tested today. Because our staff has all been in contact with someone who has tested positive, we will be quarantining for the recommended 14 days, and this means we will be closing the salon for 2 weeks.
We are in the process of contact tracing and letting all of those who were in the salon beginning Wednesday Dec 16th to let them know of this test result, and cancelling all appointments scheduled for the next few weeks. Should you have any questions in regards to whether you need to be tested and to read through quarantine guidelines for Covid-19, we will direct you to the Department Of Health website HERE & HERE.
Don’t call Illusions, as everybody’s already home and in quarantine. The salon tells WSB that so far, no one else on staff has symptoms. If everyone tests negative, they hope to reopen January 4th.
P.S. A reminder that if you need testing for this or any other reason, West Seattle has one of the official city sites – registration starts here.
For the second consecutive Sunday night, there’s vaccine news:
(Image by Christopher Boffoli)
VACCINE #2 ON THE WAY: The Moderna vaccine will arrive in our state this week as a result of the federal approval and regional approval – here’s the state announcement:
Gov. Jay Inslee today announced the authorization of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine by the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup. The announcement comes after the FDA and CDC granted their initial authorization of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. The Western States Workgroup, comprised of vaccine experts from Washington, California, Oregon and Nevada, have been meeting to review the data and analysis to ensure the safety and efficacy of both the Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna vaccines federally authorized.
Here’s the full announcement.
GOVERNOR ON ECONOMIC-RELIEF BILL: Also today, a statement from Gov. Inslee on the federal economic-relief bill, which includes unemployment benefits and $600 checks for many Americans.
KING COUNTY’S NEWEST NUMBERS: Here are the cumulative totals from the Public Health daily-summary dashboard:
*57,630 people have tested positive, up 501 from yesterday’s total
*993 people have died, unchanged from yesterday’s total
*3,885 people have been hospitalized, up 60 from yesterday’s total
*715,472 people have been tested, up 3,975 from yesterday’s total
One week ago, the King County totals were 54,017/935/3,674/685,369.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 76.8 million cases and 1,693,000+ deaths – see the nation-by-nation breakdown here.
NEED TESTING? Just a reminder that one of the city’s testing sites is here in West Seattle, 8:45 am-5:30 pm Mondays-Saturdays in the parking lot at Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle) – go here to sign up for an appointment.
FOOD FOR STUDENTS: Though Seattle Public Schools is on break this week and next, the district is offering food boxes available with a week’s worth of breakfast and lunch items. They’ll be available Monday, Dec. 21 – tomorrow – and Tuesday, Dec. 29, 11:15 a.m. – 1:15 p.m, at two West Seattle locations: Denny International Middle School (2601 SW Kenyon) and Madison Middle School (3429 45th SW).
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT? OR? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
Midway through the weekend before Christmas, here are the local pandemic toplines:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: First, the cumulative totals from Public Health‘s daily-summary dashboard:
*57,129 people have tested positive, 436 more than yesterday’s total
*993 people have died, 15 more than yesterday’s total
*3,825 people have been hospitalized, 2 more than yesterday’s total
*711,497 people have been tested, 2,856 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, those totals were 53,346/935/3,617/684,615.
WEST SEATTLE TREND: Here’s our weekly check of this stat, with numbers shown in two-week increments via the “geography over time” tab on the daily-summary dashboard, combining the totals from the West Seattle and Delridge “health reporting areas.” For the past two weeks, 385 positive test results; 377 in the 2 weeks before that; 382 in the two weeks before that.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 76.2 million people have tested positive, and more than 1,685,000 million people have died; U.S. deaths have passed 316,000. Most cases: U.S., India, Brazil, Russia, France (third week with no change). See the breakdown, nation by nation, here.
SEATTLE PARKS’ ONLINE PROGRAMS: The department is continuing to offer virtual programming, and now has an online brochure detailing what it’s offering in January.
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
Tonight marks 42 weeks since the Friday night announcement of the first King County case of COVID-19. Here’s what’s new:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily summary:
*56.693 people have tested positive, 774 more than yesterday’s total
*978 people have died, 2 more than yesterday’s total
*3,823 people have been hospitalized, 20 more than yesterday’s total
*708,641 people have been tested, 4,612 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, those totals were 52,575/932/3,588/678,220.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 75.6 million cases, 1,674,000+ deaths – see the nation-by-nation numbers here.
KEY INDICATOR IN THE RED ZONE: Back to local stats for a moment – one of King County’s data dashboards tracks “key indicators”; we check it daily to see if there’s anything new to mention, and today there is. Tracking “health-care system readiness,” the percentage of King County hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients – considered OK at 10 percent or less – has jumped to 12.3 percent.
VACCINE UPDATES: Thursday’s news of fewer Pfizer vaccine doses coming to our state in the near term apparently indeed was the result of a federal miscommunication that’s not expected to affect future allocations, Gov. Inslee tweeted. Meantime, now that the Moderna vaccine has federal approval, it’s expected to be available in our state as soon as Monday.
FOOD FOR STUDENTS: Though Seattle Public Schools is on break the next two weeks, the district is planning to make food boxes available with a week’s worth of breakfast and lunch items. They’ll be available Monday, Dec. 21 and Tuesday Dec. 29, 11:15 a.m. – 1:15 p.m, at two West Seattle locations: Denny International Middle School (2601 SW Kenyon) and Madison Middle School (3429 45th SW).
GOT INFO OR PHOTOS? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you!
Endolyne Joe’s in Fauntleroy is temporarily closing, until indoor sit-down dining is back again. Libby Bills from Chow Foods, which owns the restaurant, tells WSB, “Endolyne Joe’s is temporarily suspending service. We tried to make a go of the curbside/delivery services that we have been offering for the last several months, but we are at a point that we need to preserve enough capital to re-open when this nightmare is at least close to over.” Joe’s general manager Jeff Andrew adds, “We did not come to this decision easily and want to thank the West Seattle community for all their support. We look forward to having our West Seattle family back in our restaurant enjoying our food and drink the way it was meant to be enjoyed.” (added) The restaurant’s last day for now will be Tuesday (December 22nd).
As usual, we end the night with virus-crisis news:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily-summary dashboard, the cumulative totals:
*55,919 people have tested positive, up 707 from yesterday’s total
*976 people have died, up 22 from yesterday’s total
*3,803 people have been hospitalized, up 38 from yesterday’s total
*704,029 people have been tested, up 819 from yesterday’s total
One week ago, those totals were 51,671/920/3,543/675,103.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them, county by county, on the state Department of Health page,.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 74.9 million cases worldwide, 17.2 million of them in the U.S. See the nation-by-nation breakout here.
BACK TO SCHOOLS: Tonight’s Seattle Public Schools board vote starts a process that will likely result in pre-K through 1st graders, and many special-education students, returning to in-person learning by March 1st.
LESS VACCINE? While the first round of vaccinations proceeds, the state said it had been told it’s getting fewer doses – for starters – than previously promised. Pfizer, however, says it’s not having any problems manufacturing or distributing. The governor subsequently said in his afternoon briefing that perhaps it’s just a communication problem.
HELPING: One week until Christmas Eve – still many ways to help, if you can; see the list in our West Seattle Holiday Guide.
GOT PHOTOS/TIPS? 206-293-6302, text or voice, or westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
It wasn’t exactly an enthusiastic vote when Seattle Public Schools board members decided tonight to approve a plan that is likely to send about a fifth of the district’s students back into classrooms by March 1st. Board members acknowledged a lot of trepidation among both families and staff. But they also acknowledged that the district should be planning on how to return more, if COVID-19 case levels should drop dramatically. Here’s how the district’s post-meeting announcement describes what’s been decided:
… The plan, first recommended to the board by Superintendent Denise Juneau and staff at a Dec. 5, 2020 board retreat, will initially resume in-person instruction for Preschool through 1st grade students and students enrolled in moderate to intensive special education service pathways (Focus, Moderate/Intensive, Social Emotional Learning, Distinct, Medically Fragile, Bridges, Preschool (Developmental/Seattle Pre-School Program), and continue serving individual students who have had an IEP Team determine in-person services for Resource and Access service pathways. …
Some highlights of Resolution No. 2020/21-4.1:
• Up to five days per week;
• Beginning on March 1, 2021 for PreK-1 and begin bringing back students enrolled in moderate to intensive service pathways before or on March 1;
• Remote learning will continue to be offered for PreK-1 and Special Education families who opt to not return to in-person instruction;
• Continue the remote learning model, until further notice, for all other students not listed above.Preparation for bringing back additional students:
• SPS staff will begin configuring 75 elementary and K-8 schools to support a 1:15 teacher-student ratio;
• Expansion of Special Education services in secondary schools;
• Bargaining new working conditions with the Seattle Education Association;
• Hiring additional bus drivers and custodial staff;
• Resumption of in-person nutrition services as necessary.SPS will be conducting, in early January, a survey of families to enroll students for the in-person model and determine how many will opt to continue with remote learning.
As we reported Wednesday, the board was supposed to vote last night but was “blindsided” – as West Seattle/South Park board rep Leslie Harris put it – by Gov. Inslee‘s announcement hours earlier of new recommendations for what COVID-19 levels were acceptable for returning students and staff to in-person education. So they took an extra day for staff and board to review what the governor said. Among other things, they noted, the governor’s new policy changes the acceptable level of cases but doesn’t change what kind of distancing and other safety precautions they need to take, and accommodating all students that way – including transportation – would be prohibitively expensive. Read more about the new plan, including some FAQ, on the district website.
Tonight’s toplines in the pandemic:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: First, from the Seattle-King County Public Health daily-summary dashboard, the cumulative totals:
*55,212 people have tested positive, 363 more than yesterday’s total
*954 people have died, 6 more than yesterday’s total
*3,765 people have been hospitalized, 17 more than yesterday’s total
*703,210 people have been tested, 2,619 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, the four totals we track were 50,970/920/3,523/699,809.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them, county by county, on the state Department of Health page,.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them, nation by nation, here.
BACK TO SCHOOL? The governor announced new guidelines today, and the Seattle Public Schools board put off its reopening vote until tomorrow. Here’s our coverage.
VACCINE UPDATE: Hundreds of people have been vaccinated, and tens of thousands more doses are on the way. Here’s the state Health Department‘s update.
GROCERY-STORE CASE: Checking grocery-store websites, we found news of another infected worker at Metropolitan Market-Admiral (WSB sponsor):
One of our Admiral Metropolitan Market team members tested positive for COVID-19 on December 16th. The team member last worked in the store on Saturday, December 12th. We are following the recommended response guidelines from public health authorities, including the Centers of Disease Control (CDC) and the King County Department of Health. In addition to the rigorous sanitation protocols we already have in place, the store undergoes a commercial-grade, electrostatic disinfectant service twice a week, and we are able to safely remain open at this time. All team members who came into close contact with the person who tested positive have been identified, notified, and are required to self-quarantine for 7-days and may return pending a negative COVID-19 test.
The store had a case last week too.
EVICTION MORATORIUM EXTENDED: The city has extended the moratorium on residential, nonprofit, and small-business evictions through March.
GOT INFO? Email us at westseattleblog@gmail.com or phone us, text or voice, at 206-293-6302 – thank you!
The Seattle Public Schools board decided tonight to wait until a special meeting tomorrow to vote on its proposed reopening plan, so board members and staff could review what the governor announced this afternoon. Gov. Inslee said lessons learned elsewhere suggest students and staffers could return to in-person learning safely, sooner – all students, if cases are below 50 per 100,000 population, phased in (starting with the youngest students) if cases are between that point and 350 per 100,000.
(For reference, King County is currently at 420 cases per 100,000.) As the governor pointed out, while he has the authority to close schools, he does not have the authority to order them to reopen, so these are recommendations, not requirements. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal, also participating in the briefing, urged districts and their labor organizations to sit down ASAP and start talking about reopening plans. Read more about today’s announcement here; see the briefing video here.
Back to Seattle Public Schools – what they’re considering, unless there’s a major change before tomorrow’s vote, is a plan to bring back preK through first graders, plus some special-education students, starting March 1st. The board was told at tonight’s meeting that the plan would affect about 11,000 students, roughly one-fifth of the current enrollment. The safety plan enabling that would cost $18 million, the board was told. Parents who don’t want to send their children back would have the option of staying with online learning; they would survey parents of potential returnees in January and February to find out their plans. Tomorrow’s meeting is at 4 pm; find the agenda here.
The city is extending the eviction moratorium for residences, nonprofits, and small businesses until the end of March. Mayor Jenny Durkan has signed a new executive order (read it here). Here’s an excerpt from the announcement:
While the residential eviction moratorium is in place in Seattle, property owners may not issue notices of termination or otherwise initiate an eviction action with the courts unless there is an imminent threat to the health and safety of the community. Along with halting evictions, the order also prevents tenants from incurring late fees, interest, or other charges due to late payment of rent during the moratorium. However, tenants are still legally obligated to pay rent during the moratorium and landlords are encouraged to offer flexible payment plans. Residential tenants who receive any eviction notice during the moratorium should contact the Renting in Seattle hotline at 206‐684‐5700 or go online to submit a complaint. The City of Seattle has committed $18 million to rental assistance in addition to state and King County resources for landlords and tenants. The City of Seattle is closely following any action taken at the state and federal level regarding moratoriums.
The moratorium on eviction of nonprofit and small business commercial tenants apply to independently owned businesses with 50 employees or fewer per establishment, state nonprofits, and 501(c)(3) nonprofits. Along with halting evictions, the order also prevents eligible small businesses and nonprofits from incurring late fees, interest, or other charges due to late payment during the moratorium. For additional questions, please see the Office of Economic Development’s COVID-19 Lease Amendment Tool Kit.
The mayor’s order also extends other pandemic-relief measures including suspension of the 72-hour parking rule and continuation of temporary loading/pickup parking zones for restaurants and retailers. The announcement also notes that with City Council approval earlier this week, utility-payment late fees remain suspended.
Vaccine day 2, and tonight’s other pandemic news:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: First the numbers, as shown in today’s daily summary from Seattle-King County Public Health – the cumulative totals:
*54,849 people have tested positive, 200 more than yesterday’s total
*948 people have died, 13 more than yesterday’s total
*3,748 people have been hospitalized, 34 more than yesterday’s total
*700,591 people have been tested, 5.711 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, the totals were 50,326/905/3,486/662,486.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
NATIONAL/WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 73.4 million cases worldwide, 16.7 million of them in the U.S. – see other nation-by-nation stats by going here.
VACCINE, DAY 2: As of noon today, the Department of Health says, 20,475 doses of vaccine had arrived in our state. Among those who got it today, a Seattle Fire Department paramedic. Another vaccine is expected to get approval by week’s end.
BRIEFING TOMORROW: State health experts continue their weekly Wednesday afternoon briefings. You can watch at 2 pm tomorrow – here’s the link.
SOME SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN-PERSON LEARNING? The district published an update tonight. In short – if the infection rate is a lot lower by February 22nd, the youngest students, through 1st grade, plus some special-education students could return to campus March 1st. The school board would have to authorize this plan at its Wednesday meeting (here’s the agenda).
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
Tonight’s pandemic updates begin with the vaccine’s arrival:
VACCINATION BEGINS: Our state’s first shipment of the first approved COVID-19 vaccine has arrived. But we don’t know yet how long it’ll be until the shots are widely available.
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here are the toplines of today’s daily summary from Seattle-King County Public Health – the cumulative countywide totals:
*54,649 people have tested positive, 632 more than yesterday’s total
*935 people have died, unchanged since Saturday
*3,714 people have been hospitalized, 40 more than yesterday’s total
*694,880 people have been tested, 9,511 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, the totals were 49,739/903/3,449/657,903.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them – nation by nation – here.
REOPENED: Mashiko says everyone’s test came back negative.
HOW COVID-19 IS AFFECTING SPD: The latest update via SPD Blotter says 3 sPD employees have tested positive in the past week.
GRANT $ APPROVED: The City Council approved $5 million for grants to restaurants, bars, and hospitality workers. The business recipients will be chosen from those who have already applied for grants; the workers’ application process will be launched soon.
NEED FOOD? On Friday (December 18th), food boxes will be available 2-5 pm at Food Lifeline (815 S. 96th).
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
(State Health Department pool photo: UWMC Pharmacy Manager Christine Meyer puts a tray of 975 doses of vaccine into the deep freeze)
Thousands of doses of the first approved COVID-19 vaccine have arrived in Seattle. The photo above is from the initial delivery, at UW Medicine‘s Montlake campus. Now that the vaccine has started arriving, we wondered when it might cross the bay to West Seattle.
First, about the vaccine, from the state Health Department announcement:
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is a two-dose vaccine, given 21 days apart. Clinical trial data show the vaccine is 95% effective at preventing COVID-19 infection starting 7 days after the second dose. Individuals will not be considered fully protected until 1 to 2 weeks after they receive the second dose. The clinical trials revealed no major unanticipated adverse events.
62,400+ doses are expected to arrive in our state this week, going to 17 sites in 13 counties. The first to be vaccinated will be in Phase 1a, about half a million people described by the state as “high-risk workers in health care settings, high-risk first responders, and patients and staff of long-term care facilities.” (This fact sheet has more details on Phase 1a eligibility.)
Being on that list doesn’t mean you or your facility is getting vaccine immediately. For example, we checked today with Providence Mount St. Vincent, our area’s largest long-term-care center (and one that’s been dealing with a deadly outbreak). The Mount’s Molly Swain tells WSB, “We are indeed so grateful and excited that the vaccine is coming, it just can’t arrive a moment too soon. We don’t, however, have any information, as of today” regarding when and how their residents/patients and staff will get it. They’ll be partnering with Walgreens, but hoping it can be administered on site.
The state has been inviting would-be vaccine providers to enroll. One of the many that have is Trivas Family Medicine (WSB sponsor) here in West Seattle. Dr. Courtney Johnson tells WSB, “The smaller clinics are waiting for approval of the Moderna vaccine, which is more logistically appropriate for the smaller clinics and pharmacies to handle. I’ve applied to be a distributor of the Moderna vaccine. The state is doing an impressive job trying to roll out this huge endeavor in an incredibly short period of time. Where I’m standing it feels like it’s taking forever, but in context it’s very appropriate. The next steps I’m looking for are approval of the Moderna vaccine and more information on the rest of the algorithm to find out who gets vaccinated when.” The Moderna vaccine could get federal approval later this week. Dr. Johnson says the VaccineFinder website is expected to list providers eventually. (We’ll also be reporting on availability here on WSB, as we’ve continued to provide daily pandemic coverage since the very beginning.)
By month’s end, if all goes well, our state expects to have received 222,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 187,000 of the Moderna vaccine, with regular weekly shipments after that. The state hopes most people in the state will be vaccinated by mid-summer.
Though their future has not been finalized, the no-through-traffic “Stay Healthy Streets” around our area and the rest of the city are getting new signage. Where they intersect with busy streets – like SW Webster at 16th SW, shown in our photo – it’s full-sized barricades, while less-busy spots will get barrel-top signs. The new signage is explained here, along with an update on the program’s status, indicating final decisions on where to make SHS permanent aren’t expected until next year. The West Seattle SHS stretches are mapped here and here; the Alki Point/Constellation Park stretch remains designated a “Keep Moving Street” and the city says those are “temporarily closed to thru-traffic, likely until parking lots start opening up again in Phase 3 of the Safe Start Plan.” A major update on the program is anticipated at next month’s Bicycle Advisory Board meeting.
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