A vaccine is on the way – that tops tonight:

GOVERNOR’S VACCINE ANNOUNCEMENT: “We are ready to go,” said Gov. Inslee in his briefing this morning, announcing that the first to be vaccinated in our state could get their first shot as soon as Tuesday. The FDA’s approval of the Pfizer vaccine was followed by the green light from a group of 17 experts assembled by four Western states, including ours. Two of those experts were part of today’s event. The first to get vaccinated will be health-care workers at highest risk; plans for where everyone falls in the prioritization plan are not finalized yet. Watch the briefing video here.

KING COUNTY’S NEWEST NUMBERS: Here are the cumulative totals from the Public Health daily-summary dashboard:

*54,017 people have tested positive, up 671 from yesterday’s total

*935 people have died, unchanged from yesterday’s total

*3,674 people have been hospitalized, up 57 from yesterday’s total

*685,369 people have been tested, up 754 from yesterday’s total

One week ago, the King County totals were 47.618/894/3,400/651,275.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 72.2 million cases and 1,612.000+ 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. (Wondering what it’s like? Someone we know got tested there this past week. They were at the site for barely 10 minutes; the results came in 26 hours later.)

DROP-IN PLAYFIELD USE: Seattle Parks is launching a program allowing drop-in use Wednesdays and Saturdays at 11 playfields, including the north and south sides of Delridge Playfield. Details are here.

GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT? OR? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!

Tonight’s pandemic toplines:

GOVERNOR MEDIA BRIEFING TOMORROW: Usually Gov. Inslee only has weekend briefings when there’s something big to announce. He’s having one at 11:30 am Sunday, according to an advisory we received tonight. The guest list suggests the spotlight topic:

The governor will be joined by:

Kathy Lofy, state health officer, Department of Health
Dr. John Dunn, COVID Vaccine Scientific Safety Review Workgroup
Dr. Ed Marcuse, COVID Vaccine Scientific Safety Review Workgroup
Michele Roberts, acting assistant secretary, Department of Health

You’ll be able to watch live via TVW.

NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here are the cumulative totals from Public Health‘s daily-summary dashboard:

*53,346 people have tested positive, 771 more than yesterday’s total

*935 people have died, 3 more than yesterday’s total

*3,617 people have been hospitalized, 29 more than yesterday’s total

*684,615 people have been tested, 6,395 more than yesterday’s total

One week ago, those totals were 47,255/894/3,370/650,890.

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, 373 positive test results; 304 in the 2 weeks before that; 207 in the two weeks before that.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 71.6 million people have tested positive, and more than 1.6 million people have died; U.S. deaths have passed 297,000. Most cases: U.S., India, Brazil, Russia, France (same as last week). See the breakdown, nation by nation, here.

TEMPORARY CLOSURE: Mashiko has closed temporarily again after a staff member was exposed to a COVID-positive family member.

CITY EXPANDING FRESHBUCKS: Applications will open next month to bring 3,000 more families into the program.

DONATION DRIVE TOMORROW: 10 am-3 pm outside Alki UCC – holiday food, pet food, and socks.

GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!

Tonight marks 41 weeks since the Friday night announcement of the first King County case of COVID-19. Here are the latest local updates:

NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily summary:

*52,575 people have tested positive, 904 more than yesterday’s total

*932 people have died, 12 more than yesterday’s total

*3,588 people have been hospitalized, 45 more than yesterday’s total

*678,220 people have been tested, 3,117 more than yesterday’s total

One week ago, those totals were 46,931/894/3,347/650.564.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 71 million cases, 1,594,000+ deaths – see the nation-by-nation numbers here.

SOME GOOD NEWS: While the numbers of new cases, and some other stats, are still high, Seattle-King County Public Health leader Dr. Jeff Duchin said in a briefing today that there’s some leveling off.

VIRUS-DELAYED ROAD WORK: SDOT disclosed today that its contractor stopped work on the Delridge RapidRide preparation project because of COVID cases.

WA NOTIFY: A week and a half after this “exposure notification technology” – a feature on iPhones, an app for Androids – was released, 1,350,000+ users have enabled it.

GOT INFO OR PHOTOS? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you!

Tonight’s pandemic-related local notes:

NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily-summary dashboard, the cumulative totals:

*51,671 people have tested positive, up 820 from yesterday’s total

*920 people have died, up 3 from yesterday’s total

*3,543 people have been hospitalized, up 57 from yesterday’s total

*675,103 people have been tested (fewer than yesterday’s total – the state says data is still in flux)

One week ago, those totals were 46,173/886/3,305/628,862.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them, county by county, on the state Department of Health page,. *Note the state has announced a change in death data.*

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 69.5 million cases worldwide, 15.6 million of them in the U.S. See the nation-by-nation breakout here.

VACCINE PLAN UPDATE: From the state Health Department, an update rolling together all the vaccine-related news from recent briefings – see it here.

OUTBREAK UPDATE FROM THE MOUNT: Getting ready for the vaccine, increasing testing, and dealing with an ongoing outbreak that’s taken three more lives – that’s all in this update from Providence Mount St. Vincent, along with how you can show support for residents.

GROCERY-STORE CASE: We watch various business websites for COVID-19 updates, including this page on the Metropolitan Market (WSB sponsor) website. Tonight we note it reported:

One of our Admiral team members tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, December 8th. The team member last worked in the store on Thursday, December 3rd. 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.

We’ve also noted that past case reports from other stores have been removed from the website after a few days; here’s a screengrab in case that happens before you look at the link.

GROCERY WORKERS’ SAFETY: The main union for grocery workers in this region, UFCW 21, has launched a campaign asking customers to help them track safety concerns.

HELPING: Many ways you can do that in the days ahead, including two donation drives in The Junction on Saturday, and a toiletries drive at Delridge Community Center through early January.

GOT PHOTOS/TIPS? 206-293-6302, text or voice, or westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

We’re continuing to check on ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks at West Seattle care facilities. We asked Providence Mount St. Vincent (“The Mount”) for a status report on theirs, as well as whether any community support is needed. Here’s the update they provided in response, also including word that they’ve increased testing and are getting ready for vaccine availability:

The outbreak at Providence Mount St. Vincent continues to reflect the surge of Covid-19 in the broader community. Since the update provided just prior to Thanksgiving, 3 additional people have died. Since the beginning of the pandemic, The Mount has lost a total of 14 people to Covid-19. Right now, 19 residents and 21 caregivers have tested positive in the current outbreak following a period of 6 months with no resident cases. Most all who are positive are in the process of recovery.

“Our hearts go out deeply to those who have lost a loved one and for those fighting to get well either here at The Mount or in the broader community,” said Dr. David Roesel, who serves as an on-site medical provider. “It’s disheartening for all of us to see this. While the entire team of caregivers at The Mount are taking this incredibly seriously, doing everything possible and often with great personal sacrifice, we are seeing across the state and the nation how difficult it is to contain the virus once it is started in congregate settings.”

In addition to months of routine, weekly testing of caregivers and as-needed symptom-based resident testing, last week The Mount began point-of-care rapid testing for residents and caregivers. All residents are additionally being tested this week. Any positive resident test result is immediately followed up with communication with the resident and their family.

(Director of Transitional Care Teresa Goodwin, RN, assists with on-site rapid testing setup at The Mount)

Additionally, caregivers will now be tested twice per week. “The new, on-site lab took a herculean effort to get approved and set up, but is already making a difference”, said Dr. Roesel. “It has enabled us to identify asymptomatic caregivers in under an hour rather than multiple days, and to stop the transmission of the virus from that individual.”

“Continuous transparency with our community of residents, family members, Intergenerational Learning Center parents and caregivers has been our goal since day one,” said Administrator Charlene Boyd. “In addition to weekly written updates; a daily family recorded phone-line update; and a dedicated phone line for family members to call at any time; we have conducted at minimum monthly virtual Town Halls followed up with written notes for all. Since the start of this recent surge, The Mount has increased the Family Virtual Town Hall to bi-weekly. The Town Halls are conducted by our on-site Infection Preventionist, our Director of Clinical Services, our on-site Physicians, and myself. Nurse and administrative leaders for all neighborhoods and living areas throughout The Mount’s campus have also increased weekday morning standup infection-prevention briefings to seven days a week and I couldn’t be more proud of their efforts”.

The team at The Mount has additionally been working hard to be ready to administer the vaccine on-site through a partnership with a national pharmacy and with support from Providence Health and Services.

“The vaccine cannot arrive a moment too soon as we work to protect the most vulnerable residents and caregivers here at The Mount as well as for our broader community,” said Dr. Roesel. “We have the potential to end this pandemic if people are willing to accept the vaccine and keep up public health measures and social distancing until we get there.”

Given the continued surge expected through the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, we implore people to stay home, wear masks and maintain social distancing.

And, please join us in our efforts to make Christmas special for all of the residents at The Mount and to thank the tireless efforts of the caregivers.

A wish list has been developed to fulfill individual resident Christmas wishes and to add a Christmas decoration to their rooms and apartments. Gifts purchased online will be shipped directly to The Mount and team members will ensure a special delivery.

bit.ly/PMSVWishList

Additionally, ornaments may be purchased in gratitude for The Mount’s residents and caregivers through our hallelujah tree program. You may personalize a note to be delivered to them with the ornament, and funds raised support other wonderful life activities through the Providence Mount St. Vincent Foundation.

bit.ly/HallelujahTrees

With immense gratitude to the entire West Seattle community for their outpouring of love and support for all those who make The Mount their home and all those who care for them.

The Mount is West Seattle’s largest facility of its kind.

Here are the local/state pandemic-related toplines:

NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: First, from the Seattle-King County Public Health daily-summary dashboard, the cumulative totals:

*50,970 people have tested positive, 644 more than yesterday’s total

*920 people have died, 15 more than yesterday’s total

*3,523 people have been hospitalized, 37 more than yesterday’s total

*699,809 people have been tested, 37,323 more than yesterday’s total (data catchup continues)

One week ago, the four totals we track were 45,811/878/3,247/628,477.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them, county by county, on the state Department of Health page,.

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them, nation by nation, here.

PARK WEST OUTBREAK: The skilled-nursing/rehab center in North Admiral tells WSB that 4 patients have died recently of COVID-19; 34 patients and 8 staff members have tested positive.

VACCINE UPDATES & MORE @ STATE BRIEFING: This afternoon’s weekly briefing by state health officials included these notes: If the US’s first vaccine approval happens this week as expected, vaccinations could start in our state next week. By the end of December, our state expects to receive 222,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 180,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine. 189 providers are already signed up and more applications are being reviewed … 1,125,000+ WA Notify downloads so far … Statewide, the hospitalization-rate increase has slowed … You can watch the briefing here.

GOT INFO? Email us at westseattleblog@gmail.com or phone us, text or voice, at 206-293-6302 – thank you!

We’ve learned of another local COVID-19 outbreak. Word of the outbreak at Park West Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in North Admiral came from relatives’ tips. Today a spokesperson for the center confirmed it, with this statement:

We grieve with all families who are dealing with loss. At Park West Nursing and Rehabilitation Center there are 4 residents whose recent deaths are attributed to Covid-19.

There are 34 residents on-site who have tested positive for Covid-19. Residents who have tested positive for Covid-19 are in cohort and resting in a designated area of our facility. There is a dedicated team of clinical care professionals and support staff tending to the group of residents who have Covid-19.

There are 8 staff members who have tested positive for Covid-19. The staff members who tested positive are off-site and in quarantine.

Updates about each resident’s health status are being provided by our nursing care leaders directly to each resident’s primary contact. …

In addition, we are in communication with Public Health – Seattle & King County, Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), Washington State Department of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Our care teams participate in ongoing training. Since April, we have trained regularly to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 and we continue to apply infection control protocols. Our facility is supplied with personal protective equipment (PPE) and staff is trained in PPE usage for themselves and to help residents.

At this time, we have a No Visitors policy in place.

Park West is a rehab facility as well as a skilled-nursing center. It’s in the 98116 zip code, which has recorded 9 deaths so far in the pandemic.

An extension for the latest restrictions tops tonight’s roundup of pandemic news:

THREE EXTRA WEEKS: Gov. Inslee opened his media briefing this morning with news that he would extend the newest restrictions – no indoor dining, movies, fitness, and more – until January 4th. But he also said there’s a chance he could end them earlier, depending on how the next few weeks go. The restrictions were originally set to expire in about a week. He also announced more money for business-assistance grants. Here’s his news release; here’s our coverage, with video.

NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Now, on to the numbers, as shown in today’s daily summary from Seattle-King County Public Health – the cumulative totals:

*50,326 people have tested positive, 587 more than yesterday’s total

*905 people have died, 2 more than yesterday’s total

*3,486 people have been hospitalized, 37 more than yesterday’s total

*662,486 people have been tested, 4,483 more than yesterday’s total

One week ago, the totals were 45,138/868/3,235/627,813.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.

NATIONAL/WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 68.2 million cases worldwide, 15.1 million of them in the U.S. – see other nation-by-nation stats by going here.

BRIEFING TOMORROW: State health experts continur their weekly Wednesday afternoon briefings. You can watch at 2 pm tomorrow – here’s the link.

SAFETY GRANTS: SDOT is reminding nonprofit organizations, Seattle schools, and school-oriented community organizations that they can apply for $1,000 grants to help kids get around safely.

GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!

10:39 AM: At a media briefing that’s just begun (click into the video above), Gov. Inslee says he’s extending the newest restrictions – originally set to end in mid-December – for three more weeks.

He says there’s a chance they could “recalibrate” before that time, though. But he says the pandemic is currently presenting a “dire situation.”

He’s joined by Commerce Department leader Lisa Brown, who says they’ve already had 16,000 applications for the newest round of business grants (Working Washington), with prioritizing planned for the most-hard-hit businesses, such as restaurants and bars (which now will not be able to resume indoor service before early January). The state will now offer $100 million in grants – apply here ASAP.

10:53 AM: The governor says the extension does not include any new or changed restrictions – just the ones in place now, lasting three weeks longer. It’s “the right thing to do’ to keep hospitals from being “overwhelmed,” he says. He also says that if Congress doesn’t take action to help with extending pandemic-related unemployment benefits beyond their December 26th sunset, the state will.

In Q&A, the governor is asked whether schools will be able to open in January “for the youngest students.” Inslee says they have “increasing confidence” that some of that will be possible – if. among other things, “strong hygiene protocols” are in place. … He’s also asked if any new non-business restrictions are being considered. Short answer: No. He says the recommendation against travel appears to have gained a significant amount of voluntarily compliance, for example. “Washingtonians are really making good decisions,” he says. … He vows enforcement for the scattered scofflaw businesses, but stresses that the “vast majority” are complying, and adds that “what we do in our own homes” remains a key factor in “our ability to restrain this pandemic.”

11:14 AM: Several questions regarding the vaccines – the state is expecting to first get 62,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine (which requires two doses, 21 days apart) and 182,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine (which requires two doses, 28 days apart). Certain health-care workers, and long-term-care patients, are at the head of the line. … What proof does the governor have that the restrictions are working? He says it is a “scientific reality” that fewer people are infecting each other because fewer people are sitting across a table from each other “for an hour, hour and a half.” He says again that “this extension could end up shorter if there is significant improvement, or it could end up longer if there is deterioration.”

11:37 AM: The governor has just wrapped up, stressing the hope offered by the vaccines. The video window above should soon recue to the archived recording of the briefing. We’ll add links from the governor’s website when they’re available.

SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESSES: We have lists to help – we’re continuing to refresh our first-launched-in-March food/drink-businesses list here (please let us know about your current status/changes), and our Holiday Guide has a list of local independent retail businesses and artists/makers with online shopping, so that, if you don’t want to shop in person, you can still keep it local.

12:16 PM: Here’s what’s just been posted on the governor’s website.

Tonight’s local virus-crisis toplines:

KING COUNTY’S NEWEST NUMBERS: Here are the cumulative totals from the Public Health daily-summary dashboard:

*47.618 people have tested positive, up 363 from yesterday’s total

*894 people have died, unchanged since Friday

*3,400 people have been hospitalized, up 30 from yesterday’s total

*651,275 people have been tested (the state backlog of negative results hasn’t been resolved yet, so King County calls this number frozen, but it’s still going up each day)

One week ago, the King County totals were 43,740/858/3,190/626,435.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 67 million cases and 1,536.000+ deaths – see the nation-by-nation breakdown here.

CLOSURE: Zeeks Pizza in West Seattle is temporarily closed for the second time in a month; employees were told a staff member had tested positive.

NO COVID CASES: The site director of West Seattle’s only city-sanctioned tiny-house encampment told its Community Advisory Committee today that no one there has tested positive.

COMMUNITY CONVERSATION: Want to talk about how the pandemic is affecting your life? You’re invited to the next Community Conversation with three Department of Neighborhoods reps – Osbaldo, Laura, and Alvin. Here’s how to be part of it.

GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT? OR? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!

Midway through December’s first weekend, here are tonight’s pandemic toplines:

NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here are the cumulative totals from Public Health‘s daily-summary dashboard:

*47,255 people have tested positive, 324 more than yesterday’s total

*894 people have died, unchanged from yesterday’s total

*3,370 people have been hospitalized, 23 more than yesterday’s total

*650,890 people have been tested (the county continues to say this number was frozen 11/21, but it’s continued to rise)

One week ago, those totals were 43,384/856/3,164/626,095.

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, 276 positive test results; 384 in the 2 weeks before that; 207 in the two weeks before that.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 66.5 million people have tested positive, and more than 1,528,000 people have died; U.S. deaths have passed 281,000. Most cases: U.S., India, Brazil, Russia, France (the last two switched places this week). See the breakdown, nation by nation, here.

DONATION DRIVE TOMORROW: Look for the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle tent at California/Alaska, by the Farmers’ Market entrance, 10 am-2 pm. They’re collecting coats, hats, and gloves.

GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!

40 weeks now 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:

*46,931 people have tested positive, 758 more than yesterday’s total

*894 people have died, 8 more than yesterday’s total

*3,347 people have been hospitalized, 42 more than yesterday’s total

*650.564 people have been tested (the county still says this number is “frozen” but it’s going up a bit each day; the state had said they hoped to be caught up by today)

One week ago, those totals were 42,903/853/3,129/(unavailable).

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 65.8 million cases, 1,518,000+ deaths – see the nation-by-nation numbers here.

KEY INDICATORS: If you’re interested in more data, this is an additional King County dashboard to watch, updated each weekday. Today another of its indicators flipped over into the danger zone – we’ve checked regularly and only now has hospital occupancy gone above the critical 80 percent mark; it’s now at 85 percent.

WA NOTIFY: In the first five days since this “exposure notification technology” – a feature on iPhones, an app for Androids – was released, 1,000,000+ users have enabled it.

MORE CITY AID: The city says 1,100 restaurants and bars were among the applicants for the latest round of small-business grant, and it will be making $2.5 million more in grant awards among that group. It’s also allotting an additional $2.5 million for cash grants to hospitality workers; watch for word on how that will be administered.

REOPENED: El Chupacabra on Alki and Mission Cantina in Admiral both reopened today after COVID closures.

GOT INFO OR PHOTOS? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you!

Here’s the latest pandemic news:

NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily-summary dashboard, the cumulative totals:

*46,173 people have tested positive, up 362 from yesterday’s total

*886 people have died, up 8 from yesterday’s total

*3,305 people have been hospitalized, up 58 from yesterday’s total

*628,862 people have been tested (this number still described as “frozen” – though it’s grown.a bit daily – while state resolves a results backlog – could get caught up tomorrow)

One week ago, those totals were 42,103/853/3,064/624,846.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them, county by county, on the state Department of Health page,.

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 65.2 million cases worldwide, 14.1 million of them in the U.S. See the nation-by-nation breakout here.

COVID CLOSURE: El Chupacabra on Alki says an employee tested positive, so it is temporarily closed.

VACCINE PLAN UPDATE: From the state Health Department:

DOH is hopeful we will have a vaccine to begin administering by mid-December. The federal government has given us an estimate of 62,400 doses of the Pfizer vaccine for our initial allocation. They have also told us we should receive an estimated total of around 200,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine by the end of December. Regular weekly shipments should begin in January. Read the full news release here.

QUARANTINE GUIDELINES: Also from the DOH today – our state is adopting the new CDC quarantine guidelines.

HELPING: That’s what this traveling neon sign – seen in The Junction today – is about.

GOT PHOTOS/TIPS? 206-293-6302, text or voice, or westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

Here are the local/state pandemic-related toplines:

NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: First, from the Seattle-King County Public Health daily-summary dashboard, the cumulative totals:

*45,811 people have tested positive, 673 more than yesterday’s total

*878 people have died, 10 more than yesterday’s total

*3,247 people have been hospitalized, 12 more than yesterday’s total

*628,477 people have been tested (this stat is still lagging in a big way due to a state backlog but the state expects to be caught up by Friday)

One week ago, the four totals we track were 41,500/853/3,055/624.246.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them, county by county, on the state Department of Health page,.

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them, nation by nation, here.

STATE BRIEFING: This afternoon’s weekly briefing by state health officials included some bits of news. In the three days since WA Notify launched, the “exposure notification” system has been downloaded/enabled by 875,000 people. Other stats were worrisome: Hospitalizations are rising. Right now, 1,077 people are in hospitals statewide with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. You can watch the briefing here.

PANDEMIC-DIMMED: This year’s Menashe Family Lights display is nowhere near the usual mega-watt brightness, out of COVID crowd concern, but it’s still Christmas-y.

KEEP YOUR NEIGHBORS WARM: This Sunday (December 6th), 10 am-2 pm, it’s the West Seattle Junction Hometown Holidays Coat Drive – take coats (and/or hats and gloves) to the donation bin on the south end of the West Seattle Farmers’ Market.

GOT INFO? Email us at westseattleblog@gmail.com or phone us, text or voice, at 206-293-6302 – thank you!

The tenth month to start during the pandemic has begun – here are today’s toplines:

NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here’s today’s daily summary from Seattle-King County Public Health – the cumulative totals:

*45,138 people have tested positive, 732 more than yesterday’s total

*868 people have died, 9 more than yesterday’s total

*3,235 people have been hospitalized, 8 more than yesterday’s total

*627,813 people have been tested (this number remains “frozen” due to the state’s backlog of negative results – but it’s actually 789 higher than yesterday)

One week ago, the totals were 40,736/849/3,030/623.494.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.

NATIONAL/WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 63.8 million cases worldwide, 13.7 million of them in the U.S. – see other nation-by-nation stats by going here.

BRIEFING TOMORROW: State health experts are back to their weekly Wednesday afternoon briefings. You can watch at 2 pm Wednesday – here’s the link.

SAFE HOLIDAYS: Online gift fairs, livestreamed tree lightings, a link list of local independent businesses that offer online shopping, Christmas tree sellers with no-contact tree-buying – it’s all in our West Seattle Holiday Guide, with daily updates and additions.

GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!

Here’s tonight’s roundup of virus-crisis news:

NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: On to today’s daily summary from Seattle-King County Public Health – the cumulative countywide totals:

*44,406 people have tested positive, 666 more than yesterday’s total

*859 people have died, 1 more than yesterday’s total

*3,227 people have been hospitalized, 37 more than yesterday’s total

*627,074 people have been tested (note: the dashboard continues to cite the state’s pause on reporting negative results and says this number is “frozen,” but it’s up 639 since yesterday)

One week ago, the totals were 40,065/835/3,020/622,741.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them – nation by nation – here.

WA NOTIFY: Centerstage when the governor held a briefing today – the new smartphone feature WA Notify, meant to provide an anonymous notification if someone you’ve been close to tests positive for COVID-19. It’s an app to download if yuu use an Android phone; for iPhones, it’s a feature to activate in your settings (provided your software’s up to date!). P.S. The governor also talked about vaccines and the outlook on removing restrictions in mid-December.

WHEN WILL SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS REOPEN? Logistics were the heart of the discussion at a School Board work session tonight.

COFFEE SHOP REOPENING: After being closed since Thanksgiving because a staff member tested positive, Realfine Coffee is reopening tomorrow morning.

NEED FOOD? On Friday, food boxes will be available 2-5 pm at Food Lifeline (815 S. 96th).

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Click above to watch/listen – Gov. Inslee is presenting a pandemic update with media Q&A, centered on the newly unveiled WA Notify app, which can tell you – without revealing anyone’s identity – whether anyone you’ve been near tests positive for COVID-19. He’ll also likely be asked about the state of the current restrictions, midway through the initially announced four-week period. Notes as it goes …

2:41 PM: He starts by saying he was on a conference call about COVID vaccines today, and distribution is expected to start soon. He asks providers to sign up ASAP – those who sign up by December 6th could be among the first to get supplies.

Then on to WA Notify. He stresses that the app is anonymous, not revealing or sharing identities or locations. It’s entirely voluntary to activate or download. He says 200,000 people already have downloaded or enabled since it went live this morning. So what does closeness – making you eligible for an alert – mean? It uses the CDC definition – within 6 feet for 15 minutes or more. But it’s “not a failsafe for whether or not you’ve been exposed to COVID-19,” he warns – it’s “another tool.”

Joining him is University of Washington president Ana Mari Cauce, talking about the UW’s role in developing and testing WA Notify, and stressing its privacy protections.

2:52 PM: Inslee notes that applications will open soon for the new small-business grants and urges businesses to be ready to apply via coronavirus.wa.gov. Then it’s on to Q&A. When will we know about a Thanksgiving spike? Probably not for another week or so, Secretary of Health John Wiesman says, while adding that hospitalizations are still increasing.

3:04 PM: More questions about the vaccines – yes, the state is still planning an independent review, but that’s expected to be quick; the governor says he has “more and more confidence” in the federal review. Secretary Wiesman says they’re still finalizing the prioritization of who gets it when.

In response to another question, he says there are no “imminent announcements” regarding restrictions, and the most important thing people can do is continue to behave safely. Regarding whether the restrictions will lift in mid-December or continue, “There’s no imminent decisions in that regard, nor can we make them today” – it all depends on what course the pandemic takes, and personal behavior can affect that in a big way.

3:17 PM: Back to the app. It’s a complement to existing contact tracing. For more on how it works and how to use it, go here…. And another vaccine question: The governor stresses it will take months of vaccinations before enough people are vaccinated “to break the chain of transmission.” … The state is seeking the Moderna vaccine as well as the one it’s slated to get first, the Pfizer vaccine, and expects to get both, Secretary Wiesman said.

3:36 PM: The briefing ends with the governor noting that WA Notify is another way to have some power over the pandemic. (The video window above should convert to the archived recording of the briefing soon.)