West Seattle, Washington
15 Sunday
We’re continuing to check with West Seattle’s independent and parochial schools as the new school year starts with pandemic-related concerns and restrictions still in effect. Tilden School (WSB sponsor) is an independent K-5 school on the north edge of The Junction; their response to our inquiry was simple – “We are planning on doing 100% remote instruction until the COVID situation in Seattle gets safer.” The first day of classes is one week from tomorrow – Wednesday, September 9th.
(WSB photo from March, Southwest Teen Life Center)
The city announced today that three “temporary de-intensifying shelters,” including one at Southwest Teen Life Center in Westwood, have moved. The West Seattle shelter, operated by YouthCare, has moved to The Christ Spirit Church in Beacon Hill “through the end of the year while YouthCare’s new permanent facility in South Seattle is completed,” the city says. The shelter has been serving “up to 15 young adults.” With the move, the city is about to offer child care and teen-learning programming at SWTLC instead, as explained here, in another city announcement made today. The temporary shelter was intended to enable more distancing in existing shelter space; the SWTLC usage was announced in late March but didn’t start immediately – it wasn’t until May that YouthCare started operating the space, which at the time was announced as potentially housing 30 youth/young adults.
Just outside Westwood Village this afternoon, QFC workers who are members of UFCW Local 21 demonstrated in support of “hazard pay” for themselves and other “essential workers.” It’s a national week of action on that topic, according to the union, which says QFC’s parent corporation Kroger “cut hazard pay” by mid-May. They are also advocating for the right to wear Black Lives Matter buttons on the job:
The union says stores have an inconsistent policy on the buttons and that some workers have been told not to wear them. Community members who heard about this came to this afternoon’s protest to show support:
We’re checking with the company on both issues.
As we end the sixth full calendar month in pandemic times, here are tonight’s toplines:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here’s today’s daily summary from Public Health – the cumulative totals:
*19,665 people have tested positive, 111 more than yesterday’s total
*720 people have died, same as yesterday and the day before
*2,229 people have been hospitalized, 4 more than yesterday’s total
*361,435 people have been tested, 659 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, the totals were 18,824/711/2,182/343,578.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them – nation by nation – here.
NEW SCHOOL YEAR: We’re checking in this week with local independent and parochial schools to see how they’re starting the new school year, since we know Seattle Public Schools is starting remotely. Today we reported on what Explorer West Middle School (WSB sponsor) is doing and the plan at Holy Rosary Catholic School; we reported earlier on Hope Lutheran School‘s plan; more schools tomorrow.
COVID-ERA CPR: Seattle Fire notes that you should be prepared for hands-only CPR during the pandemic, and shows you how to do it.
NEED MASKS? Reminder – you can get a cloth face covering free at Safeways around King County; ask at the checkstand.
NEED FOOD? This week, you can get a free emergency boxful at Food Lifeline on Friday (September 4th), 2-5 pm, 815 S. 96th.
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
Here’s what’s new as the virus crisis continues:
KING COUNTY’S NEWEST NUMBERS: First, the cumulative totals from the Public Health daily-summary dashboard:
*19,554 people have tested positive, up 74 from yesterday’s total
*720 people have died, unchanged from yesterday’s total
*2,225 people have been hospitalized, up 1 from yesterday’s total
*360.776 people have been tested, up 5,342 from yesterday’s total
One week ago, the totals were 18,678/708/2,155/339,194.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 25.2 million cases and more than 846,000 deaths – see the nation-by-nation breakdown here.
FIRST FULL WEEK FOR NEW LOCAL TESTING SITE: Need to get tested? The city’s new site at Southwest Athletic Complex is now open 6 days a week, Mondays-Saturdays. Go here to make an appointment.
SCHOOL STARTS FRIDAY … for Seattle Public Schools, remotely. (This week we’ll be checking to see what independent schools are doing.)
2 1/2 MONTHS: That’s how long King County has been in Phase 2 – since June 19th. The state is not currently accepting any applications for advancing to the next phase.
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
That’s the parking lot shared by St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church and West Seattle High School. While students won’t be parking there again any time soon, the lot might be crowded two weeks from today, when St. John’s launches what, as far as we know, will be West Seattle’s first drive-in church service.
Along with more than 20 other local faith institutions (as shown on the list we publish Sunday mornings), St. John’s (3050 California SW) has been doing online video services for months. Parking-lot services have been allowable since Gov. Jay Inslee‘s guidance in May, but most churches don’t have access to a big-enough lot; St. John’s does, so it’s ready to try, 9 am Sundays starting September 13th. Everyone will stay in their cars, and listen to the service via a low-power radio broadcast – though part of the attraction is that you’ll be able to hear the church bells firsthand. They’re even recruiting volunteers for a “safety team” – parking-lot ushers, if you will.
St. John’s is not abandoning the online format, though. In fact, during that first parking-lot service on September 13th, Rev. Kate Wesch plans to include a “Blessing of the Devices” – inviting churchgoers to bring the phones, tablets, laptops, etc., that have become a lifeline more than ever in these pandemic times. One week later, on September 20, they’ll launch a new livestreamed service at 11:15 am Sundays, in addition to the 9 am parking-lot service.
As we start the seventh (local) month of the pandemic, here are tonight’s virus-crisis notes:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here are the cumulative totals from Public Health‘s daily-summary dashboard:
*19,480 people have tested positive, 119 more than yesterday
*720 people have died, 1 more than yesterday
*2,224 people have been hospitalized, 1 more than yesterday
*355,434 people have been tested, 721 more than yesterday
One week ago, those totals were 18,570/708/2,150/338,397.
WEST SEATTLE TREND: Here’s our weekly check of this stat, with numbers accessible in two-week increments via the “geography over time” tab on the daily-summary dashboard, checking the West Seattle and Delridge “health reporting areas.” In the past 2 weeks, 42 positive test results were reported; in the 2 weeks before that, 62; in the two weeks before that, 115.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 24.9 million people have tested positive, and more than 841,000 have died. Most cases: U.S., Brazil, India, Russia, Peru (which just passed South Africa to take over #5). See the breakdown, nation by nation,
IF YOU CAN HELP … many are in need, and tomorrow’s donation drive is one way to help them.
NEIGHBORHOOD INSPIRATION: Seen in a Gatewood planting strip that holds stepping stones with varying chalked messages:
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
The next outdoor (and distanced) donation drive at Alki UCC, collecting food and more, is tomorrow (Sunday, August 30), 10 am-3 pm:
Feeding hungry kids is our focus this summer. In addition to regular contributions of non-perishable food and other items, special requests include fruit cups and rollups, gogurt, peanut butter and jelly, protein bars, mac and cheese, cereal, noodles, and pasta/sauce.
Toilet paper, diapers (all sizes), Similac formula, cleaning supplies, hand sanitizer, and baby wipes are always welcome.
Donations are distributed through the White Center Food Bank. Next month’s Sunday Food Drives are September 13 and 27.
The church is at 6115 SW Hinds.
Six months ago tonight, King County announced its first case of COVID-19. Here’s what’s new:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily summary:
*19,361 people have tested positive, 184 more than yesterday
*719 people have died, 2 more than yesterday
*2,223 people have been hospitalized, 1 more than yesterday
*354,713 people have been tested, 5,422 more than yesterday
One week ago, those totals were 18,418/708/2,147/336,589.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 24.6 million cases, 835,000+ deaths – see the nation-by-nation numbers here.
WE’RE PLATEAUING: So say state health authorities:
Today the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) released the latest statewide situation report, which reflects an overall plateau and slight decline in COVID-19 cases in some areas.
Report findings include:
*The reproductive number (how many new people each COVID-19 patient will infect) remained close to one as of mid-August. The best estimate of the reproductive number at that time was 0.86 in western Washington and 0.91 in eastern Washington. The goal is a number well below one, which would mean COVID-19 transmission is declining.
*We’re seeing a mix of disease activity across the state. Some counties (including Clark and King) are seeing plateaus, while others experience decreases (including Benton, Franklin, Pierce and Yakima) or increases (including Grant, Lewis and Walla Walla). The report includes a comparison of case, hospitalization and mortality data in these three counties to illustrate how much trends are varying in different areas.
See the report here.
ALSO FROM THE STATE: Less info on weekends:
The Washington State Department of Health will end the publication of COVID-19 death counts over the weekends starting the weekend of August 28-30. Regular publishing of COVID-19 death counts will occur Monday through Friday.
While all deaths will continue to be reported, DOH will now add the counts generated from the weekend to the following Monday and Tuesday reports, as part of the regular reporting process for those days.
We don’t know yet how/if that’s going to affect the King County reports from which we pull info nightly.
TESTING SITE OPENS Mondays-Saturdays, you can now get tested on the south side of the Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle) parking lot.
Go here to make an appointment.
GOT INFO OR PHOTOS? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you!
Two notes for today:
NEW WEST SEATTLE TESTING SITE: As noted in our nightly virus-crisis roundups, today is the first day for the city’s new COVID-19 testing site, which is at Southwest Athletic Complex (despite the city calling it “Chief Sealth High School,” it’s not at the school, it’s across the street, 2801 SW Thistle). Appointments can be booked online here.
DEMONSTRATION: Organizer Nancy‘s weekly announcement:
Please join us to show support for Black and Brown friends, family, and neighbors, to #SayTheirNames, and to remember that people are still suffering injustice. Sadly we have a new name to add to the rolls, that of Jacob Blake. We welcome people to come and discuss why we support Black Lives Matter, and to discuss what defunding the police means and what it might look like.
What: BLM and #SayTheirNames
When: Friday, August 28th, from 5:30-6:30 pm
Where: Pedestrian overpass on Delridge at the Delridge Community Center/Youngstown Cultural Arts Center.Please remember to wear your masks!
The sixth month of the pandemic ends with these toplines:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily-summary dashboard, the cumulative totals:
*19,177 people have tested positive, up 128 from yesterday
*717 people have died, up 2 from yesterday
*2,222 people have been hospitalized, up 18 from yesterday
*349,291 people have been tested, up 1,637 from yesterday
One week ago, those totals were 18,313/703/2,132/330,224.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them, county by county, on the state Department of Health page,.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 24.4 million cases worldwide, and the U.S. has almost a fourth of them, at 5.8 million. See the nation-by-nation breakout here.
NEW WEST SEATTLE TESTING SITE: Tomorrow’s the first day of scheduled testing in the Southwest Athletic Complex lot. You can get an appointment by going here.
NEED FOOD? Also tomorrow, 2-5 pm, free boxes of food are available at Food Lifeline (815 S. 96th).
GOT PHOTOS/TIPS? 206-293-6302, text or voice, or westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Here are the pandemic-related toplines for August’s final Wednesday:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily-summary dashboard, the cumulative totals:
*19,049 people have tested positive, 172 more than yesterday
*715 people have died, 3 more than yesterday
*2,204 people have been hospitalized, 6 more than yesterday
*347,654 people have been tested, 2,700 more than yesterday
One week ago, the four totals were 18,130/697/2,130/327,448.
ANOTHER AREA DEATH: 98116 just recorded its third death. For the record, here are the current totals for the other four zip codes that are entirely or partly within West Seattle:
98136 – 3
98106 – 4
98146 – 12
98126 – 14
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them, county by county, on the state Department of Health page,.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them, nation by nation, here.
STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS’ WEEKLY BRIEFING:Among the headlines from this – total case numbers statewide have been going down for the past few weeks, but the rate of newly diagnosed cases per 100,000 people remains about four times what health officials would like to see. Watch the briefing here.
WHO SHOULD GET TESTED? Also mentioned at the briefing, a clarification now that the CDC has changed its testing advice. From the accompanying news release:
The Washington State Department of Health’s guidance around testing has not changed: if you have symptoms, you need to get tested. If you’re a close contact of a confirmed case, you need to get tested. Close contacts of confirmed cases also need to stay at home away from others (quarantine) for 14 days after the last exposure even if they test negative for COVID-19, because it is possible for people who test negative to still be incubating the virus, and become contagious later.
People with symptoms of COVID-19 or who have had close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 should make testing their first priority. However, timing is key. Testing too soon after an exposure may give you a negative result, even if you’ve been infected. If exposed and you develop symptoms, testing that day or the next is recommended. If exposed and you don’t develop symptoms, waiting 5-6 days after exposure to get a test is recommended. People must stay in quarantine for the entire 14 days even if a test is negative.
BOOKING OPENS FOR NEW WS TEST SITE: Testing starts Friday at the city’s new site (labeled “Chief Sealth High School” though as we’ve reported, it’s not at the school, but rather across the street) – and now you can go here to make an appointment.
GOT INFO? Email us at westseattleblog@gmail.com or phone us, text or voice, at 206-293-6302 – thank you!
Tonight’s pandemic-related toplines:
KING COUNTY’S NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily-summary dashboard:
*18,877 people have tested positive, up 53 from yesterday’s total
*712 people have died, up 1 from yesterday’s total
*2,198 people have been hospitalized, up 16 from yesterday’s total
*344,954 people have been tested, up 1,376 from yesterday’s total
One week ago, those totals were 17.980/696/2,115/327,109.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.
BRIEFING TOMORROW: For an update on the statewide situation, watch the weekly media briefing with the state’s COVID-19 response leaders tomorrow (Wednesday) at 2 pm; it’ll be streamed here.
WEST SEATTLE TESTING: With the new site at Southwest Athletic Complex opening Friday, you should be able to make an appointment starting tomorrow – when the link appears on this city webpage.
NEED FOOD? This week, 2-5 pm Friday is when you can drive up or walk up to get a free box of food at Food Lifeline‘s HQ (815 S. 96th).
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
Here are tonight’s pandemic-related toplines:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here’s today’s daily summary from Public Health – the cumulative totals:
*18,824 people have tested positive, 146 more than yesterday’s total
*711 people have died, 3 more than yesterday’s total
*2,182 people have been hospitalized, 27 more than yesterday’s total
*343,578 people have been tested, 4,384 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, the totals were 17,824/691/2,109/322,766.
ANOTHER AREA DEATH: 98146, part of which is in south West Seattle, just recorded its 12th death. For the record, here are the current totals for the other four zip codes that are all or partly within West Seattle:
98116 – 2
98136 – 3
98106 – 4
98126 – 14
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them – nation by nation – here.
FREE MASKS: Now available at Safeways around King County.
SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY EXPANDS SERVICE: The pandemic is still keeping branches closed to the general public, but as of today, you can place new holds on material for curbside pickup at SPL branches where that’s offered. In West Seattle, that’s the High Point branch (3411 SW Raymond), noon-6 pm Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays – more info here.
SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS’ MEAL-DELIVERY CHANGE: Weekday meal delivery via school bus is down to just one route in West Seattle.
SURVEY: What do you think about pandemic-era online recreation programming? Seattle Parks wants to know.
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
Just announced by the King County Executive’s Office:
Customers at King County locations of Safeway will be able to take home free face masks with their groceries starting today with a new partnership between King County, Safeway, and UFCW Local 21. …
King County purchased more than 25 million face masks for county residents, and to date has distributed more than 14 million reusable and disposable masks through direct distribution and partnerships with local chambers of commerce and other community organizations. …
Starting today, customers at any of the 59 Safeway locations in King County can obtain two free reusable masks per person in their household, for up to 12 masks total, while at the checkstand. Disposable masks will also be available for customers who may have forgotten or misplaced their masks at all stores. All told Safeway will help distribute 750,000 face masks provided by King County.
Safeway stores in our area are at 28th/Roxbury, 42nd/Edmunds (Jefferson Square), and 2622 California SW.
P.S. In case you wondered too – we checked: No purchase required.
Throughout the summer, Seattle Public Schools has continued to offer student meals for pickup at some local campuses and for delivery via some school-bus routes. Starting today, the district has cut back on the bus deliveries. Now there’s just one bus route in West Seattle for meal delivery – this one. The 11 am-1 pm weekday pickups availability continues at West Seattle Elementary, Denny International Middle School, Chief Sealth International and West Seattle High Schools. The district says it’s working to add more sites soon – the meals are available at 26 schools around the city now, and they’re hoping to expand to 40.
Here what’s new as the virus crisis continues:
KING COUNTY’S NEWEST NUMBERS: First, the cumulative totals from the Public Health daily-summary dashboard:
*18,678 people have tested positive, up 108 from yesterday’s total
*708 people have died, unchanged from yesterday’s total
*2,155 people have been hospitalized, up 5 from yesterday’s total
*339,194 people have been tested, up 797 from yesterday’s total
One week ago, the totals were 17,643/687/2,096/319,046.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 23.3 million cases and more than 807,000 deaths – see the nation-by-nation breakdown here.
NEW WEST SEATTLE TESTING SITE OPENS THIS WEEK: As announced by the mayor back on Thursday, Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle) will become a new COVID-19 testing site. Starting Wednesday, this page should give you the opportunity to make an appointment for Friday or beyond.
FIVE MONTHS AGO: Looking back to March 23rd – it was the night the governor announced the stay-home order. (Also the night the West Seattle Bridge shut down – but that’s the topic of tonight’s NEXT story.)
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
A few virus-crisis notes on August’s second-to-last Saturday::
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here are the cumulative totals from Public Health‘s daily-summary dashboard:
*18,570 people have tested positive, 152 more than yesterday
*708 people have died, unchanged from yesterday
*2,150 people have been hospitalized, 3 more than yesterday
*338,397 people have been tested, 1,808 more than yesterday
One week ago, those totals were 17.514/686/2,087/314,854.
WEST SEATTLE TREND: In case you missed this in the comment discussion last night – we’re going to start including this weekly. The numbers are accessible from the “geography over time” tab on the daily-summary dashboard, and checking the West Seattle and Delridge “health reporting areas.” In the past 2 weeks, 41 positive test results were reported; in the 2 weeks before that, 92; in the two weeks before that, 114.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 23.2 million people have tested positive, and more than 804,000 have died. Most cases: U.S., Brazil, India, Russia, South Africa – same as the past 4 weeks. See the breakdown, nation by nation,
PANDEMIC POLLUTION REDUCTION: From the WSB inbox: A UW scientist led a study of how lockdown affected air pollution in China; this new report says the findings resembled what UW researchers found earlier in a look at major US cities including Seattle.
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
25 weeks ago tonight, King County announced its first confirmed case of COVID-19. Here’s the latest:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily summary:
*18,418 people have tested positive, 105 more than yesterday
*708 people have died, 5 more than yesterday
*2,147 people have been hospitalized, 15 more than yesterday
*336,589 people have been tested, 6,365 more than yesterday
One week ago, those totals were 17,340/686/2,081/311,981.
ANOTHER AREA DEATH: 98146, part of which is in south West Seattle, just recorded its 11th death. For the record, here are the current totals for the other four zip codes that are all or partly in West Seattle:
98116 – 2
98136 – 3
98106 – 4
98126 – 14
(Providence Mount St. Vincent accounts for half of 98126’s total.)
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 22.8 million cases, 797,000+ deaths – see the nation-by-nation numbers here.
MAYOR & COUNCIL MAKE A DEAL … regarding extra economic relief for people pummeled by the pandemic.
NEED FOOD? Free lunch Saturday:
West Side Presbyterian Church Free Community Lunch, 12:00-1:00 pm. Sack lunch provided in the church courtyard at 3601 California Ave SW. Free to all.
GOT INFO OR PHOTOS? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you!
Good news from the governor starts tonight’s roundup:
GOVERNOR’S GOOD NEWS: At a rare morning media briefing, Gov. Inslee said the number of new cases is starting to decline in much of the state.
The percentage of positive test results is declining too. But don’t get excited yet, he warned – the rate is still 4 times what it should be. You can watch his full briefing here.
BOWLING RETURNS: Also from the governor today, new guidance that means bowling centers can reopen – for league play and practice. We checked West Seattle Bowl‘s website and they’re planning to reopen next month under the new rules.
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily-summary dashboard, the cumulative totals:
*18,313 people have tested positive, up 183 from yesterday
*703 people have died, up 6 from yesterday
*2,132 people have been hospitalized, up 2 from yesterday
*330,224 people have been tested, up 2,776 from yesterday
One week ago, those totals were 17,204/685/2,073/307,132.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them, county by county, on the state Department of Health page,.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 22.6 million cases worldwide, and the U.S. has a fourth of them, at 5.5 million. See the nation-by-nation breakout here.
NEW WEST SEATTLE TESTING SITE: Starting next week, the city will offer five-day-a-week testing in the Southwest Athletic Complex lot.
WEST SEATTLE TESTING TOMORROW: Meantime, the weekly South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) COVID-19 testing happens tomorrow – 7 am to 1 pm Fridays.
NEED FOOD? Also tomorrow, 2-5 pm, free boxes of food are available at Food Lifeline (815 S. 96th).
GOT PHOTOS/TIPS? 206-293-6302, text or voice, or westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
(Added: Seattle Channel video of announcement)
3:47 PM: The city’s been promising for a while that a new COVID-19 testing site was in the works for West Seattle, and the location has just been announced: The lot at Southwest Athletic Complex, 2801 SW Thistle (behind SW Pool/Teen Life Center). Testing will be available there five days a week. Mayor Jenny Durkan is making the announcement in Rainier Beach this afternoon, while visiting one of the city’s three existing sites. We talked with her by phone while she was on the way to that event; she says, “We’re going to have to live with COVID at least another year or so,” which means abundantly available testing will be all the more important. Right now, she says, the city’s three testing sites are accounting for about 15 percent of the testing done statewide – administering more than 128,000 tests since early June. More details from the announcement:
Testing is free at the City of Seattle sites, and clients are not billed regardless of health insurance status. For those with insurance, UW Medicine will handle the billing of Medicaid, Medicare, or individuals’ private insurance. Under Washington state law, insurance companies cannot charge co-pays for COVID-19 testing. For uninsured clients, UW Medicine will seek reimbursement directly from the federal, Families First Coronavirus Response Act Relief Fund for the cost of the test.
Clients can, and should, register online to keep wait times to 10 minutes or less. Registration for the West Seattle location will be available on Wednesday, August 26, and testing will begin Friday, August 28. Hours across all sites are 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Individuals can sign up to be tested five days of the week. Translation services are offered at all Citywide testing sites and can be requested during the registration process. Individuals should first seek to access testing through their primary care physician.
This testing will be available to anyone, the mayor stressed; appointments are preferred – a West Seattle link will show up soon on this webpage – and they’re working on same-day options for people with symptoms.
5:22 PM: Here’s the full announcement. (Note that although the city’s headline says this is at Chief Sealth, we verified that it’s across the street at SWAC, “behind the pool.”)
Here’s what’s new in the virus crisis:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily-summary dashboard, the cumulative totals:
*18,130 people have tested positive, 141 more than yesterday
*697 people have died, 1 more than yesterday
*2,130 people have been hospitalized, 15 more than yesterday
*327,448 people have been tested, 339 more than yesterday*
One week ago, the four totals were 16,979/680/2,068/345,323.
TESTING TOTALS DISCLAIMER: For the seventh day, the county’s daily summary includes this:
On Aug. 13, the state Department of Health provided an updated negative test total which is part of our daily outbreak summary. In this update, the negative test total for King County was reduced by 38,191. The current number of tests reflects the number of unique individuals tested. We hope to update our counts to also include the number of tests performed by the week of 8/17. Please note that this issue primarily affects negative lab results over the last several weeks, but does not impact the total number of positive tests.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them, county by county, on the state Department of Health page,.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them, nation by nation, here.
‘PERSONAL SERVICES’ CLARIFICATIONS: From the state:
Business activity requirements for “Personal Services” applies to cosmetologists, hairstylists, manicurists, tanning salons, makeup and tattoo artists, and other similar categories. New language clarifies that all customers of these businesses must wear a face covering unless directed by a medical professional who says otherwise. That means that certain services such as facials or beard trimmings are no longer permitted.
NEIGHBORHOOD MORALE: The photos and report are from Lizzy:
In lieu of a block party, we made take out pizzas for our neighbors where we live near Chief Sealth High School. We’ve been making pizzas as a family and with our neighbors who share the oven with us every Wednesday since the quarantine began and it’s been nice to share and socialize for a few minutes.
GOT INFO? Email us at westseattleblog@gmail.com or phone us, text or voice, at 206-293-6302 – thank you!
Tonight’s virus-crisis toplines:
KING COUNTY’S NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily-summary dashboard:
*17.980 people have tested positive, up 165 from yesterday’s total
*696 people have died, up 5 from yesterday’s total
*2,115 people have been hospitalized, up 6 from yesterday’s total
*327,109 people have been tested, up 4,343 from yesterday’s total
One week ago, those totals were 16,830/679/2,053/340,150.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.
BRIEFING TOMORROW: To get the statewide status, watch the weekly media briefing with the state’s COVID-19 response leaders tomorrow (Wednesday) at 2 pm; it’ll be streamed here.
NEED FOOD? Again this week, 2-5 pm Wednesday and Friday, drive up or walk up to get a free box of food at Food Lifeline‘s HQ (815 S. 96th).
GOT GRANTS: The county announced pandemic-aid grants for arts/culture/nightlife, and there are two local recipients.
GOT INFO? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you!
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