CORONAVIRUS: Friday 6/5 roundup

| Coronavirus | West Seattle news

Some local businesses are reopening for in-person customer service, and that’s the big news as we start this roundup, exactly 14 weeks after news of King County’s first confirmed COVID-19 case:

‘MODIFIED PHASE 1’ BEGINS: At midmorning, King County announced the news that so many businesses – and customers – had been waiting to hear: The state had approved the application to move to “modified Phase 1,” just two days after it was filed. The changes took effect immediately, so businesses have been busy announcing they’re open – or deciding on their next step.

ALSO MOVING ON: Other decisions announced today included neighboring Pierce and Snohomish Counties moving into full-fledged Phase 2.

BUT REMEMBER … this key section from the “Safe Start” plan:

Until there is an efective vaccine, efective treatment or herd immunity, it is crucial to maintain some level of community interventions to suppress the spread of COVID-19 throughout all phases of recovery. This includes heightened protections for the health and safety of workers in essential sectors, people living and working in high-risk facilities (e.g., senior care facilities) and all other workers.

All Washingtonians have a responsibility to protect themselves and others. Each phase, while allowing for additional services to open and return to full capacity, is grounded in the following required basic practices:

Guidance for Individuals
All phases – Individuals should continue to:
• Engage in physical distancing, staying at least six feet away from other people
• Wear cloth face coverings in public places when not eating or drinking (cloth face coverings should not
be placed on children younger than 2 years of age, anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious,
incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the cover without assistance)
• Stay home if sick
• Avoid others who are sick
• Wash hands frequently with soap and water (use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available)
• Cover coughs and sneezes
• Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
• Disinfect surfaces and objects regularly

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

*8,396 people have tested positive, up 63 from yesterday

*566 people have died, up 2 from yesterday

One week ago, those totals were 8,006 and 554.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.

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

WASH BUT DON’T WASTE: After three months of frequent hand washing, has your water bill gone up? Seattle Public Utilities has conservation tips.

VIRTUAL ART SHOW: Art has helped many people cope with the uncertainty of the past few months – murals, windows, sidewalk chalk. Seattle Public Schools‘ annual Naramore art show had to be held virtually this year because of the virus crisis – you can see all the students’ work, and watch a video version, by going here.

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

Seaweed June 6, 2020 (10:07 am)

How interesting; herd immunity has made it back into narrative and being considered as one of three possible resolutions. Next thing you know, Hydroxychloroquine will be back in the running for research and testing as prophylactic treatment for early link phases of SARSCoV2. Maybe Pharma can keep up and get that vaccine out there sometime in the next five years.

Stay well June 6, 2020 (10:48 am)

Herd immunity is not being discussed here currently as a strategy. The statement above is simply acknowledging that eventually, we might reach herd immunity, and at that point the same restrictions may not be necessary. The goal is still to mitigate transmission and illness until there is a vaccine and treatment. Just clarifying so some people don’t misinterpret this to mean we are trying for herd immunity.

It’s been made very clear that a herd immunity strategy here would not be the best way to manage this, it would overwhelm our medical system, and cause serious illness and death for many.
- drm June 6, 2020 (3:49 pm)
  
  Do not forget, they tried a version of herd immunity in China. Then they did a 180. You have to ask yourself why a country that has no problems brutally suppressing their own people, would toss in the towel with this virus. The answer is even the Chinese authorities understood that allowing this virus to roam wild would bring down the Chinese Govt, because of the human carnage it would wreak. So, if they could not achieve this in China, ( and even now Sweden is admitting their strategy lead to many unnecessary deaths) do people honestly believe it would work here in the US? I don’t think so.
  - Seaweed June 6, 2020 (7:37 pm)
    
    DRM China cannot be considered at all, for anything factual at this point. It is far too early to think they have released any data of clear significance to other Nations. They have obfuscated from the very beginning. I think Sweden is being given a bad rap by people and some Authorities who do not like the approach they have taken, and are threatened by it. Swedish Covid patients deaths of people who are 90+ years of age, is just over one thousand. Patients 80-90 years of age just under two thousand deaths, and patients 70-79 years of age just over one thousand. Patients 60-69 three hundred and thirty six deaths. Patients 50-59 one hundred and thirty six deaths. Sweden has been very clear and honest, that in hindsight they could have prevented more of these patients from dying. Just as we, in our system of response could also have prevented many more deaths from happening. Everyone is an expert with 20/20. Considering the age and comorbidity of all of these patients, in Sweden and US, and the learning curve the Medical systems have to deal with, Sweden has done quite well in managing, without the level of economic and political disruption to their society, and more importantly, the stress and fear that has manifested in ours. I am not saying their practices would have been successful in our country. There is some irony though, that in the US, due the size of our population and geography, we have in some ways, in some areas, practiced a degree of the Swedish model.

Seaweed June 6, 2020 (4:47 pm)

Trying or not trying, we are still ending up with herd immunity, and it won’t be that “eventually”, it will be sooner than you would seem to prefer. It is not a strategy, it is a reality; managed or otherwise. It seems to me that your insistence on a vaccine being on the horizon in any timeframe that is useful to us now, or soon, is quite a plaintive song.

Stay well June 6, 2020 (6:34 pm)

They recently said that at this point, they think something like more than 90% of the King County population has not been exposed, thanks to mitigation strategies. So, it seems it may very well be possible to get through this and have an effective treatment or vaccine before ever reaching a herd immunity. If everyone continues to do their part to help. Worth trying anyway, if it may prevent many serious illness or deaths.

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