Five months ago tonight, King County announced its first confirmed COVID-19 case. So, into month 6 we go …

UPDATED GUIDANCE: The changes the governor announced last week are now in writing, as explained: “The memo outlines the updates to gatherings, live entertainment, restaurants and taverns, entertainment and recreational centers, card rooms, movie theaters, and weddings and funerals.”

KING COUNTY’S NUMBERS, WITH A CAVEAT: The Public Health daily-summary dashboard warns, “Negative lab results may be delayed and counts may not be representative of the actual count of tests.” That said, here’s what the page shows tonight:

*14,729 people have tested positive, up 110 from yesterday’s total

*644 people have died, up 1 from yesterday’s total

*1,900 people have been hospitalized, up 4 from yesterday’s total

*280,150* people have been tested, up 388* from yesterday’s total

One week ago, those totals were 13,486/635/1,818/252,090.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.

TELEWORKING EXTENDED: Many public-sector employers in the Metro area have decided to extend teleworking through the end of the year.

NOT-SO-SWIFT RECOVERY: Younger COVID-19 patients don’t necessarily get over it fast. King County’s newsletter shares this alert:

CDC report emphasizes COVID-19 can cause prolonged illness, including in younger people: Unlike early in the pandemic, most of the recent increase in positive COVID-19 cases in King County have been in young people. In the last two weeks, over 65% of the positive cases were in people under the age of 40. People in this age group have lower likelihood of underlying health conditions and hospitalizations. However, the CDC released findings of a recent telephone survey that indicates more than one-third of people diagnosed with COVID-19 but did not have to be hospitalized had not returned to their usual state of health within 2-3 weeks of being tested. Among those between the age of 18-34 with no chronic medical conditions, one in five had not returned to their usual state of health. The CDC’s takeaway message? “Recovery from COVID-19 can take a long time, even in young adults.” Please share this message widely, especially if you communicate in networks that include young adults. You can refer to the entire CDC report here.

HELP SFD WITH PPE: Received today from the Seattle Fire Foundation:

Roughly 80 percent of the calls Seattle firefighters respond to are non-fire related, some of which are increasingly dangerous. In 2019, the Seattle Fire Foundation, the official non-profit organization of the Seattle Fire Department, was formed to help bridge the gap between the city budget and the changing needs of our city’s first responders. The initial ask of the community was to help raise funds to purchase Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in the form of ballistic vests and helmets to respond to scenes of violence.

Last year, 70 sets of PPE were purchased to assist in providing Seattle firefighters additional safety. The Seattle Fire Foundation is asking for the community’s help to raise the funds to purchase an additional 88 sets by Labor Day. …

The foundation has laid out a goal of raising $135,000 by Labor Day in an effort to equip each Seattle firefighter with an appropriate set of PPE. It is critical that firefighters have the right resource for the right response.

Seattle Fire is not alone in adopting the use of this critical PPE. In 2018, the National Fire Protection Association adopted NFPA 3000, providing guidance and best practices for firefighters responding to active shooter and hostile events. The use of this PPE is an NFPA safety standard.

“Our heroes need heroes, and with the significant number of scenes of violence taking place, coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic, we need to help ensure our first responders are properly equipped,” said Founder and President Debbie Steinhauer. “We are proud to help support the men and women who make up the Seattle Fire Department that risk their lives each day to serve our community. We are asking members of the community to consider making a donation at Seattlefirefoundation.org.”

STATE HEALTH LEADERS’ BRIEFING TOMORROW: 2 pm, you can get first word of the newest trends if you watch here as officials from the Washington Coronavirus Response Joint Information Center present their weekly media briefing.

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