Here are tonight’s pandemic-related toplines:

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

*19,819 people have tested positive, 108 more than yesterday

*729 people have died, 5 more than yesterday

*2,239 people have been hospitalized, 5 more than yesterday

*367,481 people have been tested, 2,272 more than yesterday

One week ago, those four totals were 19,049/715/2,204/347,654.

ANOTHER AREA DEATH: 98116 just recorded its fifth death, its third in the past week. 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 – 13
98126 – 14

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

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

VACCINE? The state Department of Health sent this statement to try to clear up conflicting reports about where the quest for a vaccine stands:

The Washington State Department of Health is closely monitoring progress toward development of a vaccine for COVID-19. We are engaged in vaccine planning efforts and we will be ready to distribute a safe and effective vaccine as soon as the time comes. However, all vaccine candidates are still in clinical trials to determine their safety and efficacy.

DOH’s position is that any COVID-19 vaccine should complete Phase 3 trials before being distributed, unless an independent board of scientists reviewing the data finds otherwise based on data from those trials. At this crucial juncture, it is incumbent upon the federal government to critically evaluate these new vaccines for their safety and efficacy in an unbiased way.

In the meantime, DOH will continue working with federal and local partners to build the infrastructure needed for distribution. When a vaccine is ready, we will be prepared to deploy it in a manner ensure that is equitable, safe and timely for the people of Washington.

STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS’ WEEKLY BRIEFING: That was one of the topics at today’s weekly briefing by state health leaders. “COVID-19 activity in the state is declining overall,” declared health officer Dr. Kathy Lofy, while stressing that it’s not yet as low as it needs to be. You can watch the briefing here.

BUS SAFETY: Metro announced today that it’s adding new safety features – partitions and mask dispensers.

NEED FOOD? United Way-King County wants to ensure families who are available for Pandemic EBT apply for it before it’s too late:

More than 30,000 King County students who are eligible for a one-time, $399 food benefit have until Sept. 11 to apply for Pandemic EBT, an emergency federal program that provides families cash assistance to buy food while schools are closed due to COVID-19.

Pandemic EBT is available to all children in public schools in Washington who receive free or reduced-price school meals. Across the state, over 150,000 eligible students can still apply.

Many low-income families rely on the free and reduced-price meals students get at school. With school closures, those families are struggling to feed their children. Pandemic EBT aims to fill that gap and ease the food insecurity many in our community are experiencing.

Pandemic EBT is not subject to public charge and does not affect or require proof of immigration status.

Families can apply online on the Washington Connection website. People who need help with the application process can call 2-1-1 and ask for assistance.

Applicants should ensure their children’s names match the spelling they used when they registered them for school. While the application includes a field for a Social Security number, it is not required.

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