CORONAVIRUS: Friday 10/30 roundup

35 weeks ago tonight, King County announced its first case of COVID-19. Here’s where we are now:

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

*27,423 people have tested positive, 385 more than yesterday’s total [118 of them in Seattle]

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

*2,573 people have been hospitalized, 8 more than yesterday’s total

*537,331 people have been tested, 3,781 more than yesterday’s total

One week ago, those totals were 25,969/789/2,525/523.267.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.

…WITH AN UNPLEASANT MILESTONE: The state Health Department reports, “Today, Washington state reported 1,047 new COVID cases in a single day. Today’s number is a new daily high since mid-July.”

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 45.5 million cases, 1,188,000+ deaths – see the nation-by-nation numbers here.

STORE CLOSURE: Menashe & Sons Jewelers announced today it’s closing until November 9th after a staff member’s positive test.

NEED TESTING? Our weekly reminder – the city-operated testing site in West Seattle – south side of the Southwest Athletic Complex parking lot (2801 SW Thistle) – is open Saturdays (as well as weekdays). Go here to choose an appointment time before you go.

SAFER HALLOWEEN: Just want to get out and see decorations? The list in our West Seattle Halloween Guide (many with photos) will show you where. Or, maybe you’re hoping for no-contact trick-or-treating? Many neighborhoods have innovative plans like taping treats to fences or “candy chutes” like this one:

Thanks to Rod for the photo. Trick-or-treat events – and some that are also decoration locations – are in the guide too.

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

Bandana October 30, 2020 (11:20 pm)

385 new cases have to be a record high for King County.

Smittytheclown October 31, 2020 (7:04 am)

Looks like it.

Friend O'Dinghus October 31, 2020 (4:27 am)

Now is the time to double down my fellow Seattleites. I will say that my excursion to the West Seattle Home Depot pick up box this past afternoon was impressive. Everyone I noticed there was masked and seamlessly timing their entrance to the store so optimal distances were established by all. Let’s crush this now.

waikikigirl October 31, 2020 (6:26 am)

Are there “more” positive tests than before because more people are getting tested now, I know that would be a YES but what I mean were people just not getting tested like they are now so this is why it looks so much higher?These numbers are terrible… :>(

N October 31, 2020 (10:14 am)

Just looking at the totals each day it seems we have far less daily tests than we did at the peak during summer. Back then daily tests were ~5,000. Recently, despite positive #’s being higher it seems to be ~3,000.
CAM October 31, 2020 (11:23 am)

This version of the data from the county would probably answer your questions best. https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/covid-19/data/key-indicators.aspx

AllMoms October 31, 2020 (9:32 am)

I was at Hiawatha yesterday and the teens that were there practicing their sports were not doing very well. Maybe 1/3 had their masks on during practice time as well as collecting in groups on the grass close together with no masks. Being outside does not mean it’s ok to not have masks on for close contact. I was pretty depressed by this as most people in West Seattle are doing pretty well. Please watch the teens. We are up to 2.9% infection rate per 100,000 which is very unfortunate.

Math teacher October 31, 2020 (9:39 am)

@waikikigirl – The sharp rise in positives over the last 3 weeks cannot be explained by increased testing. If you look at Smitty’s King County graphs, you’ll see that over the last three weeks, the number of tests actually went DOWN 10%, while the percent of tests coming back positive shot up 40% (from 2.2% to 3.1%). Our curve is going up sharply, right now, with no hint of slowing down.

The “more people being tested” argument comes in if you look at the top right graph and examine the first big hill in April. The real infection rate was probably much higher in April, because there was indeed an initial shortage of testing. But we’re past that now. Our current rise in cases is real.

waikikigirl October 31, 2020 (11:27 am)

Thank you all for the explanations of all of these numbers.I just wish more people would take this virus serious and not have the thinking of this won’t affect “me”

East Coast Cynic October 31, 2020 (11:16 am)

Following the twitter feed of a well known epidemiologist, Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding, he says that the recent rise in cases nationally outstrips the rise in testing volume – 100,000 covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours in the U.S. He believes we’ve lost the battle short of quick and dramatic action. The rise locally is likely indicative of the national trend. Supposedly the new mutation(s) is/are more infectious.He also says that the surplus of doctors and nurses from other states, like we had during the spring, isn’t available now, so if the hospitals get swamped again, the states are on their own.

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