CORONAVIRUS: Saturday 1/16/21 roundup, including our weekly West Seattle trend check

Midway through the weekend, here are the pandemic toplines:

NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: First, the cumulative totals from Public Health‘s daily-summary dashboard:

*72,274 people have tested positive, 1,043 more than yesterday’s total

*1,188 people have died, 8 more than yesterday’s total

*4,665 people have been hospitalized, 99 more than yesterday’s total

*790,996 people have been tested, 2,922 more than yesterday’s total

One week ago, those totals were 67,945/1,140/4,397/771,203.

WEST SEATTLE TRENDS: Here’s our weekly check of this stat, with numbers shown in two-week increments via the “geography over time” tab on the daily-summary dashboard, combining the totals from the West Seattle and Delridge “health reporting areas” (HRAs). For the past two weeks, 271 positive test results; 220 in the 2 weeks before that; 422 in the two weeks before that. … We also are noting WS death totals each week; the HRAs are a more precise count than the zip codes we used previously, since two of West Seattle’s five ZIP codes also stretch outside the area. The total deaths for the entire pandemic in the two HRAs comprising West Seattle: 51, same as a week ago.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 94.4 million people have tested positive, and more than 2,022,000 million people have died; U.S. deaths exceed 395,000. Most cases: U.S., India, Brazil, Russia, UK (same as last week). See the breakdown, nation by nation, here.

MORE THAN A MORATORIUM? An eviction moratorium continues. But the rent will eventually be due. The Seattle Renters Commission is supporting a movement to do more – a movement advocating canceling rent and mortgages.

GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!

Mellow Kitty January 17, 2021 (8:46 am)

These are terrifying numbers.

wsperson January 17, 2021 (11:22 am)

Yeah, I was hoping to come here and find some explanation, like a lag from yesterday or something.
- JJ January 17, 2021 (12:33 pm)
  
  I would guess it could still be holiday transmission. If people average first symptoms about a short week after (holiday travel or gatherings) their exposure, and then about 2 weeks after that until the hypoxia lands them in the hospital then that’s right on track. Not to mention all the folks who went back to work, and shopping, and whatever else right after a dangerous holiday, rather than quarantining, and all their contacts. So, this could all be as expected. I hope is turns around soon.
  - heartless January 17, 2021 (2:08 pm)
    
    I think JJ is right, that it is the result of the holiday travel and gatherings. It can be hard to remember how long the lag is from catching it to showing serious symptoms. I too hope it turns around soon…
Bandana January 17, 2021 (12:04 pm)

Public health officials said to expect the holiday surge in cases to show up in 2 to 3 weeks. It’s here unfortunately.

rob January 17, 2021 (11:33 am)

are we to believe there are 72,000 people out there now in KC infected?

WSB January 17, 2021 (7:27 pm)

The first number is “number of people who have tested positive” since the start of the pandemic. (That’s why we describe the totals as “cumulative.”) Doesn’t mean they’re all still contagious.

Kim January 17, 2021 (12:35 pm)

Lots of people attending in person church when I walked by it. Not sure how many people are allowed in the big church I got no clue if Southcenter mall is open and if people go there.

Anna January 17, 2021 (3:28 pm)

They actually just did a data correction and the numbers aren’t as shocking. Today’s numbers are negative. https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/covid-19/data/daily-summary.aspx

JJ January 17, 2021 (4:06 pm)

Too bad they are still having such a problem with duplicates in positive tests, hospitalizations and deaths. Strange that all those systems would be reporting duplicates.

CarDriver January 17, 2021 (4:42 pm)

Kim. Was at Southcenter a couple of weeks age. Got there at 10 on a Wednesday but Penny’s didn’t open until 11. Wandered around until it opened. It was VERY quiet with very few people while I was there. Did see people going around cleaning high touch area’s-note: no chairs to sit on, all taken out

Auntie January 17, 2021 (8:24 pm)

If people would just stay home and avoid gatherings, we would be a lot better off at this point. But, no, they just had to get together for Christmas and New Year’s. I am in a high risk group and have been hunkered down for about 10 months – no family visits, no shopping malls, no restaurants. I can’t afford to be exposed to someone who is so selfish that they feel the need to socialize, even when they know it’s not necessarily safe, either for themselves or those around them. And don’t get me started on people who won’t wear a mask. ‘Nuf said.

Sorry, comment time is over.