CORONAVIRUS: Wednesday 2/24/2021 roundup

The vaccination situation brightens, as we start tonight’s pandemic headlines:

ANOTHER VACCINE: In case you missed it in the national news, the Johnson & Johnson one-dose vaccine got an encouraging review today and is on its way to a final FDA decision, likely within days.

GETTING VACCINATED: More advice from readers – they point out that Sea Mar clinics are now vaccinating on a walk-in basis; read their policies here, as well as updates on where vaccine is available.

NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Now, from the Seattle-King County Public Health daily-summary dashboard, the cumulative totals:

*81,525 people have tested positive, 146 more than yesterday’s total

*1,365 people have died, 8 more than yesterday’s total

*5,090 people have been hospitalized, 7 more than yesterday’s total

*896,855 people have been tested, 1,854 more than yesterday’s total

One week ago, the four totals we track were 80,157/1,320/5,021/882,196.

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

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

RETURNING TO IN-PERSON LEARNING: The state released a new modeling report today. The description:

This new analysis by IDM entitled “Stepping Back to School” uses a detailed computer model of COVID‐19 to explore the interplay between disease transmission inside and outside schools in three steps: 1) introduction to school, 2) spread within school, and 3) exportation from schools. This step‐by‐step approach enables new insights into risks and mitigation strategies that could be applied to different schools and community contexts here in Washington State and elsewhere.

Read the full report here.

(updated) TWO BRIEFINGS THURSDAY: At 9:30 am, state health officials present their weekly pandemic briefing; you can watch here … Then at 3:30 pm, Gov. Inslee will brief the media and answer Q&A on the pandemic response. You can watch live here.

GOT INFO? Email us at westseattleblog@gmail.com or phone us, text or voice, at 206-293-6302 – thank you!

12 Replies to "CORONAVIRUS: Wednesday 2/24/2021 roundup"

  • flimflam February 24, 2021 (11:12 pm)

    i appreciate the optimism, but we restaurant workers will be lucky to be vaccinated by october. 

    • winniegirl February 25, 2021 (10:31 am)

      It’s frustrating.  I understand the priority system and I’m glad that older people are being vaccinated.  But, people who work in close quarters should be prioritized in some way, too. Otherwise, they will continue to be sources of outbreak.  I have friends in NY and CA who have already been vaccinated because there are programs for restaurant workers now.  I’m hoping for may or june here.  fingers crossed.

      • WSB February 25, 2021 (10:45 am)

        There was more encouraging news in this morning’s DOH briefing – we’ll include in tonight’s roundup but in the meantime, shipments up, plus the state’s allocation will have 60,900 J&J doses next week if that one is approved as expected. 1.4 million doses have been administered in the state as of the start of this week. – TR

  • JJ February 24, 2021 (11:48 pm)

    That model makes a whole lot of assumptions about children’s rates of positivity and transmission. We know children can be asymptotic spreaders. Without studies that employ routine testing of children we actually have no idea their rates of infection or spread. Our state’s documented outbreaks in schools are only the ones where the kids happened to get tested for one reason or another. There could be many multiples of these outbreaks that are undocumented because the children do not seem sick and are not routinely tested.  This model is based on pretty thin air.  Y’all know the saying, “garbage in, garbage out.” 

  • Smittytheclown February 25, 2021 (5:22 am)

    My prediction is that they will be begging people to take it by May.  No lines.   Herd immunity rates keep rising.  First it was 60% needed, now you hear 80 and even 90% needed.  Double masks.  New scary variants.  Anything to convince people to get vaccinated.  I personally hope everyone takes it, but the writing is on the wall. As cases and deaths start to plummet a lot will not.  

    • Trickycoolj February 25, 2021 (1:14 pm)

      There is evidence that natural immunity from recovered covid infection may not last as long as a vaccine so there could be further spikes later as those folks’ immunity wears off. I hope I’m proven wrong. I worry more about reducing the spread to reduce further mutations so we don’t have to change up the vaccines. 

  • double masking February 25, 2021 (5:43 am)

    Reminder of who is currently eligible for vaccination:

    Washington residents who meet the following criteria are currently eligible to receive the vaccine:

    If you are not included in the categories below, use the WA DOH Phase Finder Tool to find out when you will be eligible for a vaccine. 

    • Healthcare workers
    • First responders
    • Staff and residents of long-term care facilities
    • Individuals who are age 65 years and older
    • Individuals who are age 50 years and older in a multigenerational household, which is defined as a home where individuals from two or more generations reside, such as an elder or grandchild.
  • 22blades February 25, 2021 (8:16 am)

    I’m just one of those free falling through the cracks, trying not to be a super-spreader.I’m not a tech savvy millennial that gamed the system for a shot but is appalled why I can’t put on that rage/party I planned a year ago.Signed: Unvaccinated (too busy being) Essential Worker over 60 with an unvaccinated parent over 90.PS: I have basically given up for my sake of sanity.

    • wseakell February 25, 2021 (11:04 am)

      SeaMar has walk-in first come, first serve vaccinations available. Today the Burien and Seattle clinics both have vaccines, so you could give it a shot today! (no pun intended) They schedule your second dose while you’re there and I’ve heard it’s easy peasy. Here’s the link:https://www.seamar.org/covid-vaccine.htmlGood luck! 

  • Brian February 25, 2021 (8:30 am)

    It’s strangely convenient that this one particular virus is the only one that doesn’t seem to affect kids when, for years, schools have been colloquially known as “germ Petri dishes” where parents contract viruses and get sick. Almost as if it’s not actually true and we are being gaslit for the sake of capital. 

  • newnative February 25, 2021 (12:06 pm)

    Symptoms are NOT needed to spread the virus! Otherwise  it would be much easier to isolate and stop. 

  • Flo B February 25, 2021 (1:15 pm)

    SeaMar gave me my shot yesterday. Brian there’ll be PLENTY of Monday morning quarterbacking after we are deemed “over” covid. What makes me laugh is all the people that are saying the govt. has done too much, been heavy handed in closures.. If the gov’t had ignored this and it was out of hand they’d be the 1ST ONE’S saying the gov’t hadn’t done enough and should have “shut everything down” SIGH.

Sorry, comment time is over.