CORONAVIRUS: Friday 3/5/2021 roundup
We have vaccination news as usual, but let’s start with the numbers:
KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here are the latest stats from the Public Health daily-summary page, cumulative totals:
*82,818 people have tested positive, 102 more than yesterday’s total
*1,412 people have died, 1 more than yesterday’s total
*5,125 people have been hospitalized, 12 more than yesterday’s total
*913,804 people have been tested, 1,776 more than yesterday’s total
Now, our weekly check of key numbers on the COVID Vaccination Among King County Residents dashboard:
*393.154 people have received one dose
*218,184 people have received both doses
*622,155 doses have been allocated to King County
One week ago, the first four totals were 81,918/1,380/5,084/900,647, and the vaccination totals were 327,087/166,236/546,035.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 116 million cases, 2,580,000+ deaths – see the nation-by-nation numbers here.
COUNTY HEALTH OFFICER’S BRIEFING: In his weekly briefing, Dr. Jeff Duchin said trends are still “better” than a few months ago, but warned that the case drop has plateaued, so precautions remain important to hold off a “fourth wave.” He said he’s “cautiously optimistic” that we can be “much closer to normal” by summer’s end. He also noted that variants are still active in the county; while very little genome sequencing is done, 43 cases of the UK variant have been found, and 5 of the South Africa variant.
VACCINATION SITUATION: The state says the short-term goal of 45,000 shots a day has been achieved. Some other numbers:
Due to an increase in weekly allocations, DOH has been able to provide more and more vaccine to our partners across the state. Washington’s 3-week forecast from the federal government helps DOH develop a multi-week strategy that supports consistency and predictability. The forecast is subject to change as vaccine availability from the federal government may change.
Week of March 7: 309,770 total doses (163,660 first doses, 146,110 second doses)
Week of March 14: 320,300 total doses (163,660 first doses, 156,640 second doses)
Week of March 21: 327,320 total doses (163,660 first doses, 163,660 second doses)
Although we are moving in the right direction, we still are not able to provide all the doses our providers request. Next week’s allocation is about 100,000 fewer doses than our providers requested.
WEST SEATTLE VACCINATIONS: No open public process announced for the week ahead at the new West Seattle site alongside the testing site at Southwest Athletic Complex‘s parking lot (2801 SW Thistle), but a reader forwarded an announcement about the plan for Thursdays, from the Equity in Education Coalition, which is signing people up for those days:
This site is prioritizing Black/Indigenous/People of Color who are:
– 65 years of age or older
– 50 years of age or older AND who live in a multigenerational household (with a grandparent or a grandchild)
– childcare providers over the age of 18
– live-in homecare providers over the age of 18
– paid or unpaid caretakers
We are currently not prioritizing teachers, as Seattle Public Schools is developing a plan for vaccinating SPS staff. We also encourage teachers to access the vaccine through their primary care providers or through their local neighborhood pharmacy/drug store.
* Folks will not be asked for your Social Security Number,
* Folks will not be asked about your immigration status,
* This is not zip-code locked (you can be from any zip code to get an appt slot)
For those who qualify, here is the link to sign up.
ALSO FOR VACCINE-SEEKERS … other places to check, as previously featured:
*Volunteer-compiled covidwa.com
*Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy in The Junction – check here for appointments
*Local Safeway pharmacies – check here
*Local Rite Aid pharmacies – check here
*Local QFC pharmacies – check here
*Sea Mar‘s walk-in availabilities (White Center and South Park are their nearest locations)
*Veterans of any age who get health care from the VA can check for appointments
*The city’s standby list for people 65+ who would be able to drop everything and go to a city-run clinic if there are leftover doses at day’s end – the registration page explains
*City Councilmember Lisa Herbold‘s weekly newsletter again focuses on vaccine info
SCHOOL STANDOFF: Seattle Public Schools and the Seattle Education Association remain at loggerheads over the former’s unilateral announcement that staff for Special Education “intensive pathways” and preschool students must return to schools next week. SEA is urging members to “stay the course”; the district says it’s ready to resume some in-person learning.
Of note, district and teachers in Highline Public Schools immediately to our south haven’t reached an agreement yet, either.
IF YOU NEED TESTING SATURDAY: The city’s West Seattle test site (2801 SW Thistle) continues to be open on Saturdays.
GOT INFO OR PHOTOS? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you!
High-school football is happening in spring this year instead of fall, and two local teams’ first games are tomorrow night. According to 
Thanks to Beth for 
John Picinich, 71, a longtime resident of West Seattle who retired to Las Vegas, passed away on February 23, 2021.
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