CORONAVIRUS: Thursday 5/13/2021 roundup

| Coronavirus | West Seattle news

Big day in pandemic news:

JUNE 30TH: That’s the day Gov. Inslee says businesses can fully reopen – or sooner if 70 percent of everyone 16+ in our state gets at least one dose of vaccine before then.(Right now, it’s at 57 percent.)

SEPTEMBER 1ST: That’s the day Seattle Public Schools will start the 2021-2022 school year – with full-time in-person learning, interim Superintendent Dr. Brent Jones announced today.

GOT VAXXED? DROP MASK! Well, it’s not entirely that simple, but close. The CDC declared today that fully vaccinated people could quit wearing masks in most situations, and the governor announced he’d align our policy with that, immediately. Businesses still have the right to require you to wear one.

NEWEST NUMBERS: Now the update from the Public Health daily-summary dashboard:

*101,881 people have tested positive, 285 more than yesterday’s total

*1,552 people have died, 5 more than yesterday’s total

*6,004 people have been hospitalized, 17 more than yesterday’s total

*1,063,643 people have been tested, 1,339 more than yesterday’s total

One week ago, the four totals we track were 104,256*/1,533/5,924/1,051,030. (*Last Thursday’s case total turned out to be a King County typo.)

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

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 161.1 million cases worldwide, 32.8 million of them in the U.S. See the nation-by-nation breakout here.

VACCINATION OPPORTUNITIES: Saturday in The Junction or High Point – updated details here … City-run West Seattle hub remains open Monday-Saturday 9 am-5:30 pm at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle), no appointment needed … Campus clinics for Seattle Public Schools students 12+ start Monday … Check this lookup for other sites such as local pharmacies.

NEED A RIDE TO GET A SHOT? Free and discounted transportation is available.

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

JJ May 14, 2021 (6:34 am)

I’m hoping for a big decrease in hospitalized numbers… there still pretty high. Be well y’all.

busrider May 14, 2021 (12:18 pm)

Are there any stats on breakthrough cases? I know it is early in the process and lots of unknowns still but I know of several that had the vaccine for over two months and now have covid.

wsperson May 14, 2021 (4:52 pm)

Do they have it bad, or mild?

Stay well May 14, 2021 (3:14 pm)

This new shift in strategy and lifted mandates and restrictions, although not perfect or protecting well all who are vulnerable with those restrictions any more, does seem to make good sense.

Vaccination is now available, readily accessible, and appears highly protective to the majority of people, it is currently our greatest and best tool to overcoming the pandemic and managing it forward.

Every effort must be made to have as many vaccinated as possible, to reduce illness and death, and drive down the spread in the community, even if it means a brief period of increased risk and some discomfort and uncertainty, because it’s just the best chance at pushing through this phase of vaccination and getting over this mountain in front of us.

To those who aren’t vaccinated or fully vaccinated yet and those with reasonable concerns of the virus… continue with personal mitigation advice, wear your mask, avoid others who are unmasked, stay home more and be safe, until you are fully vaccinated and also comfortable reducing protections.

To parents of unvaccinated or vaccine ineligible kids with understandable concerns… you can continue with the known best mitigation advice and make choices that will be protective, especially for those with infants and very young children. You might want to to self impose a ‘stay at home order’ for awhile until more are vaccinated and the virus transmission is driven way down. Some families may feel the risk is low enough and feel comfortable without further precautions sooner than others.

To all… the vaccines are hopeful and appear to be highly protective against covid-19 and also successful in reducing severe illness if one still contracts it. However, vaccination is not 100% effective, and there are still unknowns regarding new variants and how protective the vaccines are with these.

Therefore, some may want to continue with previous mitigation advice even though no longer mandated or required, including mask wearing, social distancing, not participating in all activities and events, etc.

Please make the best choices for yourself and your families, and respect others as they do the same.

Some have more vulnerabilities to the virus or varying concern levels regarding their health risks.

This has been a tragic and trying year, but we are fighting our way onward, and we can get through it better by coming together, cooperating with what is advised, and respecting individuals, families, and businesses choices, while complying to the guidance and rules, going forward from here.

Stay well, be kind, and good luck to us all. If we are successful here, it will demonstrate a path forward for other places.

Thank you WSB for all your up to date pandemic coverage, and to this community, for a place of sharing, connection, concern, contribution, hope, and expression.

Thomas Andrew Wood May 16, 2021 (9:10 am)

Does anyone know why after 14 months the state is always 3 weeks behind on reporting current positivity rates .Currently the last update on the States website was 4/24/2021. I can understand a week ,3 weeks is absurd. I have emailed both the Governor and the State health Department they never respond

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