CORONAVIRUS: Our last daily roundup, Tuesday 6/29/2021

This is it – our final daily roundup, 16 months after our first one. We’ll move to weekly Friday night updates for now. But first, the Tuesday news, on Reopening Eve:

GOVERNOR’S STATEMENT: No in-person statement from Gov. Jay Inslee, but we and other media received this:

Washington has come a long way since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the country was found in our state January 2020, and that is in no small part due to Washingtonians’ dedication and resilience in protecting themselves and their communities throughout the pandemic.

Because folks listened to science and stayed home to stay healthy, wore masks, and got vaccinated, we can now safely fully re-open our state’s economy and cultural centers after 15 long months. It hasn’t been easy, but I’m proud of how Washingtonians came together, persevered and sacrificed to fight this virus, and now we’re finally in a place that is safe enough to end this chapter.

Even though Wednesday marks a new stage in our continued efforts to defeat this pandemic, we still have work to do. Continued success depends on everyone getting vaccinated and encouraging any loved one who has not yet received this lifesaving vaccine to do so, and quickly. Let’s keep it up, Washington – get vaccinated and stay safe.

BRIEFING TOMORROW: State health officials are still having their weekly media briefing on Reopening Day – this time, 2:15 pm Wednesday. You can watch live here.

NEWEST NUMBERS: Checking the daily summary from Seattle-King County Public Health:

*112,514 people have tested positive, 34 new since yesterday

*1,657 people have died, unchanged since Saturday

*6,502 people have been hospitalized, 6 more than yesterday

One week ago, the totals were 111,757/1,618/6,314.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.

NATIONAL/WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 181.8 million cases worldwide, 33.6 million of them in the U.S. – see other nation-by-nation stats by going here.

MASK DIRECTIVE LIFTED: King County has ended the recommendation – but that does NOT mean you can’t or won’t be asked to wear a mask at a business, institution, etc., so keep one handy.

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

31 Replies to "CORONAVIRUS: Our last daily roundup, Tuesday 6/29/2021"

  • Christina June 30, 2021 (5:00 am)

    Hey WSB,Can I suggest a story about how local businesses are responding to the removal of most business restrictions? Seems like that could be an interesting and uplifting read. Thanks for all you do. <3

  • Cindi Barker June 30, 2021 (7:09 am)

    Thank you for all the work that went into compiling and monitoring the pandemic situation for all of us.  During the early highly confusing months of changing rules, guidance, new websites and massive rumors, you were the one place I could go to sort things out and find the links to the info needed.  This was an incredible job and you set a high bar for the journalistic community!

  • Wside June 30, 2021 (8:00 am)

    Thank you for your updates and coronavirus coverage.  Though, I’m not sad my daily ritual of reading them will end!

  • JJ June 30, 2021 (8:15 am)

    WS Blog- Thanks for keeping us informed through our pandemic. We were better served than many communities because you were here. And thank God for the vaccines. It’s nice to venture out and about more these days. I hope we don’t have to have these daily round-ups again. Stay well y’all.

  • kathy June 30, 2021 (8:17 am)

    Bravo on your coverage over the past 16 months!! I’m sure you’re happy to be able to retire the daily update. Thank you for your diligence and detailed reporting. The WS Blog has been my first spot to check every day for an update. Thank you!!

  • Beanie June 30, 2021 (8:33 am)

    Thank you for doing these over the past 15 months! We are so lucky to have this as a resource. You’ve kept our community informed, educated, and safer because of your work. 

  • Julia June 30, 2021 (8:39 am)

    Thanks for providing this. It has been my go-to source of info the whole time. But, glad to see it go!

  • Evan June 30, 2021 (8:49 am)

    Thanks so much for doing this. My family and I have really depended on this information for the last 15 months, and I’m sure it’s been a grind.

  • KSJ June 30, 2021 (9:03 am)

    Thank you so much for this daily report. I think I’ve read 99% of them. Such an important service you provide to the community!

  • Mellow Kitty June 30, 2021 (9:06 am)

    So happy to see this! Nicely done fellow Washingtonians! ❤️❤️

  • Lisa June 30, 2021 (9:06 am)

    I really appreciate the diligence you’ve put into the daily updates but I’m happy they are going away :-)

    I now wouldn’t mind the daily count for the bridge closure to disappear. It’s painful to read that reminder when we have a year+ to go on that fiasco :-/

  • Cindy Craig June 30, 2021 (9:20 am)

    Thank you, Tracy, for the consistent, reliable information on the pandemic every day for the past sixteen months. It became my ‘go to’ every morning for the latest local updates and was my source when I found vaccine appointments for my family this spring. I hope we don’t have any other news events for a long time that demand daily information updates for 16 months but if we do I know you will be on top of it for West Seattleites.

  • HS June 30, 2021 (9:30 am)

    WSB, I cannot thank you enough for the information you compiled in these roundups. It was frequently referred to in my household and linked to for friends and family. So thank you for the reporting but really for the extra community service. 👏👏👏👏👏👏 (thats my virtual standing ovation)

  • JJ June 30, 2021 (9:37 am)

    Thank you WSB for being an incredible, informative constant during an extraordinary time. You’ve done such important work and continue to bring so much to our community. Enduring gratitude. 

  • Reese June 30, 2021 (10:22 am)

    Let me join the chorus of appreciation for WSB coverage. We are so fortunate to have WSB as a community resource. 

  • WS Foodie June 30, 2021 (10:28 am)

    Echoing all the appreciative comments here.  You really provide such an invaluable service to our community.  I just clicked the link back to your first coronavirus roundup on Feb 28 last year, and some of the comments made me chuckle.  The shock that we might cancel professional sporting events and concerts for two weeks is amusing in hindsight.  

  • Conjunction Junction June 30, 2021 (10:47 am)

    Thank you West Seattle Blog, job well done – as always!

  • emcat8 June 30, 2021 (12:01 pm)

    Nthing the gratitude for these roundups–I’ve told my friends many times that if they wanted to know something, to come here, even though they don’t live in the area.

  • WSB June 30, 2021 (12:42 pm)

    Thanks for the kind words. Could NEVER have imagined 16 months. And thanks to everyone whose tips/contributions were vital along the way – from new local cases to vaccination-appointment availability, to cool neighborhood-spirit sightings (chalk art, porch concerts, bears in windows) … TR

  • heartless June 30, 2021 (1:48 pm)

    Let me add my thanks. 

    The WSB is an outstanding part of this community; I never would have thought that a local blog could be a such an important and valuable part of a neighborhood, but this blog is absolutely one of the things I treasure most about West Seattle. 

    Your work is much, much, much appreciated.

  • Friend O'Dinghus June 30, 2021 (2:23 pm)

    Good bye daily ‘Rona Roundup, we hardly knew ye! Seriously, a huge thank you WSB for your Herculean efforts. The ability to easily see each day how we were doing in the case counts kept the fabric of our community from fully fraying.

  • AJP June 30, 2021 (2:44 pm)

    Thank you so much for providing this community service. I used it for my job. There are unsung heroes of the pandemic, and you’re definitely one of them. 

  • Friend O'Dinghus June 30, 2021 (3:03 pm)

    I also forgot to thank whomever was responsible for flying this. Not necessarily West Seattle related, but like WSB, it comforted and inspired many, many people just when we needed it most. Whomever you are, thank you. The image will remain in my memory forever.

  • Scott Flaherty June 30, 2021 (3:05 pm)

    Kudos WSB!Let’s make this thankful thread one of the most commented ones in WSB history.

  • Bronson June 30, 2021 (3:07 pm)

    Thanks WSB! Only one more daily update to get rid of – days without the bridge! They should allow us all to have a street festival on it once it is ready. What’s one more day? :-)

  • MrsT June 30, 2021 (3:39 pm)

    I want to pile on to the kudos and thank you’s here. Reading the update each morning has been an emotional anchor for me over what turned out to be the last 15 months of terror.  Let’s keep our fingers crossed that you don’t ever have to revert back to daily updates. 

  • DH June 30, 2021 (6:34 pm)

    Joining the chorus. Thanks for your coverage WSB during this disaster! It has been awesome and invaluable having local information! I so appreciate you all regularly! 

  • PrincessG June 30, 2021 (11:07 pm)

    We are so lucky to have you, WSB! Thank you for your dedication over the last 16 months!

  • KS in WS July 1, 2021 (6:07 am)

    I want to echo all of this appreciation for the daily reports. Thank you for giving us these perfectly sized and scoped updated for so many months. 👏👏👏👏

  • songstorm July 1, 2021 (6:27 am)

    Echoing the thanks and praise for WSB shared by others. Your tireless dedication to COVID-19 coverage comes as no surprise, because you bring those same true journalistic principles to every thing you do.  While I don’t read every WSB article posted, like many others, I rely on WSB as my primary news source and made checking the Coronavirus daily roundup part of my morning routine.  The information provided here was often much clearer and easier to understand than other sources, and provided in a more timely fashion.  WSB’s collection of vaccination information meant we were able to find appointments with much less stress than many others I know.I am glad this series is coming to an end, and I hope WSB never ends. You are a true community treasure.

  • Thank You July 1, 2021 (8:27 am)

    Thank you for so diligently posting these each and every single day. I read almost every single update each morning. What a journey it has been.

Sorry, comment time is over.