PANDEMIC UPDATES: Local check-in #23, 12/19/2021

Here’s our weekly update on local pandemic numbers and notes:

KING COUNTY CUMULATIVE NUMBERS (through Friday, since they’re not updated on weekends):

*179,394 cases – 2,946 more than one week ago (6,370 total in West Seattle, up 120)
*8,937 hospitalizations – 54 more than one week ago (262 total from West Seattle, up 3)
*2,136 people have died – 11 more than one week ago (76 total in West Seattle, unchanged)

VACCINATION RATE

80.9% of King County residents 5+ have completed their vaccine series – up 1% from one week ago

By West Seattle zip code – note that these numbers are still NOT available as 5+, so they reflect percentage of 12+ population:
98106 – 87.7% completed series, 33.2% had a booster dose too
98116 – 90.7% completed series, 43.2% had a booster dose too
98126 – 82.8% completed series, 37% had a booster dose too
98136 – 92.4% completed series, 47.5% had a booster dose too
98146 – 83% completed series, 30.1% had a booster dose too

(Find more COVID-related King County stats here.)

THE WEEK’S PANDEMIC HEADLINES

Omicron – Health authorities warned this week that case numbers are likely to rise rapidly as this new variant spreads. Public Health-Seattle King County also notes:

The severity of Omicron cases is still not clear. Most vaccinated people should be protected from severe infection, but we expect to see many more serious cases in unvaccinated people, as well as many milder breakthrough infections among the vaccinated.

Public Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin led a briefing on Friday – here’s the video, which starts with a briefing by researcher Dr. Trevor Bedford:

The PHSKC news release includes advice on staying safe.

J&J vaccine no longer recommended – If you are just now getting vaccinated, state and federal health officials are now recommending the two-dose Pfizer and Moderna vaccines over the one-dose J&J vaccine, although the latter will remain available. The concern about the J&J vaccine involves a side effect, which health officials nonetheless stress remains rare – 54 cases nationwide out of 14 million people who received that vaccine.

Lots of stats – For everyone interested in all the details, the state Health Department released these reports this week – cases among children/youth (here); cases, hospitalizations, and deaths by vaccination status (here); morbidity and mortality by race, ethnicity and spoken language (here); sequencing and variants in Washington State (here); Vaccine Breakthrough Surveillance and Case Information Resource (here).

NEED TO GET TESTED IN WEST SEATTLE?

The UW Medicine testing service in the Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex parking lot (2801 SW Thistle) continues to operate; you can make an appointment here. Meantime, the Curative testing kiosk at Don Armeni Boat Ramp (1222 Harbor SW) is also still operating, as is a Curative location at Summit Atlas (35th/Roxbury). In addition, both West Seattle Walgreens stores are offering drive-up testing (35th/Morgan and 16th/Roxbury) – more info here. (We’ll be checking this. week on holiday hours at the main test sites.)

Also John December 20, 2021 (7:47 am)

Wow…..West Seattle residents are doing awesome on getting their Covid shots. 👍

H December 20, 2021 (8:36 am)

Re: Getting tested at Nino Cantu, making an appointment is useless as they only have one line for walk ups as well as appointments. So anybody with an appointment waits just as long (in the weather) as somebody who just shows up. Confusing and frustrating, especially for someone who’s getting tested because they’re feeling sick, and who made an appointment trying to avoid standing outside in the weather for 20 minutes in line with everyone else.

JJ December 20, 2021 (10:11 am)

Oh my! The line is so long at the testing site today! I hope most of them are just holiday travelers. Maybe not. Take care everyone.

M December 20, 2021 (12:50 pm)

Heads up, the Don Armeni testing location is not taking walk-ups today. There wasn’t anything indicating this on their website (it still reads “walk-ins accepted during testing hours”), and they didn’t have any physical signage about it, but we were told when we got up to the window that we had to make an appointment and come back later. They said it’s because they’ve been really busy, so not sure if that will be the case tomorrow, the next day, etc.

Brian December 20, 2021 (1:59 pm)

Hi everyone… I tested positive on Saturday after developing a slight cough. At first, I tried the OTC tests – two of them were negative. Then I drove to Bellevue to get a rapid PCR test, which came back positive. I’m nearly certain I got it here in West Seattle, given the fact that two people I was out with last Tuesday also came down with it at the same time as me.Here’s the thing – I’m vaxed and boosted (Pfizer x 3). Also, I’ve been traveling all year (>100,000 miles on Alaska in 2021). I’ve been to Nashville – twice – where masks are for Halloween. I’ve seen a few dozen live shows this year. I was truly confident that, for me anyway, the risks of CV19 were in the past. Not so, apparently. I don’t know if I have the omicron or not – but that would be the logical conclusion.This has been like a particularly bad cold. Haven’t had a fever, but I’ve been coughing and sneezing and generally feeling run down. My taste and smell has been impacted. The coughing was really painful at first, but not now. I’m grateful to have had the vax and booster, given the symptoms I do have. If you haven’t had your booster yet, I’d say now is the time. I’ve heard some people say (not to me directly) “people who are vaxed and boosted are still getting sick, so what’s the point?” The point is not to consume a ICU bed and not to die. I’ve been locked up like a sick dog in the basement (eating, drinking, working, and watching movies), but I’m feeling lucky and taking that as my Christmas present.

WS Res December 21, 2021 (12:02 am)

Hope you feel better soon. Thanks for giving us a view of what it’s really like.

Rara December 20, 2021 (5:24 pm)

There was a breakout with kids in our area. Keep doing your due diligence. All of them were vaccinated. If you’ve payed attention from the get go, the possibility of most people getting it, vaccinated or not, is likely. That’s why they’ve always said “we want to slow the spread”. To not overwhelm hospitals. Most these kids aren’t eligible for a booster either. Take care folks and keep up with hand washing and what not. We can only do our best with the advice given.

Mj December 20, 2021 (6:01 pm)

Stats galore but a stat I did not see was for every positive test how many other untested people have contracted Covid and are not aware that they have it because they have no or very mild symptoms? I suspect that between vaccinations and natural immunity almost everyone has some level immunity at this point!

Rara December 20, 2021 (7:44 pm)

I’ve thought the same. I tried to get tested to see if I’ve had it and Swedish told me they don’t do those tests. Kind of irritating.