CORONAVIRUS: This week’s West Seattle numbers and notes

The weekend’s over, so here’s our weekly roundup of local COVID numbers via the Public Health – Seattle/King County dashboard:

*21 percent fewer cases reported countywide in the past week than the week before
*Currently averaging 279 new daily cases countywide (down from 349 a week ago)

*9 percent more hospitalizations countywide in the past week than the week before
*Currently averaging 11 new hospitalizations daily (up from 10 a week ago)

*15 percent fewer deaths countywide in the past two weeks than the two previous weeks (the dashboard doesn’t offer a one-week increment)
*Currently averaging 3 deaths daily (same as last week’s two-week average)

For West Seattle, we have two-week comparisons (the combined totals from two “health reporting areas,” labeled West Seattle and Delridge, together comprising the entire peninsula):
*217 cases between 8/22 and 9/05, down from 318 between 8/7 and 8/21
*2 hospitalizations between 8/22 and 9/05, down from 6 between 8/7 and 8/21
*2 deaths between 8/22 and 9/05, down from 4 between 8/7 and 8/21

VACCINATION: Checking vaccination rates:
*82.5 percent of all King County residents have completed the initial series (unchanged from a week ago)
*86.9 percent of all King County residents ages 5 and up have completed the initial series (up .1% from a week ago)
*52.5 percent of all King County residents have had the initial series plus a booster (unchanged from a week ago)

*In West Seattle, we’re now showing the vaccination rates for all ages, by ZIP code (reminder, 98106 and 98146 are not wholly within WS), compared to a week earlier:
98106 – 83.5% completed initial series (up .1%), 52.7% have had a booster (up .1%)
98116 – 90.2% completed initial series (up .1%), 65.6% have had a booster (up .2%)
98126 – 79.7% completed initial series (up .1%), 54.6% have had a booster (unchanged)
98136 – 90.2% completed initial series (unchanged), 67.9% have had a booster (unchanged)
98146 – 79% completed initial series (up .1%), 47.8% have had a booster (up .1%)

GETTING VACCINATED: Pliable is offering two pop-ups with Pfizer’s bivalent booster this weekend – details here … We’ve been mentioning upcoming pop-ups at local libraries – here’s the list of what’s ahead (nothing this week).

TESTING: If you want to get tested and don’t have – or want to get – a home kit, here’s info on West Seattle’s two public testing sites: The city-supported site at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle, 9 am-5:30 pm Monday-Saturday this week) and the Curative kiosk at Don Armeni Boat Ramp (1220 Harbor SW, 9 am-3 pm Monday-Friday this week). … To report self-test results, this page explains how (click “What should I do if my test is positive?”). … Ans among the many places you can get home-test kits, we’re told free kits also have been seen at some local libraries.

AMD September 12, 2022 (6:59 am)

Are the hospitalizations up or down?

WSB September 12, 2022 (11:07 am)

11, up from 10. Sorry, I had a typo, and thanks to the reader who emailed early this morning to point that out so I could fix it.

TimeToLetItGo September 12, 2022 (2:16 pm)

Is there really a reason for continuing with these update on the coronavirus? Even the governor is finally giving up his emergency powers. Putting on my prediction hat…all the zipcodes are going to go up .1 percent booster for the next report. Those who are going to get jabbed will get jabbed and those that don’t won’t and these slides are not going to influence anyone anymore. Side note, WSB doesn’t post weekly flu, monkeypox, shingles, MMR shot/booster updates.

WSB September 12, 2022 (2:25 pm)

None of those has been declared a pandemic. But I’m interested in opinions on this.
- Dave September 12, 2022 (2:55 pm)
  
  One of my son’s classmates just tested positive, and this was the first place I came… I don’t reference the percentages as much, but a weekly round-up of the resources available and their hours is very helpful! Thank you, WSB.
  
  In its most optimistic scenario, The Covid-19 Modeling Hub projected 111k deaths from Covid-19 between August ’22 and May ’23 (the most pessimistic is 181k). That doesn’t even get into hospitalizations and long Covid cases. I understand people are tired of hearing about the pandemic, but it’s very much still here and more destructive than the flu.
- 937 September 12, 2022 (3:40 pm)
  
  My vote would be to shelve these updates. Even Jacinda in New Zealand is rolling back.
  
  Time to let covid fade into the history books.
- Watertowerjim September 12, 2022 (4:01 pm)
  
  Might as well run until end of October to coincide with Inslees decree. States such as Texas and California who started school a month ago aren’t seeing any increases so even our resident chicken littles don’t have much to shout about.It’s part of life now. It’s never going away.
- Friend O'Dinghus September 12, 2022 (4:07 pm)
  
  I vote to keep them as we head into the Fall season. If the new bivalent Covid vaccines maintain the numbers at a low level as they are now, then ditch the one time per week updates in the Winter. Thank you by the way WSB for exceptional coverage throughout. You allowed all of us a unique vantage of local numbers, in context, which in turn allowed us to understand our situation nationally and globally. Thanks for once again being a community touchstone, regardless of when/if you cease the coverage.
- AMD September 12, 2022 (5:15 pm)
  
  I appreciate the weekly updates. It’s nice to see the trends and have the notes about who is offering what testing/vaccination popups. For me, the vaccination rates aren’t as helpful, if you were looking for something to cut back on. I don’t find that this information is in anyway prolonging the pandemic, causing panic, or taking up too much space on the front page.
- WS Res September 12, 2022 (8:30 pm)
  
  Pandemic is still happening. Got my bivalent booster today and I’m curious whether cases will spike as school/universities start. (Spoiler: they will.)

Inga September 12, 2022 (2:39 pm)

I agree with timetoletitgo. We need to get beyond the pandemic. It has terrorized us for far too long.

Another One September 12, 2022 (5:17 pm)

People deciding they’re tired of a pandemic doesn’t mean it’s over. Covid isn’t going to “fade away” just because you don’t like it. Efforts still have to be made. That said, I think this information is pretty easy to find elsewhere, so if WSB would rather focus on other things, I would understand.

Pat September 12, 2022 (7:53 pm)

I still very much appreciate seeing the case counts, hospitalizations, and deaths, in order to easily get a general idea of local trends — especially as we now move into fall and winter. (I don’t pay as much attention to vaccinations at this point. ) Anyone not interested can skip reading?

Jay West September 13, 2022 (9:41 am)

I appreciate the stats here. People are still getting sick, dying or becoming disabled in not small numbers. And I like to see if trends are getting worse or better over time. Those who feel this plain reporting is “terrorizing” to them might consider not reading these updates. But I agree the vaccination numbers aren’t adding much anymore. Perhaps reporting on current isolation guidelines and official treatment options and guidelines would be of more benefit in keeping more people healthy and recovering, and give high risk folks more of a lead on what comes next when they do get sick and test positive. A link to the federally supplied Covid treatment locations would be helpful for some high risk folks I’m sure.

Sorry, comment time is over.