(Added: Archived video of today’s briefing)

While we’ve been publishing nightly roundups of each day’s local coronavirus (COVID-19)-related highlights, and will continue to do that, today we’re publishing King County’s daily news release sooner, because it includes recommendations that everyone will want to consider. Here it is:

State and local officials announced today new recommendations to King County residents aimed at reducing their risk of exposure to COVID-19. We understand these actions will have a tremendous impact on the lives of people in our community. We are making these recommendations in consultation with CDC based on the best information we have currently to protect the public’s health.

This is a critical moment in the growing outbreak of COVID-19 in King County and these measures can potentially impact the spread of the disease.

Public Health is recommending, but not requiring, the following steps:

· People at higher risk of severe illness should stay home and away from large groups of people as much as possible, including public places with lots of people and large gatherings where there will be close contact with others. People at higher risk include:

o People 60 and older

o People with underlying health conditions including heart disease, lung disease, or diabetes

o People who have weakened immune systems

o People who are pregnant

· Workplaces should enact measures that allow people who can work from home to do so. Taking these measures can help reduce the number of workers who come into contact with COVID-19 and help minimize absenteeism due to illness

· If you can feasibly avoid bringing large groups of people together, consider postponing events and gatherings.

· Public Health is not recommending closing schools at this time unless there has been a confirmed case in the school. Public Health – Seattle & King County also respects an individual school’s decisions about closures or postponement of activities as each school knows the needs of their community best.

· All people should not go out when they are sick.

· Avoid visiting hospitals, long term care facilities, or nursing homes to the extent possible. If you need to go, limit your time there and keep six feet away from patients.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Because of the “large gatherings” recommendation, we are starting to get word of some cancellations – we have launched a list here that we will continue to update as info comes in. Now back to today’s news release:)

More detail on these measures will be available at www.kingcounty.gov/covid

Case update:

COVID-19 test results have come back from the Washington State Public Health Laboratory confirming ten additional cases of COVID-19 in King County residents including one death. With these ten new results, the total number of cases in King County is 31. The total number of deaths is nine.

The ten new cases are in:

· A female in her 60s, Life Care resident, hospitalized at EvergreenHealth

· A male in his 50s, associated with Life Care, not hospitalized

· A male in his 60s, Life Care resident, hospitalized at EvergreenHealth

· A female in her 70s, Life Care resident, hospitalized at EvergreenHealth

· A male in his 60s, Life Care resident, hospitalized at Evergreen

· A female in her 90s, Life Care resident, was hospitalized at Evergreen and died on 3/3/20

· A female in her 70s, Life Care resident, hospitalized at EvergreenHealth

· A male in his 30s, no known exposure, not hospitalized

· A female in her teens, associated with Life Care, not hospitalized

· A male in his 80s, a resident of Life Care, hospitalized at EvergreenHealth

No other details about the 10 cases reported today are available currently.

21 other cases, already reported earlier by Public Health, include:

Read More

Here’s our nightly roundup of coronavirus (COVID-19) news toplines:

LATEST NUMBERS IN KING COUNTY: Seattle-King County Public Health is now announcing new numbers around 11 am daily. Today, it’s up to 21 cases total, including eight deaths. The newly announced cases:

A female in her 40s, worked at LifeCare, never hospitalized and is recovering at home
A female in her 60s, family member of a confirmed case of COVID-19, not hospitalized
A male in his 70s, a frequent visitor of LifeCare, hospitalization status unknown currently
A male in his 20s, unknown exposure, hospitalized at Swedish Issaquah
A male in his 20s, unknown exposure, hospitalized at Swedish Issaquah
A female in her 80s, resident of LifeCare, never hospitalized, died at her family home on 2/26/20
A male in his 50s, resident of LifeCare, hospitalized at Harborview Medical Center and died on 2/26/20

All the cases/deaths in King County so far are listed in today’s SKCPH news release.

AMAZON WORKER ILL: The Seattle Times reports that Amazon has notified its local employees that one of their co-workers, who went home sick February 25th, has tested positive for COVID-19. The Times reports that the company’s message said the employee works in their building at 9th/Republican and is in quarantine. (We don’t know whether this case is one of the 21 that SKCPH counted as of midday today.)

QUARANTINE SITE IN TOP HAT: In the North Highline neighborhood of Top Hat, just east of White Center, a King County-owned property is the first site chosen for portable housing to be set up to quarantine COVID-19 patients if/as needed. We visited the site this afternoon:

This and 13 other portables have been stored on Harbor Island. 34th District State Sen. Joe Nguyen questions the Top Hat site choice; that’s part of our report on White Center Now.

‘CIVIL EMERGENCY’: Mayor Jenny Durkan issued that proclamation today; the announcement explains:

Actions authorized in the Proclamation include the ability to bypass regulations and the steps normally required of City contracting and borrowing; the ability to forgo regulatory permits in order to site or implement facilities needed to address COVID-19, and the ability to immediately adjust the use and closure of City facilities and events as necessary to prevent continued spread of COVID-19.

The mayor’s office also sent out this news release detailing what 10 departments are doing in response so far.

CITY BRIEFING TOMORROW: No public county or city briefings today but at least one is planned tomorrow – the Public Safety and Human Services Committee, chaired by District 1 Councilmember Lisa Herbold, will host two deputy mayors, half a dozen department heads, and the county Public Health director at a special 2 pm meeting. (You should be able to watch it live via Seattle Channel.)

DENNY DEEP CLEANING: Last night, as we reported, Chief Sealth International High School was cleaned after a report that a student, though NOT sick, is being monitored for possible coronavirus exposure. Tonight, adjacent Denny International Middle School is being cleaned, reports Denny principal Jeff Clark, who explains, “FYI: SPS can do a deep clean at a limited number of schools every night. We are on the list tonight simply because they did Sealth last night.” He stresses that there are NO cases or suspected cases at Denny, and added that there’s no new info yet about the Sealth student’s possible exposure.

TRAVELING THROUGH SEA-TAC ANY TIME SOON? The Port of Seattle published this Sea-Tac Airport update today, including new sanitation procedures as well as information from some of its airliines.

KING COUNTY CALL CENTER: The county has a call center:

If you are in King County and believe you were exposed to a confirmed case of COVID-19, or if you’re a healthcare provider with questions about COVID-19, contact our novel coronavirus call center: 206-477-3977. The call center will be open daily from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM PT.

For general concerns and questions about COVID-19, please call the Washington State Novel Coronavirus Call Center at 800-525-0127.

WSB COVERAGE: If there is specific West Seattle-related news, we will publish it immediately, otherwise we plan to continue nightly roundups like this. We’re also using Twitter for instant short bursts. You can find all our coverage – newest first – archived at westseattleblog.com/category/coronavirus.

7:43 PM: We’re continuing daily roundups of coronavirus-related news, with a focus on King County. Here’s what’s happened today/tonight:

14 KING COUNTY CASES, INCLUDING 5 DEATHS: Here’s the list from today’s update by Seattle-King County Public Health:

The four new cases are in:

A male in his 50s, hospitalized at Highline Hospital. No known exposures. He is in stable but critical condition. He had no underlying health conditions.
A male in his 70s, a resident of LifeCare, hospitalized at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland. The man had underlying health conditions, and died 3/1/20
A female in her 70s, a resident of LifeCare, hospitalized at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland. The woman had underlying health conditions, and died 3/1/20
A female in her 80s, a resident of LifeCare, was hospitalized at EvergreenHealth. She is in critical condition.

10 other cases, already reported earlier by Public Health, include:

A female in her 80s, hospitalized at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland. This person has now died
A female in her 90s, hospitalized at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland. The woman has underlying health conditions, and is in critical condition
A male in his 70s, hospitalized at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland. The man has underlying health conditions, and is in critical condition
A male in his 70s was hospitalized at EvergreenHealth. He had underlying health conditions and died on 2/29/20.
A man in his 60s, hospitalized at Valley Medical Center in Renton.
A man in 60s, hospitalized at Virginia Mason Medical Center.
A woman in her 50s, who had traveled to South Korea; recovering at home
A woman in her 70s, who was a resident of LifeCare in Kirkland, hospitalized at EvergreenHealth
A woman in her 40s, employed by LifeCare, who is hospitalized at Overlake Medical Center
A man in his 50s, who was hospitalized and died at EvergreenHealth

WATCH TODAY’S BRIEFING: Here’s the archived video of the King County briefing held at 11 am today:

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CHIEF SEALTH STUDENT BEING MONITORED: Tonight, Chief Sealth International High School sent families a message saying that a student – who, it’s stressed, is NOT ILL – is “being monitored … in response to a possible exposure.” The school will remain open and is being cleaned tonight. Here’s the letter, sent to us by principal Aida Fraser-Hammer (or here in PDF):

ALSO ANNOUNCED: Today King County Executive Dow Constantine “immediately ordered the purchase of an area motel to be used to isolate patients in recovery as well as those in active treatment. The acquisition is expected to be finalized in a matter of days and available to Public Health by the end of the week. Location details will be made available when the transaction is complete. In addition, King County will place modular units on public properties in locations throughout King County.” KIRO TV’s Graham Johnson reports those modular units are currently stored on Harbor Island (where the county owns the old flour-mill site).

METRO SANITATION: Metro announced it’s intensifying its sanitation protocols, as explained here.

LOCAL SENIOR FACILITIES: We’ve been checking with West Seattle facilities. Again, NO local cases – but, out of an abundance of caution, at least one facility is closed to outside visitors (Quail Park [WSB sponsor]); another is discouraging them (The Kenney). We’re still waiting to hear back from some and expect more info tomorrow. We also checked with the Senior Center of West Seattle, which says it’s open, business as usual, but it’s posted health reminders.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: From Public Health authorities:

Do not go to the emergency room unless essential. Emergency rooms need to be able to serve those with the most critical needs. If you have symptoms like cough, fever, or other respiratory problems, contact your regular doctor first.
Stay home when sick.
Practice excellent personal hygiene habits, including handwashing, coughing into tissue or elbow, avoid touching eyes, nose, or mouth.
Stay away from people who are ill, especially if you are 60 and older or have underlying health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, or a weakened immune system.
Stay informed. Information is changing frequently.

P.S. Gov. Inslee stressed personal cleanliness, and calm, in his briefing today – here it is in full.

ADDED 11:57 AM TUESDAY: The newest King County info has just been released – see it here.

9:58 PM: Hours after last night’s announcement of King County’s first coronavirus (COVID-19) case, today brought news of three more, including the nation’s first death from the new virus. Here are the toplines of what’s emerged since:

KING COUNTY CASES: None reported in Seattle so far, though no location has been given for the one reported last night, a woman in her 50s with a “mild” case. The three additional ones reported today include the person who died, described by Seattle-King County Public Health as “a man in his 50s with underlying health conditions … a patient at EvergreenHealth Hospital [in Kirkland] but not a resident of the long-term care facility..” The other two “are associated with LifeCare nursing facility in Kirkland,” a health care worker in her 40s, currently in satisfactory condition at Overlake Hospital, and a woman in her 70s, a resident at LifeCar, now in serious condition at EvergreenHealth Hospital. Health authorities say they’re expecting more cases because “over 50 individuals associated with LifeCare are reportedly ill with respiratory symptoms or hospitalized with pneumonia or other respiratory conditions of unknown cause and are being tested for COVID-19.”

WHAT’S BEING DONE – KING COUNTY: King County Executive Dow Constantine activated the King County Emergency Operations Center “to coordinate the work of cities across the region.” His news release also announced, “King County Metro has also established an Incident Management Team to develop policy recommendations, operational strategies, and protocols for sustaining Metro operations in all contingencies.” At a media briefing downtown this afternoon, he said buses are being cleaned/vacuumed daily, and that any bus found to have “unsanitary conditions” will be taken out of service to be cleaned again.

WHAT’S BEING DONE – SEATTLE: Mayor Jenny Durkan said her Emergency Executive Board already has been working on the coronavirus response since January, and her news release said “the City will be activating its Emergency Operating Center to ensure continued coordination with our city, local, and state partners.”

WHAT’S BEING DONE – STATE: Gov. Jay Inslee said the state’s Emergency Operations Center has been activated since January; today he issued an emergency proclamation (PDF) “that directs state agencies and departments to utilize state resources and do everything reasonably possible to assist affected communities responding to and recovering from COVID-19 cases.”

WATCH TODAY’S MEDIA BRIEFING: Best archived unedited version we could find:

NATIONAL OVERVIEW: Here’s updated info from the Centers for Disease Control, including recommendations for what you can/should do.

WHICH IS WORSE, CORONAVIRUS OR FLU? The New York Times takes on that question here.

ADDED SUNDAY MORNNG: 2 more King County cases just announced, including one at a downtown Seattle hospital.

ADDED 6 PM SUNDAY: Another update – now 10 cases total, including 2 deaths, in King County. We’ll publish a wrapup of the Sunday developments later this evening. (Note: URL corrected)

10:07 PM: Tonight health authorities announced two new presumed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) in our state, including the first one in King County. So it’s time for us to start reporting on it. First, here’s what’s new. From the Public Health/Seattle-King County announcement:

Today the Washington State Department of Health announced a positive test result for novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in a King County resident. The individual, a woman in her fifties, had recent travel to Daegu, South Korea. The resident is in home isolation and has mild illness.

Public Health – Seattle & King County is working to identify and contact those who may have come in contact with the confirmed case.

This is the first known case of novel coronavirus in King County.

Authorities did not say where in King County the patient lives. Also announced at tonight’s briefing, a new presumed case in Snohomish County, described as a juvenile patient whose school, Jackson High School in Everett, is closing for three days for cleaning. They don’t know how the teen was exposed to the virus.

The two cases announced tonight are the second and third in our state.

QUESTIONS? The state Health Department has set up “a call center to address questions from the public. If you have questions about what is happening in Washington state, please call 800-525-0127 and press #.

The state’s news release includes this advice:

How can you prevent the spread of COVID-19? Prevention starts with practicing good personal health habits:

-Wash your hands often with soap and water,
-Stay home when you’re sick,
-Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue,
-Clean frequently touched surfaces and objects.
-Getting plenty of rest, drinking fluids, eating healthy foods, and managing your stress can help you prevent getting COVID-19 and recover from it if you do.

Authorities stress that so far, risk is low, and – as with the aforementioned King County case – most cases are mild. Common questions are answered hee; The main Public Health-Seattle/King County infopage about the coronavirus situation is here. Lots of info from the state Health Department can be found here.

P.S. We’re creating a new coverage category, so any coronavirus (COVID-19)-related story we publish will be findable here.

11:25 AM: More King County cases are being announced today, including a death (on the Eastside, according to The Times).

1:25 PM: From today’s news release (we’ll likely publish a daily update later):

Public Health – Seattle & King County, Washington State Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are reporting today four presumptive positive cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19), including one person who died.

Two of the confirmed cases are associated with LifeCare nursing facility in Kirkland, King County, Washington:
– One is a health care worker from LifeCare. She is a woman in her 40s, is currently in satisfactory condition at Overlake Hospital, and she has no known travel outside the United States.

– The second case, a woman in her 70’s, is a resident at LifeCare and is in serious condition at EvergreenHealth Hospital.

In addition, over 50 individuals associated with LifeCare are reportedly ill with respiratory symptoms or hospitalized with pneumonia or other respiratory conditions of unknown cause and are being tested for COVID-19. Additional positive cases are expected.
The death occurred in a patient at EvergreenHealth Hospital but was not a resident of the long-term care facility.

Public Health – Seattle & King County is current working with LifeCare to provide care for ill patients while protecting uninfected patients. The CDC is sending a team of epidemiologists to King County to support our efforts to identify, isolate and test all of those who may be at risk because of these new cases.