Knowledge is the best tool to fight against fear. A wise person chooses to be informed so they can make sound decisions. To join the fight against COVID misinformation, you can share this update through your social media platform of choice.
[KING COUNTY, Wash.] – (MTN) For the first time since August 17, the 14 days moving average for new Covid-19 cases in Washington state dropped below 400. Hospitalizations have only declined slightly. A combination of patients arriving sicker, non-Covid related hospitalizations, and transfer patients both inside and outside of Washington continue to push medical workers to the breaking point.
UW Medicine will no longer do solid organ transplants on patients who refuse the Covid-19 vaccine.
Pfizer applies for Covid-19 vaccine emergency use authorization for children 5 to 11 years old and the FDA will hold a hearing on October 26.
Hospitalizations in Eastern Washington are increasing, and the eastern half of the state continues to see many more new Covid-19 cases versus other regions with higher vaccination rates. Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett reported 30 patients in the emergency department waiting for beds.
Leaders in Alaska, Idaho, and Montana appear to be trying to find new levels of awful in their response, and non-response to the situation in their respective states. Wyoming had a record number of pediatric patients in September, and state officials are drafting a “crisis standards of care” plan.
For the first time since August 17, the new case rate is below 400. New cases were down slightly in all but the least vaccinated counties, where new Covid-19 cases increased.
Percent of Total Population Fully Vaccinated
Average 14-Day New Case Rate (unadjusted)
60.00% or above (4)
205.3
50.00% to 59.99% (13 counties)
513.4
40.00% to 49.99% (14 counties)
613.4
29.30% to 39.99% (8 counties)
739.7 (up)
14-Day New Covid-19 Cases per 100K average by Vaccination Rate, Not Adjusted for Population
Through October 6, Washington’s statewide 14-day rolling average is 398.0 Covid-19 cases per 100K.
Ferry County continues to get worse, reporting 1,137.8 new cases per 100K residents. This is approaching the same level the county experience in April after a superspreader event in the town of Republic.
Counties in the 800.0 to 999.9 per 100K range include Columbia, Grant, Klickitat, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, and Stevens.
Counties in the 600.0 to 799.9 per 100K range include Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Columbia, Cowlitz, Franklin, Garfield, Grays Harbor, Mason, Okanogan, and Walla Walla. Douglas and Lewis counties are just under 600.0.
New cases by age group were statistically unchanged while hospitalizations were mixed.
Age Group
7-Day Case Rate
7-Day Hospitalization Rate
Ages 0-11
167.0
0.8 (down)
Ages 12-19
196.1
0.8
Ages 20-34
164.9
4.6 (down)
Ages 35-49
174.8
8.8
Ages 50-64
121.8
15.8 (up)
Ages 65-79
93.6
16.7 (down)
Ages 80+
106.9
36.6 (up)
7-day case rate and 7-day hospitalization rate is per 100K within the age group – the target for 7-day case rate is <25.0, but there are other factors such as vaccination rates within the age groups, how many total tests within the 7-day period, and the positivity rate within each age group
The USA Today COVID Tracker reported 57 deaths yesterday. The state of Washington is not reporting the percentage of positive cases.
UW Medicine requires Covid-19 vaccine for all solid organ transplant patients
UW Medicine now requires all recipients of solid organ transplants to be vaccinated for Covid-19. The hospital system updated its Covid-19 FAQ yesterday, making a previously reported policy official. The site indicated the policy was put into place because, “After a transplant, your immune system is suppressed and in a prolonged weakened state. This makes you less able to develop an appropriate immune response to the vaccine. It also makes you more vulnerable to infections from viruses like COVID-19 that can lead to severe illness or death.”
Unvaccinated organ transplant patients experience 20% to 30% mortality if they catch Covid-19, which is about the same fatality rate of smallpox or the mild variant of Ebola. Patients who need an organ transplant typically require other vaccines such as an MMR booster, Hepatitis B, and Varicella or Zoster.
Patient compliance with medical instructions pre-transplant weighs into the authorization decision. People who exhibit low compliance pre-transplant typically don’t follow through on their care plan after a transplant. Alcoholics that need a liver transplant are required to be clean and sober for months while lung transplant recipients need to stop using tobacco products.
Additionally, some anti-vaccination followers believe they are part of a “pureblood” movement and are rejecting blood transfusions because the blood supply isn’t separated between vaccinated and unvaccinated. That begs the question if the blood of a vaccinated person isn’t acceptable, why would an organ from a vaccinated person be?
Central Washington University professor dies of Covid-19
In 1999 she accepted a proposal to become an exchange professor at Central Washington University where she began teaching music theory, music history, class piano, and world music. Over the 20 plus years of her stay at Central, Maria regularly accompanied students and faculty members, as well as performing her own piano recitals. In 2006 Central awarded her the Outstanding Non-Tenure Track Teaching Award in recognition of her work; this was followed by Maria’s reception in 2013 of the Distinguished Teaching Award to honor her outstanding contribution to CWU’s academic life.
A former student, who asked not to be identified out of respect for the family, told Malcontent News Roditeleva-Wibe didn’t trust the government and was unvaccinated.
She leaves behind her husband, Mark.
Travel Advisories
We continue to recommend avoiding recreational travel to Spokane County. We strongly advise against all nonessential travel to Alaska, Idaho, and Montana. Hospital resources in these regions are constrained, and you may receive inadequate care if you experience a medical emergency.
The East Hospital Region inched closer to receiving a recreational travel advisory. Hospitals in Eastern Washington are very stressed due to the unvaccinated population east of the Cascade and Idaho residents seeking treatment in Washington state.
Thank you
Thank you to our new subscribers and those of you who have made one-time contributions. On behalf of the entire team, thank you for helping us keep the lights on!
No promotional consideration has been given, or requested from the n95 project or any manufacturer of masks
Vaccination
Pfizer applies for Covid-19 vaccine Emergency Use Authorization for children 5-11
Pfizer and BioNTech have asked federal regulators to authorize emergency use of their coronavirus vaccine for kids ages 5 to 11, the companies announced Thursday, according to a report in USA Today.
The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will need to sign off on the vaccine before it becomes available to children of those ages. An independent expert panel will review the data on October 26.
Booster shots for eligible individuals are now available statewide. Individuals who received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine more than six months ago, are 65 or older, or are immunocompromised can receive their third dose immediately.
In the Kirland-Bellevue-Woodinville area, Walgreens, Rite-Aid, Bartell’s, and QFC are offering booster shots. Additionally, the third dose is available at the CVS located within the Target store at 17,700 NE 76th Street in Redmond.
Most locations require an appointment, which can be scheduled online.
King County, Washington is reporting over 86.7% of age eligible residents are vaccinated with at least one dose. The highest rates of positivity are in areas with low vaccination rates statewide. The FDA has provided full approval of the Pfizer vaccine for anyone 16 and over and EUA approval for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
COVID vaccines are free for anyone over 12 years old, and no appointment is necessary at most locations. Lyft and Hopelink provide free transportation, and KinderCare, the Learning Care Group, and the YMCA offer free childcare during vaccination appointments or recuperation.
According to the DoH COVID Dashboard, 91% of all staffed acute care beds are occupied, and 17.2% of patients have Covid-19. Statewide, hospitals have the staff to support approximately 666 additional acute care patients. ICUs are at 88.1% of capacity statewide, with 30.0% of ICU patients fighting Covid-19 – an estimated 352 patients with 56% on ventilators. The state has the staff to support approximately 145 additional ICU patients.
The 7-day rolling average hospital admission rate for new COVID patients was 123. The Department of Health reported 1,193 Covid-19 patients statewide on October 6, with 197 requiring ventilators.
Hospital status by region – ICU Occupancy should be below 80%, ICU COVID Patients should be below 20%, Acute Care Occupancy should be below 80%, and Acute Care COVID Patients should be below 10%
We’re seeing a tale of two Hospital Regions in the data. All four metrics for the West Hospital Region are approaching a level that would trigger a recreational travel advisory. In contrast, The West Hospital Region continues to inch closer to normal. Eastern Washington and the Olympic Peninsula are the two regions holding the rest of the state back. It is important to note that the Puget Sound Region and East Region have a significant number of transfer patients, both from within Washington and out of state.
“It’s disappointing we’re still in this position,” said Darren Redick, CEO of Providence Northwest Service Area.
“As of yesterday, we’ve opened up a six-bed satellite ICU to care for additional ICU patients, because we’re out of bed capacity in our normal ICU,” Redick explained. The hospital has been forced to cancel elective surgeries due to the surge of patients coming through the doors.
– Bell Elementary (1*) – Barton Elementary (1*) – Dickinson/Explorer Elementary (1*) – Ella Baker Elementary (1*) – Eastlake High (2*) – Finn Hill Middle School (3*) – Franklin Elementary (2*) – Frost Elementary (2*) – ICS (1*) – Inglewood Middle School (1*) – Juanita Elementary (1*) – Kamiakin Middle School (4*) – Keller Elementary (2*) – Kirkland Middle School (1* see notes) – Lakeview Elementary (4*) – McAuliffe Elementary (1*) – Muir Elementary (1*) – Northstar Middle (1*) – Redmond Elementary (2*) – Redmond Middle School (1*) – Redmond High School (2*) – Renaissance Middle School (1*) – Rosa Parks Elementary (1*) – Rush Elementary (1*)
see notes below
None
Northshore
YELLOW
– Arrowhead Elementary (5) – Bothell High School (42**) – Canyon Creek Elementary (19) – Canyon Park Middle School (4) – Cottage Lake Elementary (3) – Crystal Springs Elementary (23) – East Ridge Elementary (9) – Fernwood Elementary (1) – Frank Love Elementary (22) – Hollywood Hills Elementary (34) – Inglemoor High School (1) – Innovation Lab High School (1) – Kenmore Elementary (2) – Kenmore Middle School (19) – Leota Middle School (3) – Lockwood Elementary (25**) – Maywood Hills Elementary (11**) – Moorlands Elementary (2) – North Creek High School (7) – Northshore Middle School (2) – Secondary Academy for Success (4) – Shelton View Elementary (6) – Skyview Middle School (11) – Sunrise Elementary (7) – Timbercrest Middle School (5) – Wellington Elementary (31**) – Westhill Elementary (52) – Woodin Elementary (5**) – Woodinville High School (11) – Woodmoor Elementary (12)
None
Local Districts Scorecard – * indicates positive cases only ** indicates 5 or more confirmed positive cases
We redefined the school district statuses. Information for classroom and building closures has been a challenge to obtain, both for closures and reopening. We are adopting moving any school with more than 10 active COVID cases reported into the red, and we’ve adjusted the third column to reflect this change.
Maywood Elementary in the Northshore School District reported six confirmed Covid-19 cases.
We have a parent confirmed report of a single Covid-19 case at Kirkland Middle School, with an additional 17 students quarantined.
We multiple parents e-mailed us about two confirmed Covid-19 cases at Juanita High School. However, because the district sent the e-mail on Monday, we cannot confirm if these are new or included in the last dashboard update.
We continued to encourage parents to request improved daily data reporting from the Lake Washington School District.
Kirkland-Bellevue-Woodinville
No update
National Round-Up
Johns Hopkins University Cumulative Case Tracker is reporting 111,503 new cases and 2,556 deaths nationwide on Wednesday. The United States has now lost 704,000 residents to Covid-19 since February 29, 2020. In 2020, when no vaccine was available, 352,000 people died – so far in 2021, with a vaccine, the same number have passed on.
A study out of the U.K., where they keep more detailed records of unvaccinated versus vaccinated fatalities, indicated just 1.2% of deaths since January 1 were among unvaccinated people. Covid-19 data in the United States are recorded at a state level, and some states such as Florida, Idaho, Texas, and Wyoming, don’t track statistics for vaccinated versus unvaccinated.
Alaska
Editor’s Note: I must remain objective. I must remain objective. I must remain objective.
As Alaska experiences the highest Covid-19 new case rate on the planet, Anchorage has been forced to ration Covid-19 testing because of a surprise budget shortfall.
Alaska Public Radio reported a spokesman for Mayor Dave Bronson said the administration plans to ask the city Assembly for additional cash “in the near future.” But for now, it’s scaling back its testing contractor’s hours at multiple sites around the city, with reductions totaling 108 hours a week, the contractor said.
Technically, Anchorage’s purchase order with its testing provider, California-based Visit Healthcare, runs through the end of October. But the city is paying a flat rate of $98 a test, and amid Alaska’s delta variant-driven surge, demand has been so high that without the reduced hours, Bronson’s administration would have exhausted its appropriation from the Assembly by Oct. 18, according to Acting Health Director Joe Gerace.
New cases in Alaska still lead the nation but have declined significantly from last week – but a lack of testing resources helps keep that number down. The state is still operating under “crisis standards of care” with 180 Covid-19 patients statewide. Alaska has 125 staffed ICU beds statewide, with 26 available. There were 842 new cases reported today. At the current rate of new cases detected, 1% of Alaska residents are catching Covid-19 every 8 days, and the state is under testing.
“We had one patient that was intubated, and we had one that required continuous BiPAP (a type of ventilator), and these are ICU-level … patients,” she said.
But Weber said they weren’t placed in the intensive care unit — even though there were rooms available in the ICU that she said were equipped to handle COVID-19 patients.
Instead, she said, they were placed with the rest of the hospital’s COVID-19 patients in a section of the medical-surgical unit. And that was a problem, she said, because it meant critically ill patients couldn’t be monitored effectively from outside their rooms.
Pete Coulson, 67, was a member of the task force and told people he was “vaccinated by Christ.” After a three-week battle, he died of Covid-19.
“I am deeply saddened at the loss of Pete Coulson, as I’m sure everyone in (the) Treasure Valley is,” McGeachin wrote in a prepared statement Thursday. “He was loved by everyone who knew him, and he will be greatly missed. I’m praying for his family.”
Prominent mainstream Republicans, worried the state’s hard-right drift could scuttle their efforts to grow Idaho’s economy, are asking Democrats and Independents to register as Republicans to vote in the party’s May primary. “Everybody and their dog ought to get out to the primary and have their say so,” said Jim Jones, a former chief justice of the Idaho Supreme Court and former Republican Idaho attorney general. “That’s where your vote counts.”
“We have definitely seen more pregnant hospitalization in the ICU,” said Robert Scoggins, Kootenai Health’s ICU medical director. “You are really taking care of two people and I think that’s a really difficult situation, makes us all very nervous but so far we have been lucky.”
But not all of Idaho’s hospitals are so lucky. St. Luke’s Magic Valley in Twin Falls is reporting more stillbirths.
“We are seeing more stillbirths, unexplained stillbirths and towards the end of the pregnancy,” said Dr. Stacy Seyb, who specializes in Maternal-Fetal Medicine.
Dr. Seyb said in April there were 18 confirmed cases of COVID cases in pregnant women across all St. Luke’s locations. September saw 150 confirmed cases. and 97% of hospitalized pregnant women are unvaccinated.
“If you are pregnant, you are three to five times more likely to be hospitalized and twice as likely to succumb to the process and die,” Dr. Seyb said. “The thing about COVID is it causes issues with blood clotting and placentas are very vulnerable to blood clots and I think we can see smaller babies that aren’t growing well as well and so those are the types of things we see overall.”
May the odds ever be in your favor.
Montana
Montana’s situation continues to worsen with KTVQ reporting 1,301 new Covid-19 cases and 21 more hospitalizations, increasing the number to 465. At the current rate of new confirmed cases, 1% of all Montanans are infected with Covid-19 every eight days. With a hospitalization rate of 5%, Montana does not have the staffing or facility resources to meet the current surge.
Hospitalizations have increased 40% in the last month and Billings Clinic is having to pay traveling staff as much as $200 an hour to work in the struggling hospital.
ICU nurse Laurie Sutphin had this to say. “The worst thing is that we had so much hope when the vaccine came out. We thought we’d never be here again.”
Ten Wyoming facilities reported a critical staffing shortage Thursday. Eleven reported anticipating such a shortage within the week.
According to Oil City News, seven hospitals had zero available ICU beds available and four had only one ICU bed available. While ICU beds are not exclusively used to treat COVID-19 patients, when hospitals deal with surges in these patients, that can put a strain on their ability to care for other types of critical-needs patients.
Wyoming officials are drafting a plan for statewide implementation of crisis standards of care.
Knowledge is the best tool to fight against fear. A wise person chooses to be informed so they can make sound decisions. To join the fight against COVID misinformation, you can share this update through your social media platform of choice.
[KING COUNTY, Wash.] – (MTN) Hospitals in Eastern Washington are starting to feel the crush of transfer patients and Idahoans seeking medical treatment in Washington state. As new cases decline statewide, hospitalizations have plateaued, with Eastern Washington taking on the brunt of new cases.
More Seattle Police Officers provided proof of vaccination while city officials forged a plan for October 18. In contrast, over 93% of Washington State Patrol employees are vaccinated, including more than 90% of commissioned officers. A King County Sheriff Office Sergeant did a reply-all e-mail about the vaccine mandate that was full of conspiracy theories – it’s a sad story.
In Eastern Washington, 19 municipal and state employees filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the looming vaccine mandate.
There were new Covid-19 cases reported in all three school districts we track.
Nationally, a Maryland man killed his pharmacist brother and two other people due to his alleged belief in Covid-19 vaccine conspiracies.
Scientists learn the secrets of Covid Toe and how to treat it. In another study, researchers find increasing proof that Covid-19 can damage the pancreas, leading to a sudden onset of diabetes.
Alaska, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming continue to have hospitals operating under crisis standards of care protocols. In Coeur d’Alene, Kootenai Health has been using those protocols for almost a month.
A 51-year-old man whose wife sued to treat him with ivermectin in an Ohio hospital died in late September.
A common objection to receiving the Covid-19 vaccine is the belief that the government assumes no liability. Is it true? We tackle that issue in misinformation.
New cases in Washington state continue to decline slowly. We’re adding some new metrics. A combination of increasing vaccination rates, mask wear, and the Delta variant running out of new hosts contributes to the slowdown.
Percent of Total Population Fully Vaccinated
Average 14-Day New Case Rate (unadjusted)
60.00% or above (4)
212.0 (down)
50.00% to 59.99% (13 counties)
515.1 (down)
40.00% to 49.99% (14 counties)
624.1 (down)
29.30% to 39.99% (8 counties)
713.3 (up)
14-Day New Covid-19 Cases per 100K average by Vaccination Rate, Not Adjusted for Population
Through October 5, Washington’s statewide 14-day rolling average is 403.8 Covid-19 cases per 100K.
Ferry County reported 1,011.4 new cases per 100K residents.
Counties in the 800.0 to 999.9 per 100K range include Grant, Klickitat, Lincoln Pend Oreille, and Stevens.
Counties in the 600.0 to 799.9 per 100K range include Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Columbia, Cowlitz, Franklin, Garfield, Grays Harbor, Mason, Okanogan, and Walla Walla. Franklin County remained just under 800 while Adams, Douglas, Lewis, and Spokane counties were just under 600.0.
New cases were down from birth to 34 years old and statistically unchanged for 35 and above. Pediatric and adolescent hospitalizations were up, along with ages 50 to 64 and over 80.
Age Group
7-Day Case Rate
7-Day Hospitalization Rate
Ages 0-11
170.3 (down)
1.1 (up)
Ages 12-19
202.1 (down)
0.8 (up)
Ages 20-34
166.1 (down)
5.0
Ages 35-49
173.9
8.4
Ages 50-64
120.1
15.1 (up)
Ages 65-79
97.6
17.4
Ages 80+
109.8
35.2 (up)
7-day case rate and 7-day hospitalization rate is per 100K within the age group – the target for 7-day case rate is <25.0, but there are other factors such as vaccination rates within the age groups, how many total tests within the 7-day period, and the positivity rate within each age group
The USA Today COVID Tracker reported 53 deaths yesterday. The state of Washington is not reporting the percentage of positive cases.
Idahoans seeking medical care pushing Eastern Washington hospitals to the brink
Dr. Dan Getz, the chief medical officer of Providence Medical Center in Spokane, Washington, said patients from Idaho are pushing Providence Medical toward capacity limits, leaving hospitals scrambling for options. KATC reported hospitals have had to pause some surgeries to create space.
“Idaho is currently in crisis standards of care where they basically said, ‘We can’t deliver normal care for people in our state,’ and they’re looking at rationalizing things,” Getz said. “We are not in that crisis in Washington state — however if we continue to see increasing cases and we are not able to care for our community, that’s always a potential.”
At Multicare Deaconess Hospital in Spokane, the staff says they are spread thin.
Luke Eckoff, a Covid-19 ICU nurse at Multicare Deaconess Hospital, said, “Flight teams are bringing patients from outlying hospitals — and that’s putting more strain on us. These rural hospitals don’t have the capacity we do to take care of these patients. What that’s doing is putting further pressure on our hospital and resources. It’s hard at the end of the day when you have to put that patient in the body bag. And that’s happening more and more.”
More SPD officers present proof of vaccination
The number of Seattle Police Department officers who haven’t confirmed being fully vaccinated dropped to 292 today. Brandi Kruse of KCPQ tweeted that an additional 101 SPD officers have requested vaccination exemptions.
“The problem is they’re using bully tactics to force their employees to get this, and that’s what’s led to this disconnect,” Solan said. “Right now, more than ever, our community’s begging for police officers to stop the rise in crime. And we need politicians who are willing to understand the public safety staffing crisis that they created. They’re in charge, they can change this.”
Over 93% of Washington State Patrol workers provided proof of vaccination
The Washington State Patrol reported Wednesday that more of its workers are providing proof they are vaccinated, according to a report by KXLY.
Only seven percent of its employees hadn’t been vaccinated or turned in proof they got the shot. That means 152 of its 2,184 employees could face getting fired if they do not meet the vaccine mandate deadline of October 18. Of those, only 91 are commissioned troopers.
King County Sheriff Deputy sends department-wide reply all e-mail against vaccine mandate
The original e-mail sent on Monday reminded KCSO employees they needed to submit their vaccination status so the department could make a staffing plan.
“Our planning process is hampered by lack of complete information because some have not yet provided evidence of vaccination,” the chiefs’ e-mail reads. “Again, we are hopeful that you have the required information but have not yet shared it with HR. One of our goals is to plan for possible separation in a way that is least likely to disrupt your city or precinct, and it is hard to do that without all the information.”
In his reply, Lefler indicated he had requested an exemption but had not gotten a response from King County, adding, “What [is[ King County is going to do about the thousands of us who have requested medical and/or religious exemptions.”
He then stated that being a sheriff deputy was equal to being under constant siege in war, called out King County Executive Dow Constantine, and called for the entire department to quit. Lefler then suggested that the vaccine mandate would lead to gun control and remove “CPO” (conceal carry permits).
“Anything goes once the precedent is set. I will fight for what is right, and you reading this know in your gut that I am right,” Lefler continues. “It’s not just about a jab in the arm. It’s about our very freedoms. This is about our right to self-determination and choice. God gave us these rights, but only if we are willing to fight for them.”
According to the website Together We Served, Lafer was in Marine Corps from 2001 to 2005 and served in Iraq. The unit he was with deployed to Fallujah and Ramadi during his tour at the height of the Iraqi insurrection. It is worth noting that Lefler would have been required to take the Emergency Use Authorized Anthrax vaccine as part of his military service and could have used Nerve Agent antidotes as part of his military tour.
All US service members are required to be vaccinated against Covid-19 by December.
Sgt. Tim Meyer e-mailed the South Seattle Emerald after the original story was published.
“KCSO appreciates Sgt. Lefler’s years of service and the difficult decision he is trying to make for himself and his family,” Meyer’s e-mail to the Emerald reads. “We do not have ‘thousands’ of deputies, rather we employ roughly 750. We hope we don’t lose any of them. As our members struggle with the decision to comply with the Executive’s mandate, we know some would like to believe that the Sheriff and her command staff have the power to get the mandate rescinded. That is not possible.”
Approximately 100 KCSO employees have applied for Covid-19 vaccine exemptions.
19 state and municipal workers file lawsuit over vaccine mandate
The suit lists as defendants Governor Inslee, Spokane Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer, Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste, and other leaders of state agencies.
The suit claims “the plaintiffs are on the brink of having adverse employment action against them. It claims that in each case, “a form of disability or sincere religious belief requires them to decline vaccination.”
The group of workers comprises Washington State Patrol troopers, Spokane firefighters, and employees of other state agencies, including the Department of Social and Health Services.
Virtually none of the lawsuits filed at a federal level have been successful at blocking a vaccine mandate. The 1905 United States Supreme Court ruling of Jacobson versus Massachusetts cemented the rights of municipalities, counties, and states to mandate vaccines and other public health measures.
Federal medical team of 8 nurses and 10 certified nursing assistants deployed in Spokane
The team of eight nurses and 10 certified nursing assistants (CNA), and eight nurses will be deployed to the Avalon Care Center in North Spokane. The medical staff is from ACI Federal, according to the Washington Department of Health (DOH). According to the DOH, these are not federal resources but are available through a federal contract. Avalon Care Center will pay for the nurses.
Travel Advisories
Today, we are lifting our travel advisory to Yakima, Klickitat, Benton, Franklin, and Walla Walla Counties. We continue to recommend when visiting those counties, you use reasonable caution and don’t engage in dangerous activities.
We continue to recommend avoiding recreational travel to Spokane County. We strongly advise against all nonessential travel to Alaska, Idaho, and Montana. Hospital resources in these regions are constrained, and you may receive inadequate care if you experience a medical emergency.
We continue to monitor the situation in the East Hospital Region and may expand our travel advisory beyond Spokane County.
Thank you
Thank you to our new subscribers and those of you who have made one-time contributions. On behalf of the entire team, thank you for helping us keep the lights on!
No promotional consideration has been given, or requested from the n95 project or any manufacturer of masks
Vaccination
Pfizer vaccine booster shots are now available
Booster shots for eligible individuals are now available statewide. Individuals who received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine more than six months ago, are 65 or older, or are immunocompromised can receive their third dose immediately.
In the Kirland-Bellevue-Woodinville area, Walgreens, Rite-Aid, Bartell’s, and QFC are offering booster shots. Additionally, the third dose is available at the CVS located within the Target store at 17,700 NE 76th Street in Redmond.
Most locations require an appointment, which can be scheduled online.
King County, Washington is reporting over 86.7% of age eligible residents are vaccinated with at least one dose. The highest rates of positivity are in areas with low vaccination rates statewide. The FDA has provided full approval of the Pfizer vaccine for anyone 16 and over and EUA approval for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
COVID vaccines are free for anyone over 12 years old, and no appointment is necessary at most locations. Lyft and Hopelink provide free transportation, and KinderCare, the Learning Care Group, and the YMCA offer free childcare during vaccination appointments or recuperation.
According to the DoH COVID Dashboard, 91% of all staffed acute care beds are occupied, and 17.4% of patients have Covid-19. Statewide, hospitals have the staff to support approximately 665 additional acute care patients. ICUs are at 88.1% of capacity statewide, with 30.0% of ICU patients fighting Covid-19 – an estimated 353 patients with 57% on ventilators. The state has the staff to support approximately 142 additional ICU patients.
The 7-day rolling average hospital admission rate for new COVID patients was 123. The Department of Health reported 1,199 Covid-19 patients statewide on October 5, with 200 on ventilators.
Hospital status by region – ICU Occupancy should be below 80%, ICU COVID Patients should be below 20%, Acute Care Occupancy should be below 80%, and Acute Care COVID Patients should be below 10%
There was very little change in the status of Hospital Regions overnight, with the East and Northwest Hospital Regions below the threshold of issuing a travel advisory.
– Bell Elementary (1*) – Barton Elementary (1*) – Dickinson/Explorer Elementary (1*) – Ella Baker Elementary (1*) – Eastlake High (2*) – Finn Hill Middle School (3*) – Franklin Elementary (2*) – Frost Elementary (2*) – ICS (1*) – Inglewood Middle School (1*) – Juanita Elementary (1*) – Kamiakin Middle School (4*) – Keller Elementary (2*) – Kirkland Middle School (1* see notes) – Lakeview Elementary (4*) – McAuliffe Elementary (1*) – Muir Elementary (1*) – Northstar Middle (1*) – Redmond Elementary (2*) – Redmond Middle School (1*) – Redmond High School (2*) – Renaissance Middle School (1*) – Rosa Parks Elementary (1*) – Rush Elementary (1*)
see notes below
None
Northshore
YELLOW
– Arrowhead Elementary (4) – Bothell High School (42**) – Canyon Creek Elementary (23) – Canyon Park Middle School (6) – Cottage Lake Elementary (3) – Crystal Springs Elementary (26) – East Ridge Elementary (12) – Fernwood Elementary (1) – Frank Love Elementary (17) – Hollywood Hills Elementary (27) – Inglemoor High School (1) – Innovation Lab High School (1) – Kenmore Elementary (3) – Kenmore Middle School (25) – Leota Middle School (4) – Lockwood Elementary (40**) – Maywood Hills Elementary (29) – Moorlands Elementary (1) – North Creek High School (5) – Northshore Family Partnership (30) – Northshore Middle School (2) – Secondary Academy for Success (5) – Shelton View Elementary (5) – Skyview Middle School (12) – Sunrise Elementary (9) – Timbercrest Middle School (5) – Wellington Elementary (26) – Westhill Elementary (50) – Woodin Elementary (16**) – Woodinville High School (11) – Woodmoor Elementary (12)
None
Local Districts Scorecard – * indicates positive cases only ** indicates 5 or more confirmed positive cases
We redefined the school district statuses. Information for classroom and building closures has been a challenge to obtain, both for closures and reopening. We are adopting moving any school with more than 10 active COVID cases reported into the red, and we’ve adjusted the third column to reflect this change.
Bellevue School District added two more confirmed Covid-19 cases at Highland Middle School, for a total of eight. Additionally, a confirmed case was reported at Ardmore Elementary School.
The Northshore School District added multiple schools to their report. Lockwood Elementary reported three more confirmed cases this morning, bringing the count to nine. Bothell High School and Woodin Elementary each have six confirmed cases.
We have a parent confirmed report of a single Covid-19 case at Kirkland Middle School, with an additional 17 students quarantined.
We multiple parents e-mailed us about two confirmed Covid-19 cases at Juanita High School. However, because the district sent the e-mail on Monday, we cannot confirm if these are new or included in the last dashboard update.
We continued to encourage parents to request improved daily data reporting from the Lake Washington School District.
Kirkland-Bellevue-Woodinville
The City of Kirkland has rolled out additional phases of its COVID-19 relief program to provide immediate financial assistance for small businesses, thanks to funding available through the American Rescue Plan Act. A limited number of $1,000 to $10,000 grants are now available for small Kirkland-based businesses behind on rent for the commercial properties they lease. To start the application process, businesses should go to www.kirklandwa.gov/business-help to complete and submit the intake form between October 5 – October 19, 2021. Program funds may only be used as a payment against a small business tenant’s past-due rent due to COVID-19 economic hardship experienced between March 1, 2020, to September 30, 2021. Note that the application process requires the cooperation of tenants and landlords, and payments will be made to the landlord.
“The pandemic has had a profound impact on many of our businesses, making it difficult for some to keep up with rent and stay in their current locations,” said Deputy Mayor Jay Arnold. “Our hope is that by passing federal relief funding directly to businesses and landlords that these businesses can get the foothold they need to thrive in our Kirkland community.”
For questions about the small business rent relief grant program, contact businesssupport@kirklandwa.gov (425) 587-3266 or the City’s Business Response Team at (206) 686-3424.
National Round-Up
Johns Hopkins University Cumulative Case Tracker is reporting 95,756 new cases and 1,916 deaths nationwide on Wednesday. As of October 4, the CDC reported 65,162 hospitalized Covid-19 patients in the United States, down 13.6% from the week before. The number of Covid-19 related deaths decreased 3.3%, indicating that the Delta variant surge is ending.
Maryland man accused of killing 3 due to alleged belief of Covid-19 vaccine conspiracies
According to arrest documents, Burnham’s mother told investigators that he wanted to confront his brother – a pharmacist – because he purportedly helped administer vaccines.
Burnham had told their mother he believed the government was poisoning people with vaccines, and he “repeatedly stated, “Brian knows something!” – police say.
Investigators say a tipster alerted Maryland State Police that Burnham had arrived at his home in a red Corvette, and said that “his brother had been ‘killing people with the COVID shot.'”
Burnham has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder and the use of a handgun in the commission of a crime.
“Clearly there’s a link, there’s some sort of mechanism that makes the diseases fuel one another,” Francesco Rubino chair of metabolic surgery at King’s College London, told Insider. “The question is whether new-onset diabetes could be caused by this virus.”
One theory was that the body could be confusing pancreas cells for the coronavirus, and trying to destroy them. This would disrupt insulin supply and cause diabetes, the scientists thought.
Remember “Covid Toe?” Doctors may have figured out what causes it
A small study published in the British Journal of Dermatology reported that researchers had identified the cause of Covid Toe and how to treat it.
Based on blood and skin tests, these latest study findings suggest two parts of the immune system may be at play.
One is an antiviral protein called type 1 interferon, and the other is an antibody that mistakenly attacks the person’s own cells and tissues, not just the invading virus.
Cells lining small blood vessels supplying the affected areas are also involved, say the investigators from the University of Paris, France.
The researchers studied 50 people with suspected Covid toe in the spring of 2020 and 13 others with similar lesions not linked to Covid infections because they occurred long before the pandemic began.
Alaska
New cases in Alaska still lead the nation but have declined significantly from last week. The state is still operating under “crisis standards of care” with 184 Covid-19 patients statewide. Alaska has 126 staffed ICU beds statewide, with 28 available. There were 867 new cases reported today, about equal to Tuesday. Over 10% of Covid-19 tests are coming back positive, indicating under testing is accelerating.
Before the current surge hit Alaska, it had the third-lowest death per capita in the United States. Six weeks later, the state is ranked 25th. More than 25% of all Covid-19 deaths reported in Alaska happened after August 1, 2021, despite the widespread availability of vaccines.
Hospitals in Anchorage, Bethel, and Valdez continue to be the most impacted by the ongoing surge.
Officials are also concerned by a rising test positivity rate, which is just below 10%.
California
Los Angeles leaders on Wednesday approved one of the nation’s strictest vaccine mandates — a sweeping measure that would require the shots for everyone entering bars, restaurants, nail salons, gyms, or even a Lakers game.
According to a report by NBC News, the City Council voted 11-2 in favor of the ordinance that will require proof of full vaccination by Nov. 4.
The move came after the council postponed a vote last week to deal with concerns ranging from who could be fined for violations to whether employees could end up in fist-fights when they have to serve as vaccine door monitors.
Florida
According to The Palm Beach Post, six weeks after Tamara Drock was admitted to Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, the 47-year-old Loxahatchee woman is in a medically induced coma and tethered to a ventilator.
It was an outcome that her husband, Ryan, tried to prevent.
“No ventilators,” he said of his orders to the hospital staff.
With his hope and his wife’s options running out, Drock on Friday filed suit in Palm Beach County Circuit Court to force the hospital to give his wife the drug that he believes helped him and others recover from the highly contagious respiratory disease.
“I think it’s worth a shot,” Drock said. “I don’t have anything to lose.”
The second-largest study to date for the effectiveness of ivermectin against COVID, which has received multiple peer reviews, indicated that ivermectin had no meaningful impact and for sicker patients created worse outcomes. The study done in Argentina was randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled – the gold standard. The report concluded the only statistical difference was subjects taking ivermectin who became moderately to severely ill required mechanical ventilation much sooner than the placebo group.
Only one court case in Ohio successfully forced a hospital to administer ivermectin, and two weeks later, the judge reversed his decision.
Idaho
Governor Brad Little reversed Lt. Governor Janice McGeachin’s executive orders banning vaccine passports or mandatory Covid-19 testing at K-12 schools and universities in Idaho, eight minutes after he landed in Boise.
McGeachin also tried to activate the National Guard to deploy Idaho troops, already assisting with the Covid-19 surge, to the Mexico border. According to The Independent, the commanding general of the Idaho National Guard told McGeachin she can’t activate troops to send to the U.S.-Mexico border.
Idaho has reported more than 1,000 new Covid-19 cases per day for the last 27 days. The 7 day moving average has reached 1,320.6 cases per day and is likely higher due to a backlog of more than 8,200 tests.
Idaho now has 715 Covid-19 patients, down from a peak of almost 800 at the end of September. The state has 170 staffed ICU beds and reported 184 ICU patients. At St. Luke’s, the mortality rate for people in the ICU has reached 40%, and 98% of ICU patients are unvaccinated.
Almost a month after Kootenai Health declared it was moving to crisis standards of care, the number of Covid-19 patients they are treating has increased, according to a report by KTVB.
“150 COVID patients is about 75 percent of our normal pre-COVID bed capacity for med surge admissions,” said Jeremy Evans, Kootenai Health’s Chief Regional Operations Officer. “Today, we have got 44 critical care patients and 17 on ventilators. It continues to amaze me how our medical staff, our clinical staff, and our leaders, are able to accommodate this surge.”
Evans added that around 10 to 20 patients are admitted to the hospital for COVID-19 treatments each day.
“We have seen a lot of deaths, we are averaging about one a day in the COVID population, I spent the last week in the ICU and it’s a very hard place to work right now it’s just a constant struggle to take care of these patients on a daily basis,” said Robert Scoggins, the Medical Director of the ICU.
According to Boise Public Radio, unvaccinated Idahoans continue to be hospitalized at five and a half times the rate of vaccinated people, straining the hospital systems and overwhelming health care workers. Yet, misinformation and anger continue to spread throughout the state — with hateful acts targeted at the doctors and nurses working to treat those infected.
Boise Public Radio’s program Idaho Matters was joined by Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke’s Health System and a current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force, and Dr. Frank Johnson, Chief Medical Officer for St. Luke’s Boise, Elmore and McCall.
While Alaska appears to have peaked and Idaho is on a plateau, Montana continues to deteriorate. According to KPAX, the state has 11,550 active cases and added 30 more hospitalized patients overnight, raising the number to 444 – a new record. Over 5% of Montanans who have tested positive for Covid-19 have ended up hospitalized.
National Guard troops have been deployed to Great Falls and Livingston to aid with expanding surge of cases.
Ohio
Jeffrey Smith, 51, who was at the center of a lawsuit forcing a Cinncinati hospital to treat him with ivermectin, died on September 25 of Covid-19, according to KXAN.
Jeffrey Smith’s wife, Julie Smith, claimed she offered to sign documents releasing all other parties, doctors, and the hospital from all liability related to the Ivermectin treatment and dosage. But the hospital declined. Smith said her husband, who was on a ventilator, had a very slim chance of survival, and she was willing to try anything to keep him alive.
Judge Gregory Howard ordered West Chester Hospital to give Smith 30 milligrams of ivermectin every day for three weeks, even though there is no supporting evidence that it treats Covid-19.
Another Butler County judge reversed Howard’s decision in September, saying ivermectin didn’t show “convincing evidence” in treating COVID-19. Butler County Judge Michael Oster said in his ruling, “judges are not doctors or nurses… public policy should not and does not support allowing a physician to try ‘any’ type of treatment on human beings.”
Like Alaska, Montana, and Idaho, hospitals are tipping over into “crisis standards of care.” Cody Regional Health and Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County reported they continue to move from “contingency care” to “crisis standards of care” as the situation changes.
Misinformation
A common reason for refusing to get vaccinated is the belief that the government is mandating vaccination but does not accept any liability for vaccine injuries. Is that true?
The short answer, no.
The Health Resources and Services Administration is a federal program that provides compensation to people who have suffered a serious vaccine injury or surviving family members. The program has existed for years and is known as the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP).
Federal declarations issued by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services specify the countermeasures covered by the Program. Declarations have been issued for medical countermeasures against the following vaccinations.
COVID-19
Marburg
Ebola
Nerve Agents and Certain Insecticides (Organophophorus and/or Carbamate)
Claims filed under CICP for lost income are capped at $50,000 per year and won’t provide compensation for pain, suffering, emotional distress, or similar damages. According to the Washington Post, there have been 686 claims filed in CICP.
Knowledge is the best tool to fight against fear. A wise person chooses to be informed so they can make sound decisions. To join the fight against COVID misinformation, you can share this update through your social media platform of choice.
[KING COUNTY, Wash.] – (MTN) Dr. Umair A. Shah, Washington State Secretary of Health, confirmed the death of a Seattle woman who suffered serious complications after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Jessica Berg-Wilson received the single-dose vaccination on August 26 and died of complications on September 7.
New COVID cases continue to decline statewide, while the gap between the least and most vaccinated counties is starting to narrow.
Seattle Police Officer Eric Whitehead, who refused to wear a mask at a Seattle hospital on January 15, was disciplined after the OPA determined he had acted unprofessionally. SPD also announced that more than 350 officers had not submitted proof of vaccination to city officials.
Less than 9% of Washingtonians say they will never get the Covid-19 vaccine, down by almost half from six weeks ago. According to the Washington Department of Health, over 70% of all Washingtonians over 11 years old are fully vaccinated.
The Lancet released a study on natural immunity to Covid-19 and how long it lasts. Researchers came up with a wide range, but the average is just 16 months.
Highland Middle School in the Bellevue School District and Lockwood Elementary in the Northshore School District reported six active Covid-19 cases in both facilities.
The City of Kirkland has funds available from the American Rescue Plan Act to aid small businesses behind on commercial property rent.
Nationally, the CDC pulled the holiday travel guidance they published on Friday, saying it was outdated information posted by mistake. The Department of Justice will start investigating the most egregious threats, and violent acts at school board meetings after multiple states pleaded for aid.
If you’ve got a home rapid Covid-19 test from the company Ellume, it might be under recall due to a high rate of false positives.
New York City Department of Education, Kaiser Permanente, and Northwell Health, representing more than 475,000 employees across the United States, reported vaccination rates from 95% to 99%. For the 8,000 New York DoE workers who so far are refusing to get vaccinated, some took to direct action in Union Square.
Alaska, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming continue to demonstrate the impact of laisse faire public health strategies. Again, in Idaho, Janice McGeachin goes full awful, while Wyoming state senator Anthony Bouchard pushes Covid-19 misinformation and argues with a Tik Tok influencer on Twitter.
We lift our travel advisory to the South Central Hospital Region but continue to keep a close eye on the east.
New cases in Washington state continue to decline slowly. We’re adding some new metrics. A combination of increasing vaccination rates, mask wear, and the Delta variant running out of new hosts contributes to the slowdown.
Percent of Total Population Fully Vaccinated
Average 14-Day New Case Rate (unadjusted)
60.00% or above (4)
212.0 (down)
50.00% to 59.99% (13 counties)
533.1 (down)
40.00% to 49.99% (14 counties)
650.1 (down)
29.30% to 39.99% (8 counties)
679.0 (down)
14-Day New Covid-19 Cases per 100K average by Vaccination Rate, Not Adjusted for Population
Through October 4, Washington’s statewide 14-day rolling average is 417.1 Covid-19 cases per 100K, the lowest number since August 18.
For the second time in three days, no counties reported more than 1000 new cases per 100K residents.
Counties in the 800.0 to 999.9 per 100K range include Ferry, Grant, Grays Harbor, Klickitat, Lincoln Pend Oreille, and Stevens.
Counties in the 600.0 to 799.9 per 100K range include Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Columbia, Cowlitz, Franklin, Mason, Okanogan, and Walla Walla. Franklin County remained just under 800 while Spokane, Lewis, Douglas, Garfield, and Chelan counties were just under 600.0.
New cases were up for all people under 80 years old were down, and unchanged for those 80 and above. Hospitalizations were mixed. Down for children and adolescents, up for age 35 to 49, and down for ages 65 to 79.
Age Group
7-Day Case Rate
7-Day Hospitalization Rate
Ages 0-11
185.2 (down)
0.7 (down)
Ages 12-19
220.8 (down)
0.4 (down)
Ages 20-34
183.5 (down)
5.4
Ages 35-49
183.2 (down)
8.4 (up)
Ages 50-64
127.9 (down)
14.3
Ages 65-79
98.9 (down)
17.7 (down)
Ages 80+
111.2
33.3
7-day case rate and 7-day hospitalization rate is per 100K within the age group – the target for 7-day case rate is <25.0, but there are other factors such as vaccination rates within the age groups, how many total tests within the 7-day period, and the positivity rate within each age group
The USA Today COVID Tracker reported 42 deaths yesterday. The state of Washington is not reporting the percentage of positive cases.
Washington Department of Health confirms Johnson & Johnson vaccine related death
Washington Secretary of Health Dr. Umair A. Shah confirmed today that a Seattle resident became the fourth person to die in the United States from a vaccine-related injury. Jessica Berg Wilson, 37, received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on August 26. On September 7, she died after a Vaccine-Induced Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia (VITT) formed.
During a five-week pause, researchers determined the incident rate was less than 3 per million people. In contrast, the risk for serious blood clots due to a Covid-19 infection is 207 per one million. Additionally, doctors determined that common emergency room strategies for treating blood clots, such as using the anti-clotting drug heparin, were contraindicated. The CDC created updated guidelines on identifying and properly treating VITT in patients and reauthorized the single-dose vaccine.
As of June 30, the CDC has confirmed 35 incidents of VITT and three fatalities after 12. 5 million doses were administered. Berg-Wlson is the fourth Covid-19 vaccine-related death in the United States, where 185 million people are fully vaccinated, and approximately 15.4 million have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The Seattle Times reported 47 incidents of VITT through the end of September in a separate article.
Yesterday we reported that the VAERS database indicated a 30 to 39-year-old female from Washington state who received the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine had died. Twitter created a firestorm on Sunday night and Monday morning when the social media platform labeled her death as misinformation.
VITT has only been documented with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the United States. The condition is very rare, with similar odds to dying from snakebite in the United States. It is more prevalent among women from 30 to 50 years old. Hormone-based contraceptives can slightly increase risk, along with a personal or family history of blood clotting disorders. The condition will typically appear two to three weeks after inoculation but can occur as far as seven weeks out.
If you are still choosing to get vaccinated, talk to your healthcare professional about which vaccine is best for you. Additionally, if you have recently received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, learn the symptoms to watch for. Be sure that your medical provider is aware you were recently vaccinated if you got to an emergency room.
SPD Officer who refused to wear a mask at hospital emergency department suspended one day
A five-month investigation determined that Whitehead violated only one rule, Standards and Duties 5.001.10, to be professional. The investigation also recommended administrative changes in how SPD Human Resources documents medical waivers issued to officers and communicates acceptance of the request.
On January 15, Whitehead was called to an unnamed area hospital to assist with a disruptive suspect in the Emergency Department. Four other SPD officers were present, and all were wearing masks. Whitehead was given a mask by a nurse but refused to wear it. He told the nurse, “I hear that. I’m here doing a job. I’m talking to my squadmate about what we got going on. You want me to wear a mask or whatever. We can entertain that idea later on, okay. I just wanna do my job right now, just like you.”
The nurse contacted the charge nurse, who reported the issue to a nursing security supervisor. The supervisor again asked Whitehead to wear a mask, who responded with, “Is she all in a tizzy about it?”
Whitehead expressed concern that the surgical mask could be used as a weapon against him. Whitehead ultimately put on the mask when talking with the detainee, and after some other action, left the hospital.
The entire incident was filmed on security cameras and Whitehead’s body camera. The OPA found that Whitehead was not honest with investigators. He told the OPA he maintained social distance from other people and said the hospital staff he was medically exempt from wearing a mask. The videos and testimony from the hospital staff and other officers indicated he did neither.
When asked why he never told the hospital about his exemption and the discrepancy in his testimony, he changed his story, indicating the “interaction had become contentious.” Whitehead told investigators he had a medical exemption from SPD, allowing him not to wear a mask.
According to the OPA report, “A copy of a memorandum that Named Employee 1 submitted to the HR Lieutenant on June 28, 2020. In that memorandum, he stated that he had a medical condition that prevented him from wearing facemasks and asserted that he was entitled to not do so by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). He noted in the memorandum that wearing the facemask caused him mental and physical strain, as well as increased respiratory distress. He wrote that he tried using a variety of different facemasks but stopped doing so as they continued to cause him problems.“
Whitehead did receive an e-mail saying that state and city could grant an exemption, but it never stated he had been given one. Whitehead presented the OPA with letters from two doctors. One letter claims he has a dermatological condition that is exacerbated by mask wear.
Despite his claims that any mask caused “mental and physical” strain, Whitehead was on duty for multiple protests during the summer of 2020. During his service, he was exposed to pepper spray, OC, and blast balls, while wearing a full-face respirator, ballistic vest, and riot gear as part of his duties without issue.
OPA Director Andrew Myerberg has come under fire for failing to enforce existing SPD department rules and working too closely with SPOG in an Office of Inspector General complaint. Director Myerberg is currently interviewing for a different job in Arizona and planning to leave the OPA.
SPOG estimates as many as 200 SPD officers will voluntarily separate from the department after the October 18 vaccine mandate deadline. The Seattle Police Department reported tonight that 354 sworn officers had not submitted proof of vaccination. While vaccination rates for hospital staff, educators, and skilled workers such as pilots, bankers, flight attendants, and computer programmers, have ranged from 95% to 99.5%, law enforcement officers remain one of the lowest vaccinated groups.
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan has refused to indicate if she will fire the unvaccinated officers after October 18 or leave the issue for the next mayor.
Editor’s Note:Our Chief Content Officer is listed as a party in an ongoing OPA investigation into the conduct of SPOG President Mike Solan. One of our Senior Staff was listed as a part of a closed OPA investigation for the excessive use of force.
Less than 9% of Washingtonians say they will never get the Covid-19 vaccine
Today, we are lifting our travel advisory to Yakima, Klickitat, Benton, Franklin, and Walla Walla Counties. We continue to recommend when visiting those counties, you use reasonable caution and don’t engage in dangerous activities.
We continue to recommend avoiding recreational travel to Spokane County. We strongly advise against all nonessential travel to Alaska, Idaho, and Montana. Hospital resources in these regions are constrained, and you may receive inadequate care if you experience a medical emergency.
We continue to monitor the situation in the East Hospital Region and may expand our travel advisory beyond Spokane County.
Thank you
Thank you to our new subscribers and those of you who have made one-time contributions. On behalf of the entire team, thank you for helping us keep the lights on!
The report found, “Reinfection by SARS-CoV-2 under endemic conditions would likely occur between 3 and 63 months after peak antibody response, with a median of 16 months. This protection is of less than half the duration revealed for the endemic coronaviruses circulating among humans.”
Three to 63 months is a very wide range, and a serology test that detects the presence of Covid-19 antibodies can’t determine how robust a response the body would make if reinfected. The researchers added, “Relying on herd immunity without widespread vaccination jeopardises millions of lives, entailing high rates of reinfection, morbidity, and death. In areas with low vaccination, our data-driven analysis reinforces the need for continued safety practices such as social distancing, proper indoor ventilation, and mask wearing to avoid reinfection as pandemic conditions continue.”
Other studies have indicated that the combination of vaccination and natural immunity creates a supercharged response to the Covid-19 virus.
Pfizer vaccine booster shots are now available
Booster shots for eligible individuals are now available statewide. Individuals who received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine more than six months ago, are 65 or older, or are immunocompromised can receive their third dose immediately.
In the Kirland-Bellevue-Woodinville area, Walgreens, Rite-Aid, Bartell’s, and QFC are offering booster shots. Additionally, the third dose is available at the CVS located within the Target store at 17,700 NE 76th Street in Redmond.
Most locations require an appointment, which can be scheduled online.
King County, Washington is reporting over 86.7% of age eligible residents are vaccinated with at least one dose. The highest rates of positivity are in areas with low vaccination rates statewide. The FDA has provided full approval of the Pfizer vaccine for anyone 16 and over and EUA approval for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
COVID vaccines are free for anyone over 12 years old, and no appointment is necessary at most locations. Lyft and Hopelink provide free transportation, and KinderCare, the Learning Care Group, and the YMCA offer free childcare during vaccination appointments or recuperation.
According to the DoH COVID Dashboard, 17.5% of all acute care patients hospitalized in Washington have Covid-19. Currently, 91% of all staffed acute care beds are occupied statewide, with approximately 654 available. ICUs are at 88.4% of capacity statewide, with 30.0% of ICU patients fighting Covid-19 – an estimated 352 patients with 55% on ventilators. The state has approximately 138 ICU beds available.
The 7-day rolling average hospital admission rate for new COVID patients was 124. The Department of Health reported 1,192 Covid-19 patients statewide on October 4, with 192 on ventilators. The total number of patients for October 3 was adjusted downward slightly, to 1,197.
Hospital status by region – September 30, 2021 – ICU Occupancy should be below 80%, ICU COVID Patients should be below 20%, Acute Care Occupancy should be below 80%, and Acute Care COVID Patients should be below 10%
There was very little change in the status of Hospital Regions over the weekend.
– Bell Elementary (1*) – Barton Elementary (1*) – Dickinson/Explorer Elementary (1*) – Ella Baker Elementary (1*) – Eastlake High (2*) – Finn Hill Middle School (3*) – Franklin Elementary (2*) – Frost Elementary (2*) – ICS (1*) – Inglewood Middle School (1*) – Juanita Elementary (1*) – Kamiakin Middle School (4*) – Keller Elementary (2*) – Lakeview Elementary (4*) – McAuliffe Elementary (1*) – Muir Elementary (1*) – Northstar Middle (1*) – Redmond Elementary (2*) – Redmond Middle School (1*) – Redmond High School (2*) – Renaissance Middle School (1*) – Rosa Parks Elementary (1*) – Rush Elementary (1*)
None
Northshore
YELLOW
– Arrowhead Elementary (3) – Bothell High School (31) – Canyon Creek Elementary (26) – Canyon Park Middle School (6) – Cottage Lake Elementary (3) – Crystal Springs Elementary (28) – East Ridge Elementary (14) – Fernwood Elementary (1) – Frank Love Elementary (9) – Hollywood Hills Elementary (27) – Inglemoor High School (1) – Innovation Lab High School (1) – Kenmore Elementary (3) – Kenmore Middle School (23) – Leota Middle School (4) – Lockwood Elementary (37**) – Maywood Hills Elementary (28) – North Creek High School (4) – Northshore Family Partnership (30) – Northshore Middle School (2) – Secondary Academy for Success (4) – Shelton View Elementary (5) – Skyview Middle School (12) – Sunrise Elementary (9) – Timbercrest Middle School (8) – Wellington Elementary (21) – Westhill Elementary (41) – Woodin Elementary (16**) – Woodinville High School (11) – Woodmoor Elementary (11)
None
Local Districts Scorecard – * indicates positive cases only ** indicates 5 or more confirmed positive cases
We redefined the school district statuses. Information for classroom and building closures has been a challenge to obtain, both for closures and reopening. We are adopting moving any school with more than 10 active COVID cases reported into the red, and we’ve adjusted the third column to reflect this change.
Bellevue School District added a 7th confirmed Covid-19 case at Bellevue High School and reported six confirmed cases at Highland Middle School.
The Northshore School District added multiple schools to their report. Lockwood Elementary reported six confirmed cases overnight, putting another 31 students and faculty into quarantine.
The Lake Washington School District updates its Covid-19 dashboard once a week. We received multiple parents confirmed Covid-19 e-mails yesterday. However, Lake Washington updates its dashboards on Monday, and we can’t ensure if the parental reports add to the dashboard numbers or are included in the Monday report.
We continued to encourage parents to request improved daily data reporting from the Lake Washington School District.
Kirkland-Bellevue-Woodinville
The City of Kirkland has rolled out additional phases of its COVID-19 relief program to provide immediate financial assistance for small businesses, thanks to funding available through the American Rescue Plan Act. A limited number of $1,000 to $10,000 grants are now available for small Kirkland-based businesses behind on rent for the commercial properties they lease. To start the application process, businesses should go to www.kirklandwa.gov/business-help to complete and submit the intake form between October 5 – October 19, 2021. Program funds may only be used as a payment against a small business tenant’s past-due rent due to COVID-19 economic hardship experienced between March 1, 2020, to September 30, 2021. Note that the application process requires the cooperation of tenants and landlords, and payments will be made to the landlord.
“The pandemic has had a profound impact on many of our businesses, making it difficult for some to keep up with rent and stay in their current locations,” said Deputy Mayor Jay Arnold. “Our hope is that by passing federal relief funding directly to businesses and landlords that these businesses can get the foothold they need to thrive in our Kirkland community.”
For questions about the small business rent relief grant program, contact businesssupport@kirklandwa.gov (425) 587-3266 or the City’s Business Response Team at (206) 686-3424.
National Round-Up
Johns Hopkins University Cumulative Case Tracker is reporting 167,209 new cases and 2,106 deaths nationwide. Tuesday’s update will include numbers from over the weekend.
CDC pulls holiday travel guidance from website
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday took down a page with holiday COVID-19 guidance, saying it was old information posted in error and that updated guidance would be coming soon, according to a report in The Hill.
The page, updated on Friday, gave a range of guidance on holiday gatherings, including that opening windows for indoor gatherings would improve ventilation and noting that virtual or outdoor gatherings are the safest option.
An agency spokesperson said the page “doesn’t reflect the CDC’s guidance ahead of this upcoming holiday season” and added that the agency “will share additional guidance soon.”
At home Covid-19 rapid test recalled due to excessive false positives
The Australian company, Ellume, recalled over 400,000 rapid test kits sold in the United States for an unacceptable level of false positives. The test kits were shipped from April to August, and currently, 200,000 kits remain unused.
In a statement on Ellume’s website, the company wrote, “we noted an increased chance that Ellume COVID-19 Home Tests from specific lots may provide an incorrect positive result. Following a thorough investigation, we isolated the cause and confirmed that this incidence of false positives is limited to specific lots.”
“We worked with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to voluntarily remove affected Ellume tests from the market. Importantly, the reliability of negative results is unaffected by this issue and are not included within this recall.”
In parallel, the FDA released a “Safety Communication” outlining the recall. People who have used one of the Ellume tests and believe they had a false reading are asked to report the incident to MedWatch.
Almost 99% of all Kaiser Permanente employees get vaccinated
Kaiser Permanente has placed more than 2,200 of its employees nationwide, who have refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19, on unpaid administrative leave.
The health care company announced its vaccine mandate on August 2, with a deadline of Sept. 30. It has more than 220,000 employees across the country, with suspensions impacting about 1% of its entire workforce.
Over 98% of Northwell Health employees get vaccinated
New York State’s largest private hospital system laid off 1,400 workers who wouldn’t get vaccinated against Covid-19, a spokesperson for the health care network confirmed Monday afternoon.
Hospital and nursing home workers were required to get at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine by September 27th, under a state mandate first announced in mid-August. Last week, Northwell said it started warning employees and planned layoffs, starting with the highest-paid workers who refused the shots.
The hospital system employed over 76,000 workers, with 98.2% getting vaccinated.
8,000 New York City Department of Education employees on unpaid leave
Approximately 500 cafeteria workers have been put on unpaid leave. Employees on leave who get vaccinated after the deadline can return to work. Additionally, employees that volunteer to quit will be provided healthcare coverage by the city for a year.
Department of Justice addresses violent threats against school officials and teachers
“Threats against public servants are not only illegal, they run counter to our nation’s core values,” wrote Attorney General Garland. “Those who dedicate their time and energy to ensuring that our children receive a proper education in a safe environment deserve to be able to do their work without fear for their safety.”
According to the Attorney General’s memorandum, the Justice Department will launch a series of additional efforts in the coming days designed to address the rise in criminal conduct directed toward school personnel. Those efforts are expected to include the creation of a task force, consisting of representatives from the department’s Criminal Division, National Security Division, Civil Rights Division, the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, the FBI, the Community Relations Service, and the Office of Justice Programs, to determine how federal enforcement tools can be used to prosecute these crimes and ways to assist state, Tribal, territorial and local law enforcement where threats of violence may not constitute federal crimes.
The Justice Department will also create specialized training and guidance for local school boards and school administrators. This training will help school board members and other potential victims understand the type of behavior that constitutes threats, how to report threatening conduct to the appropriate law enforcement agencies, and how to capture and preserve evidence of threatening conduct to aid in the investigation and prosecution of these crimes.
As the anti-vaccination and medical freedom movement has gotten smaller, some elements within the movements have become increasingly radicalized. School board meetings have been disrupted nationwide, including the Lake Washington School District. In other communities, fights have broken out in meetings, board members have received death threats, stalked, doxxed, and had their homes vandalized.
Alaska
The mayor of Alaska’s largest city apologized Thursday for his comments supporting some residents’ use of Holocaust imagery to liken a proposed citywide mask mandate to the oppression of Jewish people in Nazi Germany, the Associated Press reported.
Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson has said he staunchly opposes the proposal and initially defended the use of yellow Stars of David worn by other critics this week at heated public hearings. Such imagery has been used by opponents of mask and vaccine mandates across the U.S., drawing condemnation from the Anti-Defamation League and other Jewish organizations.
Hospitals in Anchorage, Bethel, and Valdez continue to be the most impacted by the ongoing surge.
Officials are also concerned by a rising test positivity rate, which is just below 10%.
Idaho
Editor’s Note: I must maintain objectivity. I must maintain objectivity. I must maintain objectivity. I must maintain objectivity.
While his state struggles to deliver medical services and deal with the mounting number of corpses, Idaho governor Brad Little departed the state to visit the U.S.-Mexico border. According to a report by KTVB, less than 24 hours after he left, Lt. Governor Janice McGeachin signed an executive order as acting governor banning vaccine passports or mandatory Covid-19 testing at K-12 schools and universities in Idaho.
In a tweet, McGeachin wrote that she “fixed” Little’s executive order on vaccine passports, which was initially issued in April, to include K-12 schools and universities.
Less than ten minutes after McGeachin announced her executive order, Little responded on Twitter, stating he did not authorize McGeachin to act on his behalf and “I will be rescinding and reversing any actions taken by the Lt. Governor when I return.”
McGeachin also tried to activate the National Guard to deploy Idaho troops, already assisting with the Covid-19 surge, to the Mexico border. According to The Independent, the commanding general of the Idaho National Guard told McGeachin she can’t activate troops to send to the U.S.-Mexico border.
Governor Little issues a terse statement late on Tuesday.
“Attempting to deploy our National Guard for political grandstanding is an affront to the Idaho constitution [sic] and insults the men and women who have dedicated their life to serving our state and the country.”
This isn’t the first time McGeachin has pulled this type of political stunt, as she postures herself as the candidate that Idaho deserves in the upcoming 2022 election.
Idaho added 1,835 new cases on Tuesday and reported 11 deaths. The number of hospital beds within the state has improved slightly, Health and Welfare Director Dave Jeppesen said on Tuesday. He added improving bed availability could be, in part, attributed to the high number of deaths recently.
In a briefing on Tuesday, Jeppesen reported 89.1% of all Covid-19 cases are among the unvaccinated, 90.3% of hospitalizations, and 88% of deaths. Officials said that despite the intervention of volunteers, the National Guard, federal resources, and FEMA strike teams, staffing levels remain at crisis standards of care levels.
“Due to COVID patient volume added to non-COVID urgent patient care, we have been forced to care for patients in repurposed clinical areas and a non-clinical space (a hospital gym),” Dr. Steven Nemerson of St. Luke’s Hospital told the Idaho Statesman in an e-mail. The system has been “using ratios of patients to health care team members exceeding contingency standards of care despite staffing resources received through the state of Idaho and FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency).”
May the odds ever be in your favor.
Montana
While Alaska appears to have peaked and Idaho is on a plateau, Montana continues to deteriorate. According to the Billings Gazette, the state has 11,498 active cases, with 419 people hospitalized.
Despite activating the National Guard, asking for FEMA strike teams, and the Veteran’s Administration opening up a hospital to civilians, eight out of 10 large hospitals in the state reported having limited bed availability or nearing capacity. Likewise, eight out of 10 large hospitals reported having limited intensive care unit availability or nearing ICU capacity.
New York
A video caught the men in Union Square flipping over a table next to a mobile coronavirus testing van, tearing down the tent erected next to it and tossing a chair, before police intervened to stop them permanently destroying any property, according to a report in The Independent.
Protesters at the rally shouted “boo” and “shame on you” at the staff member working at the Covid-19 testing site as they went past, followed by chants of “no vaccine mandate.”
Hundreds of Department of Education staffers were involved in the protest, following the coronavirus vaccine mandate that went into place on Monday.
Two of the marchers just flipped over a Covid-19 mobile testing site tent, knocking down a table and chairs set up in Union Square in New York #NYC#NewYorkpic.twitter.com/RkEKwSMzzi
On September 16, Republican lightning rod, state senator, Ivermectin enthusiast, and 2022 Congressional candidate Anthony Bouchard assembled a panel to discuss Covid-19 vaccine mandates at hospitals. The esteemed group of top experts included Ryne Paulson, D.D.S., Melissa Hieb D.O., Andrew McAfee M.D., and Dena L’Heureux M.D. All four spouted conspiracy theories and anti-vaccination rhetoric and claimed they would medicine if the state passed a vaccine mandate. All of this was political theater if any providers accept or work for an organization that receives federal dollars.
How well is that going?
The Wyoming Medical Center in Casper reported they admitted 17 Covid-19 patients – in 24 hours from Saturday to Sunday. Only one of the recently admitted patients is vaccinated. Wyoming added 627 new Covid-19 cases on Monday, in a state with 578,000 residents. If that pace holds, almost 1% of all Wyomingians will catch Covid-19 this week. Test positivity on Monday was over 18%, which is down from last week.
The state reported 45 new Covid-19 related deaths and breaching 1,000 total deaths since the pandemic started in 2020. Put another way, 1.7% of the entire population of Wyoming has died from Covid-19.
Like Alaska, Montana, and Idaho, hospitals are tipping over into “crisis standards of care.” Cody Regional Health and Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County reported they continue to move from “contingency care” to “crisis standards of care” as the situation changes.
Rural hospitals in Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Alaska are dependent on larger hospitals in Washington, Oregon, Colorado, and Utah to take more challenging patients. Oregon and Washington barely avoided moving to crisis standards of care last month, while Colorado and Utah are dealing with their surges. With interstate transfers gridlocked, states like Wyoming, which only has 37 hospitals, have been forced to make do with their resources.
Knowledge is the best tool to fight against fear. A wise person chooses to be informed so they can make sound decisions. To join the fight against COVID misinformation, you can share this update through your social media platform of choice.
[KING COUNTY, Wash.] – (MTN) The big news of the day is there are only hours left for state employees to get their final dose of the Covid-19 vaccine or face termination. New cases rates were up slightly over the weekend, while vaccination rates increased significantly from last week.
The number of students with Covid-19 increased in the Bellevue and Lake Washington School Districts while declining in Northshore.
One of the largest creators of Covid-19 misinformation was from Leavenworth, Washington, and he was recently fired from the hospital he worked at. Up to 3,000 gathered in peaceful protest against vaccine mandates in Olympia over the weekend.
There is controversy over the obituary of Jessica Berg Wilson, 37, who died on September 7 allegedly from an extremely rare condition called VITT after receiving a COVID vaccination.
Johnson & Johnson is expected to submit paperwork with the FDA seeking permission to start a booster shot program.
In the misinformation section, we go over religious exemptions one more time including the religious claim the vaccination is the mark of the Beast.
New cases increased slightly statewide over the weekend. In the South Central Hospital Region, which includes Benton, Franklin, Klickitat, Walla Walla, and Yakima counties, the 14 day moving average for new cases dropped to 708.9 per 100K. The Puget Sound (Central) Hospital Region, which represents King County, increased to 265.0.
Many counties saw a significant jump in vaccination rates ranging from 1/2% to 1.5%. The number of counties in each bracket shuffled again. The number of new cases is significantly lower in counties where 60% or more of the population is fully vaccinated.
Percent of Total Population Fully Vaccinated
Average 14-Day New Case Rate (unadjusted)
60.00% or above (4)
223.8
50.00% to 59.99% (13 counties)
573.0
40.00% to 49.99% (14 counties)
684.5
29.30% to 39.99% (8 counties)
702.7
14-Day New COVID Cases per 100K average by Vaccination Rate, Not Adjusted for Population
Through October 3, Washington’s statewide 14-day rolling average is 436.2 COVID cases per 100K, a small increase over the weekend.
Lincoln County reported 1,040.7 new cases per 100K over the weekend, ending the statewide streak at just one day.
Counties in the 800.0 to 999.9 per 100K range include Ferry, Frankin, Grant, Grays Harbor, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, and Stevens. Stevens County is just under 1,000 cases per 100K.
Counties in the 600.0 to 799.9 per 100K range include Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Columbia, Cowlitz, Douglas, Klickitat, Lewis, Mason, Skagit, Spokane, and Walla Walla. Adams County remained just under 800 while Garfield and Yakima County are just under 600.0.
New cases were up for all age groups except 50 to 79 years old. Hospitalizations, however, were mixed.
Age Group
7-Day Case Rate
7-Day Hospitalization Rate
Ages 0-11
210.7 (up)
1.0 (up)
Ages 12-19
246.0 (up)
0.8 (down)
Ages 20-34
203.2 (up)
5.4
Ages 35-49
201.4 (up)
7.8 (down)
Ages 50-64
141.4
14.1 (down)
Ages 65-79
108.6
20.3
Ages 80+
118.5 (up)
35.9 (up)
7-day case rate and 7-day hospitalization rate is per 100K within the age group – the target for 7-day case rate is <25.0, but there are other factors such as vaccination rates within the age groups, how many total tests within the 7-day period, and the positivity rate within each age group
The USA Today COVID Tracker had not been updated when we went to press. The state of Washington is not reporting the percentage of positive cases.
One of the largest creators of COVID misinformation is from Leavenworth
Cascade Medical Center, a 25-bed acute care hospital nestled in a Bavarian-themed town in the Eastern Cascades, fired two employees earlier this month, according to the Director of Public Relations, Clint Strand. Matthew Wilson of Leavenworth, 33, and Alyssa “Lyssa” Riggs of Cashmere, 21, presented themselves as a doctor and nurse on social media, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.
Wilson was meticulous in hiding his identity, using the Pharoh’s face and only showing his hands, encased in blue medical gloves. He would use a whiteboard to share his content to bypass artificial intelligence moderation while filming himself in examination rooms and surgical suites. His videos frequently used medical equipment as props. As Wilson and Riggs spread their lies, residents of Chelan County were flooding the emergency department gasping for breath, infected with Covid-19.
After months of investigation, Tik Tok creators ThatDaneshGuy and Guilt, along with a team of researchers, tracked down Riggs. Once they discovered her identity, they learned Wilson was the man behind bloodytnvc5.
Up to 3,000 gather in Olympia to protest vaccine mandate
As many as 3,000 people gathered on the state Capitol Campus Sunday afternoon to voice opposition to Gov. Jay Inslee’s vaccine mandate for state workers, The Olympian reported.
Inslee’s emergency order requires roughly 63,000 state workers to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18 or lose their jobs, The Seattle Times reports.
The gathering was officially called the “No, you move” Rally Against the Mandate. The event did not attract counterprotesters.
Thousands gathered in Olympia to push back against the COVID vaccine mandate against government workers plus school and healthcare staff. pic.twitter.com/dJmZd0uA9a
The FDA suspended the administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on April 23 after several reports of blood clots and six possible deaths. During a five-week pause, researchers determined the incident rate was less than 3 per million people, and that common anti-clotting drugs like heparin were contraindicated. In contrast, the risk for serious blood clots due to a Covid-19 infection is 207 per one million.
Twitter has since removed the Covid-19 misinformation warning off the obituary but questions remain. VITT typically manifests itself 2 to 4 weeks after the Johnson & Johnson vaccination. There were very few doses of the J&J vaccination in August, with the U.S. government rationing distribution from June to September. It wouldn’t have been impossible for Berg-Wilson to get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, but it would be unusual.
The obituary, which politicizes her death, raises red flags for some people. VAERS does indicate the death of a 30 to 39-year-old female from Washington state who received the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The report did not share when the entry was made, the date of the incident, the location, or who the reporting party was. VAERS also needs to be taken with a huge grain of salt because it is a public, self-reporting tool.
Travel Advisories
We recommend avoiding recreational travel to Spokane, Yakima, Klickitat, Benton, Franklin, and Walla Walla counties. If the number of new cases in the South Central Hospital Region continues to decline, we will likely lift our advisory for this region in the next 7 days. We strongly advise against all nonessential travel to Alaska, Idaho, and Montana. Hospital resources in these regions are constrained, and you may receive inadequate care if you experience a medical emergency.
We may implement a travel advisory for Northwest and East Washington Hospital Regions based upon renewed hospitalization data now available from the Department of Health.
Thank you
Thank you to our new subscribers and those of you who have made one-time contributions. On behalf of the entire team, thank you for helping us keep the lights on!
No promotional consideration has been given, or requested from the n95 project or any manufacturer of masks
Vaccination
Deadline for single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine and second dose for Pfizer and Moderna vaccine is here
Today is the last day for thousands of state workers to receive their second Pfizer or Moderna dose or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. As of September 20, over 68% of state workers reported they were fully vaccinated. Data from companies, schools, and other states such as Hawaii and New York, indicates final acceptance would likely exceed 95%.
Multiple unions have reached agreements at a municipal, county, or state level, to extend the deadline past October 18 for individuals who received at least their first dose. Additionally, workers with denied exemptions requests will be given extra time.
Johnson & Johnson will seek FDA approval for booster shot
While scientists are divided over the need for booster shots when so many people in the United States and other countries remain unvaccinated, the Biden administration announced the push for an extra dose in August as part of an effort to shore up protection against the highly transmissible Delta variant.
The Food and Drug Administration last week scheduled an October 15 meeting of its expert advisory committee to discuss whether to grant emergency use authorization for a booster shot of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine.
Pfizer vaccine booster shots are now available
Booster shots for eligible individuals are now available statewide. Individuals who received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine more than 6 months ago, are 65 or older, or are immunocompromised can receive their third dose immediately.
In the Kirland-Bellevue-Woodinville area, Walgreens, Rite-Aid, Bartell’s, and QFC are offering booster shots. Additionally, the third dose is available at the CVS located within the Target store at 17,700 NE 76th Street in Redmond.
Most locations require an appointment, which can be scheduled online.
King County, Washington is reporting over 86.7% of age eligible residents are vaccinated with at least one dose. The highest rates of positivity are in areas with low vaccination rates statewide. The FDA has provided full approval of the Pfizer vaccine for anyone 16 and over and EUA approval for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
COVID vaccines are free for anyone over 12 years old, and no appointment is necessary at most locations. Lyft and Hopelink provide free transportation, and KinderCare, the Learning Care Group, and the YMCA offer free childcare during vaccination appointments or recuperation.
According to the DoH COVID Dashboard, 17.8% of all acute care patients hospitalized in Washington have COVID. Currently, 91% of all staffed acute care beds are occupied statewide with approximately 646 available. ICUs are at 88.6% of capacity statewide, with 29.0% of ICU patients fighting COVID – an estimated 306 patients with 59% on ventilators. The state has approximately 136 ICU beds available.
The 7-day rolling average hospital admission rate for new COVID patients was 127. The Department of Health reported 1,215 COVID patients statewide on October 3 with 182 on ventilators. Data over the weekend is typically incomplete, and we expect these numbers to be adjusted tomorrow.
Hospital Region
ICU Occupancy
ICU COVID Patients
Acute Care Occupancy
Acute Care COVID Patients
East
90.7%
45.9%
88.8%
26.0%
North
77.2%
32.3%
86.9%
12.9%
North Central
88.9%
52.4%
76.2%
23.7%
Northwest
92.5%
41.0%
96.3%
25.8%
Puget Sound
91.5%
24.0%
94.7%
14.1%
South Central
87.4%
34.4%
82.6%
23.0%
Southwest
72.2%
33.7%
87.6%
23.5%
West
87.2%
25.2%
86.4%
18.2%
Hospital status by region – September 30, 2021 – ICU Occupancy should be below 80%, ICU COVID Patients should be below 20%, Acute Care Occupancy should be below 80%, and Acute Care COVID Patients should be below 10%
There was very little change in the status of Hospital Regions over the weekend.
– Bell Elementary (1*) – Barton Elementary (1*) – Dickinson/Explorer Elementary (1*) – Ella Baker Elementary (1*) – Eastlake High (2*) – Finn Hill Middle School (3*) – Franklin Elementary (2*) – Frost Elementary (2*) – ICS (1*) – Inglewood Middle School (1*) – Juanita Elementary (1*) – Kamiakin Middle School (4*) – Keller Elementary (2*) – Lakeview Elementary (4*) – McAuliffe Elementary (1*) – Muir Elementary (1*) – Northstar Middle (1*) – Redmond Elementary (2*) – Redmond Middle School (1*) – Redmond High School (2*) – Renaissance Middle School (1*) – Rosa Parks Elementary (1*) – Rush Elementary (1*)
None
Northshore
YELLOW
– Arrowhead Elementary (2) – Bothell High School (22) – Canyon Creek Elementary (10) – Canyon Park Middle School (4) – Crystal Springs Elementary (23) – Cottage Lake Elementary (4) – East Ridge Elementary (3) – Fernwood Elementary (2) – Frank Love Elementary (7) – Hollywood Hills Elementary (12) – Inglemoor High School (1) – Innovation Lab High School (1) – Kenmore Elementary (1) – Kenmore Middle School (14) – Maywood Hills Elementary (9) – North Creek High School (4) – Ruby Bridges Elementary (1) – Secondary Academy for Success (7) – Shelton View Elementary (4) – Skyview Middle School (17) – Sunrise Elementary (1) – Timbercrest Middle School (7) – Westhill Elementary (35) – Woodin Elementary (8) – Woodinville High School (13) – Woodmoor Elementary (11**)
None
Local Districts Scorecard – * indicates positive cases only ** indicates 5 or more confirmed positive cases
We redefined the school district statuses. Information for classroom and building closures has been a challenge to obtain, both for closures and reopening. We are adopting moving any school with more than 10 active COVID cases reported into the red, and we’ve adjusted the third column to reflect this change.
The Northshore School District saw a large number of quarantines end over the weekend moving the district back to yellow. The Bellevue School District has two schools with more than 5 confirmed COVID cases.
We continued to encourage parents to request improved daily data reporting from the Lake Washington School District.
Percentage of King County Residents 12 and older who have received at least one dose of COVID vaccine, October 4, 2021
Vaccination rates continued to climb for adolescents between age 12 and 19 in the northeastern parts of King County but still lag far behind the east-central region. In the northern half of Kirkland, the lower vaccination rate for teens is keeping the overall vaccination rate lower than the southern half of Kirkland.
Kirkland-Bellevue-Woodinville
King County Public Health updated the vaccination rates by zip code, with the numbers improving throughout the region. The northern half of Kirkland, Bothell, and Kenmore, continue to lag behind the rest of the local area.
Percentage of King County Residents 12 and older who have received at least one dose of COVID vaccine, October 4, 2021
Zip Code
Percent vaccinated, at least one dose, 12 and older
98155
92.5%
98028
90.0%
98011
86.4%
98034
85.0%
98033
92.8%
98072
90.9%
98052
>95.0%
98004
>95.0%
98039
93.7%
98005
>95.0%
98007
89.7%
Vaccination rates for those 12 and older by zip code – at least one dose
National Round-Up
Johns Hopkins University Cumulative Case Tracker is reporting 25,215 new cases and 237 deaths nationwide. Because most states don’t report data over the weekend, the Monday update is incomplete.
Southwest Airlines is joining United, Alaska, JetBlue, and Hawaiian in mandating vaccines for their employees. its 56,000-person workforce must be vaccinated against Covid-19 by December 8 to continue working at the airline because of new federal rules, joining other carriers who made similar announcements last week.
No state round up – taking the day off
Misinformation
Today is the last day for many in Washington state to get the single dose Johnson & Johnson adenovirus-vector vaccine, or the second dose of the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna. With the number of people saying they’ll never get vaccinated down to 12% nationally and just over 8% in Washington, the anti-vaccination movement continues to shrink. Over 2,000 workers have applied for a religion-based vaccine exemption, and many have already been rejected.
Which religions hold the belief that followers should reject vaccinations?
The short answer is none of the major religions nor their branches have an anti-vaccination doctrine. The multifaith movement Faith 4 Vaccines provides additional clarity. Over 70 religions are part of the group, which supports ongoing vaccination efforts and equitable distribution.
Some religions have come forward with direct statements to the faithful that getting a vaccination for Covid-19 is accepted in God’s eyes.
Even among religions people commonly believe are against vaccinations, faith leaders have stated their support pubicly, in some cases decades ago. The Church of Christ, Scientist, which strongly encourages members to rely on faith and prayer for healing, does not have an official doctrine against Western medicine or vaccinations.
There are a few small sects, mostly aligned with Christianity, that have an established theological objection. That includes Dutch Reformed, Faith Tabernacle, Chuch of the First Born, Faith Assembly, and End Time Ministrie.
For the strictest adherents of Islam and Judaism, some shun vaccines and other Western medicine. Making a claim along these religious grounds while not having a demonstrated history of adhering to grooming, clothing, dietary, and work schedule requirements will likely be problematic during the evaluation process.
For those who follow a faith supportive of Covid-19 vaccination, there are two primary justifications for continuing to seek a religious exemption. The first is a firmly held belief against abortion.
We evaluated eight Covid-19 vaccines and found that five used cloned fetal cells in testing or development, and two used the cells in production. The Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines were tested on fetal stem cells, and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine used the cells during production.
Many hierarchical religions explored the implications of HEK-293 years ago and decided that the material does not represent human life. Additionally, HEK-293 has been used in the development, testing, or production of many common medications.
This is a partial list of common drugs. Many other medications have used HEK-293 as part of their testing, development, or production.
At some point in their development, other common vaccinations, including Rubella, part of the MMR, Hepatitis B, Varicella (chickenpox), and Zoster (shingles), use HEK-293. For healthcare workers, the MMR, Hepatitis B, Varicella, and if over 50 years old, Zoster vaccines are required in Washington state. That includes EMTs, paramedics, firefighters, and police officers who hold an EMT certification as part of their job duties. If there is no historical objection to receiving these vaccines, reviewers will likely reject a religious exemption request.
The second objection among fundamentalist Christians is that receiving the vaccination is the Mark of the Beast.
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
REVELATIONS 13:16-17 – KING JAMES BIBLE – PUBLIC DOMAIN
The University of Chicago has an analysis of Biblical scripture and what John the Elder likely meant when he wrote about “the Mark of the Beast.” Scholars largely believe that the Beast was Emperor Nero of Rome. A papyrus scroll from the late third or early fourth century provides support to this claim.
As emperor, Nero’s face would have been on Roman currency, and Roman citizens would not be able to run a business without a letter bearing his seal. The mark of the Beast is both on the head and in hand.
A counter-argument is John wrote Revelations in Greek for a Greek audience. Because John wasn’t within the Roman Empire and Nero was dead, he had nothing to fear and wouldn’t need to use coded language. However, Nero traveled to Greece in A.D. 66 and was a lover of Greek culture. The Greeks even delayed the Olympic Games by one year so that Nero could be a competitor – a high honor.
Seen through this lens, it becomes more apparent why John the Elder would warn the Greek people, who held Nero in esteem. Although Revelations is believed to have been written 20 to 30 years after Nero’s appearance in the Olympic games, there was a widely held belief that Nero would return and rule in madness again.
John the Elder would have good reason to fear retribution from the Greeks themselves and the potential spiritual return of Nero. Additionally, the religious argument of the Mark of the Beast has been used for decades for other modern constructs. Examples include social security numbers, bank account numbers, credit cards, and licenses.
Other governments and businesses have honored the requests from the faithful who have previously demonstrated deeply held beliefs that align with religions against vaccination. However, faking deeply held religious beliefs is easily identified when a person’s behavior before January 21, 2020, is considered.
[KING COUNTY, Wash.] – (MTN) Today is the last day for many in Washington state to get the single dose Johnson & Johnson adenovirus-vector vaccine, or the second dose of the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna. With the number of people saying they’ll never get vaccinated down to 12% nationally and just over 8% in Washington, the anti-vaccination movement continues to shrink. Over 2,000 workers have applied for a religion-based vaccine exemption, and many have already been rejected.
Which religions hold the belief that followers should reject vaccinations?
The short answer is none of the major religions nor their branches have an anti-vaccination doctrine. The multifaith movement Faith 4 Vaccines provides additional clarity. Over 70 religions are part of the group, which supports ongoing vaccination efforts and equitable distribution.
Some religions have come forward with direct statements to the faithful that getting a vaccination for Covid-19 is accepted in God’s eyes.
Even among religions people commonly believe are against vaccinations, faith leaders have stated their support pubicly, in some cases decades ago. The Church of Christ, Scientist, which strongly encourages members to rely on faith and prayer for healing, does not have an official doctrine against Western medicine or vaccinations.
There are a few small sects, mostly aligned with Christianity, that have an established theological objection. That includes Dutch Reformed, Faith Tabernacle, Chuch of the First Born, Faith Assembly, and End Time Ministrie.
For the strictest adherents of Islam and Judaism, some shun vaccines and other Western medicine. Making a claim along these religious grounds while not having a demonstrated history of adhering to grooming, clothing, dietary, and work schedule requirements will likely be problematic during the evaluation process.
For those who follow a faith supportive of Covid-19 vaccination, there are two primary justifications for continuing to seek a religious exemption. The first is a firmly held belief against abortion.
We evaluated eight Covid-19 vaccines and found that five used cloned fetal cells in testing or development, and two used the cells in production. The Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines were tested on fetal stem cells, and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine used the cells during production.
Many hierarchical religions explored the implications of HEK-293 years ago and decided that the material does not represent human life. Additionally, HEK-293 has been used in the development, testing, or production of many common medications.
This is a partial list of common drugs. Many other medications have used HEK-293 as part of their testing, development, or production.
At some point in their development, other common vaccinations, including Rubella, part of the MMR, Hepatitis B, Varicella (chickenpox), and Zoster (shingles), use HEK-293. For healthcare workers, the MMR, Hepatitis B, Varicella, and if over 50 years old, Zoster vaccines are required in Washington state. That includes EMTs, paramedics, firefighters, and police officers who hold an EMT certification as part of their job duties. If there is no historical objection to receiving these vaccines, reviewers will likely reject a religious exemption request.
The second objection among fundamentalist Christians is that receiving the vaccination is the Mark of the Beast.
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Revelations 13:16-17 – King James Bible – Public Domain
The University of Chicago has an analysis of Biblical scripture and what John the Elder likely meant when he wrote about “the Mark of the Beast.” Scholars largely believe that the Beast was Emperor Nero of Rome. A papyrus scroll from the late third or early fourth century provides support to this claim.
As emperor, Nero’s face would have been on Roman currency, and Roman citizens would not be able to run a business without a letter bearing his seal. The mark of the Beast is both on the head and in hand.
A counter-argument is John wrote Revelations in Greek for a Greek audience. Because John wasn’t within the Roman Empire and Nero was dead, he had nothing to fear and wouldn’t need to use coded language. However, Nero traveled to Greece in A.D. 66 and was a lover of Greek culture. The Greeks even delayed the Olympic Games by one year so that Nero could be a competitor – a high honor.
Seen through this lens, it becomes more apparent why John the Elder would warn the Greek people, who held Nero in esteem. Although Revelations is believed to have been written 20 to 30 years after Nero’s appearance in the Olympic games, there was a widely held belief that Nero would return and rule in madness again.
John the Elder would have good reason to fear retribution from the Greeks themselves and the potential spiritual return of Nero. Additionally, the religious argument of the Mark of the Beast has been used for decades for other modern constructs. Examples include social security numbers, bank account numbers, credit cards, and licenses.
Other governments and businesses have honored the requests from the faithful who have previously demonstrated deeply held beliefs that align with religions against vaccination. However, faking deeply held religious beliefs is easily identified when a person’s behavior before January 21, 2020, is considered.
Knowledge is the best tool to fight against fear. A wise person chooses to be informed so they can make sound decisions. To join the fight against COVID misinformation, you can share this update through your social media platform of choice.
[KING COUNTY, Wash.] – (MTN) The latest numbers for Washington state were positive while our neighbors to the north and east continue to struggle. The number of new cases and hospitalizations remained stable, with little change from yesterday.
Governor Jay Inslee extended the eviction moratorium until October 23, as state, county, and local officials struggle to distribute funds.
More plaintiffs joined a lawsuit against Washington state, attempting to block the vaccine mandate for state employees, teachers, and healthcare workers.
Very little changed in area school districts, with minor adjustments for the number of quarantined students.
The CDC votes on booster shots for recipients of the Pfizer vaccine and recommends jabs for a narrow group of people.
Idaho and Alaska continue to operate under crisis standards of care, while Montana struggles to support overrun hospitals.
Data for new cases provided the best news Washington state has received in months. In the South Central Hospital Region, which includes Benton, Franklin, Klickitat, Walla Walla, and Yakima counties, the 14 day moving average for new cases is 806.6 per 100K, statistically unchanged from yesterday. The Central Hospital Region, which represents King County, is 270.6, also statistically unchanged.
Percent of Total Population Fully Vaccinated
Average 14-Day New Case Rate (unadjusted)
50.00% or above (13 counties)
479.2
40.00% to 49.99% (17 counties)
694.2
28.10% to 39.99% (9 counties)
761.6
14-Day New COVID Cases per 100K average by Vaccination Rate, Not Adjusted for Population
Through September 22, Washington’s statewide 14-day rolling average is 456.0 COVID cases per 100K. Counties in the 1,000.0 to 1,399.9 range include Lincoln (1,285.1), Franklin (1,154.2) and Stevens (1,135.8). Counties in the 800.0 to 999.9 per 100K range include Adams, Asotin, Benton, Garfield, Grant, Grays Harbor, and Okanogan. Three counties, Chelan, Lewis, and Pend Oreille, are just under 800.0.
These numbers are a significant improvement from last week.
The rate of new cases and hospitalizations by age group was essentially unchanged.
Age Group
7-Day Case Rate
7-Day Hospitalization Rate
Ages 0-11
1979
1.4 (down)
Ages 12-19
206.4
1.2
Ages 20-34
192.3
4.6
Ages 35-49
197.9 (up)
10.2
Ages 50-64
138.6
17.2
Ages 65-79
102.4
23.8
Ages 80+
102.2
36.2
7-day case rate and 7-day hospitalization rate is per 100K within the age group – the target for 7-day case rate is <25.0, but there are other factors such as vaccination rates within the age groups, how many total tests within the 7-day period, and the positivity rate within each age group
Governor Jay Inslee extended the statewide eviction moratorium until October 31, 2021. Federal, state, and local officials have struggled to distribute federal funds from the American Rescue Plan and additional funds from the CARES Act.
The extension was made to give Washington counties more time to distribute funds to renters, qualified mortgage holders, and landlords.
More plaintiffs join the lawsuit challenging Washington’s vaccine mandate for state employees and healthcare workers
Up to 500 more people joined a lawsuit filed on September 5 in Walla Walla, seeking to stop the Washington state vaccine mandate. The workers joining the case come from a cross-section of Washington, representing government employees at the state and local level, healthcare workers, and teachers.
Up to 120,000 workers are impacted by the state vaccine mandate between the requirement for certain state government organizations, educators, and healthcare workers. An exact number can only be estimated because some workers fall into multiple categories, such as healthcare workers in academia or school nurses.
William Cleary and his wife Sherra Rae have become the public face of the lawsuit. Mr. Cleary works for a very large King County fire department and is seeking a religious exemption. Ms. Cleary hasn’t disclosed where she works and is seeking a medical exemption because she is pregnant. Mr. Cleary claims 100 to 150 of his coworkers are ready to walk off the force in a department with more than 1,000 employees.
Other mandates for state workers, colleges, and healthcare providers have yet to show a dramatic number of people quitting. Yesterday, United Airlines reported more than 97% of its employees got vaccinated. Last month, Hawaii reported almost 99% of all state employees followed its vaccine mandate. In Texas, Methodist Health which employees 36,000 people, saw less than 200 quit their jobs.
Travel Advisories
We recommend avoiding all travel to Spokane, Yakima, Klickitat, Benton, Franklin, and Walla Walla counties, along with Alaska, Idaho, and Montana. Hospital resources in these regions are constrained, and you may receive inadequate care if you experience a medical emergency.
Thank you
Thank you to our new subscribers and those of you who have made one-time contributions. On behalf of the entire team, thank you for helping us keep the lights on!
The vote now awaits final signoff from the CDC director. If that happens, booster shots would quickly become available at pharmacies, doctors’ offices, and other sites that provide the Pfizer vaccine.
The FDA and CDC rebuked the Biden Administration in separate votes, rejecting the broad booster shots President Joe Biden wanted. The CDC panel recommendation is more narrow than the FDA, which voted on September 17 to include people over 65, the immunocompromised, and employees such as healthcare workers who have high exposure to COVID.
In a unanimous vote, the CDC recommended boosters for people over 65 and the immunocompromised.
The booster shots are only available for people who received the Pfizer vaccine.
King County, Washington is reporting over 85% of age eligible residents are vaccinated with at least one dose. The highest rates of positivity are in areas with low vaccination rates statewide. The FDA has provided full approval of the Pfizer vaccine for anyone 16 and over.
COVID vaccines are free for anyone over 12 years old, and no appointment is necessary at most locations. Lyft and Hopelink provide free transportation, and KinderCare, the Learning Care Group, and the YMCA offer free childcare during vaccination appointments or recuperation.
According to the DoH COVID Dashboard, 22.4% of all acute care patients hospitalized in Washington have COVID. A hospital system caring for this many COVID-positive patients in acute care is considered to be under “severe stress.” ICUs are at 89.6% of capacity statewide, with 34.6% of ICU patients fighting COVID.
The 7-day rolling average hospital admission rate for new COVID patients is 157 a day. The Department of Health reported 1,605 COVID patients statewide on September 22 and 279 on ventilators. The data for the last two days was adjusted again.
Tuesday: 1,579 patients and 278 on ventilators
Wednesday: 1,604 patients and 290 on ventilators, a new record
Back to School
School District
Status
Less than 10 Active Cases
10 or More Active Cases
Bellevue
YELLOW
– Bellevue (1) – Eastgate (9) – Enatai (32) – Interlake (2) – Lake Hills (13) – Puesta del Sol (2) – Wilburton (3)
None
Lake Washington
YELLOW
– Alcott Elementary (2*) – Ella Baker Elementary (3*) – Community School Elementary (7) – Dickinson Elementary (2*) – Eastlake High (1*) – Einstein Elementary (1*) – Evergreen Middle School (1*) – Finn Hill Middle School (1*) – Benjamin Franklin Elementary (2*) – Robert Frost Elementary (9) – Inglewood Middle School (3*) – Juanita Elementary (2*) – Juanita High School (1*) – Kamiakin Middle School (4* – see below) – Helen Keller Elementary (1*) – Peter Kirk Elementary (2*) – Kirkland Middle School (1*) – Lake Washington High (1*) – Lakeview Elementary (1*) – Muir Elementary (1*) – Redmond Elementary (2*) – Redmond Middle School (1*) – Redmond High School (1*) – Rose Hill Elementary (1*) – Rose Hill/Stella Schola Middle School (2*) – Thoreau Elementary (4) – Mark Twain Elementary (3*)
Northshore
RED
– Arrowhead Elementary (15) – Canyon Creek Elementary (24) – Canyon Park Middle School (8) – Cottage Lake Elementary (16) – Crystal Springs Elementary (56**) – East Ridge Elementary (27) – Fernwood Elementary (12**) – Frank Love Elementary (27) – Hollywood Hills Elementary (12) – Inglemoor High School (7) – Innovation Lab High School (9) – Kenmore Elementary (16) – Kenmore Middle School (41**) – Kokanee Elementary (49) – Leota Middle School (5) – Lockwood Elementary (7) – Maywood Hills Elementary (12**) – North Creek High School (21**) – Northshore Middle School (9**) – Ruby Bridges Elementary (7) – Secondary Academy for Success (9) – Shelton View Elementary (19**) – Skyview Middle School (73**) – Sunrise Elementary (25) – Timbercrest Middle School (27) – Wellington Elementary (62) – Westhill Elementary (6) – Woodin Elementary (9) – Woodinville High School (21) – Woodmoor Elementary (21**)
– Bothell High School (11*/95)
Local Districts Scorecard – * indicates positive cases only ** indicates 5 or more confirmed positive cases
We redefined the school district statuses. Information for classroom and building closures has been a challenge to obtain, both for closures and reopening. We are adopting moving any school with more than 10 active COVID cases reported into the red, and we’ve adjusted the third column to reflect this change.
We had a parent-reported confirmed COVID case at Kamiakin Middle School on Tuesday. Because the Lake Washington School District updates its dashboard weekly, we don’t know if this is in addition to the 3 cases reported on Monday or if any of those earlier cases have returned to class. We have set the number to 4.
There was no significant change in status in the three school districts we track.
We recommend that parents in the Bellevue and Lake Washington School District request better transparency on their publicly facing COVID dashboards.
Kirkland-Bellevue-Woodinville
No update
National Round-Up
Johns Hopkins University Cumulative Case Tracker is reporting 132,903 new cases and 2,785 deaths nationwide.
Alaska
Hospitals in Alaska continue to operate under crisis standards of care protocols, with the state reporting a record 1,330 new cases today. To put that in perspective, Alaska has less than half of the population of Idaho and reported an almost identical number of new cases today. Hospitalizations increased to 209, and the number of available ICU beds in the largest hospital in Anchorage had dwindled to seven.
Officials are planning to implement telework for most state employees
As a result, morticians are forced to find new ways to store bodies in — and sometimes outside — their facilities. At Bell Tower, owner Lance Cox said they’d converted a train car into an external refrigeration unit. The train car, which smells of diesel fuel and constantly produces considerable noise, can hold up to 56 bodies.
Ada County Chief Deputy Coroner Brett Harding said that in his 34-year career, he could only compare the number of deaths to two major events, from when he lived in Florida: the 2016 Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando and a 1996 ValuJet plane crash in the Everglades.
Some funeral homes are choosing to embalm bodies they wouldn’t normally embalm because embalmed bodies don’t need to be refrigerated.
Montana
Hospitals in Montana continue to struggle as multiple healthcare facilities teeter on moving to crisis standards of care. Officials reported 1,144 new COVID cases, with 407 hospitalized. There was scant information reported out of the state today.
Knowledge is the best tool to fight against fear. A wise person chooses to be informed so they can make sound decisions. To join the fight against COVID misinformation, you can share this update through your social media platform of choice.
[KING COUNTY, Wash.] – (MTN) Hospitalizations and new COVID cases in Washington declined sharply today. Hospitals remain very stressed, particularly in rural areas and Eastern and Southwest Washington. We have lifted a travel advisory today based on the new data.
Our neighbors to our north and east are watching things go from bad to worse as Alaska declares crisis standards of care statewide. In Montana, more hospital systems are warning they are running out of the capability to provide adequate hospital care to all.
In Clallam and Jefferson County, COVID is hitting nursing homes hard, and county leaders blame the unvaccinated.
Trevor Bedford, Ph.D., and an Associate Professor of Vaccine and Infectious Disease forecasted that COVID is here to stay in a seminar conducted last week. Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah sent a second request for federal assistance, escalating to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
For those waiting until the last minute to get vaccinated before the October 18 deadline, the Johnson and Johnson vaccine is challenging to find, but that will improve shortly. On the subject of hard to find, it appears we’re moving to toilet paper shortage version 2.0. There’s an ivermectin joke there, but we will take a pass.
Snohomish County officials hint that a vaccine mandate will be coming for county workers. City officials in Kirkland announce residential rent, mortgage, and utility aid is available.
Nationally, the FDA has authorized the Pfizer booster shots for people over 65, with health issues, and who have significant exposure to COVID as part of their jobs. On the subject of vaccines, breakthrough cases represent less than 1% of all confirmed COVID cases in Washington state.
We’ve updated our green, yellow, red status for schools to reflect better the data we can and can’t get. Schools in all three districts we track reported new COVID cases or quarantines. The Northshore School District moves into the red, as Bothell High School now has 11 confirmed cases. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital releases a study on the impact of universal masking has in schools.
Nationally, Americans are drinking – a lot. Former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn advises his followers not to touch the salad dressing.
The narrative that the anti-vaccination movement is vast takes another blow today with reports from United Airlines, Duke Health, and Novant Health report that 97% to 99% of all employees are now vaccinated.
Data for new cases provided the best news Washington state has received in months. In the South Central Hospital Region, which includes Benton, Franklin, Klickitat, Walla Walla, and Yakima counties, the 14 day moving average for new cases is 797.0 per 100K, a significant decrease. This is the first time the number has dropped under 800 since Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital warned they were on the brink of crisis standards of care. The Central Hospital Region, which represents King County, dropped to 267.5.
Percent of Total Population Fully Vaccinated
Average 14-Day New Case Rate (unadjusted)
50.00% or above (13 counties)
484.0 (down)
40.00% to 49.99% (17 counties)
700.7 (down)
28.10% to 39.99% (9 counties)
757.7 (down)
14-Day New COVID Cases per 100K average by Vaccination Rate, Not Adjusted for Population
Through September 21, Washington’s statewide 14-day rolling average dropped to 457.7 COVID cases per 100K. Counties in the 1,000.0 to 1,399.9 range include Lincoln (1,339.4), Franklin (1,079.0) and Stevens (1,069.3). Counties in the 800.0 to 999.9 per 100K range include Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Douglas, Garfield, Grant, Grays Harbor, Lincoln, Lewis, and Okanogan.
King, Jefferson, and San Juan Counties continue to have the lowest number of new cases per 100K people.
There is one concern in the data. Washington state has paused reporting information on how many tests are coming back positive. A message was added to the Dashboard Data Notes.
“On September 15, 2021, DOH stopped updating all metrics on the Testing tab and the testing data displayed on the Demographics tab. This pause will remain in effect through October 31, 2021. During this time, DOH will work to increase its capacity to process the increased testing data volume received in the last few months.”
Declining total cases indicates that the percentages of positive tests are coming down. However, not having visibility into this data makes it impossible to predict long-term trends better.
The rate of new cases was down across every age group. Hospitalizations were down or flat for every age group except children birth to 11 years old. The increase in pediatric hospitalizations has leveled out.
Age Group
7-Day Case Rate
7-Day Hospitalization Rate
Ages 0-11
188.2 (down)
1.6
Ages 12-19
200.1 (down)
1.2 (down)
Ages 20-34
184.9 (down)
4.6 (down)
Ages 35-49
180.1 (down)
10.7
Ages 50-64
133.1 (down)
17.5
Ages 65-79
98.3 (down)
23.0 (down)
Ages 80+
98.2 (down)
36.2 (up)
7-day case rate and 7-day hospitalization rate is per 100K within the age group – the target for 7-day case rate is <25.0, but there are other factors such as vaccination rates within the age groups, how many total tests within the 7-day period, and the positivity rate within each age group
Professor at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center predicts COVID is here to stay
In a virtual seminar, Associate Professor of Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Trevor Bedford, Ph.D., predicted that COVID was here to stay. The seminar was held on September 14, and a video was made public on Monday. Dr. Bedford called his future perspectives “necessarily depressing.”
Associate professor Bedford’s research predicts that COVID will be a seasonal disease, much like the flu is today. The study showed that COVID is currently fivefold more adaptive than the common flu virus (H3N2). New variants of COVID would continue to evolve, but researchers believed this will slow down over time and become less potent.
Currently, COVID is tenfold more deadly than the flu. Based on current data and models, Mr. Bedford sees a future where 20% to 30% of Americans would be sickened with COVID-19 annually. Using the available information, the number of COVID-19 deaths could be reduced to 50,000 to 100,000 a year, using the same tools we use today to fight the flu.
Currently, the United States healthcare system is incapable of supporting the number of hospitalizations that would occur if the general expectations in the seminar become a reality.
Although Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center is world-renowned for leading-edge cancer treatment, the research center has released almost 20 papers on infectious disease since 2018. Many cancer treatments suppress the immune system, making patients more vulnerable to common diseases such as the flu.
VIDD Seminar at Fred Hutch on “SARS-CoV-2 evolutionary dynamics” recorded Sep 14, 2021
Governor Inslee and Secretary of Health Shah send second request for federal aid
The new letter has a more urgent tone than the one sent on Friday and indicates a growing concern in Olympia on the state’s ability to deliver medical care to its residents. Secretary Shah outlined the state’s existing efforts to date, adding, “the unprecedented increase in hospital admissions and occupancy rates has created extreme stress on hospitals, long term care facilities, and health case workers.”
“Fortunately, our hospitals in Washington have made a commitment to leverage all acute care hospital capacity in the state so that no one hospital alone must face implementing crisis standards of care.”
“Despite these efforts, we are very concerned this will simply not be enough to alleviate the stress on health care capacity and ensure health care is available for those who need it most in our state. Staff shortages in our healthcare system continue to make this a dire situation.”
Dr. Shah echoed Governor Inslee’s request for assistance from the federal government, including “Department of Defense resources.” This would be in addition to the 1,200 clinical and non-clinical workers previously requested to aid the state in an earlier request made to FEMA.
Johnson & Johnson vaccine supply is thin, but more doses are coming
For state employees, healthcare workers, and educators who are vaccine-hesitant or have decided to get the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, some may have trouble getting the shot. In June, due to manufacturing problems, the federal government halted the distribution of the adenovector vector vaccine. Distribution restarted on September 10.
Currently, there are 84,082 doses available in Washington state, with another 59,700 on order. The extra doses are expected to be here before the October 4 deadline for workers to initiate getting vaccinated.
Issaquah, Washington-based Costco, warned customers that some essential household items such as toilet paper are in short supply. The company didn’t specify which products were experiencing a tight supply, but on August 16, it indicated that toilet paper was an issue. There have been anecdotal reports on social media of bare paper product shelves in Costco and Walmart stores.
Last month, Proctor and Gamble announced they were ramping up paper product production due to growing demand.
Editor’s Note: We know there is an ivermectin joke here, but we’ll take a pass.
Snohomish County leaders hint a vaccine mandate for county workers is coming
“There’s a significant number of people who are saying they will not get vaccinated and would rather lose their jobs. So we are expecting to see some of that resistance,” said Executive Somers.
The latest data shows COVID cases have declined in Snohomish County, but the transmission rate is as high as ever.
According to the Health Officer, more than 2-thousand students in Kindergarten to 12th grade were quarantined the first two weeks of September.
Residential rent, mortgage, and utility relief available to Kirkland residents
The City of Kirkland is partnering with community-based agencies to provide immediate financial assistance to Kirkland residents struggling to pay for their rent, mortgage, and utilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Please review the following information to determine if you qualify and learn how to apply for assistance.
Language and cultural navigators are available to help access the city’s relief programs. These programs are made possible with funds through the American Rescue Plan Act.
To be eligible, the applicant must have a home mailing address in the city of Kirkland, have experienced a COVID hardship since March 2020, and have a household income no higher than 100% of the King County median income in the last 60 days. Additional information can be found on the city of Kirkland website.
COVID cases in Clallam and Jefferson County nursing homes spread by the unvaccinated
As of Friday, the 17th, there were over 60 cases there, and on Tuesday, a sign was posted on one of their doors indicating there were active COVID-19 cases inside.
“The primary driver of these long-term care facility outbreaks is unvaccinated staff and a shocking amount of COVID in the community,” Berry said, adding that the facilities were already stretched thin for staffing, and the delta variant has exacerbated the problem. She said most of the facilities have 50 percent or less of their staff fully inoculated. “When it runs through these facilities, all the unvaccinated folks get COVID. So now an already understaffed facility becomes a critically understaffed facility.”
Travel Advisories
We recommend avoiding all travel to Spokane, Yakima, Klickitat, Benton, Franklin, and Walla Walla counties, along with Alaska, Idaho, and Montana. Hospital resources in these regions are constrained, and you may receive inadequate care if you experience a medical emergency.
We have lifted our travel advisory to Lincoln County.
Thank you
Thank you to our new subscribers and those of you who have made one-time contributions. On behalf of the entire team, thank you for helping us keep the lights on!
No promotional consideration has been given, or requested from the n95 project or any manufacturer of masks
Vaccination
FDA panel authorizes COVID boosters for people over 65, immunocompromised, and healthcare workers
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration amended the emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to allow for use of a single booster dose, to be administered at least six months after completion of the primary series.
Comirnaty was approved by the FDA on August 23 to prevent COVID-19 in individuals 16 years of age and older. On August 25, the FDA received a supplement from Pfizer Inc. seeking approval of a single booster dose for individuals 16 years of age and older. Last week, an FDA panel rejected the Biden Administration’s plan to provide boosters for all. Instead, they approved a more narrow scope that protects groups that are experiencing the most breakthrough cases.
Eligible individuals include people over 65 years old, individuals at high risk of severe COVID, and people who frequently work in places where exposure to COVID puts them at high risk.
“Today’s action demonstrates that science and the currently available data continue to guide the FDA’s decision-making for COVID-19 vaccines during this pandemic. After considering the totality of the available scientific evidence and the deliberations of our advisory committee of independent, external experts, the FDA amended the EUA for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to allow for a booster dose in certain populations such as health care workers, teachers, and daycare staff, grocery workers and those in homeless shelters or prisons, among others,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D. “This pandemic is dynamic and evolving, with new data about vaccine safety and effectiveness becoming available every day. As we learn more about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, including the use of a booster dose, we will continue to evaluate the rapidly changing science and keep the public informed.”
The booster shots are only available for people who received the Pfizer vaccine.
Breakthrough COVID cases represent less than 1% of all Washington state infections
According to a new report from the Washington State Department of Health, fewer than 1% of fully vaccinated people have experienced a breakthrough case of COVID.
Since the first Washingtonian became vaccinated on January 17 through September 11, there have been 36,919 breakthrough cases. Although only 12% of cases were asymptomatic, just 9% were hospitalized, and less than 1% died.
Over three-quarters of the breakthrough cases were among people ages 20 to 64.
The 331 people who died ranged in age from 34 to 103, with a median age of 79.5. Over a third, 117 people, were in long–term care facilities.
King County, Washington is reporting over 85% of age eligible residents are vaccinated with at least one dose. The highest rates of positivity are in areas with low vaccination rates statewide. The FDA has provided full approval of the Pfizer vaccine for anyone 16 and over.
COVID vaccines are free for anyone over 12 years old, and no appointment is necessary at most locations. Lyft and Hopelink provide free transportation, and KinderCare, the Learning Care Group, and the YMCA offer free childcare during vaccination appointments or recuperation.
According to the DoH COVID Dashboard, 22.8% of all acute care patients hospitalized in Washington have COVID. A hospital system caring for this many COVID-positive patients in acute care is considered to be under “severe stress.” ICUs are at 89.6% of capacity statewide, with 35.2% of ICU patients fighting COVID.
The 7-day rolling average hospital admission rate for new COVID patients is 166 a day. The Department of Health reported there were 1,540 COVID patients statewide on September 21 and 245 on ventilators. The data for yesterday was updated to 1,561 patients on Monday and 257 on ventilators. After a week of numbers hovering on what looked like a new plateau, all data indicates we are in a new decrease.
Back to School
School District
Status
Less than 10 Active Cases
10 or More Active Cases
Bellevue
YELLOW
– Bellevue (1) – Eastgate (9) – Enatai (32) – Interlake (2) – Lake Hills (13) – Puesta del Sol (2) – Wilburton (3)
None
Lake Washington
YELLOW
– Alcott Elementary (2*) – Ella Baker Elementary (3*) – Community School Elementary (7) – Dickinson Elementary (2*) – Eastlake High (1*) – Einstein Elementary (1*) – Evergreen Middle School (1*) – Finn Hill Middle School (1*) – Benjamin Franklin Elementary (2*) – Robert Frost Elementary (9) – Inglewood Middle School (3*) – Juanita Elementary (2*) – Juanita High School (1*) – Kamiakin Middle School (4* – see below) – Helen Keller Elementary (1*) – Peter Kirk Elementary (2*) – Kirkland Middle School (1*) – Lake Washington High (1*) – Lakeview Elementary (1*) – Kirkland Middle School (37) – Muir Elementary (1*) – Redmond Elementary (2*) – Redmond Middle School (1*) – Redmond High School (1*) – Rose Hill Elementary (1*) – Rose Hill/Stella Schola Middle School (2*) – Thoreau Elementary (4) – Mark Twain Elementary (3*)
Northshore
RED
– Arrowhead Elementary (16) – Canyon Creek Elementary (23) – Canyon Park Middle School (6) – Cottage Lake Elementary (14) – Crystal Springs Elementary (58**) – East Ridge Elementary (28) – Fernwood Elementary (12**) – Frank Love Elementary (24) – Hollywood Hills Elementary (10) – Inglemoor High School (7) – Innovation Lab High School (9) – Kenmore Elementary (17) – Kenmore Middle School (42**) – Kokanee Elementary (44) – Leota Middle School (4) – Lockwood Elementary (7) – Maywood Hills Elementary (14**) – North Creek High School (19**) – Northshore Middle School (9**) – Ruby Bridges Elementary (7) – Secondary Academy for Success (9) – Shelton View Elementary (18**) – Skyview Middle School (76**) – Sunrise Elementary (26) – Timbercrest Middle School (28) – Wellington Elementary (61) – Westhill Elementary (6) – Woodin Elementary (10) – Woodinville High School (21) – Woodmoor Elementary (19**)
– Bothell High School (11*/89)
Local Districts Scorecard – * indicates positive cases only ** indicates 5 or more confirmed positive cases
Today we are defining status red for a school district. Information for classroom and building closures has been a challenge to obtain, both for closures and reopening. We are adopting a metric of any school with more than 10 active COVID cases reported, and we will move that school into the right column.
We have a parent-reported Lake Washington School District confirmed COVID case at Finn Hill Middle School. The Bellevue School District reported 9 students in quarantine at Eastgate. The district did not report a confirmed COVID case in the school, suggesting the exposure happened off school grounds.
Northshore School District now has 9 schools with 5 to 9 confirmed cases, while Bothell High School reported 11 today. The district started weekly student-wide testing on Monday.
We recommend that parents in the Bellevue and Lake Washington School District request better transparency on their publicly facing COVID dashboards.
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital releases study showing mask mandates lower COVID cases and quarantines
Auger’s study used data from seven school districts with a total of 64,500 students. Three districts require universal masking (including one that switched to full masking after a week of school), four require masking for kids in kindergarten through sixth grade but not for kids in grades seven through 12. Five of the districts also provided the data on quarantines.
After the 21 days of in-person learning, the data revealed:
COVID cases were 78% higher in schools without universal masking
The number of students being quarantined was 60% higher in schools without universal masking
Kirkland-Bellevue-Woodinville
No update
National Round-Up
In another sign that the national surge of Delta variant COVID cases is slowing down, the 7 day rolling average of COVID-related deaths increased to over 2,000 a day. This is the highest rate since March 1. Hospitalizations decreased to 91,500 after peaking at 103,000 at the beginning of September.
About 17% of respondents reported “heavy drinking” in the past 30 days, according to the survey conducted by analytics firm The Harris Poll and commissioned by Alkermes, an Ireland-based biopharmaceutical company.
The survey was conducted online from March 30 to April 7 among 6,006 U.S. adults ages 21 and older. Of those, 1,003 adults reported “heavy drinking.”
Former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn has a new conspiracy theory
Michael Flynn, the former National Security Adviser to the Trump administration, reported a new plot by the so-called “Deep State.” The vaccine is going to be put in American’s salad dressings.
“Somebody sent me a thing this morning where they’re talking about putting the vaccine in salad dressing,” said Flynn. “Have you seen this? I mean, it’s — and I’m thinking to myself, this is the Bizarro World, right? This is definitely the Bizarro World … these people are seriously thinking about how to impose their will on us in our society, and it has to stop.”
Yes, we know this seems like fake news, but we have receipts.
In a show dedicated to covid and election fraud conspiracies, Michael Flynn yesterday brings up an article he read that the Deep State medical establishment is planning to secretly put the covid vaccine in salad dressing. pic.twitter.com/45LniXtnYA
MICHAEL FLYNN REPORTING THAT THE COIVD VACCINE IS GOING TO BE ADDED TO SALAD DRESSINGS
Jesse Jackson released from residential care after breakthrough infection
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, 79, was released Wednesday from a Chicago facility a month after being hospitalized for a breakthrough COVID-19 infection. His wife Jacqueline, 77, was also infected but was not vaccinated. She required oxygen and a brief intensive care unit stay and was released this month.
The civil rights icon has severe Parkinson’s disease and other comorbidities.
United Airlines reports over 97% of employees got vaccinated
In what is becoming a common trend, United Airlines joined a growing list of businesses, hospitals, and colleges that mandated vaccinations and reached a high level of acceptance. With over 97% already vaccinated, employees still have another week left before they will face termination. The airline reported there was a small number of exception requests being evaluated.
Church leaders said in a statement that masks will be required temporarily to keep temples open. The message was the latest in a series of statements from church leaders encouraging masking and vaccination efforts against COVID-19.
Alaska
Today in Alaska, the sum of all fears was realized with Governor Mike Dunleavy announcing that all hospitals will be operating under crisis standards of care. Alaska joins Idaho as the only two states since the pandemic started to make a statewide emergency declaration.
A combination of short staffing and high numbers of COVID-19 patients is overwhelming medical facilities in Anchorage, Mat-Su, and Fairbanks. Rural hospitals say they struggle to transfer patients to urban centers for higher care. At least one patient died recently when a bed in Anchorage wasn’t available.
Officials announced that the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services enabled crisis standards of care Wednesday through a new addendum to the state’s existing COVID-19 public health order.
FEMA is sending 300 registered nurses and 100 certified nursing assistants to support struggling Alaska hospitals.
Ladapo is a critic of mask-wearing, lockdowns, and vaccines, and his appointment comes as public health experts urge the state to take a more serious approach to the pandemic.
“We were told the COVID virus was not that deadly. It was nothing more than a little flu. I can tell you it’s more than a little flu,” he said.
Wikoff and his wife both caught COVID. Her case was mild, but his required hospitalization at the peak of Hawaii’s surge. He was initially taken to Queen’s Medical Center West but had to be moved to another facility due to a lack of staffed beds.
“I was in a bed. I can’t move, I can’t breathe,” he recalled, about the experience. “I was afraid I was going to die.”
He was treated with Remdesivir and is now considering getting vaccinated because his doctor and family members ― some of whom are physicians ― are recommending it.
Wikoff said he asked the Aloha Freedom Coalition to remove his name as a member on its state business registration.
“I no longer want to participate. I want to mind my own business and isolate,” he said.
“We recognize that children greatly benefit from in-person learning for so many reasons, but it needs to be done safely,” Dr. Vanessa Carroll, Pediatric Medical Director at Kootenai Health, said.
They gave a resounding recommendation that schools begin universal masking, social distancing, and for anyone eligible to get vaccinated.
Due to the delta variant, the children they are seeing come in with COVID-19 are sicker than in previous waves and, with children under the age of 12 unable to get vaccinated yet, they are more at risk to come in seriously ill.
Tanya Heidenreich, a psychiatric nurse practitioner at Kootenai Health, said that COVID-19 goes beyond physical illness.
“These children are experiencing symptoms that are similar to trauma,” she said. “They get made fun of if they wear a mask, they get made fun of if they don’t wear a mask, They don’t know who to believe.”
Montana
In Big Sky Country, COVID hospitalizations also continue to grow, approaching 400 needing care. The hospital in the state capital of Helena continues to operate under crisis standards of care, with hospitals in Bozeman, Missoula, and Billings preparing to make the same decisions.
“When crisis standards of care are in effect, people who need medical care may get care that is different from what they expect. For example, patients admitted to the hospital may find that hospital beds are not available, or that needed equipment is not available. They may have to wait for a bed to open or be moved to another hospital in or out-of-state that has the resources they need.”
“Providers and health care facilities across Montana are currently experiencing limitations in their ability to provide the standard of care that we all wish to provide to our communities and normally expect to provide,” said Dr. Greg Moore, Chief Medical Officer. “This situation may persist for some time and is everchanging day-by-day, which has required Barrett Hospital & HealthCare to consider implementing crisis care standards to ensure the most equitable allocation of limited resources for patient care.”
“While the current increase in patient numbers is moving Barrett Hospital & HealthCare closer to having to implement crisis care standards, Barrett Hospital & HealthCare is diligently working to avoid having to do so.”
After multiple threats and incidents at Cox Medical Center in Springfield, hospital staff has been issued GPS-equipped panic buttons to summon security.
All of Novant’s roughly 35,000 workers across North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia were required to receive at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine or obtain an approved medical or religious exemption by September 15. Across the three southern states, 375 have not been vaccinated or submitted an exemption request and face termination in five days.
Duke Health, which employs more than 23,000 people in North Carolina, also had their deadline to get vaccinated pass. Officials reported over 98% of staff got vaccinated, increasing from 77% in July, and they are still compiling data.
Superintendent Joe Mack wrote in a statement, “I am horrified, angry and ashamed that this happened, as is nearly every other staff member. The students of color in Newberg deserve so much more. This goes against everything I and the vast majority of NSD staff believe and is unfathomably offensive.
If we had the power to entirely eliminate deep-seated racism, we would in a heartbeat. But the painful truth is that clearly, racist behavior exists in our town, in our state, and our world—not just in the major and overt ways we’ve seen recently, but in subtle ways that affect people of color every single day. We must interrupt and respond; we must do better.
It is important to remember the terrible historical context of Blackface: how it has been used to misrepresent and demean Black communities and how much harm and pain it continues to cause. This behavior represents violence and evokes trauma; it is beyond unacceptable.
It is also important to acknowledge that references to our nation’s horrific history of the slave trade, which were made in the recent social media incident, have devastating consequences to our students whom we love and serve. It, too, is beyond unacceptable.”
Knowledge is the best tool to fight against fear. A wise person chooses to be informed so they can make sound decisions. To join the fight against COVID misinformation, you can share this update through your social media platform of choice.
[KING COUNTY, Wash.] – (MTN) Today’s data is mixed but supports the story that Washington state is in a pandemic of the unvaccinated. The gap between hospital districts widened again, and Lincoln County is now averaging more than 1,600 new cases per 100,000 people.
New cases are down for all age groups, while hospitalizations increased and the number of patients on ventilators set a new record.
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan extended the eviction moratorium to January 15, 2022. Supporters of 20 Redmond firefighters were planning to “swarm” the city council meeting tonight. A Mill Creek coffee shop is being harassed after requiring proof of vaccination for entry. Governor Jay Inslee calls out Idaho Governor Brad Little for “clogging up my hospitals.”
Johnson and Johnson issues a statement that the Phase 3 trial for booster shots was favorable, but we’re still months away from additional guidance.
Things improved dramatically in the Bellevue School District, while Kamiakin Middle School in the Lake Washington School District can’t catch a break. The Northshore School District adds an eighth school with more than 5 active COVID cases, however, the number of new cases detected has dropped dramatically.
Someone thought it would be amusing to paint swastikas at St Luke’s Hospital in McCall, Idaho. In Montana, the health officer of Sanders County was forced to resign for writing letters to the editor of local papers encouraging vaccination. Alaska has the highest rate of growth for new COVID cases in the United States.
Today is the first day the 14-day moving average for new cases does not include data from Labor Day weekend. In the South Central Hospital Region, which includes Benton, Franklin, Klickitat, Walla Walla, and Yakima counties, new cases are 862.5 per 100K, and the Central Hospital Region, which represents King County, the rate is 295.7.
Percent of Total Population Fully Vaccinated
Average 14-Day New Case Rate (unadjusted)
50.00% or above (13 counties)
518.0
40.00% to 49.99% (17 counties)
774.2 (up)
28.10% to 39.99% (9 counties)
836.1 (up)
14-Day New COVID Cases per 100K average by Vaccination Rate, Not Adjusted for Population
The biggest change now that Labor Day Weekend is out of the data was among the 40% to 49.99% vaccinated counties. Although the least vaccinated counties also increased, the jump was smaller. Overall, we would label this as good news.
Through September 20, Washington’s statewide 14-day rolling average was 493.6 COVID cases per 100K, which is statistically unchanged from Monday. Lincoln County reported 1,601.8 new cases per 100K – we’re out of words in the thesaurus. Counties in the 1,000.0 to 1,399.9 range include Grays Harbor (1,023.8) Franklin (1,161.6) and Stevens (1,183.8). Counties in the 800.0 to 999.9 per 100K range include Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Clallam, Douglas, Garfield, Grant, Lewis, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, and Yakima. It is worth noting that Adams, Grant, and Okanogan Counties are at 975.0 or above, just under the 1,000 threshold. Additionally, Walla Walla County is at 783.0, just under the 800 threshold.
King, Jefferson, and San Juan Counties had the lowest number of new cases per 100K people.
The Johns Hopkins Washington State Overview is not reporting accurate data. If 83% of COVID tests are coming back positive in Washington state, it’s been great knowing you (hint – they’re not). Without clear insight into how many tests are coming back positive, it is harder to understand ongoing trends.
The rate of new cases was down across every age group. Hospitalizations were down or flat for every age group except children birth to 11 years old. The increase in pediatric hospitalizations is slowing down, which is good news. As a footnote, the 103.6 per 100K new cases for ages 65 to 79 and ages 80 and over is not a typographical error.
Age Group
7-Day Case Rate
7-Day Hospitalization Rate
Ages 0-11
208.3 (down)
1.5 (up)
Ages 12-19
227.4 (down)
2.0
Ages 20-34
210.3 (down)
5.1 (down)
Ages 35-49
196.3 (down)
10.5 (down)
Ages 50-64
146.2 (down)
18.1 (down)
Ages 65-79
103.6 (down)
24.0
Ages 80+
103.6 (down)
33.3 (down)
7-day case rate and 7-day hospitalization rate is per 100K within the age group – the target for 7-day case rate is <25.0, but there are other factors such as vaccination rates within the age groups, how many total tests within the 7-day period, and the positivity rate within each age group
The USA Today COVID Tracker reported 70 deaths on Monday. The Monday report includes the weekend, so this should not be viewed as a single-day total.
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan extends eviction moratorium until next year
As reported by the Seattle Times, 60,000 Seattle area renters are behind on rent. Since June, the City has distributed more than $15 million of the first allocation of the American Rescue Plan rent relief to tenants and landlords.
The executive order continues tenant protections prohibiting landlords from issuing notices of termination or otherwise initiating eviction actions with the courts unless there is an imminent threat to the health and safety of the community. Late fees, interest, or other charges due to late payment of rent during the moratorium are not allowed. However, tenants are still legally obligated to pay rent during the moratorium, and landlords are encouraged to offer flexible payment plans.
The moratorium on eviction of nonprofit and small business commercial tenant applies to independently-owned businesses with 50 employees or fewer per establishment, state nonprofits, and 501(c)3) nonprofits. The extension also prevents eligible small businesses and nonprofits from incurring late fees, interest, or other charges due to late payment during the moratorium.
Redmond firefighters and supporters plan to “swarm” city council meeting tonight
Tension is building in Redmond, where the supporters of up to 20 firefighters who have requested religious exemptions plan to “swarm” the city council meeting tonight. Family members and firefighters who filed for exemptions now believe they won’t be granted.
“For us to even contemplate to fire any of these heroes, shame on us,” said firefighter mother Sknge Alsin. “We should keep every job intact.”
Alsin’s daughter Kayleight is married to a firefighter. Her husband joined the department after spending 10 years as a Redmond cop.
Redmond has 164 full-time firefighters, according to the report by FOX Q13 in Seattle. The National Testing Network, Job Information page for the Redmond Fire Department indicates that all firefighters with the city must be trained as emergency medical technicians.
“The City of Redmond Fire Department has more than 165 dedicated employees providing fire and life safety services to the City of Redmond and King County Fire District 34. Line personnel work a 48/96 schedule (two days on and four days off), and all Firefighters are trained as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT).”
In Washington state, EMTs are considered healthcare providers and are required to have a variety of vaccinations. This includes Hepatitis B, Varicella (chickenpox), MMR, and the seasonal flu vaccine. For individuals challenging the COVID vaccine mandate for deeply held religious beliefs against abortion, acceptance of the existing vaccine requirements likely invalidates their exemption request.
A common objection among those seeking a religious exemption is the use of cloned human embryonic kidney cells (HEK-293) in the research, testing, development, or production of the COVID vaccines. The mRNA vaccines used HEK-293 in the testing and development, and the inert adenovirus vaccination by Johnson & Johnson uses the cells in production. The challenge those seeking an exemption face is the vaccines for Hepatitis B, Varicella, and Rubella (part of the MMR) also used HEK-293 cells.
Additionally, only a handful of religions reject vaccination as a tenet of faith. The leadership of Islam, Judaism, as well as the Pope and the President of the Mormon Church, have advised their adherents to get vaccinated. In the United States, some local bishops have bucked the Vatican.
Mill Creek coffee shop harassed by anti-vaccination activists
Savvanah Jackson created Mixed Coffee in Mill Creek to create a space with the BIPOC community while sharing Black and Ecuadorian culture with her customers. The business announced they would require proof of vaccination to dine inside the business. After announcing the requirement, her staff has suffered harassment from people defying the policy.
In a video posted on Instagram, Ms. Jackson pleaded for people to be rational and civil.
“I’m tired of seeing my employees stand at the register and watch them get screamed at. It’s not okay, and it’s not okay to just be so hateful towards other people.”
“Please don’t come in here and disrupt and scream at my employees for doing their job.”
At the beginning of the COVID pandemic, Ms. Jackson’s grandmother became ill with COVID. After a 93 day battle, she ended her fight.
Full disclosure – malcontent news covered the grand opening of mixed coffee on June 19. 2021 – no promotional consideration was made or given for our June coverage or this story – we will say, “get the guava and cheese turnovers”
Governor Jay Inslee calls on Idaho to ‘take some commonsense measures’
“Today in my state, Washington citizens in many cases cannot get heart surgery, cannot get cancer surgery that they need, because we are having to take too many people of unvaccinated nature and unmasked, many of whom come from Idaho, and that’s just maddening frankly,” Inslee said. “So we are calling for Idaho and the leaders there to lead and take some commonsense measures. I’m disappointed the governor of Idaho has spent more time trying to reduce protection by reducing vaccine usage instead of concentrating on this, and then clogging up my hospitals.”
Travel Advisories
We recommend avoiding all travel to Spokane, Lincoln, Yakima, Klickitat, Benton, Franklin, and Walla Walla counties, along with Alaska, Idaho, and Montana. Hospital resources in these regions, except Lincoln County, are so constrained that you may receive inadequate care if you experience a medical emergency.
We recommend avoiding travel to Lincoln County because the number of new cases per 100K residents exceeds 1,500.
Thank you
Thank you to our new subscribers and those of you who have made one-time contributions. On behalf of the entire team, thank you for helping us keep the lights on!
“Our large real-world evidence and Phase 3 studies confirm that the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine provides strong and long-lasting protection against COVID-19-related hospitalizations. Additionally, our Phase 3 trial data further confirm protection against COVID-19-related death,” said Mathai Mammen, M.D., Ph.D., Global Head, Janssen Research & Development, Johnson & Johnson. “Our single-shot vaccine generates strong immune responses and long-lasting immune memory. And, when a booster of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine is given, the strength of protection against COVID-19 further increases.”
Johnson & Johnson reported that Phase 3 testing of its booster shots was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a two-dose vaccine regimen, given at a 56-day interval, versus placebo in adults 18 years old and older with and without comorbidities associated with an increased risk for severe COVID-19.
The press release did not provide insight into how large the study was or if testing was done in other countries. It also did not indicate if the study was done before, during the rise of, or after the Delta variant became the dominant strain.
The company indicated that full data would be submitted for publication “in the coming months.”
If you’re among the 15 million Americans with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine wondering what’s next, you’re going to have to wait longer.
King County, Washington is reporting over 85% of age eligible residents are vaccinated with at least one dose. The highest rates of positivity are in areas with low vaccination rates statewide. The FDA has provided full approval of the Pfizer vaccine for anyone 16 and over.
COVID vaccines are free for anyone over 12 years old, and no appointment is necessary at most locations. Lyft and Hopelink provide free transportation, and KinderCare, the Learning Care Group, and the YMCA offer free childcare during vaccination appointments or recuperation.
According to the DoH COVID Dashboard, 21.2% of all acute care patients hospitalized in Washington have COVID. A hospital system caring for this many COVID-positive patients in acute care is considered to be under “severe stress.” ICUs are at 90.4% of capacity statewide, with 35.0% of ICU patients fighting COVID.
The 7-day rolling average hospital admission rate for new COVID patients is 165 a day, a significant drop in recent hospitalizations. The Department of Health reported there were 1,604 COVID patients statewide on September 20 and 290 on ventilators. That is an increase of 25 patients and a new record for Washingtonians requiring ventilators.
On Friday, one nurse was caring for three patients. ICU charge nurse Kimberly Davisson is trying to give these nurses support in the form of an on-call “extender” staff member, who can run to get supplies, administer medicine or help flip a patient over.
“I went to a rapid response on the COVID floor, and the nurse was really struggling with what was happening with her patient, and she said, ‘This is my last week, I can’t do it anymore,'” Davisson recalled.
Back to School
School District
Status
Quarantines
Closures
Bellevue
YELLOW
– Bellevue (1) – Enatai (32) – Interlake (2) – Lake Hills (13) – Puesta del Sol (2) – Wilburton (3)
None
Lake Washington
YELLOW
– Alcott Elementary (2*) – Ella Baker Elementary (3*) – Community School Elementary (7) – Dickinson Elementary (2*) – Eastlake High (1*) – Einstein Elementary (1*) – Evergreen Middle School (1*) – Benjamin Franklin Elementary (2*) – Robert Frost Elementary (9) – Inglewood Middle School (3*) – Juanita Elementary (2*) – Juanita High School (1*) – Kamiakin Middle School (4* – see below) – Helen Keller Elementary (1*) – Peter Kirk Elementary (2*) – Kirkland Middle School (1*) – Lake Washington High (1*) – Lakeview Elementary (1*) – Kirkland Middle School (37) – Muir Elementary (1*) – Redmond Elementary (2*) – Redmond Middle School (1*) – Redmond High School (1*) – Rose Hill Elementary (1*) – Rose Hill/Stella Schola Middle School (2*) – Thoreau Elementary (4) – Mark Twain Elementary (3*)
Northshore
YELLOW
– Arrowhead Elementary (16) – Bothell High School (72**) – Canyon Creek Elementary (25) – Canyon Park Middle School (5) – Cottage Lake Elementary (14) – Crystal Springs Elementary 38) – East Ridge Elementary (29) – Fernwood Elementary (12**) – Frank Love Elementary (24) – Hollywood Hills Elementary (10) – Inglemoor High School (5) – Innovation Lab High School (8) – Kenmore Elementary (17) – Kenmore Middle School (37**) – Kokanee Elementary (39) – Leota Middle School (3) – Lockwood Elementary (7) – Maywood Hills Elementary (12) – North Creek High School (18**) – Northshore Middle School (8**) – Ruby Bridges Elementary (7) – Secondary Academy for Success (9) – Shelton View Elementary (17**) – Skyview Middle School (79**) – Sunrise Elementary (29) – Timbercrest Middle School (28) – Wellington Elementary (58) – Westhill Elementary (6) – Woodin Elementary (9) – Woodinville High School (21) – Woodmoor Elementary (20**)
Local Districts Scorecard – * indicates positive cases only ** indicates 5 or more confirmed positive cases
We have a new Lake Washington School District confirmed COVID case at Kamiakin Middle School, resulting in 5 students quarantining. On Monday, the district reported there were 3 confirmed cases, so we have increased the number to 4. The district has not shared how many students are in quarantine, so we have removed the number.
The Bellevue School District reported that COVID cases and quarantines at multiple schools cleared. The district currently has 6 schools with confirmed COVID cases and or students in quarantine.
Northshore School District added another school reporting 5 or more confirmed COVID cases, bringing the total to 8. The district has 323 students and faculty in quarantine and 14 new positive cases in the last week, which is a significant decrease in new cases. There are 9 confirmed cases at Bothell High School, 7 among staff members.
We recommend that parents in the Bellevue and Lake Washington School District request better transparency on their publicly facing COVID dashboards.
“There is a very real risk you’ll end up in the hospital or even in the obituary pages,” Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, chief medical officer for the Ohio Department of Health, said to the unvaccinated. “Don’t become a statistic when there is a simple, safe, and effective alternative to go out today and get vaccinated.”
Many low-vaccination communities also have high rates of conditions like obesity and diabetes, said Dr. William Moss of Johns Hopkins. And that combination — along with the more contagious delta variant — has proved lethal.
Johns Hopkins University Cumulative Case Tracker is reporting 201,648 new cases and 2,302 deaths nationwide. This number would include data from over the weekend.
Demand for rapid tests exploded after the reopenings of K-12 schools and an earlier mandate by the White House that will require most U.S. federal employees to either get vaccinated or receive weekly tests.
Alaska
The situation in Alaska remains dire, with the state seeing the highest growth rate for new cases in the United States. Statewide, 16 ICU beds were available Tuesday morning, 12 in Anchorage. The 7-day rolling average for new COVID cases statewide grew to 801 per 100K on Tuesday, with 2,054 new confirmed cases over the weekend. The number of hospitalized COVID patients did drop to 196, with 74 on ventilators.
Idaho
Idaho remains in crisis standards of care statewide and added 1,829 new confirmed COVID cases over the weekend with 36 deaths. The state was caring for 686 COVID patients with 180 in intensive care. During the wave that struck in early 2021, Idaho set a record of 496 COVID patients and 122 in intensive care. Since the first case arrived in Idaho, 11,800 healthcare workers in the state have been infected with COVID.
Governor Brad Little released $10 million in funding to address the growing needs in Idaho hospitals, primary and urgent care clinics and skilled nursing facilities due to the recent surge in COVID-19 patients needing care. The governor wants to expand the number of monoclonal antibody clinics in the state. Still, Idaho is experiencing a shortage of the drug, as are many other states in the country.
“Governor Inslee blames Idaho, yet Spokane County and the surrounding area on his side of the border continue to be hot spots for virus activity with the lowest vaccination rates in the entire State of Washington, despite Governor Inslee issuing vaccine mandates and mask mandates,” Little said.
Idaho Health and Welfare Director Dave Jeppsen shared that his mother had a stroke on the same day statewide crisis standards of care were implemented.
“Things were different in the E.R.,” Jeppesen said. “There were other patients receiving care in the waiting room. My mom fell when she had her stroke and there was a concern that she had broken bones. The X-rays were done in a non-traditional X-ray area with a longer wait than usual. Fortunately, she did not break any bones. Normally a person in her condition would be held overnight for observation. Because of crisis standards of care, after she was stable, she was discharged later the same day from the E.R.”
According to her brother, Daryl Rise, Natalie Rise had worked as a registered nurse and home healthcare worker who advocated against vaccination died of COVID.
Daryl Rise told the news outlet that his sister didn’t think there had been studies conducted on the vaccines. He said she told her family not to get vaccinated, even as her mother was lying in a coma.
“I think it was from misinformation. I think it was falling into negative social media and bloggers, YouTubers,” Rise told CNN. Rise’s mother is hospitalized with COVID and in a coma.
Rise got vaccinated the day after his sister died.
“It was the hardest decision of my life, you know, am I doing right by God? Am I doing right by Natalie?” he told CNN. “And I got it out of fear.”
Finally, city officials in McCall, Idaho, expressed outrage after someone spray-painted swastikas on several signs and monuments at St. Luke’s Hospital. The rural acute care hospital has 15 beds usually but has added 13 more to support the ongoing COVID surge.
“Our community and its families are touched daily by the good deeds and care from our friends and colleagues at St. Luke’s McCall,” the city’s statement said. “Now more than ever, they need our support and respect. This hateful act is unacceptable, and our McCall Police Department is actively pursuing it.”
Primary Health CEO Dr. David Peterman also issued a statement on the incident.
“St. Luke’s has been on the forefront of providing care for thousands of patients during this crucial time, and their dedication to our community has been unparalleled,” Peterman said. “That anyone would vandalize their facility with a symbol as shameful and repugnant as a swastika is awful. We need to reject and we need to loudly say it’s wrong. There’s no place for such hate in our society.”
The situation at Billings Clinic continues to deteriorate with the ICU at 160% capacity. To handle the overflow, nurses elsewhere provide care beyond their training as COVID patients fill other parts of the hospital. In the lobby of the emergency department, rooms roughly 6 feet by 6 feet have been fashioned with makeshift plastic walls. The hospital announced on Friday that if the situation did not improve, they would need to move to crisis standards of care.
“A vaccine in your arm will do a great deal to protect you and family friends and community. Our hopes of normalcy all rely on individuals taking responsibility for their actions,” Engen said.
Multiple city council members expressed support for Engen’s statement.
“The university, the president asked students to participate in wearing masks voluntarily as a matter of personal responsibility,” said MSU Vice President of Communications, Tracy Ellig. “Two days after the start of the semester, we saw complete disregard for that request to voluntarily participate, and so we have gone to a mask requirement.”
Health Officer Nick Lawyer was forced to resign in rural Sanders County after the County Commissioners asked for his resignation. Commissioner Carol Brooker said Monday that one issue with Lawyer was that he used his title as county health officer to submit a letter to the editor to several regional newspapers urging people to get the COVID-19 vaccine and explain why the vaccine is safe and effective. However, he did not clear the letter with the county Board of Health first, Brooker said.
His resignation came two days after Gerald “Frenchy” Cuvillier called Lawyer a “petty tyrant” and said Lawyer’s “rules of protocol just cost my wife her life.”
Cuvillier complained his wife was not given ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, or monoclonal antibodies. If she had, “she would be alive and well today,” Cuvillier said.
Close to half of Oregon’s state employees remain unvaccinated and were given a six-week extension to get vaccinated. This was after an agreement was negotiated by the SEIU 503, which represents about 24,000 state employees. The deal is very similar to the one union employees negotiated in Washington state.
Knowledge is the best tool to fight against fear. A wise person chooses to be informed so they can make sound decisions. To join the fight against COVID misinformation, you can share this update through your social media platform of choice.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story reported Medical Lake School District had 290 positive COVID cases, based on a news report from KREM Channel 2 Spokane/Coeur d’Alene, owned by Tenga, Inc. KREM updated and corrected the story on the evening of September 20. We have updated our story to reflect the change.
[KING COUNTY, Wash.] – (MTN) A lot of data was released today that provided a mixed bag of news. In an exclusive story, plans to expand access to monoclonal antibodies in Washington have been hobbled due to tight national supply. The drugs are effective for some people as an early intervention to lessen the severity of COVID symptoms.
The number of new cases was unchanged over the weekend, while hospitalizations decreased about 7% in a week. ICUs remain more than 90% occupied statewide and the number of COVID-related deaths is part of the reason for the decline in total patients.
There were new COVID cases reported in all three school districts, with Bothell High School dealing with 9 confirmed cases between students and staff. The Northshore School District started COVID testing of all students, using a technique called “pool batch testing.”
If you think those numbers are concerning, Medical Lake School District in Eastern Washington with 1,979 students and staff, reported 60 confirmed COVID cases since school started 3 weeks ago. In contrast, the Bellevue School District with more than 20,000 students has reported 37 confirmed cases since August 27.
Governor Inslee formally requested military assistance from the federal government to prop up exhausted staff at Washington hospitals.
At Lumen Field, 68,500 Seahawks fans gathered to watch the Hawks lose their home opener in overtime. It also appeared that most fans decided that they didn’t need masks. We’ll see how that plays out in a couple of weeks.
New vaccination numbers show a positive trend statewide. We also unlock what demographic is keeping the vaccination rate so low in the northern half of Kirkland. Pfizer has formally applied for emergency use authorization of its vaccine for 5 to 11-year-olds after completing Phase 2 and 3 testing in multiple countries.
Alaska, Idaho, and Montana continue to struggle while the latest data out of Oregon indicates the worst is over. In another part of America, one of the last places on Earth where COVID had never been detected ran out of luck.
In misinformation, we address a dangerous rumor that Idaho is operating under a universal DNR rule. (hint – it’s not)
The number of new cases has settled at a lower level from two weeks ago but remains unsustainably high. but. In the South Central Hospital Region, which includes Benton, Franklin, Klickitat, Walla Walla, and Yakima counties, new cases are 833.4 per 100K, a decrease from Friday. In the Central Hospital Region, which represents King County, the rate is 295.1, statistically unchanged from Friday.
Percent of Total Population Fully Vaccinated
Average 14-Day New Case Rate (unadjusted)
50.00% or above (13 counties)
521.1 (up)
40.00% to 49.99% (17 counties)
753.6
28.10% to 39.99% (9 counties)
806.4 (up)
14-Day New COVID Cases per 100K average by Vaccination Rate, Not Adjusted for Population
Through September 19, Washington’s statewide 14-day rolling average was 489.8 COVID cases per 100K, which is statistically unchanged from Friday. Lincoln County reported an eye-popping 1,502.3 new cases per 100K. Counties in the 1,000.0 to 1,399.9 range include Franklin (1,135.8) and Stevens (1,197.7). Counties in the 800.0 to 999.9 per 100K range include Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Clallam, Douglas, Garfield, Grant, Grays Harbor, Lewis, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, and Yakima. It is worth noting that Okanogan County is at 994.7, just under the 1,000 threshold. We will see the impact that Labor Day had on the 14-day average, as many test sites were closed on the holiday Monday.
The Johns Hopkins Washington State Overview is reporting alarming positivity rates. Positivity for the last 30-day rolling average is reported at 15.09% and the 7-day rolling average 24.16%. We do not believe these numbers accurately represent the test positivity rate and are a statistical anomaly.
Pediatric and adolescent cases increased again, with all school districts across the state back to in-person classes. Hospitalizations are up again for children birth to 11 while dropping for adolescents 12 to 19 years old. The highest rate of new cases is among people under 50 years old.
Hospitalizations were mixed with ages birth to 11 increasing, 12 to 19 years old increasing, and 20 years old indicating slight decreases for people 35 to 64 years old and a significant decrease among people over 80. There is a dark reality hidden in what looks like good news, which we cover in the hospital status section.
Age Group
7-Day Case Rate
7-Day Hospitalization Rate
Ages 0-11
230.0 (up)
1.2 (up)
Ages 12-19
267.0 (up)
2.1 (down)
Ages 20-34
240.4 (up)
6.5
Ages 35-49
220.5
10.5 (down)
Ages 50-64
167.2
18.1 (down)
Ages 65-79
114.9
24.0
Ages 80+
118.5 (down)
33.3 (down)
7-day case rate and 7-day hospitalization rate is per 100K within the age group – the target for 7-day case rate is <25.0, but there are other factors such as vaccination rates within the age groups, how many total tests within the 7-day period, and the positivity rate within each age group
Governor Inslee formally requests federal assistance to support Washington hospitals
Governor Jay Inslee (WA-D) sent a letter on Friday to Jeffrey Zients, the COVID-19 Response Coordinator, formally requesting “the deployment of Department of Defense medical personnel to assist with the current hospital crisis.” Oregon and Idaho made similar requests, with federal teams arriving in Oregon during the August peak, and arriving in the Idaho Panhandle two weeks ago.
“Once the Delta variant hit Washington state, COVID-19 hospitalizations skyrocketed. From mid-July to late August, we saw hospitalizations double about every two weeks. The hospitals have surged to increase staffed beds and stretch staff and have canceled most non-urgent procedures, but are still overcapacity across the state.
“For these reasons, I have directed state agencies to request assistance from the federal government to provide Washington State with medical staff resources to help meet staffing needs in hospitals and in long-term care facilities. To date, the Washington State Department of Health has requested 1,200 clinical and non-clinical staff through the General Services Administration contracting process offered through FEMA.
“I am further requesting the deployment of Department of Defense medical personnel to assist with the current hospital crisis. In announcing the COVID-19 Action Plan, the President indicated that more clinical teams would be available. That assistance will be of significant value in Washington state.
“While there are hopeful signs that the current wave of infection is peaking, and some states are beginning to see declines, we have not yet seen that effect here. Washington State has historically lagged the country in previous COVID-19 waves, and the same pattern is playing out with the enormous impact we are seeing from the Delta variant.”
Last week, the state asked for 1,200 clinical and non-clinical staffers from FEMA to support hospitals and long-term care facilities. Last week in a press conference with the Washington State Hospital Association, hospitals leaders indicated they had already requested National Guard resources. According to the state officials, Washington National Guard members are already deployed supporting COVID response, flood, and climate-related disasters in the other part of the country.
EXCLUSIVE: Washington state won’t open public monoclonal antibody pop-up clinic
The Washington State Department of Health won’t be opening public clinics for appointment-based or walk-up monoclonal antibody treatments. WSDoH spokesperson Charlie Boisner told Malcontent News, “Washington is not looking to establish pop-up clinics, like other states have adopted, as a method to administer mAb treatments.”
Monoclonal antibodies are lab-engineered immune system proteins developed using similar processes as the FDA-approved mRNA Pfizer vaccine. For COVID-positive patients with mild symptoms and who don’t require supplemental oxygen, the therapy has shown to be highly effective in triggering a strong immune response. However, for those who have been symptomatic for more than a week with worsening symptoms, the therapy is not recommended.
In several southern states, pop-up clinics were opened in libraries, schools, and other government buildings. In early September, Washington State Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah stated the state was looking to expand access to the early intervention treatment. Mr. Boisner indicated the state was continuing on that course. “We are focused on engaging with partners at the local level, with either the appropriate infrastructure in place or interest in establishing this infrastructure, to facilitate these treatments.”
In Florida, over 40,000 people were given monoclonal antibodies, and it is credited with preventing 10,000 hospitalizations. The success of the program came at a heavy price for emerging hotspots in the Mid-Atlantic, Appalachia, Montana, and the Pacific Northwest. In six weeks from mid-July to the end of August, seven Southern states went through over 70% of the national supply.
“The rapid increase in demand for monoclonal antibodies has significantly constrained supply. To assure an equitable distribution of what has now become a limited resource, the federal government has reverted to the method it used from November 2020 through February 2021 for allocating monoclonal antibodies,” the undersecretary said.
To provide a more equitable allocation, distribution will be based on the number of COVID-positive patients and hospital capacity. National requests for September and early October currently outstrip the remaining supply. On Thursday Regeneron, the maker of Regen-COV, announced the Biden Administration contracted the company to produce 1.4 million new doses, more than doubling the existing order.
“Given this reality, we must work to ensure our supply of these life-saving therapies remains available for all states and territories, not just some,” a Health and Human Services spokesperson said.
We asked Mr. Boisner about the supply issue and how this would impact Washington. “While we are anticipated to experience an impact to our supply of mAb products, we are not able to increase our allocation requests at this time. While this change has presented a challenge to navigate, we will work through the process and develop a system that allows for effective and equitable distribution of mAb treatments.”
Washington State Department of Health considering adding new tests sites in Spokane
The Spokane Regional Health District requested two new COVID tests sites and the Washington State Department of Health is considered two locations. Officials recommended locating the new centers at Spokane Community College and Spokane Falls Community College.
Staffing is the biggest challenge to opening the sites.
“When we get to this level all of our systems get stretched,” said Lacy Fehrenbach, Deputy secretary of COVID-19 response. “We’re all facing staff shortages and the people that administer tests are similar people and types of health care professionals that administer vaccines and they’re the same folks that work in our hospitals and clinics across the state.”
Washington children who lost father to COVID say Fox News host Tucker Carlson ‘played a roll’ in his death
The daughter of an unvaccinated man who died of COVID-19 told CNN’s “New Day” on Monday she believes Fox News host Tucker Carlson and misinformation “played a role” in her father’s vaccine hesitancy.
“He wasn’t by any means far-right. He was right in the middle, and he consumed media from both sides, and just some of the misinformation on one of those sides made him hesitant,” Katie Lane said. “He was going to wait for FDA approval, but by the time that Pfizer had been approved, it was already too late.”
Katie said that her father said he “wished he was vaccinated” during his final call with his wife.
“His final words to my step-mom on a Facetime call was that he wished that he was vaccinated,” she said.
Carlson, a right-wing commentator and the country’s most-watched cable news host, has for months spread false and misleading information about the COVID-19 vaccines and has refused to reveal whether he’s been vaccinated.
60 students, staff and family members test positive for COVID in Medical Lake School District
“In the first three weeks of school, we have tested approximately 290 people including staff and students. This has put a constraint on our supply of testing kits and we are waiting for more to arrive within a few days. However, this has unfortunately limited our ability to test all who request it. If you have the opportunity to test your symptomatic student through an outside provider that would be greatly appreciated and beneficial to you getting the results sooner than later.”
The message from Mr. Ames didn’t indicate how many students were in quarantine. Last week the district moved to virtual education for a day. No explanation was provided on why the decision was made. According to the KREM article, the cases started among members of the high school football team.
When compared to the Bellevue School District, the 60 confirmed cases in a district with less than 1,750 students is alarming. Since August 27, the district in Bellevue has reported 37 confirmed cases, while supporting more than 20,000 students.
Seahawks overtime loss at Lumen Field witnessed by 68,500 mostly maskless fans
Social media and the rights and freedom community erupted on the airways and on social media, during the Seahawks home opener loss to the Tennessee Titans. For some, the discussion was over a blown 15 point lead but for others, it was the spectacle of mostly maskless fans despite the state mandate.
There has been no comment on the situation by the Seahawks, the NFL, Mayor Jenny Durkan, King County Executive Dow Constantine, or state officials. Fans 12 and older were required to show proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test to attend the game. Prior to game time, long lines formed to enter the park.
Editor’s Comment: Let’s hope that the percentage of fake vaccinations cards and tests results were low.
Travel Advisories
We recommend avoiding all travel to Spokane, Lincoln, Yakima, Klickitat, Benton, Franklin, and Walla Walla counties, along with Alaska, Idaho, and Montana. Hospital resources in these regions, except Lincoln County, are so constrained that you may receive inadequate care if you experience a medical emergency.
We recommend avoiding travel to Lincoln County because the number of new cases per 100K residents exceeds 1,500.
Thank you
Thank you to our new subscribers and those of you who have made one-time contributions. On behalf of the entire team, thank you for helping us keep the lights on!
No promotional consideration has been given, or requested from the n95 project or any manufacturer of masks
Vaccination
Number of vaccinated Washington state residents increases
The Washington State Department of Health released updated vaccination numbers for the state and its 39 counties. On Monday, 75.8% of all residents 12 and over have received at least one dose, and 68.9% were fully vaccinated.
Every county showed an increase in vaccination rates, with several Eastern and Southwest Washington counties making significant gains. In San Juan County, 72.9% of residents are fully vaccinated, the highest in the state. Stevens County was in last place with 28.1% fully vaccinated.
The two counties have a stark difference in the number of new COVID cases. San Juan County was 57.7 cases per 100K people on Monday, the lowest state. Stevens County was 1,197.7 the second highest in the state.
Pfizer to apply for EUA FDA approval of vaccine for 5 to 11 year olds
Pfizer Inc. announced the results from a Phase 2/3 trial of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine indicating it was safe and effective in children 5 to 11 years of age. The company has applied for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) with the Food and Drug Administration.
“Over the past nine months, hundreds of millions of people ages 12 and older from around the world have received our COVID-19 vaccine. We are eager to extend the protection afforded by the vaccine to this younger population, subject to regulatory authorization, especially as we track the spread of the Delta variant and the substantial threat it poses to children,” said Albert Bourla, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Pfizer. “Since July, pediatric cases of COVID-19 have risen by about 240 percent in the U.S. – underscoring the public health need for vaccination. These trial results provide a strong foundation for seeking authorization of our vaccine for children 5 to 11 years old, and we plan to submit them to the FDA and other regulators with urgency.”
The Phase 1/2/3 trial initially enrolled up to 4,500 children ages 6 months to 11 years of age in the United States, Finland, Poland, and Spain from more than 90 clinical trial sites. Children in the study were given two low doses 21 days apart. The dose
The Pfizer site states, “emergency use of the product has not been approved or licensed by FDA, but has been authorized by FDA under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to prevent Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) for use in individuals 12 years of age and older.”
It seems likely this will be used to spread a fresh round of vaccine misinformation. The FDA-approved Pfizer vaccine, called Comirnaty, is FDA authorized for individuals 16 years of age and older. The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and Comimaty are the same formulations and currently is EUA approved for use in 12 to 15-year-olds.
There is speculation that the FDA could authorization the EUA by the end of October, but no timetable has been provided.
Does vaccination make a difference?
The Washington State Hospital Association Coronavirus Tracker provides some insight on the effectiveness of vaccines among all patients in Washington Hospitals. Currently, King County is the third most vaccinated county, and on average, 1 of every 772,000 residents is dying due to COVID. Benton County is 44.6% vaccinated, and 1 of every 11,632 are dying due to COVID daily.
King County, Washington is reporting over 85% of age eligible residents are vaccinated with at least one dose. The highest rates of positivity are in areas with low vaccination rates statewide. The FDA has provided full approval of the Pfizer vaccine for anyone 16 and over.
COVID vaccines are free for anyone over 12 years old, and no appointment is necessary at most locations. Lyft and Hopelink provide free transportation, and KinderCare, the Learning Care Group, and the YMCA offer free childcare during vaccination appointments or recuperation.
According to the DoH COVID Dashboard, 21.3% of all acute care patients hospitalized in Washington have COVID. A hospital system caring for this many COVID-positive patients in acute care is considered to be under “severe stress.” ICUs are at 90.8% of capacity statewide, with 36.0% of ICU patients fighting COVID. The total number of hospital patients declined over the weekend.
The 7-day rolling average hospital admission rate for new COVID patients is 174 a day. The Department of Health reported there were 1,578 COVID patients statewide on September 19 and 277 on ventilators. That is a 6% drop in the last 7 days but it isn’t all good news.
During a COVID wave, new cases rise first, followed by hospitalizations, and finally deaths. The Washington Hospital Association reported that on Sunday, 30 patients died due to COVID-related illness. Between most hospitals suspending almost all elective surgeries and the increased number of deaths, hospital capacity is improving.
EvergreenHealth released its weekly update today, reporting 38 COVID patients under care in Kirkland, one less than a week ago. The hospital reported 76% of all patients and 75% of ICU patients were unvaccinated with 5 on ventilators. Of the 8 vaccinated patients, 75% were more than 60 years old. Data has shown that a vast majority of breakthrough cases are among people over 70 who have multiple health issues.
EvergeeenHealth Kirkland patient update for Monday, September 20, 2021
All eyes are on Eastern Washington hospitals with neighboring Idaho still operating under crisis standards of care.
Providence Chief Medical Officer Dr. Dan Getz said things are continuing to worsen inside Eastern Washington hospitals as they continue to care for a surge in patients that have halted non-emergency surgeries and stretched their staff to a breaking point.
“Although we’re not practicing crisis standards of care on this side of the state, we still feel like we’re in crisis,” Dr. Getz said.
Hospitals in Spokane are caring for 221 COVID patients, almost unchanged from last week.
– Alcott Elementary (2*) – Ella Baker Elementary (3*) – Community School Elementary (7) – Dickinson Elementary (2*) – Eastlake High (1*) – Einstein Elementary (1*) – Evergreen Middle School (1*) – Benjamin Franklin Elementary (2*) – Robert Frost Elementary (9) – Inglewood Middle School (3*) – Juanita Elementary (2*) – Juanita High School (1*) – Kamiakin Middle School (3*) – Helen Keller Elementary (1*) – Peter Kirk Elementary (2*) – Kirkland Middle School (1*) – Lake Washington High (1*) – Lakeview Elementary (1*) – Kirkland Middle School (37) – Muir Elementary (1*) – Redmond Elementary (2*) – Redmond Middle School (1*) – Redmond High School (1*) – Rose Hill Elementary (1*) – Rose Hill/Stella Schola Middle School (2*) – Thoreau Elementary (4) – Mark Twain Elementary (3*)
Northshore
YELLOW
– Arrowhead Elementary (12) – Bothell High School (62**) – Canyon Creek Elementary (19) – Canyon Park Middle School (5) – Cottage Lake Elementary (12) – Crystal Springs Elementary 31) – East Ridge Elementary (25) – Fernwood Elementary (10**) – Frank Love Elementary (24) – Hollywood Hills Elementary (10) – Inglemoor High School (5) – Innovation Lab High School (6) – Kenmore Elementary (17) – Kenmore Middle School (38**) – Kokanee Elementary (29) – Leota Middle School (3) – Maywood Hills Elementary (13) – North Creek High School (16**) – Northshore Middle School (9**) – Ruby Bridges Elementary (6) – Secondary Academy for Success (9) – Shelton View Elementary (17**) – Skyview Middle School (78) – Sunrise Elementary (27) – Timbercrest Middle School (23) – Westhill Elementary (6) – Westhill Elementary (6) – Wellington Elementary (52) – Woodin Elementary (10) – Woodinville High School (21) – Woodmoor Elementary (20**)
Local Districts Scorecard – * indicates positive cases only ** indicates 5 or more confirmed positive cases
Seven more schools in the Lake Washington School District reported active-COVID cases over the weekend. Parents were notified this morning that 7 students at Community School Elementary had a COVID exposure, which happened outside of the school district.
One school in the Bellevue School District reported 3 new confirmed cases among students and faculty. The district does not report the number of quarantines.
Northshore School District now has 7 schools reporting 5 or more confirmed COVID cases. The district has 333 students and faculty in quarantine and 30 new positive cases in the last week – 18 students and 15 staff members. There are 9 confirmed cases at Bothell High School, 7 among staff members.
The Northshore School District started doing “pool batch testing” among all students on Monday. Testing will be conducted weekly at each of our school buildings over the course of three days. Students in grades K-12 will be tested.
The tests are self-administered by each student and adult in the classroom, while a trained teacher or a school-based COVID supervisor observes. Instead of the “long swab” that goes in the back of the nose, this test is a short, small swab. This type of testing provides privacy for each individual. If further confirmatory testing is required, every individual’s privacy will be protected throughout the process, including during contact tracing.
King County COVID vaccination rates – at least one dose ages 12 to 19 – by zip code as of September 20, 2021
Vaccination rates among adolescents 12 to 19 years old decrease significantly in an east-west line that intersects Juanita Bay of Lake Washington. In Kirkland, the vaccination rate among the age group who have received at least one dose is 90.7%, compared to 98034, with a rate of only 65.7%.
We will continue to recommend that parents in the Bellevue and Lake Washington School Districts request better transparency on their publicly facing COVID dashboards.
Kirkland-Bellevue-Woodinville
King County Public Health updated the vaccination rates by zip code, with the numbers improving throughout the region. The northern half of Kirkland continues to lag behind the rest of the local area. Vaccination rates dropped from the last update because the county is now using the population and demographic data from 2020. Previous reports used the 2019 census estimate.
King County COVID vaccination rates – at least one dose all ages – by zip code as of September 20, 2021
Zip Code
Percent vaccinated, at least one dose, 12 and older
98155
92.3%
98028
89.0%
98011
85.5%
98034
84.2%
98033
91.9%
98072
91.6%
98052
94.5%
98004
>95.0%
98039
93.3%
98005
94.0%
98007
88.5%
Vaccination rates for those 12 and older by zip code – at least one dose
National Round-Up
The United States reached another grim milestone as the number of total COVID deaths broke the record set by the 1918 Flu tonight. While hospitalizations nationwide dropped below 100,000 with the surges ending in Florida and Texas, the number of people dying continues to climb. The CDC reported on Friday the 7-day moving average rose to 1,448 people dying of COVID a day, a 17.4% increase from last week. Total hospitalizations dropped 5.7% to just over 97,000.
Johns Hopkins University Cumulative Case Tracker is reporting 36,794 new cases and 291 deaths nationwide. Very few states provide data 7 days a week. Monday numbers are always artificially low. Tracking the moving average is a better way to understand national trends.
The Biden Administration announced the United States will accept vaccinated air travelers from 33 countries, including China, beginning in November. The decision, announced by White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zients, marked an abrupt shift for President Joe Biden’s administration, which said last week it was not the right time to lift any restrictions amid rising COVID-19 cases.
Vaccinated travelers will be accepted from most European countries including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Greece. Additionally travelers from Britain, Ireland, South Africa, China, India, Brazil, and Iran. Officials also announced that non-essential travel to Canada and Mexico will remain blocked at least until October 21.
Alaska
The situation in Alaska remains dire, with the state seeing the third-highest rate of growth for new cases in the United States. Statewide 16 ICU beds were available Monday morning, a slight improvement from last week. The results aren’t from a reduction in patients, but due to crisis standards of care deferring all but emergency surgeries. The 7-day rolling average for new COVID cases grew to 780 per 100K on Monday, with 2,054 new confirmed cases over the weekend.
America Samoa
The small United States territory in the middle of the Pacific Ocean was one of the only places on Earth that had not been touched by COVID. Over the weekend, that changed. Commercial air travel was suspended to the island in March 2020 and wasn’t restored until last week. On Saturday, the first commercial flight flew out of Honolulu with 260 onboard. When the plane landed, a vaccinated passenger, who started to become symptomatic during the flight, tested positive for COVID.
The person, who has not been identified, had been visiting the U.S. mainland, before traveling to Hawaii. Everyone was required to have a COVID test before the flight, with all passengers and crew testing negative.
The COVID-positive person was moved to quarantine at a facility in Pago Pago and for now, doesn’t require hospitalization. The other 259 people on the plane were moved to a quarantine location where they will need to stay for 10 days to be tested and monitored.
On Sunday, 3 more people tested positive.
Idaho
Idaho remains in crisis standards of care statewide and added 2,302 new confirmed COVID cases over the weekend with 36 deaths. To put this in perspective, Washington has 427% more people than Idaho and reported a similar number of deaths. The fatality numbers do not include non-COVID patients that died from deferred treatment or people who died in their homes.
A message left on an Eastern Idaho hospital’s whiteboard by Dr. Kenneth Krell, Director of the hospital’s ICU, went viral over the weekend.
A note left on the hospital staff whiteboard by Dr. Kenneth Krell, director of eastern Idaho’s largest intensive care unit. #idahoCovid19pic.twitter.com/ez4vOvJXVr
State officials in Montana are scrambling to prevent falling into the same trap that Idaho is in. Three large hospitals in Bozeman, Billings, and Helena are operating under crisis standards of care or are preparing to. Hospitals in Missoula remained very stressed as new COVID cases exploded across the vast state.
Governor Greg Gianforte’s office is in discussions to ask the Department of Veterans Affairs to accept otherwise ineligible patients at its facilities.
Gianforte, along with the state Department of Public Health and Human Services and Disaster and Emergency Services, “initiated discussions” with the VA and the federal Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response over the weekend, DPHHS spokesperson Jon Ebelt said in an email Monday.
States can request to send patients to a VA hospital by submitting a formal request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Oregon
The worst appears to be over in Oregon, as new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths all declined last week.
“During Monday, Sept. 6, through Sunday, Sept. 12, 2021, OHA recorded 12,997 new cases of COVID-19 infection – an 11% decrease from the previous week,” the Oregon Health Authority said in a news release.
The state recorded 281 new infections per 100,000 people during that week. Baker County, in eastern Oregon, experienced the highest rate of infections at 686 new infections per 100,000 people; the county population is little more than 16,000 people.
OHA noted 79% of statewide cases were classified as “sporadic,” meaning it could not trace them back easily to an event that’s likely to blame for the COVID-19 exposure. This contrasts with what OHA calls “clusters” or “outbreaks” that would be considered vectors for other infections. The high number of untraceable cases has been the norm throughout 2021 in Oregon, but the percentage has increased steadily since January.
Misinformation
There is rampant misinformation that Idaho is operating under a universal do not resuscitate order. This is not true. The false claims are coming from a section within the state’s crisis standards of care plan. In situations where a hospital can no longer support mechanical ventilation of ICU patients, the guidance recommends that no attempt at resuscitation be made if the patient goes into cardiac arrest.
“Adult patients hospitalized during a public health emergency, when crisis standards of care have been declared (and a hospital is using the mechanical ventilation allocation framework due to demand for ventilators exceeding supply), should receive aggressive interventions; however, they should receive NO attempts at resuscitation (compressions, shocks or intubation if not yet intubated) in the event of cardiac arrest. The likelihood of survival after a cardiac arrest is extremely low for adult patients. As well, resuscitation poses significant risk to healthcare workers due to aerosolization of body fluids and uses large quantities of scarce resources such as staff time, personal protective equipment, and lifesaving medications, with minimal opportunity for benefit. This universal DNR order does not apply to pediatric patients; however, pediatric patients requiring a ventilator after resuscitation would enter the ventilator triage protocol after resuscitation, just like other patients needing ventilator access.”
Knowledge is the best tool to fight against fear. A wise person chooses to be informed so they can make sound decisions. To join the fight against COVID misinformation, you can share this update through your social media platform of choice.
[KING COUNTY, Wash.] – (MTN) After a relatively quiet week for COVID news, things exploded over the last 24 hours, creating a super-sized update for today.
New COVID cases in Washington state were declining but now appear to be on a new unsustainable plateau. The gap between the highest and lowest vaccinated Hospital Region grows to the broadest level to date. One county’s new case rate has increased so high a new category had to be created.
Washington hospitalizations also plateaued, and ventilator use remains at near-record levels. In Olympia, St Peter’s Hospital reported 10 COVID-related deaths in 24 hours. We spent a lot of time examining reports that Eastern Washington hospitals are overrun with Idaho residents seeking treatment. We did not find any credible reports to support these rumors. We share our opinion on what Washington state should do to prevent our hospital system from joining our Pacific Northwest neighbors.
New cases and hospitalizations are up for children and adolescents statewide, and new COVID cases were reported in all three school districts we track. Snohomish County reported a 433% increase in active COVID cases at childcare centers and schools. In Yakima County, officials report 25% to 35% of new COVID cases among children. Parents in West Seattle and Olympia think COVID quarantine rules for unvaccinated adolescents are unfair.
Hundreds gathered in Olympia, and smaller pockets of protesters were across Washington, defying outdoor masking guidelines to protest against vaccine mandates. Some have adopted a view that harkens back to a dark time in world history.
Officials reported more than 20 people who have attended the Washington State Fair were COVID positive when they were there.
Most applications for religious exemption by Washington State Patrol employees have been rejected. In contrast, unions leaders representing 71,000 healthcare workers in Washington state say that the state is in an “unprecedented crisis.”
The University of Washington is seeking volunteers for a study of a new COVID vaccine booster. Phase 2 testing will include individuals vaccinated with the Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
We expanded our travel advisory again to include the state of Montana and Lincoln County in Washington.
In vaccination news, the FDA votes on booster shots for people who received the Pfizer vaccine. An editorial in the British Medical Journal about the potential connection between COVID vaccinations and menstruation was misrepresented as a study in numerous headlines. The update is very late tonight, in part because we pored through reports and data to give you a lot more insight.
In regional news, the stories coming out of hospitals in Alaska, Idaho, and Montana are gut-wrenching. It is not hyperbole to state the ability to deliver medical care in all three states is collapsing.
Finally, in the misinformation section, we address an oldie but a goodie – do masks cause carbon dioxide poisoning? (no)
The last week of data indicates Washington has stepped down to a slightly lower plateau versus seeing a continued decline. In the South Central Hospital Region, which includes Benton, Franklin, Klickitat, Walla Walla, and Yakima counties, new cases are 888.5 per 100K, a significant increase. In the Central Hospital Region, which represents King County, the rate is 290.0. This is the widest gap in new cases between the two hospital districts.
Percent of Total Population Fully Vaccinated
Average 14-Day New Case Rate (unadjusted)
50.00% or above (12 counties)
488.8
40.00% to 49.99% (18 counties)
750.8 (up)
27.30% to 39.99% (9 counties)
768.0
14-Day New COVID Cases per 100K average by Vaccination Rate, Not Adjusted for Population
Through September 17, Washington’s statewide 14-day rolling average was 489.2 COVID cases per 100K, which is statistically unchanged. Lincoln County reported 1,438.9 new cases per 100K, one of the highest rates recorded in any Washington county since new COVID cases have been tracked. Counties in the 1,000.0 to 1,399.9 range include Franklin (1,254.7) and Stevens (1,138.9). Counties in the 800.0 to 999.9 per 100K range include Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Clallam, Douglas, Grant, Grays Harbor, Lewis, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, and Walla Walla. It is worth noting that Benton County is at 989.8, just under the 1,000 threshold, and Yakima County moved up to 791.2, just under the 800 threshold. We are concerned when we get to the middle of next week, and the test data from the Labor Day weekend is out of the 14-day rolling average, we will see another jump in the numbers.
The USA Today COVID Tracker also indicates a flattening over the previous week (when you adjust for the dip in weekend reporting and the bump when the data from over the weekend is reported). If you think we’re alarmists, we’re not the only journalists seeing this trend.
One other piece of discouraging news comes out of the United Kingdom. Healthcare experts highlighted how Delta peaked in the U.K. (and Israel) after 45 to 60 days before rapidly declining as a predictive model for the United States. The U.K. reported a record 26,911 new cases and a record-high number of hospitalizations – 8,339 patients. Even more worrying, 81.6% of all U.K. residents are fully vaccinated compared to 51.4% of the United States.
The Johns Hopkins Washington State Overview is reporting alarming positivity rates. Positivity for the last 30-day rolling average is reported at 15.23% and the 7-day rolling average 24.16%. We do not believe these numbers accurately represent the test positivity rate and are a statistical anomaly.
Today is the third day of updated data from the WSDOH, and we are feeling more confident about tracking trends now. Pediatric and adolescent cases increased. This isn’t surprising now that in-person school is back across all of Washington state. Hospitalizations for ages birth to 11 increased about 30%. However, the total number of children hospitalized is small, so don’t read too much into that bump.
New cases among all other age groups were flat or down slightly. With total new cases appearing to be settling on a plateau, this may be an early warning sign that new pediatric cases are increasing the overall number. This could have significant implications for states outside of Washington, particularly Alaska, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming (read our national round up).
Hospitalizations also increased for ages 35 to 49 and people 80-years old and above. Both jumps were large enough to be notable but not alarming.
Age Group
7-Day Case Rate
7-Day Hospitalization Rate
Ages 0-11
208.4 (up)
1.0 (up)
Ages 12-19
248.6 (up)
2.4
Ages 20-34
232.2
6.5 (down)
Ages 35-49
220.0
13.2 (up)
Ages 50-64
160.3
19.8
Ages 65-79
114.2 (down)
24.8
Ages 80+
126.8
39.1 (up)
7-day case rate and 7-day hospitalization rate is per 100K within the age group – the target for 7-day case rate is <25.0, but there are other factors such as vaccination rates within the age groups, how many total tests within the 7-day period, and the positivity rate within each age group
The USA Today COVID Tracker reported 56 deaths on Thursday and an additional 56 deaths on Friday.
Snohomish County reports active COVID cases among childcare centers and schools increased 433%
A new Snohomish Health District report shows the rapid increase in cases associated with childcare facilities, K-12 schools, higher education, and youth sports and camps over the last month. For the two weeks ending September 16, there were nearly five times as many investigations in K-12 settings (202) than the previous period ending September 2 (42 investigations). There were 367 confirmed and probable cases and more than 2,100 close contacts involving childcare, schools, and youth sports during that timeframe.
The number of investigated cases in Snohomish County among child care centers, public and private K-12 schools, higher education, and athletic and youth camps increased from 950 to 2,160 – a 433% increase in two weeks.
“When cases occur among students or staff, and they will, we work with the schools to optimize the number of individuals being quarantined and try to prevent transmission in the school,” said Dr. Chris Spitters, Health Officer for the Snohomish Health District. “From time to time, there may be a classroom or two in a school that may need to be temporarily closed depending on the number of cases, but those episodes won’t necessarily call for any change in school-wide, district-wide, or county-wide operations. We need students, families, and teachers to work with us to get cases down and keep the impacts small.”
Hundreds gather to protest vaccine mandates in Olympia while others do flag waves across the state
Only a handful of people there were wearing masks while standing on the side of the road, waving signs and hearing from the cars which support their cause. At least one protester held a sign with the hashtag, “pureblood.” Anti-vaccination adherents claim the reference is from the Harry Potter books. The term originated in Nazi Germany, where people were required to have a “Blood Certificate” to get married and have children. The idea was to have purebloods to ensure the survival of the Aryan race.
Olympia officials had begged people to stay away from the city due to a planned Proud Boys rally on the same day. On the Internet, several anti-vaccination groups along with counter-protesters advised their followers to stay away.
Today, the group Waking UP Washington organized several flag waves across Washington state with small groups dotted along I-5.
More than 20 people who worked at or attended the Washington State Fair were COVID positive
So far, 435,000 people have attended the fair, scheduled to end on September 26. At a vaccination clinic within the fairgrounds, 235 people have received vaccinations. On Friday, 50% of all residents in Pierce County were vaccinated.
Because Washington state is highly vaccinated, the current R0 is R1.1 (forecasted range R0.7 to R1.5) for all residents. If this is accurate, the impact shouldn’t be significant unless an infected person has an unusually high viral load, a super spreader, or moves around through highly unvaccinated groups.
25% to 35% of new COVID cases in Yakima County are children and adolescents
“Certainly, the schools have seen a lot of activity that they’re navigating. You probably saw that the Tribal School in Toppenish basically canceled school for the next two weeks after going quarantine, essentially hit the reset button,” Brueggemann said.
Washington state job growth slowed in August
State-level unemployment data was released yesterday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and individual states. In Washington, job growth slowed, with just under 17,000 new jobs created. The job market through Washington could best be described as white-hot overall, with tens of thousands of unfilled positions at every skill level.
Most applications for a relegious exemption by Washington State Patrol have been rejected
The Washington State Patrol (WSP) reported that of 364 religious exemptions applications received, 284 had been reviewed, and all were rejected. Initially, 373 applications were submitted, but nine employees rescinded their requests.
“As to your inquiry regarding relative exposure probabilities, I would suggest you direct it to qualified epidemiologists, but from my laymen’s perspective, it presupposes that lower or varied risks is [sic] somehow unworthy of attention. As we have all seen, the pandemic, it’s [sic] impacts, and response strategies have evolved over time as more has become known.”
When pressed on why the bar was so high for a religious exemption and all requests rejected to date, Loftis wrote, “…the search for accommodation can be difficult as by its very nature, working for WSP often has a significant public engagement component.”
Moving to our opinion, if we read between the lines, it appears state officials are concerned about long-term liability. Suppose an asymptomatic unvaccinated trooper were to pass COVID to a member of the public while on duty, and that person became hospitalized or died. In that case, it seems this would be a significant legal exposure.
Additionally, an asymptomatic or symptomatic officer with COVID couldn’t work for 14 days and could force others to quarantine.
West Seattle and Olympia families claim school guidelines for quarantining students are unfair
Jeremy Gollyhorn is upset with decisions about his child who had a COVID exposure at Denny International Middle School in Seattle. The 12-year old student is unvaccinated, and following state and national guidelines, is required to quarantine for 14 days. If they were vaccinated, they would have been permitted to return to class with a strong recommendation to get tested 3 to 5 days after the exposure.
Gollyhorn said it makes no sense.
“Vaccinated people can still spread COVID too, so what’s the difference there?” he said.
“It’s not fair,” said Willis, who reported her daughter chose not to get the vaccine because she did not think she needed it.
On September 8, we analyzed the new case, hospitalization, and death statistics in King County for the vaccinated versus the unvaccinated. It is correct that vaccinated people can still become infected with COVID. Still, the number is extremely low, and most breakthrough cases are among the immunocompromised and people over 70 years old.
University of Washington seeking volunteers for COVID booster shot study
Researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine are enrolling volunteers for a COVID-19 booster vaccine trial. Volunteers will participate in the second stage of a phase 1 vaccine trial. Phase 1 vaccine trials are designed to test the safety and tolerability of and immune response to a new vaccine.
In the first stage of the trial, the experimental vaccines were given to unvaccinated volunteers. In this second stage, the vaccines will be given as a booster shot to volunteers who have already been vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2.
Unlike current vaccines, the trial vaccines seek to elicit an immune response to multiple SARS-CoV-2 proteins in addition to the spike protein that is targeted by currently available vaccines made by Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson.
The hope is that by targeting a number of coronavirus proteins, the vaccine will provide protection against a wide variety of SARS-CoV-2 strains and variants. The vaccine candidates were developed by Gritstone bio, headquartered in Emeryville, CA.
“With the emergence of the Delta and other COVID-19 variants, we need to stay ahead of the virus by developing effective vaccines that will aid in the prevention of all strains of COVID,” said Dr. Anna Wald, director of the UW Medicine Virology Research Clinic and head the UW School of Medicine’s allergies and infectious diseases division. She is the trial site principal investigator.
“We hope that these investigational vaccines enhance and broaden the immune response elicited by vaccines currently available in the U.S.,” said Dr. Tia Babu, acting assistant professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine and a trial investigator.
To enroll, participants must be age 18 or older, healthy, without significant allergies, without a history of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, and have been vaccinated against COVID-19 at least four months prior to enrollment. Persons over age 60 are encouraged to participate.
Participants will be asked to:
Make nine to 14 or more in-person clinic visits and also will receive one to two telephone check-ins with study staff over 12 to 14 months.
Receive one or two injections of investigational vaccine.
Have blood drawn several times to monitor safety and to see whether the vaccine results in an immune response.
Keep track of how they’re feeling after the injection.
Interested participants should contact the UW Medicine Virology Research Clinic: gritstone@uw.edu or 206-520-4340
Washington state nurse unions urge immediate action to prop up hospitals
Washington unions that represent 71,000 healthcare workers are appealing for immediate action, saying that the state is on the brink of an “unprecedented crisis.” The Washington State Nurses Association, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, and the UFCW 21 made a joint statement warning that the combination of work conditions, pay, chronic staffing shortages, and the ongoing “fifth wave” of COVID cases is decimating healthcare workers.
“Amid the fifth wave of COVID, spurred on by the Delta variant, and hospitals overflowing with patients who need critical care, our state health care workers continue to heroically perform their jobs a year-and-a-half into this pandemic,” said Julia Barcott, chair of the WSNA Cabinet and an ICU nurse at Astria Toppenish Hospital. “But nurses and other frontline workers are people, too. We’re losing overworked nurses to overwhelming burnout, the distress of working short-staffed, better-paying traveler nurse jobs, and even for signing bonuses of up to $20,000 to move to a different hospital. We’re worried for our patients and the impact of the staffing crisis on the care they receive.”
This isn’t just a crisis for frontline workers, it’s also a public health crisis. Because hospitals were already understaffed well before the coronavirus pandemic hit, we are now seeing a new story every day about a regional hospital at maximum capacity. Without immediately addressing the shortage of staff and untenable workloads for frontline workers, there could be dire consequences to Washington’s health care infrastructure.
“Chronic understaffing is a disaster for patient care. Health care workers don’t want to see patients stuck in overflowing ICUs or being treated in ER hallways, or be forced to turn away ambulances at the door, but that’s the reality of health care right now,” said Faye Guenther, UFCW 21 president. “Hospitals need to immediately respond to this patient care crisis. That means focusing on meaningful, sustainable solutions that will recruit and retain qualified caregivers in every department.”
As many anti-vaccination activists falsely conflate the staffing crisis with looming vaccine deadlines for health care workers, it’s important to understand that health care staffing shortages predate the coronavirus pandemic. As a result of years of staffing and management decisions, many hospitals already didn’t meet adequate staffing for average patient levels. COVID exacerbated this already strained infrastructure, and hospitals’ response to the pandemic has only worsened this preexisting crisis.
“What’s really driving this crisis is that hospitals have spent the last two decades balancing their budgets on the backs of health care workers and patients,” said Jane Hopkins, RN, executive vice president of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW. “COVID has been a stress test on our health care system, and we are seeing the system fail that test due to management’s choice to understaff. Retention bonuses for frontline workers who have stayed on the job, adequate pay for extra hours worked, and aggressive hiring to staff at full capacity would go a long way right now.”
Opinion: To save Washington hospitals it’s time to close the borders
Military leaders, analysts, and planners evaluate the capabilities of a force using combat effectiveness. Combat effectiveness takes more into account than the number of well-trained soldiers and the quality and quantity of available equipment. It considers leadership, psychological stress, the level of support on the battlefield and the home front, and the clarity of mission. If enough of these factors deteriorate, a military unit or even an entire army can become “combat ineffective.” Our medical community has been combat ineffective for months, and no one is doing anything about it. It is time for a strategic retreat and for officials in Washington state to close the doors to out-of-state COVID patients.
We are expanding our travel advisories today. We recommend avoiding all travel to Spokane, Lincoln, Yakima, Klickitat, Benton, Franklin, and Walla Walla counties, along with Alaska, Idaho, and Montana. Hospital resources in these regions, except Lincoln County, are so constrained that you may receive inadequate care if you experience a medical emergency.
We recommend avoiding travel to Lincoln County because the number of new cases per 100K residents exceeds 1,400.
Thank you
Thank you to our new subscribers and those of you who have made one-time contributions. On behalf of the entire team, thank you for helping us keep the lights on!
No promotional consideration has been given, or requested from the n95 project or any manufacturer of masks
Vaccination
FDA panel votes against COVID booster shots for all, but recommends expanding the existing booster shot guidelines
The booster shot program the Biden Administration wanted to start on Monday for people who received the Pfizer vaccine will, at the minimum, be delayed. On Friday, an FDA panel voted 16-2 against booster shots for all. The vote was widely reported in news sources as breaking news.
FDA officials took a break and had a second vote to recommend booster shots for those over 65, at high risk for severe COVID-19, or who work in jobs with significant exposure to COVID patients. The panel voted 18-0 in support of the guidelines.
If the recommendation is authorized, this will expand the current booster shoot guidelines released in August. A third dose was approved for immunocompromised individuals who received the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna.
Medical conditions that warrant a second dose include receiving active treatment for cancer, organ transplant recipients, recipients of a stem cell transplant in the last 24 months, moderate to severe primary immunodeficiency, advanced or untreated HIV infection, people under treatment with high-dose corticosteroids such as prednisone, and those being treated with immunosuppressive drugs.
Vaccination impact on menstruation is being researched
When COVID first erupted across the globe, many infected women of childbearing age reported changes in their periods. Anecdotally, there are reports from women that periods became heavier after receiving the COVID vaccine, and others reported a change in their cycle.
The BMJ, the journal of the British Medical Association, published an editorial recommending an investigation into the possible link between the COVID vaccine and changes in menstruation. This story was widely run and in some publications misrepresented as the results of a study in the headlines. The editorial included this quote.
“Most people who report a change to their period after vaccination find that it returns to normal the following cycle and, importantly, there is no evidence that covid-19 vaccination adversely affects fertility. In clinical trials, unintended pregnancies occurred at similar rates in vaccinated and unvaccinated groups.”
“Anecdotally, some women seem to be reporting heavier periods after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, and we would support more data collection in this area to understand why this might be the case.”
“If you do notice any bleeding that is unusual for you, then we would recommend you contact your doctor. You can also report any concerns or possible side effects of the COVID-19.”
The Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency in the United Kingdom has a website similar to VAERS in the United States called Yellow Card. People can report suspected side effects of “medicines, vaccines, medical devices, and test kits.” Weekly reports are available at the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency website. Just like VAERS, anyone can submit a Yellow Card report. Unreviewed data should not be considered indicative of any trend.
A study on the Potential Effects of COVID-19 Vaccination on Menstruation received $1.67 million in funding from the United States National Institute of Health on August 30. The study is a joint project conducted by Boston University, Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins University, Michigan State University – East Lansing, and Oregon Health and Sciences University – Portland.
Information on how to participate in the study is not available yet.
An article by Randy S. Morris, M.D., Board Certified in Infertility and Reproductive Endocrinology, and the Medical Director of IVF1 found neither COVID nor the COVID vaccine impacted fertility. The report, SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Seropositvity from Vaccination or Infection does not Cause Infertility, studied 143 women who underwent Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET) from January 1to May 7, 2021.
All the participants gave serum samples and were tested for the presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike IgG. Testing revealed 55 women who had COVID antibodies in their bloodstream. Participants were notified of the presence of antibodies, 35 were vaccinated, and 20 had experienced a COVID infection. None of the women who had COVID were hospitalized.
Dr. Morris wrote in the discussion section of his article, “In vitro fertilization with FET is an excellent method to study the impact of various factors on implantation since it bypasses many of the variables that normally impact a woman’s ability to conceive, such as ovulation, fertilization, and preimplantation embryo development. The current study failed to identify the difference in the implantation or pregnancy rates between women with documented seropositivity to the spike protein and women without seropositivity.”
They found no significant difference in a successful transplant rate among women who had no COVID antibodies (73.9%), those who were vaccinated (80.0%), and those who had natural immunity (73.7%).
Dr. Morris is a respected subject matter expert in this field. Before being part of the research group, women seeking IVF treatment to become pregnant received an extensive and detailed baseline study of their physiology and reproductive potential.
A connection to seeking fertility treatment in the first place due to the COVID vaccine cannot be made. The study was conducted from January 1 to May 7, 2021, and the first public COVID vaccine was received on December 14, 2020. It takes months of testing and preparation to perform a FET. The Mayo Clinic has an excellent article written in laypersons terms explaining the process of InVitro Fertilization.
The report does have limitations. The sample group of 143 participants is small and limited to women with a history of reproductive issues. The sample size of women who have antibodies due to a COVID exposure was limited to 20 people, which is very small. Reports typically aren’t peer-reviewed but do receive scrutiny from reputable journals before publication.
King County, Washington is reporting over 85% of age eligible residents are vaccinated with at least one dose. The highest rates of positivity are in areas with low vaccination rates statewide. The FDA has provided full approval of the Pfizer vaccine for anyone 16 and over.
COVID vaccines are free for anyone over 12 years old, and no appointment is necessary at most locations. Lyft and Hopelink provide free transportation, and KinderCare, the Learning Care Group, and the YMCA offer free childcare during vaccination appointments or recuperation.
According to the DoH COVID Dashboard, 22.4% of all acute care patients hospitalized in Washington have COVID. A hospital system caring for this many COVID-positive patients in acute care is considered to be under “severe stress.” ICUs are at 91.5% of capacity statewide, with 36.2% of ICU patients fighting COVID. All of these numbers are unchanged.
While ICU utilization has remained close to 90%, the number of patients in the ICU with COVID continues to increase. This is due to three factors. Hospitals are operating under “contingency care” protocols statewide and have canceled most elective surgeries that would require post-surgical ICU resources. Additionally, the surge of new cases that started in August is running its course. The timeline from infection to symptoms, hospitalization, ICU, and death can be 4 to 6 weeks, particularly among otherwise healthy individuals. Finally, Washington state hospitals are caring for dozens of out-of-state COVID patients, many of them critically ill.
The 7-day rolling average hospital admission rate for new COVID patients is 183 a day. This is down from a peak of 193 and above the winter surge, where daily admissions peaked at 115 a day. The Department of Health reported there were 1,649 COVID patients statewide on September 16 and 274 on ventilators. Hospitalizations declining 9% from September 9 to September 14 but appear to have plateaued.
Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital, which said they were approaching the need to move to crisis standards of care last week, reported the situation has improved, but the facility remains exceptionally stressed. The hospital is at 103% capacity, with 45 patients treated for COVID, 95% unvaccinated. On Thursday, 75 employees of the hospital had to stay home.
– Alcott Elementary (1*) – Carson Elementary (2*) – Dickinson Elementary (1*) – Eastlake High (1*) – Einstein Elementary (1*) – Ella Baker Elementary (1*) – Robert Frost Elementary (9) – Juanita Elementary (2*) – Juanita High School (37) – Kirkland Middle School (37) – Peter Kirk Elementary (1*) – Redmond Elementary (2*) – Redmond Middle School (1*) – Rose Hill Elementary (1*) – Rose Hill/Stella Schola Middle School (1*) – Thoreau Elementary (4)
– Kamiakin Middle School (140) – Mark Twain Elementary (3*)
Northshore
YELLOW
– Arrowhead Elementary (12) – Bothell High School (48**) – Canyon Creek Elementary (19) – Canyon Park Middle School (5) – Cottage Lake Elementary (12) – Crystal Springs Elementary (28) – East Ridge Elementary (17) – Fernwood Elementary (10**) – Frank Love Elementary (14) – Hollywood Hills Elementary (10) – Inglemoor High School (5) – Innovation Lab High School (4) – Kenmore Elementary (15) – Kenmore Middle School (38**) – Kokanee Elementary (24) – Leota Middle School (2) – Maywood Hills Elementary (11) – North Creek High School (16**) – Northshore Middle School (9**) – Ruby Bridges Elementary (6) – Secondary Academy for Success (7) – Shelton View Elementary (18**) – Skyview Middle School (78) – Sunrise Elementary (21) – Timbercrest Middle School (23) – Westhill Elementary (6) – Wellington Elementary (48) – Westhill Elementary (6) – Woodin Elementary (5) – Woodinville High School (21) – Woodmoor Elementary (19**)
Under Investigation
Local Districts Scorecard – * indicates positive cases only ** indicates 5 or more confirmed positive cases
The Lake Washington School District data hasn’t been updated since Friday of last week. We have a confirmed report from the Lake Washington School District of one COVID case at Kirkland Middle School and 36 exposures.
Three more schools in the Bellevue School District have reported cases and quarantines.
Northshore School District now has 7 schools reporting 5 or more confirmed COVID cases. The district has 313 students and faculty in quarantine and 23 new positive cases in the last week – 22 students and one staff member.
We will continue to recommend that parents in the Bellevue and Lake Washington School Districts request better transparency on their publicly facing COVID dashboards.
Kirkland-Bellevue-Woodinville
No update
National Round-Up
Johns Hopkins University Cumulative Case Tracker is reporting 207,886 new cases and 2,635 deaths nationwide. Most states do not provide daily updates, so the number released on Friday tends to be inflated and represents multiple days of data. Tracking the moving average is a better way to understand national trends.
The COVID crisis in Alaska is deepening, with Providence Alaska Medical Center still operating under “crisis standards of care.” The inability to transfer patients to the largest and best-equipped hospital in the state is having a ripple effect on other hospitals.
Alaska has no state standard for “crisis standards of care,” forcing hospitals to make independent decisions. Government officials started forming a committee this week. Meanwhile, the state legislature considered more pressing matters.
Some anti-vaccination advocates believe that the distribution of COVID vaccines is a violation of the code, established after the full measure of Nazi atrocities in human medical experimentation was discovered. State Rep. Sara Hannan (Juneau-D) was in a race to the bottom, declaring Nazi experimentation on prisoners “produced results.”
“I did not mean to imply any support for NAZIs nor their experimentation in any way. My remarks were incorrect, insensitive, and hurtful. I am sorry and will strive to do better,” said Hannan.
Dr. Gina Wilson-Ramirez, an ER physician in Anchorage, described the situation at Providence. ER wait times for people with severe chest pain, and people are dying waiting to be treated. The waiting room for the emergency department is so full, portapotties were placed in the parking lot, and people were asked to stay in their cars. In the waiting room itself, doctors are now treating patients. Two COVID patients waited more than 8 hours before being seen and required oxygen.
Dr. Ben Westley, who also works at Providence, discussed a situation with two patients who needed dialysis to stay alive, but there was only one machine. Both were critically ill, one in their 30’s and the other older. Doctors decided to ration care between patients, putting one on dialysis during the day and the other at night.
The next day, the older patient was still declining, and there was still only one machine. The younger patient became prioritized for treatment.
Another patient who had COVID needed ECMO, which isn’t available in Alaska. After searching within the Providence network and five other facilities, no location could be found, and the man died.
“The way we’re getting equipment freed up is mainly when we’re discontinuing care on people. And it’s not always because they’re living,” said Dr. Wilson-Ramirez.
At Mat-Su Regional Medical Center near Wasilla, emergency department director Dr. Tom Quimby said he’s seen emergency patients wait as long as five hours. The 125-bed hospital has 42 COVID patients, and the ICU is at 100% capacity – every patient with COVID and on ventilators. Over 50% of the patients arriving in the emergency department have COVID.
“We’ve all seen COVID-19 cases continue to spread rapidly across our nation, the state of Alaska, and in our local community,” U.S. Air Force Col. Kirsten Aguilar, 673d Air Base Wing and JBER commander, said in a statement Friday. “After close consultation with JBER mission commanders, I have decided to declare a Public Health Emergency.”
Commanders advised personnel to avoid places that do not require masks or social distancing, and the base has moved to Health Protection Condition Bravo.
There were 64,714 deaths and 57,641 births in 2020. Harris, holding his weekly update on the state’s efforts against the COVID-19 pandemic, said data going back more than a century showed it was the first year in which the births and deaths data was flipped. He added it could happen again in 2021 if the state continues with its current trend.
“The numbers of deaths have, unfortunately, not declined at this point,” Harris stated of Alabama’s death rate, which includes at least seven pregnant women.
Popular YouTube vintage resellers Dusty and Tristan Graham, who espoused anti-vaccination views and conspiracy theories on their channel, both died of COVID. Tristan Graham, who had previously survived bone cancer, died at home on August 25. Dusty Graham died on Thursday.
Little did she know, she would become a rare statistic.
“I started to go into anaphylaxis shock – my mom was there with me – I had my EpiPen ready. We were prepared if something happened, hoping it wouldn’t because it wasn’t supposed to compare to statistics and ingredients – everything we thought,” said Case.
Per the CDC, two to five people per million vaccinated in the U.S. experience anaphylaxis after a COVID-19 vaccine.
Eva Baisey, known as one of the longest living heart transplant recipients in medical history, has died from COVID-19 at age 55. She passed away on September 12, 2021 — more than 34 years after receiving a heart.
While she was vaccinated, her husband had refused to take it. “There was so much information floating around. He didn’t have all the facts,” she said about why her husband wasn’t vaccinated.
“My purpose is to make sure no one goes through what he went through. There wasn’t one day, one hour, one moment that he didn’t suffer,” she said. “This did not have to happen.”
Florida has had 63 law enforcement officers die of COVID.
GOP leaders in Hillsborough County are scrambling after Gregg Prentice died of COVID and took how to access the financial information of the Hillsborough County Republican Executive Committee to the grave with him. Prentice, who was 61, died one day after being diagnosed with COVID and was staunchly against wearing masks.
Friend Jason Kimball blames Tampa General Hospital for the 61-year-old’s death, alleging staff “illegally intubated” Prentice the day before he died. During a Sept. 13 Tampa City Council meeting, Kimball requested an investigation be launched. However, members of the City Council denied any wrongdoing or mistreatment from the hospital.
“My public comments are really going to be about Tampa General Hospital,” Kimball said at the council meeting. “There’s a dire situation going on right now…that I don’t think anyone is aware of, and I have firsthand knowledge of it. They’re intubating everyone entering Tampa General Hospital as a first line of action. They’re using fatality-treatment protocol, and I think that the city council really needs to do an investigation…They’re intubating people illegally. …When you call 911, and you go to that hospital, you’re going into a bad situation.”
Councilman John Dingfelder quickly shut down Kimball’s comment, blasting it as “dangerous.”
Hawaii
Approximately two weeks ago, Honolulu started requiring so-called vaccine passports to enter certain businesses. Yesterday state officials reported hospitalizations had dropped 25%.
Idaho
The crisis in the Gem State is deepening, with doctors and nurses now working in impossible conditions and forced to make unthinkable choices. In Idaho’s St. Luke’s Health System, patients are being ventilated by hand — with a nurse or doctor squeezing a bag — for up to hours at a time while hospital officials work to find a bed with a mechanical ventilator, said chief medical officer Dr. Jim Souza.
Over the past seven days, 1/2 of 1% of every person in Idaho tested positive for COVID.
Chris Roth, president, and CEO at St. Luke’s Health System in Boise said the overwhelming patient volumes result from COVID-19 patients and historic levels of traditional patient care, with the latter primarily brought on by pent-up demand from patients delaying care last year because of COVID-19.
“I’ve never seen any volumes even close to what we’re seeing in my history at St. Luke’s of 14 years,” Roth said.
St. Luke’s had a record 173 COVID-positive admissions to its hospital at the end of August, breaking the 172-admissions record back in the December surge. It recently broke the record again with 281 COVID-19 admissions.
“If we continue on this course over the next several weeks, St. Luke’s Health System will become a COVID health system,” said Roth, noting it will consume every resource and bed it has with coronavirus patients. The vast majority of St. Luke’s ICU patients are COVID positive, with 98% of them unvaccinated.
Although state officials reported a steady number of 170 ICU patients across the state, the number isn’t increasing because there is no more ICU capacity.
To free up space, hospitals are discharging patients that still require critical care, such as high flow oxygen delivery. Norco Medical President Elias Margonis said the company had seen an increase in customers seeking specialty oxygen equipment that flows at a rate of 8, 12, or 20 liters per minute rather than the standard 4 or 5 liters per minute, he said.
Primary Health Medical Group, Idaho’s largest independent primary care and urgent care system, is so swamped with patients they have been forced to close early, with wait times stretching for hours.
There is rampant misinformation that Idaho is operating under a universal do not resuscitate order. This is not true. The false claims are coming from a section within the state’s crisis standards of care plan. In situations where a hospital can no longer support mechanical ventilation of ICU patients, the guidance recommends that no attempt at resuscitation be made if the patient goes into cardiac arrest.
“Adult patients hospitalized during a public health emergency, when crisis standards of care have been declared (and a hospital is using the mechanical ventilation allocation framework due to demand for ventilators exceeding supply), should receive aggressive interventions; however, they should receive NO attempts at resuscitation (compressions, shocks or intubation if not yet intubated) in the event of cardiac arrest. The likelihood of survival after a cardiac arrest is extremely low for adult patients. As well, resuscitation poses significant risk to healthcare workers due to aerosolization of body fluids and uses large quantities of scarce resources such as staff time, personal protective equipment, and lifesaving medications, with minimal opportunity for benefit. This universal DNR order does not apply to pediatric patients; however, pediatric patients requiring a ventilator after resuscitation would enter the ventilator triage protocol after resuscitation, just like other patients needing ventilator access.”
In Ammon, protesters gathered against vaccine mandates. “There is a huge pushback against vaccine mandates,” protest organizer and association spokeswoman Halli Stone said. “You can see there is a great deal of sentiment. People care. If they have a point to rally, they come out. They hate being told they have to take an experimental vaccine that has been proven to be dangerous.”
Many protestors at the event were adamant they were not anti-vaccine. Still, multiple people shared they are not getting vaccinated and have concerns about its safety, despite the FDA saying vaccines are safe.
IU Health said that employees who didn’t comply with the September 1 deadline were placed on a two-week unpaid suspension period ending September 14, with the 125 employees resigning afterward, according to the spokesperson.
“A total of 125 employees, the equivalent of 61 full-time employees, chose not to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and have left the organization,” a spokesperson said.
“Most of the employees who chose not to be vaccinated worked part-time, less than part-time or have not worked for a number of months.”
Mississippi’s death rate from COVID-19 is 308 per 100,000 people, as of Sept. 17. New Jersey’s is 306. Louisiana and New York, respectively, have the next-highest rates, with 288 and 281 per 100,000 people.
Mississippi’s top health official said Thursday that the numbers of new virus cases are still “far more than we’d like to see” and warned that more deaths would follow.
“We’re recording well over 2,500 (cases) a day, in recent days, far more than we’d like to see,” said State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs. “A lot of that’s going to translate into the tragedy.”
“It is really dire,” said Dr. James McKay, chief physician executive for Providence Montana, who oversees St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula and St. Joseph Medical Center in Polson. “It has never been this bad.”
Officials at Billings Clinic said the transition into crisis care could occur “rapidly” and that it would also impact patients with conditions unrelated to COVID-19. The number of COVID patients at the hospital in Missoula has increased dramatically in recent weeks, and that many are younger, some in their 20s and 30s. The hospital has turned an ambulance garage into a makeshift triage area for COVID patients to handle the increase.
The temporary emergency rule waives regulations to make it easier for hospitals to transfer certain patients to other healthcare facilities, freeing up needed hospital beds.
Gianforte said in a news release: “As our hospitals and health care workers continue to work around-the-clock to deliver life-saving care to Montanans, this new tool will help reduce the burdens our providers face. We will continue to work with hospitals and providers to support their ongoing response.”
Additionally, the Montana Department of Labor and Industry has started reaching out to nurses, nurse practitioners, and other medical workers whose licenses may have expired or retired to ask for help.
“The Department hears regularly from employers, including health care providers, who have been impacted by the ongoing workforce shortage. With COVID-related hospitalizations increasing statewide, at the Governor’s direction, the Department is looking at ways to mitigate the health care worker shortage and ensure there are no unnecessary delays in the licensure process for individuals qualified to provide medical services,” wrote Jessica Nelson, public information officer for the department.
Total COVID cases have jump 55% in the last two weeks, outstripping COVID ravaged Idaho.
The three women repeatedly punched the host at Carmine’s on the Upper West Side and broke her necklace Thursday afternoon after she asked for proof of vaccination, which is required to dine inside at a restaurant in New York City, police said in a news release.
All three women are from the Houston area and have been ordered to appear in a New York court on October 5 after receiving citations for misdemeanor assault and criminal mischief. The 24-year old victim was treated at a New York hospital and released. She is expected to recover fully.
Jeffrey Bank, the CEO of Carmine’s, said the restaurant was forced to hire security. “It’s ridiculous that she’s sitting here saying, ‘Please don’t assault me.’ It’s just surreal,” Bank said, adding the restaurant was hiring security. “We want everyone to feel safe. Is it necessary? I don’t know, but after last night for sure, we’re going to have it.”
“We will push back against widespread propaganda by producing our own media, and advancing our own narrative, instead of succumbing to the one being pushed on us. We will not accept the rampant politicization of science and medicine, and we will return these institutions to being neutral sources of information for the benefit of society, over government and corporate interests,” a press release about Saturday’s event reed on the organizers’ website.
State officials reported that five people had been hospitalized for ivermectin poisoning, including two that required critical care.
Between August 1 and September 14, the Oregon Poison Center at OHSU saw a total of 25 cases of “Oregonians intentionally misusing ivermectin to treat or prevent COVID-19.” Of those cases, five had to be hospitalized–two people became so severely ill that they had to be admitted into the ICU.
The poison center reported that recent cases displayed various symptoms, including mental confusion, balance issues, low blood pressure, and seizure. Patients sickened by the drug ranged in ages from the 20s to 80s. OHSU said there was an even split between men and women who took the drug and between people who were attempting to treat COVID-19 and trying to prevent getting the virus.
In Salem, Oregon, 500 people gathered to protest vaccine mandates. Luke Yamaguchi, an Albany nutritionist who serves on the board of the protest sponsor, Oregonians for Medical Freedom, slammed Gov. Kate Brown’s mask mandate for school children and in outdoor public spaces — drawing jeers and laughs from the unmasked assembly.
“Mandated medicine has no place in a free country,” said Yamaguchi. “Who is to say that you will necessarily agree with the next vaccine that is mandated?”
Officials reported 1,002 people with coronavirus in hospitals across the state, which is 25 fewer than Thursday. There are 287 people with coronavirus in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, one more than Thursday.
The OHA said 58 available adult ICU beds out of 658 total (9% availability) and 369 adult non-ICU beds out of 4,246 (9% availability).
“We’re in September, and our cases, our hospitalizations, our deaths are actually higher than they were last year. So I don’t think we should lower our guard. We should actually apply the tools that we have that we know work,” he said.
Peter Graven, analytics director of OSHU, said all cases are tipping downwards in Oregon, and breakthrough cases are just a small fraction of the total number for the state.
Texas
Parents in a conservative corner of Texas are turning one of Governor Greg Abbott’s “pro-life” mantras on its head, arguing in a federal lawsuit that his school mask policy is threatening the lives of their children.
The school district said in a statement that it couldn’t address specific claims while the case proceeds but that it “strongly disagrees that the students’ constitutional rights have been violated by leaving masks as an option for students and staff.”
The district “continues to work proactively and professionally with parents who have questions or concerns about Covid-related issues,” it said. “The vast majority of these concerns have been resolved without the need for litigation.”
On Wednesday, there were 45 COVID-19 patients at the Wyoming Medical Center and 43 at the Cheyenne Regional Medical Center. Four hospitals had no available intensive care unit beds on Wednesday. Three had only one ICU bed open. While ICU beds are not exclusively used to treat COVID-19 patients, when hospitals deal with surges in these patients, that can put a strain on their ability to care for other types of critical-needs patients.
More alarming is the growing number of pediatric patients. Wyoming has 37 hospitals and no dedicated children’s hospitals. Pediatric resources are already stretched to the limit in the state. Officials are concerned that the state will run out of resources and have limited options to transfer patients to other regions.
LaTulippe was recorded dismissing the importance of masks in a speech at a “Stop the Steal” rally in Salem on November 7, 2020.
“I hate to tell you this, I might scare you, but I and my staff, none of us, once wore a mask in my clinic,” he told the crowd, reported The Huffington Post. “And how many problems did we have in our clinic from that? Zero.”
The Oregon Medical Board issued an emergency revocation of his medical license in December 2020. On September 2, the board made a final order permanently revoking his license for “dishonorable or unprofessional conduct; repeated negligence in the practice of medicine; and gross negligence in the practice of medicine.” He was also fined $10,000.
Submitting your e-mail address gives us permission to send you e-mails. We do not sell or distribute our e-mail lists or share them with third parties.
