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) Although new cases statewide were almost unchanged, they are plummeting in the rural counties of Washington. Hospitalization data for Covid-19 patients receiving acute care also is looking promising. If the state can maintain these trends past Thanksgiving and COVID VUI-21 doesn’t get a foothold in the United States – let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.
The number of new Covid-19 cases in Washington was steady but a couple of really interesting trends are happening this week.
We had predicted that the return of cold rainy weather would have a split impact in Washington. For densely populated areas infection rates would creep upward with more people moving back indoors. In rural areas, we predicted the rates would decline as people become more isolated and the peak of farming activity winds down. We also predicted this wouldn’t be a one size fits all situation because vaccination rates, age, race, and income levels would also have some impact.
This is exactly what we’re seeing. Washington has 12 counties with fewer than 25,000 residents. Only one, Klickitat, has not seen a sharp decline in Covid-19 cases in the last two weeks. Although case rates in Ferry County are still high (568.9) it is 60% below its peak from two weeks ago.
Five Washington counties have more than 500,000 residents, and case rates are declining much slower in those areas. Vaccination rates are just part of the equation and this sudden drop in Eastern Washington started 14 days after the October 18 vaccine mandate deadline. Cause is not correlation, but the mandate is certainly one of several factors driving new cases down east of the Cascades.
We will likely see a shift in infection patterns seven to 14 days after Thanksgiving weekend.
For the first time, new case rates are essentially the same in all but the most vaccinated counties, which continue to remain significantly lower.
Percent of Total Population Fully Vaccinated
Total Population in Group
Average 14-Day New Case Rate
70% or above (3 counties)
2,343,250
202.3
60.00% to 69.99% (4 counties)
1,242,200
335.0
50.00% to 59.99% (15 counties)
3,433,900
350.4
40.00% to 49.99% (9 counties)
599,225
352.5
31.20% to 39.99% (8 counties)
158,300
346.0
14-Day New Covid-19 Cases per 100K average by Vaccination Rate for Total Population, Adjusted for Population by County
Through November 3, Washington’s statewide 14-day rolling average is 303.6 Covid-19 cases per 100K. If this trend can continue hospitalizations should start to decline faster in two to three weeks.
Only Skagit County has a case rate between 600.0 to 799.9 – and after peaking at 669 has dropped to 616.3.
Asotin, Chelan, Douglas, Ferry, Grant, Klickitat, Lewis, Okanagan, and Spokane counties have a new case rate between 400.0 and 599.9. Cowlitz, Mason, Pend Oreille, and Stevens were just under 400.
Eleven counties have a 7 day moving average case rate under 100 and Columbia, Garfield, and San Juan are under 25.
The 7 day case rate was unchanged for most age groups and slightly down for people 80 and older. Hospitalization rates were mixed but didn’t indicate a significant trend.
Age Group
7-Day Case Rate
7-Day Hospitalization Rate
Ages 0-11
133.8
0.7
Ages 12-19
125.7
1.3 (up)
Ages 20-34
124.6
3.9
Ages 35-49
139.0
7.3
Ages 50-64
105.1
10.8 (down)
Ages 65-79
78.2
17.2
Ages 80+
74.6 (down)
20.3
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
With new cases starting to decline statewide, we continue to hope the East Hospital Region travel advisory can end in the next six to 13 days. For now, we’re maintaining our recreational travel advisory to the region, including Adams, Asotin, Ferry, Garfield, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Wahkiakum, and Whitman counties. Acute care and ICU capacity remain limited.
Additionally, we are maintaining the travel advisory for the Northwest Hospital Region. The region includes Clallam, Jefferson, Kitsap, and Mason counties.
We are adding Colorado to our list of states to avoid all nonessential travel. On Sunday, Governor Jared Polis signed an executive order implementing crisis standards of care. We continue to strongly advise against all nonessential travel to Alaska, Idaho, and Montana. Alaska and the Idaho Panhandle are experiencing an extreme number of Covid-19 hospitalizations. Hospital resources in these regions are constrained, and you may receive inadequate care if you experience a serious medical emergency.
We are downgrading our travel advisory for Wyoming and recommend avoiding recreational travel at this time. The situation has improved significantly in the last two weeks.
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
Vaccinate Washington web portal now includes Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric ages 5 to 11 vaccine locator
Despite up to 316,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 expected to arrive in Washington this week, officials are asking for patience and kindness as parents scramble to make appointments. The Washington State Vaccine Locator provided by the Washington State Department of Health has added Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric ages 5 to 11 as a filter for searching for appointments and locations.
To find a location for your child, or a booster for yourself, you only need to provide your zip code at the Vaccinate WA website. On the results page, you can click on the down arrow to add filters, and select Pfizer-BioNTech Pediatric age 5 – 11.
A search this afternoon provided four locations in Seattle including Docere Center for Natural Medicine, UW Medicine at two locations, and Harborview Medical Center.
King County, Washington is reporting over 88.6% 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 and boosters are free for anyone 5 and older. 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 14.7% of patients have Covid-19. Statewide, hospitals have the staff to support approximately 657 additional acute care patients. The ratio of acute care Covid-19 patients is down in every hospital region. We should start to see a faster decline in ICU utilization in the next 10 to 20 days. Regrettably, some of that decrease will be driven by fatalities.
ICUs are at 88.5% of capacity statewide, with 25.0% of ICU patients fighting Covid-19 – an estimated 294 patients with 58.0% on ventilators. The state has the staff to support approximately 138 additional ICU patients.
On Wednesday, the 7-day rolling average hospital admission rate for new COVID patients was 94. The Department of Health reported 1,004 Covid-19 patients statewide on November 3, with 172 requiring ventilators.
Hospital Region readiness was largely unchanged from yesterday. The East Hospital Region is showing signs of improvement and if the trend continues, the travel advisory will likely be downgraded or lifted next week.
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%
– Alcott (5) – Bell (24) – Blackwell (5 – see notes) – Carson Elementary (6) – Clara Barton (3) – Eastlake High (48) – Ella Baker (6) – Finn Hill Middle School (6) – Frost (5) – ICS (4) – Juanita Elementary (1) – Juanita High (17) – Kamiakin Middle School (25) – Keller (6) – Kirk Elementary (10) – Lakeview Elementary (7) – Lake Washington High School (7) – McAuliffe (1) – Muir Elementary (1) – Redmond Middle School (1) – Redmond High School (52) – Rockwell (2) – Sandburg/Discovery (4) – Timberline Middle School (28) – Twain Elementary (15)
None
Northshore
YELLOW
– Arrowhead Elementary (7) – Bothell High School (15**) – Canyon Creek Elementary (4) – Canyon Park Middle School (2) – Crystal Springs Elementary (19) – East Ridge Elementary (3) – Fernwood Elementary (5) – Frank Love Elementary (11) – Hollywood Hills Elementary (7) – Inglemoor High School (16**) – Kenmore Elementary (22) – Kenmore Middle School (18) – Kokanee Elementary (8) – Lockwood Elementary (7**) – Maywood Hills Elementary (3) – Moorlands Elementary (1) – North Creek High School (19**) – Northshore Middle School (12) – Ruby Bridge Elementary (9**) – Shelton View Elementary (6) – Skyview Middle School (18**) – Sunrise Elementary (4) – Timbercrest Middle School (5) – Wellington Elementary (9**) – Westhill Elementary (19) – Woodin Elementary (10**) – Woodinville High School (6**) – Woodmoor Elementary (6)
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 ten active COVID cases reported into the red, and we’ve adjusted the third column to reflect this change.
There was a parent confirmed Covid-19 case reported at Blackwell Elementary in the Lake Washington School District on Monday and an additional parent confirmed COVID case on Tuesday, including three in quarantine. Because LWSD updates data weekly, we add a footnote for parent-reported cases during the week.
Woodinville High School in the Northshore School District now has five confirmed Covid-19 cases, adding two more this morning.
We continued to encourage parents to request daily updates from the Lake Washington School District. We would also encourage parents to request the Bellevue School District include data on close contacts. These two changes would bring the three school districts we track into alignment.
Kirkland-Bellevue-Woodinville
Kirkland Health Fair and Community Vaccination Event on November 6
The Kirkland Health Fair and Community Vaccination Event will be held on Saturday, November 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m at Juanita High School. Hosted by the City of Kirkland in partnership with Public Health – Seattle and King County, the event will provide Covid-19 vaccination, information, education, and more.
The City of Kirkland has confirmed that vaccinations for 5 to 11-year-olds will not be available.
Save the date! The Kirkland Health Fair and Community Vaccination Event takes place 10 am – 2 pm, Sat 11/6 at Juanita High School. We are partnering with @KCPubHealth to provide COVID-19 vaccinations, vaccine info & education, & much more! More information to come. pic.twitter.com/JJcFnqggrJ
Johns Hopkins University Cumulative Case Tracker reports 83,501 new cases and 1,904 deaths nationwide on Wednesday.
Brief summary for the nation today. There are five states with at least one hospital operating under crisis standards of care – Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. The states are first, fifth, tenth, second, and fourth for new Covid-19 cases respectively.
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) New COVID cases are down 10% this week providing the strongest signal yet the fifth wave is winding down in Washington. Hospitalizations remain on a plateau but if new cases continue to decline, the number of Covid-19 patients should start to drop in another 10 to 14 days.
Washingtonian children between 5 to 11 got the first doses of the Pfizer COVID vaccine, with thousands more expected in the coming days. The Western States Safety Review Workgroup recommended the vaccine today. Healthcare providers and pharmacies are asking for patience as supply catches up with demand. Children vaccinated by November 15 will be fully immunized by Christmas. For three Tri-Cities children, the vaccine didn’t come soon enough.
A Benton County sheriff deputy who is a school resource officer for multiple districts is unvaccinated, creating a conundrum for officials due to a loophole. Malcontent News received more information about the Eatonville School District, where three employees remain on unpaid leave, and school district attorneys believe they are not at risk of losing state funding. Kenton Gartrell, who was a candidate for the Yakima School District was warned he had to wear a mask or face a trespass order.
Palmer Davis, one of the key people for spreading COVID disinformation and arranging protests in Oregon and Washington announced on her blog she is selling her house, and implied will leave Washington state. A report in The Guardian called out Sinclair Broadcast Group and Clark County Today for spreading COVID disinformation.
The U.S. Air Force announced 800 active duty service members refused to get vaccinated and could face disciplinary action or discharge. Another 5,000 are awaiting a decision on their exemption requests.
A pilot with American Airlines and seller of online supplements has set up a website to support Southwest Airline employees in the name of medical freedom and donations.
Green Bay Packers Quarterback Aaron Rodgers said he was vaccinated. Turns out he isn’t and he has COVID. If he is asymptomatic he can return to the field on November 13.
Colorado joined Alaska, Idaho, and Montana declaring crisis standards of care due to a significant number of COVID patients, and we have updated our travel advisory list.
For the first time since we have tracked data by total population vaccinated, all groups have a 14 day new case rate below 400.0. Twelve Washington counties are reporting 7 day moving average case rates below 100 and three counties, Columbia, Garfield, and San Juan are below 25. A new case rate under 25 indicates Covid-19 is endemic in those counties.
The statewide vaccine mandate deadline for hundreds of thousands of workers was 16 days ago. For the holdouts that waited until the last minute, peak protection against Covid-19 was reached this week. The sharp drop in new cases is happening concurrently with peak protection being reached by tens of thousands across the state.
The inversion of new cases rates between counties 40% to 49.99% vaccinated and 50% to 59.99% vaccinated is statistically insignificant.
Percent of Total Population Fully Vaccinated
Total Population in Group
Average 14-Day New Case Rate
70% or above (3 counties)
2,343,250
200.4
60.00% to 69.99% (4 counties)
1,242,200
335.0 (down)
50.00% to 59.99% (15 counties)
3,433,900
354.3 (down)
40.00% to 49.99% (9 counties)
599,225
347.8
31.20% to 39.99% (8 counties)
158,300
367.0 (down)
14-Day New Covid-19 Cases per 100K average by Vaccination Rate for Total Population, Adjusted for Population by County
Through November 2, Washington’s statewide 14-day rolling average is 304.8 Covid-19 cases per 100K – a significant drop from yesterday. If this trend can continue hospitalizations should start to decline faster in two to three weeks.
Lincoln and Skagit counties have new case rates between 600.0 to 799.9 – both are in the low 600s.
Asotin, Chelan, Douglas, Grant, Ferry, Klickitat, Lewis, Okanagan, Skamania, Spokane, and Stevens counties have a new case rate between 400.0 and 599.9. Cowlitz, Mason, and Pend Oreille were just under 400.
The 7 day case rate was down across all groups. Hospitalization rates were mostly unchanged except for people 65 to 79, which saw a decrease, and those 80 and above which saw a slight increase.
Age Group
7-Day Case Rate
7-Day Hospitalization Rate
Ages 0-11
132.8
0.5
Ages 12-19
117.8
0.9
Ages 20-34
124.3 (down)
3.9
Ages 35-49
137.9 (down)
7.5
Ages 50-64
105.3
11.7
Ages 65-79
79.6 (down)
17.4 (down)
Ages 80+
78.3
22.1 (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
Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup recommends Covid-19 vax for children 5 to 11
The governors of California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington approved the use of the Pfizer vaccine for children 5 to 11 after the information provided by Pfizer, the FDA, and CDC was reviewed by the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup. Dr. Arthur Reingold, MD, and Chair of the group released a letter today in support of vaccinating children 5 to 11 to protect them from Covid-19.
The Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup thoroughly reviewed the evidence from the clinical trial in children ages 5-11 years of the 10 µg PfizerBioNTech COVID-19 vaccine presented to the U.S. Federal Drug Administration’s Vaccine Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) on October 26, 2021 and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunizations Practices (ACIP) on November 2, 2021 and considered the committees’ discussions.
The Workgroup carefully assessed the safety data for the vaccine, including the absence of any severe adverse events among vaccine recipients in the clinical trial. Reactions were mild, self-limited, similar to those seen in adolescents and adults and with other vaccines routinely recommended for children and were less common in those ages 5-11 years than in those 16-25 years. Based on the substantial experience in older children and adolescents, the Workgroup concluded that the risk of myocarditis following receipt of the lower dose vaccine in children 5-11 years of age is likely to be low.
The Workgroup noted the vaccine’s efficacy of more than 90% against symptomatic COVID-19 disease in this age group. Expanding COVID-19 vaccination in this age group will protect children 5-11 years of age who are vaccinated and allow them to more safely engage in educational and other activities important to their health and development; give parents a means of further protecting their children; and contribute to control of the COVID-19 pandemic in our states. The Workgroup strongly urges that states make every effort to reduce or eliminate disparities in the availability and uptake of COVID-19 vaccines in children 5-11 years of age, as well as in older children, adolescents, and adults.
Based on this review, the Workgroup concluded the vaccine is safe and effective in this age group. Because substantial numbers of children of this age remain at risk of COVID-19 illness and its complications, including hospitalization and death, the Workgroup is confident that the benefits of this vaccine for children ages 5-11 years substantially outweigh any known or likely risks. Therefore, the Workgroup supports its use under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) as a two-dose series of 10 µg per dose given three weeks apart.
Benton County Sheriff deputy is unvaccinated school resource officer
Brad Klippert, who has been a Benton County sheriff school resource officer for the Kiona-Benton City school district for more than 20 years, told the Tri-City Herald he has not gotten a COVID-19 vaccination nor been asked for a medical or religious exemption from the requirement.
He also fills in as the school resource officer for the Finley School District.
That flies in the face of a new state requirement that began Oct. 18 that any employee or contractor working with children in Washington schools needs to have either the vaccine or an exemption, according to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
“In this case, the Kiona Benton School District contracts with the Benton County Sheriff’s Department for school resource officer (SRO) services,” Katy Payne, the office’s director of communications, told the Herald. “The sheriff’s department is required to verify the vaccination status and process requests for exemptions of any SROs they send to school districts.”
The Washington state vaccine mandate did not require sheriff deputies to get vaccinated, so deputy Klippert is in compliance with the department. However, the mandate did require anyone working within public or private schools to provide proof of vaccination or receive an exemption.
King County sheriff deputies were required to get vaccinated by October 18 by a mandate established by the County Council and King County Executive Dow Constantine.
Three Tri-Cities students ages 10 to 19 have died of Covid-19 in 2021
Whatcom County has had 9 Covid-19 related deaths in the last 10 days
Whatcom and Skagit counties have become Covid-19 hot spots in the last couple of weeks, with the virus tearing through pockets of unvaccinated people.
The death reported Tuesday was for a resident who first tested positive for COVID-19 on Oct. 11, The Bellingham Herald’s analysis of the state’s epidemiological data showed. It represents the ninth epidemiological death the county has seen in October and increased the county’s total number of deaths since August 1 to 52, the Bellingham Herald found.
Eatonville School District teacher termination tempest in a teacup
There have been multiple stories about the Eatonville School District and the School Board defying the Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal, Eatonville over the removal of unvaccinated staff in the district.
On October 25, Jeff Lucas, Chairman of the Eatonville School District Board of Directors reported in an e-mail only three staffers are unvaccinated and don’t have an approved accommodation. Additionally, the letter indicates school district attorneys do not believe district funding from the state is at risk.
“First, despite what the whole world is saying, the mandate does not specify people be terminated. They are “prohibited from engaging in work”. OSPI and our attorneys have told us that means these folks are not working and therefore not being paid.”
“Second, that is exactly what’s happening. We haven’t opened the door for a COVID free for all. All the masking and distancing requirements remain. We have 3 people, not 15 as most think, that are refusing vaccine and any accommodation. They haven’t been to work for 2 weeks and will not return until they get the vaccine or agree to accommodations.”
“Third, there is not a funding threat as we are not violating the mandate. It’s certainly a bit of semantics but if they were determined to terminate these employees, they could have very easily used that exact language, and should have.”
Yesterday, Superintendent Reykdal indicated the district was at risk of losing funding and said Eatonville was the only district that has not started the termination process for unvaccinated staff.
Leader of Covid-19 disinformation group Waking Up Washington calling it quits
Palmer Davis has been a principal organizer of Covid-19 anti-mask, anti-vaccine, and anti-mask rallies. She has aligned herself with America’s Frontline Doctors, Scott Miller, Joey Gibson, and Patriot Prayer, the Proud Boys, and runs websites that sell fake COVID cures.
In a blog on one of the websites she manages, Davis announced she was calling it quits and likely leaving Washington.
“A sign wave in the snow. Waking Up WA was just a way to give back to the freedom community. It was never a brand I wanted to build, it was never about me… I never even wanted WA to be a state that needed such a huge ecosystem of activists to try to save it.“
“Many protests and rallies later, I am proud of the work we’ve done. Never perfect, never finished – just … better. A sign wave outside Costco is always better than shopping at Costco.“
“I don’t want to leave, but I also have to be honest. I have to sell my house, my folks have gone to Idaho, and I have… no skin… in this game.”
“My name is Palmer, and I started Waking Up WA in early 2021 to do sign waves in Vancouver. I am not the biggest, I am not the boldest, and I am not the bravest activist in this state.”
Earlier in the summer, Davis was able to draw hundreds at events across the state, sometimes charging admission fees of $20 per person. The last event the group promoted was on October 30 in Winlock for “Freedomween.” A planned protest at Harborview Medical Center on September 25 drew no interest, and the Free to Choose protest on October 18 outside of Seattle City Hall drew about 100 people from across the state. A protest in Olympia on October 22 drew a scant group.
Report in The Guardian calls out Sinclair Broadcast Group and Clark County Today for platforming Covid-19 misinformation
Clark County Today has published content from prominent anti-vaccine groups or advocates for unproven Covid-19 treatments. Although they have innocuous names that mimic traditional local news outlets, their content often promotes anti-vaccine views or furthers Covid-19 conspiracy theories. Researchers have come to call these types of organizations “pink slime” outlets and they have become a growing part of the media landscape in recent years.
“The problem that occurs with this is that they don’t have the same journalistic standards – many of them have a decided political agenda to them,” Abernathy said.
In one post from early October, Clark County Today, which was founded by David Madore, a wealthy Republican donor who has bankrolled local candidates in Washington state, republished an article from the anti-vaccine Children’s Health Defense in full. Another article on the site covers local support for Scott Miller, a physician’s assistant whom the state medical commission suspended in October for advocating ivermectin, but does not mention allegations that he attempted to bully local hospital staff into prescribing the drug and spread medical misinformation that resulted in the suspension.
The publication responded to The Guardian stating in part “the site’s coverage of the pandemic was informed by the “one-sided” approach from “mainstream news media, social media and even Big Tech.”
Yakima School District warned school board candidate to wear a mask or get a no trespass order
According to the letter sent by Yakima School District’s director of safety and security, Sara Cordova, Kenton Gartrell was in violation of a Yakima School District Operational Procedure – Disruption of School Operations and RCW 28A.28A.635.20 willfully disobeyed school administrative personnel while at his daughter’s open house at Nob Hill Elementary at the beginning of the school year.
In a report provided by KOMO News, Gartrell said the confrontation between him and two school administrators began after he claims he was told he needed to leave because he refused to put a mask on.
The letter obtained from the district says as Gartrell and his family were leaving, two administrators met them outside to reiterate the expectation that all people inside the building must wear a mask. The letter says Gartrell began recording the interaction, where he argues with the principal that the mask requirement is not law, and that he expects accommodations for him and his child regarding masks and vaccines, then calls her a “bureaucratic bully.”
In early results, Gartrell was losing in his election bid.
Travel Advisories
With new cases starting to decline statewide, we continue to hope the East Hospital Region travel advisory can end in the next seven to 14 days. For now, we’re maintaining our recreational travel advisory to the region, including Adams, Asotin, Ferry, Garfield, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Wahkiakum, and Whitman counties. Acute care and ICU capacity remain limited.
Additionally, we are maintaining the travel advisory for the Northwest Hospital Region. The region includes Clallam, Jefferson, Kitsap, and Mason counties.
We are adding Colorado to our list of states to avoid all nonessential travel. On Sunday, Governor Jared Polis signed an executive order implementing crisis standards of care. We continue to strongly advise against all nonessential travel to Alaska, Idaho, and Montana. Alaska and the Idaho Panhandle are experiencing an extreme number of Covid-19 hospitalizations. Hospital resources in these regions are constrained, and you may receive inadequate care if you experience a serious medical emergency.
We are downgrading our travel advisory for Wyoming and recommend avoiding recreational travel at this time. The situation has improved significantly in the last two weeks.
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
Vaccinate Washington web portal now includes Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric ages 5 to 11 vaccine locator
Despite up to 316,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 expected to arrive in Washington this week, officials are asking for patience and kindness as parents scramble to make appointments. The Washington State Vaccine Locator provided by the Washington State Department of Health has added Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric ages 5 to 11 as a filter for searching for appointments and locations.
To find a location for your child, or a booster for yourself, you only need to provide your zip code at the Vaccinate WA website. On the results page, you can click on the down arrow to add filters, and select Pfizer-BioNTech Pediatric age 5 – 11.
A search this afternoon provided four locations in Seattle including Docere Center for Natural Medicine, UW Medicine at two locations, and Harborview Medical Center.
King County, Washington is reporting over 88.6% 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 and boosters are free for anyone 5 and older. 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 15.0% of patients have Covid-19. Statewide, hospitals have the staff to support approximately 648 additional acute care patients.
ICUs are at 88.5% of capacity statewide, with 25.0% of ICU patients fighting Covid-19 – an estimated 295 patients with 58.0% on ventilators. The state has the staff to support approximately 138 additional ICU patients.
On Tuesday, the 7-day rolling average hospital admission rate for new COVID patients was 94. The Department of Health reported 1,045 Covid-19 patients statewide on November 2, with 170 requiring ventilators.
Hospital Region readiness was largely unchanged from yesterday.
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%
– Alcott (5) – Bell (24) – Blackwell (5 – see notes) – Carson Elementary (6) – Clara Barton (3) – Eastlake High (48) – Ella Baker (6) – Finn Hill Middle School (6) – Frost (5) – ICS (4) – Juanita Elementary (1) – Juanita High (17) – Kamiakin Middle School (25) – Keller (6) – Kirk Elementary (10) – Lakeview Elementary (7) – Lake Washington High School (7) – McAuliffe (1) – Muir Elementary (1) – Redmond Middle School (1) – Redmond High School (52) – Rockwell (2) – Sandburg/Discovery (4) – Timberline Middle School (28) – Twain Elementary (15)
None
Northshore
YELLOW
– Arrowhead Elementary (2) – Bothell High School (20**) – Canyon Creek Elementary (3) – Canyon Park Middle School (2) – Crystal Springs Elementary (17) – East Ridge Elementary (3) – Fernwood Elementary (5) – Frank Love Elementary (10) – Hollywood Hills Elementary (7) – Inglemoor High School (23**) – Kenmore Elementary (22) – Kenmore Middle School (5) – Kokanee Elementary (7) – Lockwood Elementary (12**) – Maywood Hills Elementary (2) – Morelands Elementary (1) – North Creek High School (20**) – Northshore Middle School (13) – Ruby Bridge Elementary (10**) – Shelton View Elementary (8) – Skyview Middle School (17**) – Timbercrest Middle School (4) – Wellington Elementary (8**) – Westhill Elementary (19) – Woodin Elementary (8**) – Woodinville High School (4) – 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 ten active COVID cases reported into the red, and we’ve adjusted the third column to reflect this change.
There was a parent confirmed Covid-19 case reported at Blackwell Elementary in the Lake Washington School District on Monday and an additional parent confirmed COVID case on Tuesday, including three in quarantine. Because LWSD updates data weekly, we add a footnote for parent-reported cases during the week.
We continued to encourage parents to request daily updates from the Lake Washington School District. We would also encourage parents to request the Bellevue School District include data on close contacts. These two changes would bring the three school districts we track into alignment.
Kirkland-Bellevue-Woodinville
Kirkland Health Fair and Community Vaccination Event on November 6
The Kirkland Health Fair and Community Vaccination Event will be held on Saturday, November 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m at Juanita High School. Hosted by the City of Kirkland in partnership with Public Health – Seattle and King County, the event will provide Covid-19 vaccination, information, education, and more.
At this time, organizers are not planning to provide vaccinations for children 5 to 11 years old, according to David Wolbrecht, Senior Neighborhood Services Coordinator with the City of Kirkland. We do have an inquiry in with the City to learn if this will change now that the vaccination is approved and doses are available.
Save the date! The Kirkland Health Fair and Community Vaccination Event takes place 10 am – 2 pm, Sat 11/6 at Juanita High School. We are partnering with @KCPubHealth to provide COVID-19 vaccinations, vaccine info & education, & much more! More information to come. pic.twitter.com/JJcFnqggrJ
Johns Hopkins University Cumulative Case Tracker reports 72,754 new cases and 1,461 deaths nationwide on Tuesday. The United States broke 750,000 confirmed Covid-19 related deaths since February 29, 2020 today. That is close to every man, woman, and child in the state of North Dakota dying in 21 months.
800 U.S. Air Force personnel refuse to get vaccinated by deadline
The United States Air Force (USAF) and Space Force reported that 800 active duty service members among a force of 326,000 have refused to get vaccinated or seek an accommodation. The number is well below the 12,000 figure shared last week.
Just under 5,000 USAF personnel have a questionable future, among almost 8,500 who remain unvaccinated. Almost 5,000 have requested a religious exemption and are awaiting a decision. Another 2,700 will retire before April 1, 2022, and under Pentagon rules, do not have to get vaccinated.
The remaining 800 could face disciplinary action or discharge, although USAF leaders have not announced what the next course of action will be. The Military Times reported that local commanders would make final decisions. Airmen and officers who receive a less than honorable discharge will be ineligible for veterans’ benefits, according to the same report.
The Pentagon reported 315,500 were fully vaccinated or completing their final doses and just under 2,000 had been granted accommodations on medical grounds.
Different branches have different deadlines, with the Air Force having the earliest requirement. The United States Navy reported almost 99% of their active duty force was at least partially vaccinated, the highest of the military branches. The last group required to get vaccinated is reservists and the National Guard, with a deadline of June 30, 2022.
CDC issues Level 4 travel advisories to four nations due to Covid-19 risk
The CDC added Belgium, Burkina Faso, Russia, and Slovakia to its list of Level 4 countries representing a very high risk of Covid-19 exposure.
Level 4 is the highest rating and advises people to avoid all travel if possible. COVID cases have been surging in Europe and the Covid VUI-21, also known as Delta Plus, continues to grow in the United Kingdom, Russia, and Denmark, where the variant has been identified.
Other European nations with a Level 4 travel advisory include Albania, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Norway, Romania, Serbia, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.
Denmark is under a Level 3 travel advisory.
The travel advisories come as the United States will allow vaccinated international tourist and business travelers to return to the United States starting on November 8.
Southwest Airlines Covid-19 disinformation website and Telegram group run by person selling supplements on Tik Tok
The disruption to flights happened just hours after Southwest announced they would require the Covid-19 vaccine for its employees. The airline blamed air traffic control issues and weather for the disruption. The pilot union blamed a 28% staff reduction in 2020 and insisted that aircrews were not staging a sick out.
Despite the claims no organized action was taken, there was only a single, short-lived disruption of air traffic control in Florida and some weather delays in Texas. A bipartisan group of congressional leaders is calling for Southwest and other airlines to be investigated after they received billions in aid to protect payroll and retain employees and now blame poor service on staffing reductions.
Now a new public-facing website called Southwest Freedom Fliers has created the illusion of a broader vaccination revolt behind the scenes.
“Southwest Freedom Flyers is a grassroots collection of Southwest Airlines Employees fighting in opposition to vaccine mandates” the website states.
“We are an independent group but coordinating with an industry wide effort to preserve our religious and medical freedoms.”
The website does have a disclaimer, “We do not speak for or represent Southwest Airlines or any unions. We are not affiliated with Southwest Airlines or any unions.“
According to Yahoo News, the person behind the website is Shawn Alexander Walker. Walker, in a video that has gone viral in the anti-vaccination community and was amplified by Candace Owens, explains part of the reason why he formed the movement.
“I have to choose between putting food on the table for my family, and freedom of choice,” Walker says before opining about the nature of America on top of footage of a Civil War reenactment. He then warns that “shifting baseline syndrome” will destroy the nation’s conception of freedom entirely, complete with pseudoscientific graphics of brain activity to bolster this point. The video ends with Walker directing viewers to a website for a group of pilots, dubbed the U.S. Freedom Flyers, who oppose the vaccine mandate.
Walker doesn’t even appear to work for Southwest Airlines, appearing in Tik Tok videos wearing an American Airlines lanyard. He is also a rep for the supplement Cell Sauce, which he promotes heavily on his channel.
Medical freedom is coded language for the antivaccination movement and the site has the option to donate to Walker’s group, which he claims is listed as a 501(c)(4) charitable organization.
Aaron Rodgers claimed he was vaccinated, turns out he isn’t and is now COVID positive
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has tested positive for COVID-19 and will not play against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, a source confirmed to ESPN.
The NFL has considered Rodgers as unvaccinated since the start of the season, despite his statement that he was vaccinated during a press conference earlier this year..
Rodgers was placed on the league’s reserve/COVID-19 list along with cornerback Isaac Yiadom on Wednesday, and the NFL said it would look into how the Packers have handled the league’s Covid-19 protocols.
State Updates
Alaska
Alaska reported 195 Covid-19 patients in hospitals across the state and hospitalized and 688 new cases on Wednesday. Test positivity dropped to 8.2% while the 7 day moving average for new cases held steady at 589 per 100,000 residents. The state had 27 ICU beds available. Reluctantly accepted emergency measures in Anchorage combined with colder weather creating more isolation are starting to drive numbers down.
It isn’t all good news. This past week’s 7 day case total for the Yukon-Kuskokwim region was the 14th highest since the beginning of the pandemic and the sixth highest in 2021 according to KYUK Public Media. The hospital in Bethel has been operating under crisis standards of care for weeks.
The Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation reported 254 new COVID-19 cases in the region from Oct. 25 to Oct. 31. YKHC also reported two new hospitalizations in-region, two medevacs, and the deaths of three residents due to the virus during this one week period.
On Tuesday, Governor Mike Dunleavy signed an executive order that prohibits all state agencies from participating in or assisting with federal vaccine mandates for employers. The order also tasks the state’s attorney general with reviewing all federal vaccine mandates and looking for ways to challenge them in court.
Colorado
Hospitals in Colorado are being allowed to turn away patients as the state experiences its worst COVID surge in a year, according to a report by NBC News.
An order signed Sunday by Gov. Jared Polis gives health care professionals the authority to prioritize crisis care under the direction of the state health department.
While the state has a nearly 80 percent partial vaccination rate, unvaccinated people with severe Covid-19 are overwhelming hospitals, many of which reported being over 90 percent capacity, according to Scott Bookman, Covid-19 incident commander for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
Colorado has the fifth-highest number of COVID patients in the nation, and 80% to 90% are unvaccinated.
[SEATTLE, Wash.] – (MTN) The QR Code-based Covid-19 vaccination verification app that King County adopted was suspended on October 22, forcing area businesses and venues to visually review vaccination proof starting tomorrow. STChealth had to shut down its QR Code verification solution after the Common Trust Network refused to recognize the company as a valid issuer of vaccination proof.
STChealth is the maker of MyIRMobile, which has been adopted by Arizona, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Dakota, West Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Washington state. King County Health has been recommending the technology to residents. Earlier this month Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and King County Executive Dow Constantine demonstrated the technology as a simple solution for businesses and residents.
“As many of you are aware, STChealth developed an accurate, well-formed, VCI standard SMART Health Card within MyIR Mobile on behalf of the states we represent. Despite this, and being listed as an issuer on their website, The CommonTrust Network is still not recognizing MyIR as a valid issuer. We are continuing to work with the CommonTrust Network to resolve this discrepancy as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, until we are re-established, we will have to deactivate QR Code functionality as a feature in MyIR Mobile. Through MyIR Mobile, users can still access a copy of their FULL official vaccination records, including proof of COVID-19 vaccines. In some states, an official COVID-19 certificate and/or school certificate will also be available through MyIR Mobile. In order to utilize these certificates, MyIR Mobile users will need to show them as either digital PDFs or printed documents to prove immunization status. At this time, immunization records through MyIR Mobile cannot be translated into a valid QR code to be read by a SMART health verifier.”
The MyIRMobile website shows that the QR Code proving COVID Vaccination Status app is unavailable leaving King County without a technology solution
At midnight tonight, people age 12 or older will be required to verify their Covid-19 vaccination status or provide a negative COVID test result to enter certain businesses and venues in King County. While the ongoing dispute between STChealth and the Common Trust Network won’t seriously impact smaller venues, attendees at large venues should be prepared to provide an alternative source of verification and pack some patience.
Where is vaccine verification required
Restaurants and bars that include indoor dining will be required to check vaccination status or see a negative Covid-19 test completed within the last 72 hours. The requirement does not apply to outdoor dining areas or take-out. Additionally, businesses that sell ready-to-eat food but aren’t primarily dining establishments, such as grocery stores, are not impacted. Restaurants that have a seating area for 12 or fewer people do not have to start checking vaccination status until December 6.
Indoor recreation, entertainment, events, and physical fitness locations are required to check status regardless of capacity. This includes school, amateur, collegiate, or professional indoor sports venues, performing art centers, live music venues, comedy clubs, movie theaters, gyms, yoga studios, conference centers, and conventions.
Additionally, any outdoor event with 500 or more attendees will be required to check vaccination status.
People who already registered for MyIRMobile can still show a PDF certificate that verifies vaccination status and can download the document to their device. iOS and Android devices allow users to create a home screen shortcut to an image or a PDF, making it easier to access the necessary documentation.
If you’re fully vaccinated you have several options to provide proof of your status.
Your Center for Disease Control vaccine card or a photo of your vaccine card on your mobile device.
Documented proof of vaccination from your medical provider or the facility that vaccinated you or your impacted dependents.
For tourists and foreign travelers, valid proof of vaccination from your home country. This would be the same credentials you would have used upon entry into the United States.
A digital record from STChealth through the MyIRMobile.com website or other iOS and Android apps that provide proof of vaccination verification.
Individuals do not have to show identification with their proof of vaccination or negative unless identification is required for other reasons such as age verification to enter a bar.
What if I am unvaccinated or can’t prove I am fully vaccinated
As an alternative, an individual can show proof of a negative Covid-19 test from a testing provider in the last 72 hours. At-home tests will not be an acceptable form of validation. Outside of Lumen Field, several vendors are offering rapid COVID tests at a premium price. Many pharmacies offer free testing with results provided in one to two hours.
What if I need an accomodation due to disability, medical condition or religious belief
King County businesses are required to provide reasonable accommodation and cannot discriminate based on an individual’s race, national origin, religion, or age. Reasonable accommodation for bars and restaurants would include outdoor dining, take-out, and curbside delivery.
The program does not require a person to be vaccinated. It does require those who choose to remain unvaccinated to provide proof they are not currently infected with Covid-19, which can be accomplished by getting a free rapid or PCR COVID test.
San Francisco County and New York City started so-called vaccine passports in August and September respectively while Los Angeles County announced on October 6 it would be implementing a similar program.
Earlier implementations haven’t been trouble-free. In New York City there were several high-profile incidents and confrontations including some workers being assaulted. Some restaurants opted to close their dining rooms and return to takeout and delivery. San Francisco officials are in dispute with the only In- N-Out Burger located in the City. The popular West Coast burger chain is refusing to verify vaccination status of customers and was issued a cease and desist letter by San Francisco officials.
Currently, 82.4% of all eligible King County residents are fully vaccinated and another 5.5% are just weeks away.
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.
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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.
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 today is about a little brown capsule called molnupiravir. The Phase 3 trial of the oral medication cut COVID hospitalizations and deaths by 50%, and Merck has applied for Emergency Use Authorization with the FDA. The impact of this new medication could go far beyond COVID with researchers at Emory University claiming it could be useful against other viral diseases.
New COVID cases and hospitalizations held steady statewide. A report in the Seattle Times indicated more than half of rural Washington transfer patients ended up in King County hospitals.
The Bellevue School District updated its COVID dashboard and revealed there are 37 confirmed COVID cases. In the Northshore School District, cases continued to grow at Bothell High School and Crystal Springs Elementary School reported 11 confirmed cases.
There are an estimated 604 adult acute care and 132 ICU beds available statewide, and approximately 56% of COVID patients in the ICU are on a ventilator.
The Nisqually Nation was forced to evacuate a COVID quarantine site in Roy, Washington after multiple threats were made. A post on Facebook falsely claimed it was a newly built government quarantine site for rounding up the unvaccinated.
Amazon continues to promote dangerous COVID treatments on its website.
Alaska Air Group announced they will require all employees to get vaccinated, but a hard deadline was not set.
Alaska, Idaho, and Montana continue to struggle with surging COVID cases.
Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor denied an emergency request by New York educators to block the state’s vaccine mandate. That’s a bigger deal than you think, and it wasn’t unexpected.
In the misinformation section, we tackle “it’s just the flu” very graphically.
New cases held steady statewide with no statistical difference from yesterday. In the South Central Hospital Region, which includes Benton, Franklin, Klickitat, Walla Walla, and Yakima counties, the 14 day moving average for new cases increased to 727.9 per 100K. The Puget Sound (Central) Hospital Region, which represents King County, was statistically unchanged at 244.5.
Percent of Total Population Fully Vaccinated
Average 14-Day New Case Rate (unadjusted)
60.00% or above (3)
171.9
50.00% to 59.99% (12 counties)
506.9
40.00% to 49.99% (15 counties)
653.9
28.40% to 39.99% (9 counties)
734.4
14-Day New COVID Cases per 100K average by Vaccination Rate, Not Adjusted for Population
Through September 30, Washington’s statewide 14-day rolling average is 426.6 COVID cases per 100K, statistically unchanged from yesterday.
For the first time in over a month, no counties reported a new case rate over 1,000 per 100K residents. Based on this change we are updating how we report county performance.
Counties in the 800.0 to 999.9 per 100K range include Ferry, Frankin, Grant, Grays Harbor, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, and Stevens. Ferry County is a new hot spot, while cases in southeast Washington are on the decline. Stevens County is just under 1,000.
Counties in the 600.0 to 799.9 per 100K range include Adams, Asotin, Columbia, Klickitat, Cowlitz, Benton, Walla Walla, Garfield, Douglas, Lewis, Chelan, and Spokane. Adams County is just under 800 and Yakima County is just under 600.0.
We will keep descending these brackets until most counties fall below 450 per 100K residents. Currently, 28 counties still have widespread transmission of COVID.
New cases were up for 12 to 19-year-olds while hospitalizations were down for the same age group.
Age Group
7-Day Case Rate
7-Day Hospitalization Rate
Ages 0-11
195.0
0.6
Ages 12-19
220.6 (up)
1.3 (down)
Ages 20-34
191.7
5.2
Ages 35-49
189.8
8.8
Ages 50-64
137.6
15.2
Ages 65-79
104.3
20.0
Ages 80+
108.3
32.6
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 72 deaths on Thursday. The state of Washington is not reporting the percentage of positive cases.
Nisqually Nation forced to evacuate COVID quarantine site after threats
Because three or four generations can be living under the same roof, a COVID-positive person can have a significant impact on the entire household. The Nisqually Nation started using a 26-acre property in Roy, Washington last year enabling tribal members to quarantine away from family members. The tribe was forced to evacuate the site after an online misinformation campaign labeled the location a concentration camp.
The Facebook group Americans Against 2nd Class Treatment posted on September 28, 2021, about the site, claiming it was a “new COVID quarantine site” and they were “just getting to work on it.” In reality, the site has existed for more than a decade, and the Nisqually Nation bought the 26-acre parcel in 2014. Earlier this month, they cleared some timber between the buildings and Highway 702, making the location more visible from the road.
Comments quickly developed with people calling it a “concentration camp” and a “gulag.” The group went on to post that the Nisqually Nation was forced to hire security and block the access road with boulders due to ongoing threats at the property.
“Who does that,” said Nisqually Tribal Councilmember Hanford McCloud, “It’s beyond ridiculous.”
McCloud said about 30 people have stayed on the property in the last 18 months, giving them a safe place to recover and prevent the spread of COVID-19.
A caretaker and his family, along with two COVID-19 patients, were placed in a hotel, said Tribal Health Officer Mary Szafranski.
Amazon continues to recommend dangerous COVID treatments on its website
A surge of social media videos in the last two weeks on YouTube and Tik Tok has advocated nebulizing hydrogen peroxide as a preventative and home treatment for COVID. Content creators have danced around guidance medical guidance to spread the misinformation.
For the third time in 60 days, Amazon is at the center of controversy with the AI designed to drive more sales, recommending medical saline and hydrogen peroxide with nebulizer purchases.
Amazon recommendation for hydrogen peroxide and medical saline when purchasing a nebulizer – October 1, 2021
In August the online behemoth was called out for promoting Ivermectin, and publishing reviews with veiled dosing instructions for humans. A couple of weeks later, Amazon was dinged again for recommending books that spread COVID misinformation.
Multiple medical groups have appealed for people not to drink or nebulize hydrogen peroxide. The human body does not have a finite capacity to process hydrogen peroxide and the solution hasn’t been recommended for wound care in years.
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America wrote, “A concerning and dangerous trend is circulating on social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok. People are breathing in hydrogen peroxide through nebulizers to try to prevent or treat COVID-19.”
“DO NOT put hydrogen peroxide into your nebulizer and breathe it in. This is dangerous!”
Alaska Air Group mandates vaccination for all employees
Alaska Air Group joined Delta and Hawaiian Airlines, mandating all employees of Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air, and McGee get vaccinated against COVID. The airline stopped short of setting a hard deadline, but employees who prove they are fully vaccinated by December 1 will receive a $200 bonus. The mandate impacts certain vendors and contractors also.
“Since our company does significant work for the federal government, we have determined that Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air, and McGee employees – all part of Alaska Air Group – do fall under this federal vaccine mandate, along with other major U.S.airlines,” Alaska Air Group said in a statement.
The airline reported on September 1, that 75% of its workforce was already fully vaccinated.
United Airlines reported yesterday that 320 of 67,000 employees decided to quit over the vaccine mandate they implemented earlier this year. Nationally compliance for vaccine mandates has ranged from 89% to virtually 100% across cities, counties, states, schools, hospitals, and private employers.
More than half of rural Washington COVID transfer patients ended up in King County
A Seattle Times analysis found that from July 1 to September 23, 229 of 414 COVID transfer patients in Washington state ended up in King County hospitals. The Seattle Times story is behind a paywall and The Slog written by The Stranger is more politically charged on this topic for our COVID coverage specifically. You can see this summary by the author Joseph O’Sullivan on Twitter.
NEW: Slammed by #covid19, rural WA hospitals have transferred hundreds of patients to metro areas since July 1.
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 3 to 10 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 Eastern Washington, 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!
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Vaccination
Deadline for single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine and second dose for Pfizer and Moderna vaccine looms for state workers
Thousands of state workers have until Sunday to receive their second Pfizer or Moderna dose or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Over 68% of state workers reported last week 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.
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 86.2% 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, 18.7% of all acute care patients hospitalized in Washington have COVID. Currently, 91% of all staffed acute care beds are occupied statewide with approximately 604 available. ICUs are at 89.0% of capacity statewide, with 30.0% of ICU patients fighting COVID – an estimated 354 patients with 56% on ventilators. The state has approximately 132 ICU beds available.
The 7-day rolling average hospital admission rate for new COVID patients dropped to 105 – finally below the January 7, 2021 peak of 113. The Department of Health reported 1,274 COVID patients statewide on September 30 with 197 on ventilators. Hospitalizations dropped slightly while the number of patients on ventilators is unchanged.
Hospital Region
ICU Occupancy
ICU COVID Patients
Acute Care Occupancy
Acute Care COVID Patients
East
88.6%
44.6%
89.6%
26.7%
North
80.8%
28.5%
88.0%
13.1%
North Central
96.4%
58.9%
75.7%
26.3%
Northwest
92.3%
38.3%
95.4%
24.6%
Puget Sound
91.8%
23.4%
94.6%
14.4%
South Central
85.7%
34.9%
83.2%
25.4%
Southwest
74.3%
37.3%
88.3%
24.9%
West
89.1%
31.4%
87.6%
21.8%
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.
– Alcott Elementary (1*) – Barton Elementary (1*) – Dickinson/Explorer Elementary (2*) – Ella Baker Elementary (3*) – Eastlake High (1*) – Evergreen Middle School (1*) – Franklin Elementary (2*) – Finn Hill Middle School (1* – see below) – ICS (1*) – Inglewood Middle School (2*) – Juanita Elementary (1*) – Kamiakin Middle School (3* – see notes below) – Keller Elementary (2*) – Kirkland Middle School (1*) – Lake Washington High (1*) – Lakeview Elementary (3*) – Muir Elementary (1*) – Redmond Middle School (1*) – Redmond High School (1*) – Renaissance Middle School (1*) – Rush Elementary (2*)
See notes below
None
Northshore
RED
– Arrowhead Elementary (14) – Canyon Creek Elementary (31**) – Canyon Park Middle School (12**) – Cottage Lake Elementary (17) – East Ridge Elementary (16) – Fernwood Elementary (13**) – Frank Love Elementary (30) – Hollywood Hills Elementary (29) – Inglemoor High School (8) – Innovation Lab High School (11) – Kenmore Elementary (13) – Kenmore Middle School (49**) – Kokanee Elementary (60) – Leota Middle School (6) – Lockwood Elementary (32) – Maywood Hills Elementary (21**) – Moorlands Elementary (48) – North Creek High School (27) – Northshore Middle School (17**) – Ruby Bridges Elementary (9) – Secondary Academy for Success (16) – Shelton View Elementary (20**) – Skyview Middle School (63**) – Sunrise Elementary (23) – Timbercrest Middle School (44) – Wellington Elementary (74) – Westhill Elementary (38) – Woodin Elementary (17**) – Woodinville High School (23) – Woodmoor Elementary (23**)
– Bothell High School (14*/137) – Crystal Springs Elementary 11*/45)
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.
in the Northshore School District, Bothell High School currently has 14 confirmed COVID cases between students and faculty and Crystal Springs Elementary has 11. The number of quarantined students at Bothell High school swelled to 137.
The Bellevue School District updated its COVID dashboard overnight. The district will be providing updated data daily, but no longer reports on the number of students and faculty quarantining.
We received a confirmed parent report on Wednesday of one new COVID case at Finn Hill Middle School with 52 students moved to quarantine.
We received a confirmed parent report on Thursday of two new COVID cases at Kamiakin Middle School with 27 additional close contacts.
We received a parent report on Thursday of one new COVID case at Old Redmond Schoolhouse (preschool) with an unknown number of close contacts.
Because Lake Washington doesn’t update its dashboard daily, we are adding these as footnotes. We have not added the Old Redmond Schoolhouse to the scorecard above because it is not officially listed on the Lake Washington School District dashboard.
Karen James, who taught 4th Grade at Barnes Elementary, died on Monday, September 27, according to the Kelso School District.
A district spokesperson said they could not comment on the cause of death, however, they later said, “Late yesterday [Thursday, Sept. 30] afternoon we learned of one additional positive COVID-19 case in Miss James’ classroom.”
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 110,010 new cases, 2,718 deaths nationwide, and 699,000 COVID-related deaths since February 29, 2020. Based on the Johns Hopkins University data, the United States will reach 700,000 confirmed COVID-related deaths tomorrow morning (other dashboards reported 700,000 deaths last night and earlier today).
Merck seeking FDA Emergency Use Authorization for pill that treats mild and moderate COVID
Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics have been studying an oral antiviral medicine called molnupiravir which, during Phase 3 testing, reduced the risk of hospitalization and death by 50%. Phase 3 testing has been so successful Merck is submitting an application for Emergency Use Authorization in the United States and plans to submit marketing applications to other regulatory agencies worldwide.
The test program was a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, multi-site study done in 23 countries across 5 continents. There were 1,550 patients enrolled and to date, they have data from 775 people. Molnupiravir reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by almost 50% compared to the placebo group. Through Day 29, no deaths were reported in patients who received molnupiravir, as compared to 8 deaths in patients who received a placebo.
“More tools and treatments are urgently needed to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, which has become a leading cause of death and continues to profoundly affect patients, families, and societies and strain health care systems all around the world. With these compelling results, we are optimistic that molnupiravir can become an important medicine as part of the global effort to fight the pandemic,” said Robert M. Davis, chief executive officer and president, Merck.
Unlike monoclonal antibodies which must be administered in a clinical setting by injection or IV, molnupiravir is a pill that can be prescribed by a doctor and taken at home.
“With the virus continuing to circulate widely, and because therapeutic options currently available are infused and/or require access to a healthcare facility, antiviral treatments that can be taken at home to keep people with COVID-19 out of the hospital are critically needed,” said Wendy Holman, chief executive officer of Ridgeback Biotherapeutics. “We are very encouraged by the results from the interim analysis and hope molnupiravir, if authorized for use, can make a profound impact in controlling the pandemic.”
An Axios report this evening states that in the fall of 2019, an Emory University professor presented the drug to the Trump Administration. The professor reported the school had developed a new powerful antiviral medication that could treat influenza, Ebola, and many other viruses. In February 2020, as COVID arrived in the United States, the professor came forward again, asking for funding for Phase 2 and Phase 3 testing to evaluate the effectiveness of the medication against COVID. The Trump administration declined to fund the research.
The drug could be a game-changer in the battle against COVID worldwide. Pills are easier to transport and store, don’t need preparation, and don’t need to be administered at a hospital or clinic. The medication is also being tested as an emergency preventative for individuals exposed to COVID but who have not tested COVID positive. The impact for the immunocompromised and elderly could be dramatic.
Approval by the FDA and ramping up distribution is likely months away. If molnupiravir can deliver these results globally, it has the potential to end the ongoing public health crisis. If Emory University has successfully created a broad-spectrum oral antiviral, this discovery has the potential to rival penicillin.
JetBlue requiring employees to get COVID vaccination
Kavanaugh, who is fully vaccinated, tested positive on Thursday night, the court said in a statement. The justice’s immediate family tested negative and he has no symptoms.
His positive diagnosis for coronavirus means he won’t be on the bench Monday, the start of the new term, and what would be the first in-person session with all nine justices.
Alaska
Alaska reported 1,044 new COVID cases today and a new case rate of 1,066 per 100,000 residents, indicating that the state may have hit a peak. The remote state continues to have the highest new case rate on the planet. Hospitals in Anchorage Bethel, and Valdez continue to operate under crisis standards of care protocols.
The 202 hospitalized COVID patients are essentially unchanged from yesterday. The number of available ICU beds jumped to 23 and the number of ICU patients dropped to 107. There are 83 ICU patients on ventilators, 35 with COVID.
Amanda Frey, a nurse at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, sat down after a long day at work recently and made a brief video describing what it’s like to die with COVID-19: gasping for breath, terrified and beyond comfort.
“COVID-19 patients that die transition from being OK to actively dying very suddenly, and often without warning. They start to experience a state of panic and air hunger that is very difficult to manage and causes severe anxiety,” Frey says. “The medications that we usually use for patients at the end of life don’t help as much with COVID-19 patients when they’re dying. So what we’re seeing are deaths that are not only isolated but they’re also very traumatic.”
Newsom’s latest order, the first of its kind nationwide, will roll out in two phases for students learning in person. The mandate will first take effect for students ages 12 and over after the FDA grants full approval to that entire age group.
California is the first in the nation with a statewide vaccination mandate for primary school students. Implementation depends upon fully FDA approval of at least one of the COVID vaccines for children 12 to 15. Although no date has been set, full approval is expected during the first half of 2022.
Earlier this week, we blasted Jordan Herget, the CEO of Portneuf Medical Center, for reporting that the hospital in Pocatello was operating normally and they didn’t expect to have to move to crisis standards of care. From ambulance bays to emergency departments, any medical professional can tell you the worst thing you can say aloud is, “gee, it sure is quiet tonight.”
“Our situation hasn’t improved. A week later we’re very much in an emergency just like we were a week ago and our staff are being pushed to our limits,” Hergett said.
“In our adult ICUs, our youngest patient today is 22 years old,” St. Luke’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jim Souza said. “About 70% of our patients are 55 years or younger in the intensive care unit. And in the intensive care unit, 25% are younger than 40. They’re sicker. They’re staying longer. The average length of stay in the ICU is up by two whole days, and their mortality rate is significantly higher than it was in the December surge.”
The VA Hospital in Boise requested a mobile morgue to support the hospital facility which is at capacity. Idaho has struggled with the influx of corpses in the last two weeks. Officials have been forced to stack bodies, store them in railroad cars, and store embalmed bodies in non-refrigerated areas.
Typically, ivermectin is rarely used on humans, Edge said, and he filled only three legitimate prescriptions for the drug in the past year. The most recent prescriptions he’s received came from out-of-state doctors, he said, “which is always a little bit of a red flag anyway.”
When he looked up one prescriber online, Edge found a list of doctors that people can call and, for a fee, get a consultation over the phone and then a prescription for ivermectin.
Asked later if she felt that speaking at an event where the tone seemed overwhelmingly against school boards that have voted to install mask mandates, Arntzen said, “I don’t believe this disrespects anyone in the educational community.”
“My role is here,” she continued. “My role is, number one, in the healing process in the discord we have between the school board room, where they might be in Montana, and to parents, whoever they might be, and putting the emphasis on children.”
Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor denied the emergency request without comment. A federal appeals court earlier in the week permitted New York’s mandate.
The Supreme Court ruled in 1905 in Jacobson vs Massachusetts, that municipalities, counties, and states had the power to mandate vaccines as part of public health efforts. The decision has been litigated dozens of times over the last 116 years, as recently as August.
When an emergency filing is made with the court, the Justice that is assigned to that region can render a decision or request that the entire court to hear the case. In August, Associate Justice May Comey-Barrett ruled independently on a challenge filed by students at the University of Indiana. Justice Comey-Barrett also denied the appeal without comment.
In the landmark 1905 case, the Supreme Court ruled that the 10th Amendment gave states the power to make public health decisions.
It’s just a cold. It’s just the flu.Content warning, some viewers may find this disturbing.
Tik Tok user Mae Mae documented her hospital journey in August and September after she caught COVID. She was partially vaccinated when she became ill and ended up hospitalized. In her videos, her condition continued to deteriorate, and the cannula she is wearing indicates she was on high flow oxygen.
You read stories from respiratory therapists, nurses, and doctors of COVID patients who become exhausted as they struggle to breathe – but we don’t see it. Mae Mae went to the line of needing to go on a ventilator before she bounced back.
This is COVID – this is what it looks like. It is not a cold, it is not the flu. Mae Mae survived and is still dealing with lingering symptoms.
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.
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“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.
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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.”
[SEATTLE, Wash] – (MTN) King County Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin announced that King County COVID cases have increased 48% in the last week as he asked for residents to apply caution during summer travel and mask up when indoors.
The Delta variant has grown to represent 86% of cases in King County with 83 cases per 100,000. Most cases are among the unvaccinated according to Dr. Duchin with residents 18 to 49 years old now the largest age group infected. Officials expect King County to move to high transmission per the CDC, in the next update.
In the last seven days, 62 people have been admitted into King County hospitals with COVID representing a three-fold increase. Currently, one King County resident is being admitted to a hospital with COVID every 2-1/2 hours and the average age of someone hospitalized with COVID has dropped 10 years since January 1.
“Regional hospitals are full and are concerned about being overwhelmed if there are more cases,” said Dr. Duchin, adding that hospitals are “very busy,” The challenge facing hospitals presently isn’t COVID. “One of the major challenges hospitals are facing is the inability to discharge patients who don’t need further hospitalization but can’t find a bed in a long-term care facility.” Dr. Duchin indicated that this was a statewide problem.
For the 30 day period from June 22 to July 21, 88% of COVID patients who were hospitalized and 87% of COVID-related deaths in King County were unvaccinated. COVID cases are, “half of the spring peak and one-quarter of the winter peak,” he added, and “vaccinate people are at much lower risk for hospitalization and death…compared to those unvaccinated.”
“Those unvaccinated are five times more likely to test positive for COVID, are 11 times more likely to be hospitalized,” Duchin added.
Concern over Delta appears to be moving some people with vaccine hesitancy to take action. There has been a 14% increase in people getting vaccinations from the low-point in mid-July. King County also has achieved 70% vaccination of residents 16 and older in all health districts, including South King County. Sixty-five percent of all residents, regardless of age are now vaccinated and 76% of residents 12 and old are fully vaccinated.
On the issue of breakthrough cases, Dr. Duchin said this. “Breakthrough cases do not meet mean vaccine failure and no vaccine is 100% protective. Vaccines prevent serious infections, hospitalizations, and deaths. Less than one-tenth-of-one-percent of King County residents who are vaccinated have tested positive for COVID.”
Officials stressed the continued need to wear masks in, “indoor public spaces like restaurants grocery stores gyms entertainment venues.” Additional guidance is that masks should be of a good quality, tight-fitting, and properly worn. Dr. Duchin mentioned the N95 Project as a trusted source for N95 masks. A check on the website showed that a 50 count box of United States manufactured N95 masks are available for $40.00.
With the peak of the summer vacation season here, Dr. Duchin asked for residents to consider their travel plans and the amount of risk they are taking. “The most important message is vaccines are the most effective way but not the only way to protect yourself. The most important single factor to reduce your risk of getting COVID is reduce your exposure risk.” The recommendation was to consider the current situation in the location you’re visiting and the kind of activities you have planned. Nationally, health officials are concerned about the looming Sturgis Motorcycle rally, and the 700,000 visitors expected to visit the town.
Dr. Duchin provided new guidance on who should get tested for COVID and when.
All people who experience COVID symptoms, regardless of vaccination status, should get tested
If you’re exposed to COVID you should get tested 3 to 5 days after regardless of your vaccination statusI
If you test positive, even if you’re asymptomatic, you need to isolate for 10 days
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.
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