[OLYMPIA, Wash.] – (MTN) Governor Jay Inslee announced that the outdoor mask mandate would end on Feb. 18 and that it is, “no longer a matter of if, but when,” for the end of the indoor mandate.
The outdoor mask mandate was implemented on Sept. 13, as hospitalizations for the delta variant peaked in Washington. The requirement applied to large outdoor events with 500 or more people. Enforcement of the outdoor mask requirement was close to non-existent, with Lumen Field full of maskless fans through the fall and early winter, cheering for the Seattle Seahawks.
Data has shown that COVID transmission rates are significantly lower in outdoor settings and areas with excellent air circulation.
The statewide indoor mask mandate, that was brought back on Aug. 19 still stands. Gov. Inslee said that he was taking a wait-and-see approach, and would revisit ending the indoor mask mandate as early as next week. California, Illinois, New York, and Oregon have ended or announced they are ending indoor mask mandates this week.
Washington repealed almost all COVID restrictions on Jun. 30 as hospitals emptied of COVID patients and the statewide vaccination rate for residents 16 and over approached 70%. Less than two months later the state was facing record hospitalizations due to the more transmissible and virulent Delta variant, just as school was restarting.
Washington never fully exited the delta wave when the first omicron case was detected on Nov. 29. More than a half-dozen high school wrestling matches on Dec. 4 in Pierce and Thurston Counties became super spreader events. New cases of omicron exploded from the Canada border to the Columbia River flooding Western Washington hospitals during the last week of December. The combination of holiday travelers and lower vaccination rates in Eastern Washington created a secondary wave in January.
New COVID cases are declining across the state and hospitalizations have peaked on both sides of the Cascades. Despite the improvement, there are still over 1,700 COVID patients in Washington hospitals according to the Washington State Hospital Association.
With the hospital situation improving, the statewide pause of “non-urgent” surgical procedures announced last month, will come to an end on Feb. 17. When Gov. Inslee announced the 28-day pause on Jan. 20, many hospitals had already taken the extraordinary measure independently.
At the peak of the omicron wave, Washington medical facilities were brought to the brink of collapse. The darkest days were during the week of Jan. 16. In an unprecedented move during the COVID pandemic, a handful of patients were transferred by aircraft out of Western Washington to Eastern Washington and Montana hospitals. On Jan. 19, the demand for hospital beds was outstripping all available resources.
To avoid moving the state to crisis standards of care, the Washington Medical Coordination Center (WMCC) implemented a protocol called guaranteed-acceptance hospital rotation. During guaranteed-acceptance hospital rotation, larger regional hospitals took turns taking accepting transfer patients and finding some way to care for them. By Jan. 23, the peak of the crisis had passed, and the protocol was ended.
The WMCC, which operates out of Harborview Medical Center, provides assistance to hospitals that need to move patients when the institution has exhausted all other options.
In Idaho, new COVID cases peaked earlier this week with test positivity reaching 34%. Southern Idaho has been operating under crisis standards of care for almost a month, and some patients from the Boise area have been arriving in Eastern Washington hospitals. Historically Alaska, Idaho, Eastern Oregon, and Western Montana have relied on Washington hospitals to take in critically ill patients and specialized cases.
The positivity rate for COVID tests in Washington has dropped to 18%, according to the University of Washington Virology Lab. So-called stealth omicron has been detected in Washington, but there has not been an increase in cases.
Virologists believe that between the statewide vaccination rate and how transmissible the Omicron variant is, many residents have some degree of immunity. The United States Centers for Disease Control is not supportive of repealing mask mandates because nationally new case rates remain extremely high, with over 110,000 hospitalized COVID patients.
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[KING COUNTY, Wash.] – (MTN) New Covid-19 cases are stuck on a plateau while hospitalizations increased 7% over the last week. An analysis of available data provides strong evidence the pandemic of the unvaccinated continues.
The FDA has authorized the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use in children 5 to 11 today. The Centers for Disease Control Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is meeting on November 2 and 3. It is widely expected the panel will support the authorization. UW Medicine has announced a waitlist for parents who want to get their children immunized.
Washington Governor Jay Inslee expressed growing concern over the case rates and said the state is at a “fork in a road.” In what is likely the last broad challenge for the state vaccine mandate, a U.S. District Judge denied a last-ditch effort to block the public health rules on the grounds it was a violation of civil rights.
Data from August to September is supportive of following the Centers for Disease Control’s back-to-school guidelines, with Washington schools reporting 189 outbreaks statewide, with only a handful resulting in school closures.
A former naturopathic doctor on the Olympic Peninsula was convicted for misbranding drugs, reselling them, and making false claims of offering a COVID cure. Richard Marschall, 68, has been convicted for the third time since 2011. Washougal Physician Assistant Scott Miller will face the medical board on November 3, for allegedly spreading Covid-19 disinformation. Miller had his license suspended earlier this month after an investigation into his activities that started in August 2021.
Washington State University tried to counter the COVID misinformation former football coach Nick Rolovich believed as early as April 2021 to no avail.
Last week, Snohomish barber Bob Martin had two court hearings after a judge rejected his promissory note to cover $90,000 in fines he accumulated last year. Martin is tight-lipped about the hearings, and the court has yet to release the transcripts.
The Washington Medical Coordinator Center at Harborview, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, and Swedish Health Services each received the Community Health Leadership Award from the Washington State Hospital Association for their 2021 Covid-19 related efforts.
Proud Boy Tusitala “Tiny” Toese is reported to be hospitalized and in “poor” condition. Toese was shot on September 4 in Olympia after the Proud Boys group he was with left an anti-mandate protest to go “hunting.”
COVID hospitalizations have increased 7% since October 22, reversing weeks of improvement. Unvaccinated people continue to hold up relief for the stressed medical system.
Malcontent News moved the Northshore School District to status red due to Bothell High School, and Lockwood Elementary reporting ten confirmed Covid-19 cases each on Friday.
Twelve states are suing the Biden Administration in an attempt to block a looming vaccination mandate.
The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, refused to block Maine’s vaccination mandate for healthcare workers. The decision may have further strengthened Jacobson versus Massachusetts.
The Pentagon reported that 96.4% of active-duty U.S. Air Force personnel and 98% of special forces are vaccinated. For the Air Force it still leaves up to 12,000 members facing disciplinary action.
In disinformation, we take a critical look at a September 30 article entitled, Increase in COVID-19 are unrelated to levels of vaccination across 68 countries and 2947 counties in the United States. Daniel Horowitz has held this up as proof that vaccinations don’t work. Is it true?
The New case rate was almost unchanged from yesterday. The least vaccinated counties have 228% more new cases per 100,000 residents than the most vaccinated. San Juan County reported a 7 day moving average of 11.5, which is considered “normal.” Three of the five counties with the lowest new case rate have more than 70% of their total population fully vaccinated.
Percent of Total Population Fully Vaccinated
Total Population in Group
Average 14-Day New Case Rate
70% or above (3 counties)
2,343,250
214.3
60.00% to 69.99% (4 counties)
1,242,200
335.9 (down)
50.00% to 59.99% (14 counties)
3,172,600
389.7
40.00% to 49.99% (10 counties)
860,525
406.7
30.80% to 39.99% (8 counties)
158,300
467.8
14-Day New Covid-19 Cases per 100K average by Vaccination Rate for Total Population, Adjusted for Population by County
Through October 28, Washington’s statewide 14-day rolling average is 335.5 Covid-19 cases per 100K – statistically unchanged from yesterday. Although new case rates are dropping in the eastern half of the state, they remain stubbornly high.
One county, Ferry, is between 800.0 and 999.9 with 859.7 new cases per 100K residents.
Four counties, Grant, Klickitat, Lincoln, and Skagit, have a new case rate between 600.0 to 799.9.
New cases by age were unchanged while the hospitalization rate declined for geriatric patients over 79 years old.
Age Group
7-Day Case Rate
7-Day Hospitalization Rate
Ages 0-11
150.8
0.5
Ages 12-19
146.4
0.8
Ages 20-34
146.4 (not a typo)
3.5
Ages 35-49
161.8
8.9
Ages 50-64
129.2
13.7
Ages 65-79
96.4
19.8
Ages 80+
90.2
35.9 (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 31 Covid-19 related deaths in Washington state on Thursday. The Washington State Department of Health is reporting 8,628 Washingtonians have died since February 29, 2020. That is equal to every man, woman, and child in Hoquiam, Washington dying.
Governor Inslee express concern as Washington reaches a “fork in the road” with Covid-19
During a press briefing yesterday, Governor Jay Inslee (WA-D) expressed growing concern over plateauing cases and the potential for Washington state to move into a “sixth wave.”
“We still have an extremely dangerous pandemic on our hands,” Inslee told reporters, adding that the state is still seeing more than 2,000 new Covid-19 cases a day.
The plateau is concerning to public health officials because case rates and COVID hospitalization rates are still similar to last winter’s wave. Hospitals in Washington have limited capacity to care for a surge in patients over the winter if new case rates and hospitalizations don’t start to decrease again.
Inslee said the state has reached “a fork in the road.” Residents can either accept Covid-19 or continue to fight it, and the only way out is by getting vaccinated.
“Every day, I believe we should fight it,” he said.
New Covid-19 cases were declining from mid-September to mid-October, but are now stubbornly sitting at new normal that is well above what experts consider acceptable. Over the last week, COVID-related hospitalizations have increased 7%.
On October 20, Malcontent News predicted that another wave of Covid-19 will sweep across the United States starting in mid to late December and peak in February 2022.
Federal judge tosses civil rights based lawsuit attempting to block Washington state Covid-19 mandate
A federal judge in Eastern Washington on Monday denied a bid by firefighters, state troopers, and others to halt Washington’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate for state workers and emergency responders. The Associated Press reported U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Rice denied the motion.
Dozens of municipal, county, and state workers sued Governor Jay Inslee, Spokane Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer, Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste, and others. The case was filed just days before the October 18 mandate deadline. The plaintiffs claimed their civil rights were being violated by the requirement they get vaccinated to continue in their jobs.
In his ruling, Rice wrote: “The Supreme Court has long endorsed state and local government authority to impose compulsory vaccines… Federal courts have routinely analyzed such cases using rational basis and regularly reject cases similar to this one that challenge vaccine mandates based on free exercise of religion.”
Rice was referring to the 1905 U.S. Supreme Court decision of Jacobson versus Massachusetts that decided the Tenth Amendment gave municipalities, counties, and states the power to make public health decisions that aim to protect the larger population. The decision has been challenged dozens of times in the last 116 years.
Judge Rice’s decision ended the last large-scale lawsuit attempting to block or pause the vaccine mandate. As of October 25, 94% of Washington state employees, 99.7% of Washington educators, and an estimated 97% of Washington healthcare workers, including firefighters, were fully vaccinated, completing vaccination, have an exemption review pending, or received an approved exemption with accommodation.
Following back to school guidelines by the CDC has had a positive impact in Washington
From August 1 to September 30, there have been 189 Covid-19 outbreaks in Washington schools involving 1,284 confirmed infections according to the Washington Department of Health.
State Epidemiologist Dr. Scott Lindquist, Deputy Secretary of Covid-19 Response Lacy Fehrenbach, and Acting Assistant Secretary for the DOH Michele Roberts shared the information on Wednesday during a press briefing.
Almost 88% of the confirmed Covid-19 cases involved students. Unlike other states such as in the southeast, where dozens of children were sickened in superspreader events that closed entire school districts, the average number of cases per event was five.
“That relatively small number of cases in each outbreak is an indication that schools are continuing to do a really good job on layered prevention measures and responding when they have cases and outbreaks,” Fehrenbach said.
A few districts were forced to move single schools to remote learning to manage outbreaks including in Medical Lake, Edmonds, and Eatonville.
Former naturopathic doctor convicted of selling fake Covid-19 cures
A former Port Angeles naturopathic physician who falsely claimed that two substances containing garlic extract and larch tree starch could treat and prevent Covid-19 has been found guilty of introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commerce. The conviction of Richard Marschall, 68, was first reported by the Peninsula Daily News.
The federal jury last week found that Richard Marschall, 68, misbranded the drugs and fraudulently marketed them, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Seattle.
This is the third conviction for Marschall since 2011 for making false claims. On his Facebook page, he made claims that two supplements, allicin a garlic extract, and IAG a larch tree starch had antiviral properties that would cure Covid-19.
Both supplements are made in the United States and neither maker makes any claims that their products are antiviral. Marschall was charging $140 for the supplements plus shipping and handling. He added his own labels making false claims about the abilities of the combination.
A 60 count bottle of allicin is $21.95 and a 3.6 ounce bottle of IAG is $39.48 on Amazon with free Prime shipping. A 400 pack of ink jet-ready bottle labels is $9.99.
Washington physician assistant has November 3 medical board hearing after allegedly peddled Covid-19 disinformation
Washougal Physician Assistant Scott Miller is facing a medical board hearing on November 3 after state officials suspended his license on October 16 for allegedly creating and spreading Covid-19 disinformation.
Accusations against Miller included:
Starting a public camaign promoting ivermectin as a Covid-19 cure
Prescribing ivermectin to at least one patient without providing an adequate examination
Interfering with the care of hospitalized patients
Engaging in a hostile and threatening campaign against both hospitals and individual physicians regarding Covid-19 treatment
Lying on his licensing application and denying he was already under investigation by the state of California
Miller spoke at a Camas School Board Meeting in May of 2021 against mask mandates and promoted ivermectin as a “cure.”
“I don’t know anybody that’s died (from COVID-19),” Miller said. “I’ve treated 350 COVID patients. Do you know there’s treatment? … I treat people every day. I had 90 COVID patients come into my clinic last month.” Miller then went on to call the school board “pure evil.”
Miller runs Miller Family Pediatrics in Washougal, Washington. A GoFundMe for Miller was suspended on October 19. Organizers moved to the crowdfunding platform GiveSendGo. On October 29, $11,477 had been raised to support his defense, which is far short of the $50,000 goal set by organizers.
Washington State University infectious disease professor attempted to explain Covid-19 vaccines to Nick Rolovich
In April 2021 when officials at Washington State University learned that former football coach Nick Rolovich was falling down a disinformation hole, they arranged a meeting between Rolovich and Dr. Guy Palmer, a world-renowned WSU regents professor of pathology and infectious diseases.
According to a report by ESPN, Rolovich drove a conversation that focused on topics that were consistent with what Palmer said has been shared by the “anti-vax crowd on social media” over the past several years.
Questions included if Bill Gates was behind the vaccine or if SV40 was in the Covid-19 vaccines.
“I just tried to address those kind of more specific questions that have come up and I think many of those concerns were widely shared on social media, by individuals, and I just addressed them with the best data that I could and tried to give him clear answers,” Palmer said.
Palmer says that Rolovich’s primary concern was around side effects and he never brought up religious beliefs or questioned if fetal cells were used in the testing, development, or manufacturing of the vaccines.
Rolovich, through his lawyer, announced his plans to sue WSU after his religious exemption was declined and he was terminated on October 18. Rolovich served as head coach of the Cougars for less than two seasons with a 5 and 6 record. During his time as head coach of the UH Rainbow Warriors, they achieved a record of 28 and 27. At the time of his termination, Rolovich was the highest-paid public employee in Washington state.
Snohomish barber goes before two judges to answer questions about his anti-lockdown actions
Bob Martin because a cause celebre when he refused to close his Snohomish, Washington barbershop in 2020 when the state was under lockdown. Over the months that followed, the retired Marine Corps veteran racked up over $90,000 in fines for his continued refusal to close.
The barbershop became a rallying point for people against lockdowns and to a lesser extent, people desperate for a haircut.
“I’m not going to let the parasites in Olympia tell me that I cannot work,” Martin told KOMO News. “It’s my right to work.”
Martin insists the $90,000 in fines has been paid to the state of Washington through a promissory note. Last week a Snohomish County judge told Martin that the note does not satisfy his debt. Martin had two court hearings last week but the results of those hearings and transcripts have not been released.
Three Puget Sound area hospitals lauded by the Washington State Hospital Association for Covid-19 related efforts
Three Western Washington hospitals are receiving the Community Health Leadership Award for taking an innovative approach to addressing the pandemic in 2021 according to a report by Patch.
The Washington Medical Coordination Center at Harborview Medical Center was recognized for helping triage and placing Covid-19 patients across the state, and from across the region.
Virginia Mason Franciscan Health was lauded for its vaccination program that spanned across three counties. At its peak, the hospital system was vaccinated 3,100 people a day.
Swedish Health Services was commended for setting up 21 mobile vaccination clinics in under-served areas reaching out to rural, poor, and BIPOC communities. The hospital network partnered with the Ethiopian Community Center, and Pacific Islander Community Association.
Proud Boy shot after providing “security” at Olympia anti-vaccine mandate rally reportedly back in the hospital
Social media reports indicated Tusitala “Tiny” Toese, who was shot in the leg on September 4 shortly after providing “security” at an End the Mandate protest in Olympia, was back in the hospital and in “poor” condition.
On September 4 a group of 50 to 75 heavily armed Proud Boys roamed the streets of Olympia after leaving the End the Mandate protest to go “hunting,” as reported by independent journalists. The group assaulted several people who were not associated with any protest or counterprotest and attacked reporter Alissa Azar. Approximately 20 minutes after leaving the protest, they identified a small group of counterprotesters who were attempting to flee from the group.
Security camera video shows a man stopping, pulling out a handgun, and firing five shots. Toese was shot in the leg and required a short hospital stay in Olympia. A 36-year-old Olympia man was arrested on September 23 for the shooting and charged with first-degree assault.
Toese, who held more of an enforcer role, has been an acting regional leader for the Proud Boys since the January 6 Insurrection. Ethan Nordean of Washington is alleged to be the Proud Boy leader on January 6 after Enrique Tarrio was arrested on January 4. Nordean is currently in federal custody awaiting trial. Alan Swinney was arrested after multiple incidents in Portland, Oregon in August 2020 and was recently convicted on 11 of 12 charges, including one count of first-degree assault. Rufio Panman was also arrested for his involvement in the January 6 Insurrection and remains in federal custody.
Toese was seen at several anti-vaccination, anti-mask, and anti-mandate protests shortly after his shooting including an anti-mask protest on September 10.
No specific information on Toese’s condition was available beyond he is allegedly hospitalized and in “poor condition.” There was no information on if the hospitalization is related to the shooting or a different medical condition.
Travel Advisories
We are very encouraged by the hospital readiness data for the East Hospital Region and believe we can end the travel advisory in the next five to 12 days. For now, we’re maintaining our recreational travel advisory to the East Hospital 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 continue to strongly advise against all nonessential travel to Alaska, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. 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. Data out of Wyoming is encourage and we may drop our travel advisory in the next 14 to 21 days.
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 immune responses of children 5 through 11 were comparable to adolescents and young adults. In addition, the vaccine was found to be 90.7% effective in preventing COVID-19 in children 5 through 11. The vaccine’s safety was studied in approximately 3,100 children who received the vaccine and no serious side effects.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will meet next week on November 2 and 3 to discuss further clinical recommendations.
“As a mother and a physician, I know that parents, caregivers, school staff, and children have been waiting for today’s authorization. Vaccinating younger children against COVID-19 will bring us closer to returning to a sense of normalcy,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D. “Our comprehensive and rigorous evaluation of the data pertaining to the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness should help assure parents and guardians that this vaccine meets our high standards.”
The Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine for children 5 through 11 is administered as a two-dose series, three weeks apart, as a 10 microgram dose. Individuals 12 years of age and older receive a 30 microgram dose. Full efficacy is reached two weeks after the final dose is administered.
Health and Human Services have purchased 28 million doses with regional distribution beginning next week.
King County, Washington is reporting over 88.1% of age eligible residents are vaccinated with at least one dose. The highest rates of positivity are in areas with low vaccination rates statewide. The FDA has provided full approval of the Pfizer vaccine for anyone 16 and over and EUA approval for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
COVID vaccines are free for anyone over 12 years old, and no appointment is necessary at most locations. Lyft and Hopelink provide free transportation, and KinderCare, the Learning Care Group, and the YMCA offer free childcare during vaccination appointments or recuperation.
According to the DoH COVID Dashboard, 91% of all staffed acute care beds are occupied, and 15.3% of patients have Covid-19. Statewide, hospitals have the staff to support approximately 607 additional acute care patients.
ICUs are at 88.3% of capacity statewide, with 25.0% of ICU patients fighting Covid-19 – an estimated 296 patients with 49.0% on ventilators. The state has the staff to support approximately 140 additional ICU patients.
On Thursday, the 7-day rolling average hospital admission rate for new COVID patients is 102. The Department of Health reported 1,096 Covid-19 patients statewide on October 28, with 144 requiring ventilators.
After declining for weeks Covid-19 hospitalizations increased 7% over the last 7 days. We analyzed the latest Covid-19 Cases, Hospitalizations, and Deaths by Vaccination Status report by the DOH to determine if the growing hospitalization numbers are being driven by breakthrough cases.
From September 15 to October 12, unvaccinated individuals from 12 to 34 were 16 times more likely to be hospitalized, 35 to 64 were 18 times more likely, and 65 and over were 9 times more likely. The total number of vaccinated individuals. Statewide since vaccines have become available, 12.1% of hospitalizations have been breakthrough cases.
According to King County Health over the last 30 days, 3,248 unvaccinated people have been hospitalized with Covid-19, compared to 378 fully vaccinated individuals. The 10% rate aligns closely with the broader state average. No vaccine is 100% effective. Even if we make the bad assumption, statewide hospitalizations would still be close to 1,000. The growing hospitalization numbers continue to be fueled by the unvaccinated.
Hospital readiness gave back some improvements from earlier this week with the East Hospital Region going status red across all four metrics again.
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%
– Blackwell Elementary (4) – Carson Elementary (6) – Clara Barton (4) – Einstein (3) – Eastlake High (11) – Ella Baker (8) – Finn Hill Middle School (6 + 1 see notes) – ICS (4) – Juanita Elementary (3) – Kamiakin Middle School (20) – Kirk Elementary (2) – Lakeview Elementary (3) – Lake Washington High School (27) – Muir Elementary (1) – Redmond Elementary (9) – Redmond Middle School (64) – Redmond High School (46) – Timberline Middle School (45**) – Twain Elementary (27)
None
Northshore
RED
– Arrowhead Elementary (5) – Canyon Creek Elementary (5) – Canyon Park Middle School (2) – Crystal Springs Elementary (5) – East Ridge Elementary (7) – Fernwood Elementary (3) – Frank Love Elementary (24) – Hollywood Hills Elementary (2) – Inglemoor High School (13) – Kenmore Elementary (6) – Kenmore Middle School (17) – Kokanee Elementary (6) – Leota Middle School (1) – Maywood Hills Elementary (3) – Morelands Elementary (2) – North Creek High School (9**) – Northshore Middle School (16) – Ruby Bridge Elementary (68) – Shelton View Elementary (4) – Skyview Middle School (9) – Timbercrest Middle School (9) – Wellington Elementary (14**) – Westhill Elementary (11) – Woodin Elementary (50**) – Woodinville High School (7) – Woodmoor Elementary (5)
– Bothell High School (25**) – Lockwood Elementary (20**)
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.
The Northshore School District moved to red status with two facilities reporting ten confirmed Covid-19 cases each today. Bothell High School and Lockwood Elementary doubled the number of cases this week. There are four additional schools that have five to nine confirmed COVID cases.
We received a parent confirmed report of an additional Covid-19 case at Finn Hill Middle School. The Lake Washington School District only updates data. We rely on confirmed parental reports to provide additional details.
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
UW Medicine opens up Covid-19 vaccine waitlist for children 5 to 11 years old
With the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granting emergency use authorization to the Pfizer vaccine for children 5 to 11 years old, UW Medicine has opened up a waitlist. Although the use of the vaccine has been authorized, federal supply rules require the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to formally recommend the protocol.
To join the vaccine waitlist, parents or guardians can call 844-520-8700. Individuals who register will receive a text or phone call when it is time to schedule an appointment. Scheduling is done online through a single-use registration link. UW Medicine is not accepting walk-in appointments for vaccination.
A CDC panel is meeting on November 2 and 3. A formal recommendation to vaccinate children from 5 to 11 is widely expected next week and the Seattle Times reported Central Puget Sound is receiving an initial shipment of 316,000 doses.
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 we do not know if vaccination for 5 to 11-year-olds will 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 76,957 new cases and 2,141 deaths nationwide on Thursday.
12 states sue Biden administration over Covid-19 vaccine rule
Eleven states filed lawsuits Friday to stop President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal contractors, arguing that the requirement violates federal law.
Attorneys general from Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming signed on to the lawsuit, which was filed in a federal district court in Missouri.
The states asked a federal judge to block Biden’s requirement that all employees of federal contractors be vaccinated against the coronavirus, arguing that the mandate violates federal procurement law and is an overreach of federal power.
“If the federal government attempts to unconstitutionally exert its will and force federal contractors to mandate vaccinations, the workforce and businesses could be decimated, further exacerbating the supply chain and workforce crises,” Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, a Republican, said in a statement. “The federal government should not be mandating vaccinations, and that’s why we filed suit today – to halt this illegal, unconstitutional action.”
That lawsuit, along with one filed Friday by Texas and Thursday by Florida, brings to 12 the number of states challenging the Biden administration mandate in three federal courts.
Alaska, Montana, and Wyoming currently have hospitals operating at crisis standards of care due to a surge in COVID cases.
Supreme Court refuses to block Maine’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate
The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected an emergency appeal from Maine health care workers to halt a COVID-19 vaccine mandate that took effect Friday.
Health care workers at hospitals and nursing homes throughout the state risk losing their jobs if they are not vaccinated and religious exemptions are not being offered.
According to Fox News, three justices – Neil Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito – signed on to a dissent written by Gorsuch, who suggested they would have adhered to the request from Maine health care workers.
“This case presents an important constitutional question, a serious error, and an irreparable injury,” Gorsuch wrote. “Where many other States have adopted religious exemptions, Maine has charted a different course. There, healthcare workers who have served on the front line of a pandemic for the last 18 months are now being fired and their practices shuttered. All for adhering to their constitutionally protected religious beliefs.”
The case could be significant for future challenges to municipal, county, state, and private employer public health-related mandate challenges. In 2021, no case brought before the Supreme Court has given relief to plaintiffs looking to modify or block vaccine mandates. The 6 to 3 decision could have closed the door for those seeking public health exemptions based on religious grounds.
96.4% of active duty US Air Force personnel are vaccinated
The U.S. Air Force is reporting up to 12,000 personnel could be facing disciplinary action for refusing to get vaccinated for Covid-19. The Air Force is the first military branch to approach a vaccine mandate deadline.
Air Force officials would not provide any information on the status of the estimated 12,000 hold-outs. When compared to other mandates across the United States, a 96.4% vaccination rate is high before factoring in medical or religious exemption requests and previously planned retirements.
According to the Pentagon, only one active-duty service member has received an exemption.
Different military branches have different vaccination deadlines ranging from the U.S. Air Force November 1 deadline to a June 30, 2022 deadline for the National Guard.
So far In 2021, 71 military personnel have died from Covid-19 – none were fully vaccinated.
SOCOM’s commander, Army Gen. Richard D. Clarke, shared the statistic during the annual Military Reporters and Editors Conference here and said that percentage includes special operators like SEALS and Green Berets, but also administrative and other troops that make up the joint force of roughly 70,000.
State Updates
Alaska
Multiple hospitals operate under crisis standards of care across Alaska with 232 Covid-19 patients hospitalized and a sky-high new case rate. Health officials are reporting 629 new COVID cases per 100,000 residents and a test positivity rate of 9.2%. Over 60% of new cases are among people under 40 years old. Although the transmission rate has plateaued, it has remained unchanged for more than six weeks as COVID rages through unvaccinated communities.
Earlier in the month, a series of contentious meetings at Anchorage City Hall debating a mask mandate for Alaska’s large city turned into a super spreader event. Several members of Mayor Dave Bronson’s administration became sick with Covid-19, including some breakthrough cases. William Topel, a well-known anti-vaccination activist was among the hundreds of mostly unmasked people in the packed room.
Topel, 68, had multiple health issues became ill with Covid-19 shortly after the meeting, and quickly declined in health. He was hospitalized in Anchorage and died of COVID-related illness on October 13. His supporters remained defiant at his funeral on October 25, according to Alaska Public Media.
“God’s going to use this as a fulcrum to propel us into victory,” friend and fellow activist Dustin Darden told the crowd after Topel’s burial. “We’re going to take every square inch of Anchorage, everything that Bill stood for every time he was out there, it’s just been amplified 1,000 times.”
After more than a week of theatrics that included Mayor Bronson supporting the use of Nazi symbols, and seven meetings that frequently devolved into screaming matches, the Anchorage Assembly voted to issue an emergency mask mandate. On October 13, the same day Topel died, Bronson vetoed the decision. A day later, the Assembly overrode the veto by vote, requiring masks on October 14.
On October 27, the Anchorage Assembly meeting scheduled to discuss routine city business devolved into an anti-mask debate again.
On Saturday, anti-vaccination activists are holding the “Alaska Early Treatment Summit” that includes Robert W. Malone, Ophthalmologist Richard Urso MD, and Ryan Cole, MD, head of Ada County Health in Idaho and currently under investigation by the state medical board.
Malone claims he had Covid-19 in February 2020 and suffers from long hauler syndrome. He states he got the Moderna vaccine in hopes it would “cure” his symptoms, but believes the vaccination made it worse.
Malone is also the originator of the disinformation claim that people who receive the Covid-19 vaccine will die within six months to three years. The first Phase 1 trials started in April 2020 and in the United States, four vaccine-related deaths have been reported due to an extremely rare but dangerous condition called VITT.
Idaho
Idaho is facing good news, bad news situations as new case rates and hospitalizations plateau and fall respectively, while Covid-19 continues to rage in Northern Idaho and the Panhandle. The apocalyptic forecasts of 30,000 new cases a week (that Malcontent News reported was likely too grim) have not materialized, however, new cases are still running between 8,000 and 10,000 a week. Test positivity dropped to 11.5% but remains well above the optimal rate of 3% to 5% which would indicate adequate testing.
The Panhandle District accounts for 22% of Idaho’s new cases and Kootenai Health in Coeur d’Alene has been operating in crisis standards of care for almost two months. State officials don’t see the hospital situation improving much with concerns over the approaching flu season and continued spread in the unvaccinated population.
Since Covid-19 first arrived in the Gem State, there have been 290,872 confirmed cases – 4.5% vaccination breakthroughs. The state has recorded 3,543 Covid-19 related deaths.
Dr. Kathryn Turner, the deputy state epidemiologist, said North Idahoans are also not very helpful when it comes to contact tracing for the coronavirus.
“People are not as cooperative as in other parts of the state,” Turner said.
Idaho does not provide daily hospitalization data. The most recent report stated 570 were hospitalized with Covid-19, 163 in the ICU, with more than half on ventilators. Under normal conditions, Idaho has 170 staffed ICU beds.
Only two “large” hospitals, Community Medical Center and Northern Montana Hospital had normal occupancy rates. The largest hospital, Billings Clinic, was caring for 277 patients, including 76 people infected with Covid-19.
To date, 5% of confirmed COVID cases require hospitalization. Currently, 1% of the entire Montana population is infected with Covid-19 every 14 days.
“It has been an exceptionally challenging week for us here, with record numbers of hospitalizations and very, very sick and very, very acutely ill patients hospitalized due to COVID,” said Katie Gallagher, Covid-19 public information officer for St. Peter’s Hospital.
St. Peter’s reports that, in October, 26 patients died due to complications from COVID – including five on a single day, the highest one-day total they’ve recorded. Gallagher said that was compared to nine COVID-related deaths in September.
More patients are also being hospitalized with COVID-related illnesses according to a report by KTVH. Gallagher says they have been averaging more than 30 over recent weeks, with the highest number being 44 – almost half of the available inpatient beds.
On Friday the Montana Nurses Association filed a motion to join a lawsuit by a coalition of medical providers and patients that seeks to invalidate Montana law that bars medical organizations from requiring employees to be vaccinated, saying it violates federal law and the U.S. and Montana constitution.
According to KTVQ, the original suit was filed in September in U.S. District Court in Missoula with the Montana Medical Association as the lead plaintiff. It challenges parts of HB 702 – passed by Republican majorities at the 2021 Legislature – saying it illegally prevents physicians, their offices, and hospitals from providing a safe environment for patients.
The nurses’ suit comes as Montana faces the worst rates for hospitalizations and death from COVID-19 in the United States, according to data from the Mayo Clinic.
New York
Six FDNY members of Ladder 113 have been suspended for allegedly driving their truck to a state senator’s New York City office and threatening his staff over the vaccine mandate for city workers according to a report by New York NBC 4.
The on-duty firefighters drove an in-service ladder truck to state Senator Zellnor Myrie’s office in Brooklyn on Friday and questioned staff as to where the politician lives, a department spokesperson confirmed. The crew is accused of telling his staffers they would have “blood on their hands” Monday when unvaccinated workers must go on unpaid leave.
The group of firefighters also allegedly told the staff that if a fire was reported at Myrie’s home they would not respond.
Commissioner Daniel Nigro says, “this is a highly inappropriate act by on duty members of this Department who should only be concerned with responding to emergencies and helping New Yorkers and not harassing an elected official and his staff."
New York City’s vaccine mandate deadline for municipal workers which includes fire, police, is November 1. Compared to other cities such as Seattle and San Francisco as well as the state of Hawaii, vaccination rates are alarming low.
As of 8 p.m. Thursday, 33,400 city workers remained unvaccinated. The city said it would provide updated vaccine rates on Saturday.
The fire department said it was prepared to close up to 20% of its fire companies and have 20% fewer ambulances in service while changing schedules, canceling vacations, and turning to outside EMS providers to make up for expected staffing shortages.
Wyoming
Data from Wyoming is more encouraging as new cases continue to drop while hospitalizations remain very high. Officials reported 193 hospitalized statewide while the number of new cases is averaging 557 per day. Wyoming has lost 178 residents to Covid-19 in October and crossed the 1,000 death threshold this month. Over 15% of COVID-related deaths occurred in the last 28 days. On October 21, Wyoming set a new hospitalization record peaking at 249 patients.
Elective surgeries have been delayed for weeks, creating additional health problems, according to a story by Wyoming Public Media. Jeffrey Chapman is the chief medical officer at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center – one of the many Wyoming hospitals that have had to limit what procedures they can perform.
“For almost five weeks we’ve only been doing urgent and emergent cases,” he said.
From Sheridan to Casper to Rock Springs, hospitals are monitoring their capacity on a day-to-day basis. In Campbell County, the hospital system canceled all elective surgeries earlier this week. And at Cheyenne Regional, Chapman said they have to make decisions about which surgeries can wait and which cannot.
The anti-vaccination community has seized upon the Harvard study as proof that vaccines are ineffective, and the momentum has been further fueled by Daniel Horowitz of The Blaze. So who is right?
First, we should look to the main author of the paper S.V. Subramanian, a Harvard professor of population health and geography who is saying the anti-vaccination community has it all wrong.
“That conclusion is misleading and inaccurate,” Subramanian wrote in an email to Ali Breland, a journalist. “This paper supports vaccination as an important strategy for reducing infection and transmission, along with hand-washing, mask-wearing, and physical distancing.”
Second and more important, there are serious data issues, inaccuracies, assumptions, and questions about the co-author of the paper.
The data analysis starts at January 1, before anyone was fully vaccinated. Additionally vaccination programs targeted the elderly and those most likely to get severe Covid-19, and the analysis did not take into account the base rate. The data only considered hospitalization data through May 2021, just weeks after multiple states permitted vaccination to all age groups over 16.
The second author of the study is a high school student in Canada
Errors within the paper aside, Subramanian has stated the paper is supportive of vaccination as part of a holistic approach to defeating the pandemic.
Knowledge is the best tool to fight against fear. A wise person chooses to be informed so they can make sound decisions. To join the fight against COVID misinformation, you can share this update through your social media platform of choice.
[KING COUNTY, Wash.] – (MTN) After a relatively quiet week for COVID news, things exploded over the last 24 hours, creating a super-sized update for today.
New COVID cases in Washington state were declining but now appear to be on a new unsustainable plateau. The gap between the highest and lowest vaccinated Hospital Region grows to the broadest level to date. One county’s new case rate has increased so high a new category had to be created.
Washington hospitalizations also plateaued, and ventilator use remains at near-record levels. In Olympia, St Peter’s Hospital reported 10 COVID-related deaths in 24 hours. We spent a lot of time examining reports that Eastern Washington hospitals are overrun with Idaho residents seeking treatment. We did not find any credible reports to support these rumors. We share our opinion on what Washington state should do to prevent our hospital system from joining our Pacific Northwest neighbors.
New cases and hospitalizations are up for children and adolescents statewide, and new COVID cases were reported in all three school districts we track. Snohomish County reported a 433% increase in active COVID cases at childcare centers and schools. In Yakima County, officials report 25% to 35% of new COVID cases among children. Parents in West Seattle and Olympia think COVID quarantine rules for unvaccinated adolescents are unfair.
Hundreds gathered in Olympia, and smaller pockets of protesters were across Washington, defying outdoor masking guidelines to protest against vaccine mandates. Some have adopted a view that harkens back to a dark time in world history.
Officials reported more than 20 people who have attended the Washington State Fair were COVID positive when they were there.
Most applications for religious exemption by Washington State Patrol employees have been rejected. In contrast, unions leaders representing 71,000 healthcare workers in Washington state say that the state is in an “unprecedented crisis.”
The University of Washington is seeking volunteers for a study of a new COVID vaccine booster. Phase 2 testing will include individuals vaccinated with the Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
We expanded our travel advisory again to include the state of Montana and Lincoln County in Washington.
In vaccination news, the FDA votes on booster shots for people who received the Pfizer vaccine. An editorial in the British Medical Journal about the potential connection between COVID vaccinations and menstruation was misrepresented as a study in numerous headlines. The update is very late tonight, in part because we pored through reports and data to give you a lot more insight.
In regional news, the stories coming out of hospitals in Alaska, Idaho, and Montana are gut-wrenching. It is not hyperbole to state the ability to deliver medical care in all three states is collapsing.
Finally, in the misinformation section, we address an oldie but a goodie – do masks cause carbon dioxide poisoning? (no)
The last week of data indicates Washington has stepped down to a slightly lower plateau versus seeing a continued decline. In the South Central Hospital Region, which includes Benton, Franklin, Klickitat, Walla Walla, and Yakima counties, new cases are 888.5 per 100K, a significant increase. In the Central Hospital Region, which represents King County, the rate is 290.0. This is the widest gap in new cases between the two hospital districts.
Percent of Total Population Fully Vaccinated
Average 14-Day New Case Rate (unadjusted)
50.00% or above (12 counties)
488.8
40.00% to 49.99% (18 counties)
750.8 (up)
27.30% to 39.99% (9 counties)
768.0
14-Day New COVID Cases per 100K average by Vaccination Rate, Not Adjusted for Population
Through September 17, Washington’s statewide 14-day rolling average was 489.2 COVID cases per 100K, which is statistically unchanged. Lincoln County reported 1,438.9 new cases per 100K, one of the highest rates recorded in any Washington county since new COVID cases have been tracked. Counties in the 1,000.0 to 1,399.9 range include Franklin (1,254.7) and Stevens (1,138.9). Counties in the 800.0 to 999.9 per 100K range include Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Clallam, Douglas, Grant, Grays Harbor, Lewis, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, and Walla Walla. It is worth noting that Benton County is at 989.8, just under the 1,000 threshold, and Yakima County moved up to 791.2, just under the 800 threshold. We are concerned when we get to the middle of next week, and the test data from the Labor Day weekend is out of the 14-day rolling average, we will see another jump in the numbers.
The USA Today COVID Tracker also indicates a flattening over the previous week (when you adjust for the dip in weekend reporting and the bump when the data from over the weekend is reported). If you think we’re alarmists, we’re not the only journalists seeing this trend.
One other piece of discouraging news comes out of the United Kingdom. Healthcare experts highlighted how Delta peaked in the U.K. (and Israel) after 45 to 60 days before rapidly declining as a predictive model for the United States. The U.K. reported a record 26,911 new cases and a record-high number of hospitalizations – 8,339 patients. Even more worrying, 81.6% of all U.K. residents are fully vaccinated compared to 51.4% of the United States.
The Johns Hopkins Washington State Overview is reporting alarming positivity rates. Positivity for the last 30-day rolling average is reported at 15.23% and the 7-day rolling average 24.16%. We do not believe these numbers accurately represent the test positivity rate and are a statistical anomaly.
Today is the third day of updated data from the WSDOH, and we are feeling more confident about tracking trends now. Pediatric and adolescent cases increased. This isn’t surprising now that in-person school is back across all of Washington state. Hospitalizations for ages birth to 11 increased about 30%. However, the total number of children hospitalized is small, so don’t read too much into that bump.
New cases among all other age groups were flat or down slightly. With total new cases appearing to be settling on a plateau, this may be an early warning sign that new pediatric cases are increasing the overall number. This could have significant implications for states outside of Washington, particularly Alaska, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming (read our national round up).
Hospitalizations also increased for ages 35 to 49 and people 80-years old and above. Both jumps were large enough to be notable but not alarming.
Age Group
7-Day Case Rate
7-Day Hospitalization Rate
Ages 0-11
208.4 (up)
1.0 (up)
Ages 12-19
248.6 (up)
2.4
Ages 20-34
232.2
6.5 (down)
Ages 35-49
220.0
13.2 (up)
Ages 50-64
160.3
19.8
Ages 65-79
114.2 (down)
24.8
Ages 80+
126.8
39.1 (up)
7-day case rate and 7-day hospitalization rate is per 100K within the age group – the target for 7-day case rate is <25.0, but there are other factors such as vaccination rates within the age groups, how many total tests within the 7-day period, and the positivity rate within each age group
The USA Today COVID Tracker reported 56 deaths on Thursday and an additional 56 deaths on Friday.
Snohomish County reports active COVID cases among childcare centers and schools increased 433%
A new Snohomish Health District report shows the rapid increase in cases associated with childcare facilities, K-12 schools, higher education, and youth sports and camps over the last month. For the two weeks ending September 16, there were nearly five times as many investigations in K-12 settings (202) than the previous period ending September 2 (42 investigations). There were 367 confirmed and probable cases and more than 2,100 close contacts involving childcare, schools, and youth sports during that timeframe.
The number of investigated cases in Snohomish County among child care centers, public and private K-12 schools, higher education, and athletic and youth camps increased from 950 to 2,160 – a 433% increase in two weeks.
“When cases occur among students or staff, and they will, we work with the schools to optimize the number of individuals being quarantined and try to prevent transmission in the school,” said Dr. Chris Spitters, Health Officer for the Snohomish Health District. “From time to time, there may be a classroom or two in a school that may need to be temporarily closed depending on the number of cases, but those episodes won’t necessarily call for any change in school-wide, district-wide, or county-wide operations. We need students, families, and teachers to work with us to get cases down and keep the impacts small.”
Hundreds gather to protest vaccine mandates in Olympia while others do flag waves across the state
Only a handful of people there were wearing masks while standing on the side of the road, waving signs and hearing from the cars which support their cause. At least one protester held a sign with the hashtag, “pureblood.” Anti-vaccination adherents claim the reference is from the Harry Potter books. The term originated in Nazi Germany, where people were required to have a “Blood Certificate” to get married and have children. The idea was to have purebloods to ensure the survival of the Aryan race.
Olympia officials had begged people to stay away from the city due to a planned Proud Boys rally on the same day. On the Internet, several anti-vaccination groups along with counter-protesters advised their followers to stay away.
Today, the group Waking UP Washington organized several flag waves across Washington state with small groups dotted along I-5.
More than 20 people who worked at or attended the Washington State Fair were COVID positive
So far, 435,000 people have attended the fair, scheduled to end on September 26. At a vaccination clinic within the fairgrounds, 235 people have received vaccinations. On Friday, 50% of all residents in Pierce County were vaccinated.
Because Washington state is highly vaccinated, the current R0 is R1.1 (forecasted range R0.7 to R1.5) for all residents. If this is accurate, the impact shouldn’t be significant unless an infected person has an unusually high viral load, a super spreader, or moves around through highly unvaccinated groups.
25% to 35% of new COVID cases in Yakima County are children and adolescents
“Certainly, the schools have seen a lot of activity that they’re navigating. You probably saw that the Tribal School in Toppenish basically canceled school for the next two weeks after going quarantine, essentially hit the reset button,” Brueggemann said.
Washington state job growth slowed in August
State-level unemployment data was released yesterday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and individual states. In Washington, job growth slowed, with just under 17,000 new jobs created. The job market through Washington could best be described as white-hot overall, with tens of thousands of unfilled positions at every skill level.
Most applications for a relegious exemption by Washington State Patrol have been rejected
The Washington State Patrol (WSP) reported that of 364 religious exemptions applications received, 284 had been reviewed, and all were rejected. Initially, 373 applications were submitted, but nine employees rescinded their requests.
“As to your inquiry regarding relative exposure probabilities, I would suggest you direct it to qualified epidemiologists, but from my laymen’s perspective, it presupposes that lower or varied risks is [sic] somehow unworthy of attention. As we have all seen, the pandemic, it’s [sic] impacts, and response strategies have evolved over time as more has become known.”
When pressed on why the bar was so high for a religious exemption and all requests rejected to date, Loftis wrote, “…the search for accommodation can be difficult as by its very nature, working for WSP often has a significant public engagement component.”
Moving to our opinion, if we read between the lines, it appears state officials are concerned about long-term liability. Suppose an asymptomatic unvaccinated trooper were to pass COVID to a member of the public while on duty, and that person became hospitalized or died. In that case, it seems this would be a significant legal exposure.
Additionally, an asymptomatic or symptomatic officer with COVID couldn’t work for 14 days and could force others to quarantine.
West Seattle and Olympia families claim school guidelines for quarantining students are unfair
Jeremy Gollyhorn is upset with decisions about his child who had a COVID exposure at Denny International Middle School in Seattle. The 12-year old student is unvaccinated, and following state and national guidelines, is required to quarantine for 14 days. If they were vaccinated, they would have been permitted to return to class with a strong recommendation to get tested 3 to 5 days after the exposure.
Gollyhorn said it makes no sense.
“Vaccinated people can still spread COVID too, so what’s the difference there?” he said.
“It’s not fair,” said Willis, who reported her daughter chose not to get the vaccine because she did not think she needed it.
On September 8, we analyzed the new case, hospitalization, and death statistics in King County for the vaccinated versus the unvaccinated. It is correct that vaccinated people can still become infected with COVID. Still, the number is extremely low, and most breakthrough cases are among the immunocompromised and people over 70 years old.
University of Washington seeking volunteers for COVID booster shot study
Researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine are enrolling volunteers for a COVID-19 booster vaccine trial. Volunteers will participate in the second stage of a phase 1 vaccine trial. Phase 1 vaccine trials are designed to test the safety and tolerability of and immune response to a new vaccine.
In the first stage of the trial, the experimental vaccines were given to unvaccinated volunteers. In this second stage, the vaccines will be given as a booster shot to volunteers who have already been vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2.
Unlike current vaccines, the trial vaccines seek to elicit an immune response to multiple SARS-CoV-2 proteins in addition to the spike protein that is targeted by currently available vaccines made by Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson.
The hope is that by targeting a number of coronavirus proteins, the vaccine will provide protection against a wide variety of SARS-CoV-2 strains and variants. The vaccine candidates were developed by Gritstone bio, headquartered in Emeryville, CA.
“With the emergence of the Delta and other COVID-19 variants, we need to stay ahead of the virus by developing effective vaccines that will aid in the prevention of all strains of COVID,” said Dr. Anna Wald, director of the UW Medicine Virology Research Clinic and head the UW School of Medicine’s allergies and infectious diseases division. She is the trial site principal investigator.
“We hope that these investigational vaccines enhance and broaden the immune response elicited by vaccines currently available in the U.S.,” said Dr. Tia Babu, acting assistant professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine and a trial investigator.
To enroll, participants must be age 18 or older, healthy, without significant allergies, without a history of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, and have been vaccinated against COVID-19 at least four months prior to enrollment. Persons over age 60 are encouraged to participate.
Participants will be asked to:
Make nine to 14 or more in-person clinic visits and also will receive one to two telephone check-ins with study staff over 12 to 14 months.
Receive one or two injections of investigational vaccine.
Have blood drawn several times to monitor safety and to see whether the vaccine results in an immune response.
Keep track of how they’re feeling after the injection.
Interested participants should contact the UW Medicine Virology Research Clinic: gritstone@uw.edu or 206-520-4340
Washington state nurse unions urge immediate action to prop up hospitals
Washington unions that represent 71,000 healthcare workers are appealing for immediate action, saying that the state is on the brink of an “unprecedented crisis.” The Washington State Nurses Association, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, and the UFCW 21 made a joint statement warning that the combination of work conditions, pay, chronic staffing shortages, and the ongoing “fifth wave” of COVID cases is decimating healthcare workers.
“Amid the fifth wave of COVID, spurred on by the Delta variant, and hospitals overflowing with patients who need critical care, our state health care workers continue to heroically perform their jobs a year-and-a-half into this pandemic,” said Julia Barcott, chair of the WSNA Cabinet and an ICU nurse at Astria Toppenish Hospital. “But nurses and other frontline workers are people, too. We’re losing overworked nurses to overwhelming burnout, the distress of working short-staffed, better-paying traveler nurse jobs, and even for signing bonuses of up to $20,000 to move to a different hospital. We’re worried for our patients and the impact of the staffing crisis on the care they receive.”
This isn’t just a crisis for frontline workers, it’s also a public health crisis. Because hospitals were already understaffed well before the coronavirus pandemic hit, we are now seeing a new story every day about a regional hospital at maximum capacity. Without immediately addressing the shortage of staff and untenable workloads for frontline workers, there could be dire consequences to Washington’s health care infrastructure.
“Chronic understaffing is a disaster for patient care. Health care workers don’t want to see patients stuck in overflowing ICUs or being treated in ER hallways, or be forced to turn away ambulances at the door, but that’s the reality of health care right now,” said Faye Guenther, UFCW 21 president. “Hospitals need to immediately respond to this patient care crisis. That means focusing on meaningful, sustainable solutions that will recruit and retain qualified caregivers in every department.”
As many anti-vaccination activists falsely conflate the staffing crisis with looming vaccine deadlines for health care workers, it’s important to understand that health care staffing shortages predate the coronavirus pandemic. As a result of years of staffing and management decisions, many hospitals already didn’t meet adequate staffing for average patient levels. COVID exacerbated this already strained infrastructure, and hospitals’ response to the pandemic has only worsened this preexisting crisis.
“What’s really driving this crisis is that hospitals have spent the last two decades balancing their budgets on the backs of health care workers and patients,” said Jane Hopkins, RN, executive vice president of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW. “COVID has been a stress test on our health care system, and we are seeing the system fail that test due to management’s choice to understaff. Retention bonuses for frontline workers who have stayed on the job, adequate pay for extra hours worked, and aggressive hiring to staff at full capacity would go a long way right now.”
Opinion: To save Washington hospitals it’s time to close the borders
Military leaders, analysts, and planners evaluate the capabilities of a force using combat effectiveness. Combat effectiveness takes more into account than the number of well-trained soldiers and the quality and quantity of available equipment. It considers leadership, psychological stress, the level of support on the battlefield and the home front, and the clarity of mission. If enough of these factors deteriorate, a military unit or even an entire army can become “combat ineffective.” Our medical community has been combat ineffective for months, and no one is doing anything about it. It is time for a strategic retreat and for officials in Washington state to close the doors to out-of-state COVID patients.
We are expanding our travel advisories today. We recommend avoiding all travel to Spokane, Lincoln, Yakima, Klickitat, Benton, Franklin, and Walla Walla counties, along with Alaska, Idaho, and Montana. Hospital resources in these regions, except Lincoln County, are so constrained that you may receive inadequate care if you experience a medical emergency.
We recommend avoiding travel to Lincoln County because the number of new cases per 100K residents exceeds 1,400.
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Vaccination
FDA panel votes against COVID booster shots for all, but recommends expanding the existing booster shot guidelines
The booster shot program the Biden Administration wanted to start on Monday for people who received the Pfizer vaccine will, at the minimum, be delayed. On Friday, an FDA panel voted 16-2 against booster shots for all. The vote was widely reported in news sources as breaking news.
FDA officials took a break and had a second vote to recommend booster shots for those over 65, at high risk for severe COVID-19, or who work in jobs with significant exposure to COVID patients. The panel voted 18-0 in support of the guidelines.
If the recommendation is authorized, this will expand the current booster shoot guidelines released in August. A third dose was approved for immunocompromised individuals who received the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna.
Medical conditions that warrant a second dose include receiving active treatment for cancer, organ transplant recipients, recipients of a stem cell transplant in the last 24 months, moderate to severe primary immunodeficiency, advanced or untreated HIV infection, people under treatment with high-dose corticosteroids such as prednisone, and those being treated with immunosuppressive drugs.
Vaccination impact on menstruation is being researched
When COVID first erupted across the globe, many infected women of childbearing age reported changes in their periods. Anecdotally, there are reports from women that periods became heavier after receiving the COVID vaccine, and others reported a change in their cycle.
The BMJ, the journal of the British Medical Association, published an editorial recommending an investigation into the possible link between the COVID vaccine and changes in menstruation. This story was widely run and in some publications misrepresented as the results of a study in the headlines. The editorial included this quote.
“Most people who report a change to their period after vaccination find that it returns to normal the following cycle and, importantly, there is no evidence that covid-19 vaccination adversely affects fertility. In clinical trials, unintended pregnancies occurred at similar rates in vaccinated and unvaccinated groups.”
“Anecdotally, some women seem to be reporting heavier periods after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, and we would support more data collection in this area to understand why this might be the case.”
“If you do notice any bleeding that is unusual for you, then we would recommend you contact your doctor. You can also report any concerns or possible side effects of the COVID-19.”
The Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency in the United Kingdom has a website similar to VAERS in the United States called Yellow Card. People can report suspected side effects of “medicines, vaccines, medical devices, and test kits.” Weekly reports are available at the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency website. Just like VAERS, anyone can submit a Yellow Card report. Unreviewed data should not be considered indicative of any trend.
A study on the Potential Effects of COVID-19 Vaccination on Menstruation received $1.67 million in funding from the United States National Institute of Health on August 30. The study is a joint project conducted by Boston University, Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins University, Michigan State University – East Lansing, and Oregon Health and Sciences University – Portland.
Information on how to participate in the study is not available yet.
An article by Randy S. Morris, M.D., Board Certified in Infertility and Reproductive Endocrinology, and the Medical Director of IVF1 found neither COVID nor the COVID vaccine impacted fertility. The report, SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Seropositvity from Vaccination or Infection does not Cause Infertility, studied 143 women who underwent Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET) from January 1to May 7, 2021.
All the participants gave serum samples and were tested for the presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike IgG. Testing revealed 55 women who had COVID antibodies in their bloodstream. Participants were notified of the presence of antibodies, 35 were vaccinated, and 20 had experienced a COVID infection. None of the women who had COVID were hospitalized.
Dr. Morris wrote in the discussion section of his article, “In vitro fertilization with FET is an excellent method to study the impact of various factors on implantation since it bypasses many of the variables that normally impact a woman’s ability to conceive, such as ovulation, fertilization, and preimplantation embryo development. The current study failed to identify the difference in the implantation or pregnancy rates between women with documented seropositivity to the spike protein and women without seropositivity.”
They found no significant difference in a successful transplant rate among women who had no COVID antibodies (73.9%), those who were vaccinated (80.0%), and those who had natural immunity (73.7%).
Dr. Morris is a respected subject matter expert in this field. Before being part of the research group, women seeking IVF treatment to become pregnant received an extensive and detailed baseline study of their physiology and reproductive potential.
A connection to seeking fertility treatment in the first place due to the COVID vaccine cannot be made. The study was conducted from January 1 to May 7, 2021, and the first public COVID vaccine was received on December 14, 2020. It takes months of testing and preparation to perform a FET. The Mayo Clinic has an excellent article written in laypersons terms explaining the process of InVitro Fertilization.
The report does have limitations. The sample group of 143 participants is small and limited to women with a history of reproductive issues. The sample size of women who have antibodies due to a COVID exposure was limited to 20 people, which is very small. Reports typically aren’t peer-reviewed but do receive scrutiny from reputable journals before publication.
King County, Washington is reporting over 85% of age eligible residents are vaccinated with at least one dose. The highest rates of positivity are in areas with low vaccination rates statewide. The FDA has provided full approval of the Pfizer vaccine for anyone 16 and over.
COVID vaccines are free for anyone over 12 years old, and no appointment is necessary at most locations. Lyft and Hopelink provide free transportation, and KinderCare, the Learning Care Group, and the YMCA offer free childcare during vaccination appointments or recuperation.
According to the DoH COVID Dashboard, 22.4% of all acute care patients hospitalized in Washington have COVID. A hospital system caring for this many COVID-positive patients in acute care is considered to be under “severe stress.” ICUs are at 91.5% of capacity statewide, with 36.2% of ICU patients fighting COVID. All of these numbers are unchanged.
While ICU utilization has remained close to 90%, the number of patients in the ICU with COVID continues to increase. This is due to three factors. Hospitals are operating under “contingency care” protocols statewide and have canceled most elective surgeries that would require post-surgical ICU resources. Additionally, the surge of new cases that started in August is running its course. The timeline from infection to symptoms, hospitalization, ICU, and death can be 4 to 6 weeks, particularly among otherwise healthy individuals. Finally, Washington state hospitals are caring for dozens of out-of-state COVID patients, many of them critically ill.
The 7-day rolling average hospital admission rate for new COVID patients is 183 a day. This is down from a peak of 193 and above the winter surge, where daily admissions peaked at 115 a day. The Department of Health reported there were 1,649 COVID patients statewide on September 16 and 274 on ventilators. Hospitalizations declining 9% from September 9 to September 14 but appear to have plateaued.
Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital, which said they were approaching the need to move to crisis standards of care last week, reported the situation has improved, but the facility remains exceptionally stressed. The hospital is at 103% capacity, with 45 patients treated for COVID, 95% unvaccinated. On Thursday, 75 employees of the hospital had to stay home.
– Alcott Elementary (1*) – Carson Elementary (2*) – Dickinson Elementary (1*) – Eastlake High (1*) – Einstein Elementary (1*) – Ella Baker Elementary (1*) – Robert Frost Elementary (9) – Juanita Elementary (2*) – Juanita High School (37) – Kirkland Middle School (37) – Peter Kirk Elementary (1*) – Redmond Elementary (2*) – Redmond Middle School (1*) – Rose Hill Elementary (1*) – Rose Hill/Stella Schola Middle School (1*) – Thoreau Elementary (4)
– Kamiakin Middle School (140) – Mark Twain Elementary (3*)
Northshore
YELLOW
– Arrowhead Elementary (12) – Bothell High School (48**) – Canyon Creek Elementary (19) – Canyon Park Middle School (5) – Cottage Lake Elementary (12) – Crystal Springs Elementary (28) – East Ridge Elementary (17) – Fernwood Elementary (10**) – Frank Love Elementary (14) – Hollywood Hills Elementary (10) – Inglemoor High School (5) – Innovation Lab High School (4) – Kenmore Elementary (15) – Kenmore Middle School (38**) – Kokanee Elementary (24) – Leota Middle School (2) – Maywood Hills Elementary (11) – North Creek High School (16**) – Northshore Middle School (9**) – Ruby Bridges Elementary (6) – Secondary Academy for Success (7) – Shelton View Elementary (18**) – Skyview Middle School (78) – Sunrise Elementary (21) – Timbercrest Middle School (23) – Westhill Elementary (6) – Wellington Elementary (48) – Westhill Elementary (6) – Woodin Elementary (5) – Woodinville High School (21) – Woodmoor Elementary (19**)
Under Investigation
Local Districts Scorecard – * indicates positive cases only ** indicates 5 or more confirmed positive cases
The Lake Washington School District data hasn’t been updated since Friday of last week. We have a confirmed report from the Lake Washington School District of one COVID case at Kirkland Middle School and 36 exposures.
Three more schools in the Bellevue School District have reported cases and quarantines.
Northshore School District now has 7 schools reporting 5 or more confirmed COVID cases. The district has 313 students and faculty in quarantine and 23 new positive cases in the last week – 22 students and one staff member.
We will continue to recommend that parents in the Bellevue and Lake Washington School Districts request better transparency on their publicly facing COVID dashboards.
Kirkland-Bellevue-Woodinville
No update
National Round-Up
Johns Hopkins University Cumulative Case Tracker is reporting 207,886 new cases and 2,635 deaths nationwide. Most states do not provide daily updates, so the number released on Friday tends to be inflated and represents multiple days of data. Tracking the moving average is a better way to understand national trends.
The COVID crisis in Alaska is deepening, with Providence Alaska Medical Center still operating under “crisis standards of care.” The inability to transfer patients to the largest and best-equipped hospital in the state is having a ripple effect on other hospitals.
Alaska has no state standard for “crisis standards of care,” forcing hospitals to make independent decisions. Government officials started forming a committee this week. Meanwhile, the state legislature considered more pressing matters.
Some anti-vaccination advocates believe that the distribution of COVID vaccines is a violation of the code, established after the full measure of Nazi atrocities in human medical experimentation was discovered. State Rep. Sara Hannan (Juneau-D) was in a race to the bottom, declaring Nazi experimentation on prisoners “produced results.”
“I did not mean to imply any support for NAZIs nor their experimentation in any way. My remarks were incorrect, insensitive, and hurtful. I am sorry and will strive to do better,” said Hannan.
Dr. Gina Wilson-Ramirez, an ER physician in Anchorage, described the situation at Providence. ER wait times for people with severe chest pain, and people are dying waiting to be treated. The waiting room for the emergency department is so full, portapotties were placed in the parking lot, and people were asked to stay in their cars. In the waiting room itself, doctors are now treating patients. Two COVID patients waited more than 8 hours before being seen and required oxygen.
Dr. Ben Westley, who also works at Providence, discussed a situation with two patients who needed dialysis to stay alive, but there was only one machine. Both were critically ill, one in their 30’s and the other older. Doctors decided to ration care between patients, putting one on dialysis during the day and the other at night.
The next day, the older patient was still declining, and there was still only one machine. The younger patient became prioritized for treatment.
Another patient who had COVID needed ECMO, which isn’t available in Alaska. After searching within the Providence network and five other facilities, no location could be found, and the man died.
“The way we’re getting equipment freed up is mainly when we’re discontinuing care on people. And it’s not always because they’re living,” said Dr. Wilson-Ramirez.
At Mat-Su Regional Medical Center near Wasilla, emergency department director Dr. Tom Quimby said he’s seen emergency patients wait as long as five hours. The 125-bed hospital has 42 COVID patients, and the ICU is at 100% capacity – every patient with COVID and on ventilators. Over 50% of the patients arriving in the emergency department have COVID.
“We’ve all seen COVID-19 cases continue to spread rapidly across our nation, the state of Alaska, and in our local community,” U.S. Air Force Col. Kirsten Aguilar, 673d Air Base Wing and JBER commander, said in a statement Friday. “After close consultation with JBER mission commanders, I have decided to declare a Public Health Emergency.”
Commanders advised personnel to avoid places that do not require masks or social distancing, and the base has moved to Health Protection Condition Bravo.
There were 64,714 deaths and 57,641 births in 2020. Harris, holding his weekly update on the state’s efforts against the COVID-19 pandemic, said data going back more than a century showed it was the first year in which the births and deaths data was flipped. He added it could happen again in 2021 if the state continues with its current trend.
“The numbers of deaths have, unfortunately, not declined at this point,” Harris stated of Alabama’s death rate, which includes at least seven pregnant women.
Popular YouTube vintage resellers Dusty and Tristan Graham, who espoused anti-vaccination views and conspiracy theories on their channel, both died of COVID. Tristan Graham, who had previously survived bone cancer, died at home on August 25. Dusty Graham died on Thursday.
Little did she know, she would become a rare statistic.
“I started to go into anaphylaxis shock – my mom was there with me – I had my EpiPen ready. We were prepared if something happened, hoping it wouldn’t because it wasn’t supposed to compare to statistics and ingredients – everything we thought,” said Case.
Per the CDC, two to five people per million vaccinated in the U.S. experience anaphylaxis after a COVID-19 vaccine.
Eva Baisey, known as one of the longest living heart transplant recipients in medical history, has died from COVID-19 at age 55. She passed away on September 12, 2021 — more than 34 years after receiving a heart.
While she was vaccinated, her husband had refused to take it. “There was so much information floating around. He didn’t have all the facts,” she said about why her husband wasn’t vaccinated.
“My purpose is to make sure no one goes through what he went through. There wasn’t one day, one hour, one moment that he didn’t suffer,” she said. “This did not have to happen.”
Florida has had 63 law enforcement officers die of COVID.
GOP leaders in Hillsborough County are scrambling after Gregg Prentice died of COVID and took how to access the financial information of the Hillsborough County Republican Executive Committee to the grave with him. Prentice, who was 61, died one day after being diagnosed with COVID and was staunchly against wearing masks.
Friend Jason Kimball blames Tampa General Hospital for the 61-year-old’s death, alleging staff “illegally intubated” Prentice the day before he died. During a Sept. 13 Tampa City Council meeting, Kimball requested an investigation be launched. However, members of the City Council denied any wrongdoing or mistreatment from the hospital.
“My public comments are really going to be about Tampa General Hospital,” Kimball said at the council meeting. “There’s a dire situation going on right now…that I don’t think anyone is aware of, and I have firsthand knowledge of it. They’re intubating everyone entering Tampa General Hospital as a first line of action. They’re using fatality-treatment protocol, and I think that the city council really needs to do an investigation…They’re intubating people illegally. …When you call 911, and you go to that hospital, you’re going into a bad situation.”
Councilman John Dingfelder quickly shut down Kimball’s comment, blasting it as “dangerous.”
Hawaii
Approximately two weeks ago, Honolulu started requiring so-called vaccine passports to enter certain businesses. Yesterday state officials reported hospitalizations had dropped 25%.
Idaho
The crisis in the Gem State is deepening, with doctors and nurses now working in impossible conditions and forced to make unthinkable choices. In Idaho’s St. Luke’s Health System, patients are being ventilated by hand — with a nurse or doctor squeezing a bag — for up to hours at a time while hospital officials work to find a bed with a mechanical ventilator, said chief medical officer Dr. Jim Souza.
Over the past seven days, 1/2 of 1% of every person in Idaho tested positive for COVID.
Chris Roth, president, and CEO at St. Luke’s Health System in Boise said the overwhelming patient volumes result from COVID-19 patients and historic levels of traditional patient care, with the latter primarily brought on by pent-up demand from patients delaying care last year because of COVID-19.
“I’ve never seen any volumes even close to what we’re seeing in my history at St. Luke’s of 14 years,” Roth said.
St. Luke’s had a record 173 COVID-positive admissions to its hospital at the end of August, breaking the 172-admissions record back in the December surge. It recently broke the record again with 281 COVID-19 admissions.
“If we continue on this course over the next several weeks, St. Luke’s Health System will become a COVID health system,” said Roth, noting it will consume every resource and bed it has with coronavirus patients. The vast majority of St. Luke’s ICU patients are COVID positive, with 98% of them unvaccinated.
Although state officials reported a steady number of 170 ICU patients across the state, the number isn’t increasing because there is no more ICU capacity.
To free up space, hospitals are discharging patients that still require critical care, such as high flow oxygen delivery. Norco Medical President Elias Margonis said the company had seen an increase in customers seeking specialty oxygen equipment that flows at a rate of 8, 12, or 20 liters per minute rather than the standard 4 or 5 liters per minute, he said.
Primary Health Medical Group, Idaho’s largest independent primary care and urgent care system, is so swamped with patients they have been forced to close early, with wait times stretching for hours.
There is rampant misinformation that Idaho is operating under a universal do not resuscitate order. This is not true. The false claims are coming from a section within the state’s crisis standards of care plan. In situations where a hospital can no longer support mechanical ventilation of ICU patients, the guidance recommends that no attempt at resuscitation be made if the patient goes into cardiac arrest.
“Adult patients hospitalized during a public health emergency, when crisis standards of care have been declared (and a hospital is using the mechanical ventilation allocation framework due to demand for ventilators exceeding supply), should receive aggressive interventions; however, they should receive NO attempts at resuscitation (compressions, shocks or intubation if not yet intubated) in the event of cardiac arrest. The likelihood of survival after a cardiac arrest is extremely low for adult patients. As well, resuscitation poses significant risk to healthcare workers due to aerosolization of body fluids and uses large quantities of scarce resources such as staff time, personal protective equipment, and lifesaving medications, with minimal opportunity for benefit. This universal DNR order does not apply to pediatric patients; however, pediatric patients requiring a ventilator after resuscitation would enter the ventilator triage protocol after resuscitation, just like other patients needing ventilator access.”
In Ammon, protesters gathered against vaccine mandates. “There is a huge pushback against vaccine mandates,” protest organizer and association spokeswoman Halli Stone said. “You can see there is a great deal of sentiment. People care. If they have a point to rally, they come out. They hate being told they have to take an experimental vaccine that has been proven to be dangerous.”
Many protestors at the event were adamant they were not anti-vaccine. Still, multiple people shared they are not getting vaccinated and have concerns about its safety, despite the FDA saying vaccines are safe.
IU Health said that employees who didn’t comply with the September 1 deadline were placed on a two-week unpaid suspension period ending September 14, with the 125 employees resigning afterward, according to the spokesperson.
“A total of 125 employees, the equivalent of 61 full-time employees, chose not to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and have left the organization,” a spokesperson said.
“Most of the employees who chose not to be vaccinated worked part-time, less than part-time or have not worked for a number of months.”
Mississippi’s death rate from COVID-19 is 308 per 100,000 people, as of Sept. 17. New Jersey’s is 306. Louisiana and New York, respectively, have the next-highest rates, with 288 and 281 per 100,000 people.
Mississippi’s top health official said Thursday that the numbers of new virus cases are still “far more than we’d like to see” and warned that more deaths would follow.
“We’re recording well over 2,500 (cases) a day, in recent days, far more than we’d like to see,” said State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs. “A lot of that’s going to translate into the tragedy.”
“It is really dire,” said Dr. James McKay, chief physician executive for Providence Montana, who oversees St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula and St. Joseph Medical Center in Polson. “It has never been this bad.”
Officials at Billings Clinic said the transition into crisis care could occur “rapidly” and that it would also impact patients with conditions unrelated to COVID-19. The number of COVID patients at the hospital in Missoula has increased dramatically in recent weeks, and that many are younger, some in their 20s and 30s. The hospital has turned an ambulance garage into a makeshift triage area for COVID patients to handle the increase.
The temporary emergency rule waives regulations to make it easier for hospitals to transfer certain patients to other healthcare facilities, freeing up needed hospital beds.
Gianforte said in a news release: “As our hospitals and health care workers continue to work around-the-clock to deliver life-saving care to Montanans, this new tool will help reduce the burdens our providers face. We will continue to work with hospitals and providers to support their ongoing response.”
Additionally, the Montana Department of Labor and Industry has started reaching out to nurses, nurse practitioners, and other medical workers whose licenses may have expired or retired to ask for help.
“The Department hears regularly from employers, including health care providers, who have been impacted by the ongoing workforce shortage. With COVID-related hospitalizations increasing statewide, at the Governor’s direction, the Department is looking at ways to mitigate the health care worker shortage and ensure there are no unnecessary delays in the licensure process for individuals qualified to provide medical services,” wrote Jessica Nelson, public information officer for the department.
Total COVID cases have jump 55% in the last two weeks, outstripping COVID ravaged Idaho.
The three women repeatedly punched the host at Carmine’s on the Upper West Side and broke her necklace Thursday afternoon after she asked for proof of vaccination, which is required to dine inside at a restaurant in New York City, police said in a news release.
All three women are from the Houston area and have been ordered to appear in a New York court on October 5 after receiving citations for misdemeanor assault and criminal mischief. The 24-year old victim was treated at a New York hospital and released. She is expected to recover fully.
Jeffrey Bank, the CEO of Carmine’s, said the restaurant was forced to hire security. “It’s ridiculous that she’s sitting here saying, ‘Please don’t assault me.’ It’s just surreal,” Bank said, adding the restaurant was hiring security. “We want everyone to feel safe. Is it necessary? I don’t know, but after last night for sure, we’re going to have it.”
“We will push back against widespread propaganda by producing our own media, and advancing our own narrative, instead of succumbing to the one being pushed on us. We will not accept the rampant politicization of science and medicine, and we will return these institutions to being neutral sources of information for the benefit of society, over government and corporate interests,” a press release about Saturday’s event reed on the organizers’ website.
State officials reported that five people had been hospitalized for ivermectin poisoning, including two that required critical care.
Between August 1 and September 14, the Oregon Poison Center at OHSU saw a total of 25 cases of “Oregonians intentionally misusing ivermectin to treat or prevent COVID-19.” Of those cases, five had to be hospitalized–two people became so severely ill that they had to be admitted into the ICU.
The poison center reported that recent cases displayed various symptoms, including mental confusion, balance issues, low blood pressure, and seizure. Patients sickened by the drug ranged in ages from the 20s to 80s. OHSU said there was an even split between men and women who took the drug and between people who were attempting to treat COVID-19 and trying to prevent getting the virus.
In Salem, Oregon, 500 people gathered to protest vaccine mandates. Luke Yamaguchi, an Albany nutritionist who serves on the board of the protest sponsor, Oregonians for Medical Freedom, slammed Gov. Kate Brown’s mask mandate for school children and in outdoor public spaces — drawing jeers and laughs from the unmasked assembly.
“Mandated medicine has no place in a free country,” said Yamaguchi. “Who is to say that you will necessarily agree with the next vaccine that is mandated?”
Officials reported 1,002 people with coronavirus in hospitals across the state, which is 25 fewer than Thursday. There are 287 people with coronavirus in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, one more than Thursday.
The OHA said 58 available adult ICU beds out of 658 total (9% availability) and 369 adult non-ICU beds out of 4,246 (9% availability).
“We’re in September, and our cases, our hospitalizations, our deaths are actually higher than they were last year. So I don’t think we should lower our guard. We should actually apply the tools that we have that we know work,” he said.
Peter Graven, analytics director of OSHU, said all cases are tipping downwards in Oregon, and breakthrough cases are just a small fraction of the total number for the state.
Texas
Parents in a conservative corner of Texas are turning one of Governor Greg Abbott’s “pro-life” mantras on its head, arguing in a federal lawsuit that his school mask policy is threatening the lives of their children.
The school district said in a statement that it couldn’t address specific claims while the case proceeds but that it “strongly disagrees that the students’ constitutional rights have been violated by leaving masks as an option for students and staff.”
The district “continues to work proactively and professionally with parents who have questions or concerns about Covid-related issues,” it said. “The vast majority of these concerns have been resolved without the need for litigation.”
On Wednesday, there were 45 COVID-19 patients at the Wyoming Medical Center and 43 at the Cheyenne Regional Medical Center. Four hospitals had no available intensive care unit beds on Wednesday. Three had only one ICU bed open. While ICU beds are not exclusively used to treat COVID-19 patients, when hospitals deal with surges in these patients, that can put a strain on their ability to care for other types of critical-needs patients.
More alarming is the growing number of pediatric patients. Wyoming has 37 hospitals and no dedicated children’s hospitals. Pediatric resources are already stretched to the limit in the state. Officials are concerned that the state will run out of resources and have limited options to transfer patients to other regions.
LaTulippe was recorded dismissing the importance of masks in a speech at a “Stop the Steal” rally in Salem on November 7, 2020.
“I hate to tell you this, I might scare you, but I and my staff, none of us, once wore a mask in my clinic,” he told the crowd, reported The Huffington Post. “And how many problems did we have in our clinic from that? Zero.”
The Oregon Medical Board issued an emergency revocation of his medical license in December 2020. On September 2, the board made a final order permanently revoking his license for “dishonorable or unprofessional conduct; repeated negligence in the practice of medicine; and gross negligence in the practice of medicine.” He was also fined $10,000.
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) Multiple sources reported to us today that the state of Washington is considering a plan to place renewed restrictions on gatherings within public indoor spaces, as hospitalizations reached a new record. There is some evidence that the growth of new cases may be slowing down, as more hospitals report they are running out of resources.
There are reports out of Washington D.C. that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine may receive full FDA approval next week. Trials for both the vaccine started more than a year ago, while the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was released later, requiring more data.
Bonadventure Senior Living is under fire after a recruiter for the company in Oregon posted a video on Tik Tok called for unvaccinated nurses to work for the eldercare company in Oregon, Washington, and Colorado. That story took a much darker turn today with new allegations of criminal activity.
Governor Inslee is considering setting capacity limits for indoor public venues, according to several people we spoke to today. The plan being considered would not return Washington state to the phases used during the spring of 2021 but would put limits on the number of people who can gather in one place in specific public settings. No specific date was given, but there were indications if the plan is implemented it would happen end of August or early September.
“Extremists may seek to exploit the emergence of COVID-19 variants by viewing the potential re-establishment of public health restrictions across the United States as a rationale to conduct attacks. Pandemic-related stressors have contributed to increased societal strains and tensions, driving several plots by domestic violent extremists, and they may contribute to more violence this year.”
The report did not mention any specific threats and is a broad assessment of the risk of terrorism, foreign or domestic, at a national level. A large anti-vaccination rally is planned to happen on Saturday in Olympia from noon to 3 PM.
Washington state COVID update
COVID continues to spread through Washington at levels not seen since December of 2020. Through August 12, the 14 day rolling average Washington grew again to 455.8 COVID cases per 100K. This breaks the record high that was set yesterday. The USA Today COVID Tracker indicated that on Thursday, Washington reported over 3,900 new COVID cases. New cases continue to grow exponentially, with the epidemiological curve showing signs that things are slowing.
Washington State Newly Diagnosed COVID Cases per 100K During the Prior Two Weeks Through August 12, 2021
The Washington State Department of Health reports a data backlog for test positivity, with the published number 14 days old. According to Johns Hopkins University Medicine, the positivity rate for the last 30 days is 11.69%, and over the previous 7 days, 12.69%. We continue to see widespread transmission in the state, with another small decrease in the 7-day average.
The 7-day moving average for COVID-related deaths has increased again to 8 per day and the USA Today COVID tracker reported 33 deaths in Washington state Thursday. It is important to note that fatalities are a trailing indicator that usually increases two to four weeks after hospitalizations begin growing. The growing number of fatalities would align with the spike in hospitalizations that started two weeks ago.
Are changes coming to the Evergreen State Fair?
In a KOMO News report, Jeremy Husby of Snohomish County Parks & Recreation expressed concern about the upcoming Evergreen Fair. Husby said that capacity limits were already in place, but they were expecting between 18,000 and 24,000 people to attend. According to the Washington State Department of Health, Snohomish County hospitals have reached the same utilization level as early 2021. “When we know we are at a capacity where we can’t not serve the public and we can’t provide a safe space,” Husby said. “We need to make that call to shut down the fair,” Husby told KOMO.
Bonadventure Senior Living
On Monday, TikTok user @thisdaneshguy reposted a recruiting video made by Bonadventure Senior Living employee Shanya Hall, which went viral. Bonadventure, based in Salem, Oregon, manages senior living facilities in Washington, Oregon, and Colorado. In the video, Hall says, “I just wanted to tell you that if you are a nurse, a caregiver, a tech, and you now need a new job because of this, hit me up. I’ll hire you. I need nurses, caregivers, med techs, in Washington, Colorado, and Oregon.”
When asked what she would say to families who are concerned about unvaccinated health workers caring for their family members, she said protecting residents is the number one priority for Bonaventure.
“I get being concerned or being scared but we are taking precautions,” she said. “We wouldn’t want to put anybody in the way of danger.”
In the same story, Jeremiah Gray, divisional director of operations at Bonaventure for Oregon, stated that they could not require vaccines for their staff because of an Oregon law. However, that was only partially true while the recruiting video was still on TikTok. On August 5, 2021, the Oregon Health Authority filed a final temporary rule requiring COVID-19 vaccination or weekly testing for individuals who work in healthcare settings.
In a since-deleted Facebook post, Gray responded to the TikTok video on the Bonadventure, defending the company, and again stating that they are prevented by Oregon law to require vaccinations. That point became moot, with the federal nursing home vaccine mandate issued earlier this week. Today, in another video posted on TikTok by @thisdaneshguy, the creator claims that multiple employees of Bonadventure have shared internal e-mails with him about directives made by the company that put residents and patients at risk. Among the claims made, eight current and former employees are accusing Bonadventure of falsifying federal issued COVID vaccination cards, including in Washington state. That information has been turned over to The Statesman Journal, which ran a deeper story about Bonadventure yesterday.
The University of Washington Medicine is allegedly denying organ transplants to patients who refuse to get a COVID vaccine. In an interview with Jason Rantz, Sam Allen of Monroe claims he was removed from the heart transplant waitlist for refusing to get the COVID vaccine. Allen claims he had a “dispute” with his cardiologist over wearing a mask, and then was called.
“The cardiologist called me and we had a discussion, and he informed me that, ‘well, you’re going to have to get a vaccination to get a transplant.’ And I said, ‘well that’s news to me. And nobody’s ever told me that before.’ And he says, ‘yeah, that’s our policy.”
Allen was removed from the waitlist on June 7. Although post-transplant organ rejections are less common, and the medications to prevent the condition have dramatically improved, organ transplant patients face a lifetime of being immunocompromised. University of Washington Medicine would not confirm if this was a policy or part of evaluating how viable an individual patient is for a transplant.
Former University of Washington wide receiver Lamarr Mitchell died of COVID after a 10-day battle. Lamarr was part of the 1991 Rose Bowl team and was described by his family as healthy and fit. He was unvaccinated and went from being on a ventilator to kidney failure in 24 hours. His family was called at 4 AM to come and say their final goodbyes but became stuck in traffic and did not get to the hospital in time. Lamarr’s parents are appealing for people to get vaccinated.
“We got to get the message out there we have to get the message out there; this is real. This is real,” she pleaded.
No promotional consideration has been given, or requested from the n95 project or any manufacturer of masks
Vaccination
There are multiple reports tonight that the Food and Drug Administration will issue full approval of the Pfizer COVID vaccine as early as Monday. Pfizer started Phase I trials of the COVID vaccine in May of 2020. Researchers used development efforts to create a vaccine for SARS and MERS as a foundation for the COVID vaccine. COVID or SARS-Cov-2 is similar to the original SARS strain, which appeared in 2003, and MERS which appeared in 2012.
Phase III trials were completed in November enabling the FDA to issue an emergency authorization for the vaccine. Distribution began on December 14, 2020, to tens of millions of Americans. Pfizer would be the first to receive full approval because it was the first vaccine to complete its trials in the United States.
Almost two million Washingtonians who are vaccine eligible remain unvaccinated. The group Find a COVID Shot WA can assist anyone who needs help making an appointment. The group of 75 volunteers has been operating since the beginning of 2021 and offers support in 20 languages.
King County, Washington is over 80% vaccinated, and Washington state is over 70%. The highest rates of positivity are in areas with low vaccination rates statewide. The FDA is expected to provide full approval to the Pfizer vaccine next month.
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.
On August 19, 86.4% of available adult staffed acute care beds in Washington state have patients. The data indicated there were 1,211 acute care beds available statewide and 210 in King County. The Northwest, South Central, and East Regions were over 80% utilization and the Central and West Regions are now over 90%. According to the Washington State Department of Health, there are 1,221 COVID patients in acute care, an increase of 16 since yesterday, which is 13.7% of all acute care patients.
Washington State Hospital Acute Care Beds Occupied by Patients – August 19, 2021
Statewide ICUs were 85.9% occupied with 171 staffed beds available, 52 located in King County. Although the number of COVID patients statewide in the ICU dropped to 327.
Washington State ICU Patients with COVID – August 19, 2021
Washington state continues to have a critical shortage of blood, with a less than 24 hour supply for five out of eight blood types. The situation has deteriorated since August 3. There will be a blood drive in Kirkland on August 30 and 31. We will publish additional details when they become available.
The West Region, which includes Tacoma, is down to 9 available ICU beds and the East Region, which includes Spokane, has 10 ICU beds available.
PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center in hard-hit Cowlitz County issued a statement on Facebook that the hospital, “is now at maximum capacity.” The facility appealed that, “only people who are experiencing true medical emergencies come to our E.R. for care.”
In another comment, PeaceHealth stated, “We are experiencing an exceptionally high number of caregivers unable to work due to COVID-19, and we have great concern that – as patient demand continues to surge – we will be faced with a corresponding increase in the number of caregivers unavailable to help.”
The hospital is no longer doing COVID testing and advised people to use urgent care facilities. People were suggesting other locations to get a COVID test but frustration was boiling over.
Barbara Anderson wrote, “The only urgent care center in Longview will not see u unless u are a current Peace Heath [sic] patients [sic]. Where should the rest go?”
The CDC issued a warning tonight for older adults, and people in high-risk groups not to take cruises, even if they are vaccinated. The new guidance applies to older adults, people with certain medical conditions and pregnant and recently pregnant people. Prior to Friday’s announcement, the agency recommended that only people who were not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 avoid cruise ships.
Alabama
Former President Donald Trump is holding a rally in Cullman, Alabama tomorrow, forcing the city to declare a COVID state of emergency. Alabama added 3,800 new COVID cases on Wednesday and the state ran out of ICU beds the day before. The declaration of the State of Emergency allowed the city to provide the additional personnel and equipment for this weekend’s political rally after it was requested by Cullman Regional Hospital, which is overwhelmed with patients.
Florida
The Sunshine State only releases COVID data once a week on Friday’s and the data indicates that it may be hitting its COVID peak. New cases were flat week over week for the first time in over two months. However many state residents are complaining they can’t get tested. Of the 150,118 new cases reported, 20,331 were children under 12 years old. Florida has 16,973 people hospitalized with COVID, a new record.
Pictures taken by Louie Lopez at a monoclonal antibody treatment center recently set up by Governor Ron DeSantis went viral late this week. The images show people lying on the floor, barely able to move or breathe, and moaning waiting for treatment. The lobby only had two chairs according to Lopez, and one patient laid on the floor for almost 30 minutes before someone came with a wheelchair. A spokesperson for the city confirmed that according to organizers at the site, the woman in the picture was waiting to be treated with Regeneron.
Mayor Buddy Dyer of Orlando appealed for residents to conserve water due to a shortage of oxygen. The Orlando Utility Commission treats the city’s water with liquid oxygen and supplies that ordinarily go toward water treatment have been diverted to hospitals for patients suffering from the virus, Mayor Dyer said.
“We acknowledge that the No. 1 priority for the liquid oxygen should be for hospitals,” Dyer said at a news conference.
The city-owned utility typically goes through 10 trucks of liquid oxygen a week but its supplier recently said that it would be cut back to five to seven trucks a week to accommodate hospitals, said Linda Ferrone, OUC’s chief customer, and marketing officer.
Hawaii
Yesterday we reported that hospitals on the island of Oahu were on the brink of having to implement disaster plans. City officials in Honolulu made a “disaster area” declaration today. At Queen’s West Hospital, a rush of new COVID patients overwhelmed the hospital, on top of many already waiting for beds in the emergency room. The City set up a disaster area and tents.
Hawaii also appealed for traveling nurses, with more than 500 expected to arrive next week. Honolulu having to potentially move to “black tag triage” is coming at the same time that flooding rains are expected this weekend.
Seventy-three Mississippi hospitals have asked for a combined 1,450 healthcare professionals to supplement their staff, as the state’s hospital system teeters on the brink of collapse. Efforts that are described as “last-ditch” to shore up the system included support from the federal government and building two field hospitals in a parking garage.
Mississippi State Department of Health Reported a sharp spike in calls to their Poison Control Center due to Ivermectin poisoning. State officials sent out a health alert warning to health care providers about the use of the horse dewormer. Although Ivermectin is used in humans to treat scabies, it is highly concentrated for livestock. At least 70% of the calls into poison control have been for Ivermectin poisoning.
There is no good news coming out of Oregon today. COVID hospitalizations have set a new record every day since August 10, in the Pacific Northwest State. In the last 30 days, cases have increased 500% putting the hospital system on the brink. Oregon is requesting outside help to come to the state including 35 physicians, 35 advanced practice providers, 300 registered nurses, 10 paramedics, and 100 respiratory therapists.
“A COVID-positive patient was in our Emergency Department, within our four walls, waiting for an open Intensive Care Unit bed to receive life-saving care. It had been several hours because other COVID-positive patients had filled those beds. Even after expanding ICU care onto other floors, there weren’t any beds available for this patient. We didn’t have enough. This patient died in the Emergency Department waiting for an Intensive Care Unit bed.”
Texas
Lt. Governor Dan Patrick blamed “Black Texas” for the surge of COVID in the Lonestar State. During an interview on Fox News Patrick said, “The Democrats like to blame Republicans,” Patrick said. “Well, the biggest groups in most states is African Americans who are not vaccinated. Last time I checked, over 90 percent of them vote for Democrats in their major cities and major counties.”
State officials previously were blaming undocumented immigrants for the spread of COVID in the state, but mostly backed away from the claim after the City of McAllen declared a state of emergency. Of the 586,000 undocumented immigrants processed in the city in the first seven months of 2021, 7,500 were COVID posted after testing – a rate under 2%. The state of Texas is at 19.8% positivity as of this Friday.
“We haven’t reached that critical moment yet where we’re unable to provide that care,” said Dr. James Black, medical director of emergency services at Albany’s Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital. “We’re doing everything we can to stay just ahead of that, but it’s a race and a race that most of us are losing.”
An ongoing piece of misinformation is the COVID vaccine has microchips in it. Typically the needle used to vaccinate an adult is 28 gauge and has an outer diameter of 1/3 of an mm. The inner diameter is about 1/6 of an mm (0.184 mm). That’s about thick enough to pass a human hair through with a touch of room to spare. The smallest 5G chip available today is about the size of your fingernail. That’s just the 5G chip, not the microprocessor to run it, not an antenna that can transmit through your body to the nearest 5G tower. It doesn’t include a power source and most critically, it doesn’t include having a heat sink or other way to regulate the temperature.
The RFID chips they inject into pets such as cats and dogs are about the size of a grain of rice. They provide no way to track, only identification with a scanner. The 12 gauge needle used to insert an RFID chip into a dog is almost 3 mm (and anyone who has had a large-bore IV can tell you, needles that big are very unpleasant). Additionally, they are passive RFID chips that don’t require a battery and are incapable of transmitting any data, let alone to a 5G cell tower.
[EVERETT, Wash] – (MTN) According to the family, charges stemming from a May 17 incident between an 11-year old child with significant autism and two Snohomish County Sheriff Deputies were dropped by prosecutors. The child, who we are not naming, was charged with two counts of assault 3. The police report never mentioned the child’s impairment and listed her as being 12 years old, not 11. In Washington state the age of culpability is 8 years old, however, the court must prove that a juvenile who is 8 to 11 years old is capable of understanding their actions and the potential consequences.
Last week we reported that an altercation with the child involving a school bus driver and an assistant resulted in a 911 call when she boarded the bus to go to school. When Snohomish County deputies arrived, the child was in the home with her mother, Lori Helmy. Deputies claim that the child charged at them, kicking one in the groin. The report says, “Due to [the child’s] size, it did not cause Deputy Watts to be immobilized.”
The report goes on to say the child struggled with both officers, called them “animals” and “pigs,” and said if she had a knife, “she would stab them with it.” The report adds, “Deputy Watts and Deputy Carson both did not have marks from the assault on them, but both had transient pain well after the incident.”
In addition to the questions raised about age of culpability per Washington law, medical records released to Malcontent News show the child has significant impairment due to autism.
A report from Northwest Neuropsychology Learning and Behavioral Services of Bellevue from February 25, 2020, concludes that there is a “significant issue with perceptual reasoning” and “significant sensory issues that include easily hyper aroused which triggers dysregulation.” The report further states that she is “severely impaired in all aspects of community living.”
Despite the police report having her stated age wrong and her established medical history, Snohomish County prosecutors initially moved forward with the felony charges.
[EVERETT, Wash] – (MTN) Snohomish County prosecutors have charged an 11-year old autistic girl with two felony counts of assault 3 after a May 17 incident in Everett. In a police report, officers claim that although they were no visible injuries to either officer, the child’s words and actions warranted the charges against her. Despite the child not being of the age of culpability in Washington, flaws in the police report, and documentation of significant mental impairment, prosecutors continued to move forward with the criminal charges. Malcontent News is not identifying the child by name because this is a juvenile case.
An altercation with the child involving a school bus driver and an assistant resulted in a 911 call when she boarded the bus to go to school. When Snohomish County deputies arrived, the child was in the home with her mother, Lori Helmy. Deputies claim that the child charged at them, kicking one in the groin. The report says, “Due to [the child’s] size, it did not cause Deputy Watts to be immobilized.”
The report goes on to say the child struggled with both officers, called them “animals” and “pigs,” and said if she had a knife, “she would stab them with it.” The report adds, “Deputy Watts and Deputy Carson both did not have marks from the assault on them, but both had transient pain well after the incident.”
“Watts said due to [the child’s] actions, he believed she would carry out the threat of stabbing the Deputies with it,” a deputy claims.
According to a report issued by the Snohomish County Sheriff, the justification for referring the child for criminal charges was, “Due to [the child] being 12 years old and her actions (verbal and physical) I believe she knew she was using unwanted force against both Deputies.” But there are significant problems with the case.
The child involved is 11 years old, not 12, and had only recently had her 11th birthday at the time of the incident. In Washington state, the age of culpability is eight years old per RCW 9A.04.050. In the section called People capable of committing crimes – Capability of Children, the law states, “Children under the age of eight years are incapable of committing crime. Children of eight and under twelve years of age are presumed to be incapable of committing crime, but this presumption may be removed by proof that they have sufficient capacity to understand the act or neglect, and to know that it was wrong.“
In the charging documents sent to the parent, the child’s birthday is correctly listed as April 12, 2010, making her 11 years old at the time of the incident. She is listed as 4’10” tall and weighing 115 pounds. Deputies claim they had significant challenges in restraining the child as she kicked and yelled at them.
At no time did she possess a knife or attack deputies with any physical item. The report does say that she grabbed keys at one point and claimed she would stab deputies. Her mother was able to restrain her per the police report, and the child relinquished the keys without contacting the officers or requiring their intervention. According to Ms. Helmy, deputies escalated the situation due to their conduct, would not listen to her advice on assisting her daughter, and ignored her statements that she is 11 years old.
In addition to the questions raised about age of culpability per Washington law, medical records released to Malcontent News show the child has significant impairment due to autism.
A report from Northwest Neuropsychology Learning and Behavioral Services of Bellevue from February 25, 2020, concludes that there is a “significant issue with perceptual reasoning” and “significant sensory issues that include easily hyper aroused which triggers dysregulation.” The report further states that she is “severely impaired in all aspects of community living.”
Despite the police report having her stated age wrong and her established medical history, Snohomish County prosecutors moved forward with the felony charges. The first hearing was scheduled for July 19, but the incident has put Ms. Helmy’s child into an emotional spiral, and the juvenile is currently hospitalized.
The court would only delay the initial hearing for two weeks, pending the child’s release from the hospital. At the time of publication, the public defender’s office has stated that a motion to dismiss is with the court.
Upon hearing the news from the public defender’s office, Ms. Helmy said, “Dropping charges is not good enough. Had my daughter known what she was doing, there would be real consequences. The cop knew what he was doing and there needs to be real consequences.”
According to Mental Health America, Washington state ranks 43rd in the nation for youth mental health while ranking number 3 (including the District of Columbia) for the number of mentally ill residents. According to the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, 58% of inmates in Washington state are in treatment for mental illness when they are incarcerated.
The Snohomish County Prosector’s Office and Snohomish County Sheriff Department did not respond to our request for a statement. At the time of publication, the child’s public defender had not provided any additional information.
[KIRKLAND] – (MTN) On May 4 Governor Jay Inslee announced a pause in Safe Washington reopening phases for all counties for 14 days as new cases for COVID plateaued, and while new cases have flatlined in some counties, the data hasn’t gotten much better. A new deadline is looming on May 16 for another evaluation and for Pierce County that could mean going back to Phase 1 without a change in the phase requirements.
In King County, new case numbers for COVID infections and acute care patients have drifted slightly lower to 242.9 per 100,000 and 6.0% of all acute care beds occupied caring for COVID patients. Both numbers are well above the requirements to remain in Phase 3 and ICU utilization, which isn’t a factor for the Safe Washington reopening, remains troubling high at 83.8%. King County would drop to Phase 2 based on today’s numbers.
Snohomish County is in better territory than a week ago. Although new cases have decreased slightly from a high of 238 per 100,000 to 225.0, the total number of acute care patients being treated for COVID has dropped to 4.1%. If Snohomish County can hold the line, they would stay in Phase 3.
Pierce County is the worst shape of the metropolitan area. Over 12% of acute care beds have COVID patients, and the rate of 364.1 new cases per 100,000 is almost unchanged from a week ago. Of greater concern, positivity continues to increase and is up to 13.3%. Positive test results this high indicate widespread community transmission and significant under testing. Additionally, ICU utilization has increased to 88% and 18.9% of all ICU patients are battling COVID.
It isn’t all bad news in Pierce County, where the number of people fully vaccinated has increased significantly to over 42%, essentially tied with Snohomish County.
But no Washington County can match Ferry County and the dramatic rise in vaccinations in the last 10 days. On April 30, when Ferry County voluntarily moved back to Phase 2 after a super spreader event tore through the county and the town of Republic, the rural county had the third-lowest vaccination rate in the state – less than 25%. Today, 47% of Ferry County residents are fully vaccinated. Although new COVID cases remain one of the highest in the country at 847 per 100,000, the positivity rate and ICU utilization numbers continue to improve.
No official announcement has been on the next Safe Washington evaluation, but it will likely be early next week.
[KIRKLAND] – (MTN) The latest data indicates that King County is on the bring of falling backward to Phase 2 when the state Department of Health does their next evaluation on May 2. New cases per 100,000 are up to 217.5 and hospitalizations are 4.8. To remain in Phase 3, new cases must be below 200 per 100,000 people and hospitalizations below 5.0. According to the Department of Health, 85.4% of all ICU beds are utilized in King County, 12.2% with COVID-19 patients.
Pierce County, which moved back to Phase 2 on April 16, has not made enough progress on reversing the trend in the county. Cases are at 217.3 per 100,000 and hospitalizations are 7.2. Snohomish County is also at risk of dropping to Phase 2 next week. Hospitalizations have more than doubled since last month and new cases are 205.0 per 100,000.
Moving to Phase 2 would drop occupancy of restaurants and other facilities to 25% and could potentially end spectators at sporting events at high school, college, and professional levels.
On Friday, Dr. Jeff Durchin of King County Health explained, “King County entered Phase 3 with the rest of Washington state on March 22, at a time when cases and hospitalizations were already on the rise. Since that time, our 7-day average case numbers have risen by 70 percent, and hospitalization rates have increased by 75 percent.”
King County dashboard for April 24, 2021, at 10:00 AM
State, county, and hospital officials all echoed the same observations. New cases are mostly COVID variants such as B.1.1.7 from the United Kingdom. A majority of hospitalized patients are in their 30s and 40s and are presenting with extreme illness. One area hospital is canceling elective surgeries due to its patient load.
Currently, 36% of all King County residents are fully immunized and 57% have received at least one dose. The National Institute of Health, CDC, and other federal officials have stopped talking about achieving herd immunity, taking a more muted position due to vaccination hesitancy. The number of people being vaccinated is slowing down, with hundreds of available appointments in South King County going unused late this week.
Among the Black population of Washington, only 47% have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine. Distrust in vaccination programs born out of historical medical experiments conducted by the government on Black populations has created distrust and fear.
King County can move the numbers in the right direction before the May 2 evaluation. Wearing masks even if vaccinated, limiting exposure to people, and sticking with to-go options for restaurants and alcoholic beverages can help lower the positivity rate.
[MARYSVILLE] Extracurricular activity can open doors for secondary education and help lay a foundation for continued growth. Online threats toward a target list of Black students in December 2020 have spilled over into ongoing hate speech and targeting through social media.
On December 14, 2020, in an Associated Student Body Junior Leadership virtual meeting, things took an ugly turn for Marysville Pilchuck High School students. Two students during a Zoom meeting stated, “let’s kill all Black people,” and then went on to identify several Black students by name in the call.
A criminal investigation followed, and Marysville police interviewed two impacted Black families. According to police and a press release from the NAACP, one family stated they did not want to pursue charges. The two students that made the statements received suspensions from school and transferred to a different facility.
On January 28, 2021, a different student came forward and provided images of Snapchat conversations. In one of the screenshots, one of the students involved in the December incident was brandishing a handgun with the caption, “killing minorities soon.” The student who reported this went on to state this wasn’t the first time this type of comment was made.
The Marysville School District released a statement saying in part, “[The Marysville School District] will absolutely not tolerate hateful, racist speech or actions. Our job is to denounce hate and intimidation where we work, create environments where students feel safe to learn, and hold students accountable for their words or actions consistent with the law.”
In a press release the Snohomish County NAACP wrote, “We call for the Marysville Police Department and the Snohomish County Prosecutor to pursue the issue as a hate crime and prosecute the perpetrators to the fullest extent the law allows.“
Marysville Pilchuck High School is no stranger to gun violence. On October 24, 2014, 15-year-old freshman Jaylen Fryberg shot five, killing four, before committing suicide in the school cafeteria. A year later, his father, Raymond Fryberg, was arrested and convicted for illegally purchasing the gun used in the mass shooting.
In December of 2018, the school was placed on lockdown after a group of students got into a brawl. There was a large police response and the campus was closed at 12:45 PM in that incident.
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