Though cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations are down significantly from where they were before the third wave of virus activity in autumn 2020, King County isn’t out of the woods yet. In a virtual press conference on March 5, Public Health – Seattle & King County’s Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin said that the case rate and hospitalization rate have plateaued, and that at least one viral variant, B.1.1.7, remains poised to become the predominant variant in the state and throughout the country, based on expert projections.
In early February, The Seattle Times published a report that provides a preliminary glimpse at who has had access to the first set of COVID vaccines that were doled out. As much as I want to tell myself that this is an incomplete picture and that the first set of vaccines is reflective of a strategy to inoculate first responders and medical personnel, I still feel that the preliminary rollout failed to address a key consideration. Namely, the disproportionate impact that the pandemic has had on people of color and economically marginalized folks.
This week’s “Weekend Reads” include a big, important breakthrough on protein folding, a look at how Washington nonprofits are responding to the COVID-19 crisis, and King County’s analysis of where people are being exposed to COVID-19.
In an online press conference on Friday December 4, Public Health — Seattle King County Health Officer Jeff Duchin announced that though case levels of COVID-19 in King County dipped slightly in the past week, the impact of activity during the Thanksgiving weekend isn’t yet visible, and infections continue to be at “concerning levels.” Hospitals are currently stretched thin and have canceled elective surgeries to prepare for a potential COVID-19 surge. Duchin also noted that because of uncertainty about a new federal stimulus package, the County is contemplating cuts in critical public health services if Congress fails to act.
Federico Olivas and Julian Perez are both dancers in the same folk group, Bailadores de Bronce, that celebrates Mexican traditions. They both work in healthcare. And in recent weeks, both survived COVID-19. For each of them, this past Thanksgiving included an extra helping of gratitude.
