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Here is your Mayor's update, some COVID-19 information, some other useful information! Please forward as widely as you would like.
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Today, We Are In Phase 2

There was a small uptick in cases per 100,000, but generally the trend in new cases has been in the right direction. If that uptick is because we have begun to get comfortable again.... wearing masks and following the phase guidance is the way to get back to work and get schools reopened.

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September 11 Commemoration

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Today we commemorate the anniversary of 9/11, and honor the men, women, and children killed in the attacks at the World Trade Center site, the Pentagon, and aboard Flight 93. Our lives changed forever 19 years ago today. We also remember the people of service, military, fire, EMT, medical, law enforcement, volunteers, etc. who sacrificed themselves to save lives. The 9/11 Memorial & Museum is holding the 19th anniversary ceremony here, for those who wish to view at this link.

The author of The Only Plane in the Sky, journalist Garrett Graff, is tweeting quotes from Americans as they experienced September 11th. It's moving to read just those words and think about the events behind them, I recommend it if you feel up to it. Link here.

Transit Service Changes

Starting on Sunday, September 20th, Community Transit will be enacting new service changes. The full summary is here. In Mukilteo:

Route 113 (our local neighborhood route)
* During peak morning and afternoon times, trips will be every 30 minutes
* Trips will be every 60 minutes during off peak times.
* On Sundays, the southbound 9 p.m. trip departing Alderwood Mall has been restored.
* On weekdays, the last northbound trip departing Lynnwood Transit Center/Bay 3 will leave at 10 p.m.

Route 417 (commute route to downtown Seattle)
* Restores trips from original March 2020 service: 2 southbound trips, 1 northbound trip
* Trips are adjusted to serve the new transit station at the new Mukilteo Ferry Terminal

Route 880 (commute route to UW)
* 1 southbound trip restored and 3 northbound trips restored
* Southbound trip schedules adjusted for service at new Mukilteo Ferry Terminal

Public Health Volunteer Opportunity

Have you found yourself more interested in public health than ever before? The Health District is forming a Public Health Foundation and looking for new board members. Desired skill sets of new board members include:
* Have a solid understanding of current and potential public health issues in and around Snohomish County.
* Know how a nonprofit organization functions, including budgets and funding matters.
* Possess strong communication skills for outreach and networking needed to secure funding for local health priorities.
* Ability to advocate about complex public policy issues and the value of public health.
* Committed to ensuring the success and sustainability of the foundation and public health programs in Snohomish County.
Learn more here.

COVID Vaccine News

The first vaccine to run into an operational concern appears to be the AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccine. The study, which only recently began enrolling 30,000 volunteers in the United States for its Phase 3 trial, has been placed on hold while the company evaluates a single serious adverse event of transverse myelitis (New York Times) — an inflammatory condition of the spinal cord (StatNews). This event issimilar to Guillain-Barré syndrome, which was triggered by the swine flu vaccine of 1976. As noted by my medical info source, the editor of the Association of American Medical Colleges list, the situation highlights the concern that some of these vaccines may have unanticipated and uncommon side effects that could become a problem when moving them into wide distribution, and that approving vaccines without adequate safety data could be problematic.

Although the FDA usually approves vaccines, you might have seen the news that nine vaccine companies agreed to wait until there is adequate evidence that their vaccine is both safe and effective before they submit for regulatory approval: StatNews. Because vaccine manufacturers are concerned that the FDA is perceived to be falling short of its obligations, the companies agreed to work against short-term self-interest and toward longer-term trust-building in order to improve the trust of the public in the new COVID-19 vaccines — and, for that matter, other vaccines.

Pfizer has enrolled about 23,000 people for its Phase 3 coronavirus vaccine trial so far. The company reports that initial results could be ready as early as late October, and if they are positive, Pfizer will ask the FDA to authorize the vaccine right away. That's a quick turn, so they won't necessarily know how long the immunity will last if that gets released.

The Russian government published the results of the two adenovirus-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccine trials that led to approval of their vaccine (Lancet). The Russian government decided to approve this vaccine after it passed Phase 1/2 testing stages — meaning that safety has only been demonstrated in fewer than 80 volunteers and that it is not yet known if it is clinically effective.

STATNews: ‘An Unchartered Situation for All of Us’: From Shipping Containers to Security Concerns, a COVID-19 Vaccine Supply Chain Takes Shape

Washington Post: The CDC, Department of Defense, and other agencies have been working with California, Florida, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to create “plans to transport and store vaccine and prioritize who will get the first doses,” possibly by this fall. The plans, which will consider local racial and ethnic distribution, will be shared with other states to help them do the same. Two top issues are the lack of -70 degrees Celsius freezers required to store some vaccine candidates and the need to create a plan to identify priority populations.

COVID News

New York Times walks through how the aging immune system makes people over 80 more vulnerable to COVID.

New data compiled by the Color of Coronavirus project show COVID-19-related death rates in the United States are rising more steeply for racial and ethnic minorities than for White people. During the last two weeks of August, per capita deaths rose from 80 to 88 per 100,000 population for Black Americans and from 46 to 54 per 100,000 for Latinx Americans, while it rose from 36 to 40 per 100,000 for White Americans.

Get Your Flu Shot!

It's very important that we all get our flu shot by mid-October. Don't delay! In Mukilteo, Walgreens offers them 9am-9pm weekdays and 10am-6pm on weekends. You can get it by appointment (schedule one here) or just walk in. Rite-Aid is open for walk-ins, and is open 9am-9pm weekdays and 9am-6pm on Saturday and 10am-6pm on Sunday.
If you don't have insurance, the cost is $40, but you can also ask the pharmacy manager if they have any vouchers to cover the cost.

State Guidance Updates

Inspiration and Diversions

Tulalip Tribes' beautiful Hibulb Cultural Center has an exhibit that runs only through the end of the month on Tulalip Literacy, which features the Point Elliott Treaty which was signed in Mukilteo in 1855. Washington State's Governor's Office of Tribal Affairs shares the full text of the treaty here.This is the first time the treaty document has left the National Archives, and it was transported in February via armored car on a route kept secret from all involved (Herald coverage).
Tulalip News has a great article about the details and significance of the signing of the treaty. They write: "According to the historical record, 4,992 native people took part in the negotiation of the Point Elliott Treaty in 1855. The Governor of Washington Territory, Isaac Stevens, had sent word to the Indians of northern Puget Sound that he would meet with them towards the end of January to discuss a treaty of friendship. By mid-January, Snohomish and Snoqualmie people began gathering at Point Elliott. As others arrived – Swinomish, Lummi, Duwamish, and so on – the Snohomish and Snoqualmie people lined up on the beach to greet them. Years later Tulalip tribal elder William Shelton would recall that the people who traveled to Point Elliott in 1855 went with hearts open to the whites and with full confidence that they would be allowed to get food and would not starve. “My father was present at the treaty signing,” said Shelton. “He often has told me about the pow-wow – the negotiations, which had to be done through two interpreters. One translated the white man’s language into Chinook jargon and another interpreter translated the jargon into the various tribal languages.” Since Chinook jargon, a sort of code language used originally by fur traders, consisted of only about 50 words, the process was guaranteed to be hopelessly unsatisfactory, but that did not concern Governor Stevens.
The tribes gave up many rights, and vast acres of Puget Sound land, in exchange for $150,000 (paid over 20 years, and generally through traded services). They retained hunting and fishing rights and a certain amount of self-governance.

Take advantage of this very unique opportunity and go see it. Admission is $10 and they are open 10am-5pm weekdays and 12pm-5pm weekends (closed Mondays).

City Information

Lighthouse Park, Edgewater Beach and 92nd Street Park reopened on May 5. Bathrooms are open only at Lighthouse Park 7am-7pm. Playgrounds are now open, with warnings about cleaning schedules and advise to use at your own risk posted.

Trails and sidewalks continue to be open for your physical activity! Please respect physical distance of six feet, and put your face covering on as you pass others.

All City Facilities closure: City operations will continue via primarily phone, email and online. The public is encouraged to call (425) 263-8000 for assistance with City services or visit our website at www.mukilteowa.gov. Government services are not slated to reopen until Phase 3 of the new reopening plan, which is mid-June at the earliest.

For more information on city facilities, see this link.

Case Count

Current case count is 120 confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases identified in Mukilteo (6 new cases), and 106 individuals who are recovered (6 new recoveries).

County and city case counts are available at this link, updated each weekday at 2pm.

General Resource Links

 
   
 
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