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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

The latest weekly snapshot came out yesterday. The weekly snapshot looks at October 4-17, and shows cases per 100,000 at 99.8, up from 70.8 (that's similar to what we saw last week). The healthcare readiness metric of license beds occupied by patients has ticked up above our target. Percent positive is at 5.8%, also trending upwards.

And, looking at the second graph, October 11-24, we are at an almost all-time high of 121.9 cases/100,000.

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We can all take action to help fight the fall and winter surge of respiratory illnesses, particularly COVID-19. Mask up when around anyone who is not part of your household, stay home if you are ill, wash your hands, clean and sanitize the surfaces you touch most often, and avoid gatherings. If you are socializing with people you don’t live with, be sure to wear a mask, keep distance (six feet or more) from non-household members, and meet outside or in an area with good ventilation.

Voting News

We are in the midst of voting! Here is (kind of a lot, but I found it really interesting) information from our County Auditor's office about this election.

First, in our County, 36.1% of voters have returned their ballots, as compared to a 41.7% return rate statewide. Get your ballot dropped off/mailed now!

Voter Turnout

Snohomish County Elections anticipates an 80-90% turnout of registered voters. Snohomish County has approximately 500,000 registered voters. As a result, they anticipate receiving between 400,000 to 450,000 voted ballots.
Historically half of all ballots are returned prior to Election Day. The percentage of ballots returned by mail versus ballot drop box varies each election and has ranged from 45-65% of ballots returned through ballot drop boxes.

Voting Processes

This year’s ballot is 14” long and contains races and issues on both sides of the ballot.
Snohomish County and Washington state voters have been successfully voting by mail for the last 15 years. Vote-by-mail is a safe, secure method for voting. Snohomish County has a strong partnership with our local U.S. Postal Service officials, actively monitoring the mailing and return of ballots to ensure timely delivery.
Voters should act early this election to ensure:
o their ballot is returned on-time,
o they have plenty of time to resolve any signature issues that may occur,
o their votes are counted as part of the Election Night results, and
o lines at ballot drop boxes and accessible voting sites are kept to a minimum, keeping voters and election workers safe and healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

You can register to vote in person through election day during normal business hours of 9am to 5pm at the Snohomish County Auditor’s Office, 3000 Rockefeller Ave, Everett. You can also register a bit closer to Mukilteo on October 31 10am-4pm, Monday November 2 8:30am-6pm and on Election Day, November 3 8:30am-8pm at the Alderwood Water and Wastewater District, 3626 156th St SW, Lynnwood, WA 98087 (that's also a place where voters with disabilities can vote in person using assistive voting equipment, during those same times).

November 3rd at 8pm is also the deadline for getting your ballot into a dropbox (you can use any dropbox in the State- it will make its way to the appropriate County). If you're postmarking it, keep in mind mailbox pick-up times (and no postage is needed).

If your signature gets questioned by Elections staff, you will be notified (if you have an up to date contact method attached to your registration or if you write your phone or email on the outside of your ballot). You'll have until November 23 by 5pm to get it resolved.

Ballot Processes and Counting

Snohomish County is operating a ballot processing center for the 2020 Presidential Election (the Presidential Remote Election Site (PRES)). Ballot processing began last week, Monday, October 19. Ballots are processed in the order as they arrive. The earlier voters send in their ballots, the earlier their ballots are readied for tabulation on Election Night.
Employees that participate in Elections processes receive training specific to their assigned tasks. In addition, employees assigned to signature checking receive training from the Washington State Patrol on the signature comparison process. Employees also take an oath to perform their duties in conformance with the constitution and election law.
Every ballot returned will have the signature on the outside of the envelope matched against the voter’s signature on file in our voter registration system. A positive match must occur for the ballot to be further processed and ultimately counted. Once a positive signature match is confirmed, the ballot is removed from the outer envelope in a manner which preserves voter privacy. The ballot is then scanned to capture the marks made in each race or ballot measure. The ballot scanning process does not tabulate any votes on the ballot.
Once the ballot is scanned, ballot images are reviewed for marks that were not captured properly as votes. These marks are adjudicated by a team of two staff people following rules detailed in Washington State’s Voter Intent Guide. All counties in Washington State use the same Voter Intent Guide, ensuring uniform interpretations of voter marks across the State.
Election results cannot be tabulated or released until 8pm Election Night (that's basically when they hit GO, while we all hit "refresh" on the State's website, waiting for returns! At least, that's how I spend most election nights).

Testing, Auditing and Security

All vote counting equipment used in Snohomish County is tested by a federally accredited testing lab and is certified for use by the Washington State Secretary of State’s Office. The vote counting equipment and technical environment is isolated and air-gapped from all other networks. The vote counting equipment does not contain any wireless connections and is not connected to the internet or other networks.
Prior to each election, the equipment is tested to ensure it is properly functioning. Additionally, a public logic and accuracy test witnessed by a representative of the Secretary of State’s Office is performed to demonstrate that the equipment has been properly programmed and is accurately counting ballots and votes.

Election Certification

Election results for state and local races are unofficial until certified by Snohomish County and the Washington State Secretary of State. Election certification at the County will occur on Tuesday, Nov. 24. The State is scheduled to certify by Thursday, Dec. 3. The County certification is performed by a three-person Canvassing Board whose membership is established by state law. Snohomish County’s Canvassing Board for the Presidential General Election is County Auditor Garth Fell, County Councilmember Sam Low and County Prosecuting Attorney Adam Cornell.
Once the State certifies its results, the Presidential Electoral process is triggered. Washington State sends 12 electors from the winning presidential ticket to meet on December 14 to cast their votes for the nominees. The votes will be sent to the President of the U.S. Senate and National Archives. Congress will meet on January 6, 2021 to count the votes and announce the results.

Resources

For voter assistance, contact Snohomish County Elections at 425-388-3444, Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm.
Online Resources:
Votewa.gov– personalized voter information including candidate statements and ballots status
www.snoco.org/elections - election information such as the voters’ pamphlet, sample ballots and election results
• Election results are also posted to the Washington State Secretary of State’s webpage at sos.wa.gov/elections. The Secretary of State’s results include counts from all counties and contain combined results for multi-county races.

Local News

Flu vaccine now available for uninsured adults at no cost

The state Department of Health is collaborating with Safeway Inc. and Albertsons Companies LLC to offer no-cost influenza (flu) vaccination for uninsured adults over the age of 18 to help prevent flu illness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health officials are concerned that the presence of both viruses could put more people in the hospital and strain Washington’s health care system.
Twenty-three Albertsons and Safeway pharmacies across the state will offer flu vaccine free of charge through June 2021 to uninsured adults (find the list here- the Safeway at 41st and Rucker is probably our closest option). The pharmacies will not charge an administration fee, and no proof of residency or immigration status will be required.

Volunteers and donations needed for Cold Weather Shelters across Snohomish County

Cold temperatures are starting to roll in and cold weather shelters across Snohomish County are preparing to shelter those that need a warm place to sleep. If you would like to volunteer or donate to any of the Snohomish County Cold Weather Shelters, visit www.snohd.org/cold for more information.

Keep Masks Clean

A reminder about keeping your masks washed and taken care of!

COVID News

Though somewhat limited (only Facebook users), this survey makes a strong case for why it's important to wear masks (and do other social distancing measures). Washington Post

So far, schools do not seem to be stoking community transmission of the coronavirus, according to data emerging from random testing in the United States and Britain. New York Times

Vaccine Studies Resume

Two major studies of Covid-19 vaccines — from AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson — are set to resume after being paused for safety concerns. AstraZeneca stopped administering its vaccine to volunteers at the beginning of September after a participant developed neurological symptoms, while the J&J study was paused earlier this month after a participant had a stroke. Independent experts reviewed data from the trials and cleared them to restart.

FDA approves first treatment for COVID-19

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the antiviral drug Veklury (remdesivir) for use in adult and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older and weighing at least 40 kilograms (about 88 pounds) for the treatment of COVID-19 requiring hospitalization. Veklury should only be administered in a hospital or in a healthcare setting capable of providing acute care comparable to inpatient hospital care.

Other News

Last week, OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma has agreed to plead guilty to three felonies, and to dissolve the company and pay $8 billion in damages as a result of its part in creating America's opioid epidemic. Locally, the founder of Hope Soldiers, Lindsey Arrington (and our Executive Assistant at the City!) spoke to King5 about her feelings after the court judgement.
According to the Associated Press, New York University (where I attended college) plans to remove the Sackler name from their graduate medical building following the Purdue Pharma guilty plea. The Sackler family founded Purdue Pharma.

State Guidance Updates

Inspiration and Diversions

This is a short, but sweet article about a man named Tom Pritchard, or Moose Mazaraka, depending on who you speak to. I had never heard of him, but this article gives a great sense of who he was. He was larger than life and, as the article says, a real Forrest Gump type. It's framed around his bicycle, but he had a wild and wide-ranging life! Read this if you’re looking for something a little bittersweet.

Very hopeful and kind story: "My daughter’s remote kindergarten teacher taught me to be a better mom"

And,an adorable story about a 90-year-old woman who spends her days watching a neighboring rooftop. As the Washington Post reports, Tessa Sollom Williams, whose eighth-floor apartment faces the gym, watches the workouts on their rooftop from her window. Her spectating begins around 7 a.m., to coincide with the first class, and typically continues — often with a cup of tea — until the final workout session ends at 7 p.m. Occasionally, she tries to emulate the moves.
“I see them doing such hard exercises. My goodness me!” said Sollom Williams, who was born in London and in her youth was a professional ballerina for 15 years. This is a great story, makes me want to wave hello more often when I'm walking or biking past the Harbour Pointe Senior Living building.

Reminder below about the Halloween Drive-Thru Event at Lighthouse Park

Trick or Treat Flyer1

Just a reminder! Drive-Thru Trick or Treat on Halloween 1-3pm at Lighthouse Park

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 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, whenever that might be.

For more information on city facilities, see this link.

Case Count

Current case count is 175 confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases identified in Mukilteo (2 new cases), and 135 individuals who are recovered.

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

General Resource Links

City of Mukilteo COVID-19 page

Snohomish Health District
Washington State Department of Health
Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
COVID-19 Testing Guidelines from Public Health – Seattle & King County
Find information in other languages
Washington State COVID-19 Response
Snohomish County COVID-19 Phone Line: 425-388-3944
Línea telefónica COVID-19 del condado de Snohomish: 425-388-7120
Washington State COVID-19 Hotline: Call 1-800-525-0127 or text 211-211 for help

What to do if you are sick: CDC Resources

 
   
 
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