City of Mukilteo COVID Update 2020 805

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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The County saw a slight decline in COVID cases in the last two week period (down to 97.2, see the chart below). When this metric approaches or exceeds 100, sustained and widespread community-based transmission is occurring.

From the Health District's notes for clinicians: "We are well into the second of what could be multiple forthcoming waves in the coming year or two. Geographically, all parts of the county are affected but the I-5/I-99 corridor from Everett down to Lynnwood remains the focus of most intense transmission."
60% of recent cases are in the 15-39 y/o age group. Only about 5% are >70 years of age (roughly half of what we saw earlier in the pandemic).

At the current time, a gathering of 10 people in Snohomish County currently carries an estimated risk of 5-10% that one or more infected people will attend. If the gathering is 25, the risk increases to 12-23%.

Give blood Thursday at Rosehill Community Center! Sign up required, here's the link.

Remember to wear masks! This video (on Facebook) from the University of Washington helps explain why it matters. Click the image to view (and share it to your page!).

The Snohomish Health District will continue drive-thru testing this week at McCollum Park, 600 128th St. SE in Everett. Appointments are required- this link has more information.

A good news story- Maple Valley teenager Gia was found, after a valiant effort from Search and Rescue: "on Saturday afternoon, after over a week of searching, one of the Snohomish County Search and Rescue (SAR) deputies located Gia. “Mountain Rescue volunteers located her clothes and some belongings, so I went to that location and tried to find foot tracks,“ said the deputy. “I said to myself dang it, I’m going to find her. And I tried to get in her head and think what she would do and what direction she would go, and it led me right to her.”" Here's the Q13 news story.

Here are the resources I turn to, if you are looking for data:

Snohomish Health District

State Department of Health Dashboard

Event Risk Attendance Tool (your risk of attending gatherings)

Worldometer Coronvirus Data

The Washington State Department of Commerce is distributing approximately $100 million in state Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding through its existing network of homeless services grantees and organizations serving homeless youth to operate a new rent assistance program launched Aug. 1. The program will focus on preventing evictions by paying up to three months of past due, current and future rent to landlords for eligible participants. The program ends December 31, 2020.

A survey recently showed 17% of renters in Washington state missed their July rent payment. Since February, state’s employment has declined 12% – over twice that of the worst point in the Great Recession – and use of basic food assistance programs has increased by 15%.

Funding is expected to begin making its way into communities late this week. Cocoon House is the local provider for young adults ages 18-24, and Snohomish County's Office of Community and Homeless Services is the provider for adults and families.

The local non-profit, Clothes for Kids, empowers students through clothes. Last year, over 4,500 Snohomish County low-income children were served by Clothes for Kids. Clothes for Kids is available to any child who attends school in Snohomish County or the Northshore School District (Head Start/ECEAP through 12th grade).
Back-to-school clothing distribution at Clothes For Kids, located in Lynnwood, will begin on August 3, 2020:
• Opening day for school shopping: Monday, Aug. 3, 2020  
• School shopping hours available from 9am to 12pm on the following Saturdays: Aug. 15th, Aug. 29th, Sept. 12th, Sept. 26th, Oct. 17th, Nov. 14th, Jan. 23rd, Feb. 20th. 
• Last day of school shopping this school year: March 26, 2021.  
To ensure safety, Clothes for Kids has adopted a new appointment system, which will provide each family space to maintain social distancing while picking out clothing. Interested families can request an appointment by filling out a form for each student in their household. In addition, Clothes for Kids is offering a take-out style option where volunteers will pull clothing for students and set a time for the family to pick the clothing up within one week.
Questions? Please email: office@clothesforkids.org or call 425-741-6500. For more information or to sign up please visit Clothes for Kids webpage.

Energy Assistance:
Beginning August 3, 2020, the Snohomish County Energy Assistance Program is accepting applications from clients who currently have no heat. All other clients will need to check back in October for an update.
For new applicants with no heat, please call (425) 388-3880 and leave your full name, address, and phone number. The Energy Assistance team will mail an application after confirming your heat is disconnected.
New or current customers who have received an overdue bill and/or disconnect notice, please contact your utility provider to discuss payment options. The Governor has extended the suspension of utility shutoffs through October 15.

Unemployment News:
Job search requirements for unemployment suspended through Sept. 1
The governor, with support from the Legislature, has announced that job search requirements will remain suspended through Sept. 1. This means the soonest claimants will be required to actively seek work is Sept. 6.
Washingtonians can continue to answer “no” to the job search question on weekly claims until the suspension is lifted.

It takes 5-10 minutes! The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) launched the Community Recovery-Oriented Needs Assessment, or the CORONA survey. The survey is an effort to assess the behavioral, economic, social, and emotional impacts and the needs of communities across the state as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.
The CORONA survey results will inform immediate, long-term, and ongoing actions that DOH and local health jurisdictions can take to address the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on Washingtonians. Access the survey here.

Wildfire smoke is unhealthy for everyone, especially at this time. Wildfire smoke this summer may create additional risk for people with COVID-19 and worsening of symptoms for people with COVID-19. Children, pregnant women, people over 65 years of age, or who have a respiratory disease or illness, heart disease, or diabetes are most vulnerable.
For information on preparing yourself, your home and your family for wildfire season, please see this information from the State.

Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers and Snohomish Health District’s Acting Director of Prevention Services Katie Curtis provided an update to the county’s response to COVID-19. Topics included economic recovery efforts, the need to avoid crowding in parks, case counts, and the teams at the Health District that are helping respond to specific sectors like schools and high-risk populations during this pandemic. You can skim the transcript here or watch the recording here.

A new report from the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) helps illustrate which types of businesses and facilities experience the most COVID-19 outbreak activity. These data are aggregated from all counties that report data to DOH, and the report contains both healthcare and non-healthcare related data.
A total of 411 non-healthcare associated COVID-19 outbreaks have been reported.
459 long-term care facility (LTCF) COVID-19 outbreaks have been reported in settings including nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and adult family homes.
A total of 53 non-long-term care healthcare associated COVID-19 outbreaks have been reported in settings including hospitals, outpatient settings (dental clinics, etc.), behavioral health facilities, supported living facilities, home healthcare, dialysis centers, and independent senior living facilities.

The coronavirus pandemic has challenged an HVAC industry suddenly asked to help ensure the air in offices, stores and other buildings is safe for occupants. Given the cost of completely replacing HVAC systems can run $100,000 to $500,000 for smaller buildings and into the millions for bigger ones, specialists are instead finding creative ways of improving what’s already there: Seattle Times.

White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said on Sunday that the U.S. is in a "new phase" of the pandemic, urging people to follow public health guidance as cases continue to climb in many parts of the United States: NPR.

Governor Inslee released new updates to fitness center operations (available here). These updates clarify when facial coverings are required in indoor fitness facilities, and allow for fitness and sports training other than group fitness classes. There are also changes to calculation of occupancy limits for large facilities.

All guidance can be found here.

The WSU Beach Watchers invite you to discover Mukilteo Lighthouse Park through a free virtual scavenger hunt! Learn about the marine ecology of the Puget Sound and history of the park. Just download the free GooseChase app (search your phone's app store), then click on Search for Games, and search for "Discover Mukilteo Lighthouse Park." Join one of three teams based on where you live, and do missions to score points! This scavenger hunt is open all month, through Labor Day.

If you Google “askew” or “tilt”, Google will shift your world (screen) ever so slightly to the left.

Lighthouse Park, Edgewater Beach and 92nd Street Park reopened on May 5. Bathrooms are open only at Lighthouse Park 7am-7pm. Playgrounds remain closed until either Phase 3 or when we have full staffing and ability to clean daily.

Trails and sidewalks continue to be open for your physical activity! Please respect physical distance of six feet.

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.