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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DOH offers some good advice for Washington residents at this difficult time, including: “Practice compassion. According to Johns Hopkins University, as of October 22, 91,055 people in China have been diagnosed with COVID-19. More people in Washington state have had COVID-19 than in all of China. If this feels like a hard time, that’s because it is.”

Lane Closure Near Ferry Ticket Booths

The right southbound lane on SR-525, between Front and 2nd Streets (just above the railroad tracks) will be closed from 8am to 4pm next week from November 2nd through the 6th. The closure allows the installation of rotating flashing beacons, so pedestrians walking on the east side of SR-525 can cross to the west side of the road near 2nd Street. This is a mitigation measure to help us all get through the construction of the new intersection and access to the ferry terminal at this site, through the first half of next year.

Other Interesting Data Dashboards

Here are a few other resources to bookmark if you are interested:
• State Department of Commerce Economic Recovery Dashboard - employment, retail sales, consumer behavior
• State Employment Security Department Data Homepage - employment data by county and by sector.
• OSPI School District Status - indicates remote, hybrid, or in-person schooling by district.

Inslee announces Western states will review vaccines together

Gov. Jay Inslee announced that Washington is joining other western states to review the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines when approved by the FDA. This is an added layer of independent expert review that will help build confidence in the vaccine.
This panel of experts, begun by California Gov. Newsom last week, will expand with representatives from Washington, Oregon and Nevada.
"The FDA has made public information about the data required for authorizing a vaccine. That, combined with two independent federal groups, and our own Western States review process, should give the public pretty high confidence on the safety and efficacy of a COVID-19 vaccine," Inslee said. New York has done the same for their state, in addition to these four states.

$2 million in COVID relief grants now open for nonprofits

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken an unprecedented toll on nonprofit organizations, with many experiencing increased demand for services and programs while at the same time dealing with disruption of services and programs, cancellation of contracts, funding losses due to canceled fundraisers, reduced donations and other issues affecting staff and volunteer capacity. The impacts are particularly hard on nonprofits led by and serving Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) communities.
The Washington State Department of Commerce is partnering with Philanthropy Northwest to provide $2 million of relief funding from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act with a focus on community-based nonprofits and Tribal organizations most impacted by COVID-19.
Grant applications are due by Nov. 6, 2020. Find all information and application materials here.
Technical or translation assistance for this grant can be provided by contacting community.outreach@commerce.wa.gov. Commerce’s outreach team will help connect you to someone with assistance.
An online information session will be held in English via Zoom tonight, Thursday, October 29, 7-8 pm. Zoom conference link is here..
Zoom meeting ID: 898 8060 1482
Via phone at 1-253-215-8782
Philanthropy NW will award grants between $25,000 and $50,000, based on the organization’s need. Priority consideration will be given to programs that serve economically vulnerable areas especially in rural, remote and Tribal communities and whose leaders are reflective of the populations they serve. Small organizations and those serving unincorporated areas are encouraged to apply.

Gates-funded UW study shows hydroxychloroquine doesn’t prevent COVID-19- Seattle Times

Transit systems across the globe face a Covid reckoning (Politico): this does not focus on riding transit during COVID, but rather the financial crisis brought on by a year of limited ridership, increased telework and an uncertain future.

As virus cases spike, calls for a nationwide mask mandate accelerate- Boston Globe

Medicare and Medicaid to cover early Covid vaccine. Politico

Thirteen people were infected during a 7.5-hour flight that was only 17% occupied(49 of 283 seats filled) with 12 crew members. The 13 infected people subsequently infected 46 more people across Ireland. The outbreak occurred despite wearing masks.

There has been a substantial increase in mortality for adults 25-44 years old during 2020. The most obvious cause for the excess mortality is COVID-19, but an analysis of death records published as a preprint in MedRxiv also considered drug overdoses. From March 1 to July 31, there were 74,027 all-cause deaths in that age group — 14,155 more than during the same time in 2019, which is a 23% relative increase. The authors found that 28.7% of the excess deaths were attributed to COVID-19, and they speculated that inadequate testing for SARS-CoV-2 may partially explain the gap between the total number of excess deaths and those attributed to COVID-19.

A multi-institutional consortium of researchers evaluated the amount of time required for patients to receive COVID-19 testing results. In order to be useful and actionable, testing results should be available to patients relatively quickly. The authors polled 52,329 individuals across the country. While the time to notification of a positive result was an average of 4.4 days in April and 2.7 days in September, 35% of respondents had to wait at least three days during the August and September wave. An additional problem was that the typical patient waited 2.5 days between deciding they needed a test and actually being able to obtain it. Only 56% of people with positive results reported that they had been contacted by contact tracers.

Hospitals Are Reeling Under a 46 Percent Spike in Covid-19 Patients:
The number of people hospitalized with the coronavirus has climbed significantly from a month ago, straining cities that have fewer resources to weather the surges.

Other News

Why food allergies are on the rise- BBC

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is now recommending that people be screened for colorectal cancer starting at age 45 — five years earlier than the previous recommendation of 50 — in an effort to combat the growing rate of the illness among younger people.

All guidance can be found here.

King County guidance on what to do when an employee is diagnosed with COVID-19.

Getting to Safe Toolkit for Businesses

Express yourself in a different way this Election Night by joining Kennedy Center Education Artist-in-Residence Mo Willems and musicians from the National Symphony Orchestra for DEMOCRACY DOODLE 2020! Find some paper, markers, and loved ones and join them here on Tuesday, November 3rd at 7pm ET for DEMOCRACY DOODLE 2020. (4pm our time sounds like a stressful time for all who are following the election. This sounded like a nice escape!)

I'm not crying, you're crying: "A Michigan teacher was giving a virtual lesson when she heard a student's grandma slur her words. What she did next saved a life." --CNN

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.

Current case count is 177 confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases identified in Mukilteo (2 new cases), and 136 individuals who are recovered (1 new recovery).

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