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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For reference, these are our current protocols, in place since November 16, through January 4.

The latest counts by zip code shows Mukilteo in the 200-299/100,000 range. In the map from early November (on the right), we were in the 100-199 range. This matters because of how quick these outbreaks can grow- because COVID-19 is highly infectious, one infection can quickly grow into an outbreak that could shutter a community.

The state released their new statewide situation report today. COVID-19 continued to spread at a rapid pace throughout the state through mid-November. The best estimates of the number of new people each COVID-19 patient will infect was 1.44 in western Washington as of November 15. The goal is a number well below one, which would mean COVID-19 transmission is declining.
Cases, hospitalizations and deaths continued to increase sharply since the last situation report. The seven-day rolling average case count in western Washington was more than eight times higher on November 20 than September 12.
If hospital admissions continue to grow, we could see hospital occupancy double every two weeks. Washington hospitals have already reduced non-urgent procedures to increase capacity, and ability to create further capacity may be limited. It’s not yet clear whether we are beginning to see a leveling off of hospital admissions or if exponential growth will continue.

It's not too late to get your flu shot

This week is National Influenza Vaccination Week, and the Snohomish Health District wants to remind people that it is not too late to get vaccinated against influenza. It’s important for everyone to get a flu vaccine this year — especially people living with certain chronic conditions like heart disease, asthma or diabetes, who are at higher risk of developing serious flu complications. Flu vaccination can reduce the burden of flu illnesses on our medical systems so they can focus on patients with COVID-19. Make a plan to get vaccinated if you haven’t already.

Making Sense of Vaccines During COVID-19

What do we need to know about vaccines? With highly anticipated COVID-19 vaccines on their way, Washington’s leading experts are hosting a conversation to bring you the scientific facts next Tuesday the 15th at 5pm. This live conversation will dig into how vaccines work, how they’re usually developed, and what is the same or different about the proposed COVID-19 vaccine. Researchers from Fred Hutch will talk about their participation in Phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine trials, while leading physicians will answer the “most-asked” vaccine questions they hear every day. Register here.

More Business Grants Available

Tuesday's update from Governor Inslee included a doubling of the current $50 million for Working Washington grants for businesses. Industries recently shut down, such as restaurants and fitness centers, as well as businesses that have been devastatingly impacted throughout the pandemic, like music and event venues, have been prioritized. All businesses should apply (more info here) by December 11 at 5pm (you can apply later, but applications received before then will be reviewed first and prioritized). The initial steps don't take too long. If you're not a business owner, don't be shy about letting businesses know about the opportunity. If you forget the link, just google Working Washington Grants and look for "Round 3 Grants."

Pandemic Unemployment

Inslee also announced the state’s readiness to step in in the case of congressional failure to extend the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance funding in the CARES Act by the end of the year. Washington will be able to fill some of the funding gap for residents that aren’t eligible for regular UI, such as self-employed workers, freelancers and independent contractors. If you're self-employed and got frustrated earlier, try to apply unemployment or reduced hours again.

Unemployment claims up 8% here

New unemployment claims jumped about 8% in Snohomish County during the week of Nov. 29 – Dec. 5, rising from 2,276 to 2,459. Statewide, there was a 10.1% increase in new claims, which totaled 24,587, according to data released Thursday by the state Employment Security Department (ESD).
Initial regular claims are about 145% above those filed during the same period last year, according to state data. In the week ending Dec. 5, the state paid out more than $148.8 million for 300,987 individual claims. Since the crisis began in March, more than $12.8 billion in benefits have been paid to over 1 million Washingtonians.

Investigators at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) evaluated the spread of COVID-19 in 58 households where a primary case of COVID-19 had been identified. The study included 188 contacts — 120 adults and 68 children. The rates of secondary infections in the households were similar for adults (30%) and children (28%). If the child was the index case, there was child-to-adult transmission in 2 of 10 instances and child-to-child transmission in 1 of 6 cases. Unsurprisingly, symptoms in children were milder than in adults.

Vaccine News

It looks like we might all want to plan for a sick day after taking the vaccine. Most people just have the type of side effects one might experience after a shot- arm soreness. About 5-10% (depending on the vaccine) experienced more severe side effects (fever, headaches, muscle and joint pain), although they generally dissipated after one day.

You cannot get COVID from the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, because they don't use the live virus.

Pfizer and BioNTech submitted data to the FDA to request an emergency use authorization (EUA) for their mRNA vaccine. Most of the information has been well characterized in the press in the past few weeks, but some important findings are new. For example, the FDA noted that the vaccine appeared to be more than 90% effective in almost all cohorts. The vaccine minimizes the odds of severe COVID-19. It was found to be effective even after one dose, with the case rates in the study arms diverging in the vaccine and placebo groups beginning about 14 days after the first dose. The vaccine was safe, with a low rate of serious adverse events, and it produced neutralizing antibody titers that were comparable to convalescent plasma. The next key questions will be the durability of immunity and whether there are any unanticipated late or rare side effects.

A panel of investigators authored a short report in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) describing the durability of the antibody response after administration of the Moderna mRNA vaccine. They evaluated binding and neutralizing antibody titers at three months after the second (booster) dose of vaccine and divided the 34 healthy adult volunteers into three cohorts: 18-55 years old, 56-70, and greater than 70. In all three groups, putatively protective neutralizing antibody levels were maintained at three months, although the levels were diminished from the peak titers shortly after vaccination. The younger cohorts had higher levels of neutralizing antibodies.

IRS warns of COVID text scam

I received this scam message this week! It seemed pretty unlikely that "Steven mnuchin the treasury secretary" was texting me personally.
The IRS and its Security Summit partners are warning people to be aware of a new text message scam. The thief’s goal is to trick people into revealing bank account information under the guise of receiving the $1,200 Economic Impact Payment.
Here’s how this scam works: People get a text message saying they have “received a direct deposit of $1,200 from COVID-19 TREAS FUND. Further action is required to accept this payment… Continue here to accept this payment …" The text includes a link to a phishing web address.
This fake link appears to come from a state agency or relief organization. It takes people to a fake website that looks like the IRS.gov Get My Payment website. If people visit the fake website and enter their personal and financial account information, the scammers collect it.

Here’s what people should do if they receive this message
Anyone who receives this scam text should take a screenshot and include the screenshot in an email to phishing@irs.gov with the following information:
• Date/time/time zone that they received the text message
• The phone number that received the text message
The IRS doesn’t send unsolicited texts or emails. The agency will never demand immediate payment using a gift card, prepaid debit card or wire transfer or threaten to have a taxpayer arrested.

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

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 340 confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases identified in Mukilteo (16 new cases in the last two days), and 190 individuals who are recovered (no new recoveries).

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