News for the Week of August 9

News highlights for the week of August 9.

Latest Numbers. In Mercer Island, there have been 705 positive cases reported as of August 13. DOH reported a total of 457,647 confirmed cases as of August 11. There have been 6,215 COVID-19 deaths in Washington. For the latest city and county data, click here.

Due to excessive heat waves, COVID-19 testing sites may close early. Click here for a link to specific locations and temporary early closure times for, Friday, Aug. 13th due to excessive heat.

King County directive urges all residents ages 5+ to wear a mask in indoor public spaces. To protect the health of customers and employees, all King County employers should implement policies and practices that require workers and customers, 5 years of age and older, to wear a face mask in all indoor spaces open to the public. See full statement dated August 12, 2021.

Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People. Infections happen in only a small proportion of people who are fully vaccinated, even with the Delta variant. However, preliminary evidence suggests that fully vaccinated people who do become infected with the Delta variant can spread the virus to others. To reduce their risk of becoming infected with the Delta variant and potentially spreading it to others, the CDC recommends that fully vaccinated people: wear masks in public indoor settings, get tested if experience COVID-19 symptoms, isolate if test positive. Click here for more information.

Delta Explained: What You Should Know, and Do. The Delta variant is the latest example of how adaptable viruses can be. It’s a faster, more efficient version of the original virus that causes COVID-19. It’s the same virus, only better at infecting people. Click here to learn more.

Situation Reports. Click here to catch up on the latest information and reports.

Vaccine News

Local Vaccination Summary. As of August 11, the County reports that 95% of Mercer Island resident ages 12-and-up, have received at least one dose of vaccine. Countywide, 82% of residents have had at least one dose and 76% of King County residents have completed their vaccine series.

King County COVID-19 Vaccine Data At-a-Glance. Page updated daily here.

Need vaccine support? Call the DOH support line 1-833-VAX-HELP for assistance.

Breakthrough Case Report. Between January 17, 2021 – July 31, 2021, Washington State identified 5,879 vaccine breakthrough cases. Read the full report here.

Resources

CDC Issues Eviction Moratorium Order. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky today signed an order determining the evictions of tenants for failure to make rent or housing payments could be detrimental to public health control measures to slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. This order will expire on October 3, 2021. Read more here.

COVID-19 Reporting

Selected Adverse Events Reported after COVID-19 Vaccination. The CDC tracks reported side effects that may have been caused by vaccines via the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). View the latest report here.