News for the Week of February 1

News highlights for the week of February 1.

Latest Numbers. DOH reported a total of 302,782 confirmed cases as of Feb. 3. There have been 4,416 COVID-19 deaths in WA. In Mercer Island, there have been 452 positive cases reported as of February 4. For that latest city and county data, click here.

Understanding Phase Finder and vaccine distribution. Are you eligible for vaccination but need help using Phase Finder? The Washington State Dept. of Health explains how their online tool works and what to do if you need additional help. Click here for more.

What are the side effects of COVID-19 vaccine? It is common to have mild side effects one to three days after getting the vaccine. Common side effects are tiredness, muscle pain, a sore arm, fever, headache, joint pain, chills, nausea, or vomiting. This is a sign that the vaccine is working. Learn more about COVID-19 vaccine safety and effectiveness by clicking here.

Accessible COVID-19 Interview Series for Community Members who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Public Health – Seattle and King County created a COVID-19 video series that is accessible to community members who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing including ASL interpretation, captions, and transcripts. Click here to access the video series.

Video Update from the City Manager. At the February 2 City Council meeting, City Manager Jessi Bon provided an update on the City and regional response. Click here to watch the update.

February 5 Situation Report. For highlights and information from the 48^th week of the City’s response to the pandemic click here.

Information for Businesses

Paycheck Protection Program is Still Open. Application process open through March 31. In mid-January the Federal government reopened the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) portal for first and second draw applications. Click here for details on how to apply.

New guidelines for cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting for food establishments. Cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting are all similar but different ways to help prevent COVID-19. These guidelines can also be found on our COVID-19 resource page for food establishments under accordion menu item #4. Proper sanitation procedures. These guidelines are also available in Chinese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese

Vaccine News

Vaccine distribution update from the Washington DOH. As of February 1, 773,346 people have received the COVID-19 vaccine, which is more than 60% of the 1,160,850 doses delivered to providers and long-term care programs across the state. Currently, Washington is averaging 27,902 vaccine doses given per day, inching closer to the goal of vaccinating 45,000 people per day. Those numbers can be found on the DOH data dashboard under the vaccines tab, updated three times per week.

King County Unified Regional Strategy COVID Vaccine Delivery Progress Report as of February 1, 2021. Strategic goal: To quickly, efficiently and equitably vaccinate as many eligible King County residents as possible in order to suppress the spread of COVID-19 and minimize the impact of the pandemic on our community. This report is indexed on our COVID Vaccine homepage under the "Vaccine and progress strategy" accordion menu item.

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

Resources

Washington Listens helps people manage stress and anxiety they may be experiencing because of COVID-19. If you or anyone you know is having difficulties managing stress, call the Washington Listens support line at 1-833-681-0211. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. TTY and language access services are available by using 7-1-1 or their preferred method. Resources and self-help tips are available on walistens.org.

COVID-19 information pages are no longer updated.

See the CDC's COVID website for current information and trends.