New information about Washington’s COVID-19 cases continues to come to light. State health officials this week confirmed that the majority of deaths in our state have been linked to long-term care facilities, including residents, employees and visitors who were at nursing homes, assisted living facilities or adult family homes around the time they were exposed. And it appears that in late March and early April, while deaths spiked dramatically elsewhere, Washington saw only 4% more deaths than it typically does in that time period.
Scientists are working hard to develop a vaccine as virus-related deaths worldwide push toward 300,o00, but a recent survey shows millions of Americans would not get a vaccine even if one were available. Meanwhile, regulators and scientists have raised concerns about potentially serious side effects from hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, while a different proposed treatment, the antiviral therapy remdesivir, was cleared for U.S. use.
Throughout Thursday, on this page, we’ll be posting updates from Seattle Times journalists and others on the pandemic and its effects on the Seattle area, the Pacific Northwest and the world. Updates from Wednesday can be found here, and all our coronavirus coverage can be found here.
President Trump will deliver remarks at the White House National Day of Prayer Service today at 12:50 p.m.
You can watch here:
The following graphic includes the most recent numbers from the Washington State Department of Health, released Wednesday.
Live updates:
Blood thinners show promise for boosting survival chances
Treating coronavirus patients with blood thinners could help boost their prospects for survival, according to preliminary findings from physicians at New York City’s largest hospital system that offer another clue about treating the deadly condition.
The results of an analysis of 2,733 patients, published Wednesday in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, are part of a growing body of information about what has worked and what has not during a desperate few months in which doctors have tried dozens of treatments to save those dying of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
Read more here.
—Washington Post
Coronavirus may lurk in semen, researchers report
Scientists across the world are trying to piece together a perplexing puzzle: how exactly the coronavirus affects the body, and how it spreads from person to person.
Now researchers in China have found that the coronavirus, or bits of it, may linger in semen. But the paper, published Thursday in JAMA Network Open, a peer-reviewed open-access medical journal, does not prove that the virus can be sexually transmitted.
At the moment, there still is no evidence that a person could be infected by sexual contact or an intrauterine insemination procedure with infected sperm. Transmission during sex is far more likely by the usual means: infectious respiratory droplets.
There’s an urgent need for more studies, some researchers say.
—The New York Times
Walla Walla County retracts claim about ‘coronavirus parties,’ now says they never occurred
WALLA WALLA — Officials in Walla Walla County, in southeastern Washington, are retracting their claim that some people held parties in which they intentionally exposed themselves to the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
Meghan DeBolt, the director of the county’s Department of Community Health, issued a statement late Wednesday saying her earlier remarks were incorrect.
“I formally call back my interview today,”’ DeBolt said in the new statement. “After receiving further information, we have discovered that there were not intentional COVID parties. Just innocent endeavors.”
DeBolt had told the Union-Bulletin newspaper this week that contact tracing had revealed some people were attending parties with the idea that it is better to get sick with COVID-19 and recover. She called such parties irresponsible.
Her earlier comments prompted state Department of Health officials on Wednesday to release a statement saying, in part, “Gathering in groups in the midst of this pandemic can be incredibly dangerous and puts people at increased risk for hospitalization and even death.”
—The Associated Press
Axl Rose, Steven Mnuchin and their pandemic Twitter feud
By all accounts, 2020 has been, to put it mildly, a weird year.
This week alone has seen a 5-year-old boy from Utah attempt a solo drive to California on a mission to buy a Lamborghini, a llama named Winter emerge as a potential key player in the race for a treatment targeting the novel coronavirus, and Tesla chief executive Elon Musk and Canadian singer Grimes naming their newborn baby X Æ A-12.
But just when it seemed like things couldn’t possibly get any weirder, Wednesday night rolled around with a Twitter feud no one could have anticipated: Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose versus Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
Rose threw down the gauntlet shortly before 6:30 p.m. Wednesday when he hopped on his seldom-used Twitter account and declared to his 1.2 million followers, without context, “Whatever anyone may have previously thought of Steve Mnuchin he’s officially an a—hole.”
“It’s official!” tweeted the rock star, who is a prominent critic of President Donald Trump.
Then, in a move that prompted collective surprise, Mnuchin hit back.
“What have you done for the country lately?” he tweeted, tacking what appeared to be an emoticon of the United States flag to the end of his response.
Upon closer examination, however, eagle-eyed social media users noticed that Mnuchin had used an icon of the flag of Liberia, which is nearly identical to the American flag except instead of 50 stars it only has one. The original tweet was deleted and replaced with one using the correct flag, but not before numerous screen grabs had been taken.
Read the story here.
—Allyson Chiu, The Washington Post
White House valet tests positive for coronavirus; Trump and Pence ‘in great health’
President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence were tested for COVID-19 and found to be negative after a member of the U.S. military who works on the White House campus contracted the virus.
The president and vice president “remain in great health,” White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said in a statement on Thursday.
The White House declined to identify the service member. CNN reported that the person was a member of the U.S. Navy who served as a valet in the White House residence, suggesting possible close contact with the president or his family. Service members detailed to the White House provide a range of household functions, including food service, hospitality and medical support.
This is the second person working on the White House grounds who the administration has said tested positive for the coronavirus. A member of Pence’s staff contracted the disease in March and fully recovered.
Read more here.
—Bloomberg
Rogue tourists arrested as Hawaii tries to curb virus spread
Hawaii authorities are cracking down on rogue tourists who are visiting beaches, riding personal watercraft, shopping and generally flouting strict requirements that they quarantine for 14 days after arriving.
A newlywed California couple left their Waikiki hotel room repeatedly, despite being warned by hotel staff, and were arrested. Others have been arrested at a hotel pool, loading groceries into a vehicle outside a Costco and bringing take-out food back to a hotel room.
The rules, the strictest in any U.S. state, have helped keep infections relatively low. As of Wednesday, Hawaii reported 626 coronavirus cases and 17 deaths.
Yet the shutdown has devastated the islands’ economy, which is hugely dependent on tourism. Since March 26, when Hawaii put the rules in place, about 5,000 visitors have arrived, compared to pre-pandemic times when about 30,000 came daily.
That’s left the state reeling — unemployment is estimated to be in the range of 25% to 35%. Tourism industry officials say the hotel occupancy rate was down about 34% compared to March last year. More than 100 hotels have suspended operations and workers laid off from their jobs wait in long lines at food distribution sites.
It makes those who ignore the rules especially offensive, said Honolulu City Councilmember Kym Pine, who wants travelers tracked via their cellphones or tested for the virus before boarding planes for Hawaii.
“The people that are coming don’t care about us. They’re coming to Hawaii on the cheap and they obviously could care less whether they get the virus or not,” she said. “So they obviously could care less about that mom and dad who have no job and no food.”
Read the story here.
—The Associated Press
Shooting over dining area closure hurts 3 McDonald’s workers in Oklahoma
Three McDonald’s employees in Oklahoma City suffered gunshot wounds when a customer opened fire because she was angry that the restaurant’s dining area was closed because of the coronavirus pandemic, police said Thursday.
Gloricia Woody, 32, was in custody after the Wednesday night shooting on four counts of assault and battery with a deadly weapon, said police Capt. Larry Withrow.
It was not known if Woody has an attorney, Withrow said.
Woody entered the restaurant lobby and was told the dining room was closed for safety reasons, Withrow said.
“(Woody) was asked to leave but refused,” leading to a physical altercation between Woody and one employee, according to Withrow.
“The suspect was forced out of the restaurant by employees. She reentered the restaurant with a handgun and fired approximately three rounds in the restaurant,” Withrow said.
One employee was shot in the arm, one suffered a shrapnel wound in the shoulder area and another employee was struck in the side by shrapnel. The employee who fought with Woody suffered a head injury during the altercation, police said.
Read more here.
—The Associated Press
Coronavirus Economy daily chart: More Washington households seek food aid, while restaurants struggle to survive
—Seattle Times business staff
Should I still go to college?
High school seniors across the country are having to make the most consequential decision of their young lives during a national health emergency.
Faced with an uncertain economic future and a need to help parents pay bills at home, some students are scaling back their ambitions.
As a result, fall enrollment may plunge, particularly among students of color.
—Katherine Long
In hunt for coronavirus supplies, Gov. Inslee looks globally — and within his personal network
When Washington state sent out an emergency plea for medical supplies in March, hundreds of businesses and individuals replied through the state website.
With competitive bidding suspended, the governor took the unusual step of connecting his own contacts, including a cousin, with state buyers.
It’s just one example of how the coronavirus pandemic has upended the normal workings of government.
—Mike Reicher, Daniel Gilbert and Joseph O’Sullivan
Washington seems to be avoiding the dramatic nationwide spike in deaths
—Manuel Villa, Mary Hudetz and Asia Fields
Mask or no mask? Choice brings new social tensions and, sometimes, the stink-eye
Health officials recommend that everyone wear face coverings in public, but that message isn’t resonating with everyone in the Seattle area. As neighbors eye each other warily, we look at why people are and aren’t wearing masks, and what’s behind the guidance.
When you wear one, do it correctly; this visual guide shows how.
—Ryan Blethen, Elise Takahama and Christine Clarridge
How is this outbreak affecting you?
What has changed about your daily life? What kinds of discussions are you having with family members and friends? Are you a health care worker who’s on the front lines of the response? Are you a COVID-19 patient or do you know one? Whoever you are, we want to hear from you so our news coverage is as complete, accurate and useful as possible. If you’re using a mobile device and can’t see the form on this page, click here.
