COVID-19 Update: Hinshaw to provide update at 3:30 p.m. | Quebec to move up appointments for second doses | B.C. to unveil reopening plan
This is a live account of COVID-19 updates from Monday, May 24, as the day unfolded. It is no longer being updated. Click here to see all the most recent news about the pandemic, and click here to find additional resources.
In some Washington state ZIP codes, adult vaccination rates for at least one dose have risen well above 80%. Overall statewide, about 59% of Washingtonians 16 and older have received at least one shot, and state officials say vaccine supply exceeds demand.
Nationwide, more than 61% of American adults have received at least one vaccine dose, and the U.S. added fewer than 30,000 COVID-19 cases a day for the first time since June.
Still, most scientists say reaching herd immunity — when the virus can’t readily be transmitted because so many are protected — is unlikely. And in some areas, vaccination rates are behind despite ample supply. Convincing those who remain unvaccinated still requires outreach and public health campaigns.
We’re updating this page with the latest news about the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the Seattle area, the U.S. and the world. Click here to see previous days’ live updates and all our other coronavirus coverage, and here to see how we track the daily spread across Washington and the world.
(Jennifer Luxton / The Seattle Times)
Charts, tips and resources to help you understand the pandemic and get through it safely
How to improve your mask’s protection against COVID-19: Do’s and don’ts
How to get a vaccine in Seattle and across Washington state
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9:57 pm, May. 24, 2021
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Seattle Times now charting coronavirus cases county-by-county
The Seattle Times is now charting recent coronavirus cases per county as part of its Mapping a Pandemic efforts, showing the infection rate and case counts from the previous two weeks to help Washingtonians better understand the local breakdowns of the virus' spread.
The choropleth map, which will be updated every Monday, shows the most recent virus cases in each county in the state, comparing per capita counts to see how the virus is moving around the state as restrictions start scaling back.
The graphic uses data from the state Department of Health; the color legend may update based on the breakdowns of cases.
Click here to see the full map.
—Seattle Times graphic staff
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9:30 pm, May. 24, 2021
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High school back to online learning after COVID-19 outbreak
BEND, Ore. — A COVID-19 outbreak at a central Oregon high school that required nearly half its students and staff into quarantine has prompted school officials to send students back to online learning for nearly two weeks.
As of Friday afternoon, 15 staff members and students from La Pine High School had been diagnosed with COVID-19, The Bulletin reported.
A letter sent to families Friday by interim principal Anne-Marie Schmidt said that resulted in the larger quarantine. She told the newspaper that resulted in many classes taught by substitutes, and some students becoming nervous about getting sick.
She described the move as a pause to stop cases from spreading.
—Associated Press
8:34 pm, May. 24, 2021
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State health officials investigating heart problems in a 'small number' of vaccinated people, though they've yet to confirm a connection to the shots
State health officials confirmed Monday evening that they're investigating reports of some cases of myocarditis or pericarditis in people who have received COVID-19 shots, though they're not yet sure if the vaccine was a factor.
The state is looking into a "small number" of cases and have notified health care providers in Washington, Idaho and Oregon so "they can be ready to quickly identify symptoms if more cases occur," according to a Monday statement from the state Department of Health.
"Further investigation is needed to determine if these cases are connected in any way to COVID-19 vaccines," DOH continued.
Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart tissue and is usually caused by a viral infection, according to the state. Symptoms can include chest pain, abnormal heartbeat and shortness of breath. Pericarditis is swelling and irritation of the thin, saclike tissue surrounding the heart, the state said.
DOH is working with local public health departments and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recently said it was looking into reports that a small number of vaccinated teenagers and young adults may have experienced heart problems, according to The New York Times.
The CDC's vaccine safety group said over the weekend that there were "relatively few" cases and that they may be entirely unrelated to the vaccine. The cases that have been reported appear to be mild, the group added.
The CDC has yet to determine if there's any evidence the vaccines caused the heart condition.
—Elise Takahama
8:30 pm, May. 24, 2021
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Is your living room the future of hospital care?
Hospital-level care at home — some of it provided over the internet — is poised to grow after more than a decade as a niche offering, boosted both by hospitals eager to ease overcrowding during the pandemic and growing interest by insurers who want to slow health care spending. But a host of challenges remain, from deciding how much to pay for such services to which kinds of patients can safely benefit.
Under the model, patients with certain medical conditions, such as pneumonia or heart failure — even moderate COVID— are offered high-acuity care in their homes, with 24/7 remote monitoring and daily visits by medical providers.
In the latest sign that the idea is catching on, two big players — Kaiser Permanente and the Mayo Clinic — announced plans this month to collectively invest $100 million into Medically Home, a Boston-based company that provides such services to scale up and expand their programs.
The two organizations estimate that 30% of patients currently admitted to hospitals nationally have conditions eligible for in-home care. (Kaiser Health News is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.)
—Associated Press
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7:53 pm, May. 24, 2021
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State health officials confirm 900 new coronavirus cases
The state Department of Health (DOH) reported 900 new coronavirus cases and seven new deaths on Monday.
The update brings the state's totals to 429,499 cases and 5,709 deaths, meaning that 1.3% of people diagnosed in Washington have died, according to the DOH. The data is as of 11:59 p.m. Sunday. Tallies may be higher earlier in the week because new state data isn’t reported on Sundays and COVID-19-related deaths aren’t reported on the weekends.
In addition, 23,745 people have been hospitalized in the state due to the virus. In King County, the state's most populous, state health officials have confirmed a total of 108,508 COVID-19 diagnoses and 1,562 deaths.
Since vaccinations began in mid-December, the state and health care providers have administered 6,749,266 doses and 40.8% of Washingtonians have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to vaccination data, which the state updates on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Providers are currently giving an average of about 48,269 vaccine shots per day.
The DOH says its daily case reports may also include duplicate test results, results assigned to the wrong county, results that are reported for today but are actually from a previous day, occasional false positive tests and other data discrepancies. Because of this, the previous day’s total number of cases plus the number of new daily cases does not add up to the new day’s total number of cases. State health officials recommend reviewing the dashboard's epidemiologic curves tab for the most accurate representation of the state's COVID-19 spread.
—Elise Takahama
7:30 pm, May. 24, 2021
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Biden signs bill opening door for Alaska cruises to resume
JUNEAU, Alaska — President Joe Biden signed into law Monday legislation that opens a door for resumed cruise ship travel to Alaska after the pandemic last year scrapped sailings.
The measure pushed by members of Alaska’s Republican congressional delegation will allow large cruise ships to sail directly from Washington state to Alaska without stopping in Canada. It is intended as a temporary workaround of a longstanding federal law that requires certain large cruise ships bound for Alaska to stop in Canada or start trips there.
Canada, amid COVID-19 concerns, has barred cruise operations through February.
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Alaska has a limited opportunity for cruise travel, unlike sunny locales such as Florida. Before the pandemic, the season in Alaska would begin in late spring and extend through the summer or sometimes early fall.
—Associated Press
6:30 pm, May. 24, 2021
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The pandemic brought New Zealanders back home. Will they stay?
Like many New Zealanders before her, Cat Moody chased the broader horizons of life abroad, unsure if she would ever return to a homeland she saw as remote and limiting.
But when the pandemic arrived, it “changed the calculus” of what she valued, she said. Suddenly, fresh air, natural splendor and a sparse population sounded more appealing, as did the sense of security in a country whose strict measures have all but vanquished COVID-19.
In February, Moody, 42, left her house and the life she had built in Princeton, New Jersey, and moved back to New Zealand with her husband, a U.S. citizen. She is among more than 50,000 New Zealanders who have flocked home during the pandemic, offering the country a rare opportunity to win back some of its best and brightest.
The unexpected influx of international experience and connections has led to local news reports heralding a societal and industrial renaissance in New Zealand. Policymakers are exhorting businesses to capitalize on the “fundamental competitive advantage” offered by the country’s success against the coronavirus.
The question is how long the edge will last.