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BREAKING: @GovInslee has announced that King County and a few others in two of the state's eight regions are eligible to move to Phase 2 in the state's reopening plan. This is due to the fact that regions only now need to meet just three of the criteria used to determine 1/
whether regions may move forward. He says that "we are comfortable making these changes," because hospitalizations and case rates are "easing."
Keep in mind that there is now a new, more contagious, potentially deadlier variant in the state now. 2/
Keep in mind that there is now a new, more contagious, potentially deadlier variant in the state now. 2/
King County may move into this phase on Monday, @GovInslee said.
Inslee said that this past Saturday and Sunday, the state administered around 40,000 doses per day. The state's goal, recall, is 45,000 doses per day. Right now, we are only get a little more than 100,000 doses per day from the federal government, but the Biden administration 1/
is working to increase that number ASAP.
I would like to once again point out that there is a MUCH more contagious, possibly deadlier variant already circulating in the state. This variant is expected to become the MOST PREVALENT version of the virus BY MARCH. That means that by NEXT MONTH, this one variant 1/
will overtake the original that has been around FOR A YEAR.
There are also TWO more variants we need to worry about. The variant that surfaced in Brazil appears to basically be able to avoid antibodies that would attack the virus. The variant in South Africa seems to generally be more resistant to the vaccine.
Here's a speed run explanation of these variants from the @CDCgov: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/science-and-research/scientific-brief-emerging-variants.html
In response to my question about why @GovInslee would risk opening up these regions, in light of the U.K. variant expected to overtake the U.S. by March already being here, and the emergence of the other two variants that appear to be "cleverer," when it comes to 1/
vaccine resistance (South African variant) and antibody dodging (Brazilian variant), Inslee said that "we hope" we are going to get everyone vaccinated before the U.K. variant becomes dominant. He said that if we start to see "exponential growth," then we would move 2/
back into Phase 1.
I would like to point out that hope does not hold a candle to biological reality. Two cases of the U.K. variant were detected in Snohomish County on Sat., Jan. 23. The first case of the Brazilian variant in the U.S. was detected in Minnesota on Mon., Jan. 25.
I would like to point out that hope does not hold a candle to biological reality. Two cases of the U.K. variant were detected in Snohomish County on Sat., Jan. 23. The first case of the Brazilian variant in the U.S. was detected in Minnesota on Mon., Jan. 25.
