Data Snapshot
UW Medicine Hospitals:
King County: The county reported 63 new positive cases and 0 new deaths on Sept. 14.
Washington: The state reported 80,138 cases and 2,006 deaths as of Sept. 13.
United States: The CDC reports 6,537,627 cases and 194,092 deaths as of Sept. 15.
Global: WHO reports 29,155,581 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 926,544 deaths as of Sept. 15.
*Numbers update frequently, please follow links for most up-to-date numbers.
UW Medicine in the News
Business Insider: Some states have ‘unintentionally’ pursued a herd-immunity strategy to control the coronavirus, experts say — and it’s kind of working
Featuring: Trevor Bedford, Genome Sciences
“A lion’s share of the infections and deaths during the US’s second coronavirus surge this summer were clustered in a handful of states that reopened quickly, including Arizona, Florida, and Texas. Since then, however, new cases in those states have subsided significantly, dropping almost to the levels reported before the summer wave. According to epidemiologist Trevor Bedford, this could be partially because so many people in those states have developed immune responses, so the virus now has more difficulty spreading. This, in essence, is a degree of herd immunity: the point at which enough people become immune to a virus to significantly limit its ability to spread. The safe way to gain herd immunity is through mass vaccination. The dangerous way is through mass infection, but that’s usually what people mean when they talk about a ‘herd immunity strategy’ in this pandemic.”
Everyday Health: How to Prepare for the COVID-19 and Flu ‘Twindemic’
Featuring: John Lynch, Allergy & Infectious Diseases
“Experts agree that individual behaviors can play a big role in reducing the risk of both COVID-19 and the flu, lowering the odds of a public health emergency this fall and winter. If you have questions about how to minimize your chances of getting sick with the flu or COVID-19 — or both — and want to do your part to help reduce the spread of these illnesses, keep reading. Should I Get a Flu Shot? ‘Getting the influenza shot is critical — it’s more important this year than ever,’ says John B. Lynch, MD, MPH, an associate professor in the division of allergy and infectious disease at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle.”
The Scientist: College Athletes Experienced Heart Damage After COVID-19
Featuring: Jonathan Drezner, Sports Medicine
“Myocarditis has been found in at least five Big Ten Conference athletes and among players in other conferences, two sources with knowledge of the situation tell ESPN. In addition, at least a dozen Power 5 schools have identified athletes with a post–COVID-19 myocardial injury, including asymptomatic patients. ‘Initially we thought if you didn’t have significant symptoms that you are probably at less risk,’ Matthew Martinez, director of sports cardiology for Atlantic Health System, tells ESPN. ‘We are now finding that that may not be true.’ The overall concern has ‘made the bar higher’ for returning to fall sports, Jonathan Drezner, director of the University of Washington Medicine Center for Sports Cardiology, tells ESPN. ‘It could be we don’t get there.”’
Tweet of the Week
The rate of #COVID19 transmission could be significantly decreased by maintaining social distancing and achieving 95% mask use.
Explore new simulations that demonstrate several scenarios 😷 https://t.co/nzzV9XYk0v pic.twitter.com/6GLsuEjTyg
— Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) (@IHME_UW) September 15, 2020
