Coronavirus daily news updates, August 18: What to know today about COVID-19 in the Seattle area, Washington state and the world – Seattle Times

Science, art and culture organizations, and independent live music venues affected by the COVID-19 pandemic are receiving $2 million in one-time grants from King County.

The funding, backed by the federal CARES Act, will go to 62 organizations that draw tourists, and “is designed to ease the economic burden of the pandemic while also increase public health measures,” according to a statement from King County Executive Dow Constantine.

The grants may be used to make improvements so that the organizations can comply with public-health safety measures necessary to prepare for safe reopening, such as plastic barriers, floor marking or public outreach materials.

The grants may also be used to reimburses costs between March 1 and December such as payroll, rent, mortgage payments (excluding property taxes), healthcare insurance for employees and utility expenses “necessary to sustain the business during and after the public health emergency,” the statement said.

“I couldn’t be more grateful for the support from King County, nor could it have come at a better time,” Hallie Kuperman of The Century Ballroom on Capitol Hill, said in the statement. “All music and nightlife venues need right now is financial support, pure and simple.  If we want our arts community and economy to rebound, we need money to get us through this period.”

Said Constantine: “By carefully and thoughtfully helping with rent, payroll and other expenses, we can help ensure that more of our cultural touchstones survive and continue to contribute to the vitality of our region.”

The reports of the demise of the neck gaiter have been greatly exaggerated.

A gaiter is a tube of fabric worn around the neck, often to keep skiers or runners warm in cold weather. But during the coronavirus pandemic, lightweight neck gaiters have been popular with runners, cyclists and people with beards because they can be pulled up to cover the nose and the mouth and used as a mask.

But in recent days, there has been a backlash against the gaiter. It started after a small study from Duke University demonstrated a new, inexpensive testing method for masks that uses lasers and phone cameras.

The study’s authors hypothesized that wearing a neck gaiter might cause more small droplets to spew through the fabric, not fewer.

A wave of reports on news sites and social media quickly followed. “Wearing a neck gaiter could be worse than wearing no mask at all,” read the headline in The Washington Post. (Read it here in The Seattle Times.)

But that’s not quite true. Doubled, a gaiter can actually prevent 90% of aerosol particles, a new study has found.

“We should be encouraging people to use the most effective masks that are practical for community settings, but in general, any face covering is probably better than none,” said Julia Marcus, an infectious disease epidemiologist and an assistant professor in the department of population medicine at Harvard Medical School. “The more that people see face coverings out in the world, regardless of what kind, the more that social norms will shift in favor of masking.”

Read the story here.

With her baby brother in her arms, Kara Apuzzo tried to follow along in an online class as he squirmed or slept. Other times, the 18-year-old rushed to get ready for work at a front-line job at Target as her virtual high school lessons were still wrapping up.

Last school year was further complicated by computer issues that kept her from logging in and online tools that bedeviled even her teachers. Before the coronavirus pandemic, Apuzzo, who lives in New Haven, Connecticut, knew she wanted to go to college right after high school. Now, she’s not so sure.

“Right now, I don’t know where I want to go with my life,” she said. “I feel so behind when it comes to what do college kids actually do. … It’s scary, it’s so new — I don’t have any idea what I’m even doing.”

Educational disruptions forced by the pandemic are hurting teenagers at a time when many families also are struggling with layoffs and child care for young kids — challenges that are expected to persist as a new school year gets underway, largely with remote learning.

Some teens have to share computers with siblings or sign in to classes in crowded households or from their cars. Others have been laid off from after-school jobs that help provide for their families or work extra hours in essential industries, leaving less time for school. Students whose parents can’t work from home also have less structure to push them to get their work done.

“They’re at home being their own teachers,” said Nick Mathern, vice president of K-12 Partnerships for the nonprofit Achieving the Dream, which helps students complete degrees through community colleges.

Read the story here.

South Korea will ban large public gatherings and shut down churches and nightspots in the greater capital area amid an alarming surge in viral infections that health officials describe as the country’s biggest crisis since the emergence of COVID-19.

In a nationally televised announcement on Tuesday, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said strengthening social distancing restrictions for the Seoul metropolitan area, which is home to half of the country’s 51 million people, was inevitable because a failure to slow transmissions there could result in a major outbreak nationwide.

South Korea reported 246 new cases Tuesday, mostly from the capital area, pushing its total for the last five days to 959.

The measures, which will take effect Wednesday in Seoul and nearby Gyeonggi province and the city of Incheon, prohibit gatherings of more than 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors. Nightclubs, karaoke rooms, buffet restaurants, computer gaming cafes and other “high-risk” venues will be shut. Churches, which have emerged as major clusters of infections allowing attendees to sing and eat together, will only be allowed to provide online services.

Read the story here.

Rates of depression appear to have almost doubled in Britain since the country was put into lockdown in late March as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the country’s official statistics agency.

The Office for National Statistics said in a special study released Tuesday that 19.2% of adults were likely to be experiencing symptoms of depression in June, three months into the lockdown of large chunks of society and the economy. That proportion is up from 9.7% recorded between July 2019 and March.

The statistics agency, which assessed the same 3,527 of adults before and during the pandemic, said feelings of stress or anxiety were the most common way adults were experiencing some form of depression, with around 85% of those reporting symptoms.

“Revisiting this same group of adults before and during the pandemic provides a unique insight into how their symptoms of depression have changed over time,” said statistician Tim Vizard.

Though all age brackets reported higher levels of depression, the study found that younger adults between 16 and 39 years of age were proportionately more likely to do so, with nearly a third reporting symptoms of depression — a generational contrast to the coronavirus’ impact on physical health.

Read the story here.

Teachers, curriculum developers and parents are offering helpful tips on making the most of digital learning.

Meanwhile, Seattle’s public schools are delaying their start date to give teachers more time to prepare. School is tentatively set to start Sept. 4, two days later than originally planned.

If you’re comfortable talking about how this bizarre schooling season will impact your work and finances, we’d like to hear from you.

With many people working from home, the Seattle area saw a surge of adoptions and, now, a shortage of pets.

We’re loving these photos — don’t miss fuzzy little Julian the pig.

Good news: A smaller portion of COVID-19 tests done in King County is coming back positive. But there are big exceptions. See what’s happening in your area as FYI Guy outlines where positive tests are surging, and where they’re falling. (Here’s where to get tested, by the way.)

U.S. colleges are scrambling to deal with virus clusters, with one prominent (and partying) university throwing all its classes online just a week after reopening. How bad is COVID-19 at your or your kid’s college? A few data trackers will tell you.

Potential accuracy issues with a widely used coronavirus test could lead to false results for patients, federal officials are warning. Meanwhile, a “horrifying” glitch messed up case numbers that are dictating big decisions about schools in Iowa, meaning “we have no idea what’s going on.”

With the pandemic worsening Seattle’s child care crunch, the City Council has OK’d land-use changes to speed the creation of new child care centers.

Businesses trying to reopen safely in South King County can get their hands on a free toolkit.

Boeing will offer buyouts to workers for the second time this year as the virus-stricken planemaker extends its cuts beyond the original 10% target unveiled in April. The company is “evaluating every aspect of our business,” its CEO says.

“We cannot waste the sacrifices made in the past months.” Europe is clamping down as new outbreaks surge. And in South Korea, a pastor who defied authorities to hold services and massive rallies has tested positive.

“There’s nothing like family,” even when you can’t see each other in person. Here’s how one sprawling family cherished its traditions at a virtual 112th annual reunion, complete with a dance party, a banquet and great tales of reunions past.