Get prepped for fires, variants and tsunami
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, July 27, 2022
The island’s wildfire risk signs have been moved to high in recognition of the annual start of Washington’s wildfire season.
Even though Vashon’s fire weather zone is classified as marine, with nightly moisture recovery, the island’s large fuel load of trees, brush, and grasses means that islanders have to remain vigilant as vegetation dries out over the summer.
In addition, the island’s firefighting resources are stretched due to a reliance on ferries, so the island’s backup emergency firefighting options are limited, unlike mainland areas that can get mutual aid quickly from neighboring communities.
A house fire or small brush fire could easily turn into a larger-scale Vashon disaster if a fire were to get away.
Islanders should be careful about fire during the currently hot and dry days.
County Recommends Indoor Masking
The CDC has moved King County into the Orange/High-Risk category of COVID infection risk. The rating considers case rate, hospital admission rate, and the percentage of hospital beds occupied by COVID patients.
That makes King County one of 14 Washington counties in the Orange/High-Risk classification where the CDC recommends masking indoors regardless of vaccination status. Public Health — Seattle & King County (PHSKC) ranks the county’s risk somewhat lower than the CDC based on locally-collected data on hospital admissions.
Nevertheless, PHSKC officials say they are “actively considering” the return of an indoor mask mandate for King County given the high case rate. Case rates are now higher than during the Delta spike last summer, although lower than during the Omicron spike in January.
Boost Now, or Later?
It seems likely that there will be a tuned-up booster vaccine in the fall that will target the new super contagious Omicron variants such as BA.5. That begs the question, boost now or boost later? And for some people, why get the shot at all?
The doctors at the Vashon Medical Reserve Corps have been studying the science and offer a few answers to these questions.
Should I wait for the Omicron-targeted vaccine?
If you are eligible, get the booster now. You’ll be eligible again when new vaccines become available. There is enough COVID around now that you could get it while waiting for the new vaccine. Vashon has the highest “up-to-date” vaccination record in King County, but one-third of islanders that are eligible for a vaccine booster have not yet had it.
The protection wanes, so why bother getting vaccinated?
It’s true that protection against getting COVID wanes for those who have gained some immunity from vaccinations or from having had COVID. But even after the initial protection against infection has faded, the protection against hospitalization and death remains strong. That’s especially crucial on Vashon because over half of islanders are over 50 years old. In the last 30 days, 80 people have died of COVID in King County. All but four of them were over 50.
Should we wait until closer to the start of school to get kids vaccinated?
No, protect your child now because COVID is spreading. Kids generally don’t get as sick, but there can be severe cases — even in kids who are otherwise healthy — and they can get “long COVID” symptoms that last for months. Besides, kids are particularly at risk of getting infected. Camp. Sports. Hanging out with friends. Daycare. All these group activities make the spread of COVID more likely, especially because kids aren’t as good at protecting themselves with masks and distancing.
So, how can I decide what to do?
The decision is up to you. Map out a strategy for yourself by asking these questions:
Are you at increased risk for serious COVID due to age or other factors? Do you live with or care for someone at increased risk? Do you have an upcoming event that increases your odds of COVID exposure (travel, wedding, some other large gathering)?
If the answer is yes to any of these questions, go ahead and get boosted right away. And remember that wearing a high-quality mask and social distancing are just as effective now as they were before we had a vaccine, so use these tools to protect yourself and those you care about.
Novavax Vaccine Coming
It will be some time before it’s widely available, but a new vaccine option developed by Novavax has been authorized by U.S. regulators.
As always during a vaccine rollout, the initial supply will be limited, but it’s going to be an attractive option for those who don’t trust the technology used to make the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. The Novavax recipe uses a protein-based technology, similar to the manufacturing process for vaccines against seasonal flu and shingles.
Moderna and Pfizer user messenger RNA (mRNA) technology. Novavax has been utilized in 40 other countries and was strongly effective in trials conducted in 2021.
However, data is limited at this time on how effective it will be against Omicron and its many subvariants.
Preparing for a Tsunami
As reported last week, a new computer model has predicted the possibility of a 15-foot wave striking the north end of the island within minutes of a magnitude 7.5 earthquake on the cross-sound Seattle Fault.
Waves of about one-third that height could hit the eastern shoreline of the island. Here are some steps you can take to prepare for a tsunami.
Know the Signs
There might not be time for an official warning, so take immediate action if you are near the shoreline and you feel a strong or long earthquake.
A large tsunami wave may arrive within minutes of the start of a nearby earthquake. Your situation could be especially urgent if there’s a sudden rise or fall of the ocean or you hear a loud ocean roar.
Head for High Ground
In advance, map out routes to safe places on high ground or inland; practice walking these routes to make them familiar.
Create a family emergency communication plan that has an out-of-state contact. Plan where to meet if you get separated.
Subscribe to Alerts
Install the MyShake app on your smartphone, available free in the Apple and Android app stores. There’s also ALERT King County, bit.ly/ALERTKC. Consider purchasing a weather-alert radio and set it up to receive tsunami alerts for King County and other coastal areas you may visit.
Sign up for the Voice of Vashon Emergency Alert Service, the primary channel for communications from Vashon Emergency Operations Center: VoiceOf Vashon.org/alertsignup.
King County Dashboard
Source: Public Health — Seattle & King County (PHSKC) and Vashon Emergency Operations Center. New and historic case counts shown here reflect test results from the public health reporting system, which does not capture results from home tests.
16 = New cases reported since the last weekly report (28 new cases in 14 days).
1,066 = Total reported COVID cases for Vashon residents since the pandemic began.
21 = Patients hospitalized since the pandemic began.
5 = Deaths since the pandemic began.
92.8% = Percentage of Vashon residents age 5+ who have completed the primary vaccine series, compared to 86.5% of the King County 5+ population.
67.9% = Percentage of Vashon residents age 5+ who have added a booster shot to their completed primary series.
For King County, the PHSKC dashboard for the last 30 days says people who are not fully vaccinated are 1.6 times more likely to get COVID, seven times more likely to be hospitalized for COVID and 10 times more likely to die of COVID.
For more resources, visit VashonBePrepared.org or visit the group’s Facebook page. Sign up at tinyurl.com/4smk364m to receive email updates in English or Spanish.
