Coronavirus daily news updates, June 15: What to know today about COVID-19 in the Seattle area, Washington state and the world – Seattle Times

As Washington counties slowly begin to reopen, coronavirus infections are on the rise throughout the state, according to a new report fromthe Department of Health. State epidemiologistshave seen large increases in Benton, Yakima, Spokane and Franklin counties.

COVID-19 cases are risingin nearly half of U.S. states. More than 2 million cases have been reported in the U.S., including more than 115,000 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Experts at top medical centers are questioning the accuracy of coronavirus tests being used in the United States and are calling for new studies to look into how well the virus is being detected here.

Throughout Monday, on this page, well post updates from Seattle Times journalists and others on the pandemic and its effects on the Seattle area, the Pacific Northwest and the world. Updates from Sunday can be foundhere, and all our coronavirus coveragecan be found here.

The following graphic includes the most recent numbers from the Washington State Department of Health, released Sunday.

For the fourth time in its history, the Oscars are being postponed. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the ABC Television Network said Monday that the 93rd Academy Awards will now be held April 25, 2021, eight weeks later than originally planned because of the pandemics effects on the movie industry.

The Academys Board of Governors also decided to extend the eligibility window beyond the calendar year to Feb. 28, 2021, for feature films, and delay the opening of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures from December until April 30, 2021.

Our hope, in extending the eligibility period and our Awards date, is to provide the flexibility filmmakers need to finish and release their films without being penalized for something beyond anyones control, said Academy President David Rubin and Academy CEO Dawn Hudson in a joint statement.

Read the story here.

The Associated Press

U.S. regulators on Monday revoked emergency authorization for malaria drugs promoted by President Donald Trump for treating COVID-19, amid growing evidence they dont work and could cause deadly side effects.

The Food and Drug Administration said the drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are unlikely to be effective in treating the coronavirus. Citing reports of heart complications, the FDA said the drugs unproven benefits do not outweigh the known and potential risks.

The decades-old drugs, also prescribed for lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, can cause heart rhythm problems, severely low blood pressure and muscle or nerve damage.

The move means that shipments of the drugs obtained by the federal government will no longer be distributed to state and local health authorities for use against the coronavirus. The drugs are still available for alternate uses, so U.S. doctors could still prescribe them for COVID-19 a practice known as off-label prescribing.

Dr. Steven Nissen, a Cleveland Clinic researcher who has been a frequent FDA adviser, agreed with the decision and said he would not have granted emergency access in the first place.

There has never been any high-quality evidence suggesting that hyrdoxychloroquine is effective for treating or preventing coronavirus infection, he said, but there is evidence of serious side effects.

Read the story here.

The Associated Press

UW Medicine will close Seven North, a psychiatric facility at UW Medicine Montlake, laying off staffers and reducing the number of inpatient beds available to those in need of mental-health care amid the states coronavirus crisis.

They are going to officially close the unit, said Tina Mankowski, a UW Medicine spokesperson. Twenty-three jobs are being cut, though employees could fill open roles elsewhere in the UW Medicine system.

The Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA), which represents Seven North nurses, issued a statement calling for UW Medicine to reverse course and reopen this facility. Negotiations over layoffs will begin Monday, said Heather Vargas-Lyon, a nurse who will participate in bargaining.

The financial upheaval that has accompanied COVID-19 prompted the closure of the facility, which serves people who admit themselves voluntarily. UW Medicine announced last month it faced a $500 million shortfall.

Read more here.

Evan Bush

Kathy Katzen, office manager at Loyal Heights Elementary School in northwest Seattle, saw a need during the coronavirus, and she helped deliver.

Literally, as she takes bags of groceries and gift cards every week to families of students in need.

When school was in session, the kids (of families in need) would get a bag of food to take home over the weekend, Katzen said. When we stopped going to school because of COVID-19, we decided that that program could still be carried out. I knew a lot of families depended on that. It would just take a team of people to go to the food bank and deliver the food.

Editors note: This is one in a periodic series calledStepping Up, highlighting moments of compassion, duty and community in uncertain times. Have a story we should tell? Send it via email tonewstips@seattletimes.comwith the subject Stepping Up.

Read the full story here.

Scott Hanson

Black Americans are disproportionately likely to say a family member or close friend has died of COVID-19 or respiratory illness since March, according to a series of surveys conducted since April that lays bare how Black Americans have borne the brunt of the pandemic.

Eleven percent of Black Americans say they were close with someone who has died from the coronavirus, compared with 5% of Americans overall and 4% of white Americans.

The findings are based on data from three COVID Impact surveys conducted between April and June by NORC at the University of Chicago for the Data Foundation about the pandemics effect on the physical, mental and social health of Americans.

While recent surveys conducted by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research have found that Black Americans are especially likely to know someone who had the virus, the new data from the COVID Impact research further details the toll the pandemic has taken on Black Americans.

Pre-existing conditions and limited access to health care have been identified as reasons Black Americans have been particularly susceptible to the virus.

Read the story here.

The Associated Press

Paris is rediscovering its joie de vivre, as cafes and restaurants reopen for the first time since the fast-spreading coronavirus forced them to close their doors on March 14.

Many customers seemed to shrug off masks and social distancing as they streamed back to their neighborhood bistros for a morning espresso or a three-course lunch Monday, free to resume their lifestyles by a surprise announcement from the French president himself.

We will rediscover the art of living, our taste for freedom, President Emmanuel Macron said in a televised address to the nation Sunday night, citing progress in fighting the virus. We will rediscover France.

At the Caf Des Anges in the heart of the Bastille neighborhood of Paris, customers seemed happy to reconnect and talked about the need to remain careful yet almost no one wore a mask. France has the worlds fifth-highest recorded toll from the virus, at 29,410 dead.

Its like a renaissance, but with caution, said customer Marie-Elisabeth Vilaine.

Read the story here.

The Associated Press

People have been amping up the use of cleansers and disinfectants in their homes to guard against the novel coronavirus. But 39% of U.S. adults are doing so in risky ways, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly 20% say they have washed fruits and vegetables with bleach or used household cleansers or disinfectants on their hands.

Other reported risky practices included misting the body with a household cleaning or disinfectant spray and drinking or gargling with bleach solutions, soapy water or other cleaning and disinfectant solutions.

Based on survey data from a panel of 502 adults, determined to be a representative sampling of the U.S. population, the CDC says that people who used at least one of these unsafe practices were more than twice as likely to have a subsequent health issue irritation of the nose, sinuses, skin or eyes, nausea or an upset stomach, dizziness, headaches or breathing problems than were those who did none of these things (39% vs. 16%).

Read more here.

The Washington Post

Beijing has set about testing hundreds of thousands of people for coronavirus in an exhaustive effort to stamp out a new eruption of the disease in the Chinese capital.

After dozens of new cases were reported over the weekend, continuing into Monday, Chinese authorities mobilized almost 100,000 community workers to carry out tests on everyone who has worked in or visited the Xinfadi market in the southwest of Beijing.

Xinfadi is the largest fruit, vegetable and meat market in the capital, which is home to some 21 million people, and supplies 70% of the citys fresh vegetables and 80% of its fruit.

After discovering more than 90 new infections linked to the market over the weekend, and a further 36 being reported Monday, Beijings health authorities are taking military-style action to try to ensure the virus doesnt spread further.

The sudden appearance of scores of new infections, both symptomatic and asymptomatic, highlights the resilience of the virus and its rapid spread despite tight social controls. It also underscores the dangers of markets as the virus is believed to have originated in the Huanan food market in the city of Wuhan before it spread across the globe.

Read more here.

The Associated Press

Kris Higginson

Businesses across the U.S. have begun intensive COVID-19 disinfection regimens, exposing returning workers and consumers to some chemicals that are largely untested for human health, a development thats alarming health and environmental safety experts.

The rush to disinfect is well-intended. Executives want to protect employees while abiding by guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (and to avoid liability).

But as offices are cleaned and sanitized more frequently, the use of toxic chemicals is creating another problem for a whole group of people,said Dr. Claudia Miller, an immunologist, allergist and co-author of Chemical Exposures: Low Levels and High Stakes.

Read the full story here.

Bloomberg

Washington health officials reported 296 new cases of coronavirus yesterday, after Gov. Jay Inslee warned that a new report shows cases and deaths will soon increase substantially if COVID-19 continues to spread at the current levels. Tracking patients' contacts is vital to Inslee's reopening strategy, but his administration cant tell you if its meeting its own goals for this.Read the Times Watchdog story.

Scientists are finding that how long a person feels COVID-19 symptoms varies, with some peopleremaining sick for months.

What does it cost to survive COVID-19? More than $1.1 million, the longest-hospitalized patient found when he opened his 181-page bill. Columnist Danny Westneat catches up with West Seattle's Michael Flor and the bizarre economics of American health care.

The first COVID-19 vaccines may not prevent you from getting the coronavirus. A knock-out blow against the virus is the ultimate goal, but a weaker punch may come first.

European countries reopened their borders today but not to Americans just yet. And in Beijing, a new outbreak is underscoring the virus' continued threat. Track its spread around the world.

As poor countries fight the new coronavirus, they are unintentionally contributing to the spread ofother diseases that are readily prevented by vaccines. A mutated strain of poliovirus has been reported in more than 30 countries, and measles is flaring around the globe. We're looking at an epidemic in a few months time that will kill more children than COVID, said Chibuzo Okonta, president of Doctors Without Borders in West and Central Africa.

A bicycle boom:Fitness junkies, commuters fearful of public transit and families eager to get out are driving thebiggest spike in bike sales in the U.S.since the oil crisis of the 1970s.

Kris Higginson and Nicole Brodeur

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Coronavirus daily news updates, June 15: What to know today about COVID-19 in the Seattle area, Washington state and the world - Seattle Times