Coronavirus daily news updates, November 17: What to know today about COVID-19 in the Seattle area, Washington state and the world

The national job market may be rebounding, but hiring slowed in Washington in October, raising questions about the state’s recovery as it heads into its second pandemic winter. 

Employers in Washington added just 6,300 jobs last month, according to the October employment report released Wednesday from the state Employment Security Department. 

That’s down substantially from September’s revised number of 18,800 jobs and represents the smallest increase since May, when the state added just 2,700 jobs, according to the report. The state’s unemployment rate fell to 5%, down slightly from 5.1% in September.

To be fair, Washington’s dismal October numbers were heavily affected by the estimated loss of 9,300 education and other government jobs, a figure that may be lowered as more data comes in.

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Florida Republicans approved a sweeping bill Wednesday to hobble coronavirus vaccine mandates in businesses, rejecting claims that they were sacrificing public health to hand Gov. Ron DeSantis a win in his fight against White House virus rules.

Lawmakers in GOP-controlled statehouse expedited the measure, along with a package of virus bills, after hours of debate in which Republicans maintained they were protecting workers from onerous mandates by the federal government.

“If you want to get a vaccine, you can get a vaccine. If you don’t want to get a vaccine, you can choose not to get a vaccine,” said Sen. Danny Burgess, a Republican. “That’s the entire purpose of this bill, trusting Floridians and allowing us to make that choice for ourselves.”

DeSantis, a Republican, called the special legislative session on vaccine mandates as he wages a legal and media campaign against vaccine mandates pushed by Democratic President Joe Biden. The governor has become a star in the GOP through his opposition to lockdowns and other virus rules, boosting his profile as he runs for reelection and eyes a possible 2024 presidential run.

Read the full story here.

The state Department of Health (DOH) reported 2,189 new coronavirus cases and 27 new deaths on Wednesday.

The update brings the state's totals to 758,483 cases and 9,056 deaths, meaning that 1.2% of people diagnosed in Washington have died, according to the DOH. The data is as of 11:59 p.m. Tuesday.

In addition, 41,969 people have been hospitalized in the state due to the virus — 150 new hospitalizations. In King County, the state's most populous, state health officials have confirmed a total of 170,118 COVID-19 diagnoses and 2,039 deaths.

Since vaccinations began in mid-December, the state and health care providers have administered 10,338,652 doses and 61.1% of Washingtonians have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to vaccination data, which the state updates on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Providers are currently giving an average of about 32,063 vaccine shots per day.

The DOH says its daily case reports may also include duplicate test results, results assigned to the wrong county, results that are reported for today but are actually from a previous day, occasional false positive tests and other data discrepancies. Because of this, the previous day’s total number of cases plus the number of new daily cases does not add up to the new day’s total number of cases. State health officials recommend reviewing the dashboard's epidemiologic curves tab for the most accurate representation of the state's COVID-19 spread.

There are so many studies out there regarding COVID-19 and vaccinations for people to read and react to. How do we know/decide which study is accurate and worthwhile for patients and which studies aren’t when it comes to COVID-19?

“There is more information on the internet than anyone can digest,” says Melanie Swift, M.D., infectious disease physician at Mayo Clinic. “It can be difficult to know what to believe. Depending on who is running the website or sharing their interpretation of the medical studies, it may be reliable, but it might be a misinterpretation of the data or completely falsified information.”

Here are some tips:

• Studies that are indexed in PubMed, are published in reputable journals, and have undergone scientific peer review are reputable.

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The White House says about 10% of eligible kids aged 5 to 11 have received a dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine since its approval for their age group two weeks ago.

At least 2.6 million kids have received a shot, White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said Wednesday, with 1.7 million doses administered in the last week alone, roughly double the pace of the first week after approval. It’s more than three times faster than the rate adults were vaccinated at the start of the nation’s vaccination campaign 11 months ago.

Zients said there are now 30,000 locations across for kids to get a shot, up from 20,000 last week, and that the administration expects the pace of pediatric shots to pick up in the coming days.

Kids who get their first vaccine dose by the end of this week will be fully vaccinated by Christmas, assuming they get their second shot three weeks after the first one.

Read the full story here.

The days of bringing unvaccinated kids aboard a cruise are winding down. On Wednesday, Disney Cruise Line became the first cruise company to introduce a coronavirus vaccine mandate for passengers 5 years old and up.

The policy applies to all sailings departing on or after Jan. 13. Until then, the existing rules — which require children to show a negative PCR test taken before departure — will continue to apply. Under the current restrictions, anyone turning 12 within five weeks of departure dates is given leeway, and it is expected that similar provisions will apply to 5-year-olds celebrating recent birthdays.

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A California couple who fled before sentencing in a $20 million COVID-19 relief fraud case will face years in prison when they are recaptured, federal officials say.

U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson sentenced Richard Ayvazyan, 43, to 17 years in prison and Marietta Terabelian, 37, to six years in prison on Monday, Nov. 15, for their roles in the scam, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Central California said in a news release.

Ayvazyan and Terabelian cut off their ankle monitors and fled their home in August after being convicted in June, McClatchy News reported. They remain missing.

Wilson also sentenced Artur Ayvazyan, 41, Richard’s brother, who had not fled, to five years in prison, the release said. Four others convicted in the scam were sentenced earlier.

The scammers fraudulently obtained more than $20 million in Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan funds intended for COVID-19 relief, prosecutors said.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — A dispute between Oklahoma’s governor and the Pentagon over the COVID-19 vaccine mandate is setting up the first critical test of the military’s authority to require National Guard troops to get the shot and laying the groundwork for potential protests from other states.

Acting on an order from Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt, the state’s adjutant general sent a memo telling troops that they aren’t required to get the shot and “no negative administrative or legal action” would be taken against them if they refuse. That order from Brig. Gen. Thomas Mancino came as Stitt asked Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to consider suspending the mandate for members of the Oklahoma Guard.

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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moved four European destinations to its highest-risk category for travel — a reflection of growing concern over rising cases in Europe just as the United States reopens to international travelers from that region.

The CDC on Monday gave Hungary, Iceland, the Czech Republic and Guernsey a level 4 warning, which means they are recommending that Americans avoid traveling, even if vaccinated. They join other European destinations on the Level 4 list, including some that were added recently — Luxembourg and the Netherlands for example — and others, such as the United Kingdom, that have been on the list for months.

Countries and territories in this group have an incidence rate of COVID-19 of more than 500 new cases per 100,000 people over the past 28 days (or in the case of Guernsey, which has fewer than 100,000 residents, more than 500 cases cumulatively over the past 28 days). As of this week, 81 destinations are listed in the Level 4 category.

The CDC has four levels that start at “low” and escalate to “moderate,” “high” and “very high.” No matter the CDC designation of your destination, the agency says everyone should be fully vaccinated before traveling.

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BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgium extended the use of facemasks and mandatory remote work on Wednesday in an attempt to contain a new surge of COVID-19 cases.

“The alarm signals are flashing red,” said Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.

The premier added that the mandatory use of facemasks in crowded places would now include those 10 and older and that remote work, when possible, would mandatory for 4 days in the 5-day workweek until Dec. 12.

Up to now, facemasks had been limited to those 12 and over and remote work had been a recommendation only, but not mandatory. Special rules adapted to fighting COVID-19 schools would be imposed imminently, he said.

The government also reinforced rules in nightclubs, restaurants and bars, adding that masks or a negative virus test would be needed in addition to a mandatory check of full vaccination status.

“If we want to avoid another lockdown, we have to show a sense of responsibility,” said De Croo.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is making billions of dollars available to drugmakers to scale up domestic production of COVID-19 vaccines in the hopes of building capacity to produce an additional 1 billion shots per year to share with the world.

Under the new initiative, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority is soliciting pharmaceutical companies that have demonstrated the ability to make the more-effective mRNA vaccines to bid for government investment in scaling up their manufacturing abilities. Drugmakers Pfizer and Moderna produce the two U.S.-approved mRNA shots.

The Biden administration believes the boosted capacity of COVID-19 shots will help ease a global shortage of doses, particularly in lower- and middle-income nations, stopping preventable death and limiting the development of potentially new, more dangerous variants of the virus.

Read the full story here.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says about 10% of eligible kids aged 5 to 11 have received a dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine since its approval for their age group two weeks ago.

At least 2.6 million kids have received a shot, White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said Wednesday, with 1.7 million doses administered in the last week alone, roughly double the pace of the first week after approval. It’s more than three times faster than the rate adults were vaccinated at the start of the nation’s vaccination campaign 11 months ago.

Zients said there are now 30,000 locations across for kids to get a shot, up from 20,000 last week, and that the administration expects the pace of pediatric shots to pick up in the coming days.

Kids who get their first vaccine dose by the end of this week will be fully vaccinated by Christmas, assuming they get their second shot three weeks after the first one.

Read the full story here.

Fears of infection. Loneliness. Worries about physical health.

As the coronavirus spread across borders early in the pandemic, calls to global helplines showed a striking similarity in the toll on mental health — from China to Lebanon, Finland to Slovenia.

An analysis of 8 million calls to helplines in 19 countries, published Wednesday in Nature, reveals a collective response to unprecedented, uncertain times.

Callers’ worries centered on fears of infection, loneliness and physical health. Calls about relationship issues, economic problems and suicide-related issues were generally less prevalent than before the pandemic.

Read the full story here.

LONDON (AP) — The European Union’s drug regulator said it received an application from Novavax to authorize the American biotechnology company’s coronavirus vaccine, a request that could significantly boost the continent’s vaccine supplies if it’s granted.

In a statement on Wednesday, the European Medicines Agency said it had begun evaluating data submitted by Novavax for its two-dose vaccine. An expedited review process could produce a decision within weeks “if the data submitted are sufficiently robust and complete to show the efficacy, safety and quality of the vaccine,” the agency said.

Read the full story here.

The World Health Organization says coronavirus deaths in Europe rose 5% in the last week, making it the only region in the world where COVID-19 deaths increased. The U.N. health agency said confirmed cases jumped 6% globally, driven by increases in the Americas, Europe and Asia.

In its weekly report on the pandemic issued late Tuesday, WHO said COVID-19 deaths in all regions other than Europe remained stable or declined, and totaled 50,000 worldwide last week. Of the 3.3 million new infections reported, 2.1 million came from Europe.

It was the seventh consecutive week that COVID-19 cases continued to mount across the 61 countries that WHO counts in its European region, which stretches through Russia to Central Asia.

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A COVID-19 outbreak in a party town shows how the pandemic could end, researchers say. It all started when the weather turned ugly on a holiday weekend.

All Americans could be eligible for booster shots by the weekend if the FDA and CDC approve Pfizer's plan. Some states aren't waiting; they've already expanded eligibility as new COVID hot spots emerge around the nation. See if you're eligible in Washington state. 

A man stabbed a gas station clerk in Seattle after being asked to mask up, police say.

A pingpong ball could wind up deciding the fate of President Joe Biden's vaccine mandate for private employers. A judicial clerk on Tuesday determined where a key court challenge will be heard with a ball plucked out of a bin.