Coronavirus daily news updates, October 31: What to know today about COVID-19 in the Seattle area, Washington state and the world

The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) confirmed 928 new COVID-19 cases in the state Friday afternoon. The agency does not report coronavirus deaths on weekends.

The update brings the state’s coronavirus totals to 107,501 cases and 2,366 deaths, meaning 2.2% of people diagnosed in Washington have died, per the DOH data dashboard. The data is as of 11:59 p.m. Friday.

The DOH reported that 8,571 people have been hospitalized in the state due to the virus, and a total of 2,450,122 COVID-19 tests have been administered as of Friday night.

In King County, state health officials have confirmed a total of 27,735 COVID-19 diagnoses. That represents an additional 382 confirmed cases in King County over the last 24 hours.

Like with everything else this year, the pandemic also left its mark on Halloween. In the Seattle area, trick-or-treating won't start for another several hours -- but in the rest of the country, celebrations, such as they are, are already well underway.

While parades, parties and haunted houses were canceled due to bans on large gatherings and concerns that spooky celebrations could spread the coronavirus, parents and costumed kids are finding ways to preseve the essence of the holiday Saturday while also observing the rules of social distancing -- including with candy chutes, a virtual puppet parade and plenty of hand sanitizer.

Read the rest of the spooky story here.

The novel coronavirus pandemic has disrupted global supply chains and imperiled tens of billions of dollars of investments and millions of jobs, with retail stores and oil and gas companies among those hit hardest. But the pandemic has also walloped even thriving industries like renewable energy.

The American Wind Energy Association estimates that the economic fallout could threaten a total of $35 billion in investment and about 35,000 jobs this year. The losses could grow if the coronavirus continues to disrupt the economy well into next year.

“Every part of the supply chain has been hit by this,” said John Hensley, the wind association’s vice president of research and analytics. “Certainly if we see major delays, it can take a major economic toll.”

The wind energy business was growing about 10% a year before the pandemic. But industry officials now fear that projects under construction might be postponed or canceled because of the pandemic. The industry had hoped Congress might provide aid to renewable energy, but it got little from the stimulus bills passed in the spring.

Read the entire story here.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday announced a new month-long lockdown for England after being warned that without tough action a resurgent coronavirus outbreak will overwhelm hospitals in weeks.

On the day the U.K. passed 1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases, Johnson made a sudden about-face and confirmed that stringent restrictions on business and daily life would begin Thursday and last until Dec. 2.

He said at a televised news conference that “no responsible prime minister” could ignore the grim figures.

“Unless we act, we could see deaths in this country running at several thousand a day,” said Johnson, who was hospitalized earlier this year for a serious case of COVID-19.

Under the new restrictions, bars and restaurants can only offer take-out, non-essential shops must close and people will only be able to leave home for a short list of reasons including exercise. Activities ranging from haircuts to foreign holidays must once again be put on hold.

Read the full story here.

The Alaska Legislative Council approved a measure that requires lawmakers, employees and reporters to be screened for the coronavirus when entering the Capitol and to wear masks or face coverings in the building and other legislative offices.

The council also voted on Thursday to keep the Capitol building closed to the public until at least January, when the next Legislature convenes. Legislative staff and reporters will still be allowed into the building, KTOO Public Media reported.

The council’s chair, Sen. Gary Stevens, said that while the Legislature in January could change the policies, he anticipates they will not as long as the pandemic persists.

Read the full story here.

Wimbledon champion Simona Halep has tested positive for COVID-19 and said Saturday that she is “recovering well from mild symptoms.”

The 29-year-old Halep, currently ranked No. 2 in the world, had skipped the U.S. Open due to fears of catching the coronavirus. She said in August that she preferred to stay and train in Europe.

The Romanian player announced her test result Saturday.

Read the full story here.

The 65-and-older population has long been a civically involved group that politicians can count on as consistent voters. But the group is also among the most vulnerable to COVID-19, and the pandemic has necessitated restrictions at retirement communities and other long-term care facilities, including months-long lockdowns.

Washington’s mail-in voting system eliminates many of the obstacles other states might face, but the pandemic changed how some senior communities have navigated the election cycle. Newsletters have replaced big gatherings in lounges for residents to learn more about down-ballot candidates. Residents who used to count on family members to help them fill out their ballots now have to get their questions answered through a video session or a staff member.

Those differences don’t appear to have affected turnout. In King County, 75% of registered voters 65 and older had returned ballots as of Thursday — 10 percentage points higher than overall turnout, according to King County Elections spokesperson Halei Watkins.

Read the full story here.

NEW YORK — Wanted this holiday shopping season: Cart sanitizers, curbside delivery workers and mask enforcers.

The push to hire temporary workers has begun in earnest this holiday season — in some cases, weeks earlier than last year. But the pandemic has reshaped the kinds of jobs retailers are recruiting for.

As more shoppers shy away from stores and shift their purchases online during the pandemic, retailers have stepped up the pace of hiring at warehouses. At the same time, they are looking for workers who can handle new tasks like checking temperatures and booking store appointments for shoppers who still want the in-store experience but are jittery about exposure to the coronavirus.

Read the full story here.

SALEM, Ore. — Last week Oregon health officials delivered a concerning message: If the state remains on the path it is now with increasing daily COVID-19 cases hospitals in Oregon could reach capacity by mid-December.

Out of Oregon’s 721 listed intensive care unit beds, 24% were available, based on data on from the health authority’s website Thursday. Out of the non-ICU adult hospital beds in the state, 14% were available.

As of Thursday afternoon there were 156 confirmed COVID-19 patients in hospitals. However there have been days in months past, such as July and August, where the number has surpassed 165.

Read the full story here.

With the demand for air travel still in a slump, the airline industry is promoting studies that suggest the risk of contracting the coronavirus while flying is low.

Although healthcare experts say the air filtration system in most commercial planes helps reduce the risk of being infected, they point out that the studies have limitations and the results are not all definitive.

Delta Air Lines and two of the world’s largest airline-industry trade groups have promoted the recent studies as they seek to ease the fear of flying during a pandemic that has killed more than a million people worldwide.

Read the full story here.