News from the Skagit County Democrats
Skagit County Democrats Action Newsletter for December 13, 2021
DEMOCRATIC EVENTS
1. NEW – The Skagit County Democrats Headquarters will be closed over the holidays from Monday, Dec 20 – Friday, Dec 31
Headquarters will reopen Monday, Jan 3, 2021.
2. UPDATED – Fidalgo Democrats will NOT be meeting in December as was erroneously reported previously.
3. NEW – 10th Legislative District Democrats Quarterly General Membership Meeting, Saturday, Dec 18, 10:30am – 12:30pm, via Zoom
Guest Speaker – State Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti. This meeting is open to all members of the 10th Legislative District Democrats. Email Chair@10thlddemocrats.org for connection information.
4. NEW – 39th Legislative District Democrats next meeting is scheduled for Sunday, Dec 26, 10:30am via Zoom
Click Here to register for the meeting.
5. Washington State Redistricting
“On Friday, 12/3, the WA State Supreme Court issued an order (5-page PDF) that “concludes that the plan adopted by the Washington State Redistricting Commission met the constitutional deadline and substantially complied with the statutory deadline to transmit the matter to the legislature.” But the order also states, ‘The court has not evaluated and does not render any opinion on the plan’s compliance with any statutory and constitutional requirements other than the November 15 deadline.’ The WA Redistricting Commission published their maps at: https://www.redistricting.wa.gov/final-maps.”
6. Fact Sheets for Washington State for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Build Back Better framework
7. UPDATED – School Staff Appreciation
“In order to show our appreciation for all of the hard work done by janitors, school bus drivers, food workers, teachers, and administrators, Skagit County Democrats is asking for donations of baskets of individually wrapped healthy snacks, gift baskets and cards of appreciation signed with your names. Our school staff are facing an incredibly difficult year. Let’s show our appreciation and let them all know how much they are appreciated and valued. You can drop items off at our office located at 2021 East College Way, Suite 104, Mount Vernon – Hours: Monday, Tuesday & Thursday; 12:00pm – 4:00pm and Wednesdays; 10:00am to 4:00pm. Let this be a season of giving to those who give so much to our youth!”
8. Afghan Refugee Aid (through December)
“As colder weather approaches, there is a dire need for warm winter clothing for more than 4,000 Afghan refugee children at New Jersey’s Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. They escaped Afghanistan on U.S. cargo planes in August with only the clothes on their backs – and they need everyone’s help. They supported the U.S. military during the war and risked everything for our service members – it’s now time for us to step up for them.
Please help by either:
- Donate online (https://gofund.me/fba4cd13) which will be used to deliver coats, jackets, and shoes directly to these children; or
- Donate winter clothing and shoes. These can be dropped off at the Skagit County Democrats Office at: 2021 East College Way, Suite 104, Mount Vernon – Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 12:00pm – 4:00pm and Wednesday 10:00am to 4:00pm. Your coats, jackets and shoes will be picked up by Clyde Shavers who is leading this effort.”
9. Rent Request
“Fellow Democrats,
For our community’s health and safety, we cancelled the annual Gala in 2020 and 2021. Generous donors have traditionally given to our rent fund at the Gala. A year and a half ago we reached out to you to request your help in replenishing our depleted rent funds. You responded so generously that, along with the occasional rent support supplementing your membership dues, we’ve been able to meet our rent obligations up to and including November of this year.
Now, however, we are once again faced with a dwindling rent fund and the very real possibility of having to use money from the general fund to meet those same obligations. Doing so would reduce our options for supporting other priorities, such as candidate support, Get Out the Vote, and Community Outreach, which in turn would risk diminishing our effectiveness in the community.
We are optimistically looking ahead to next June in the hopes of being able to once again stage a live Gala, but in the meantime we have at least 7 months during which we need a minimum of $7,000 to fulfill the terms of our lease. Were it not for the good fortune of finding and moving into our new headquarters the amount needed would be at least $3000 more.
We welcome contributions in any amount either through our website (https://skagitdemocrats.org/) or by check to our address at 2021 East College Way, Suite 104, Mount Vernon, WA 98273. Your support is the mainstay of our party and the ability to make a positive difference in Skagit County.
Thank you so much for your continued support of our party. Respectfully, Lynn Campbell, Chair, Skagit County Democrats”
Click Here to go directly to our ActBlue donation page.
10. NEW – Links of the Week
The Links of the Week provide in-depth pieces and resources the Editor has found to be relevant, insightful, and thorough on important issues of the day.
- Decatur’s Heroic Life and Tragic Death
- We Have Ignition! Nuclear Fusion with 1.3 Megajoules Out, 6x More Than What Went In
- Keeping the Wrong Secrets – How Washington Misses the Real Security Threat
- What Happened to American Conservatism? by David Brooks
- An analysis of financial institutions in Black-majority communities: Black borrowers and depositors face considerable challenges in accessing banking services
COMMUNITY EVENTS
1. NEW – Mount Vernon High School Choral and Instrumental Music Departments present their Holiday Concert, Thursday, Dec 16, 7:00pm – 9:00pm, McIntyre Hall,
“General Admission ~ Pay As You Wish – on sale the day of the show ONLY. COVID-19: PROOF OF NEGATIVE TEST OR VACCINATION IS REQUIRED FOR ALL PERSONS. Masks are required for All patrons regardless of vaccination status.”
2. NEW – The League of Women Voters of Washington has a new group – ACT via Zoom (Action Coffee Time) – focused on topics currently being debated in Washington State Legislative session
Mondays, 10:00am – 11:00am (with optional 11-11:15 social time). Sessions begin Monday, Jan 3, and end Monday, Mar 14. Attend as your interest in a topic and schedule allows. Each session will be recorded for viewing anytime. Email facilitator, Carol Sullivan, at carolosully@yahoo.com to get the topics schedule and Zoom link. (She promises few emails.) Likely topics: Public Banking, Local Options Bill (Ranked Choice Voting), Advisory Votes, Carbon Pricing Basics, Gun Safety legislation.
3. Protect Yourself from Social Security Scams
Be on the lookout for fake calls, texts, and emails. Scammers are pretending to be government employees. They may threaten you and may demand immediate payment to avoid arrest or other legal action. Do not be fooled!” Click Here for information from the Social Security Administration.
4. Flood recovery information from Skagit County
- Deadline for Flood Damage Assessment submission extended to December 17, 2021
- Post Flood Resources
- Flood Recovery Guidance from Skagit County Public Health
- Debris Removal Guidance for Skagit County Residents
- Skagit County Emergency Management Collecting Flood Damage Information
5. UPDATED – COVID-19 Information
Current Skagit County Information – The following is taken from the Skagit County COVID-19 Update of Dec 8
Local COVID-19 Case, Hospital & Vaccine Data
Skagit has a total of 13,071 cases; an increase of 239 new cases since last Wednesday. Skagit has a total of 765 hospitalizations (increased by 19 since Wednesday), and 139 deaths (increased by 5).
Skagit’s case rate is 348.0 per 100k over the last 14 days and our hospitalization rate is 15.3 per 100k over the last seven days. While case rates continue to decline steadily, our hospitalization rate continues to remain high. From the data, we know that the vast majority of those contracting COVID-19 are people who are unvaccinated. In order to see our hospitalization rates decrease, more Skagitonians will need to get vaccinated.
Local data shows that *26 people aged less than 65 years old that tested positive between July 1, 2021 – November 30, 2021 died from COVID-19. All but four of these individuals (85%) were unvaccinated, per Public Health’s records. (*Please be aware that the data on deaths from November 2021 is still incomplete and we are likely to see additional deaths from people who tested positive in this time frame.)
A total of 206,985 doses have been administered in Skagit County. We are now at 76.7% partially vaccinated amongst our population 12 years and older, and 70.8% fully vaccinated amongst Skagitonians 12 and older.
Boosters at the Public Health Office
Beginning Monday, December 13, COVID-19 booster doses of Pfizer, Moderna, or Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine will be available by appointment at the Skagit County Public Health Office, located at 700 S 2nd Street (3rd floor) in downtown Mount Vernon.
Appointments will be available to all individuals 18 years and older who are time eligible. This would include those who are at least 6 months past completion of their Moderna or Pfizer vaccine series, or those who received their single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least 2 months ago.
The downtown booster clinic will operate Monday-Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Appointments can be scheduled online by going to https://prepmod.doh.wa.gov/ and searching for “Skagit County Public Health” under the Name of Location box. If there are no appointments when you go online, please know that new appointments will be added next week.
- Wednesday 12/15
- Thursday 12/16
- Monday 12/20
- Tuesday 12/21
- Wednesday 12/22
- Thursday 12/23
Pediatric Vaccines at the Fairgrounds
Pfizer COVID-19 Pediatric vaccines continue to be available—by appointment only—for children 5-11 years old. To make an appointment for a pediatric vaccine, go to: https://prepmod.doh.wa.gov/. Search for “Skagit County Public Health” under Name of Location.
Available appointments:
- Monday 12/13 – click here
- Tuesday 12/14 – click here
- Thursday 12/16 – click here
- Friday 12/17 – click here
For more information about pediatric vaccine, go to: https://bit.ly/3Csp7BE.
Omicron Variant Update
Over the weekend, the Washington Department of Health released a statement which confirmed a total of three cases of omicron variant have now been reported in Washington State. The patients range in age from 20 to 39, two men, one woman. Continued spread is expected—so what does this mean? And what do we know about omicron? Here are a few answers provided by the CDC:
How easily does Omicron spread? The Omicron variant likely will spread more easily than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus and how easily Omicron spreads compared to Delta remains unknown. CDC expects that anyone with Omicron infection can spread the virus to others, even if they are vaccinated or don’t have symptoms.
Will Omicron cause more severe illness? More data are needed to know if Omicron infections, and especially reinfections and breakthrough infections in people who are fully vaccinated, cause more severe illness or death than infection with other variants.
Will vaccines work against Omicron? Current vaccines are expected to protect against severe illness, hospitalizations, and deaths due to infection with the Omicron variant. However, breakthrough infections in people who are fully vaccinated are likely to occur. With other variants, like Delta, vaccines have remained effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalizations, and death. The recent emergence of Omicron further emphasizes the importance of vaccination and boosters.
Will treatments work against Omicron? Scientists are working to determine how well existing treatments for COVID-19 work. Based on the changed genetic make-up of Omicron, some treatments are likely to remain effective while others may be less effective.
Vaccines remain the best public health measure to protect people from COVID-19, slow transmission, and reduce the likelihood of new variants emerging. To find yours, go to Vaccine Locator or call the COVID-19 Hotline at 1-800-525-0127, then press #.
Masking Reminder & Reporting Violations
A statewide mask mandate is currently in place that covers all indoor public spaces and certain outdoor settings. This mandate requires that everyone five years of age and older wear a mask in public indoor settings (including local businesses, chain outlets, and grocery stores) and at large, outdoor events with 500 or more attendees, including sporting events, fairs, parades, and concerts, regardless of vaccination status.
If a business violates this mandate, you can report the violation by going to https://www.coronavirus.wa.gov/report-safe-start-violation. Your completed report will be forwarded to the appropriate agency to review the violation for the appropriate response.
Pfizer COVID-19 Boosters Now Authorized for 16- and 17-year old’s
Today, the FDA amended the emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, authorizing the use of a single booster dose for administration to individuals 16 and 17 years of age at least six months after completion of primary vaccination with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine. This means that 16- and 17-year old’s can now get a Pfizer booster dose 6 months after their second dose of Pfizer vaccine.
Beginning immediately, Skagit County Public Health will provide booster doses for these newly eligible individuals—BY APPOINTMENT—at the Skagit County Public Health Office, located at 700 S 2nd Street (3rd floor) in downtown Mount Vernon, as well as the Skagit County Fairgrounds, located at 501 Taylor Street in Mount Vernon.
The Downtown Booster Clinic will operate Monday-Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The Fairgrounds Booster Clinic will operate Mondays, Tuesday, Thursdays, and Fridays from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Appointments can be scheduled online by going to https://prepmod.doh.wa.gov/ and searching for “Skagit County Public Health” under the Name of Location box. For assistance, call Public Health at (360) 416-1500.
Appointments are limited at this time. If no appointments appear to be available when you search online, please know that new appointments will be added each Monday at 9:00 a.m.
Please be sure that you are scheduling for a Booster Clinic appointment and select the Pfizer vaccine option. Be sure to note which clinic location you have signed up for.
No insurance is required for these clinics. Please bring your Vaccination Card with you to your appointment. Consent to vaccinate will also be required from the minor’s parent or legal guardian and can be provided either in-person or by phone at the time of the appointment.
As a reminder, prime COVID-19 vaccinations and antigen testing are still available at the Skagit County Fairgrounds location until the site closes permanently after January 28. Pediatric vaccines are also provided at this location by appointment only.
For a full list of vaccination providers in Skagit County, visit our website at www.skagitcounty.net/COVIDvaccine or call the COVID-19 Information Hotline at 1-800-525-0127, then press #.