Coronavirus updates: Zoolights will open despite pandemic
The Washington state Department of Health reported 2,887 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 14 deaths Wednesday. The department did not report cases or deaths on Thanksgiving day.
Pierce County reported 284 cases Wednesday and three new deaths. Pierce County has a total of 228 deaths likely caused by COVID-19 as of Wednesday, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.
Statewide totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus are at 153,906 cases and 2,704 deaths, up from 151,019 cases and 2,690 deaths Tuesday. Washington’s population is estimated at about 7.6 million, according to U.S. Census figures from July 2019.
Sixty-two people were admitted to Washington state hospitals on Nov. 6, the most recent date with complete data. Average daily hospitalizations peaked in early April at 78.
Approximately 9.2% of all staffed adult acute care hospital beds were occupied by COVID-19 patients on Monday. In the state’s intensive care units, 17.5% of staffed adult beds were occupied by COVID-19 patients.
Zoolights and its 700,000 bulbs will not be dimmed by the pandemic
Tacoma’s hometown holiday lights extravaganza will not be dimmed by a pandemic.
Zoolights opens Friday with more than 700,000 colorful LED lights and a new tribute to the Seattle Kraken hockey club.
“It made perfect sense to honor Seattle’s newest team,” said Scott Clarke, operations manager at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. “We’ve been in the shop playing with a few designs to get it just right, and we can’t wait for the community to see the new addition to Zoolights.”
The event is in its 33rd year and will have some changes due to COVID-19.
This year face coverings are required for everyone 5 and up, and there will be one-way paths so visitors can socially distance. All indoor areas are closed, including both aquariums, carousel and goat area. Tickets range from $11 to $14 and must be bought in advance to limit the number of people inside.
Zoo officials said they hope the brilliant displays will bring comfort during tough times.
Crews have been preparing for Zoolights since October when they began zip-tying lights to dozens of trees, shrubs, cacti and bamboo forests.
All the favorites will be back, like the green-and-purple Flame Tree, 23-foot Mount Rainier in all her glory and two Narrows bridges. The Tunnel of Lights extends 117 feet this year, and visitors are encouraged to find the elusive Sasquatch.
Of course, the Pacific octopus will shine from atop the old North Pacific Aquarium, stretching across 100 feet.
Technicians say that’s the most challenging display, taking five people a full day to set up.
Take the vaccine even if you’ve already had coronavirus, Fauci says
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, is advising Americans who have already had the coronavirus – or suspect that they’ve had it – to take the coming vaccines for it anyway.
In a recent interview, the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told McClatchy that he doubts previously infected individuals will be restricted from accessing the vaccines, and that he has no reason to believe that taking the vaccine will be of harm to those who have already had COVID-19.
“I don’t think that should be a concern at all,” Fauci said, encouraging those Americans to take the vaccines once available.
Two manufacturers, Pfizer and Moderna, have completed their trials and found their vaccine candidates are roughly 95% effective at preventing illness. Pfizer has submitted a request for emergency use authorization of their vaccine from the Food and Drug Administration, which could be granted as early as mid-December.
“I believe they should” take the vaccine, Fauci said, addressing concerns among individuals who have already recovered from infection. “The final decision is going to be awaiting both FDA input, because we know that there were a certain percentage of the people who were in the original vaccine trial that had evidence they had been previously infected. So we need to see what the outcome of those individuals were.”
“I think it’s entirely conceivable that there would not be a restriction against those who have evidence that they’ve been infected,” he added.
While advanced clinical trials excluded volunteer applicants who said they had already had coronavirus, enrolled volunteers who were later found to have had the infection were allowed to remain in the trials, providing researchers and clinicians with valuable data on the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine within this group.
Scientists remain uncertain just how long individuals are naturally immune from reinfection with the coronavirus after recovering from the disease, much less on how long the vaccine will work for.
Vaccinologists expect the coronavirus vaccines will require annual shots or booster shots, similar to the flu vaccine, which Americans are advised to take every year.
But it is not clear whether the COVID-19 vaccines will last that long.
Craig Sailor and Stacia Glenn contributed to this report.
This story was originally published November 27, 2020 at 8:27 AM.
