Washington state officials are asking residents to renew social distancing efforts as COVID-19 cases spike.
The state broke two records over the past week for the highest daily case count since the coronavirus pandemic began, according to Department of Health data. Based on projections, the state could see a spike in the number of cases and deaths starting at the end of November, even with mask use.
State health officials advise Washington residents to put the brakes on socializing to flatten the curve. They stopped short of announcing new mandatory measures, but did not rule it out for the future. Read more
While Pfizer grabbed headlines this week on the success of its COVID-19 vaccine trials, it's not the only one in the works. Several vaccine trials are seeking Seattle-area volunteers.
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center is coordinating as many as five COVID-19 vaccine trials, and two of them are signing up volunteers now. A third trial will start soon.
Tens of thousands of volunteers are needed worldwide, with 1,700 in the Seattle area. Read more
Nearly 200 queens were found in an Asian giant hornet nest that was removed from a tree in a Blaine family's backyard last month.
State officials believe they were able to get all the hornet queens before they left to establish new colonies. Now the hunt is on for more nests in Whatcom County and beyond.
Asian giant hornets can be devastating to honeybee colonies, which are important pollinators for Washington state plants and crops. Read more
While traffic volume overall is still down from pre-pandemic levels, some roads are getting increasingly busy during weekday afternoons and weekends, especially in the suburbs.
A recent study has shown that while morning commutes remain lower than before the pandemic, afternoon and weekend traffic levels have been on the rise, especially on Interstate 405 south of Bellevue and State Route 167 near Renton. Read more
A former Amazon engineer who worked on Alexa has unveiled his latest pet project: an app that translates your cat's meow.
MeowTalk reportedly translates what your cat is vocalizing. Everything from “I’m hungry” to “I’m happy” and even “I’m in pain” are all built into the app, translated based on tone.
People can fine-tune the reactions to help improve the accuracy for their cats. Read more.
Also see: Seattle local forecast
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