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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021_8_12 EEmswiler Wooden Boats COVIDFrom:geronimo@gci.net To:"Wooden Boat Festival" Cc:info@jeffersoncountypublichealth.org; Board of Health Subject:RE: Look for schooner Wolfhound at this year’s Festival! Date:Thursday, August 12, 2021 10:21:21 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when openingattachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Hello Wooden Boat Festival. I am leaning away from going to further public gatherings including the Wooden Boat Festival and such across the board at this time as this may be a way to acquire COVID. There many things here that do not make sense from a Public Health perspective in light of increasing cases of COVID overall. Have you or Jefferson County Public Health considered the following: 1. knowledge about the status of vaccinated and unvaccinated people. You don’t know who is or is not vaccinated. Will you ask for vaccination cards and/or testing prior to the event (have you considered this?); 2. the increased virulence and transmissibility of the Delta variant (see articles from the newspaper below). I hear the viral load in the nasopharynx of the Delta variant is on the order of 1,000 times more than the original virus (vaccinated people may transmit the virus); 3. breakthrough infections with people who are vaccinated; 4. moving target as to mask wearing, social distancing and opening the economy by health authorities though out the pandemic; 5. lack of proper education by health authorities as to mask wearing, social distancing and vaccinations throughout the pandemic; 6. the cavalier nature of people in groups regarding mask wearing or social distancing during events; 7. people not wearing masks or not wearing them properly (relates to #5 above); 8. enforcement or the lack therof by Wooden Boat Staff and Concierge as to prevention measures; and, 9. level of monitoring and oversight by Jefferson County Public Health. I am unsure about the spread of COVID come fall and the overall situation could mean a resurgence. This is unfortunate with all the great things that are happening in and around Port Townsend. With best intentions we will all get through this together. Ed Emswiler MPH REHS(NEHA)-Ret MT(ASCP) Previously US Public Health Service Health Officer University of Michigan School of Public Health Unvaccinated residents causing uptick in COVID The CDC’s laboratory test kit for SARS-CoV-2.Posted Wednesday, July 28, 2021 1:20 pm Brian Kellybkelly@ptleader.com With COVID-19 infections rising rapidly in the county and across the country, Jefferson Countyhealth officials are recommending a return to wearing face masks in public spaces to help limit thespread of coronavirus. “We are seeing cases rising nationwide,” Jefferson County Public Health Officer Dr. Allison Berrytold county commissioners Monday. Cases have increased by172 percent nationwide, and there has been a 57 percent increase in hospitalizations. The amount of deaths attributed to COVID-19 has also risen, by20 percent. In Washington state, the infection rate has gone up 133 percent, Berry said. Ten new infections were reported over the weekend in Jefferson County, Berry said, and the totalnumber of cases was 493 Monday. “We have five new cases since that number was calculated,” she added. “We anticipate that numberis going to go up more in the next few days.” The masking recommendation will include those who are vaccinated but are gathering in publicspaces. People who have not gotten vaccinated are largely the reason for the increase in infections. As people who have been vaccinated return to pre-pandemic activities without face masks, theunvaccinated have done the same. “New cases of COVID-19 are driven primarily by unvaccinated people who are gathering indoorsunmasked,” Berry said. Berry said the need for masking will extend to schools in the fall, with students wearing masks withthe return of in-person, on-site learning. Masks are vital because there are only a few tools available to stem the spread of COVID-19;vaccines, masking, and lockdowns. “So we have to lean on the first two,” Berry said. “It’s the least economically devastating option we can do to get numbers under control,” she added.“I know it’s a change but we’ve done it before.” Dr. Tom Locke, the county’s deputy public health officer, agreed. “The status quo is not working,” Locke said. The societal norm needs to go back to wearing masks, he said, unless businesses and other placeswhere people gather indoors take steps to verify people’s vaccination status. “The main thing I would add and what people really need to understand the Delta variant is a realgame-changer in our management of the pandemic,” Locke said. “The more we find out about this virus the more worrisome it becomes,” he added. One study showed the viral loads for the Delta variant were a thousand times greater than earlierforms of coronavirus. People are also becoming infectious sooner; four days instead of six days. Locke said there will be more talk in the weeks ahead about mandates for getting vaccinated, as wellas the continued verification of one’s vaccination status. “Things are going to be changing,” Locke said. Health officials had been hoping for a summertime lull in infections, he added. “But it’s not happening,” Locke said. “If we don’t do something now, they will go up even more rapidly,” he said of COVID-related casecounts. Commissioners wondered what changes the county should make to safeguard workers and visitorsto the county courthouse. People entering the building must currently show a vaccination card or sign a form attesting theyhave been vaccinated. Commissioner Kate Dean said officials would talk later in depth about how any COVID-relatedrestrictions would be implemented. “A big ship turns slowly,” Dean said. ------------------- Four new COVID-19 infections discovered in Port Townsend Posted Friday, July 30, 2021 3:38 pm Leader news staffnews@ptleader.com Jefferson County public health officials reported four new cases of COVID-19 in Port TownsendFriday. The new infections pushed the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Jefferson County to512 on Friday, July 30. Jefferson County Public Health does not provide information on individual cases, but a review ofupdated case reports — compared to case information reported earlier — indicate the new infectionsinvolve three males and one female. Two of the new cases of coronavirus were found in residents under the age of 20, while the otherconfirmed tests of COVID-19 were found in a resident in their 20s, and one in their 60s. A total of 34 residents were still in isolation Friday due to potential COVID-19 contact. Test results are pending for another four residents. There have been 26,873 tests for COVID-19 in Jefferson County since the start of the pandemic, and26,357 have resulted in negative results. In Jefferson County, 452 people have recovered from COVID-19 and 37 people have beenhospitalized for the disease. Four deaths of Jefferson County residents have been linked to COVID-19. From: Wooden Boat Festival <festival@woodenboat.org> Sent: Thursday, August 12, 2021 7:01 AM To: geronimo@gci.net Subject: Look for schooner Wolfhound at this year’s Festival! Crewed by owners Steven and Louise Dews, the 64-foot schooner Wolfhound is on a 25,000- plus mile delivery, from the shipyard where she was built in Shillingstone, UK, to her new home in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. Wolfhound and the Dews are on an extended layover in Port Townsend, WA, where the boat will join the Wooden Boat Festival and get some maintenance while Steven—a renowned marine artist—completes paintings and the couple makes new friends. Wolfhound is a wood epoxy long-distance cruiser, constructed of strip plank douglas fir over laminated sapele frames and longitudinals. With decades of combined experience with classic yachts, Steven and Louise’s design specifications for Wolfhound included a desire for the aesthetics and feel of a wooden boat, a schooner rig easily managed by the couple, a shallow draught, and a light, open interior. Despite her classic lines, Wolfhound feels very personal. Her name is sentimental of the couple’s two now-deceased wolfhounds. Tributes to their dogs include a marquetry inlay of a wolfhound’s paw print in the deck saloon dining table, Dew’s sketch of a wolfhound imposed upon the asymmetrical sail, and naming their tenders Paddy and Seamus after the pets. “Comfort was our primary concern,” says Louise, adding “she’s not a difficult boat to sail. She’s stable, which is very helpful for us at our age.” After crewing a recent passage on Wolfhound, WE Sail adventurer-blogger Erica Thomas notes, “there were times while at sea, crossing from Hawaii to Port Townsend, when the seas were close to 4–5 meters with the winds screaming at 30 knots, and we were sitting inside cozied up reading books and drinking tea. We really didn't feel as if we were in the middle of the ocean at latitude 40.” Originally planning a 12,000-mile ‘direct’ route to New Zealand, Wolfhound’s delivery has changed course, influenced by new friends and cruising opportunities, and closed borders in the Pacific due to the pandemic. Keep Reading Wolfhound photos by Paul Wyeth Marine Photography. A peek at some of the boats that will be at this year's festival! See more boats! Wooden Boat Festival will follow all federal, state, and local COVID guidelines. Your safety is our priority! @WoodenBoatFoundation @woodenboatfestival Copyright © 2021 Northwest Maritime Center, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Our mailing address is: Northwest Maritime Center 431 Water St Port Townsend, WA 98368-5723 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.