THE ROTARY CLUB OF EVERETT
Meeting of April 14, 2020 #39 (5344) “Virtual Meeting #5” was called to order by President Steve Miller who was on location at his home. He then led us in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Lance Ballas provided the Thought of the Day which was a video from the Everett High School Staff continuing to keep the hopes of the students up.
VISITING ROTARIANS & GUESTS:
No Virtual Visiting Rotarians & guests.
Walt Greenwood sang “I want to be a dog…” song as being a dog may have an easier path to follow. 😊
Jeff Micchihi gave us an update on his recovery with COVID-19; Thank you to the Mukilteo Everett Clinic! Great to see you Jeff!
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
- Internet Scam from Sweden - President Steve Miller asked that all emails from Bob Beil be deleted due to a scam.
- Matching Grant - President Steve Miller stated that District 5050 is matching up to $5,000 grant. Everett Rotary will donate $1,000 towards the grant to purchase food gift cards for organizations such as Dawson Place and Cocoon House and other non-profits in Everett. He is asking the other Rotary Clubs to donate money towards the grant so that we may receive a $10,000 total grant.
- Virtual Happy Hours – Kelly Shepherd stated that there were 12-13 Rotarians at the Happy Hour on April 9th. The next Happy Hour is Thursday, April 23rd from 5:30 – 6:30.
- Membership Moment – Cat Wilson gave her under 40 perspective on being an Everett Rotarian. Cat has been a member since January 2019 and Jim Schrader is her sponsor. The best thing about being an Everett Rotarian is the involvement with the high school scholarships, Global Outreach, and local community such as the Park Cleanup day.
- Support small businesses – Please support Vintage Café and Bargreen’s Café.
- Food Bank and Blood Drive – make ups granted
- RYLA Cancelled for this year
HAPPY DOLLARS:
- Cathy Woods - $100 “cowbell” ringer as she is happy to pass the dissertation for her doctoral degree and the support of the community.
- Jeff Micciche - $200 “double cowbell” ringer for his birthday last week and recovery from COVID19.
- Tom Lane – Good to see everyone and to join the meeting.
- Randy Hansen - $100 “cowbell” ringer for a thank you to Vintage Café for lunch and Mark Valentine for scheduling an appointment right away.
- Rich Toyer donated $500 to the Everett Youth Foundation.
PROGRAM
“COVID 19” presented by Dr. Bill Finley introduced by Kelly Shepherd
Dr. Bill Finley presented the history of our ‘relationship’ with infectious diseases, Influenza, Define some terms, The current situation, and Future Directions. He mentioned the other infectious diseases including the Bubonic plaque, Ebola, Zika virus and Influenza. The Spanish Flu in 1918, Asian Flu in 1957 and the Swine Flu in 2009.
He discussed what the flu is and how the virus is created. Influenza affects 3-11% of the population annually, duration of 3-7 days and we have vaccines. He explained how influenza spreads.
With COVID 19, no one is immune. Herd immunity is developed though vaccination and may be developed immunity by having the illness.
Ways to decrease becoming ill – Wash Hands Often, Keep Hands Away from Face, Clean and Disinfect, Cover Coughs and Sneezes, and if Feel Sick, Stay Home.
Compared to influenza, COVID 19 is 30% more deadly. Without protective measures there will be a higher peak in number of cases.
With protective measures, there will be lower cases and no strain on healthcare.
Public Health Tools – Personal, Education, Social Distancing, Surveillance, Contact Tracing, Develop Herd Immunity
What we are doing is making a difference and appears to be working. As we let our guard down it is likely to have a resurge of the illness. COVID 19 may be with us for a while.
Our take home messages – What will continue or happen in the future
- Plexiglass at the grocery stores
- Social distancing when we go out
- Smaller crowd size
- Telecommuting/teleconferencing will continue and/or increase
- Masks will be worn when out in public
- Early detection of epidemics
CONCLUSION
President Steve thanked our speaker and notified him of the certificate in name acknowledging a donation to the healing fund for a water project in Panama. He then thanked those who rang the ‘cowbell’. Rotary Connects the World
Respectfully submitted,
Tammy Dunn
Photography submitted,
Tammy Dunn
Next Program:
“Everett Update” presented by Mayor Cassie Franklin introduced by Randy Hansen