A recap of COVID-19 news and updates for mid-July

— from Emergency Operations Center, Camp Murray —

Newest numbers. The state of Washington reported 554 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours. This brings the total number of cases to 42,304, as of July 13 at 11:59 p.m. The total number of deaths are at 1,404.

For the most recent tally of cases by county, demographics, and more, visit the Department of Health’s dashboard and the state’s COVID-19 risk assessment dashboard.

DOH publishes detailed COVID-19 preliminary death data report. DOH has published a new death data report that includes different categories of COVID-19 deaths. They hosted a media briefing today to discuss the latest numbers. Among those who have tested positive for COVID-19, these categories include confirmed due to COVID-19, suspected of being due to COVID-19, non-COVID-19 deaths and deaths pending or missing cause of death. In addition, there are 77 deaths that are probably due to COVID-19, but they are not among those who have tested positive for COVID-19. Read the release or watch the media briefing on TVW.

Inslee announces continued pause on considering county Safe Start applications to move to next phase. Gov. Jay Inslee held a media briefing this afternoon and announced he and DOH will extend the pause on considering county’s moving to new phases of reopening to at least July 28. He cited data that shows transmission rates of COVID-19 are increasing throughout most of the state instead of falling, and there’s a growing percentage of new cases are among Washingtonians in their 20s. Yakima County is the exception as its mask-wearing efforts appear to be successful so far and transmission is declining. Inslee cautioned that California and Oregon recently restored certain restrictions and Washington state’s health officials are watching COVID-19 activity closely to determine if similar steps will be necessary here. Watch the media briefing on TVW.

EMD Webinar: Disaster preparedness during a pandemic. The Washington Emergency Management Division is hosting a public preparedness webinar on July 21 to talk about how to prepare for all hazards during COVID-19. Topics include financial preparedness, mental health support, online safety and about strategically shopping, not over-buying. The event is free, taking place from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., on Tuesday, July 21. Joining our agency are officials from Bellevue Office of Emergency Management, Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management, the emergency management division for the city of Marysville and a public health expert from Eastern Washington.

Guardsmen adapt to changing missions during COVID-19 response. While many across the state are returning to work, hundreds of soldiers and airmen of the Washington National Guard continue to support the COVID-19 response and are entering their fourth month of helping our state. The mission has remained the same; support the state as we get through the worst pandemic since the Spanish Flu of 1918. But some of the jobs they are performing have changed. Read the full story here.