Here’s a recap of recent COVID-19 news, updated

||| from State Department of Health |||

Newest numbers. The Department of Health reported a total of 81,198 confirmed cases as of 11:59 pm on September 16. There have been 2,031 COVID-19 deaths in Washington.

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.

COVID-19 Long-term Care (LTC) Report. As of September 14, a total of 6,925 COVID-19 cases (9% of total cases) and 1,093 deaths (54% of total deaths) have been identified as associated with a long-term care facility (i.e., nursing home, assisted living facility or adult family home).

• These cases include residents as well as employees and visitors. Not all of these cases were exposed at a LTC facility.
• Many cases visited multiple places during their exposure period, and some individuals may have visited a LTC facility after disease onset.

Read the full report here.

Emphasizing the importance of testing: Make sure you have a plan. To make it easier to find a test near you, the Department of Health has created a new webpage to help people find COVID-19 testing locations throughout the state.

Read the full news release from DOH here.

COVID-19 vaccine update: Prioritization and pilot project plans. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) provided an update on progress being made toward a COVID-19 vaccine. Five federal regions (four states and a city) have been chosen to be pilot states in the CDC’s planning. Washington is not one of the pilot states. However, we will develop our plans based on lessons learned from the pilot project. Yesterday we received, from the federal government, the interim playbook. We are now reviewing it, and are on a 30-day clock to return our plans by October 16th.

DOH wants to remind people that when a coronavirus vaccine is approved and released, we will not have enough at first to offer it to everyone. Prioritization will happen at the federal level first. Because there won’t be a lot of vaccine available in the first round, the state will work on further prioritization.

Read the full news release here.

Department of Health releases initial case investigation and contact tracing performance metrics. DOH published new data related to COVID-19 case investigation and contact tracing efforts in Washington state. These data will now be available for the public to view via PDF and updated weekly.

Statewide, the shared goal is to reach 90% of cases and 80% of contacts, within 1 and 2 days respectively, of receiving a positive COVID-19 test result. These targets represent an ideal and we expect to see improvement over time as we refine our processes for successfully contacting people.

Read the full news release here.

September 17 Inslee press conference on mental health. Gov. Jay Inslee was joined today by behavioral health providers and a student mental health advocate to discuss mental health, the state response to COVID-19, wildfires and air quality. The recording will be available here on TVW.org.

September 16 COVID-19 response update media briefing recording available. This week’s COVID-19 response update media briefing with leaders from the governor’s office and DOH is available to watch here.

Updated wedding and funeral guidance. Gov. Jay Inslee announced updated guidance for weddings and funerals as part of Washington’s Safe Start phased reopening plan. 

The update allows wedding and funeral receptions to resume, as long as they meet specific requirements.

• Receptions and ceremonies must be capped at 30 people, or 25% of venue occupancy, whichever is less
• All tables at the reception must be seated by household, with table sizes capped at 5 people
• Facial coverings are required, and social distancing must be maintained

Read the full guidance document here, and associated memo here. Find a full list of current reopening guidance here.

Indoor fitness centers now permitted to operate in Modified Phase 1 counties. Chelan, Benton, Douglas, Franklin and Yakima counties may now hit the gym. The roster of permissible activity in Modified Phase 1 counties was expanded to include indoor fitness. Fitness centers in these counties must abide by the Phase 2 requirements. In Modified Phase 1 and Phase 2, occupancy is limited to the quotient of the square footage of the facility divided by 300 square feet per patron. A 1500-square-foot facility, for example, is allowed up to five patrons (staff and instructors not included). Large facilities in excess of 12,000 square feet must abide by the 300-square-foot rule as well as limit the number of patrons to 25% capacity.

Real estate guidance amended to expand viewings, inspections, other common activities. The number of people permitted at in-person real estate activities has expanded from three to five. This allows families and other parties to conduct walk-throughs, viewings, appraisals, and inspections. Physical distancing and cloth face coverings remain required precautions.

Additional weekly $300 unemployment benefit payment to be paid to eligible claimants. The state’s application for the Lost Wages Assistance program has been approved. ESD will start processing payments of $300 to eligible claimants for this new program on Monday, Sept. 21. Payments will be retroactive for all weeks for which the claimant was eligible, and for which funding is available from the federal government. Upon the processing date, eligible claimants will receive the funds as soon as their bank processes the payment. Refer to the Employment Security Department website for details.