Latest COVID update from State Health Dept.

||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH |||

Newest numbers. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 648,779 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 3. There have been 8,767 COVID-19 deaths in Washington.

For the most recent number of cases by county, demographics, and more, visit the Department of Health’s dashboard and the state’s Washington Ready page.

COVID-19 infections among children and youth slowing after months of steady growth. A new DOH report shows the level of COVID-19 spread among the state’s youngest residents. Statewide, COVID-19 rates in children and youth increased rapidly from July 2021 to mid-September followed by a decrease in recent weeks. This weekly report provides information on COVID-19 in all children and youth, ages 0 to 19 years. Cases are broken down by educational service district (ESD) regions and age. Read the full news release and read the full Nov. 3 report.

Children ages 5-11 now eligible for Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. DOH expanded COVID-19 vaccine eligibility following recommendations from the Food and Drug Administration, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, and the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup. They reviewed data that found the vaccine to be safe and more than 90% effective in preventing COVID-19 in younger children. Read the full news release.

Updated DOH guidance documents. The following guidance documents include changes to references that include the secretary of health’s masking order; change in quarantine length for fully vaccinated, exposed residents from 14 days to seven days (with completion of post-exposure testing); and removal of links to archived CDC guidance.

• Outdoor Visitation Guidance for Long-Term Care (LTC) Settings
• Risk Assessment Template to Assess COVID-19 Exposure Risk for Residents/Clients after Community Visits
• Supplemental Guidance for Long-Term Care Facility Visitors
• Interim Guidance for SARS-CoV-2 Source Control in Health Care Settings
• L&I and DOH Respirator and PPE Guidance for Long-Term Care: Employer responsibilities for respiratory protection program and provision of personal protective equipment (PPE)
• L&I and DOH Respirator and PPE for In-Home Care Agencies: Employer responsibilities for respiratory protection program and provision of personal protective equipment (PPE)

Case investigation and contact tracing metrics for DOH centralized investigations. This weekly report shows the timeliness of reaching COVID-19 confirmed and probable cases and their contacts for case investigations and contact tracing activities. Read the full Nov. 3 report.

COVID-19 morbidity and mortality by race, ethnicity, and spoken language in Washington state. This bimonthly report provides an overview of confirmed or probable COVID-19 case, hospitalization, and death rates by race and ethnicity at state and regional levels. It also provides counts and percentages of confirmed or probable cases and hospitalizations by primary language spoken. Read the full Nov. 3 report. 

COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths by vaccination status. This weekly report provides a brief overview of confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths among those who are not fully vaccinated in Washington state. Read the full Nov. 3 report.

DOH SARS-CoV-2 sequencing and variants report. This weekly report summarizes genome sequencing coverage of Washington SARS-CoV-2 specimens from multiple laboratories from across the United States and our state. It provides a statewide view of sequencing capacity and data, including breakouts by county and demographics. Read the full Nov. 3 report.

SARS-CoV-2 vaccine breakthrough surveillance and case information resource. This weekly report provides data and criteria on fully vaccinated people who test positive with SARS-CoV-2 and may or may not develop COVID-19 symptoms. Read the full Nov. 3 report.