Newest numbers from state’s health department

||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH |||

Newest numbers. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 1,423,990 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 27.* There have been 11,866 COVID-19 deaths in Washington.

Data notes

• *Effective Jan. 24, 2022, DOH updates the COVID-19 data dashboard on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays only.
• Light gray lines on the dashboard’s graphs indicate a time period in which the data being displayed should be considered incomplete. This period varies by metric.

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

Gov. Jay Inslee’s Feb. 28 press conference. The governor discussed Washington’s statewide indoor mask policy following last week’s updates from the CDC. He was joined by Umair A. Shah, secretary of health, DOH. View the press conference. 

Updated DOH guidance documents. The following guidance documents for health care settings have been updated to align with CDC recommendations and national guidelines:

Interim COVID-19 Outbreak Definition for Health Care Settings

• Aligns with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists’ (CSTE)/Council for Outbreak Response: Healthcare-Associated (COHRA) outbreak definition.

Interim Guidance for Visitors in Inpatient Hospitals and Outpatient Settings During the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Visitors who are up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and who have been exposed to COVID-19 should not visit health care facilities until 10 days after onset of COVID-19 symptoms or 10 days after a positive test.
• Visitors not up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and who have been exposed to COVID-19 should not visit health care facilities until 10 days after COVID-19 exposure, or after 7 days with a negative test.

Interim Guidance for SARS-CoV-2 Source Control in Health Care Settings

• Aligns with CDC’s removal of language indicating that a face mask is an acceptable alternative to a respirator when caring for patients with COVID-19. Use of a face mask when caring for patients with COVID-19 is still included as a crisis capacity strategy.

Interim Guidance for Transferring Residents between Long-Term Care and other Health Care Settings

• Newly admitted residents not up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and who have been exposed to COVID-19 should quarantine for 10 days, or for 7 days with a negative test
• No longer recommend pausing admission as long as the long-term care facility can safely admit the resident, and the resident or power of attorney (POA)/guardian is made aware of the COVID-19 status in the facility.