— from Emergency Operations Center, Camp Murray —
Numbers: As of 11:59 p.m. on May 2, there are 15,185 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Washington state, an increase of 182 cases in the last 24 hours. Visit the Department of Health’s website for cases by county, demographics, and more.
Statewide Response Updates
DOH COVID-19 visualizations get an upgrade: Visitors to the Department of Health’s COVID-19 homepage may notice a change starting today, May 3– a link to improved data visualizations. Clicking the “See Dashboard” link will reveal the same data and data sets previously offered, with improved usability and accessibility.
Improvements to support access for blind and visually impaired users include tab-key navigation, improvements for screen reader functionality and optimized font sizes and color contrast. DOH has also optimized the layout and improved the experience for tablet and mobile users.
The daily schedule to update the visualization remains the same. DOH would like to thank the Microsoft AI for Health team for their continued partnership.
New claims for unemployment benefits increase as more individuals become eligible: Initial claims for regular unemployment benefits increased by 67 percent for April 19-25, and total initial claims increased by 453.3 percent over the previous week. This was the first week that initial claims could be filed by individuals such as self-employed workers and independent contractors, and also the first week that initial claims for extended benefits could be filed.
**If you are reading theOrcasonian for free, thank your fellow islanders. If you would like to support theOrcasonian CLICK HERE to set your modestly-priced, voluntary subscription. Otherwise, no worries; we’re happy to share with you.**
