Recap of recent COVID-19 news and updates

||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH |||

Newest numbers. The Department of Health reported a total of 167,216 confirmed cases as of 11:59 pm on November 30. There have been 2,805 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.

Statewide COVID-19 exposure notification tool now available. WA Notify is a simple, anonymous exposure notification tool to help stop the spread of COVID-19. By adding WA Notify to your smartphone, you will be alerted if you’ve spent time near another WA Notify user who later tests positive for COVID-19.

WA Notify uses privacy-preserving technology jointly developed by Google and Apple and works without collecting or revealing any location or personal data.

To learn more:

• Visit WANotify.org to see how easy it is to add WA Notify to your smartphone or to learn more.
• Information about WA Notify is available in multiple languages — choose from the full list at WANotify.org/languages.
• View a video that describes how WA Notify works.
• View a 30-second WA Notify ad.

Weekly COVID-19 response update media briefing tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. The weekly COVID-19 response update media briefing with leaders from the state COVID-19 response will be tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. TVW will livestream the briefing here.

Governor’s November 30 press conference on COVID-19 recording available. Governor Jay Inslee held a press conference to speak about vaccine planning, WA Notify, and more. The governor was joined by Secretary of Health John Wiesman and University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce. Watch the recording here.

COVID-19 Long-term Care Report. As of November 23, a total of 9,606 COVID-19 cases (7% of total cases) and 1,420 deaths (53% 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). Read the full report here.

• 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.

Inslee announces additional requirements for health and dental facilities. Gov. Jay Inslee announced additional requirements for health and dental facilities to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks. Proclamation 20-24.2 amends the existing non-urgent medical and dental procedures proclamation to increase requirements on PPE use, testing of health care professionals, notifications of outbreaks and distancing requirements in non-clinical areas of health facilities.

The proclamation, which goes into effect December 3, 2020, shall remain in effect through the COVID-19 state of emergency. Read the full news release here.

In Case You Missed It

COVID-19 continues spreading at a breakneck pace as hospitalizations climb. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) released the latest statewide situation report on COVID-19 transmission. Read the full news release here.

COVID-19 hospital occupancy is soaring in Washington state. COVID-19 hospital occupancy is rapidly increasing throughout Washington as the state continues to experience exponential growth in new cases. We are seeing alarming increases in the number of COVID-19 patients in our hospitals as well as the number hospitalized in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds—critical capacity needed to treat severe COVID-19 cases as well as other patients with serious conditions.

The trend is highlighted in new data added to the state’s Risk Assessment dashboard. Read the full news release here.

COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan update from the Washington State Department of Health. DOH is hopeful we will have a vaccine to begin administering by mid-December. The federal government has given us an estimate of 62,400 doses of the Pfizer vaccine for our initial allocation. They have also told us we should receive an estimated total of around 200,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine by the end of December.  Regular weekly shipments should begin in January.

We do not have an estimate yet on the Moderna vaccine; we expect to learn more after they submit their application for an emergency use authorization.

The first people eligible to receive vaccine are high-risk workers in health care settings. This is called phase 1A. We will share more information about vaccine phases in the coming weeks. Read the full news release here.

Washington State Department of Social and Health Service (DSHS) urges caregivers not to give in to COVID-19 fatigue during the holidays. Like everyone else, caregivers are suffering from pandemic fatigue. They may be tempted to let their guard down and not socially distance or wear a mask outside of their home. After enduring months of isolation, they understandably may want to attend large family gatherings over the holidays. But with COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations surging across the state, DSHS urges them to remain vigilant. Read the full news release here.