Recap of recent COVID-19 news, updates

||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH |||

Newest numbers. The Department of Health reported a total of 293,978 confirmed cases as of 11:59 pm on January 27. There have been 4,243 COVID-19 deaths in Washington.

Thursday, January 28, 2021, data note: Total case counts may include up to 690 duplicates. Negative test results data from November 21–30, 2020, and January 12 through today, are incomplete. Thus, negative test results and percent positivity (Testing tab), and case counts should be interpreted with caution.

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.

Gov. Inslee and Secretary Shah visit Clark County state mass vaccination site. Today the governor and secretary visited the DOH mass vaccination site in Ridgefield. Check out photos of their visit on Facebook and Twitter. Learn more about DOH mass vaccination sites here.

January 28, 2021 mass vaccination totals

Statement on crossing state lines for vaccine. Given the limited supply of vaccine that is available at this time and our state’s commitment to equitable and fair access to vaccine, the state of Washington is requiring that those seeking COVID-19 vaccines in its four mass vaccination sites (Ridgefield, Spokane, Kennewick, and Wenatchee) must either live or work in Washington state. Read the full statement here.

Roadmap to Recovery update: Two regions to move into Phase Two. Today, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) announced that based on Governor Jay Inslee’s updated Roadmap to Recovery phased reopening plan, the following regions will move into Phase 2:

• Puget Sound
• West

Read the full news release here.

Inslee announces metric changes to Healthy Washington - Roadmap to Recovery. Gov. Jay Inslee today announced several changes to the state’s Healthy Washington — Roadmap to Recovery. The governor first announced the regional, phased reopening plan Jan. 6. The plan will be changed in two ways; first, the evaluation criteria for regions to move from Phase 1 to Phase 2, and the timeframe in which regions can progress. Read the full release here.

Gov. Inslee Jan. 28 press conference. Governor Jay Inslee held a press conference at the State Capitol to give an update on the 2021 legislative session and the state’s response to the ongoing pandemic, including Healthy Washington – Roadmap to Recovery. The governor was joined for questions by Lacy Fehrenbach, assistant secretary of health, and Nick Streuli, executive director of external affairs for the Office of the Governor. Watch the recording here.

Paycheck Protection Program resumed. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SB), in consultation with the U.S. Treasury Department, reopened the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) for First Draw PPP Loans the week of Jan. 11. SBA began accepting applications for Second Draw PPP Loans on Jan. 13. You can find more information regarding application requirements and technical guidance on the Washington State Department of Commerce’s website and the U.S. Small Business Administration’s COVID-19 business relief page.

Job search requirements continue to be suspended. The Washington State House of Representatives and Senate voted to continue the suspension of job search requirements until the Pandemic State of Emergency is withdrawn by the governor or legislative action, whichever is first. This means that individuals filing unemployment insurance claims can continue to answer “no” to the job search question on their weekly claim until the suspension is lifted. Washington’s Employment Security Department is committed to helping you understand the requirements before an individual needs to report job searches with their weekly claim. Learn more on the  job search requirements page.