||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH |||
Newest numbers. The Department of Health reported a total of 192,413 confirmed cases as of 11:59 pm on December 9. There have been 2,850 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.
Department of Health improves how it reports COVID-19 deaths. To provide more accurate daily reports, the Washington State Department of Health is making changes to how it reports deaths from COVID-19. These changes will streamline the process as death counts increase. Rather than a preliminary cause of death, the agency will only use the official registered cause of death on the DOH dashboard, providing more precise reporting.
Our normal process for releasing final death data is complex, involves multiple data systems, and can take up to 18 months from start to finish. This modified process requires that we make adjustments publicly and quickly without impacting the quality of the data or of our reporting.
Deaths due to factors other than COVID-19 can be hard to definitively rule out. For many of these conditions, COVID-19 may have hastened the death. These are the deaths we are reviewing, along with local health jurisdictions, to assess COVID-19’s impact on the death.
These changes will result in an adjustment of death totals, including a removal of some deaths from figures made public.
Read the full release here.
COVID-19 trends uncertain following increased activity before Thanksgiving. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) released the latest statewide situation report on COVID-19 transmission. Because people’s decisions about whether to get tested or seek healthcare tend to change around holidays, case and hospitalization data over the week of Thanksgiving may not accurately represent disease activity. Therefore, the report uses data with a longer than usual lag time and reflects considerable uncertainty in the current situation.
Read the full news release here.
Introducing ‘Care Connect Washington’ – A new way to get COVID-19 relief. The Washington State Department of Health is announcing a new service to help people who have to isolate or quarantine at home after testing positive for COVID-19 or being exposed.
Care Connect Washington, working with local health jurisdictions and their partners, will provide critical resources to people who need support when they’re staying home. Care coordinators will connect people to community-based services such as medication delivery, health care, help applying for unemployment, local housing agencies, food banks, childcare providers and more.
Read the full news release here.
COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan update from the Washington State Department of Health. DOH continues to make progress with our COVID-19 vaccine distribution planning efforts. If everything goes as planned, we expect to have the vaccine delivered early next week in multiple locations across the state.
The federal government has given us an estimate of 62,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine for our initial allocation – we expect this shipment next week, assuming the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves the emergency use authorization. An advisory panel voted to recommend approval today. We expect additional allocations for a total of about 222,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine by the end of December. That’s about 20,000 more than we had originally thought.
More good news: we think we will receive about 183,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine by the end of December as well, assuming the FDA approves the emergency use authorization. Regular weekly shipments should begin in January.
Read the full news release here.
Coping with COVID: Exhausted families. Right now, many of us are feeling mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted from the ongoing stress of living through a pandemic. Both kids and adults can experience exhaustion, where they may feel depleted, like they are running on empty, using up all their physical and emotional energy without a chance to recharge.
In this episode of our Coping with COVID podcast series, Kira Mauseth, PhD and Doug Dicharry, MD talk about how exhaustion affects both children and adults, and strategies for families to cope as we make our way through the pandemic.
Read this article and listen to the podcast here.
December 9 COVID-19 response update media briefing recording available. A recording of this week’s COVID-19 response update media briefing with leaders from the state COVID-19 response is available from TVW here.
Inslee extends, modifies proclamation on statewide restrictions. Gov. Jay Inslee today extended Proclamation 20-25, along with the statewide restrictions imposed on November 17, to January 4, 2021. This extension was announced at a press conference this Tuesday.
Modifications to this order include prohibiting indoor singing with persons outside of your household, but permitting outdoor singing while wearing a face covering in most circumstances, including religious and faith-based services, weddings, and funerals. The proclamation also expressly exempts recovery support groups from the new restrictions.
The full proclamation is available here.
Inslee issues COVID-19 public transportation safety guidance. Gov. Jay Inslee today issued COVID-19 public transportation safety guidance. The guidance outlines safety requirements for those who receive direct funding from the state or federal government to deliver public transportation services.
Read the full guidance document here.
Inslee extends, modifies proclamation on pharmacy storage for COVID-19 vaccine. Gov. Jay Inslee announced the extension and modification of Proclamation 20-36. The existing Proclamation was extended by the Legislature in a December 7 letter, and expires on January 19, 2021.
The new statutory waivers give pharmacies the flexibility they will need to store and access COVID-19 vaccines and treatments in locations outside of their pharmacies. These new statutory restriction waivers will expire on January 8, 2021, unless approved for extension by the Legislature.
The full proclamation is available here.
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