Recap of today’s COVID-19 news and updates

— from Emergency Operations Center, Camp Murray —

Numbers. For the most recent tally of cases by county, demographics, and more, visit the Department of Health’s website.

Tomorrow – COVID-19 Media Briefing planned for 2:30 p.m. Our weekly media briefing will feature the following panelists: John Wiesman, Secretary of Health, Washington State Department of Health; Charissa Fotinos MD, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Health Care Authority; David Postman, Chief of Staff, Office of the Governor, Reed Schuler, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of the Governor; and Maria Courogen, Branch Director,’ Disease Containment, Washington State Department of Health. It will be streamed lived on TVW.

New, county-based, Safe Start Plan in effect. The county-by-county Safe Start plan outlines new targets and metrics for containing COVID-19 activity and how counties can apply to the state Department of Health (DOH) with a plan to safely reopen additional sectors of public life. To move to a new phase, counties must be approved by the secretary of health. As the situation changes, the county variance page and Safe Start page will be updated.

Modeling comparison report. DOH worked with Bellevue-based Institute for Disease Modeling on a new report published Friday comparing the spread of COVID-19 in King and Yakima counties. The report estimates the effective reproductive number (how many new infections a single COVID-19 case will produce) for each county. It also explores mobility, demographic and employment data that may help explain some of the differences we’re seeing in COVID-19 trends for each county. Read the full report.

DOH update on COVID-19 antibodies. This virus is new to us, and so are these antibodies Just like we are still learning about the virus, we are still learning about what it means for our health to have antibodies to this virus. Read more about what we know – and what we don’t – about COVID-19 antibodies and antibody testing.

DOH urges anyone with COVID-19 symptoms to get tested. DOH published a blog post to emphasize the importance of testing as a critical part of the public health response to this virus. After someone tests positive, we can identify people who have been in close contact with them and keep the close contacts from spreading the virus to others before they get symptoms. If we do this enough, we can stop the virus from spreading in communities.

State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler issued an emergency order protecting consumers from receiving unexpected bills for COVID-19 lab fees. The emergency order recognizes that out-of-pocket financial costs may create barriers to COVID-19 testing which may create a challenge for public health’s ability to track and reduce disease activity. 

New guidance released for higher education and workforce training in Phases 1 and 2. Governor Inslee issued higher education and workforce training requirements in Phase 1 and Phase 2. These guidelines are part of the Safe Start plan. They do not apply generally to higher education institutions – they apply only to workforce training programs that require in-classroom/lab practicums.

Revised guidance documents:

Phase 1 Higher Education & Critical Infrastructure Workforce Training COVID-19 Requirements Phase 2 Higher Education & Workforce Training COVID-19 Requirements Full list of guidance for all current businesses

DOH approves Klickitat County to move to Phase 2 of Safe Start plan — 27 counties now at Phase 2. Washington State Secretary of Health John Wiesman approved the application for Klickitat County to move into Phase 2 of Gov. Jay Inslee’s Safe Start plan.  For the latest information on county variance applications visit here.

DOH begins deliveries of crucial supplies to support COVID-19 testing at Washington’s long term care facilities. A news release today described shipments to support testing of thousands of staffers and residents at long-term care facilities across the state. Supplies include test kits, personal protective equipment and return shipment materials, to be sent in waves every three days to ensure labs have the capacity to process all of the samples. Last week, DOH issued an order requiring widespread testing within long term care facilities.

Reminder: Your health care provider or testing location/vendor is who to call for test results. If you received a COVID-19 test and are awaiting your results, your provider or the location where you took the test is your best point of contact. The state’s COVID-19 hotline is not able to access any individual’s medical information or test information. More info on COVID-19 testing from DOH here.