Recapping recent statewide COVID-19 news, updates

||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH |||

Newest numbers. The Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 340,371 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on March 29. There have been 5,237 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 Road to Recovery Metrics dashboard.

Tuesday, March 30, 2021, data note: Total case counts may include up to 200 duplicates. Negative test results data from Nov. 21-30, 2020, are incomplete. Thus, negative test results and percent positivity (Testing tab) for that period, and case counts, should be interpreted with caution. Otherwise, the incomplete time frames presented in the dashboard are correct and up to date. The Epidemiologic Curves tab is the most accurate representation of COVID-19 activity and is updated daily as new cases are identified and duplicates are resolved.

State’s online eligibility tool no longer required starting March 31. Phase Finder will no longer be required to verify COVID-19 vaccine eligibility. Instead, people who want a vaccine should check DOH’s priority guidance webpage and, if eligible, use the Vaccine Locator to find an appointment. Read the full news release here.

Updated DOH guidance as of March 29:

Farm and Agricultural Workers Guidance — Summary of changes:

• Updates to isolation, quarantine or entry testing, and masking and medical monitoring language.
• Additional details about responding to outbreaks.

Farm and Agricultural Workers Outbreak Line List — Summary of changes:

• New document that serves as a Farm and Agricultural Worker Outbreak list for employers.
• The document is linked in the Farm and Agricultural Workers Guidance.

Long-Term Care Facilities (LTCF) Visitor Log and Visitor Announcement Poster — Summary of changes:

• Updates to the Visitor Log to provide more information and tools. The current version is one of three tools in the new document: Screening Tool, Visitors Log example, and Letter to Visitors.
• Visitor Announcement Poster has additional language about vaccination because of updated LTCF Safe Start Guidance.

Food Workers and Establishments — Summary of changes:

• Phase 3 information added.
• Clarifications added to outdoor farmer’s market and concession stands sections to align with Gov. Inslee’s Roadmap to Recovery requirements.

Homeless Shelters — Summary of changes:

• Overall update as previous document was from March 2020.
• Expanded information on screening, distancing, ventilation, and PPE.

Washington partnership leverages AmeriCorps to address unprecedented food insecurity efforts across state. A partnership created last year helped make the AmeriCorps program more accessible to its members and addressed food insecurity for Washington families during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the full news release here.

Department of Health COVID-19 long-term care report: As of March 29, 2021, a total of 19,293 COVID-19 cases and 2,571 deaths have been identified as associated or likely associated with a long-term care facility (such as nursing home, assisted living facility, or adult family home). These cases include residents as well as employees and visitors. Read the full March 30 report here.

DOH SARS-CoV-2 sequencing and variant report. This weekly report summarizes genome sequencing coverage of Washington SARS-CoV-2 specimens from multiple laboratories from across the United States and our state. It provides a statewide view of sequencing capacity and data, including breakouts by county and demographics. Read the full March 25 report here.

Statewide COVID-19 outbreak report. This weekly document provides an overview of reported COVID-19 outbreaks in our state, based on information in DOH’s Washington Disease Reporting System (WDRS). Read the full March 24 report here.

Case investigation and contact tracing metrics for DOH centralized investigations. This weekly report shows the timeliness of reaching COVID-19 confirmed and probable cases and their contacts for case investigations and contact tracing activities. Read the full March 24 report here.

State launches new round of Working Washington small business grants. The Washington State Department of Commerce opened applications for Working Washington Grants: Round 4 on March 29. This newest grant round focuses on brick-and-mortar businesses most directly impacted by COVID-19 public health measures. Business owners can visit commercegrants.com for more information about eligibility, the documents required to apply, and how to reach someone for assistance.

Grants for agricultural businesses coming soon. The Washington State Department of Agriculture will provide COVID-19 recovery grants for certain sectors of the agriculture industry, supporting disproportionately impacted and previously underserved agricultural sectors. Visit the agency’s grants page for more information.