Recapping today’s COVID-19 news and updates

— from Emergency Operations Center, Camp Muray —

Newest numbers. The state of Washington reported 838 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours. This brings the total number of cases to 48,575 as of July 19 at 11:59 p.m. The total number of deaths are at 1,465.

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.

Media briefing and COVID-19 update tomorrow at 2 p.m. Leaders from the governor’s office, DOH and others involved in the state’s COVID-19 response will hold their weekly media briefing tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. TVW will livestream the briefing here. 

It’s been six months… “It’s been six months since the first reported case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was identified here. A lot has happened. We are in challenging times, facing a pandemic that has created new problems while amplifying existing hardship for many…”

“…We don’t want to sound like it’s all doom and gloom, because this county is a place where compassion and resilience are abundant. However, it’s not fair or helpful to sugarcoat it: This fall and winter have the potential to be particularly rough. At this very moment we appear to be in the early stages of a rising second wave that has zero chance of being reversed without changes to our collective behavior.”

Read this heartfelt open letter to the residents of Snohomish County from the hard-working team at Snohomish Health District.

The safe way to socialize: stay local, stay six feet apart and cover your face. Washington’s numbers aren’t looking great right now. Why? COVID-19 is a persistent and determined virus. Every time we breathe, speak, laugh, cough or sneeze, we potentially leave traces of the virus lingering in the air for others to catch. Even if we don’t know we have it, we can spread it. The only way to prevent the spread is to limit our interactions. Stay close to home, avoid crowds, stay six feet apart from other people and wear our face coverings whenever we’re in a shared or public space.

Our ability to reopen our economy safely depends on each of us doing our part.

Have questions about the face covering requirements? We’re continuing to provide updated information at coronavirus.wa.gov/masks and DOH’s online FAQs. 

Resources

Washington 211 COVID-19 call center is a general information line related to COVID-19. If you need information or have a general question, call 1-800-525-0127 or text 211-211 for help. You can also text the word “Coronavirus” to 211-211 to receive information and updates on your phone wherever you are. You will receive links to the latest information on COVID-19, including county-level updates, and resources for families, businesses, students, and more.

Washington Listens helps people manage stress and anxiety they may be experiencing because of COVID-19. If you or anyone you know is having difficulties managing stress, call the Washington Listens support line at 1-833-681-0211. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. TTY and language access services are available by using 7-1-1 or their preferred method. Resources and self-help tips are available on walistens.org.

Want to help? Join the Washington Mask Challenge. The Lt. Governor’s office has partnered with the United Ways of the Pacific Northwest and Serve Washington to organize a statewide homemade mask-making initiative to encourage the general public to make, wear, and donate cloth masks. Visit www.wamaskchallenge.org for information.