State Health Dept. recap of recent COVID-19 news and updates

||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH |||

Newest numbers. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 372,262 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on April 28. There have been 5,487 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 Roadmap to Recovery Metrics dashboard. Note: A new data visualization tab has been added to the dashboard. In addition to data regarding current status, epidemiology curve, cumulative counts, demographics, testing, hospitalizations, and vaccinations, the new tab offers a picture into healthcare system readiness.

April 28 COVID-19 media briefing. Washington State Secretary of Health Umair Shah provided an update on the state’s COVID-19 response. He was joined by Lacy Fehrenbach, deputy secretary of health; Michele Roberts, acting assistant secretary; Scott Lindquist, acting state health officer; Juan Cotto, Bloodworks Northwest senior government affairs and community engagement specialist; and Dan Laster, Vaccine Command and Coordination System (VACCS) director. View the briefing here.

Vaccine allocation strategy moving to provider need-based approach. DOH is adjusting the way COVID-19 vaccines are allocated in an effort to quickly and equitably reach more people statewide and get vaccine where it’s needed most. Read the full news release here.

COVID-19 vaccination distribution update from the Washington State Department of Health. As of April 26, more than 5,248,061 doses of vaccine have been given across the state, which is more than 81 percent of the 6,429,730 doses that have been delivered to our providers and long-term care programs. Washington is currently averaging more than 61,000 vaccine doses given each day, and nearly 29 percent of people in Washington are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Read the full news release here.

Umair A. Shah, MD, MPH confirmed as Secretary of Health. The Washington State Senate voted to confirm Umair A. Shah, MD, MPH as Secretary of Health on April 23. Read the full news release here.

Updated DOH guidance. The following guidance documents have been updated:

• Fully vaccinated individuals can participate in outdoor activities and recreation without a mask, except in certain crowded settings and venues. People are considered fully vaccinated at least two weeks after they have received the second dose in a two-dose series (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna), or at least two weeks after they have received a single-dose vaccine (Johnson and Johnson [J&J/Janssen]).
• Cloth Face Coverings Guidance During COVID-19
• What to do if you have confirmed or suspected COVID-19
• What to do if you have symptoms but have not been around anyone who has been diagnosed
• What to do if you were potentially exposed to someone with confirmed COVID-19
• COVID-19 Guidance for Food Workers & Food Establishments
• Transient Accommodations (Hotels, Motels, B&Bs, etc.) 

CDC recommends COVID-19 vaccines to prevent severe COVID-19 illness in people aged 65+. DOH retweeted the CDC’s message that mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) reduced the risk of COVID-19-related hospitalization by 94 percent among fully vaccinated people aged 65 and older. Find vaccines in your community at vaccinelocator.wa.gov.

DOH SARS-CoV-2 sequencing and variants 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 April 28 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 April 28 report here.

COVID-19 long-term care report. As of April 26, a total of 20,152 COVID-19 cases and 2,656 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 April 27 report here.

Inslee rescinds directive to state agencies to freeze hiring, personal service contracts and equipment purchases. On April 28, Gov. Jay Inslee rescinded his May 2020 directive, which was issued in response to the economic and financial uncertainty in Washington during the state’s first COVID-19 wave. Read the full news release here.