State Health Dept.’s recap of recent COVID-19 news, updates

||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH |||

Newest numbers. The Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 334,841 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on March 22. There have been 5,186 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 23, 2021, data note: Negative test results data from Nov. 21-30, 2020, are incomplete. Thus, negative test results and percent positivity (Testing tab) for that period 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.

State-led mass vaccination sites administer more than 130,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine. Since the four state-led mass vaccination sites opened Jan. 26, a total of 131,483 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given out. Read the full news release here.

DOH COVID-19 vaccine distribution update. As of March 13, more than 2,517,506 doses of vaccine have been given across the state, which is nearly 80% of the 3,165,350 doses that have been delivered to our providers and long-term care programs. Washington is currently averaging 44,165 vaccine doses given each day. Read the full news release here.

DOH updates guidance documents regarding masking, quarantining, and recommendations for fully vaccinated individuals. These updates are in line with recent CDC announcements and include information on Phase 3 of Gov. Inslee’s Roadmap to Recovery plan where appropriate.

• Face Coverings and Masks Guidance (PDF)
• Transient Accommodations (Hotels, Motels, B&Bs, etc.) (PDF)
• Water Recreation Facilities – Reopening (PDF)
• Water Recreation Facility – Occupancy (PDF)
• Taxi and Rideshare Guidance (PDF) (wa.gov)
• Graduation Ceremonies During COVID-19 (PDF)
• Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect in Online Education Settings (PDF)

The DOH Resources and Recommendations page contains a full list of COVID-19 public health guidance documents. Send questions to COVIDExternalAffairs@doh.wa.gov.

FEMA, state, and county partners to accelerate COVID-10 vaccinations in Yakima County at a pilot vaccination center. A pilot Community Vaccination Center (CVC) will open in Yakima on March 31 to accelerate COVID-19 vaccinations to Yakima’s historically underserved communities at high risk of infection. Read the full news release here.

Inslee rescinds state travel advisory to align with CDC travel advisory guidance. Gov. Jay Inslee rescinded his November 2020 Travel Advisory and is advising Washingtonians and others visiting Washington to comply with the Center for Disease Control’s current COVID-19 travel advisory guidance. Read the full news release 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 19 report here.

Coping with COVID-19: Suicide prevention. Most of us have experienced feeling burned out, exhausted, and overwhelmed as we navigate the challenges of COVID-19. The risk of suicide, depression, hopelessness, and substance use is typically highest during the disillusionment phase of a disaster, and it’s what we’re seeing right now. Contrary to common belief, the greatest risk of suicide is during the spring, not winter. It’s important we learn how to talk about suicide and suicide prevention when people in our lives may be struggling. Read more or listen to the podcast here.