State recap of recent COVID-19 news and updates

||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH |||

Newest numbers. The Department of Health reported a total of 309,673 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on February 10. There have been 4,633 COVID-19 deaths in Washington.

Thursday, February 11, 2021, data note: Total case counts may include up to 300 duplicates. Negative test results data from November 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 activity and is updated daily as new cases are identified and duplicates are resolved.

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.

COVID-19 vaccine distribution update from the Washington State Department of Health (DOH). As of February 6, more than 940,000 doses of vaccine have been given across the state, which is nearly 80% of the 1,195,207 doses that have been delivered to our providers and long-term care programs. Washington is currently averaging 26,857 vaccine doses given each day. Read the full news release here.

New data on COVID-19 vaccination by race and ethnicity highlight inequities. DOH released a new data report showing low percentages of Hispanic, Black, and Multiracial people have received COVID-19 vaccine when compared to those groups’ proportion of the state population. Read the full news release here.

New report furthers understanding of COVID-19 transmission in schools. On February 11, DOH released the COVID-19 Outbreaks in Washington State K-12 Schools report. The report is yet another tool that school districts and local health jurisdictions (LHJs) can use to inform decisions about when and how to bring students, educators and staff back for in-person learning. Read the full news release here.

Guidance update: DOH has updated the guidance for Child Care, Youth Development, and Day Camps during the COVID-19 Outbreak. Here is a summary of changes made as of February 10, 2021:

• Clarified program types include license-exempt programs operated in a manner that complies with the child and staff cohorting and group size recommendations within this guide.
• Clarified program types not covered in this guide, including license-exempt child care programs where parents remain on-site for purposes other than employment and Play and Learn groups where parents and caregivers remain on-site.
• References to Safe Start updated to Governor Inslee’s Healthy Washington – Roadmap to Recovery plan where appropriate.
• Adjusted language for screening questions and quarantine recommendations to align with recent updates to related guidance.

Governor’s press conference on February 11, 2021: Governor Inslee held a press conference to discuss the 2021 legislative session and the state’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including rental and business assistance, and vaccine distribution. Inslee also announced that seven of eight Washington regions in the Healthy Washington – Roadmap to Recovery plan will move into Phase 2. Watch the press conference here.

New resource for information and technical assistance for small businesses. A new website created by the Washington State Small Business Recovery Working Group aims to simplify and supplement details provided by the U.S. Small Business Administration and provide current information on available relief programs for Washington’s small businesses and eligible non-profits, as well as the organizations that assist them.

SBA takes steps to improve First Draw Paycheck Protection Program loan review. The U.S. Small Business Administration is taking steps to improve the First Draw Paycheck Protection Program loan review so that small businesses have as much time as possible to access Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds.

The SBA is working with the new federal administration to further leverage its resource partner network and expand on multilingual access and outreach about the PPP. See www.sba.gov/ppp and www.treasury.gov/cares for updated PPP information, including forms, guidance and resources.

Initial regular unemployment claims decreased while continued claims increased during week of January 24-30. During the week ending January 30, there were 16,102 initial regular unemployment claims (down 2.2% from the prior week) and 489,741 total claims for all unemployment benefit categories (up 1.6% from the prior week) filed by Washingtonians, according to ESD. In the week ending January 30, ESD paid out over $268 million for 314,546 individual claims. Since the crisis began in March, ESD has paid more than $14.3 billion in benefits to over a million Washingtonians. Read the full press release here.

Note: Detailed claims data and charts by county, industry and occupation are included on a monthly basis on ESD news releases. You can find detailed claims data anytime on the ESD website.