State recap of recent COVID-19 news, updates

||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH |||

Newest numbers. The Department of Health reported a total of 237,165 confirmed cases as of 11:59 pm on December 30. There have been 3,461 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 COVID-19 risk assessment dashboard.

December 31, 2020 data note: Today’s total case counts may include up to 750 duplicates and include a backlog of cases not reported yesterday. Negative test results from November 21-30, 2020 are also incomplete. Therefore, testing numbers and case counts should be interpreted with caution. 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.

The Washington State Department of Health will not update the DOH dashboard on Friday, January 1. Regular reporting will resume on Saturday, January 2, 2021.

COVID-19 vaccine distribution update from the Washington State Department of Health. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) continues to make progress with our COVID-19 vaccine distribution and administration efforts.

Yesterday DOH updated phase 1A guidance, with the goal of expediting vaccine administration efforts across Washington state. Read our statement.

As of this week, 69,349 people in our state have received their first dose of vaccine. We expect to order second-dose allocations of the Pfizer vaccine this weekend.

Read the full news release here.

1A Vaccine Allocation Guidance now available. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) updated Washington’s 1A vaccine allocation guidance Wednesday. We have worked closely with Gov. Inslee and his team and Dr. Umair A. Shah, the Secretary of Health, to review and update COVID-19 vaccine related matters in Washington.

Some communities in Washington state have already completed or are very near to completing vaccination of their high-risk workers in health care settings as outlined in current DOH guidance. We will be adding a second tier to 1A that allows for the vaccination of all other workers in health care settings once high-risk workers are vaccinated.

DOH continues to work to finalize prioritization for 1B/1C and expects to release this guidance shortly after the new year.

Read the full statement here.

December 30 COVID-19 response update media briefing recording available. A recording of this week’s COVID-19 response update media briefing with Washington state’s new Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah and leaders from the state COVID-19 response is available from TVW here.

Inslee extends eviction moratorium. Thursday Gov. Jay Inslee formally issued an extension of the eviction moratorium, extending all existing provisions and making adjustments to provide additional support for landlords and property owners.

The eviction moratorium is extended through March 31, 2021. Read the full proclamation here.

Inslee announces one-week extension of statewide restrictions. Gov. Jay Inslee Wednesday announced a one-week extension of the “Stay Safe-Stay Healthy” proclamation, along with the statewide restrictions imposed. The extension of the statewide restrictions will now expire on January 11, 2021. No changes were made in the proclamation aside from the expiration date. Read the full news release here.

Inslee issues, updates COVID-19 proclamations. Gov. Jay Inslee Wednesday issued a new proclamation delaying implementation of the Uniform Guardianship Act. Gov. Inslee also extended two proclamations related to shared work requirements and family emergency assistance. The extensions were approved by the legislature in a December 28 letter.

Proclamation 20-58.8 and Proclamation 20-63.7 are both extended through January 4, 2021. Read the full news release here.

Commerce awards Working Washington grants to more than 7,800 small businesses. The state Department of Commerce Thursday announced that over 7,800 small businesses will receive a Working Washington grant. Gov. Jay Inslee announced the new round of business assistance in November and approved $100 million for the grants.

Public health measures have disproportionately impacted certain industries such as full-service restaurants, fitness centers and indoor entertainment venues, like bowling alleys. This recent round of grant funding prioritizes small businesses in those sectors that have less than $5 million in annual revenue. Read the full news release here.

Commerce awards second round of grants to 24 collaborative projects addressing child care crisis in communities statewide. The Washington State Department of Commerce Wednesday announced a second round of $1.8 million in grants to 24 organizations. The organizations are leading collaborative efforts to expand child care capacity in communities throughout the state. Grantees will receive just over 38% of the award from state general funds administered by Commerce, and a nearly 62% match from the generous donors who supported the Safe Start Fund for a Healthy Economic Transition and Recovery.

Access to affordable quality child care has been a growing challenge for the past several years. The pandemic significantly exacerbated those problems. Read more about the grant here.

Washington State’s Equity Relief Fund awards nearly $12 million to 358 nonprofits statewide. Recent data shows communities of color in Washington state are experiencing disproportionately higher percentages of COVID cases and economic impact. Several demographic groups have case and hospitalization rates from seven to 10 times higher than for white people, and death rates two to more than three times higher. Additionally, analysis by region indicates this is true across rural, urban and suburban communities.

Bolstering ongoing efforts to distribute COVID relief funds equitably to the communities hardest hit by the pandemic, the Department of Commerce partnered with Philanthropy Northwest to award $11.85 million in grants from the Washington Equity Relief Fund for Nonprofits to 358 organizations statewide led by and serving Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) communities. Nonprofits provide the primary link to many crucial lifeline services in all communities, and many have been financially devastated by the pandemic. Read more about the funding here.

Tracking Washington state’s economic recovery. Washington State Department of Commerce updated its Economic Recovery Dashboard. The tool uses a variety of data sources to track the state’s economic recovery and resiliency. It displays the latest available data on employment, businesses, government assistance programs, and consumer behavior, helping monitor the economic impact of COVID-19 across the state. The dashboard can be found here.

Health insurers to waive copays and deductibles for COVID-19 vaccines. Most health insurers in Washington state have signaled their intent to immediately waive all cost-sharing for COVID-19 vaccinations. Policyholders will be covered regardless of where they receive the vaccination. Read the full news releases here.