Statewide COVID-19 news, response updates

||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH |||

Newest numbers. The Department of Health reported a total of 253,401 confirmed cases as of 11:59 pm on January 6. There have been 3,634 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.

January 7, 2021 data note: Total case counts may include up to 550 duplicates and negative test results data are incomplete from November 21-30, 2020 and December 23 through today. Thus, percent positivity (Testing tab) 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.

COVID-19 Long-term Care Report. As of January 4, a total of 13,870 COVID-19 cases (5% of total cases) and 1,765 deaths (51% of total deaths) have been identified as associated with a long-term care facility (i.e., nursing home, assisted living facility or adult family home). Read the full report here.

• These cases include residents as well as employees and visitors. Not all of these cases were exposed at a LTC facility.
• Many cases visited multiple places during their exposure period, and some individuals may have visited a LTC facility after disease onset.

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. As of Tuesday, 522,550 doses of the vaccine have been allocated to Washington state and 425,900 have been delivered, which includes allocations from both Moderna and Pfizer. Of that supply, providers have reported 110,225 total doses of vaccine administered since we began phase 1A in mid-December.

Read the full vaccine distribution update here.

Who goes next: Washington releases next phase of vaccine prioritization. Wednesday the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) released guidance for the next phase of COVID-19 vaccination. The department worked closely with the Governor’s Office to finalize prioritization for phase 1B, and we are pleased to be able to share eligible groups for this next phase of vaccination. This phase is broken up into four separate tiers. This graphic shows the groups and the timeline for phase 1B. It’s important to note that we are not moving into phase 1B right now. Our state is still in phase 1A of vaccinations, and will continue to be for the next few weeks.

Read the full news release here.

January 6 COVID-19 response update media briefing recording available. A recording of this week’s COVID-19 response update media briefing with Washington state’s Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah and leaders from the state COVID-19 response is available from TVW here.

COVID-19 Data Dashboard Update. The DOH and coronavirus.wa.gov data dashboards will continue to be available online. Additional data regarding the new criteria for the Roadmap to Recovery will be provided separately for the near term. The risk assessment dashboards will be revised in the future, but there should be no break in the availability of COVID-19 data.

Inslee extends proclamation related to COVID-19, two proclamations denied extension by Senate GOP. Gov. Jay Inslee Thursday updated Proclamation 20-49, which generally prohibits garnishment for consumer debt in certain circumstances, by replacing the specific reference to CARES Act stimulus payments with ‘federal stimulus payments.’ This is a technical update and will protect the new federal stimulus funding payments in the same manner that CARES Act stimulus payments were protected. This proclamation expires Jan. 19. Read the news release here.

Resources

Latest COVID-19 reopening guidance for businesses and workers. A full list of current reopening guidance is available here.

Find a COVID-19 testing location near you. To make it easier to find a test near you, the Department of Health has created a webpage to help people find COVID-19 testing locations throughout the state.

Guidance and resources for employers and business owners. Sign up for the weekly business and worker newsletter here.

The state COVID-19 Assistance Hotline is a general information line related to COVID-19. If you need information or have a general question, call 1-800-525-0127, then press # 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.