Statewide response updates from State Health Department.

||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH |||

Newest numbers. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 363,840 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on April 21. There have been 5,428 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.

COVID-19 immunity increasing, but not enough to slow transmission. All Washingtonians, including those who are fully vaccinated, still need to take steps to slow the spread while more people are being vaccinated. Read the full news release here.

DOH COVID-19 vaccine distribution update. As of April 19, more than 4,765,270 doses of vaccine have been given across the state, which is nearly 82 percent of the 5,820,340 doses that have been delivered to our providers and long-term care programs. Washington is currently averaging 58,830 vaccine doses given each day and more than 25 percent of people in Washington are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Read the full news release here.

Gov. Jay Inslee’s April 22 press conference. The governor provided an update on the state’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was joined by Dr. Dave Carlson, chief physician officer, MultiCare, Pierce County; Dr. Dan Getz, chief medical officer, Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Holy Family Hospital, Spokane; Lacy Fehrenbach, deputy secretary of health; and Nick Streuli, executive director of external affairs, Office of the Governor. View the press conference here.

April 21 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; Australia Tobon, Community to Community Development’s Whatcom County promotora coordinator; and Dan Laster, Vaccine Command and Coordination System (VACCS) director. View the briefing here.

Coping with COVID: Mindfulness and Self-Care. In this episode of DOH’s behavioral health podcast on coping with COVID-19, Kira Mauseth, Ph.D., and Doug Dicharry, M.D., discuss how we can practice mindfulness and self-care to reduce stress and anxiety. Listen to the episode 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 21 report here.

DOH SARS-CoV-2 sequencing and variant 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 21 report here.

COVID-19 long-term care report. As of April 19, a total of 19,989 COVID-19 cases and 2,644 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 20 report here.

Washington COVID-19 Immigrant Relief Fund opens for new applications. Gov. Inslee announced applications will be accepted for the next round of assistance starting April 21. Read the full news release here.