Statewide response updates: Recent COVID-19 news, updates

||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH |||

Newest numbers. The Department of Health reported a total of 123,356 confirmed cases as of 11:59 pm on November 11. There have been 2,507 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.

COVID-19 Long-term Care Report. As of November 9, a total of 8,787 COVID-19 cases (7% of total cases) and 1,354 deaths (55% 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 plan update. The department is hopeful that a safe and effective vaccine against COVID-19 will be available before the end of the year.

While there was encouraging news this week from one manufacturer, it’s important to remember no vaccine is approved for use in the United States yet. Many vaccine candidates are in clinical trials and must still apply for an Emergency Use Authorization from the Food and Drug Administration. We won’t know many details about a vaccine until that happens.

We want to give people the highest confidence that they are getting clear and accurate information about COVID-19 vaccines. Vaccines are held to very high safety standards, and the COVID-19 vaccine will be no different. In addition to the safety studies done before its emergency use authorization, any approved vaccine will continue to be monitored for safety concerns.

Read the full news release here.

Governor Jay Inslee and Trudi Inslee address to the state. Tonight, Gov. Inslee and First Lady Trudi Inslee asked Washingtonians to rethink holiday celebrations by celebrating only with people from the same household. “Anyone can get COVID, even if they think they’re doing the right thing,” said Gov. Inslee. “We cannot wait until our hospitals’ halls are lined with gurneys waiting for rooms before we take decisive action.”

“What happens next in our state depends on what happens in our families and in our homes,” said First Lady Trudi Inslee. “That’s why we implore you: Rethink spending time with people outside of your household on Thanksgiving and the December holidays.”

Watch the full address here.

Taking COVID-19 seriously. When Susan was diagnosed with COVID-19 in the Spring, she was a healthy woman in her late 30s with no underlying health conditions. Six months later, she’s still experiencing symptoms.

Some friends and acquaintances think the pandemic is a political hoax. While most have been respectful, others have disregarded the seriousness of her illness. It’s thoughts like these that prompted Susan to share her story. Her hope is that those who doubt the seriousness of this disease will see things from a different perspective and follow the masking, social distancing, and other public health guidelines to help minimize the spread of COVID-19.

Read Susan’s story here. Learn how to prevent the spread of COVID-19 here.