Update from State Health Department

||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH |||

Note: There will be no bulletin on Thursday, Nov. 25, in observance of Thanksgiving Day.

Statewide Response Updates

Newest numbers. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 674,917 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 22. There have been 9,177 COVID-19 deaths in Washington.

For the most recent number of cases by county, demographics, and more, visit the Department of Health’s dashboard and the state’s Washington Ready page.

DOH launches WA Verify: State’s new Digital COVID-19 Verification Record system. If you are vaccinated, your vaccine verification options now include a QR code. Read the full news release.

Statewide data updates will create more accurate picture of health disparities, vaccinations across Washington state. DOH is making changes to the COVID-19 data dashboard, in part to improve how race and ethnicity data is analyzed and shared. Additional improvements will include new metrics regarding children’s vaccines and booster shots. Read the full news release.

COVID-19 vaccine booster doses now available for all adults 18 and older. Booster doses of all three COVID-19 vaccine types are now available for everyone 18 and older. At least six months after receiving both doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine:

• Adults age 50 and older, or those 18 and older living in a long-term care facility, should receive a booster dose, and
• Those 18 through 49 may receive a booster dose.

Everyone 18 and older who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine should get a booster shot two months after getting vaccinated. Read the full news release.

Updated and new DOH guidance documents. The following documents contain updated or new COVID-19 infection prevention guidance:

NEW – Laboratory Testing and Cohorting Recommendations for Respiratory Outbreaks in Long-Term Care when SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza Viruses are Co-circulating

• This document provides guidance for long-term care facilities (LTCF) on testing and cohorting strategies when influenza and COVID-19 are both circulating in the community.  

NEW – Translations of the Symptom Decision Tree and Contact Tracing Checklist for K-12 Schools

• Translations into 39 languages found on the Resources and Recommendations Page under the Schools and Child Care drop-down with the K-12 Schools Contact Tracing and Case Investigation Toolkit section.

Preventing Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 During Aerosol Generating and Other Procedures 

• Creation of the category “procedures that create uncontrolled secretions” for procedures that pose risk due to proximity to potentially infectious respiratory secretions.
• Updated recommendations for patient, resident, and visitors to recommend facilities implement policies and procedures to protect their safety.
• Removal of nebulizing treatment from guidance in alignment with Labor & Industries’ aerosol-generating procedures (AGP) list.

Contingency strategies for PPE use during the COVID-19 pandemic – Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for Long-Term Care Settings

• Updated recommendations from contingency to conventional use.
• Additional guidance on how to manage PPE (such as when extended wear, reuse, and so on are appropriate for different types of PPE).

Employee COVID-19 Symptom/COVID-19 Callout Log (PDF) (Excel)

• Updated to align with OSHA requirements for employee callout log.

Long-Term Care Facility Testing for Staff and Residents

• Specifies that fully vaccinated, exposed residents may participate in group activities after a 7-day quarantine, with negative post-exposure testing.
• Defines “unit” for the purposes of this guidance.

Interim COVID-19 Outbreak Definition for Healthcare Settings

• Clarification on necessity to initiate unit-based outbreak investigation testing with a single health care worker case or facility-acquired resident case.

Interim Guidance Transferring Residents between Long-Term Care and other Healthcare Settings

• Defines “unit” for the purposes of this guidance.
• Clarifies that admissions can resume on affected unit after 7 days if no additional cases are identified during outbreak investigation testing, or 14 days from last identified case if additional cases are identified.

Recommendations for Cohorting in Long-Term Care Facilities During a COVID-19 Outbreak

• Updated testing recommendation.

COVID-19 Guidance for Home Care, Home Health, and Hospice Agencies

• Updated links due to archived CDC links.

COVID-19 long-term care report. As of Nov. 22, a total of 26,439 COVID-19 cases and 3,154 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 Nov. 23 report.