Weekly COVID update from State Dept. of Health

||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH |||

Newest numbers. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 1,830,508 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 18. There have been 14,411 COVID-19 deaths in Washington.

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

Updated COVID-19 booster eligibility expanded to people ages 5 and older. DOH and health care providers will soon begin offering omicron variant-targeted bivalent booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines to people ages 5 and older. Read the full Oct. 13 news release.

COVID-19 cases among children and youth in Washington. This weekly report provides information on COVID-19 in all children and youth, ages 0 to 19 years. Cases are broken down by educational service district (ESD) regions and age. Read the full Oct. 19 report in English and in Spanish.

DOH SARS-CoV-2 sequencing and variants 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 Oct. 19 report.

COVID-19 morbidity and mortality by race, ethnicity, and spoken language in Washington state. This bimonthly report provides an overview of confirmed or probable COVID-19 case, hospitalization, and death rates by race and ethnicity at state and regional levels. It also provides counts and percentages of confirmed or probable cases and hospitalizations by primary language spoken. Read the full Oct. 18 report. 

Resources

Get a vaccine, exposure notifications, COVID-19 testing, and proof of vaccination. Use the DOH vaccine locator to help end the pandemic. Next, get WA Notify so you’ll know if you’ve been near another WA Notify user who later tests positive for COVID-19. Learn more about when and where to get tested on the COVID-19 testing webpage and order free, at-home tests delivered straight to your doorstep through Say YES! COVID Test. It’s quick and easy to report your test results online. For K-12 students, staff, and parents/guardians, learn more about our partnership that helps schools provide easy COVID-19 testing on site. Once vaccinated, you can provide your vaccination status using WA Verify.

Care Connect Washington assistance. Care Connect provides food and other support to people who test positive for COVID-19 so they can isolate at home. People who have been exposed to the virus and are actively quarantining are also eligible. Making it easier for people to stay home helps slow the spread of the illness. Call the COVID-19 Information Hotline at 1-800-525-0127, then press #. Language assistance is available. The hotline hours are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday, and 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and observed state holidays.

Latest COVID-19 reopening guidance for businesses and workers. See a full list of current reopening guidance from the Governor’s Office.

Guidance and resources for employers and business owners. Sign up for the Economic and Business Resilience Newsletter.

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. Hours of operation are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday, and 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and on observed state holidays. 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.

DOH publishes this bulletin on Thursdays only, and only if there is significant new information to share.