Governor Jay Inslee said Tuesday that Washington has nearly 1,400 trained contact-tracing personnel who are now reaching out to every new person who tests positive for coronavirus, in an effort to track down other people they may have infected.
Inslee said the team is an essential part of a three-pronged approach to locking down the virus: broad-based testing, isolation and contact tracing.
This is how it works: When a person tests positive, they will be called by a designated contact tracer, he said. The tracer will ask where the person has been and with whom they’ve been in contact. They’ll then call those people — ideally within two days — telling each person they’ve been in contact with someone who tested positive for novel coronavirus and then ask them to self-quarantine until they can be tested themselves — and hopefully test negative.
“It is supremely important to our ability to reopen our economy and our businesses while simultaneously protecting our health,” Inslee said.
Washington state will have 1,371 trained contact tracers — 630 local and state Department of Health officials, 390 from the state Department of Licensing and 351 from the National Guard.
Inslee said he was confident this number of contact tracers was sufficient. The DOH reports 200 to 300 new cases each day, which has been consistent for the past several weeks.
Inslee explained this is standard operating procedure for local health departments for many decades, as they’ve tried to tamp down outbreaks of diseases like tuberculosis and hepatitis, but “on a much grander scale.”
Contact tracing at the county level became too daunting of a task for local jurisdictions, and this is why the state is adding so many personnel to complete the task at hand.
Inslee urged Washingtonians to isolate at the first sign of symptoms and said people who do test positive should stay isolated for 14 days, as should their families.
The governor said that someone will check in daily on people who have tested positive and are quarantining, either by phone or by text.
“We have to depend upon the sense of commitment and compassion that Washingtonians have to make this work,” Inslee said.
He said contact tracers have been carefully screened and have signed confidentiality agreements. They’re not supposed to inquire about immigration status, Social Security numbers or marital status.
https://cdn.lacamasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/07072950/54FC33D3-CBC1-4E03-BD84-51E5B5F561FE-e1589338524818.jpeg6161157Ernest Geigenmillerhttps://cdn.lacamasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/07074147/lacamas_white_2-300x300.pngErnest Geigenmiller2020-05-12 20:04:512020-05-12 20:05:38Governor Inslee: Nearly 1,400 Corona Virus Contact Tracers Active In State
Gov. Jay Inslee issued guidance today for partially resuming the dine-in restaurant and tavern industry for counties granted variance under the Safe Start Phase 2 recovery plan laid out last week.
Through the Washington “Safe Start” plan, more businesses and activities will re-open in subsequent phases with adequate safety and health standards in place. Each phase will be at least three weeks — metrics and data will guide when the state can move from one phase to another.
Through the Safe Start approach, counties with a population of less than 75,000 that have not had a new case of COVID-19 in the past three weeks can apply for a variance to move to Phase 2 of “Safe Start” before other parts of the state. County variance applications will be approved or denied by the secretary of the Department of Health. Eight counties have received the variance.
For counties granted variance to move to Phase 2, restaurant operations may resume with limitations after meeting specific criteria, effective May 11, 2020.
“No restaurant or tavern may operate indoor or sit-down services until they can meet and maintain all requirements, including providing materials, schedules and equipment required to comply,” the guidance states.
OLYMPIA, WA — Gov. Jay Inslee announced today that ‘non-essential’ retail stores could reopen with curbside pickup, landscapers and pet walkers are able to work, and five smaller counties will begin to reopen more quickly.
All of the industry sectors Inslee listed in the first part of his four-phase plan to reopen the state are now able to resume business with some restrictions.
Despite the positive news, Inslee also warned that a key public-health number — the transmission rate of COVID-19 — is getting slightly worse.
The latest report from the Bellevue-based Institute for Disease Modeling (IDM) showed that the estimated infection rate — which projects how many others an infected person infects — had risen slightly in Western Washington, and in King County.
“We are making progress in this fight,” Inslee said. “But I am very concerned about the situation we’re in today, despite that progress. Because we just are in a very precarious situation, we’re sort of poised on that knife edge of whether we’re really going to wrestle this all the way to the ground.”
The latest Washington Department of Health report brings Washington’s totals to 16,388 positive cases and 905 deaths. To-date, 235,835 Washingtonians have had COVID-19 tests. Approximately 6.9% are positive.
Inslee said that retail stores considered non-essential could start offering customers curbside services.
Businesses are mandated to keep employees and customers more than six feet apart during interactions, and screen employees for COVID-like symptoms. The guidance does not allow in-store retail activity for businesses considered nonessential.
Other safety guidelines issued Friday allow landscaping and outdoor workers to return to work, including pet walkers.
All Washingtonians have a role to play in bringing the COVID-19 crisis to an end, says Senator Ann Rivers, Rep. Brandon Vick and Rep. Larry Hoff in this op-ed they submitted today.
As millions of Washingtonians continue to abide by Governor Inslee’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order, the question on everyone’s mind is: When will our state reopen?
Some are asking that question out of concern for their economic future, as they’ve recently been laid off and now have little to no money coming in the door. Others are asking out of concern for public health and safety, worried that lifting restrictions too soon could lead to a new round of COVID-19 cases.
The truth is there is no perfect roadmap for the weeks and months ahead. What we do know is we all have a role to play in bringing this crisis to an end. By making wise decisions, including practicing social distancing, infections will continue to decrease and Governor Inslee will have the data—and confidence—he needs to reopen more economic and recreational activity in our state.
We saw an example of this confidence recently when the governor announced private construction companies could resume operations if they followed new safety requirements to protect workers. While long overdue, it was a good decision that will help tens of thousands of Washingtonians and inject much-needed revenue into our economy. With that said, this cannot be the only action the governor takes. Nearly one million Washingtonians have been forced to file for unemployment as a result of this crisis. Governor Inslee must have a sense of urgency in bringing business leaders together for discussions about what other industries can immediately—and safely—get people back to work.
Senator Ann Rivers, Representative Brandon Vick, and Representative Larry Hoff.
That is just one of the many recommended actions in the Safe Economic Restart Plan that was proposed by House and Senate Republicans in mid-April. Another is to exempt small businesses from paying both sales and B&O taxes for one year. Our small businesses have been crushed by this ongoing economic shutdown. Providing tax relief at the state level—in concert with relief from the federal Small Business Administration—would help many of them keep their doors open.
Outside of business, we have agreed with those who have been calling for restrictions to be lifted on a number of recreational activities, including fishing, golfing and hunting. If Washingtonians can be trusted to go to the grocery store and safely practice social distancing, then they can be trusted to responsibly engage in outdoor activities. In a recent press conference, Governor Inslee announced each of these activities would be reopened to the public starting May 5.
While there are likely to be some significant challenges ahead as we continue to recover as a state, the governor’s recent actions have given us confidence the data he’s seeing is trending in the right direction. We know our state has already flattened the coronavirus curve. Now we must avoid a recurrence of this disease as more restrictions are lifted on economic and recreational activity. By working together and following common-sense safety protocols, we can ensure we are successful in that endeavor.
Reps. Brandon Vick and Larry Hoff, both R-Vancouver, represent the 18th Legislative District.
https://cdn.lacamasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/07073013/1922522D-3373-4249-A9E0-7E8ACAC13D95.jpeg8391280Ernest Geigenmillerhttps://cdn.lacamasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/07074147/lacamas_white_2-300x300.pngErnest Geigenmiller2020-04-29 19:39:152020-04-29 19:39:2518th LD Representatives: Everyone Plays Role in Ending COVID-19 Crisis
OLYMPIA, Wash. — Governor Jay Inslee said in an address Tuesday that Washington state would not be able to lift many of its novel coronavirus restrictions by May 4, and that he’s seeking more data in the coming days to make major decisions in some sectors of the economy.
There have been mounting calls for Inslee to ease the state’s stay-at-home order after a weekend protest drew about 2,500 to Olympia. The governor’s stay-home order runs through May 4.
“Some of you watching right now understandably want to know when we’ll get back to normal,” Inslee said.
Inslee said a few activities could return in the state on May 4 if data continues to show a downward trend in new coronavirus cases.
The governor said he’s hopeful in the coming days that the state would be able to lift some restrictions on:
Construction
Outdoor recreation
Elective surgeries
Inslee also said Washington needs more tests, and until there is a COVID-19 vaccine workplaces will need to have physical distancing and protections in place for workers.
“Until we have a COVID-19 vaccine, workplaces are going to look much different … ample physical distance will be required,” he said.
The state will provide guidance for businesses to know how and when to reopen in the coming days.
Washington’s Republican state lawmakers have released a plan designed to re-open businesses and society, in general. The group said more than 230,000 small businesses across Washington were shut down March 25 by order of Governor Jay Inslee.
”To the people employed by small businesses I would contend that all business is essential,” said State Senator Ann Rivers. “Union workers get to work doing the same job that non-union workers aren’t able to do. If you’re in a union, the government says you can work in construction, if not you can’t work. This makes no sense. The most important reason why we’re doing this now is that we can’t wait until May 4 and expect to flip a switch and get businesses back up and running. I feel these businesses can keep people safe while operating. The Governor isn’t giving them the professional courtesy that businesses deserve.”
Rivers said Oregon and California’s COVID-19 rate of infection and death toll were lower, per capita, than Washington, and they’ve managed to keep construction running, golf courses open, car sales operating, as well as recreational fishing.
“Our $3 billion dollar rainy day fund will only cover a fraction to compensate for the loss of business revenue this quarantine has caused,” said Rivers. “Inslee isn’t moving at all on designating private construction as essential. Even the Democrats are getting frustrated that the Governor isn’t doing that. He’s not following the lead of Governors in Oregon and California. Our state economy can’t take this much longer, and we also need to keep protecting the elderly and physically vulnerable. We can re-open our economy and keep people safe. Let’s have faith in our citizens to be responsible.”
Republicans in both chambers worked together and are united in this plan.
”I think some movement is necessary,” said Representative Larry Hoff. “We are looking at three big challenges. There’s the health challenge, the emotional challenge, and the economic challenge. The governor is overlooking two of those challenges, and he needs to start listening to the people. There’s no argument that he’s not listening. There is a business revitalization committee forming and there are Democrats on that group that state we need to get this state moving again. We can start again with these safeguards. Why can’t be build a house? Why can’t people go fishing? I’m shocked he’s not listening to us. He’s not injecting common sense to allow these decisions. It’s time we do something that is a positive for the state. Governor Inslee is too concentrated on eradicating this virus before we make economic gains.”
The plan states the following:
“While the executive branch does not classify these employers as essential, Republican legislators recognize the value of these businesses because of the families they support, communities they serve, and economic activity they generate. We recognize how these employers have already suffered from being forcibly closed and how offers of government assistance are no substitute for reopening.
“Early action by state government has protected public health in the face of this pandemic. We believe the executive branch and legislative branch also must take early action to minimize the economic damage associated with the COVID-19 emergency while the public-health effort to defeat the virus continues. Families and communities need our economy to recover as quickly as possible, as do the Washingtonians who benefit from public services and programs made possible by the private sector.
“The GOP proposes three sets of actions to enable the safe restart of Washington’s economy and promote its continued recovery overthe long term. The earliest of these would focus on sectors that can return to safe operations with minimal risk to workers or customers, while giving hope to employers statewide that they will be able to follow suit.”
Housing construction is on hold.
Republican legislators recommend these immediate actions:
Convene a Restart Task Force comprising legislative leaders, relevant executive-branch directors and representatives of the business and organized-labor communities. This group will chart a course toward allowing all Washington businesses to reopen, on a phased or limited basis as necessary, with COVID-19 protections for workers and customers in place.
Fully disclose the “metrics” that must be met before the business-closure order can be lifted or amended. Knowing the standards will allow the people of Washington to act accordingly.
Deliver on the massive testing capabilities promised by state health officials ahead of the business-closure order. Direct the appropriate state agencies to acquire antibody tests and work with employers to screen workers. Workers found to have the antibodies resulting from the COVID-19 infection will be immediately eligible for employment.
A moratorium on all state-agency rulemaking not related to the current crisis. Rules are important, but at a time when many businesses are simply trying to survive, the making of new rules seems less than essential. Relief from rulemaking goes hand-in-hand with relief from taxes.
Interface with the governor’s Business Recovery Legislative Task Force and be prepared to support recommendations that are achievable, measurable and complementary.
Exempt small businesses from paying sales and B&O taxes for one year.
Offer state-government assistance to the many small businesses in Washington that do not qualify for federal emergency-assistance programs.
Allow operations to resume in economic sectors that fit one or more of these criteria: low-risk, personal health, environmental protection, aid to elderly/physically challenged, alternate quarantine locations, assisting businesses with tax-related requirements, or property protection. Examples are auto dealers, solo landscape services, car washes, remodeling companies/contractors, residential construction, hairdressers/barbers, flower shops, RV parks, dentists, installers of home/commercial security systems, and accountants/tax preparers.
The GOP legislators recommend these actions be taken by the Legislature at its next opportunity:
Forgive first-quarter small-business B&O taxes for 2020 and allow deferral of remaining quarterly taxes to the end of 2020. It makes more sense for state government to assist employers through this difficult time, so they can return to becoming regular taxpayers, then to see employers fail and drop off the tax rolls completely.
Forgive payments related to unemployment insurance, workers’ compensation and paid family leave for April 2020 through the month that the business-closure order is lifted or amended, as appropriate.
They also recommend these actions be taken within 6-12 months of the lifting of the business-closure order:
Increase the small-business tax credit to exempt businesses with annual gross receipts of an amount to be determined.
Business-tax reporting and payment deferral for B&O, sales, and use tax.
A year-long holiday from the state’s unemployment insurance social-cost tax, with the option for an additional one-year reduction in the social-cost tax. Timing would depend on the condition of the state UI trust account (which may shrink despite federal-funding backfill).
Sales-tax holiday(s) to help jump-start business activity statewide: These would be aligned with known shopping promotions (e.g. back to school, Black Friday, Cyber Monday) and last for several days. Although state tax collections would be reduced, B&O collections would likely increase.
Aid regarding workers’ compensation premiums: Extend L&I’s Employer Assistance Program for small businesses for all of 2020. Direct L&I to determine whether it has reserve funds to forgive some premium payments for small businesses with deferrals or payment plans per COVID-19.
Waive state minimum-wage increase for 2021: With the minimum wage being tied to CPI and speculation that there may be a decrease in the CPI, hold any future inflationary adjustments to the state minimum wage until the index exceeds the January 2020 level.
CAMAS, WA – Earlier this week, the City of Camas Finance department rolled out new ways for residents in arrears and small businesses of fewer than 50 employees to ease the burden of utility payments. Today they announce an additional COVID-19 promotion called “Support Local & Save,” aimed at lowering residential utility bills while supporting Camas merchants.
The new program, which begins April 11, is based on the City of Newberg, Oregon’s Support Local Challenge. Here’s how it works:
Residents are encouraged to make purchases from Camas merchants in the downtown area and throughout the city.Eligible purchases include gift cards, food, goods and services.
Residents save their receipts showing the business name, date and amount of purchase.
Residents may submit to City of Camas a total of $125 in receipts for a total savings of $75.
When they have a total of $25 in receipts (this could be one receipt or multiple), they are eligible to receive $15 off their utility bill.
Residents can then email a scan or photo of the receipts to [email protected]; mail them to City of Camas Finance Department, 616 NE 4th Ave., Camas WA 98607; or drop them in the City Hall drop box.
All receipts must be accompanied by the name on the utility account, account number, address and contact phone or email.
Support Local & Save will begin on Sat., April 11, and run through May 4, the current end date of Governor Inslee’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy proclamation; the City will reassess the program’s duration as the COVID- 19 situation evolves.
“I challenge everyone who can to ‘Support Local & Save,’” rallied City of Camas Mayor Barry McDonnell. “Camas merchants are doing a great job of coming up with inventive ways to offer gift cards, food, goods and services that allow residents to stay home and stay healthy. Now we can shop, dine and save on utilities.”
The City will continue to monitor feedback from residents and businesses, as well as the guidance of public agencies, to determine future modifications and support mechanisms. For an up-to-date listing of changes to city programming and operations during the COVID-19 crisis, the public is encouraged to visit www.cityofcamas.us/ourcommunity/covid-19.
Members of the public who have a need or concern may contact [email protected] or 360-834-6864. For assistance with errands, food, supplies, and more, residents may call the City of Camas Resource Helpline, 360- 382-1300, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
For questions about the program, please visit www.cityofcamas.us/supportlocal or contact the City of Camas Finance Department at [email protected] or 360-834-2462, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Finance staff will also be on hand to answer questions and enroll residents currently in arrears and small businesses in incorporated Camas with fewer than 50 employees.
https://cdn.lacamasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/07073826/CAD7FD9C-62AE-4669-BD6C-6E2659F75720.jpeg6891280Ernest Geigenmillerhttps://cdn.lacamasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/07074147/lacamas_white_2-300x300.pngErnest Geigenmiller2020-04-10 16:55:562020-04-10 16:56:01Camas Launches ‘Support Local & Save’ to Support Residents, Merchants
Four of the five members of the Clark County Council penned a letter to Washington Governor Jay Inslee this week urging him to rule that all construction be designated as “essential” business under his “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” COVID-19 orders.
The Clark County Council is part of a larger movement from many entities, including the cities of Ridgefield and Lynden, and legislators Dan Newhouse and Kathy McMorris Rodgers, urging Washington Governor Jay Inslee to include residential construction as “essential” under the state’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” directive. They say Inslee’s emergency powers directive went too far. Washington is only one of two states with similar “shelter in place” orders that designate private construction as “non-essential.” The Department of Homeland Security also officially designates construction as “essential.”
Clark County Council Chair, Eileen Quiring, along with three of her four council colleagues — Julie Olson, John Blom and Gary Medvigy, are very concerned about the severely damaging economic effects of Inslee’s order. Councilor Temple Lentz disagrees with her colleagues.
“I’m not sure what his thinking is entirely,” said Quiring. ”He says this is about safety. How is it we can allow public construction or low income housing to go on and not private construction? How much safer are they? All of our builders have to follow OSHA rules. Clark County will be hurt especially given we have more than 15,000 people employed in the construction industry. Think about the people buying homes that were just about completed and are now without a place to go. I hope the Governor is listening because this is ludicrous. It will take us a long time to recover.”
Quiring said the state is losing $23 million a day for every day of work stoppage. Clark County is especially hit hard, with more than 15,000 people employed in construction-related jobs. Construction accounts for about 25 percent of sales tax revenue in Clark County. The council says the county is losing $4.2 million in revenue per week.
In the letter, the councilors say “the near complete shutdown of our construction industry and the loss of revenue in Clark County is dire.”
The city of Lynden has defied the order altogether, allowing construction business to resume. City Administrator Mike Marin released a letter yesterday encouraging construction projects to continue unimpeded despite the executive order.
In an open letter, Marin said the city’s policy is to “rely on the good judgment of the building community to keep its workers safe, and to ensure that any member of the public in the vicinity of a project is likewise kept safe.”
He also called for physical distancing and other “common-sense practices.”
Ridgefield amended the executive order to allow pre-sold and partially erected homes to be completed.
Dear Governor Inslee, During this time of crisis, we all respect the difficult decisions you have to make for the common good of all Washingtonians. We are urging further refinement of your guidance for essential construction throughout the state, but will focus on Clark County. We are advocating that you deem all housing presently under construction and all commercial construction near completion to be deemed essential in much the same way Oregon and California have.
We respect and trust that all builders, unions, skilled and unskilled labor in all trades are using best practices and protocols of social distancing to minimize the risks from COVID-19 to our workforce and community. There has been no specific outbreak attributed to the building industry in the private or public sector, in part, because they remain focused on OSHA standards, health and safety at the work place more so than the public at large. We believe that our hard-working construction industry, using best health and safety practices, would rather be working than furloughed and on unemployment. Please allow them back to work.
We believe the breadth of the current order will create far more devastation to our economy in Clark County, because of our more severe housing shortage as one of the fastest growing areas in the state. This shortage contributes to high costs and increasing homelessness. Our county budget is aggravated here more than anywhere in the state due to sales tax leakage to Oregon, causing a structural deficit from the loss of approximately 25% of sales tax revenue. Approximately 35% of the County’s sales tax has come from construction related activities. In 2019, our General Fund received $43.0M in sales tax or $15.0 million sales tax generated by construction activity alone. The near complete shut-down of our construction industry and loss of revenue in Clark County is dire.
An unusually large segment of Clark County’s economy is based on the construction industry, equating to approximately 15,600 jobs. In Washington State the economic impact is about $8.4B per year, or $23M per day. Our best estimates in Clark County based on our population and construction jobs would amount to 10% of those state numbers.
The annual statewide tax revenue, for state and local governments, is around $2.2B. Proportioned to Clark County, this is around $4.2M per week in Clark County alone in tax revenue lost to the state and county for every week a broad building moratorium remains in place.
In addition, spoilage is now becoming a significant problem with the weather and increased theft occurring. Although, your present order allows for protecting construction, ‘shear inspections’ need to be done before a structure can be weathered-in and those can’t be conducted all at once throughout the county with the current constraints. OSB board, for example can only be in the weather for no more than 60 days, before deterioration, and mold set in. Our local contractors will go where the work is and that is next door to Oregon. Once, construction resumes here, the work force will not be available for our job sites. We will be facing an ever increasing percentage of spoilage as a result.
The dire need for housing and the continuation of essential construction and trade jobs in our county cries out for refinement of the previous orders. We all understand that all decisions should be ‘conditions based’ and those change daily with many unknowns. But we are focusing on what is known. Families are waiting to move into their nearly completed homes. We respectfully request that essential business be further defined to include residential housing under construction and commercial construction that is near completion.
https://cdn.lacamasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/07073828/16D32453-04C6-4003-B892-67ECF1307DA6.jpeg457909Ernest Geigenmillerhttps://cdn.lacamasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/07074147/lacamas_white_2-300x300.pngErnest Geigenmiller2020-04-10 15:50:172020-04-10 15:50:24Clark County Council to Gov: Change ‘Non Essential’ Construction Designation
As families and businesses react to the COVID-19 pandemic, one of Juxtaposition’s vendors, American Leather, a quality furniture maker based in Texas, is adapting and finding a new — albeit temporary — purpose.
The county of Dallas, Texas, where American Leather is based, issued a mandatory shelter-in-place order that went into effect the last week of March. Assuming they would be designated as a “non-essential” business, their management team saw a unique opportunity: help healthcare workers.
Bruce Birnbach CEO of American Leather knew the order would disrupt their supply chain to their clients, so he was very upfront about the situation.
In a letter to customers, Birnbach said his company had been working with the federal government and local hospitals to offer American Leather’s manufacturing services to produce face masks and gowns.
“With our outstanding sewing and production capabilities, we recognize that this can be a huge help for the needs of our healthcare workers and infected citizens in the community who need this so desperately,” said Birnbach. “This manufacturing effort in a portion of our plant means that our Dallas manufacturing operation will be considered as an essential facility and we can continue to operate, as of now. As you already know, we have been proactive in preparing for this situation and have already taken aggressive measures to keep our employees at safe distances or in some cases, working at home. These actions will continue.”
He continued: “We are proud of our State for doing their important part in helping to slow the spread of this awful virus and we are proud that we can do our small part in aiding people on the front lines with safety gear.”
Suzanne Ferguson, co-owner of Juxtaposition, said she chose American Leather as one of its premier vendors because of the quality of their products.
An American Leather employee creates face masks.
“Their products are made in America,” said Ferguson. “Their customer service is fantastic, and now you can see how they operate in a crisis. They found a way to help with this pandemic. This is just another reason why we are so glad to partner with them. Our normal supply chain is obviously interrupted, but we know once the mandates lift they will be back to making extraordinary furniture and getting orders out to customers as soon as possible.”
David Workman, American Leather’s VP of Sales, said he’s very proud of their team.
“Although we’ve not been able to make furniture, we are very proud of our team of volunteers that have come into work to produce protective face masks and gowns for people on the front lines,” said Workman. “These heroic people of ours are now creating over 10,000 masks a day for delivery to local hospitals as well as the federal government requests, and we plan to continue these efforts indefinitely.”
The company plans to resume furniture production on May 4, when shelter-in-place orders are likely to be lifted.
Juxtaposition, located in downtown Camas, is an American Leather retailer, many of their products can be viewed at www.artfuljuxtaposition.com
The Washington Department of Health (DOH) has provided its latest COVID-19 data, as of April 5, 2020. This report also includes University of Washington COVID-19 data and projections showing that peak hospital resources happened four days ago on April 2, and a projection of 632 deaths by Aug 4 (was predicted to be 1,400 deaths 10 days ago.) Also, Washington is now sending 400 ventilators to other states, such as New York.
Total deaths were not reported in the updated data for March 30 and 31, though the current totals are correct.
Confirmed COVID-19 cases.
Beginning March 28, 2020, DOH gave notice that its daily updates were for data from the previous day at 11:59 pm. Therefore, the data point for a certain day on the above charts represents confirmed cases through the day before at 11:59 pm.
Mortality rates by age as of April 2:
Age Mortality Rate
<19: 0%
20-39: .16%
40-59: .72%
60-79: 6%
80+: 20.4%
Overall: 4.1%
The total number of deaths and cases and the mortality rates are not officially reported by age group by DOH, only the percentage was. We did our own math to formulate these totals using the percentages by age group with the total reported cases and deaths. Also, note that these figures do not take into account individuals who may have the virus but do not get tested for the virus.
Tests:
Negative: 80,327
Positive: 7,591
Total: 87,918
COVID-19 tests in Washington.
Negative tests were not reported March 24 and 25. Tests were not reported for March 30 and 31.
IHME and University of Washington Predictive Model:
Predicted peak deaths per day is predicted to be 19 on April 6. This prediction has drastically moved up from last week’s prediction of a peak of 28 deaths per day on April 24.
Red Line: Actual deaths per day.
Dashed Line: Predicted deaths per day.
Shaded Area: Where the experts predict, with 95% confidence, the actual deaths per day trend will end up.
University of Washington Predictive Model.
Hospital Admissions
According to the Seattle Times and DOH, hospitalizations for patients with COVID-like symptoms dropped this last week in Washington.
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