Recap of Recent COVID-19 News and Updates
COVID-19 BULLETIN
Thursday, September 10, 2020
Contact:
Public Information Desk
doh-pio@doh.wa.gov
Statewide Response Updates
Newest numbers. The Department of Health reported a total of 78,467 confirmed cases as of 11:59 pm on September 9. There have been 1,985 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.
Wildfire smoke & COVID-19 are a bad mix. Not only do we need to continue to protect our communities against COVID-19, but now there are life-threatening fires throughout the state. Some of our neighbors have had to save their lives by leaving their homes, and hoping the fire spares their property. Many of us are struggling with the poor air quality from wildfire smoke.
When there is smoke in the air, and especially if you or members of your household are reacting to the smoke already, here are some things you can do to stay safe:
Stay indoors, with just members of your household. Remember, it is much easier to spread COVID-19 indoors than it is outdoors. And, smoke can make you more susceptible to respiratory infections like COVID-19. Protect your family from the smoke by staying inside and from COVID-19 by delaying your get-togethers until the air quality is good enough for you all to be comfortably outside.
Reduce outdoor physical activity. Save your walks, jogs, and yard work for a day when the air quality is better.
Keep indoor air clean.
Close your windows and doors to reduce intake of smoke. Open them back up again when the air quality is good to refresh the air!
Improve filtration of indoor air in your home and create a clean air room where you spend most of your time. A DIY box fan filter can improve indoor air quality in a single room. Filtering indoor air is an effective way to reduce fine particles from wildfire smoke.
Avoid doing anything that may contribute to smoke or dust in the air, like burning candles or incense, smoking inside, frying or broiling, or vacuuming.
Keep wearing your cloth face covering to protect yourself and others from COVID-19; unfortunately, they don’t help that much with smoke.
Stay informed about current and forecasted air quality on the Washington Smoke Information blog and your local clean air agency’s website. For more information, visit our WA DOH Smoke from Fires webpage.
Inslee issues proclamation providing assistance to families impacted by wildfires. Gov. Jay Inslee issued a proclamation today in response to damage from several wildfires across the state. The proclamation will help families and individuals impacted by wildfires with cash assistance for immediate needs.
The assistance will be provided through DSHS’ Family Emergency Assistance Program, which has been expanded to also serve individuals and waive the one-time distribution limitation.
"For families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and now the devastating wildfires ravaging our state, funding from the Family Emergency Assistance Program can be, quite literally, a lifesaver," Inslee said. "The state will continue to look for ways to support communities as we work together to recover from multiple economic and health emergencies."
Read the full proclamation here.
Update on COVID-19 vaccine distribution & planning progress in Washington State. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) continues to make progress with our COVID-19 vaccine distribution planning efforts.
Our federal government is leading the planning efforts around the release of a potential COVID-19 vaccine, including who the initial doses would be offered to and how it would be distributed. They have shared their planning assumptions with the states and are planning to release more detailed guidance to states this month.
While we still do not know when a vaccine might be available, when a safe and effective vaccine is available, we will be prepared to deploy it in a manner that is equitable and timely for the people of Washington.
“DOH is committed to science and the need to critically evaluate these new vaccines for their safety and efficacy in an unbiased way before their use,” said Dr. Kathy Lofy, State Health Officer. “We will be watching the FDA approval process closely to make sure it is thorough and transparent.”
Read the full news release here.
Wednesday, September 9 JIC media briefing recording available. A recording of the JIC’s weekly media briefing with leaders from the governor’s office and DOH is available to watch here.
Suicide prevention in focus for the month of September. Everyone has a role in suicide prevention. In observance of National Suicide Prevention Month, the Washington State Department of Health and University of Washington’s Forefront Suicide Prevention have partnered with the state’s Health Care Authority, Department of Veteran Affairs, Department of Social and Health Services and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction to ask Washingtonians to #BeThe1To help prevent suicide. Vigilance is especially important this year due to the increased stress, anxiety and depression people may be experiencing with COVID-19. Normalizing conversation around mental health helps break stigma. That’s why we’re asking everyone to be the one to be present, supportive and strong for those who may be going through a difficult time.
Following the LEARN Model Steps can help everyone identify the steps they can take to offer support:
Learn to recognize the warning signs.
Empathize with the person you’re concerned about and listen to what they say.
Ask them if they are thinking about suicide. It’s okay to ask someone directly.
And if they say yes, they are, remove the danger – the method they’re thinking of using.
Help them with next steps, such as calling or texting a crisis line.
If you are in crisis or having thoughts of suicide, or if someone you know is in crisis, call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at (800) 273-8255 or chat online. Confidential support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. For support via text on the Crisis Text Line, start a conversation by texting “HEAL” to 741741.
Additional suicide prevention resources:
Read the full news release here.
Commerce awards $1.36 million in community child care partnership grants. The Washington State Department of Commerce today announced $1,368,000 in grants to 16 organizations to fund collaborative efforts to expand child care capacity in 14 communities throughout the state. Grantees will receive 50% of the award from state general funds administered by Commerce, and a 50% match from the Safe Start Fund for a Healthy Economic Transition and Recovery.
“Access to affordable, quality child care is an imperative for our state’s economic recovery. Thousands of parents in Washington were either paying more than they could afford, or struggling to find quality child care facilities and programs near where they live or work before COVID-19,” said Commerce Director Lisa Brown, citing data from a recently-released child care industry assessment study commissioned by the state Child Care Collaborative Task Force that showed one in five parents turned down a job offer or promotion because of child care issues.
The public health crisis makes lack of child care capacity even more apparent, with the temporary and permanent closure of numerous facilities just as parents are returning to work and school restarts. Brown noted that the complexities of care for school-aged kids will be important for grantees to include in their local needs assessments and planning processes. The industry assessment provides robust data and parent survey information to help guide the state and prospective community-based partnerships.
This first round of community partnership grants will fund projects through June 30, 2021 in Clark, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Island, King, Klickitat, Pend Oreille, King, Snohomish, Spokane, Stevens, Thurston and Whatcom counties.
More information and the full news release is available here.
Resources
Guidance and resources for employers and business owners. Sign up for the weekly business and worker newsletter here.
Washington 211 COVID-19 call center is a general information line related to COVID-19. If you need information or have a general question, call 1-800-525-0127 or text 211-211 for help. 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.
Washington Listens helps people manage stress and anxiety they may be experiencing because of COVID-19. If you or anyone you know is having difficulties managing stress, call the Washington Listens support line at 1-833-681-0211. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. TTY and language access services are available by using 7-1-1 or their preferred method. Resources and self-help tips are available on walistens.org.
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