Recap of Recent COVID-19 News and Updates

COVID-19 BULLETIN

Thursday, September 15, 2020

Contact:

Public Information Desk
doh-pio@doh.wa.gov

Statewide Response Updates

Newest numbers. The Department of Health reported a total of 80,465 confirmed cases as of 11:59 pm on September 14. There have been 2,015 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.

Weekly COVID-19 response update media briefing tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. The weekly COVID-19 response update media briefing with leaders from the governor’s office and DOH will be tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. TVW will livestream the briefing here.

Staying safe during historic wildfire event and ongoing pandemic. As wildfires rage across the entire west coast, a giant wave of smoke has blown across Western Washington. The air quality across Washington has the potential to reach extremely unhealthy levels. It’s not just the smoke, either: with COVID-19 as an ongoing factor, people need to know how to stay safe from smoke and fire while preventing the spread of disease.

If you’re considering leaving the area to escape smoke or fire, consider the COVID-19 restrictions in the county you are traveling to, and the people you are visiting. This is especially important if they are at high risk for severe COVID-19. For those taking in people trying to escape fire or smoky conditions: please keep your circles small, wear masks indoors, and continue washing your hands often.

For more information on protecting yourself and your loved ones during wildfire smoke events during COVID-19, visit the DOH Smoke From Fires home page or read the recent news release.

Wildfire Disaster Cash Assistance. The Department of Social and Health Services has updated its Disaster Cash Assistance Program to serve people who are affected by the wildfires burning throughout Washington state. DCAP for wildfires will assist households that have financial losses that will not be covered within 30 days.

If your household was impacted by wildfires in Douglas, Okanogan, Whitman, Lincoln, Spokane, Chelan, Pierce or Thurston counties, you may be eligible for DCAP. Learn more here.

COVID-19 activity declining in Washington state with the help of face coverings and distancing. On Friday the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) released the latest statewide situation report, which reflects an overall decline in COVID-19 activity as of late August. The report also highlights encouraging signs that keeping our distance, limiting gathering size and wearing face coverings are working to slow the spread of the disease.

“While we see some encouraging trends in case counts, the risk remains extremely high throughout the state,” said Secretary of Health John Wiesman. “The situation in Whitman County illustrates just how quickly an outbreak can wipe out our progress toward keeping case counts low. It is still critical that we limit the size and frequency of our in-person gatherings, wear face coverings and stay home when we are sick.”

Read the full news release here.

Kreidler extends emergency order on telehealth to Oct. 14. Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler extended his emergency order again, directing all state-regulated health insurers to make additional coverage changes to aid consumers during the coronavirus pandemic. His order is in effect until Oct. 14 and requires health insurers to:

Continue coverage for providing telehealth via methods including telephone and video chat tools such as Facetime, Facebook Messenger video chat, Google Hangout video, Skype and Go-to-Meeting.
Cover all medically necessary diagnostic testing for flu and certain other viral respiratory illnesses billed during a provider visit for COVID-19 with no copay, coinsurance or deductible.
Treat drive-up testing sites for COVID-19 as provider visit with no copay, coinsurance or deductible.

Read the full news release here.

Partnering with farmers to provide food assistance. The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) and Northwest Harvest are working together to support family farms and families in need through a unique collaboration that provides 10,000 boxes weekly of fresh, local produce for food pantries.

With funding from WSDA, Northwest Harvest has coordinated with Inaba Produce Farms in Wapato, where workers have been packing boxes with an assortment of fresh produce straight from the farm. Those boxes are then distributed through the non-profit's network of food pantries and other hunger relief outlets.

Recap of Recent COVID-19 News and Updates

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