Recap of Recent COVID-19 News and Updates

 

Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022 Washington State Department of Health Contact: Public Information Desk                DOH-PIO@doh.wa.gov

Statewide Response Updates Newest numbers. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 1,805,781 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 20. There have been 14,146 COVID-19 deaths in Washington. For the most recent number of cases by county, demographics, and more, visit the Department of Health's dashboard. Sept. 22 media briefing. Secretary of Health Umair A. Shah provided an update on the state's COVID-19 response, monkeypox virus (MPV) response, and other public health topics. He was joined by Dr. Tao Kwan-Gett, chief science officer, DOH; Lacy Fehrenbach, assistant secretary, DOH; Michele Roberts, assistant secretary, DOH; and Leo Morales of the UW Latino Center for Health. View the briefing. Reported COVID-19 reinfections in Washington state. This weekly report includes information on hospitalizations and deaths, demographics, trends over time, and vaccination status of people with a reinfection where DOH has information about both infection events. Read the full Sept. 21 report. 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 Sept. 21 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 Sept. 21 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 Sept. 20 report.  COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths by vaccination status. This monthly report provides a brief overview of confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths among those who completed the primary series and those who are not fully vaccinated in Washington state. Read the full Sept. 14 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. To get quickly and easily tested anywhere in Washington, visit the DOH COVID-19 testing locations page. 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.  Key information from the following blogs is now available as slides in multiple languages to share with community partners and organizations, Public Health Insider blog Back-to-school and COVID-19 – What Parents Should Know Should I Get an Updated Booster – We asked an Expert