COVID-19 Community Guidance 07/08/2021

ISLAND COUNTY COVID-19

Updated Community Guidance

July 8, 2021

For schools (2021/22) please see this updated information.

 

Island County Public Health wants to make sure that the citizens of Island County have access to reliable guidance surrounding COVID-19. We update guidance weekly to help inform our community. For archived copies of this community guidance, visit the COVID-19 section of our webpage.

 

Numbers and Data

A case rate of 23.58 cases per 100,000 was calculated for the two-week period of June 25th, 2021 to July 8th, 2021.  Island County has 1,888 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 29 deaths.  *Note, Surveillance numbers will be updated every Thursday.  Current numbers are posted on our COVID webpage.

 

Update from Department of Health (DOH)

Newest numbers: DOH reported a total of 416,832 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on July 6th. There have been 5,973 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 Road to Recovery Metrics dashboard.  Race and ethnicity data are included on the DOH dashboards, as well as in specific reports.

 

Mobile Vaccination Team Events   

Island County continues to provide mobile vaccination events.

Current locations are:

• July 15th to 18th Whidbey Island Fair, Langley 12:00pm to 5:00pm each day.
• On July 16^th from 1:00pm to 2:00pm - Keith Higman, Island County’s Public Health Director, will be at the Whidbey Island Fair to answer questions regarding COVID and COVID Vaccines.

These vaccination events are open to the public.  All three vaccines, Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, available!  Ages 12+ welcome!  No appointment, ID, or insurance necessary.  Stop by and get your vaccine!

Our Mobile Vaccination Team can come to your organization or facility to give vaccines.  Pop-up events can be established at most locations for a walk-up style clinic. 

Schedule a Mobile Vaccination Clinic or Pop-Up Clinic today by contacting Liz Smith by email at e.smith@islandcountywa.gov or by phone at 360-320-5000. Watch our webpage for more dates to be added!

 

Governor Jay Inslee / Washington State Department of Health Update

On July 2nd, Gov. Jay Inslee issued an extension of the utility moratorium proclamation, which will now expire on September 30, 2021. This will be the final extension of the proclamation and the extension will align with the end date of the tenancy preservation bridge (21-09) to give Washingtonians struggling with housing payments time to prepare and seek assistance before both proclamations expire.

Read the article from which this information came here.

On July 1st, Gov. Jay Inslee amended Proclamation 20-25, Washington Ready (formerly known as  “Healthy Washington – Roadmap to Recovery”) to update the statewide guidance and requirements for moving forward. The order reflects the general rules for moving forward after June 30, 2021, including the ongoing face covering requirement. The order remains in effect until amended or rescinded or until the state of emergency is ended.

Read the full proclamation here.

As part of moving forward, the governor also rescinded Proclamation 20-57, which prohibited agricultural employers from operating unless they comply with certain worker guidelines. The rescission is effective immediately and is meant to align agricultural workplaces with the other industries covered under Proclamation 20-25, et seq. Termination of this emergency order does not impact any agency rule concerning temporary worker housing, or any other COVID-19 health and safety requirement directed by the governor, the Department of Labor & Industries, or the Department of Health.

Read the full proclamation here.

Read the article from which this information came from here.

 

Masking Update

The Secretary of Health’s mask order will remain in place even after June 30, which means that people who are not fully vaccinated need to continue to wear a face mask in public indoor settings even when things start to go back to normal as the state reaches a reopening milestone.

The settings in which all people, including people who are fully vaccinated, are required to wear masks include:

• child care facilities, camps, K-12 schools, and other youth settings where children are present or expected to be present;
• health care settings, in accordance with CDC health care infection prevention and control recommendations;
• correctional facilities in areas where incarcerated individuals are present or expected to be present;
• homeless shelters in areas where individuals being served are present or expected to be present;
• public transportation and transportation hubs, including airports, bus or ferry terminals, train and subway stations

In most other settings, people who are fully vaccinated do not need to wear a mask.

Businesses and local authorities can set their own more protective mask requirements, even though some state restrictions are being lifted. That’s why the DOH message around masking is “Respect the rules of the room you’re in,” since those rules may change depending on where you are. Guidance for employers is available on the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries website.

Read the article from which this information came from here.

Is it clear who must wear masks when entering your establishment?  Many customers have difficulty discerning the protocols to follow without a sign on the door, letting them know. We have flyers here that you can print out to clear up the confusion.  They are available in both English and Spanish. 

 

Vaccine Information

• Many providers have open appointments with walk-ins available.
• Johnson & Johnson is a one-shot vaccine.
• Pfizer and Moderna are a two-shot series, make sure your second dose is completed.
• Pfizer is currently approved for those 12 and older. If you are a young adult, search for Pfizer on the vaccine locator.

Are you or someone you know experiencing vaccine hesitancy?  The Washington State Department of Health is a great resource for addressing vaccine hesitancy.   Visit the Washington State Department of Health’s resource page about “Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy” for more details. 

 

Island County Public Health  

Island County is participating in the distribution of Everlywell COVID test kits.  This is a free resource to the public.  To be eligible, individuals must be Island County residents that are having a hard time locating COVID-19 testing (this includes timely access). The Everlywell test kits can only be picked up at our Camano and Coupeville offices.  Please call the COVID-19 Call Center at 360-678-2301 to have the qualifying survey completed, or complete the survey here: Cognito Forms.  Once the survey is completed, there will be a follow-up call to ensure eligibility, and then a pick-up location for the test kit will be chosen. 

 

The Island County Public Health COVID-19 webpage is an excellent resource with links for specific guidance updates.  Click here to find the resources you need. 

 

Thank You

Island County Public Health would like to continue to thank our community.  This has impacted us all over the past year and we have come together as a community.  #IslandCountyProud moving forward, together! 

 

More Information

If you have questions or concerns about COVID-19 in Island County, start by visiting our website, Facebook page, or email us at PubHealth@IslandCountyWa.gov.  If you would like to speak to someone directly about COVID-19, the COVID Call Center can be reached at 360-678-2301; Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm.  We also offer our COVID-19 Information Line: 360-678-5111 ext. 6000.  This is a pre-recorded message in English and Spanish for community members to call for general information about COVID-19.

 

The WA DOH COVID-19 Vaccine website remains the most up-to-date source of information regarding the safety, phasing and availability of COVID-19 vaccine in Washington, as well as the Centers for Disease Control.

 

Community Guidance will be sent out via GovDelivery using a COVID-19 specific distribution list.  To continue receiving Community Guidance, sign up by visiting Island County’s webpage at https://www.islandcountywa.gov/Health/Pages/COVID-19.aspx. Scroll to the bottom of the page to “Sign up for email updates” and enter your email address.