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ISLAND COUNTY COVID-19
Updated Community Guidance
August 19, 2021
For schools (2021/22) please see this updated information.
Community Guidance will be sent out twice a month on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month.
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 on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month 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 281.41 cases per 100,000 was calculated for the two-week period of August 6th, 2021 to August 19th, 2021. Island County has 2,487 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 32 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 474,342 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on August 18th. There have been 6,330 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 Washington Ready and COVID-19 Risk Assessment Dashboard. Race and ethnicity data are included on the DOH dashboards, as well as in specific reports.
Governor Jay Inslee Update
On August 4th, Gov. Jay Inslee rescinded one COVID-19 emergency proclamation and gave advance notice of the rescission of another emergency proclamation.
Learn more about the proclamations here.
On August 9th, Gov. Jay Inslee issued an emergency proclamation mandating that most state executive branch employees and on-site contractors and volunteers, along with public and private health care and long-term care workers, must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by October 18.
Inslee announced the proclamation at a press conference in Seattle Monday afternoon. Individuals included in the proclamation's mandate must receive the final dose of their vaccination no later than October 4 so as to be fully vaccinated two weeks later on October 18 to comply with the proclamation.
Read the full proclamation here.
Read the article from which this information came here.
On August 18th, Gov. Jay Inslee announced a vaccination requirement for employees working in K-12, most childcare and early learning, and higher education. The governor was joined for the announcement by Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal and Secretary of Health Dr. Umair A. Shah.
K -12 educators, school staff, coaches, bus drivers, school volunteers and others working in school facilities will have until October 18 to be fully vaccinated as a condition of employment. The requirement includes public, private and charter schools, and comes as schools across the state prepare to return for the 2021–2022 school year amid rapidly increasing case and hospitalization numbers. This does not impact students, regardless of age.
“It has been a long pandemic, and our students and teachers have borne their own unique burdens throughout,” Inslee said. “This virus is increasingly impacting young people, and those under the age of 12 still can’t get the vaccine for themselves. We won’t gamble with the health of our children, our educators and school staff, nor the health of the communities they serve.”
Inslee also announced a vaccine requirement for employees in Washington’s higher education institutions, as well as for most childcare and early learning providers who serve children from multiple households.
Read the rest of the story on the governor's Medium page.
Read the article from which this information came here.
Washington State Department of Health Update
August 13th: COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are accelerating across the state of Washington, demonstrating the delta variant’s potential to unravel our hard-fought progress toward recovery. Unvaccinated people are being hit hardest, and public health officials continue to urge everyone who has not gotten fully vaccinated to do so immediately.
Now is also the time to redouble efforts around the key behaviors that keep the virus from spreading. All people should:
- Wear a mask, watch distance, wash hands often, carry hand sanitizer, and enable WA Notify on phones
- Keep gatherings small and outside whenever possible, and avoid any large outdoor gatherings like concerts, fairs or festivals
- Stay home if sick or exposed to COVID-19, and get tested if they have symptoms
Read the article from which this information came here.
August 14th: Health care providers can now offer third doses of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to certain immunocompromised individuals following recommendations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Advisory Committee on Immunizations Practices (ACIP), and Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup.
While authorized vaccines have proven to be more than 90% effective in protecting against most variants, emerging data suggest people with moderately to severely compromised immune systems do not always build the same level of immunity compared to people who are not immunocompromised. The third dose is not considered a booster, rather an additional dose for individuals who did not adequately develop immunities with the initial two-dose series. A full list of conditions is available on the CDC’s website.
Read the article from which this information came here.
August 18th: Washington State Secretary of Health Umair A. Shah, M.D., MPH, amended Order 20-03 requiring face masks for everyone over five years of age in most public indoor settings regardless of vaccination status. These include places like grocery stores, malls, gyms, and community centers. Masks are strongly recommended in crowded outdoor settings like sporting events, fairs, and concerts where physical distancing is not possible. The updated order goes into effect on Monday, Aug. 23.
Reinstating mask requirements is necessary in addition to increasing vaccinations, to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 in Washington. The health care system is under immense strain, due in part to increased COVID-19 transmission, mostly among unvaccinated people. Between Feb. 1 and Aug. 3, 94.5% of COVID-19 cases who were hospitalized were not fully vaccinated.
“While vaccines are the pathway out of this pandemic, wearing a mask is necessary to stem the current increase in COVID-19 cases, driven by the Delta variant,” said Shah. “I appreciate the efforts of those who are already regularly wearing face coverings in public and urge others to join us in taking this critical step to control the virus. Each of us has a part to play to stop the spread of this disease in our communities.”
There are some exceptions to the indoor mask requirement, including:
- Children under five years of age. However, children age two to four years old can wear a mask under close adult supervision.
- People with a medical or mental health condition or disability that prevents them from wearing a mask
- Fully vaccinated workers who are working alone or in an area not accessible to the public
- Athletes who play indoor sports and who are actively engaged in competition or practice (masks are still required on sidelines and in team meetings)
- Small indoor private gatherings when everyone is vaccinated
- Children under two years of age should not wear a face covering due to the risk of suffocation
It is important to use and handle masks properly. A mask should fit snugly around both your mouth and nose, and it should not have holes or tears in the fabric. Cloth face coverings should be washed frequently, ideally after each use, and certainly daily. If you are not able to wash it after each use, wash your hands or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer immediately after putting it back on and avoid touching your face.
Read the article from which this information came here.
Homebound Vaccine Visits
The Homebound program from Island County Public Health COVID Response is available to provide on-site COVID vaccinations to those who are unable to leave their home or small group setting (e.g., residential facilities). Services are provided at no cost. To schedule an appointment or for any questions, please contact Sharon Branch at (360) 678-2301 or s.branch@islandcountywa.gov.
Mobile Vaccination Team Events
Island County continues to provide mobile vaccination events.
Current locations are:
- Saturday August 21st Coupeville Lions Club Garage Sale at Coupeville Elementary School 9:00am to 2:00pm
- Friday August 27th Grocery Outlet Oak Harbor Store, 31270 SR20, Bldg. B, 4:00pm to 7:00pm
- Friday September 3rd Island County Administration Bldg., 1 – 7th Street NE, Rooms 101 & 116, 1:00pm to 4:00pm
- Saturday September 4th and Sunday September 5th Oak Harbor Music Festival in Oak Harbor, Pioneer Way & Dock St., 11:00am to 4:00pm
- Tuesday September 7th Skagit Valley College Whidbey Island Campus in Oak Harbor, Oak Hall, Room 223, 2:00pm to 7:00pm
- Tuesday September 14th Camano Farmers Market at the Camano Commons, 848 N. Sunrise Blvd., 3:00pm to 6:00pm
- Friday October 1st Island County Administration Bldg., 1 – 7th Street NE, Rooms 101 & 116, 1:00pm to 4:00pm
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!
CDC Update:
August 6th: A study of COVID-19 infections in Kentucky among people who were previously infected with SAR-CoV-2 shows that unvaccinated individuals are more than twice as likely to be reinfected with COVID-19 than those who were fully vaccinated after initially contracting the virus. This data further indicates that COVID-19 vaccines offer better protection than natural immunity alone and that vaccines, even after prior infection, help prevent reinfections.
Read the article from which this information came here.
August 11th: CDC has released new data on the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines in pregnant people and is recommending all people 12 years of age and older get vaccinated against COVID-19.
“CDC encourages all pregnant people or people who are thinking about becoming pregnant and those breastfeeding to get vaccinated to protect themselves from COVID-19,” said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. “The vaccines are safe and effective, and it has never been more urgent to increase vaccinations as we face the highly transmissible Delta variant and see severe outcomes from COVID-19 among unvaccinated pregnant people.”
Read the article from which this information came here.
Camano Island Fire & Rescue Update
August 5th: Following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Snohomish Health District, all fire personnel will resume wearing face masks indoors and in public settings. Fire stations are closed to the public and fire agencies may take additional measures to limit public interactions beyond emergency services. Firefighters will continue to wear extra protective equipment on emergency calls.
Read the article from which this information came here.
Office of the Insurance Commissioner Update
August 9th: Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler has extended two emergency orders. His order requiring health insurers to waive copays and deductibles for any consumer requiring testing for the coronavirus (COVID-19) and his order protecting consumers from receiving surprise bills for lab fees related to medically necessary diagnostic testing for COVID-19 are both extended until Sept. 5, 2021.
Read the article from which this information came here.
COVID-19 Variants
The variants have been a growing concern. In an effort to keep you informed, we have added a new table and a new chart to our COVID webpage!
The table shows the types of variants and the number of variants detected in Island County as reported from the Washington State Department of Health. We have also added a chart of the COVID Lineages Circulating in Washington State.
This information is reported each Wednesday and we will update our webpage on Thursdays, accordingly.
The Washington State Department of Health is tracking information about COVID-19 variants in our state. The SARS-CoV-2 Sequencing and Variants in Washington State (PDF) contains the most current information about variants in our state. More information can be found on the Washington State Department of Health COVID-19 Variants webpage.
COVID-19 Case Investigations & Contact Tracing
Have you or someone you know been exposed to COVID-19?
Case investigations and contact tracing help slow and prevent the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19.
You can call the Washington State Department of Health Coronavirus Hotline: 1-800-525-0127
or go to the Washington State Department of Health Case Investigations & Contact Tracing website to learn more.
You can also sign up for WA Notify, a smartphone application that helps with Contact Tracing.
Reporting Suspected COVID-19 Business Violations
If you need to report a suspected COVID-19 business violation, go to this webpage here.
All of the information you submit to this site is public information. If a public records request per RCW 42.56 https://www.governor.wa.gov/home/privacy-notice is received these records will be released as required.
This form is ONLY for reporting suspected business violations of Governor Jay Inslee’s proclamations and the state Department of Health Orders.
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 Kit is authorized for self-administration on test-takers ages 16 and older. 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.
COVID Vaccination Trifold brochure is now available on our website. We have many flyers available for printing in both English and Spanish.
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.
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