News & Information
COVID-19 Testing Results Update for Kitsap County as of 2 p.m. Sept. 9
9/9/20 UPDATE: Kitsap Public Health reported two new COVID-19-associated deaths for Kitsap County. One of the community members who died was an adult with underlying health conditions, the other was an older adult (65 or older) with underlying health conditions. With the addition of these cases, 12 COVID-19-associated deaths have been reported in the county to date.
St. Michael Bremerton COVID-19 update: Kitsap Public Health will continue to post updates on the St. Michael COVID-19 Outbreak Response page. Testing and case investigations at the former Harrison Hospital are ongoing and reported case numbers are preliminary.
DATA UPDATE: Due to an interruption in COVID-19 data reports from the state Department of Health, negative test totals for Kitsap County have not been updated since Sept. 6.
Wildfire smoke and COVID-19
Wildfire smoke can cause symptoms that range from the annoying — eye, nose, and throat irritation — to the dangerous — wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath. Wildfire smoke is especially harmful for children, pregnant women, and people who are over 65. And if you already have a heart or lung condition like asthma or COVID-19, breathing in wildfire smoke can make it worse.
Here are some suggestions from the Washington State Department of Health to keep smoke out and have better indoor air quality.
- You can do this by improving filtration and creating a clean air room in your home. If you create a homemade box fan air filter, never leave it unattended. Left alone, it is a fire hazard.
- When the air quality is poor, don’t add to indoor air pollution by burning candles or incense, or smoking inside.
- Close windows and doors when it’s smoky outside but open windows and let in fresh air when there’s better air quality outside.
- Wear your cloth face covering to slow the spread of COVID-19, but don’t think it is protecting you from the smoke. It keeps droplets from spreading, but lets dangerous microscopic smoke particles right in.
- Stay informed about wildfire smoke on the Washington Smoke Information blog and your local clean air agency’s website.
- For more information to protect your health visit DOH's Smoke from Fires web page.
Lost Wages Assistance to provide additional unemployment benefits
Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) is a federal program that adds $300 for each week the program remains federally funded (en Español).
If you receive unemployment benefits for certain weeks and you are unemployed or working fewer hours due to disruptions caused by COVID-19, you may be eligible for these benefits. The LWA program has a limited budget, so the length of time it’s available depends on how quickly all participating states use up the federal funds.
The Employment Security Department will start processing payments of $300 to eligible claimants for this new program on Monday, Sept. 21. Payments will be retroactive for all weeks for which the claimant was eligible, and for which funding is available from the federal government. Upon the processing date, eligible claimants will receive the funds as soon as their bank processes the payment. Refer to the Employment Security Department website for details.
Thanks for doing your part to stop the spread in Kitsap County!
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