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Cases in Snohomish County continue to surge, with the latest two-week case rate at 368 per 100,000 residents through November 28. Hospitalizations have been hovering in the high-80s to low-90s each day, and the number of deaths has continued to increase.
Also concerning is the number of long-term care facilities experiencing outbreaks. As of December 2, there were 44 ongoing outbreaks in these facilities involving approximately 500 cases.
For these reasons, the Snohomish Health District has recommended that all long-term care facilities in Snohomish County to immediately follow Phase 1 of the Long-term Care Safe Start Plan until further notice or superseded by more restrictive guidance from state or federal regulators. This also applies to skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, adult family homes, enhanced service facilities, intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities, and certified community residential services and supports.
This Phase 1 framework is designed for heightened infection control in these vulnerable settings during periods of heightened virus spread in the community and potential for healthcare system limitations. The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) has created FamHelp, with tools for families of residents in long-term care.
See the full press release for more information.
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Beginning the week of December 7, the Snohomish Health District will again increase the number of its testing sites to five locations with varying schedules. The newest site is in the parking lot off 179th Ave. SE at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe. Find more information or sign up at www.snohd.org/testing.
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Small businesses struggling to survive the impact of COVID-19 can apply now for up to $20,000 in a new round of $50 million in state Working Washington grants. Priority is focused on businesses with annual revenues of $5 million or less in 2019 and those most impacted by the recent public health measures, as well as businesses in sectors that have experienced significant, cumulative impacts. Examples include full-service restaurants, fitness centers, bowling alleys and music and event venues.
Information and applications for this third round of Working Washington Business Grants are available through an online portal on the Washington State Department of Commerce website at www.commerce.wa.gov/bizgrants. A dedicated page for this third round of grants, including more details and the application link, can be found here.
Commerce encourages businesses to apply by Dec. 11.
“We know this pandemic is taking an economic toll," Gov. Jay Inslee said. “While this is a significant relief effort, I can’t say that it will help everyone. We continue working together with legislators, state agencies and partners to secure more support to see us through this surge and into the longer term recovery ahead.”
The grants are funded by CARES Act dollars and must be distributed by the state before Dec. 30. Commerce Director Lisa Brown said that leaves only a small window of time to process applications and distribute funds. The agency also plans a “10 Days of Biz Grants” push on social media and with local partners to get the word out to business owners who are understandably overwhelmed managing the added demands of their day-to-day operations.
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The application process for round three of the Everett CARES grant program opened Thursday afternoon for businesses in the city of Everett. Applications are due by Monday, Dec. 7 at 5 p.m.
Small businesses within Everett city limits with 20 employees or less, that have not received grants in prior Everett CARES rounds, are eligible to apply for grants of $10,000 and businesses with 21 to 50 employees may apply for grants of $20,000. Everett CARES awardees from previous rounds will be eligible for smaller grants.
“I’m grateful we are able to offer our small businesses a third round of Everett CARES grants,” said Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin. “The pandemic continues to have a devastating effect on our economy and I am worried for our small businesses. We will do all we can to continue to support them.”
Round three of the Everett CARES grant program offers $640,000 in grant funds, made possible by Snohomish County and funding provided by the federal 2020 CARES Act through the Washington State Department of Commerce.
A total of $340,000 will be awarded to businesses that have not yet received Everett CARES grants, while another $300,000 will be awarded to businesses that received Everett CARES grants in previous rounds.
See the full press release for more information.
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In partnership with Snohomish County, the City of Bothell is providing a second round of grants for emergency financial support. This round of grant funding is for independently owned restaurants and fitness centers that have been negatively impacted by COVID-related shutdowns. Applications are due by 5 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 8.
For a successful application, please read all of the questions carefully and have your UBI (Washington State Business License) number and City of Bothell Business License Number on hand. You will also need to know your gross revenue for the months of July 2019 and July 2020.
- This grant is open to City of Bothell independently owned restaurants and fitness centers located in Snohomish County
- Ten (10) $10,000 grants will be awarded
- If the City of Bothell receives 10 qualified grant applications before December 8th, the online application will close early
- This is a grant. The money does not need to be repaid.
- This grant is reserved for small businesses that have not received a previous grant from the City of Bothell or Snohomish County.
- Paper applications are not being accepted. If you need assistance with the online application form or internet access, please contact the city.
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Unemployment claims in Snohomish County decreased by 25% from the week before, the state Employment Security Department announced Thursday.
A total of 2,276 new claims were filed in the county November 22-28, compared to 3,021 the week prior. Statewide, there were 22,334 initial regular unemployment claims (down 26.2% from the prior week).
The drop in initial claims correlates to unemployment patterns in industries that are seeing the greatest impacts from public health restrictions, including food services, entertainment and accommodations, the state said.
See the full press release for more information.
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The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) continues to make progress with COVID-19 vaccine distribution planning efforts.
Timeline: Vaccine Authorizations and Approvals
Vaccine safety is of the utmost importance to our communities in Washington. The FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee will meet December 10th to review the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) application submitted by Pfizer on November 20th. An EUA allows the FDA to make a product available during a declared state of emergency before it has a full license. If the EUA is approved, the vaccine will then be vetted by the Scientific Safety Review Workgroup, as part of the Western States Pact.
The review by this workgroup will provide another layer of scrutiny and expert review to this process and should take about 1 to 2 days. This will be done while the vaccine is still being processed and shipped, so it should not cause any delay in making vaccine available to people in Washington.
First Vaccine Arrival
We are hopeful we will have a vaccine to begin administering by mid-December. The federal government has given us an estimate of 62,400 doses of the Pfizer vaccine for our initial allocation. They have also told us we should receive an estimated total of around 200,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine by the end of December. Regular weekly shipments should begin in January.
See the full press release for more information on vaccine allocation and distribution, provider enrollment, and more.
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Snohomish County community-based organizations are among those that will share in $8.1 million in federal emergency funds being distributed statewide by the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI).
YMCA of Snohomish County, Washington Kids in Transition and Granite Falls Community Coalition each received grants ranging from $100,000 to $400,000 under the program to help pay for work supporting education in Everett, Edmonds, Marysville, Mukilteo, Snohomish, Stanwood-Camano, Lake Stevens, Granite Falls and Monroe.
Priority was given to grant applications that included direct service to students – such as support for remote learning, tutoring, and social-emotional learning designed to address the unique needs of students in student groups that have historically been furthest from educational justice.
For more information, including a complete list of awardees, see the full press release.
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Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday updated restrictions for religious and faith based organizations.
The update clarifies that religious and faith-based organizations can hold outdoor services with up to 200 individuals, regardless of location, so long as physical distancing is followed and face coverings are worn. This modification expands where outdoor services can be held, services are no longer limited to the organization’s property or an immediately adjacent property.
Read the full guidance document here.
Find a full list of current reopening guidance here.
The governor also issued a proclamation waiving the signature requirement for students enrolling in the College Bound scholarship. These pledges are in paper form, typically signed by 7th and 8th graders, witnessed by a parent/guardian, and then forwarded to the office of student financial assistance. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, students do not have the in-person recruitment and support from teachers and counselors to complete this process, which is necessary for students to be eligible to receive grants when they go to college. In fact, grant sign-ups have taken a significant decline since March. Students making the College Bound scholarship pledge while this proclamation is effective will not need to submit a signed form later.
The Washington State Department of Health of Friday announced that in just four days, more than 1 million users activated WA Notify, a simple, anonymous exposure notification tool that uses smartphones to help stop the spread of COVID-19. More Washington residents opted in within the first 24 hours than any other state using this technology. As of 10 a.m. on Dec. 4, the number of phones with WA Notify is more than 19% of the number of Washington adults.
“Opting into exposure notification is something almost every Washington resident with a smartphone can do to help stop the spread of COVID-19, so we are gratified to see so many people adopting it quickly,” said Secretary of Health John Wiesman. “If you haven’t activated WA Notify yet, please consider doing so. Studies from Oxford University and Stanford show that the more people who use a tool like WA Notify, the more effectively it will protect our communities.”
On Monday, Nov. 30, WA Notify launched in more than 29 languages so as many Washington residents as possible can access this tool. By adding WA Notify to their smartphones, Washington residents will be alerted if they spent time near another user who later tests positive for COVID-19. WA Notify uses privacy-preserving technology jointly developed by Google and Apple and works without collecting or revealing any location or personal data.
To learn more:
- Visit WANotify.org to see how easy it is to add WA Notify to your smartphone or to learn more.
- Information about WA Notify is available in multiple languages — choose from the full list at WANotify.org/languages.
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View a video that describes how WA Notify works.
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Going to a park between the rainstorms? Here are some tips to help your kids play COVID-safe. Remember to always mask up, wash your hands, and maintain social distance. While the risk of COVID exposure is greatest indoors, it is possible to become infected outdoors as well under the wrong circumstances.
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Like everyone else, caregivers are suffering from pandemic fatigue. They may be tempted to let their guard down and not socially distance or wear a mask outside of their home. After enduring months of isolation, they understandably may want to attend large family gatherings over the holidays. But with COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations surging across the state, DSHS urges them to remain vigilant.
Caregivers serve a vital role.
Statewide, roughly 840,000 family caregivers work an estimated 770 million hours and provide $11 billion in unpaid essential assistance to loved ones, friends and neighbors each year. More than 30,000 parents and paid caregivers take care of Washingtonians with developmental disabilities. 46,000 in-home caregivers help Medicaid clients continue to live independently and avoid exposure to the virus by bringing them food and medication.
“Caregivers have been an integral and underappreciated part of our state’s COVID-19 response,” said DSHS Secretary Cheryl Strange. “These were difficult jobs prior to the pandemic, and they have continued to rise to the challenge despite the added stress and health risks the coronavirus has placed on them. We ask that all caregivers continue to do what they can to keep themselves and those they care for safe during this time.”
For more information, read the full news release.
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You may be worried more about loved ones than yourself. People we care about are feeling isolated and drained. Don’t forget to fill your own cup – take care of yourself so you can better care for others. https://bit.ly/C19selfcare
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Cumulative cases from January 2020 through December 4, 2020.
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ESSENTIAL LINKS AND PHONE NUMBERS FOR UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION
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