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Nearly a year after the first case of COVID-19 in the United States was confirmed in a Snohomish County man, a glimmer of hope has finally arrived. Providence Regional Medical Center Everett (PRMCE) received 3,900 doses of the new Pfizer vaccine on Thursday.
“This is good news for our community, our county and our entire country. We can now see the light at the end of these darkest days of the pandemic,” said Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers. “This first round of vaccines will protect those on the frontlines of COVID patient care and individuals most at risk. Though we must remain vigilant as vaccine production ramps up, vaccination gives us all hope for the New Year.”
Starting tomorrow, these vaccines will be administered to Providence caregivers who are at the highest risk of contracting the virus, and will be equitably distributed based on work location and role. Five caregivers were given the vaccine this morning as part of a practice run.
“Providence caregivers have been at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic longer than anyone in the country,” said Dr. Jay Cook, Chief Medical Officer at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett. “The arrival of this vaccine is great news for our caregivers and our communities, and is the first step in the long recovery process from this pandemic. We couldn’t be more excited to provide this vaccine to those on the frontlines.”
This shipment was the first of many expected in Snohomish County in the coming days and weeks. The Washington State Department of Health has indicated that they expect additional doses of the Pfizer vaccine to be shipped by the end of December. An additional 183,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine are also expected by the end of December, assuming the FDA approves the emergency use authorization. Regular weekly shipments of both vaccines should begin in January.
“Not only is it coming at a critical time for our healthcare system, but it’s something positive for the community to look forward to and a relief for us here at the Health District,” said Dr. Chris Spitters, Health Officer for the Snohomish Health District. “This is an incredible milestone, but we still have miles to go. Please keep up the mask wearing, avoiding gatherings with non-household members, and staying at least six feet apart. Vaccinated or not, we must all keep our guard up until vaccine coverage is high and COVID rates are down.”
The first group in Snohomish County eligible for the vaccine—known as Phase 1a—includes 15,000-16,000 high-risk workers in health care settings, high-risk first responders, and employees at long-term care and similar adult care settings. In addition to those employees, there are approximately 10,000-12,000 residents living in the long-term or adult care facilities that are eligible to receive the vaccine.
While most of those people will receive their vaccines through their employer or facility, the Health District is finalizing a voucher program for employees of smaller agencies to be vaccinated by a participating partner. Those details will be available by the end of December.
There is still work to be done, and more information is coming in daily. People can sign up for the Snohomish County COVID-19 Briefing to receive twice-weekly emails. The Health District has also launched www.snohd.org/covidvaccine to provide a landing spot for reliable information on the COVID vaccines. Current resources include:
Starting next week, the Health District will provide information on the number of vaccines received in the county during the previous week. Staff are looking at options on how to share data with the public about vaccines being administered. However, this is a complex process that is spread across the healthcare and public health systems and will take some time to build.
DOH will soon launch a tool that allows someone to know what phase they’re in. Please monitor www.CovidVaccineWA.org for updates on their distribution and prioritization guidelines for the next phases of the vaccine in the coming weeks.
Employees of Snohomish County and Snohomish Health District prepared a brief video to celebrate the arrival of the first doses of COVID vaccine. Click the image below to view it on YouTube. Or check it out on Facebook or Twitter.
#StaySafe #StayHealthy #WeveGotThisSnohomishCounty
 Click the image to view the "Celebrating the first COVID-19 vaccines in Snohomish County" video
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Snohomish Health District testing will be closed on Dec. 24 and 25. Testing is by appointment only. COVID-19 testing is available to anyone, and strongly encouraged for individuals that fit the following criteria:
- Anyone with any of the following COVID-19 symptoms: fever, chills, cough, difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle pain or body aches, headache, sore throat, runny nose or nasal congestion, or new loss of taste or smell.
- Asymptomatic individuals who are a close contact of a confirmed case, or live in a congregate setting, like a shelter, group home or assisted living facility, or work in a location that has had a case, part of a family or social network that has had a case, or work in healthcare, EMS, law enforcement or other fields where work settings have a higher risk of catching or spreading COVID-19.
This testing option is not meant to replace or eliminate other testing avenues offered by many local healthcare providers. The goal is to supplement those options in order to ease some of the pressure on the existing system.
People still should contact their medical provider for guidance and assessment if they have any of these symptoms, or other health concerns. For medical emergencies, they should call 911 and notify the dispatch personnel that you may have COVID-19.
More information at snohd.org/testing.
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We know there are many questions about the new COVID-19 vaccines. We want you to have accurate, up-to-date information about how these vaccines work, possible side effects and more. Please go to https://www.snohd.org/Faq.aspx?TID=46 for a complete list of FAQs.
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Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers on Wednesday announced a countywide effort to assist job seekers and companies to keep talent local and preserve, build, and attract long-term partnerships with companies. Unlike other online employment portals, this is a unique connector given its special focus to “Support SnoCo” by targeting and connecting Snohomish County employers with job seekers within the local community. SnoCoWork.com provides a no-cost resource to employers to post job openings and an opportunity for job seekers to directly connect with local companies.
Snohomish County employers create an account, post open positions, engage with local applicants, and identify promising candidates. Only positions that are based in Snohomish County or can be performed from Snohomish County can be posted on the platform. Job seekers can create a profile, upload resumes, complete applications, engage with employers, and search for open positions.
Snohomish County has been leading in recovery efforts and building crucial resiliency tools, infrastructure, and plans to ensure all residents can access assistance during an ever-evolving pandemic. This portal is unique in that it directly helps local companies and residents. This is a powerful resource to assist those in need of jobs and companies that are looking for help. Hundreds of positions will be available on launch date, and it is expected that opportunities will continue to grow. This project was a recommendation of the Snohomish County Economic and Workforce Recovery Taskforce.
The online portal will enable job seekers to find local employment and give employers a powerful resource to fill hundreds of positions that are currently available in Snohomish County. This project has been funded through Federal CARES Act resources.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically impacted our business community and caused a significant increase in unemployment. This new tool, SnoCoWork, will be one of the ways to set us down a path toward economic and employment recovery,” said Executive Somers. “We know Snohomish County will be well positioned to recover quickly after the pandemic because of partnerships. We appreciate the leadership of Mayor Tolbert and businesses across the county, finding innovative solutions to our economic challenges.”
The concept for the project has been championed by Arlington’s Mayor, Barbara Tolbert. “There are many positions available in Arlington, and the success we’ve had in creating an economic development zone in the Cascade Industrial Center is only fueling opportunities,” said Mayor Tolbert. “It is important that our workforce is exposed to and has access to these career choices, not just in Arlington, but across the County.”
“SnoCoWork will provide a great platform which businesses and job seekers alike can utilize to connect for employment,” said Snohomish County Council Chair and Chair of Task Force Advisory Group Nate Nehring. “I appreciate Mayor Tolbert’s innovation in proposing this concept and look forward to the opportunity to continue to support our local businesses and workers during this difficult time.”
See the full press release for more information.
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Gov. Inslee announced the details of his 2021 – 2023 biennial budget proposal Thursday, which included significant funding for public health, economic supports for workers and businesses, and other services that Washingtonians need to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19.
"We must invest in the relief, recovery and resilience of Washington. We cannot cut the things that we need most during a pandemic," Inslee said during a press conference Thursday. "In my proposed operating, capital and transportation budgets, I am investing in the people of our state."
Inslee’s budget proposals would:
- Continue an aggressive response to the ongoing pandemic and build more capacity for tackling future public health crises.
- Rebuild the state’s economy and continue efforts to support households, students, workers and businesses impacted by the pandemic.
- Address racial and economic inequity.
- Protect previous investments in areas such as education, childcare and early learning, climate action, behavioral health reform, combating homelessness and access to health care.
As part of his presentation, Inslee laid out policy proposals that build more capacity for tackling future public health crises, including $397 million for the state’s public health system. The programs include investments in data infrastructure for public health for sharing information that turns data into actionable information for decisions and policymaking throughout the state.
Also included in the budget are resources for personal protective equipment, testing supplies and lab costs, contact tracing, and our public health lab and epidemiology work. It will fund planning for rapid response to disease outbreaks and other disasters that require strong relationships between city, county and state emergency management departments.
Read the rest of the story on the governor's Medium page.
Read the proposed 2021 – 2023 Budget and Policy Highlights.
Read the Health and Economy policy brief.
The Snohomish Health District released this statement about Inslee’s budget presentation:
“The pandemic has highlighted not only the critical need for a robust public health system, but also just how precarious it is at the local, state and federal levels. This has been the result of decades of chronic underfunding, leading to program cuts and a shrinking workforce that leaves our communities vulnerable.
“We have joined our colleagues across Washington in efforts to rebuild and modernize the public health infrastructure in this state. Rebuilding our foundational public health services means we can better monitor and coordinate emergency response -- keeping our communities safe, reducing costs for taxpayers, and protecting our local economy.
“Having Governor Inslee include public health funding as a key budget decision for 2021 is greatly appreciated, and we look forward to conversations on the best ways to make this happen in the new year. We will continue to work with partners and legislative champions to secure the sustainable funding needed to keep our communities safe and healthy.”
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Are you prepared for flood season? A flood watch is in effect for Snohomish County rivers this weekend. For more information about preparing for flooding and other challenges during COVID: https://bit.ly/3nHT5vf
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Gov. Jay Inslee and Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal announced an update in the metrics used to inform local school district decisions for in-person learning. They also announced $3 million from set aside funds to be distributed to implement health and safety protocols.
The update to the school health and safety toolkit comes after recent data showed limited COVID-19 transmission in school environments when state health and safety protocols are implemented.
The Department of Health suggests three categories for re-introducing in-person learning:
- For schools in counties where COVID-19 cases are “low” (less than 50 residents per 100,000), in-person learning should be made available for all students.
- In counties where COVID-19 cases are “moderate” (between 50 and 350 residents per 100,000), in-person learning should be phased in, starting with elementary students not already attending in person and middle school students, followed by high school students.
- Finally, in counties where COVID-19 cases are “high” (over 350 per 100,000 residents), it’s recommended that schools should only offer in-person instruction for elementary and high-need students in small groups of 15 students or few er.
In addition to the updated metrics, DOH announced an increased focus on the health and safety measures that are required by law for in-person learning. Some of those measures include:
- Protect staff and students at higher risk for severe COVID-19 while ensuring access to learning.
- Group students (required in elementary, recommended for middle and high school students).
- Practice physical distancing among students and staff.
- Promote frequent hand washing or sanitizing.
- Promote and ensure face covering use among students and staff.
- Increased cleaning and disinfection.
- Improve ventilation.
Testing and contact tracing are key capacities that need to be in place to rapidly respond when there are cases among the school population to curtail transmission. DOH is also releasing guidance on COVID-19 testing in the K-12 school populations. This guidance helps local school and health leaders decide on who, how, and when to test/screen K-12 students and staff.
Read the rest of the story on the governor's Medium page.
Read the full in-person guidance here.
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New unemployment claims drop more than 22% in county
New unemployment claims between Dec. 6-12 declined by more than 22% in Snohomish County compared to the week prior, the state Employment Security Department said Thursday. There were 1,916 claims filed in the county, compared to 2,459 the week prior.
That mirrored state results, where a total of 18,547 regular initial unemployment claims were filed, compared to 24,587 the week prior.
Despite the decrease, initial regular claims applications remained 168 percent above last year’s totals according to state data.
In the week ending Dec. 12, ESD paid out over $145 million for 300,225 individual claims. Since the crisis began in March, ESD has paid more than $12.9 billion in benefits to over a million Washingtonians.
See the full press release for more information.
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 Unemployment was 6% in Washington during November
Washington’s economy added 100 jobs in November and the state’s preliminary seasonally adjusted monthly unemployment rate for November remained the same as it was in October at 6%, according to the state Employment Security Department.
Meanwhile, the state’s labor force in November was 3,839,900 – a decrease of 155,400 people from the previous month. In the Seattle/Bellevue/Everett region, the labor force decreased by 6,900 over the same period.
From November 2019 through November 2020, the state’s labor force decreased by 106,600 and the Seattle/Bellevue/Everett region decreased by 48,200.
See the state’s monthly employment report for more details.
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During the December holidays in the COVID-19 pandemic, there are many opportunities for tough conversations with family and friends. We may have differing opinions on how to celebrate the holidays while keeping ourselves and our families safe, and it can be hard to share those opinions when you want to keep the peace.
In the latest episode of the Coping with COVID podcast series, Kira Mauseth, PhD and Doug Dicharry, MD discuss what’s happening with our emotions and behaviors, and skills for having challenging conversations during stressful times.
The stress of living through a pandemic influences the way we communicate. Having tough conversations can feel draining, especially with everything else going on right now. Because of the long-term stress we are experiencing, regulating emotions can feel challenging. We might find ourselves snapping at others but wondering later why we reacted so strongly. Under stress, any conversation with disagreement or strong feelings can feel overwhelming.
It’s ok to feel worried about having hard conversations with loved ones, especially during a disaster. Fortunately, there are skills you can build for healthier communication that can make these conversations easier.
See the full blog post for more information.
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This holiday season, we encourage you to share happiness, joy and kindness... but not your germs. Don't forget to wear a mask! #InItTogether
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The Washington State Department of Health announced it will include antigen-positive COVID-19 cases in the COVID-19 Data Dashboard and the COVID-19 Risk Assessment Dashboard. Since September 30, antigen-positive testing data have been included in a separate weekly report because at the time, DOH was not able to roll these results into the main dashboards for reporting. With this inclusion, reporting antigen-positive test results will provide a more accurate picture of community transmission and help guide efforts to respond to COVID-19.
Adding antigen positive results will change statewide case numbers, but will not change testing data. The dashboard will reflect all positive antigen cases reported since June, when the first antigen tests were reported. These results will appear on the current status, epidemiologic curve, cumulative counts, and demographics data on the DOH dashboard and in the statewide and county case rates on the risk assessment dashboard. Testing data on the dashboards, however, will continue to reflect only results from molecular tests.
While the test results tabs on the DOH and Risk Assessment dashboards are useful tools for understanding how communities are being impacted by the virus, it’s also important to track the epidemiological curve graphs to understand disease activity across the state.
Antigen testing represents a small percentage of all COVID-19 testing in Washington, but DOH expects to see increases in the use of antigen tests over the coming months.
Read the full release.
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Heading out? Don’t forget the three essentials: mask, hand sanitizer and water. Whether you’re on your way to the store, a doctor’s appointment, or for a walk in the park, be prepared and help keep your community healthy. #ShowYouCare
Thank you to Cascade Valley Hospital for helping share this reminder.
Learn more at www.snohd.org/covid. Or check out our video for more health tips: https://youtu.be/DC1AzN0S39A
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Cumulative from Jan. 2020 through Dec. 18, 2020.
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ESSENTIAL LINKS AND PHONE NUMBERS FOR UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION
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