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After nine weeks of steady decreases, the COVID-19 case rate has increased for the second week in a row. It is now at 92 per 100,000 residents for the two-week period ending March 27.
In addition to the case rate increasing, test positivity and hospitalizations are also starting to tick back up. Test positivity—or the percent of confirmed positive tests out of all COVID-19 specimens collected—has risen from 5% to 7% over the last couple of weeks. On Monday, there were 15 residents hospitalized due to COVID-19 complications and three required mechanical ventilation to breathe. As of today, there are 26 hospitalized and 3 on ventilators.
“We’re going back in the wrong direction again, but we have an opportunity to turn it around ourselves before a retreat in recovery is forced upon us,” said Dr. Chris Spitters, Health Officer for the Snohomish Health District.
If case rates continue to climb, Snohomish County could slide back to Phase 2 in Governor Inslee’s Roadmap to Recovery. This means resuming more restrictions on business and activities, which no one wants to do again. It is very difficult to reverse course quickly but acting now can bend the curve back down before it’s too late. This relies on the community stepping up efforts to overcome premature exuberance about a hopeful future and to fend off emerging variants of the COVID-19 virus while vaccination efforts proceed.
“We need you to act now to protect people’s health and keep us in Phase 3,” added Dr. Spitters. “Please celebrate wisely and make safe decisions, especially with upcoming holidays and spring breaks from school.”
Mask up whenever around people you don’t live with—indoors or outdoors. If gathering indoors, ensure windows or doors are open to increase ventilation. Keep that physical distance between yourself and others, and make sure to wash hands often. Lastly, try to defer non-essential gatherings until the community is further down the road in getting vaccinated.
This is more important than ever given the increase in variants of concern in Snohomish County and Washington state. The weekly variant report from the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) published on April 1 showed expansion of several more transmissible strains (e.g., B.1.429, B.1.1.7) and new detection of the P.1 variant in Snohomish County. While these results demonstrate the presence of the variant strains here in the county, they do not provide a precise estimate of their prevalence. Instead, specimens are analyzed are a non-representative sample of positive specimens collected.
First identified in travelers from Brazil, the P.1 variant has 17 unique mutations. There is evidence to suggest that some of the mutations may affect the ability of antibodies (natural and from vaccine) to recognize and neutralize the virus in laboratory experiments. However, clinical trials of COVID vaccination in Brazil have still shown excellent results in preventing severe disease, hospitalization and death.
“The expansion of these more transmissible variants further highlights the importance of reinforcing all of our prevention efforts and the urgency of making rapid progress in the vaccination effort,” said Dr. Spitters.
The detection of these COVID-19 variants in Snohomish County is a reminder that this pandemic is not over. Because COVID-19 variants may spread more easily, it is vital that we all follow these guidelines:
- Wear a well-made, well-fitting face mask, even with people you see regularly and in your smallest social circles.
- Continue to avoid non-essential gatherings with people outside your home, keep gatherings small (less than 10), and do it outside whenever possible.
- Avoid any social gatherings indoors, but if participating, wear a mask and ensure windows and doors are open to maximize ventilation.
- Wear a mask while in the car with other people, including with family who do not live in your household.
- Wash your hands often, don’t touch your face, and carry hand sanitizer for use when water and soap are not available.
- Stay home if you are sick or if you have been exposed to COVID-19.
- Get tested for COVID-19 if you have symptoms or were exposed to someone who tested positive.
- Sign up for Washington Exposure Notifications, also known as WA Notify. WA Notify is a free tool that alerts smartphone users if they have been exposed to COVID-19. The program does not share personal information or track where you go.
Read the full release.
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Based on data through March 30, more than 330,000 vaccines have been administered and 132,511 Snohomish County residents are now fully vaccinated. That represents 20 percent of all residents 16 years or older in the county.
 Vaccine supply is improving but it isn’t keeping pace with demand. Please be patient in the coming days and weeks.
While Snohomish County is expected to begin receiving small allocations of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine again next week, there were announcements about a vaccine ingredient produced by a contractor having to be destroyed.
“Even though it is a disappointment to see vaccine having to be discarded, the detection of the problem and the manufacturer’s forthright actions are very reassuring about the effectiveness of measures to ensure safety of the vaccine supply,” noted Dr. Spitters. “This does not impact the safety of vaccines already shipped or administered but may delay or reduce future allocations as the ripple of that temporary dip in production works itself out.”
As a reminder, there are a number of ways to look for available vaccine appointments:
- Information on the Snohomish County Vaccine Taskforce’s mass vaccination site is provided at http://bit.ly/snocovaccine, along with appointment registration links and which vaccine (Johnson & Johnson, Moderna or Pfizer) is being administered at each site.
- Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has updated its vaccine locator page at https://vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov allowing people to search by their ZIP code.
- The Federal Retail Pharmacy Program in Washington is receiving 72,000 doses of vaccine directly from the federal government. The pharmacies taking part in this program locally are Albertsons, Costco, Health Mart Pharmacies, Rite Aid, Kroger, and Walmart. These sites will prioritize educators, school staff, and childcare workers this month, but anyone who is eligible for vaccine can make an appointment at one of the pharmacies. For a full list of Federal Retail Pharmacy Program locations, visit vaccinefinder.org. Vaccine Finder is run by the federal government.
- Veterans of all ages may contact the VA’s Puget Sound Health Care System at 206-716-5716 to schedule an appointment or contact their VA primary care team directly.
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More than half of Snohomish County residents over the age of 65 had received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine as of March 14, and we know the number has increased since then. Still, there are many seniors who have not yet been vaccinated. As eligibility requirements open up and more people book appointments, it is important to ensure seniors still have access to vaccination. Two ways to help include:
- If you are a senior, work with seniors, or know a senior who is struggling to get an appointment, direct them to the COVID-19 call center for Snohomish County. The call center at 425-339-5278 is staffed from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. They can help book appointments.
- If you are booking an appointment and plan to go get your vaccine soon, check if someone else in your circle needs assistance registering or getting to the site. Encourage them to join you, and offer to carpool if needed. Bring a relative or friend with you to make sure they can get their shot, too.
- If you have registered for multiple vaccination appointments while shopping around for the soonest appointment, please remember to cancel the appointments that you will not use so that they are available for someone else.
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Drive-thru testing will continue to be available next week. Find more information or sign up at http://snohd.org/testing. The schedule for the week remains as follows:
- Everett site located at 3715 Oakes Avenue – Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Lynnwood Food Bank site at 5320 176th St SW – open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Evergreen State Fairgrounds in the front parking lot off of 179th Ave SE in Monroe – open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Appointments for testing are encouraged, and registration is available at www.snohd.org/testing. Those without internet access or needing language assistance can reach the Health District’s call center at 425.339.5278 to schedule a testing appointment. The call center is staffed 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Callers after hours or on weekends can leave a message, which will be returned on the next business day.
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Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday announced changes in the state’s rules governing access to COVID-19 vaccines. Instead of sticking to a phased approach that would have kept vaccines out of reach for many for months, the governor said increasing vaccine supply now allows more speed.
All adults in Washington aged 16 and up will be eligible for vaccine starting April 15, Inslee said.
“We are confident we can take this step because our dosage allocations have increased,” the governor said.
Inslee said mass vaccinations along with COVID-fighting efforts, such as social distancing and wearing masks, have saved lives.
The expansion of eligibility also is in response to a recent uptick in COVID cases in the state.
“We must do everything possible to ensure that we can keep cases down," Inslee said during a press conference Wednesday. "We have concerns about the trends we are seeing across the state and we must be cautious. Opening up full eligibility will be one tool to help in the fight against the virus.”
The change for Washington also comes come as other leaders across the country also are moving to vaccinate residents with greater speed.
President Joe Biden on Monday announced that 90% of adults in the U.S. will be eligible for coronavirus vaccine by April 19. Earlier he said states must by May 1 make all adults eligible. More than half of the states, including Idaho, Montana and California, either already are making vaccines available to all adults or have plans to broaden eligibility by April 15.
Watch the news conference on TVW.
Or read the press release.
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Even though the state is no longer relying on the Phase Finder tool to screen vaccination candidates, please check eligibility before you book an appointment at a mass vaccination site in Snohomish County.
Snohomish County Vaccine Taskforce sites remain by appointment only. Demand for vaccine still exceeds available doses.
For more information, read the taskforce news release.
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Unemployment claims in Snohomish County dropped 3.5% during the week of March 21 through March 27, the Employment Security Department said Thursday. There were 1,163 claims filed in the county, down 43 from the week before, according to state data.
Statewide, there were there were 11,445 initial claims during the most recent data collection period, up 0.5% from the prior week. Initial regular claims are 94% below weekly new claims applications brought during the same period last year when the pandemic began taking its toll on the economy.
For more information, see the full press release.
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The state Department of Health is investigating reports of people who tested positive for COVID-19 more than two weeks after being fully vaccinated. Out of one million fully vaccinated individuals in Washington state, epidemiologists report evidence of 102 breakthrough cases since Feb. 1, which represents .01% of vaccinated people in Washington.
There have been 10 confirmed cases of COVID-19 involving fully-vaccinated residents of Snohomish County. To our knowledge, none have been hospitalized or died.
Vaccine breakthrough cases are to be expected with any vaccine, said Dr. Chris Spitters, Health Officer for the Snohomish Health District.
“The number of vaccine breakthrough cases in Snohomish County remains exceptionally low,” he said “This demonstrates just how effective the vaccines are, but it also highlights the importance of continuing to wear masks and watch your distance around people you don’t live with.”
Large-scale clinical studies found that COVID-19 vaccines reduced the risk of getting COVID-19 in vaccinated people by up to 95% compared to people that did not receive the vaccine. However, the vaccines are not 100% effective in preventing infection. This means a small percentage of fully vaccinated people can be expected to still get COVID-19. These are identified as breakthrough cases.
Breakthrough cases have been identified in 18 Washington counties. The majority of confirmed vaccine breakthrough cases experienced only mild symptoms, if any. However, since Feb.y 1, eight people with vaccine breakthrough have been hospitalized. DOH is investigating two potential vaccine breakthrough cases where the patients died. Both patients were more than 80 years old and suffered underlying health issues. Further investigation will help to identify patterns among people who have COVID-19 after vaccination, such as if a virus variant may have caused the infection.
DOH confirms a breakthrough case with a positive PCR test or Antigen test in a person more than two weeks after he or she has received their final dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Additional investigations help determine clinical and outbreak information.
For more information see the full Department of Health press release.
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President Biden on Tuesday signed the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Extension Act into law extending the PPP deadline from March 31 to May 31, 2021.
The Paycheck Protection Program is a loan designed to provide a direct incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on payroll. Borrowers may be eligible for PPP loan forgiveness.
More details
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The state Department of Agriculture COVID-19 Sector Recovery grants will soon be available under a partnership with the state Department of Commerce. They will provide grant funds to small businesses in four sectors:
- Small-scale shellfish growers
- Farmers market organizations
- Agritourism farms
- Small breweries, cideries, wineries, and distilleries (dependent upon tap or tasting room sales).
These four sectors have been selected for assistance as a way to bolster the health and diversity of the Washington state economy by providing support to disproportionately impacted and previously underserved agricultural sectors.
Application details are in development. Learn more here.
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Why do you vax? Here’s what Kevin O’Brien, chief at Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue, said drove his decision:
“I didn’t want my family to get sick, I didn’t want my coworkers to get sick, and it’s the right thing to do. It’s going to help us get back to normal.”
#vaxupsnoco
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Closed in 2020 because of COVID, several City of Everett public counters will reopen on April 5 for in-person appointments. Community members can schedule appointments online or by phone to conduct city business.
Public health and safety measures will be in place for in-person appointments and services, and community members will be required to wear masks and maintain social distancing. Digital and over-the-phone services will continue to be available.
Service counters for utility billing, permit services, clerk’s office, police records and police property room are all preparing to reopen to the public.
See the full press release for more details on times and services.
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With Phase 3 of the state’s Roadmap to Recovery plan in effect, the City of Lake Stevens has released its COVID-19 Facility Rental Policy that has a flexible allowance for facility rentals for social gatherings and events, while maintaining COVID state and local mandates. Restrictions are still in place for occupancy, social distancing, and mask-wearing.
For more information, see the city’s COVID facility rental policy web page.
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The state Department of Health on Thursday reported that more than 3,325,998 doses of vaccine have been given across the state, which is 83% of the 4,006,330 doses that have been delivered to providers and long-term care programs. Washington is currently averaging 55,894 vaccine doses given each day.
Allocation update
The first full week of April is predicted to be another record week for vaccine allocation. The first full week of April is predicted to be another record week for vaccine allocation. The three-week forecast from the federal government shows a substantial increase in vaccine distributed to Washington state next week due to a large Johnson & Johnson allocation.
- Week of April 4: 458,340 total doses (285,320 first doses, 173,020 second doses)
- This includes 201,240 doses of Pfizer, 148,100 doses of Moderna, and 109,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson
- Week of April 11: 412,570 total doses (217,320 first doses, 195,250 second doses)
- This includes 223,470 doses of Pfizer, 148,100 doses of Moderna, and 41,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson
- Week of April 18: 390,340 total doses (217,320 first doses, 173,020 second doses)
- This includes 201,240 doses of Pfizer, 148,100 doses of Moderna, and 41,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson
The three-week forecast from the federal government is subject to change as vaccine availability from the federal government may change.
See the full press release for more information.
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A viewpoint article published Wednesday by the JAMA Network says early vital statistic data show COVID-19 was the third-leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2020, behind heart disease and cancer.
“While mortality statistics have historically been produced annually, the COVID-19 pandemic introduced a pressing need for the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) to rapidly release reliable provisional mortality data. Provisional estimates indicate a 17.7% increase in the number of deaths in 2020 (the increase in the age-adjusted rate was 15.9%) compared with 2019, with increases in many leading causes of death. The provisional leading cause-of-death rankings for 2020 indicate that COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in the US behind heart disease and cancer.”
See the full article for more information.
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ESSENTIAL LINKS AND PHONE NUMBERS FOR UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION
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