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Data through April 20 shows that 493,730 vaccines had been given. Thanks to an allocation of more than 50,000 vaccines coming to Snohomish County this week, and roughly 5,000 doses now being given daily, the county has surpassed a milestone of 500,000 vaccines administered in 18 weeks.
This includes doses administered by all providers in Snohomish County, including clinics, the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, and all mass vaccination sites and activities coordinated through the Snohomish County Vaccine Taskforce. The taskforce brings together public health, emergency management, law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services, human services, transit, public works, tribal governments and other partners within Snohomish County.
“We now have 1 out of every 3 residents over the age of 16 fully vaccinated in Snohomish County, and that’s pretty remarkable in less than five months,” said Dr. Chris Spitters, Health Officer for the Snohomish Health District. “Finding a vaccine is getting easier every day, which is encouraging news given the urgency we have in getting eligible people vaccinated. We’ll be working to complete the remainder of the effort on an even shorter timeline, but we also need everyone to sign up and get vaccinated as soon as possible.”
The most recent release of the weekly variant report from the Washington State Department of Health shows the proportion of variants of concern identified has been increasing. These emerging variants of concern are easier to spread, can cause more severe illness, and are a big part of the rising number of COVID cases in Snohomish County. The variants coupled with a notable increase in ill-advised gatherings are fueling a fourth wave.
“Our case investigations and any scan of social media highlight many of the reasons behind our surge,” added Dr. Spitters. “There are too many episodes of too many people getting together with friends or family members who aren’t fully vaccinated, who aren’t wearing masks and who aren’t keeping their distance.”
Social gatherings aren’t the only place where cases are growing. The Health District is also seeing a rise in workplace-associated cases and outbreaks. More details can be found in a detailed case report through April 10, along with monthly outbreak and school case reports being released next week.
It’s time for everyone to step up their efforts. This means:
- Wearing a mask when outside the home and around people you don’t live with;
- Taking it outside for small gatherings and avoiding large gatherings, especially indoors;
- Keeping indoor spaces well ventilated;
- Washing hands and sanitizing frequently touched surfaces often; and
- Getting vaccinated as soon as possible once eligible.
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.
- For a full list of Federal Retail Pharmacy Program locations, visit vaccinefinder.org.
- 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.
For more information, read the full press release here.
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With roughly a half a million doses of COVID-19 vaccines distributed in Snohomish County, 3 in every 10 adults here are now fully vaccinated. Find appointments: http://bit.ly/snocovaccine #vaxupsnoco #InItTogether
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Following the pause on Johnson & Johnson vaccines, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met again this morning for further review of data involving six reported U.S. cases of a rare type of blood clot in individuals after receiving the vaccine.
In these cases, a blood clot in the brain formed called thrombosis. This is coupled with low blood platelets, known as thrombocytopenia. When those both occur after a vaccine it is referred to as thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, or TTS.
Cases occurred primarily among women between the ages of 18 and 49, occurring 6 to 13 days after vaccination. The warning signs of TTS include severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, and/or shortness of breath.
The ACIP voted to reaffirm its recommendation of the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine for persons 18 years of age and older in the U.S population under the Emergency Use Authorization.
In addition, ACIP recommended that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) include a warning statement and for Johnson & Johnson to include an information sheet at vaccination that informs individuals about the increased risk of TTS. Those concerned about the increased risk may consider choosing another COVID-19 vaccine authorized for use, like the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
“I am impressed with the ability of our national safety monitoring system to have detected this rare but serious event,” said Dr. Spitters. “I am grateful for, and have trust in, the ACIP’s rapid review and updated recommendations. We’ll be coordinating with DOH and the Vaccine Taskforce to resume Johnson & Johnson vaccinations as indicated by the CDC and FDA and when supplies are available.”
If people experience any of the symptoms following vaccination, they should contact their healthcare provider or seek medical attention immediately. Please note that it is common to experience mild to moderate symptoms, including fever, headache, fatigue and joint/muscle pain, during the first week after receiving any COVID-19 vaccine. These side effects usually start within three days of getting a vaccine and should only last a few days.
Those with mild or severe symptoms should report their experience to the two vaccine safety monitoring systems:
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Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). A national passive reporting system you (or your health care provider) can use to report your adverse events or side effects after any vaccination to the CDC and FDA. Unusual or unexpected patterns of reporting may indicate a possible safety problem requiring a closer look.
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V-Safe. A smartphone-based tool that uses text messaging and web surveys to provide personalized health check-ins after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. You can use this platform to tell the CDC about any side effects. You may be contacted by someone from the CDC to check on you and get more information.
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The Snohomish County Vaccine Taskforce is regularly adding appointments at the seven mass vaccination sites around the county. Did you know that you can sign up for a waitlist if appointments are full? The PrepMod waitlist is for same-day openings and does not roll over to future dates. If you sign up for the waitlist and are notified that there is an opening, but you cannot make it to the vaccination site at exactly the time specified in that notification email, you still may come for your appointment any time before the site closes on the day the notification was sent. More information: http://bit.ly/snocovaccine
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Why do you vax?
“For myself, my family, the people I work with, and bottom line I didn’t want to get sick.” -- Ron Rasmussen, Deputy Chief, @SnoRegionalFire
#vaxupsnoco
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The schedule for drive-thru COVID-19 testing through the Snohomish Health District is 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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The state Department of Health on Thursday released the latest statewide situation report on COVID-19. The news is troubling.
“Current trends indicate the state is in the early stages of a fourth surge of infection, with many similarities to early November 2020,” the report says. “With over 70% of the population still susceptible it is critical to maintain firm adherence to masking, social distancing, and avoidance of indoor gatherings.”
Other findings include:
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Population immunity is helping control transmission but isn’t enough to counteract risky behavior. The report includes two estimates of the reproductive number (Re), which tells us how many new people each COVID-19 case will infect. The behavior-based Re only reflects the impact people’s actions have on transmission, with a best estimate of 1.72 on April 2. The total Re also includes the effects of immunity from vaccination or previous infection, with a best estimate of 1.29 on April 2. To reduce case and hospital admission rates, the total Re needs to stay well below one for a substantial amount of time, and it depends on both population behavior and immunity.
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At the start of April, the best model-based estimate of overall population immunity was 26.8%. At that time, immunity from vaccination (about 15% of the population) was starting to surpass immunity from previous infection (about 11%). These estimates include the time it takes to develop immunity after completing vaccination. They also reflect the fact that vaccines are not 100% protective and a very small number of fully vaccinated people will still get COVID-19.
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The estimated percentage of the population with active COVID-19 infections almost doubled between March 1 and April 2. This percentage is known as overall prevalence and the estimate includes identified cases as well as people who have COVID-19 but don’t have symptoms and may not have been tested. When prevalence is high, it means a lot of people may need health care or could be passing the virus to others. The best model-based estimate of prevalence on April 2 was 0.28% of the population, or just over 21,400 people.
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Statewide case counts and hospital admissions are increasing. As of April 8, case counts were increasing in the majority of counties, including all five of the largest counties, almost all medium-sized counties and many small counties. Other counties are mostly seeing flat trends.
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Case rates are increasing across all ages, except people 70 and older. Data as of April 8 show particularly sharp increases and the highest case counts in people ages 10-49, with shallower increases in children ages 0-9 and adults ages 50-69. Children ages 0-9 consistently had the lowest case rates until mid-March, but now have higher rates than people 70 and older.
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Cases associated with variants of concern (disease strains that may spread faster, cause more severe illness or affect antibodies’ ability to recognize the virus) are increasing. The modeling report estimates that as of April 20, about 50-60% of all cases in the state were likely due to the B.1.1.7 variant and about 30-35% of cases were due to a combination of B.1.429, B.1.427 and P.1 variants. DOH’s latest sequencing and variants report shows a 32% statewide increase in positive tests for variants over the past week, with the largest increase detected for the P.1 variant.
“Vaccination is working, but immunity isn’t high enough yet to combat increasing disease levels. All of us, including people who are fully vaccinated, need to keep taking steps to slow the spread while we vaccinate more people,” said Acting State Health Officer Scott Lindquist, MD, MPH.
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The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington is now projecting that COVID-19 deaths will reach 4.68 million worldwide by Aug. 1.
“Daily infections are at an all-time high, and detected infections, namely reported cases, are approaching the high of 700,000 seen in early January,” IHME says. “This rise is driven largely by the surge in South Asia and spread of P.1 variant in South America.”
IHME calculates that if 286,000 lives could be saved if 95% of people began wearing masks in accord with public health guidelines.
Total COVID deaths in the U.S. are now projected to hit more than 618,000 by Aug. 1, with Washington state totals rising above 5,900.
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The City of Everett is accepting applications for a second round of grants for projects that assist with tourism development and promotion in the city of Everett. The deadline for applications is Friday, May 14 at 5 p.m.
This round will have $150,000 of funding available for events happening after May 31 and is contingent on local COVID-19 conditions and what activities are allowed at the time. Funds will be awarded on a competitive basis to eligible applicants.
“The committee is excited to offer a second round of funding to help boost our economic development efforts,” said Scott Murphy, Everett City Councilmember and chair of the LTAC. “We hope to see innovative ideas to promote our beautiful city in a responsible way.”
Applications will be available at everettwa.gov/ltac. For questions, additional information or technical assistance, applicants may contact Julio Cortes, senior communications officer, at 425-320-9147 or jcortes@everettwa.gov.
Completed applications must be received by 5 p.m. on Friday, May 14, 2021.
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The American Rescue Plan Act established the Restaurant Revitalization Fund to provide funding to help restaurants and other eligible businesses keep their doors open during the COVID-19 pandemic. During live webinars April 26-30, the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Seattle District Office will discuss:
- What is the Restaurant Revitalization Fund
- Who is eligible to apply
- How much money you can get
- How funds can be used
- How and when to apply
- Where to get help with your application
SBA Seattle district staff will answer questions live throughout the presentations and plans dedicated Q&A time at the end. The webinars are designed for small business owners who have experienced pandemic related revenue losses at a restaurant, bar, and other similar places of business that serve food or drink.
Webinar schedule:
Monday, April 26 9 - 10 a.m. 2 - 3 p.m.
Wednesday, April 28 9 - 10 a.m. 2 - 3 p.m.
Friday, April 30 9 - 10 a.m. 2 - 3 p.m.
Scheduling and signup here.
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Unemployment claims in Snohomish County dropped 17.5% during the week of April 11 through April 17, the Employment Security Department said Thursday. There were 1,407 claims filed in the county, 300 less compared to the week before, according to state data.
Statewide, there were there were 13,216 initial claims during the most recent data collection period, down 23.5% from the prior week. The decrease comes after the spike in claims at mid month as many who applied for unemployment early in the pandemic reached the end of their 52-week benefit year and reapplied to continue receiving benefits. The reported decrease reflects fewer of those renewed claims. Initial regular claims are down 84% compared to the same period last year.
For more information, see the full press release.
Applications again are being accepted for the next round of assistance under the Washington COVID-19 Immigrant Relief Fund.
The $65 million allocated by the Legislature this year will provide additional relief to support new applicants, Gov. Jay Inslee said. Similar to the first round, the fund will rely on the continued partnership between the state and community organizations, including Scholarship Junkies and the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network, with the Department of Social and Health Services providing oversight.
This round of funding builds on the governor’s prior allocations totaling $62.6 million for COVID-19 relief to immigrants in 2020, which provided much-needed assistance to nearly 60,000 individuals who were not eligible for federal COVID assistance due to immigration status. The fund coincides with other relief commitments by the governor in small business grants and rental assistance.
“We know many immigrant workers have served on the front line during our pandemic response, and we know that their communities still need our support,” Inslee said.
Applicants must demonstrate Washington state residency; be at least 18 years old; have been significantly affected by the coronavirus pandemic; be ineligible for federal stimulus payments or unemployment insurance benefits due to their immigration status; and have an income at or below 250% of the federal poverty level.
The Washington COVID-19 Immigrant Relief Fund is considered one-time disaster relief assistance. Receiving assistance from this fund should not impact people’s ability to obtain a green card.
Applications for the second round of the Washington COVID-19 Immigrant Relief Fund will be accepted from April 21 to May 21.
Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis, prioritizing those according to need. Eligible community members can apply by:
- Visiting the website at immigrantreliefwa.org.
- Calling the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network at 844-724-3737, which is staffed every day from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Connecting with a DSHS community-based partner for assistance.
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Have pandemic fatigue? Know you are not alone and there are ways to help. Keep up your hard work! The Washington Listens Helpline (833)-681-0211 is available.
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ESSENTIAL LINKS AND PHONE NUMBERS FOR UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION
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