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Hello everyone, Hope your new school year is off to a great start!
What the Health Department is working on
Our Schools Task Force is here to serve you! Email us at COVIDSchoolsTaskforce@tpchd.org.
County metrics
See the latest COVID-19 data at tpchd.org/covid19cases.
Guidance updates
K-12 and Child Care COVID-19 highlights from the Aug. 5, 2022 Washington State Department of Health (DOH) guidance update
- Outbreak definition was updated to reflect no contact tracing. The cluster definition was also removed.
- You no longer are required to notify high risk/immunocompromised people, but DOH highly recommends it.
- Those that test positive for COVID-19 must isolate for 5 days minimum. Repeating initial tests does not change this requirement.
- If students or staff continue to test positive for COVID-19 after day 5, they must isolate for the full 10 days.
Testing updates
DOH updated the order and delivery process for test kit supplies. The new process began October 1.
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DOH ordering portal remains the same.
- Districts should order a 30-day supply, once per month.
- Districts will receive orders within 10 business days after email approval.
Find additional order and delivery information in the September 12 L2R Newsletter.
DOH recommends repeat testing 24-48 hours after a negative rapid antigen test for students and staff that have COVID-19 symptoms or are asymptomatic with a known or high-risk exposure.
Learn about at-home testing for children in school or childcare.
We have a mobile testing team to support existing testing strategies or a school outbreak response. We can mobilize testing teams with 24–48-hour advanced notice. Please contact Jonathan Cardenas at JCardenas@tpchd.org for more information, or to schedule a mobile team for your schools.
COVID-19, ventilation systems and wildfire smoke
Good ventilation in schools is essential to reduce COVID-19 infections, minimize asthma symptoms and control air pollutants.
Clean air doesn’t have to be costly. Learn how to make the Corsi Rosenthal Box—a portable, low-cost, air purifier that does not depend on the existing building's ventilation system:
Wildfire smoke can cause harmful side effects in children, especially those with health conditions, like COVID-19. Review resources to protect your health from wildfire smoke:
View COVID-19 ventilation guidance from CDC, state DOH and EPA.
Does your school or district want support to improve indoor air quality? Email us at COVIDSchoolsTaskforce@tpchd.org.
Vaccines
- COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective and our best protection against severe illness, hospitalization and death.
- CDC recommends everyone 6 months and older receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
- Everyone 5 and older if eligible can receive a booster dose. Those 12 and over can receive the new bivalent booster.
- The bivalent booster offers more protection against COVID-19, as it targets the original COVID-19 strain and the currently circulating strains BA.4 and BA.5.
- You can receive the bivalent booster dose 2 months after your last COVID-19 vaccine.
- Novavax vaccine is now available.
- It uses technology that is a protein subunit vaccine like the hepatis B vaccine or HPV vaccine.
- It is available for those 12 and over as a primary series.
- Find your COVID-19 vaccines at tpchd.org/vaxtothefuture.
- You can check if you are up to date or need a booster with the CDC booster tool.
Upcoming changes for COVID -19 vaccines: Pfizer and Moderna both submitted data for ages 5-11 for a bivalent boosters. We expect approval and arrival of those doses could come as soon as mid-October.
Pediatric vaccine clinics
Want to help families find pediatric vaccines? Share these upcoming clinics with them. Find other vaccine clinics at tpchd.org/vaxtothefuture.
The following clinics will offer pediatric vaccines for all eligible age categories, age 6 months and older. For clinics without electronic registration links, you can sign-up on site with no pre-registration required.
Sumner United Methodist Church
October 6, 2–6 p.m.
901 Wood Ave., Sumner, WA 98390
Registration link: form.jotform.com/222287475461158
People's Center
October 7, 3–7 p.m.
1602 MLK Jr. Way, Tacoma, WA 98405
Asia Pacific Cultural Center
October 12, 2–6 p.m.
4851 S. Tacoma Way, Tacoma, WA 98409
Registration link: form.jotform.com/212036764807154
Sprinker Recreation Facility
October 13, 3-7 p.m.
14824 C St. S. Tacoma, WA 98444
Registration link: form.jotform.com/222564752680157
University of Puget Sound – Wheelock Student Center
October 13, 11 a.m. -5 p.m.
3209 N 15th St. Tacoma, WA 98405
Registration link: form.jotform.com/222644996878175
People's Center
October 14, 3–7 p.m.
1602 MLK Jr. Way, Tacoma, WA 9840
Eastside Community Center
October 14, 2:30–6 p.m.
1721 E. 56th St., Tacoma, WA 98404
Resurrection Lutheran Church
October 17, 12–6 p.m.
4301 Browns Point Blvd. NE, Tacoma, WA 98422
Registration link: form.jotform.com/222424688689169
Spanaway United Methodist Church
October 17, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
135 163rd St. S., Spanaway, WA 98387
The Mustard Seed Project
October 18, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.
9016 154th Ave Ct. NW Lakebay, WA 98349
Registration link: form.jotform.com/222564330042141
Asia Pacific Cultural Center
October 19, 2–6 p.m.
4851 S. Tacoma Way, Tacoma, WA 98409
Registration link: form.jotform.com/212036764807154
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