Coronavirus updates: FDA approves new at-home testing kit; Pierce County deaths reach 60
This page includes coronavirus developments around Washington state for Saturday, May 9.
STATE COVID-19 TOTALS REACH 16,674 CASES, 921 DEATHS
Updated 4:15 p.m.
The Washington State Department of Health reported 286 new COVID-19 cases and 16 additional deaths Saturday.
Statewide case totals have reached 16,674, while the state’s death toll is now at 921, up from 16,388 cases and 905 deaths Friday.
King County continues to be the hardest hit, reporting 6,947 cases and 491 deaths. Snohomish County has reached 2,664 cases and 117 deaths, and Pierce County is reporting 1,688 cases and 60 deaths.
Of the state’s 39 counties, all but Garfield County have reported cases, with Benton (575), Chelan (143), Clark (346), Douglas (107), Franklin (408), Grant (181), Island (173), King (6,947), Kitsap (155), Pierce (1,688), Skagit (397), Snohomish (2,664), Spokane (381), Thurston (117), Whatcom (330) and Yakima (1,686) all reporting more than 100 cases.
Twenty-three counties have reported at least one virus-related death. All but four of those counties have reported multiple deaths, with Benton (51), Clark (20), Franklin (16), King (491), Pierce (60), Skagit (14), Snohomish (117), Spokane (28), Whatcom (33) and Yakima (59) all reporting at least 10.
Gov. Jay Inslee announced Friday that five counties — Columbia, Ferry, Garfield, Lincoln and Pend Oreille, which have all reported two cases or less — have been approved to move on to Phase 2 of the state’s reopening plan.
Three more counties — Kittitas, Skamania and Wahkiakum — have also applied to move forward and are under review.
None of these counties have reported virus-related deaths.
There are 56 cases that have not been assigned to a county.
There have been 242,989 tests given in Washington, with positive results now at 6.9%.
The DOH is also now reporting downloadable datasets that break down cases and deaths by week, county and age. These datasets are updated each Sunday.
Preliminary data on total hospitalizations for confirmed cases — broken down by admission date, date of illness onset, age, sex and race and ethnicity — are also now available.
The DOH also added another hospitalization data update on its reporting site Tuesday.
“Effective May 5, the visualization of COVID-like illness (CLI) hospitalizations reflects hospitalizations identified using updated methodology,” the site says. “While it still may include hospitalizations where the patient is not tested or tests negative for COVID-19, this strategy is optimized to identify more patients with CLI, patients diagnosed with coronavirus of any type, and to remove visits in which the patient was diagnosed with influenza. The overall effect is that the proportion and number of CLI hospitalizations is larger than it was previously.”
PIERCE COUNTY REPORTS 34 NEW COVID-19 CASES, 2 DEATHS
Updated 2 p.m.
Pierce County reported 34 new COVID-19 case and two additional deaths Saturday.
The county’s totals since the virus outbreak began are now 1,668 cases and 60 deaths.
The two additional deaths reported Saturday were both Tacoma women in their 80s with underlying health conditions.
New data now reported on the county’s site assumes 873 people — or about half — of those who have contracted the virus have now recovered.
Daily case totals can change as the county receives new information about cases, finds duplicate data or is assigned cases that were originally attributed to other counties. The health department has released a statement on delays in data posting.
Saturday’s geographical totals are listed below with Friday’s numbers in parenthesis:
▪ Bonney Lake: 38 (no change)
▪ Central Pierce County: 125 (124)
▪ East Pierce County: 48 (47)
▪ Edgewood/Fife/Milton: 83 (81)
▪ Frederickson: 55 (54)
▪ Gig Harbor area: 51 (no change)
▪ Graham: 51 (50)
▪ JBLM: No longer reported
▪ Key Peninsula: 7 (no change)
▪ Lake Tapps/Sumner area: 41 (no change)
▪ Lakewood: 173 (169)
▪ Parkland: 88 (82)
▪ Puyallup: 114 (no change)
▪ South Hill: 87 (85)
▪ South Pierce County: 36 (34)
▪ Southwest Pierce County: 19 (no change)
▪ Spanaway: 56 (no change)
▪ Tacoma: 539 (527)
▪ University Place: 49 (48)
▪ Unknown: 8 (7)
Daily reports include cases received by 11:59 p.m. the previous day.
PANDEMIC COULD IMPACT MENTAL HEALTH OF MILLIONS IN WASHINGTON, EXPERTS SAY
Updated 12 p.m.
The COVID-19 pandemic has already caused more than 900 deaths in Washington state, and severely damaged the economy, and health experts say it will likely take a mental toll on millions of residents this year.
“What we are anticipating is that between 2 million to 3 million Washingtonians are going to be adversely affected from a behavioral health perspective by this pandemic, particularly in terms of symptoms of depression,” Kira Mauseth, who has a doctorate in psychology and is a senior instructor at Seattle University, said Thursday.
Mauseth’s prediction is based on the percentages of the state’s 7.5 million residents that receive behavioral health services, and those who show symptoms of mental health issues and/or substance abuse, but do not seek treatment.
That data is combined with what researchers learned in the aftermath of the SARS outbreak in 2002, as well as the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, and other disasters.
Mauseth said people will likely be “acting out” through aggression or substance use, or “acting in” through voluntary isolation or withdrawal, over the summer.
During the next three to six months, the rate of depression among residents will likely increase, she said.
She expects Washington to reach the “disillusionment” stage in October or November.
“It’s when people start to accept the fact that it’s not going to go back to the way it was,” she said. “There will be a ‘new normal.’ It’s going to be all right, but it’s not going to be the same as it was. That’s a difficult sort of place of acceptance for people to go through.”
Mauseth and Keri Waterland, a behavioral health and recovery official with the state Health Care Authority, spoke at a briefing Thursday held by the state’s Joint Information Center.
When asked for tips on how to prepare for the predicted wave of mental health difficulties, Waterland said people are engaging with each other virtually, through sending mail or exercising while practicing social distancing, or tapping into online support groups if they’re struggling with substance use.
Mauseth suggested people should focus on increasing resiliency.
“Human beings are social animals and we will do better from a behavioral health perspective if we are connected to each other,” she said.
The HCA announced Thursday it will receive more than $4 million in federal funding to respond to the increased need for behavioral health services resulting from the pandemic.
There will be $2.2 million allocated for a statewide program designed to reach people experiencing stress from the outbreak, which includes a support line people can call and 120 counselors and team leaders.
The state will also receive $2 million to increase substance abuse and mental health treatment for individuals who do not have health care coverage, or whose coverage does not support their needs.
FDA APPROVES NEW AT-HOME TEST KIT
Updated 11 a.m.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Friday it has approved a new at-home COVID-19 test kit.
All the kit requires to test for the virus is a saliva sample.
This test, which was developed by Rutgers University in New Jersey, is the only approved saliva-based test available, the FDA says. The administration gave the test emergency approval in April, but it could only be administered by the university.
The kit can be ordered through physicians for about $100, according to The New York Times.
When the test arrives, the user needs only to spit into the tube provided, put it into a sealed package and send it to the Rutgers Clinical Genomics Laboratory, the FDA says.
Testing results can take a few days due to shipping.
The Times says some health experts have criticized the wait time for results, as an individual who sends in their sample may show no symptoms the day it is sent, but could become sick before their results return, rendering them inaccurate.
There is another home testing kit the FDA approved last month which requires a nasal swab — the testing method regularly used by physicians.
STUDY SAYS PANDEMIC COULD RESULT IN 75K ‘DEATHS OF DESPAIR’
Updated 10 a.m.
A new study from Well Being Trust suggests unemployment, isolation and far caused by the COVID-19 pandemic could result in 75,000 “deaths of despair” years after it is over.
Deaths of despair include suicide, and deaths related to alcohol or drug abuse, according to a CBS News report.
The Well Being Trust study says deaths of despair have increased the past decade, and could increase more during the next 10 years due to the pandemic.
Depending on how quickly the economy recovers, the deaths could range from 27,000 to 154,000 from 2020 to 2029, the study says.
The study says the rise in deaths of despair can be attributed to several factors, including high rates of unemployment, mandatory social isolation and uncertainty about when or how the pandemic will end.
The predictions in the study were modeled based on similar past situations, such as the 2008 recession.
“Unemployment during the Great Recession was associated with an increase in suicide deaths and drug overdose deaths,” the study says.
Nearly one-fifth of the country’s workforce filed for unemployment benefits between March 15 and April 30, the study says.
Well Being Trust also reported that another recent study indicates a 1% increase in unemployment resulted in a 3.3% increase in drug-related deaths.
“We already had a major problem on our hands,” Well Being Trust chief strategy officer Dr. Benjamin F. Miller said, according to USA Today. “Now people are disconnected and lonely with a level of uncertainty, fear and dread.”
USA Today reported that alcohol sales spiked after stay-at-home and shelter-in-place orders went into effect, and that more people are calling addition treatment centers, particularly in hard-hit areas.
CNN says state and local governments can change the course of the projection, while Well Being Trust suggested the following solutions to consider to address the issue:
▪ Provide meaningful work to unemployed individuals.
▪ Support “small non-profit organizations, faith communities, and community solutions” to connect neighbors.
▪ Create teams to “test, track, trace, and treat patients suffering from mental health and substance use disorders.”
▪ Inform people about mental health impacts and how they can access help.
▪ Implement health care policies that “better integrate mental health and addiction services.”
▪ Support “creative opportunities for care delivered at home, virtually or in-person.”
HERE ARE 5 KEY POINTS INSLEE DISCUSSED IN FRIDAY’S PRESS CONFERENCE
Updated 9 a.m.
Miss Gov. Jay Inslee’s afternoon press conference regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and the state’s gradual reopening Friday?
Here are five key points the governor discussed:
▪ Three categories of businesses can reopen: Inslee’s office released guidance memos for retail stores Friday, saying they can now offer curbside pickup or run e-commerce storefronts, and sell products online or by phone, with those products then delivered directly to the customer.
Pet walking and landscaping companies also received guidance for reopening.
The businesses can reopen as soon as they meet the state’s safety and health requirements to protect employees and customers.
This is part of Phase 1 of Inslee’s reopening plan, which started Tuesday.
▪ Five counties can move to Phase 2: The state has approved five counties in Washington — Columbia, Garfield, Lincoln, Ferry and Pend Oreille — to move ahead to the second phase of Inslee’s plan due to their small populations, low numbers of COVID-19 cases and sufficient hospital space and access to personal protective equipment.
Three more counties — Kittitas, Skamania and Wahkiakum — have also applied to move ahead, and their cases are being reviewed.
None of these eight counties have reported virus-related deaths.
In Phase 2, outdoor recreation involving fewer than five people outside of a household is allowed. Social and spiritual gatherings with five or fewer people outside of a household is also permitted per week. Limited non-essential travel within proximity of residence can also resume.
Business changes include allowing manufacturing that was not permitted in phase one, beginning new construction, allowing in-home services such as nannies and housecleaning, allowing in-store retail purchases with some restrictions, allowing real estate and professional services and office-based businesses to resume, allowing hair and nail salons and barbers to return to work, and allowing restaurants to operate at less than 50% capacity with table sizes no larger than five people.
For the rest of the state, Phase 2 is planned for June 1.
▪ Youth immunization rates have dropped: There were 30% fewer vaccines administered to children and youth this March, compared with the same month previous years, according to providers in Washington’s Childhood Vaccine Program.
“We’re hearing increasing reports that people are delaying appropriate health care because of COVID-19,” said Inslee. “We really need our children to be vaccinated. We can’t let one virus result in fewer children being protected against other very dangerous diseases.”
Jennifer Donahue, a spokeswoman for the Washington chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said clinics in the state are taking safety measures to ensure families can safely come in to get their children up to date on vaccines.
This includes seeing patients first thing in the morning, using separate entrances for patients who are sick or well, and performing car-side care.
▪ State in precarious position: Inslee said Friday while the state has made progress against COVID-19, it is “sort of poised on that knife edge of whether w’ere really going to wrestle this all the way to the ground.”
He displayed a graphs Friday which showed the effective reproductive rate of COVID-19 — referred to as R-naught — in western and eastern Washington.
In early March, the number was roughly 3 for both regions, meaning each person who tested positive for the virus infected three other people. By late March the number had dropped to 1 in both regions.
At one point, the number declined below 1 in western Washington, but rose back to 1 by April 19. The line never dipped below 1 in the eastern part of the state, but also started increasing in April.
“What that means is the number of people who will be infected and the number of people who will lose their lives is going to rise again in the state of Washington unless we find some other measure to restrain the rate of the infection,” Inslee said.
“So this is a very challenging moment for us where we just cannot allow that line to go significantly above 1 or we will simply again see exponential growth.”
▪ Stay safe in the “unbelievably gorgeous” weather: Temperatures are expected to reach as high as the mid-80s in the South Sound for Mother’s Day weekend, and sunshine is expected around the state.
“Under normal circumstances, that would only be a cause for celebration,” Inslee said. “But, with COVID-19 lurking, we do have to hope people will both enjoy an amazing weekend and do it in a way that keeps themselves and their loved ones safe.”
He urged “good trail etiquette” in state parks that have reopened, asking people to continue to keep a 6-foot distance from those who don’t live in their household.
SOME WHO REPORTED STAY-AT-HOME VIOLATIONS RECEIVING DEATH THREATS
Updated 8:30 a.m.
Some Washington residents who have reported suspected violations of Gov. Jay Inslee’s stay-at-home order are receiving death threats and being harassed after their names and contact information were released by the state and publicized on social media by others who obtained the information.
Nine spreadsheets, which include thousands of names, phone numbers and email addresses were posted to various Facebook pages Wednesday.
Hundreds listed received an email titled, “Lowlife scumbag whistleblower snitches,” by Thursday. The email specifically singled out those who complained about businesses in the Puyallup and Sumner areas.
The email writer called recipients derogatory names, and pointed out nine individuals who made multiple complaints.
One of the Facebook pages that posted the document, Reopen Washington State, promotes ending the stay-at-home order and demands the state reopen.
“Here you go Washingtonians: 25,000+ ‘violations’ your neighbors reported on you through the Governor’s gestapo line, maintained by the state military department,” the page wrote in the post that first included the document.
One King County woman, who requested to remain anonymous for fear of more harassment, told The News Tribune she has received more than 30 death threats and other messages since Wednesday.
In one message she forwarded to TNT, a male caller says she has “48 hours to get the (expletive) out of Washington or I’m coming for you.”
The caller identified as an associate of the business she reported as open, but she does not believe the call came from the business, and said she believes she is getting so many messages because her name appears high on the spreadsheet. Another female caller said she hopes the King County woman chokes on the virus.
“I’m getting bombarded,” she said. “It’s terrifying. It’s really scary. It’s causing me a lot of stress.”
Tacoma resident Aram West said he received the email Thursday after making a complaint in late March about a pawn shop that was still operating, and thought his complaint would remain anonymous.
According to Chelsea Hodgson, a spokeswoman for the state’s COVID-19 Response Joint Information Center, several individuals made public disclosure requests for the information that is now being published on social media.
The nine spreadsheets include headings involving social distancing violations, large gatherings, restaurant violations and non-essential business openings.
The site where citizens can report violations includes a privacy statement.
“All of the information collected at this site is considered public information and may be subject to inspection and copying by members of the public, per RCW 42.56,” the site says.
Though, an Arlington woman, who requested to remain anonymous, and has received the emails, said she didn’t see a disclaimer when she filled out the complaint form.
“It never occurred to me that the Governor’s Office would be like, ‘Yes, please tell us about these things and then we can tell everybody you put this out so they can go hunt you down,’ ” she said. “That would have required a more prominent disclaimer that said, ‘By the way, if you give me your name and email and phone number, we’re going to be able to give that out to anyone who wants it.’ That was nowhere on the form.”
Internet archive research by The News Tribune confirmed the disclaimer was not added until April.
Questions to the state about when the disclaimer appeared were not immediately answered.
“Though the form indicates the information contained in the form is subject to public disclosure, additional steps have been taken to make clear on the complaint form that complaints are subject to public disclosure,” Hodgson said Friday. “Individuals may also submit a complaint anonymously.”
Inslee’s office did not respond to repeated requests for information on Friday.
PUYALLUP POLICE SEND REPORT TO STATE ABOUT GYM PROTESTING STAY-AT-HOME
Updated 8 a.m.
Puyallup police sent a report to state officials this week regarding a local gym protesting Gov. Jay Inslee’s stay-at-home order.
Northwest Fitness Co. members can now participate in a sit-in by working out. The protest started Tuesday, and is held from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.
The gym, considered a non-essential business, closed March 16 in compliance with Inslee’s stay-at-home order, which was put in place to help slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Co-owner Mike Baker said the sit-in would continue until restrictions are lifted.
Baker and co-owner Shane Cowhig declined to comment further.
Through a Facebook post, both owners have insisted the gym is not open, not taking monthly payments — though it is offering three “protest specials” to join the gym — and is taking safety precautions.
“We are just inviting members to participate in the protest,” the Facebook post says.
Capt. Dan Pashon said Puyallup police have received several complaints and have spoken with the owners.
“They had people exercising and not social distancing or wearing masks, all in violation with the governor’s orders,” he said.
The department has sent an incident report to the state Attorney General’s office for review.
“The governor has issued a law, so we will take action as necessary,” Pashon said. “We understand how people are feeling, but the law is the law. It’s been enacted for the health of the community.”
ESD SEEING UPTICK IN FRAUDULENT UNEMPLOYMENT CLAIMS
Updated 8 a.m.
As unemployment claims continue to grow as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the state Employment Security Department is seeing an uptick in fraudulent claims for benefits.
Clare DeLong, the department’s communication director, told The News Tribune via email Friday ESD is “seeing a substantial growth in the absolute number of fraud investigations.”
“That said, we are digging into the data to better understand two things,” DeLong said. “Is that growth proportional to the unprecedented growth in claims overall? And how much of the fraud flags are from actual bad actors versus the massive number of people new to the system who are making simple entry errors?”
The Associated General Contractors of Washington sent a bulletin to members this week saying it has “received some fraudulent unemployment-benefit claims for individuals currently employed with AGC. Upon further investigation, it appears to be an issue for many companies across many industries in Washington state.”
An Absher Construction represented told The News Tribune on Friday the Puyallup-based company has found more than 20 false claims involving its employees.
The Seattle Times has also reported on fraudulent claims in King County.
The highest number of fraudulent claims the department has seen so far involve public jobs, such as jobs in the government and school sectors, Scott Michael, the ESD’s policy, data, performance and integrity manager said during the Rapid Response South Sound’s Covid-19 Business Info Series on Friday.
“Regardless of what we learn from that analysis, we are increasing our staff in the Special Investigations unit to address the increased demand,” DeLong said.
ESD commissioner Suzi LeVine has said the department’s volume of calls at its call centers has increased by more than 1,000%. Another ESD official said of the 265,000 claims in the state that have not been paid, 180,000 have more paperwork to complete.
If a false claim is discovered, employees are asked to contact the ESD’s fraud division at 800-246-9763 or email esdfraud@esd.wa.gov.
Here is the information needed:
▪ Full name
▪ Last four digits of Social Security number
▪ Address
▪ Copy of driver’s license for identity verification
▪ Brief description of how the false claim was found
The state will also need permission to deny and cancel a false claim made in an employee’s name.
“If there is a claim filed using their information, the Special Investigations team will take action and send a letter to the customer confirming the steps they took to correct the record,” DeLong said.
This story was originally published May 9, 2020 at 8:03 AM.
