Coronavirus update: State likely to seek loan for unemployment fund; report shows transmission increase
This page includes coronavirus developments around Washington state for Tuesday, June 30.
Updated at 4:15 p.m.
The Washington State Department of Health on Tuesday reported 571 new cases of COVID-19 and 12 additional deaths.
Statewide totals have reached 32,824 cases and 1,332 deaths, up from 32,253 cases and 1,320 deaths on Monday.
King County continues to be the hardest hit with 10,177 cases and 610 deaths. Yakima County has 7,071 cases and 158 deaths while Snohomish County has 3,508 cases and 171 deaths. Pierce County reported 47 new cases and two deaths on Sunday, bringing its totals to 2,553 cases and 89 deaths.
Garfield, the state’s least populous county, remains the only county without a reported case. Six other counties are reporting fewer than 10 cases each.
There are 78 cases that have not been assigned to a county.
There were 30 people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 admitted to state hospitals on June 22, the most recent date with complete data. The total number of people who have been hospitalized in the state stood at 4,361 on Monday.
There have been 557,275 tests conducted in the state with 5.9% coming back positive.
The test numbers reflect only polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, which are given to patients while the virus is presumably still active in the body.
Pierce County reports 47 new cases
Updated at 2:30 p.m.
Pierce County reported 47 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Tuesday and two additional deaths.
Pierce County totals are now at 2,553 cases and 89 deaths since the county’s first case was reported March 6, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department in its daily update.
Daily totals can change as the county receives new information about cases, finds duplicate data or is assigned cases originally attributed to other counties.
The two new deaths announced Tuesday involved two men in their 80s, one from Puyallup and another from Tacoma, both with underlying health conditions.
The county has reported 398 cases in the past 14 days, according to the health department. The 14-day case rate per 100,000 is 44.1, and average cases per day over the past 14 days is 28.4.
As of Tuesday, the county reported an estimated 586 active cases.
The county continues to see a spike in new cases, pushing past 50 in one day on June 26, a level not seen since mid-April.
Of the new cases reported Tuesday, 18 were in Tacoma.
The county will consider applying for an expanded version Phase 2 at this week’s Board of Health meeting.
Pierce County is among others in Western Washington to see numbers of new cases grow at rates more reminiscent of times earlier in the pandemic.
Testing is available at various sites in the county. For more information on local testing sites, go to www.tpchd.org/covidtest.
Tuesday’s geographical case totals are listed below with previous day’s totals in parentheses:
▪ Bonney Lake: 52 (51)
▪ Central Pierce County: 173 (170)
▪ East Pierce County: 64 (no change)
▪ Edgewood/Fife/Milton: 111 (no change)
▪ Frederickson: 84 (no change)
▪ Gig Harbor area: 68 (no change)
▪ Graham: 76 (75)
▪ JBLM: No longer reported
▪ Key Peninsula: 11 (no change)
▪ Lake Tapps/Sumner area: 67 (66)
▪ Lakewood: 267 (265)
▪ Parkland: 152 (146)
▪ Puyallup: 176 (172)
▪ South Hill: 130 (128)
▪ South Pierce County: 48 (47)
▪ Southwest Pierce County: 29 (28)
▪ Spanaway: 86 (85)
▪ Tacoma: 828 (810)
▪ University Place: 109 (105)
▪ Unknown: 22 (21)
County phases, climbing cases should mean altered summer travel plans
Updated at 2:30 p.m.
The Washington State Department of Health is encouraging people in our state to limit summer travel plans to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
First, be familiar with the Safe Start plan and how it applies to your county. Governor Jay Inslee’s initiative for a phased Safe Start plan details travel allowances for people who live in counties under different phases. Phases 2 and 3 allow more travel than Phase 1, but that’s not a green light for everyone to travel as much as they want.
“We still want people to limit their travel,” says State Health Officer Dr. Kathy Lofy. “We have places in Washington with a lot of COVID-19 activity. If there’s a lot of cross-state travel this summer, that could spread disease around the state.” She says it’s understandable that people are ready to get out and enjoy the good weather, “But Public Health is requesting that if they do travel, that they stay closer to home. If people want to travel and it’s allowed based on their phase, we don’t want people traveling across the state. Stay local.”
Just because cross-state travel is strongly discouraged, outdoor activities are still OK when done with the proper precautions. DOH is sharing tips for enjoying the outdoors safely during a COVID-19 summer:
▪ Stay six feet away from other people
▪ Wear a mask when you’re around others
▪ Keep your social circles small
▪ Wash your hands frequently
▪ Avoid touching your face
▪ If you’re around other people, being outdoors is better than indoors
Knowing what phase your county is in is important as many outdoor summer activities, such as pools and waterparks will not be opening before counties advance to phases 3 and 4. As for camping — it is allowed in some phases, but all camping is not equal. Camping with your immediate family is a much safer choice than camping with a large group of people.
Another concern is traveling to a state with several COVID-19 hotspots, contracting the virus and then bringing it home. Says Dr. Lofy, “We are seeing a resurgence of COVID-19 activity in many states and increased cases here in Washington. It’s incredibly important that everyone does their part to slow down transmission by limiting or changing travel plans.”
“Travel that includes sightseeing and dining out can increase the spread of the disease. If everyone goes about their lives as normal this summer we will likely see a resurgence of cases and may need to close down businesses again which we don’t want to do,” said Secretary of Health John Wiesman. “So we want to see people stay close to home.”
Updated at 9 a.m.
On Friday evening, the Washington State Department of Health released the latest statewide situation report, which shows increasing COVID-19 transmission across the state as of mid-June.
You can view the full report here.
The report estimates the percentage of the population actively infected with COVID-19 in King, Pierce, Snohomish and Yakima counties.
The estimate for Yakima County, which has remained in Phase 1 due to very high rates of COVID-19 activity, suggests recent efforts to control the virus are showing some initial signs of success, although the situation remains concerning.
In King, Pierce and Snohomish counties, the percentage of the population with COVID-19 is increasing.
Seattle Storm coach Dan Hughes to sit out 2020 season
Updated at 9 a.m.
Dan Hughes will not coach the Seattle Storm during the 2020 WNBA season over concerns about his risk for severe illness if he were to contract COVID-19, the team said Monday.
The decision was made following a medical assessment by the league and in consultation with Hughes’ primary care physician. The WNBA is set to begin its season in late July with all teams playing in Florida.
“While the Storm family is greatly disappointed that Dan will not be able to join the team this season, his health and family are the top priority. We know he will continue to be an important voice of support for the team and staff while we compete this season,” Storm CEO and general manager Alisha Valavanis said.
Hughes, 65, had surgery last year to remove a cancerous tumor from his digestive tract. He missed nine games while recovering.
Seattle promoted Gary Kloppenburg to head coach for the season. Kloppenburg served as the interim coach last season while Hughes was out.
“I am saddened that I won’t be able to travel with the team as everyone knows how much love I have for this organization. I am thankful to be in good health and looking forward to supporting Coach Klopp and the staff and players in any way I can this season,” Hughes said.
Seattle also promoted Noelle Quinn to associate head coach. Quinn played 12 years in the WNBA and retired after Seattle’s league title in 2018. She joined Seattle’s coaching staff last year.
Washington tribes sue insurance group for virus coverage
Updated at 9 a.m.
Two Washington state Native tribes sued a group of insurance providers they said have not covered claims for business losses resulting from the coronavirus.
The Suquamish and Port Gamble S’Klallam tribes and their business arms filed separate lawsuits against Tribal First Alliant Underwriting Solutions, The Kitsap Sun reported Sunday.
The civil claims filed earlier this month say the tribes bought $50 million of coverage in policies that should cover losses caused by the pandemic outbreak.
The policies provide broad coverage for losses resulting from any cause unless expressly excluded in the policy. The policies do not exclude losses from communicable diseases or viruses, the lawsuits say.
Messages seeking comment were not returned by Tribal First and Boston-based Lexington Insurance Company, identified in court documents as the group’s lead insurer.
Washington likely to seek loan to keep jobless fund solvent
Updated at 9 a.m.
Washington state could make a request for a federal loan as soon as August or September to secure funds by the end of the year in order to keep its unemployment trust fund solvent as it continues to pay out benefits to those affected by the coronavirus shutdowns, Employment Security Department Commissioner Suzi LeVine said Monday.
The state’s unemployment trust fund — which had more than $4.7 billion at the start of March — is currently down to $2.8 billion, according the latest numbers from the agency.
LeVine said that the state’s unemployment trust fund has been strong over the years, and she noted that Washington was one of the few states that did not require a federal loan to bolster the system during the Great Recession.
“When you look, however, at the fact that the demand for unemployment benefits are seven to 10 times what they were during the recession, it really draws on this pool of funds dramatically,” she said during a phone interview. She said that while she didn’t want to say that the need for the loan was inevitable, it was “highly likely given the volume and demand and potential length of time for utilization of this system.”
Nearly 1.2 million people in Washington state have filed claims for unemployment since early March, when the pandemic job losses began. To date, the state has paid more than $6.5 billion in benefits to more than 875,000 people who filed initial claims.
Two thirds of that amount is federal money that is providing the unemployed with an additional $600 a week on top of the state’s weekly maximum benefit of up to $790 per week, the second highest in the nation.
In May, the Employment Security Department revealed that it had paid out up to $650 million through tens of thousands of fraudulent claims, of which, the state has recovered $357 million. A West African fraud ring using identities stolen in prior data breaches, such as the massive 2017 Equifax breach, is believed to be behind the fraud, which has targeted several other states during the pandemic. Earlier this month, members of the National Guard were brought to help with ID verification on claims.
About a dozen states have already been approved by the federal government to receive loans, and several have already received funds, including California, New York and Texas.
This story was originally published June 30, 2020 at 9:02 AM.
