Coronavirus updates: State passes 54k cases; reopening phases paused indefinitely
This page includes coronavirus developments around Washington state for Wednesday, July 30.
Updated at 11:10 a.m.
Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler extended his emergency order protecting consumers from receiving surprise bills for lab fees related to medically-necessary diagnostic testing for COVID-19 until Aug. 27.
His order applies to both in-state and out-of-state laboratories, when a provider orders diagnostic testing for COVID-19.
“We know people are under tremendous stress as we fight this pandemic,” Kreidler said in a release. “We want to make sure they’re not worrying about receiving a surprise medical bill while trying to take care of their own or their loved one’s health.”
Kreidler’s order also encourages health insurers to notify his office if out-of-network laboratories are not publishing cash prices or if they do not accept the published cash price as final payment for COVID-19 diagnostic testing.
Kreidler also extended his emergency order to Aug. 27 requiring health insurers to waive copays and deductibles for any consumer requiring testing for COVID-19.
Insurers also must continue:
▪ Allowing a one-time early refill for prescription drugs.
▪ Suspending any prior authorization requirement for treatment or testing of COVID-19.
▪ In addition, if an insurer does not have enough medical providers in its network to provide testing or treatment for COVID-19, it must allow enrollees to be treated by another provider within a reasonable distance at no additional cost.
The extension is effective immediately and applies to all state-regulated health insurance plans and short-term limited duration medical plans until Aug. 27.
State reports 884 cases on Tuesday
Updated at 9:10 a.m.
The Washington State Department of Health on Tuesday reported 884 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 30 deaths.
Pierce County reported 77 new cases Tuesday and three new deaths. Pierce County had a total of 109 deaths likely caused by COVID-19 as of Monday, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.
Statewide totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus are at 54,205 cases and 1,548 deaths, up from 53,321 cases and 1,518 deaths on Monday.
Forty-six people with confirmed COVID-19 cases were admitted to Washington state hospitals on Monday, July 20, the most recent date with complete data. March 23 saw 89 people admitted, the highest number to date during the pandemic.
Washington state has conducted 945,234 coronavirus tests. On July 20, the most recent date for which data is complete, 16,571 specimens were collected statewide, with 5.4% testing positive. The average positive test rate for the seven days prior was 5.2%.
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.
King County continues to have the highest numbers in Washington, with 14,717 cases and 648 deaths. Yakima County has the second-highest numbers, with 9,758 cases and 203 deaths.
All counties in Washington have cases. Garfield, Lincoln and Wahkiakum have case counts of less than 10.
On Tuesday, Washington had a 708 per 100,000 people case rate, up from 698 on Monday. The national rate is 1,306, up from 1,289 on Friday.
There had been more than 4.3 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 149,180 deaths from the virus in the United States as of Tuesday, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 658,000 people have died from the disease worldwide.
Inslee extends pause on phases indefinitely, updates Safe Start guidance
Updated at 9:10 a.m.
Gov. Jay Inslee extended the pause on counties advancing phases under the state’s Safe Start plan indefinitely and he updated guidance about recent changes to the plan Tuesday.
The governor said last week that he expected to extend the pause on phases, given the rise in COVID-19 cases.
In a press release Tuesday the governor’s office said Inslee: “extended the pause indefinitely on counties moving ahead in the Safe Start Washington plan.”
The release also included a memo with additional guidance about the Safe Start plan.
“The memo outlines the updates to gatherings, live entertainment, restaurants and taverns, entertainment and recreational centers, card rooms, movie theaters, and weddings and funerals and builds upon guidance released last week,” the press release said.
Some of the recent changes outlined in the memo are that:
Gatherings in phase 3 counties are limited to 10 people, and the limit for gatherings in phase 2 and modified phase 1 counties is still five.
Changing rules for weddings and funerals take effect Aug. 10, though the memo said that: “applies only if the event was planned before the date of this memorandum. Any events planned after the date of this memorandum must comply,” as of Thursday.
Receptions aren’t allowed, and indoor ceremonies are limited to 20 percent occupancy or 30 people, whichever is smaller. Six feet of social distancing has to be maintained between people from difference households at indoor and outdoor ceremonies, and those outdoors are limited to 30 people.
US is expected to report a record-breaking economic plunge
Updated at 9:10 a.m.
Having endured what was surely a record-shattering slump last quarter, the U.S. economy faces a dim outlook as a resurgent coronavirus intensifies doubts about any sustained recovery the rest of the year.
A huge plunge in consumer spending as people stayed home and avoided shopping, traveling or gathering in crowds as the virus raged is estimated to have sent the economy sinking at a roughly 32% annual rate in the April-June quarter. That would be more than triple the previous worst quarterly economic fall, a 10% drop set in 1958. Depressed activity in such areas as business investment, home construction and government spending also likely contributed to the worst quarterly contraction on records dating to 1947.
On Thursday, the government will issue its first of three estimates of economic activity, as measured by the gross domestic product, for the April-June quarter.
So dizzying was the contraction last quarter that most analysts expect the economy to manage a sharp bounce-back in the current July-September quarter, perhaps of as much as 17% or higher on an annual basis. Yet with the rate of confirmed coronavirus cases now rising in a majority of states, more businesses being forced to pull back on re-openings and the Republican Senate proposing to scale back the government’s aid to the unemployed, the economy could worsen in the months ahead.
The Trump administration is betting against that outcome in asserting that the economy will undergo a V-shaped recovery in which last quarter’s plunge would be followed by an impressive rebound in the current quarter — a hoped-for dose of good news that would be reported in late October, not long before Election Day.
Yet many economists are talking about a different letter of the alphabet. Noting that the economy can’t fully recover until the pandemic is defeated or a vaccine is widely available, they envision a W-shaped scenario, in which a rebound in the current quarter would be followed by a sustained period of tepid growth or even outright recession.
“The markdowns are coming because of the clear economic damage the virus is doing,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, who said he believes the economy is losing jobs this month after two months of gains.
“We are going in reverse here,” Zandi said.
Analysts warn that the outlook could darken still further if Congress fails to enact enough financial aid to replace the expiring $600-a-week federal boost in unemployment benefits or provide sufficient help for businesses and state and local governments. Senate Republicans released a $1 trillion proposal on Monday that falls far short of a $3 trillion measure the House has passed, leaving an enormous gap for Democrats and Republicans to bridge as some elements of Congress’ earlier emergency relief programs run out.
Government workers to work remotely until 2021 due to virus
Updated at 9:10 a.m.
Many local government employees around the Puget Sound region will work from home until 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic, officials said Tuesday.
Leaders from King, Pierce and Snohomish counties, from the cities of Everett, Kenmore, Redmond, Seattle, Shoreline and Tacoma, and from the ports of Seattle and Everett, “are taking a united approach to slow the spread of COVID-19 and maximize physical distancing by extending teleworking for eligible employees until 2021,” The Seattle Times reported.
The governments collectively employ thousands of workers; King County has about 15,000 and the city of Seattle has more than 10,000, according to a news release from King County Executive Dow Constantine.
King County previously had advised eligible employees they would work from home until at least Labor Day, Constantine spokesperson Chase Gallagher said. The county’s mandatory teleworking policy applies to employees, “except those where there is an operational need” to physically be at work. For example, bus operators cannot work from home.
The coronavirus has continued to spread in the region, with health officials urging people to take precautions. The seven-day average of cases in King County has reached higher levels in July than at the outbreak’s previous peak in April.
Google is also having most employees and contractors work remotely until July 2021, it said Monday. Amazon said earlier this month it would extend its work-from-home option for corporate employees to Jan. 8.
This story was originally published July 29, 2020 at 9:10 AM.
