Coronavirus updates: State changes negative test reporting
This page includes coronavirus developments around Washington state for Thursday, August 13.
Updated at 8:45 a.m.
The Washington State Department of Health on Wednesday reported 551 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and eight deaths.
Pierce County reported 44 cases Wednesday and one new death. Pierce County had a total of 129 deaths likely caused by COVID-19 as of Wednesday, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.
Statewide totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus are at 64,702 cases and 1,724 deaths, up from 64,151 cases and 1,716 deaths Tuesday.
Forty-eight people with confirmed COVID-19 cases were admitted to Washington state hospitals on Aug. 4, the most recent date with complete data. Late March had two days with 88 people admitted, the highest numbers to date during the pandemic.
The state continues to modify its reporting of negative tests. The total number of tests conducted is temporarily unavailable. On Aug. 4, 10,710 specimens were collected statewide, with 7.4% testing positive. The average positive test rate for the seven days prior was 7%.
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 16,941 cases and 684 deaths. Yakima County is second, with 10,412 cases and 211 deaths.
All counties in Washington have cases. Garfield and Wahkiakum have case counts of fewer than 10.
On Wednesday, Washington had a 851-per-100,000-people case rate. The national rate is 1,562, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Louisiana has the highest rate in the U.S. at 2,857. Vermont is lowest at 236.
There had been nearly 5.2 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 165,924 deaths from the virus in the United States as of Wednesday evening, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 745,000 people have died from the disease worldwide.
Washington state health officials cautiously give ‘good news’ at weekly COVID briefing
Updated at 8:45 a.m.
Health officials were cautiously positive Wednesday as they talked about how the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic is going.
Secretary of Health John Wiesman said at the weekly briefing held by leaders of the state’s COVID-19 response: “In brief, there is good news. We have a great deal of work obviously left to do, but we are showing some success in our efforts such as increasing the use of face coverings and seeing an encouraging decline in daily new case counts.”
State Health Officer Dr. Kathy Lofy said: “We continue to see some positive signs in our data.”
Showing a graph of confirmed cases counts, Lofy said: “Over the past few weeks we are now clearly starting to see a decline in the number of cases that are being detected here in Washington.”
It takes a few weeks, Lofy said: “to make sure that you’re sort of confident in what you’re seeing. And we’re starting to feel more confident that this trend that we’re seeing is real.”
It looks like activity might have peaked in mid July, she said.
Showing another graph, Lofy said the proportion of people going to emergency departments with COVID-like illness seems to have peaked at the end of March during the first wave of the pandemic, and during the recent wave it looks like it peaked in mid July.
She also talked about the number of hospitalizations for confirmed cases of COVID-19.
“It appears that toward the end of July we’re now starting to see this data flatten out,” she said.
She cautioned that: “we still have a lot of activity. So while we are starting to see some positive signs, activity is still high, and as you all know, so high that most of our schools are planning to start the school year in a remote learning model.”
Washington state changes negative test reporting for COVID-19
Updated at 8:45 a.m.
The Washington State Department of Health announced COVID-19 testing data will soon be reported using the total number of tests completed. This is a change from the current reporting, which reflects the total number of unique individuals ever tested.
For example, someone who has a negative COVID-19 test result in May then another negative result in July would only be counted once in the current reporting approach. The most recent test would not be included. That means testing data does not fully reflect the actual testing volume or the current test positive rate, since only the first negative result for each person is included.
“This new approach will give us the most complete and current picture of the actual amount of COVID-19 testing happening in our state,” said Secretary of Health John Wiesman. “This also becomes important when comparing Washington state to other states.”
During this transition, the COVID-19 testing dashboards will not be updated and will show preliminary data through August 10 using the old methodology. DOH estimates this will take at least one week.
Seattle school board approves fall online learning plan
Updated at 8:45 a.m.
The Seattle school board on Wednesday unanimously voted to begin the academic year remotely.
The plan for the state’s largest school district passed with a wide-ranging amendment that directs the superintendent to explore creating outdoor classes, and also reinforces teaching of Black studies and curricula developed by tribes, The Seattle Times reported.
Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Denise Juneau had previously recommended a fully remote learning model for the start of the school year, which was endorsed by the principals labor union and teachers union.
However, the district’s specific plans are far from set because Seattle Public Schools is still bargaining with the teachers union, the Seattle Education Association. Those discussions will set the parameters for how teachers spend their time, and for the support the district will provide to teachers and families in an online learning environment.
The negotiations will also play a key role in setting student schedules and the school calendar, which has a current start date of Sept. 2.
“Putting these plans together before the end of collective bargaining seems like putting the cart before the horse,” board member Leslie Harris said Wednesday.
A presentation last week set the general schooling parameters. Students will spend approximately three hours a day on video chat, no F grades will be given, schools will have relaxed rules on late work, and some special education students may be eligible for in-person instruction.
The district also said child care will be available at 68 sites owned by the district and that 25 more sites for meal distribution would be added, for a total of 40. Tech support will be expanded and every student will have a device sometime in the fall, but not by the first day of school, according to the district.
Face masks with valves or vents don’t help prevent spread of coronavirus, CDC warns
Updated at 8:45 a.m.
Not all face masks are created equal when it comes to curbing the spread of the coronavirus, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.
In an updated guide on face masks, the agency notes that masks with valves or vents do little to prevent an infected person from potentially spreading the virus to others.
“The purpose of masks is to keep respiratory droplets from reaching others to aid with source control,” according to the CDC.
“However, masks with one-way valves or vents allow air to be exhaled through a hole in the material, which can result in expelled respiratory droplets that can reach others,” the agency noted.
“Therefore, CDC does not recommend using masks for source control if they have an exhalation valve or vent,” the revised guide reads.
The guide doesn’t address whether such masks can help protect the wearer against airborne viruses, saying the primary purpose of masks during the pandemic is to protect others.
And the CDC still advises the general public against wearing surgical masks or N95 respirators, which it says should be reserved for medical personnel.
This story was originally published August 13, 2020 at 8:44 AM.
