Coronavirus updates: Vaccinations required by 1st day of school; long waits for DOL appointments
This page includes coronavirus developments around Washington state for Friday, August 21.
The Washington State Department of Health on Thursday reported 700 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 15 deaths.
Pierce County reported 61 new cases and three new deaths Pierce County had a total of 138 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 69,389 cases and 1,837 deaths, up from 68,689 cases and 1,822 deaths on Wednesday.
Thirty people with confirmed COVID-19 cases were admitted to Washington state hospitals on Aug. 12, 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 total number of tests conducted is temporarily unavailable, according to the DOH.
The test numbers reflect only polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, whichare given while the virus is presumably still active in the body.
King County continues to have the highest numbers in Washington, with 18,297 cases and 707 deaths. Yakima County is second, with 10,720 cases and 231 deaths. Pierce is third with cases at 6,246.
All counties in Washington have cases. Garfield and Wahkiakum have case counts of fewer than 10.
On Tuesday, Washington had a 912-per-100,000-people case rate. The national rate is 1,680, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Louisiana has the highest rate in the United States at 3,002. Vermont is lowest at 245.
There had been over 5.5 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 174,104 deaths from the virus in the United States as of Thursday evening, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 790,262 people have died from the disease worldwide.
Vaccination rates crash amid COVID. WA requires students be up-to-date by 1st day of school
As Washington state vaccination rates plummet amid COVID-19, medical professionals are reminding families that students need to be up to date on their vaccinations by the first day of school this year even if they are returning remotely.
Doctors worry that not doing so could lead to outbreaks of other diseases and a strain on a health care system that’s trying to control the spread of COVID-19.
“The last thing we need right now with COVID is another measles outbreak or a whooping cough outbreak. To me, that would just put an extra burden on the health system,” said Dr. Carrie Jenner, a CHI Franciscan pediatrician from the Tacoma area.
Changes to state code that went into effect on Aug. 1 require medically verified immunization records for students entering both school and child care by their first day of school, according to the state Department of Health.
Previously, families had 30 days from the first day of attendance to provide the school or child care with the required immunization documentation, called “conditional status.”
“The vaccine requirements are definitely still in effect, and it’s even a little stricter this year in that you have to be up to date on the first day of school,” Jenner said.
That’s true even for students whose first days will look a bit different this year.
“Even though most schools are going online, kids still need to be up to date on their vaccines for school, because they potentially could not be able to join on the online programs until they’re up to date,” Jenner said.
Vaccinations required include the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMM); Varicella (chickenpox); Hepatitis B; Diphtheria, Tetanus, whooping cough (DTaP); and polio vaccines.
You need an appointment for the DOL these days -- and they are hard to come by
DOL spokesperson Rob Wieman said the agency has moved more services online to make sure in-person visits are a last resort. This is the first time the department has had to use an appointment system — although pulling a number at DOL offices and waiting for an hour or two wasn’t uncommon before the pandemic.
“Obviously these are unprecedented times and we’re in the middle of a pandemic,” he said. The agency has been working to help “as many people as possible as safely as possible.”
DOL closed its offices entirely in March, and started reopening them in June. They now have 36 offices open for appointments for those who need something they can’t do online.
WHEN TO GO ONLINE, WHEN TO GET AN APPOINTMENT
Renewing a driver license, identification card, vehicle registration, or instruction permit can be done online, as well as applying for a first-time instruction permit. Those younger than 24 or older than 70 can renew online for now, too.
Some of the things that require an appointment are getting a driver’s license or identification card for the first time, getting an enhanced driver’s license or ID, changing a name on an ID or license, getting a commercial driver license, commercial learner permit, or agricultural permit, getting a reinstatement, getting an occupational restricted license, or taking a driver training school instructor test.
“The reality is that with social distancing measures and other health guidelines, there’s significantly reduced capacity in our offices that limits appointment availability,” Wieman said.
“We’re able to book out 30 days for those appointments at any given location, and every day a certain, limited number of appointments open up at various locations, depending on their own capacity. Some are bigger than others.”
Asked how far out they’ve been booked, Wieman said, “Because appointments can only be booked 30 days out, generally most locations these days are booked out that far. ... So in a lot of cases, unless somebody cancels an appointment, folks who do get an appointment are looking at something 30 days out. That’s not always the case though.”
Updates to Wash. state guidance for bowling, museums, agritourism, some motor sports
Gov. Jay Inslee has put out new guidance for bowling, museums and agritourism in Washington state and updated guidance for some outdoor recreation such non-spectator motor sports.
“We have worked with stakeholders for weeks and sometimes months to arrive at these guidelines,” he said in a statement Thursday. “We continue to balance the need for activities that contribute to physical, mental, and emotional well-being with the steps needed to control the virus. Our ability to reopen depends on every Washingtonian doing their part to ensure fewer, shorter and safer interactions.”
Bowling league play is allowed in counties that are in Phase 2 and 3 of the state’s Safe Start plan if the facilities meet requirements. Two bowlers will be allowed per lane, and it’s only league play and league practice that is allowed, among other restrictions.
Museums can operate in Phase 2 counties at 25 percent capacity and in Phase 3 counties at 50 percent.
Agritourism facilities such as U-pick farms are allowed to operate in Phase 2 counties. There are various requirements, including that ”activities such as hay/wagon/train rides, haunted houses, children’s play equipment, live games, farm equipment exploration, inflatable jumping houses, animal viewing, petting areas, paintball, and campfires are not permitted.”
The updates to outdoor recreation guidance include that Go-Kart tracks, off-road vehicle (ORV) and motocross facilities, and “participant-only motorsports spectators, camping, races, and events are not allowed,” in Phase 1 and Phase 2 counties, that guidance says. That takes effect Monday.
Allison Needles, Alexis Krell, Miriam Francisco and Lauren Kirschman contributed to this report.
This story was originally published August 21, 2020 at 8:48 AM.
