Coronavirus updates: Limited procedures at St. Michael following outbreak; Tacoma bars and restaurants opt outside
The Washington State Department of Health on Thursday reported 542 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 10 deaths.
Pierce County reported 45 cases Thursday and one new death. Pierce County has a total of 146 deaths likely caused by COVID-19 as of Thursday, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.
Statewide totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus are at 72,703 cases and 1,890 deaths, up from 72,161 cases and 1,880 deaths Wednesday.
Thirty-nine people with confirmed COVID-19 cases were admitted to Washington state hospitals on Aug. 9, the most recent date with complete data. Late March had two days with 88 people admitted, the highest numbers to date during the pandemic.
On Aug. 16, the most recent date with complete data, 4,953 specimens were collected statewide, with 3.2% testing positive. The average positive test rate for the seven days prior was 4%. More than 1.4 million tests have been conducted in Washington.
The test numbers reflect only polymerase chain reaction tests, which are administered while the virus is presumably still active in the body.
King County continues to have the highest numbers in Washington, with 19,155 cases and 722 deaths. Yakima County is second, with 10,869 cases and 238 deaths. Pierce is third with cases at 6,661.
All counties in Washington have cases. Garfield and Wahkiakum have case counts of fewer than 10.
On Thursday, Washington had a 958-per-100,000-people case rate. The national rate is 1,769, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Louisiana has the highest rate in the United States at 3,126. Vermont is lowest at 252.
There had been nearly 5.8 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 180,527 deaths from the virus in the United States as of Thursday evening, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 828,000 people have died from the disease worldwide.
CHI Franciscan limiting procedures temporarily at St. Michael amid COVID-19 outbreak
CHI Franciscan on Thursday announced it is temporarily limiting procedures at two of its Kitsap County campuses amid a COVID-19 outbreak.
The Tacoma-based health system said procedures would be limited in the short term to “urgent and emergent cases” at its Bremerton and Silverdale St. Michael sites, formerly known as Harrison Medical Center.
The move follows a recently reported outbreak of COVID-19 among St. Michael Medical Center staff and patients, and a subsequent shortage of staff. On Monday, health officials said at least 45 cases were reported at St. Michael in Bremerton, with the number expected to grow.
Thursday’s action was taken “to ensure our facilities maintain adequate staff capacity to serve our community, including providing care for those with COVID-19 and other urgent medical conditions,” the health system said in its update Thursday.
The health system said that all workers at St. Michael would be tested, with more than 1,000 out of 2,000 already having been tested.
“We are testing all St. Michael employees, providers, contracted staff and vendors.”
It added that more than 115 employees were in quarantine “as they wait for test results. Any employee with an illness or flu-like symptoms is asked to stay home.”
WA school districts won’t be denied transportation funding for delivery of meals, materials
School districts in Washington state returning to school with remote learning this fall will no longer have pay back transportation funding for not busing students.
Gov. Jay Inslee issued a proclamation on Wednesday that allows districts to use its transportation funding, which is provided up-front at the beginning of the school year based on previous per-pupil head counts, for the following:
- The delivery of learning materials, including but not limited to, workbooks, homework packets, paper assignments and other tangible instructional materials.
The delivery of meals.
The delivery of hardware, wifi hotspots, or other technology solutions that increase student access to remote learning or online curriculum.
The transportation of students to and from learning centers or other public or private agencies where educational and support services are provided to students.
Superintendents across the state voiced concern earlier this month that they would have to pay back the funding due to restrictions by state law that base transportation dollars on the number of students the district transported. Many districts are returning to school remotely this year in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and don’t plan to transport the number of students they typically do.
Superintendents sent a letter to state legislators on Aug. 7, asking for a fix.
Superintendents also said they needed to know whether they’d have funding to pay their bus drivers, or if they would have to start issuing layoff notices.
Districts now have funding to pay for bus drivers as needed, but may need to still issue layoff or furlough notices depending on how much work is needed.
School districts are required to “track and document the specific time and uses of school bus drivers and buses to deliver the tools and services listed in this order,” according to Inslee’s order.
In a letter to superintendents on Wednesday, state Superintendent Chris Reykdal said he was pleased with the governor’s order, but reminded districts that the order did not provide a guaranteed level of transportation funding for the 2020– 21 school year, and that “changes or exceptions to the allocation model that provide additional or guaranteed revenue must come through the Legislature in the form of a bill or budget action.”
As summer wanes, Tacoma bars and restaurants spill into the street
Many bars and taprooms are opting to move outside temporarily to accomodate customers and help them feel safe in Tacoma.
“It gave us an option,” Incline co-owner Jordan Zehner told The News Tribune.
For many people navigating society during a pandemic known to circulate through droplets in the air, he added, “The line in the sand is: ‘I’ll only sit outdoors.’”
The curbside cafe expanded the number of guests Incline could accommodate under Phase 2’s half-capacity restrictions. Instead of only having room for about 25 people inside, seated at least six feet apart, the cidery could welcome nearly twice that number.
The City of Tacoma introduced its pilot “streatery” program in June, while expediting its review process for sidewalk cafes, the idea very much being: How can we help local businesses here and now?
Restaurants and retailers can apply for this free temporary permit to overtake a couple of parking spaces, barricaded at least two feet from the street by planters, a fence or other movable structure. The city prioritized streets where the speed limit is less than 25 miles per hour, but would consider outliers on a case-by-case basis. Other restrictions apply, such as being at least 30 feet from a stop sign and 60 feet from a bus stop.
Still in its infancy, the city received six applications as of this month, according to information provided to The News Tribune.
This weekend, Dystopian State Brewing downtown will open its taproom in the street, which co-owner Shane McElwrath built with wood and barrels as he awaited final approval from the city and the Washington Liquor and Cannabis Board.
Also after liquor board approval, KVLT Mead in the Dome District will soon open its curbside cafe with three tables on 26th Street. Brian Sprouse, who opened the meadery in March 2019 with his partner Jen Otis, said they had considered adding outdoor seating in the past, but with revenue down about 50 percent, open-air drinking became the “pressing matter” it hadn’t been before.
Reach Center offers eviction rental assistance
The REACH Center is distributing $900,000 in rent payments for youth through age 24 who have missed a rental payment since March 2020.
The Eviction Rent Assistance Program serves eligible Pierce County youth households who have at least one month of rent not paid or partially unpaid since March 1st, 2020. To receive these funds from The REACH Center, the head of household must be between 16 and 24 years old and earn less than 50% of Area Median Income.
The REACH Center promotes effective use of resources, and enhances collaboration with youth and community partners, and offers a unified voice in advocating for systemic change in how young adults participate in their economic future.
Kristine Sherred, Allison Needles and Debbie Cockrell contributed to this report.
This story was originally published August 28, 2020 at 8:50 AM.
