Coronavirus updates: State nears 75k cases; $300 jobless boost available late September
Updated at 9:20 a.m.
The Washington State Department of Health on Tuesday reported 304 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 16 deaths.
Pierce County reported 52 cases Tuesday and four new deaths. Pierce County has a total of 150 deaths likely caused by COVID-19 as of Tuesday, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.
Statewide totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus are at 74,939 cases and 1,931 deaths, up from 74,635 cases and 1,915 Monday.
Thirty-five people with confirmed COVID-19 cases were admitted to Washington state hospitals on Aug. 13, 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. 20, the most recent date with complete data, 13,903 specimens were collected statewide, with 3.7% testing positive. The average positive test rate for the seven days prior was 3.6%. 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 19,698 cases and 728 deaths. Yakima County is second, with 10,963 cases and 244 deaths. Pierce is third with cases at 6,830.
All counties in Washington have cases. Garfield and Wahkiakum have case counts of fewer than 10.
On Tuesday, Washington had a 990-per-100,000-people case rate. The national rate is 1,832 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Louisiana has the highest rate in the United States at 3,195. Vermont is lowest at 260.
There had been more than 6 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 184,450 deaths from the virus in the United States as of Tuesday evening, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 852,000 people have died from the disease worldwide.
Tacoma Modern Home Show to be held in October
Updated at 9:20 a.m.
The Tacoma Modern Home Show will hold its first ever showcase at Tacoma Mall. This free experience will take place Friday, Oct. 9 & Saturday, Oct. 10 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 11 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
People will be able to get advice and price quotes from the top home improvement professionals in the area, while also being able to view new products and learn new home design tips. The Modern Home show will feature a select group of home improvement professionals, representing the top of class in their respected fields, while also creating a more exclusive experience.
“We wanted to create a more intimate socially responsible experience for our exhibitors and attendees,” said show organizer, Ray Sheehan. “Health and safety is always our top priority. That’s why we are limiting the number of exhibitors and creating touchless areas for attendees to gather additional home improvement insight”. In addition, all state, federal and CDC guidelines will be enforced at the property to ensure the safety of all attendees.”
If you are interesting in participating in The Modern Home Show as a vendor or exhibitor, please feel free to contact show organizer, Ray Sheehan at (267) 939-0503 or ray@upcomingevents.com. For more details and information: https://modernhomeshow.com/
$300 jobless boost available week of Sept. 21
Updated at 9:20 a.m.
Those unemployed due to the coronavirus pandemic will start receiving an additional $300 in unemployment benefits later this month.
The Employment Security Department announced Tuesday the the payments would be processed starting Sept. 21, and that eligible claimants should receive the money within a few days.
Payments will be retroactive to Aug. 1 and will be on top of the regular weekly unemployment benefit. Not everyone who has filed a claim will be eligible for the extra funding, and ESD has said that the benefit is currently time-limited to those filing claims over a three-week period, between July 26 and Aug. 15.
In order to qualify for the weekly bonus, people must certify that they are unemployed or partially unemployed due to COVID-19.
Washington’s application for the short-term federal program was approved last week.
The program came about through an executive order by President Donald Trump after a federally funded $600 boost to weekly state unemployment benefits ended at the end of July.
Community testing gets boost
Updated at 9:20 a.m.
The Washington State Department of Health is working to increase the availability and accessibility of testing across the state of Washington, and is doing so with the help of several organizations, volunteers and health practitioners.
Medical Teams International, a Seattle-based non-profit, supplies medical volunteers in emergency situations. Now, two mobile teams from MTI are supporting community testing efforts in Benton, Franklin and Yakima counties as part of an immediate, short-term solution to testing in areas of high-need.
MTI provides mobile clinics, which are no-barrier testing sites that can be rapidly deployed to areas such as businesses or neighborhoods experiencing an outbreak. They started with just two mobile teams, and at last count they were averaging 600 tests per day.
“We are so grateful for the work being done by Medical Teams International, especially in parts of the state that need the most help,” said Dr. Charissa Fotinos, deputy director of the Washington State Health Care Authority and the state’s leader on COVID-19 testing. “MTI has been and will continue to be helpful in providing an initial surge in testing while longer-term, sustainable community resources can be identified for ongoing testing.”
Another vital testing resource is Health Commons, a member-owned non-profit active across Washington state that helps coordinate care within the health system to make it easier for people to use.
Earlier this year Seattle Fire, a founding member of Health Commons, partnered with City of Seattle, King County Public Health and UW Medicine to build high-capacity test sites in King County with the capacity to conduct about 5,000 tests per day in western Washington.
“We hope this approach to testing will be the foundation for a more comprehensive response going forward. This training for first responders now can lead to even more success later,” Dr. Fotinos said.
Inslee announces additional federal funding to be distributed
Updated at 9:20 a.m.
Gov. Jay Inslee announced on Monday that nearly $190 million will be awarded from the state’s federal stimulus funding to local governments that did not receive direct distributions under the CARES Act.
The new funding includes nearly $126 million that will be distributed to cities and counties and about $62 million to local health jurisdictions.
“Our local public health jurisdictions, cities and counties have worked tirelessly since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 appeared in Washington to protect their communities,” Inslee said. “This much needed infusion of funds will help sustain their efforts to stop the spread of this virus.”
The new funding for cities and counties comes on top of nearly $300 million that was distributed last spring to cities and counties with populations under 500,000 that were ineligible to receive direct funding from the federal government under the CARES Act.
This story was originally published September 2, 2020 at 9:27 AM.
