Coronavirus updates: State passes 90k cases; number of children’s vaccinations drops
Updated at 9:30 a.m.
The Washington state Department of Health reported 402 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 Monday and 16 deaths since Friday.
Pierce County reported 44 cases Monday and no new deaths. Pierce County has a total of 177 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 90,276 cases and 2,158 deaths, up from 89,874 cases Sunday and 2,142 deaths Friday. Washington’s population is estimated at about 7.6 million, according to U.S. Census figures from July 2019.
Twenty-eight people with confirmed COVID-19 cases were admitted to Washington state hospitals on Sept. 16, the most recent date with complete data. Average daily hospitalizations peaked in early April at 78.
On Sept. 24, the most recent date with complete data, 16,400 specimens were collected statewide, with 3.7% testing positive. The average positive test rate for the seven days prior was 3.5%. More than 1.9 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 23,115 cases and 771 deaths. Yakima County is second, with 11,502 cases and 264 deaths. Pierce is third with cases at 8,335.
All counties in Washington have cases. Ten counties have case counts of fewer than 100.
On Monday, Washington had a 1,193-per-100,000-people case rate. The national rate is 2,235, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Louisiana has the highest rate in the United States at 3,642. Vermont is lowest at 285.
There had been more than 7.4 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 210,109 deaths from the virus in the United States as of Monday afternoon, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The United States has the highest number of reported cases and deaths of any nation. More than 1 million people have died from the disease worldwide. Global cases exceed 35 million.
CARES Act to provide free internet to families with kids so they can access classes
Updated at 9:30 a.m.
The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) has announced a new K-12 Internet Access program to connect students to their online learning from home.
OSPI has finalized contracts with three internet service providers — Ziply, Presidio, and Comcast — which will provide the service to up to 60,000 students and their families through the end of the 2020–21 school year at no cost to the family.
The funding for the program comes from the federal CARES Act. To help with COVID-related costs, Congress provided $195 million to Washington’s school districts and $21 million to OSPI for statewide coordination and support.
The program is reserved for students who are low-income and did not have internet access before August. Eligible students and families should receive an offer or promo code from their school. Families can sign up with a particular provider, install the equipment and will be able to join in the remote learning.
OSPI also will reimburse school districts that have agreements in place with selected service providers.
Children’s vaccinations in Washington drop during pandemic
Updated at 9:30 a.m.
Fewer children are getting scheduled vaccinations for diseases such as measles in Washington state since March, when it became clear the novel coronavirus was spreading across the globe.
The number of children 18 and younger being vaccinated in Washington dropped by 31% in August compared to the August average from 2015 to 2019, The Seattle Times reported. The decline began in February then fell sharply in March with a 33% drop compared to the March average from 2015 to 2019 and bottomed out with a 39% drop in April.
Health experts are concerned that the reduction in the number of children being vaccinated increases the risk of outbreaks of diseases that are preventable with vaccinations.
“Adding more outbreaks on top of COVID-19 not only would put more people’s health at risk, it also could overload the health care system,” said Danielle Koeing, the health promotion supervisor with the state Department of Health.
The danger of not vaccinating was seen last year during a measles outbreak in Southwest Washington.
Seventy people were infected in the outbreak, where only 85% of kindergartners had received the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. Most of those cases were in children with 93% of infections occurring between the ages of 1 and 18.
In 2000, measles had been declared eradicated in the United States.
Childhood vaccines are highly effective and safe, and parents need to keep their children on track with immunizations, said Dr. Beth Ebel, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
“Missing those doses, unless you make them up, your child has not gotten the training for her immune system that you need to be able to fight infection,” Ebel said.
Over 160 University of Washington students contract COVID-19
Updated at 9:30 a.m.
The University of Washington has announced that a coronavirus outbreak in its Greek community increased to more than 160 students since last week.
As of Monday, there were 163 confirmed COVID-19 cases among 12 fraternities and sororities, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported.
University officials have urged students to isolate if they have tested positive or are experiencing symptoms. Students who had close contact with infected peers have been encouraged to get tested, officials said.
It is unclear if anyone was hospitalized or has experienced severe symptoms.
Seattle and King County Public Health Department’s Dr. Jeff Duchin said last week that it is likely many students with active social lives have come from nationwide to return to in-person classes.
The outbreak has shown the difficulty of returning to campus during the pandemic, he said.
Health officials have urged people for months to take precautions against COVID-19, including wearing masks and social distancing. Officials have also warned people to continue to be vigilant as cooler weather will likely mean more time indoors, which could further facilitate the spread of the virus.
“We know what works, we have steps that we can take to prevent transmission and we can get through this with more or less impact on our community,” Duchin said.
This story was originally published October 6, 2020 at 9:40 AM.
