Coronavirus updates: Bowling centers offer buildings for vaccine inoculations
Updated at 12:40 p.m.
Pierce County Superior Court has started an eviction resolution program before moratoriums in response to the COVID-19 pandemic end.
“Currently there are both federal and state mandates suspending evictions based on the non-payment of rent,” the court said in a news release Thursday. “Once those mandates end, Pierce County expects a large number of eviction cases to be filed in Superior Court.”
Gov. Jay Inslee’s eviction moratorium and the federal eviction moratorium are both set to expire Dec. 31.
The free resolution program “will require parties to engage in problem-solving steps before the cases come to court,” the news release said.
Landlords and tenants in the program work with eviction resolution specialists to find options such as payment plans and rental assistance.
A state Superior Court Judges’ Association work group and the Office of Civil Legal Aid created the pilot program with CARES Act funding. Pierce, Clark, King, Snohomish, Spokane and Thurston counties started it last month.
“The COVID-19 emergency has affected all of us,” Brett Waller, Governmental Affairs Director for the Washington Multi-Family Housing Association, said in a statement at the time. “Eviction is always a last resort and often the result of a long chain of events outside the control of renters or housing providers.
“While landlords recognize the importance of finding solutions to cases where people have fallen behind in their rent through no fault of their own, they also must pay their mortgages, taxes and utilities. By connecting landlords and tenants with skilled facilitators, the Eviction Resolution Program should help both tenants and landlords, and hopefully prevent unnecessary evictions for nonpayment of rent.”
For more information about the Pierce County program, visit tacomaprobono.org/hjp.html.
State reports 1,681 new cases on Wednesday
Updated at 9:30 a.m.
The Washington state Department of Health reported 1,681 new cases of COVID-19 and 89 deaths Wednesday.
As of Wednesday, DOH began adding people who have tested positive for COVID-19 using an antigen test to its daily case total. About 5% of case totals come from the antigen test, said state health officer Kathy Lofy.
Pierce County reported 165 cases Wednesday and two new deaths. Pierce County has a total of 263 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 214,265 cases and 3,042 deaths. The case total includes 7,671 cases listed as probable. Washington’s population is estimated at about 7.6 million, according to U.S. Census figures from July 2019. The DOH revises previous case and death counts daily.
One hundred twenty-one people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 were admitted to Washington state hospitals on Nov. 27, the most recent date with complete data. Preliminary reports indicate average daily admittances were 117 in early December.
Approximately 14.1% (1,233) of all staffed adult acute care hospital beds were occupied by COVID-19 patients on Wednesday. In the state’s intensive care units, 22.9% (279) of staffed adult beds were occupied by suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients.
On Dec. 5, the most recent date with confirmed molecular testing data, 16,023 specimens were collected statewide, with 10.6% testing positive. The average positive test rate for the seven days prior was 12.3%. More than 3.4 million tests have been conducted in Washington.
King County continues to have the highest numbers in Washington, with 55,673 cases and 936 deaths. Spokane County is second in cases, with 22,429. Snohomish County has the second-highest number of deaths at 330.
All counties in Washington have cases. Only four counties have case counts of fewer than 100.
Shuttered bowling centers offer buildings for local vaccine inoculations
Updated at 9:30 a.m.
Members of the Washington State Bowling Proprietors’ Association have offered free use of their facilities to help the COVID-19 task force.
“Our industry wants to help,” said Chris Nash, president of the WSBPA, said in a release. ‘’Our bowling centers are not being used during the shutdown and are thoroughly cleaned and sanitized. Fortunately, the centers have also been COVID free throughout the pandemic for all guests and employees. Bowling centers are already community hubs and social centers for thousands across the state and can provide a safe space for the Task Force and Departments of Health to roll out additional inoculation sites.”
Nash said 90% of the bowling centers have the facilities to temporarily help store the vaccines during inoculation events. Bowling centers also average tens of thousands of square feet to allow for social distancing.
“Since the pandemic, our bowling center owners and operators have been looking for ways to help our communities we serve,” Nash said. “We will be standing by to assist.”
Washington officials see encouraging signs in virus data
Updated at 9:30 a.m.
Coronavirus infections remain rampant, but health officials in Washington state said Wednesday they’re seeing some encouraging signs in recent data, just as front-line workers begin receiving vaccinations.
Health Department Secretary Dr. John Wiesman and Dr. Kathy Lofy, the state health officer, said new cases and hospitalizations appear to be flattening a bit.
However, they warned people to remain vigilant and to remain home for the holidays, because another surge on top of current case levels could swamp hospital capacity. The state has not seen a jump in cases related to Thanksgiving gatherings.
“We are pleased that we seem to be bending the curve, and yet we have not yet plateaued,” Wiesman said in an online news conference.
Lofy noted that hospital bed occupancy has even started falling in southwest Washington, but case numbers in the central part of the state have been more troubling. Overall, just under 13% of the state’s acute-care beds are occupied by COVID patients; officials would prefer to see that number below 10%.
Frontline hospital workers began receiving Pfizer’s COVID vaccine on Tuesday, and officials hope residents of long-term care facilities will begin receiving the shots Monday, though questions remain about which facilities will receive the first doses. Vaccinations for these groups are estimated to be complete by mid-to late January, and then the vaccine can start to be offered to the next eligible groups, according to state health officials.
Michele Roberts, one of the leaders of the Washington state Department of Health vaccine planning group, said about 31,000 doses have arrived in the state, and another 31,000 are expected this week. Those doses will be delivered to 39 sites covering 29 counties, state health officials said Wednesday evening in a news release. Additionally, the state said 1950 total doses will go to three tribes or Urban Indian Health Programs this week.
Officials expect to receive another 74,100 doses of the Pfizer vaccine next week and 85,800 the week of Dec. 29, the state Department of Health said.
Revised guidance lowers bar for schools to reopen in Washington state, Inslee announces
Updated at 9:30 a.m.
The state has revised its guidance for schools, lowering the recommended threshold for schools to reopen to in-person learning, Washington Gov. Inslee announced Wednesday.
“This we know: We know that because of the new science we have and because of the successful experience we’ve had in various schools, it is time to begin the process of getting more of our students back into the classroom,” Inslee said at a virtual press conference.
It’s estimated that only about 15% of Washington’s K-12 students are receiving any form of in-person learning right now, according to the governor. The state’s recommendations are for local school boards to consider and aren’t legally binding requirements.
The state is now recommending schools with fewer than 50 cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 residents over two weeks make in-person learning available to all students, as long as safety measures are in place. In counties where there are 50-350 cases per 100,000, the guidelines encourage districts to phase in in-person learning beginning with the youngest students and those with the highest needs.
Priority groups, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal said, include English language learners and students with disabilities. Oldest students should be among the last to return, Inslee said, because they catch and transmit the coronavirus more similarly to adults — and data has shown it’s easier to get younger children to follow public health protocols.
“All of us who’ve raised teenagers have some experience with that phenomena,” Inslee said.
The state is now recommending schools with fewer than 50 cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 residents over two weeks make in-person learning available to all students, as long as safety measures are in place. In counties where there are 50-350 cases per 100,000, the guidelines encourage districts to phase in in-person learning beginning with the youngest students and those with the highest needs.
Priority groups, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal said, include English language learners and students with disabilities. Oldest students should be among the last to return, Inslee said, because they catch and transmit the coronavirus more similarly to adults — and data has shown it’s easier to get younger children to follow public health protocols.
This story was originally published December 17, 2020 at 9:53 AM.
