State to expand COVID-19 testing, push vaccination and offer free masks, governor says
Gov. Jay Inslee announced Wednesday that new steps will be taken to help address the surge in statewide omicron cases.
Those steps include expanded testing, mass vaccination and free masks.
Inslee’s administration said the Washington state Department of Health acquired 800,000 at-home testing kits this week, with an additional 4.7 million tests expected to arrive next week.
“Now is the time to re-double our efforts against this virus,” Inslee said.
This comes after the federal government’s announcement earlier this week that it will make at-home testing kits available online for free. The testing kits offered by Inslee are separate from the ones purchased by the Biden Administration.
Inslee addressed the significant increase in COVID-19 cases. He said this is due to the transmissibility of the omicron variant. There has been a 146 percent increase in cases in the past week, and a 46 percent increase in daily covid hospitalizations, he said.
To ensure equitable access to testing kits, Inslee said the tests will be available in several ways, including via schools and health departments.
The state also said it has partnered with both Amazon and CareEvolution to create a web portal so families can test themselves safely at home for free. The web portal is not live yet but will likely be available in the next few weeks.
Additionally, Inslee said the DOH and FEMA are working to expand vaccine booster availability throughout the state. A new mass vaccination site will be opened the week of Jan. 18, although DOH has not announced a specific location or details yet.
Inslee noted that after increasing the capacity of a mobile FEMA clinic in Auburn, the facility has been able to triple the output from 500 to 1,500 vaccinations per day.
Aside from free testing kits and mass vaccinations, the state also will provide free masks.
About 10 million protective masks including KN95 and surgical masks will be available for statewide distribution. In the next few weeks, the masks will go to local communities including K-12 schools. Inslee said local and state emergency management distribution channels, health departments and K-12 infrastructure will work quickly to distribute masks to those who need them.
The governor did not announce any new restrictions or closures.
Inslee also was clear that he wants schools to remain open.
“A major focus is ensuring we continue to meet our paramount duty to provide a quality education to our children,” he said. “We have to do everything we can to maintain as much in-person instruction as possible, which this wave of cases will make more difficult.”
He added that the availability of new tests, masks and boosters are what is needed to keep schools open.
The governor advised Washingtonians to take common sense precautions to prevent hospitals from becoming overwhelmed. People should seek care from primary care physicians for non-urgent conditions.
He encouraged those who are eligible to get their booster shot, and encouraged those who have not been vaccinated to do so.
Until the free tests become more widely available, Lacy Fehrenbach, deputy secretary of COVID response with the DOH, said to think of the at home-rapid tests like bandaids--keep them in your cupboard for when you need them and plan ahead to keep some on hand.
Vaccinations and booster appointments can be booked by logging on to the DOH website at: https://vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov/
This story was originally published January 5, 2022 at 2:37 PM with the headline "State to expand COVID-19 testing, push vaccination and offer free masks, governor says."
