By: KIRO 7 News Staff
SEATTLE — Gov. Jay Inslee called on Washington businesses Wednesday to manufacture safety equipment to help the state’s fight against coronavirus as supplies run dangerously low.
The demand for safety equipment is immediate and widespread, with
health officials saying the shortages are critical and medical staff are
putting their lives at risk by practicing without proper personal
protective equipment. Inslee specifically asked for the manufacturing of
surgical masks, swab tests, saline solution, vials, N95 masks, gloves,
surgical gowns and face shields.
“As for the amount that we are short, it’s almost an infinite number,” Inslee said.
Meanwhile, officials with the state Department of Health on Tuesday said
they’re unable to give an update on case numbers due to technical
issues with the Washington Disease Reporting System. They did not
provide an ETA for the next release of numbers.
The data was last updated Saturday. Those numbers say the state’s
coronavirus death toll now sits at 195, among 4,896 confirmed cases.
Here’s a breakdown of some of the counties with the highest totals:
King County has 144 deaths among 2,161 cases; Snohomish County has 21
deaths among 1,068 cases; Pierce County has 6 deaths among 288 cases.
Click here to see where other counties in the state stand.
Key coronavirus updates:
- There are at least 4,896 confirmed coronavirus cases with at least 195 deaths in Washington, according to the latest Department of Health numbers released late Saturday. A glitch has prevented the department from providing updates.
- Gov. Inslee is preparing to deploy the National Guard.
- The Army is setting up a field hospital at CenturyLink Field Event Center.
- Inslee announced new enforcement measures for businesses refusing to comply with the stay-at-home order. (One company is also offering free WiFI cameras so owners can keep an eye on closed businesses.)
- The state launched a way for people to report suspected violations of non-essential businesses operating in violation of the governor’s current stay-at-home order.
- State Attorney General Bob Ferguson is warning Amazon sellers who hike prices on virus-related products that he could sue them.
- President Trump is urging all Americans to practice social distancing for at least another month amid the coronavirus outbreak. Over the weekend, the United States became the most overwhelmed country fighting the global pandemic.
- Angel of the Winds Arena became Snohomish County’s first coronavirus isolation site.
- A Washington State Ferries worker died from complications related to coronavirus.
- Researchers with the University of Washington School of Medicine are looking for COVID-19 survivors to donate plasma.
- Gov. Jay Inslee said he may extend a two-week, mandatory statewide stay-at-home order that went into effect March 23. Wondering what is still open? Find out here.
- Thirty-four of Washington’s 39 counties have cases confirmed with the Department of Health. Eleven counties reported deaths through the DOH.
- All K-12 schools in Washington state are closed until at least April 24.
- KIRO 7 will send breaking news updates through the KIRO 7 News app, which you can download here.
UW model estimates state’s outbreak will peak around April 19
Dr. Kathy Lofy, state health officer with the Washington Department of
Health, said a University of Washington data model estimates that the
state’s coronavirus outbreak will peak around April 19.
That’s when the state might see the highest number of cases, she said,
adding that cases and deaths are continuing to rise, although not
exponentially.
Testing has increased around the state, which Lofy said explains why
the number of confirmed cases per day jumped from some 200 to 250
earlier this month to 500 to 600 per day starting late last week.
More importantly, Lofy said, the proportion of tests that are positive every day has also risen from 6% or 7% to 8% or 9%.
“This suggests an increase of the virus in the state,” she said,
emphasizing that people should continue to comply with the stay home
order issued by Gov. Jay Inslee last week. She said while the majority
of virus activity had been focused in King and Snohomish counties it is
now being detected all over the state including 108 outbreaks of the
virus at long-term care facilities.
Information from local officials
Stimulus money:
Washington state is set to receive nearly $3 billion from the federal
stimulus bill passed to help with the economic hit from the coronavirus
outbreak, with at least $1.6 billion coming directly to the state, and
the amount to be allocated to local governments to be determined by the
U.S. Department of Treasury in the coming weeks, said Casey Katims, Gov.
Jay Inslee’s director of federal and interstate affairs. State and
local governments will be taking huge budget hits due to the shutdown of
many businesses.
Complaints about businesses: A day after the release of a website where people can report violations
of non-essential businesses operating in violation of the governor’s
current stay-at-home order, the state has received more than 4,000
complaints through the online form, according to David Postman, Gov. Jay
Inslee’s chief of staff. Postman said they will be wading through the
complaints and following up with the businesses. The public has been
told to not call 911 to report individuals or private groups who are not
following the proclamation, but should instead contact local law
enforcement.
Ferguson warns price gougers: Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson is warning Amazon sellers who hike prices
on virus-related products like hand sanitizer and face masks that he
could sue them. Ferguson ‘s office said Tuesday it sent letters to five
Washington-based independent sellers who raised prices. “We will use all
of the tools at our disposal to prevent price-gouging during this
public health emergency,” Ferguson said in a statement. He also is warning of scams related to stimulus checks.
Information from the White House
President Donald Trump is urging Americans to heed his administration’s
guidelines for responding to the coronavirus pandemic, calling it “a
matter of life and death.”
The president’s warning on Tuesday came with new projections that there
could be 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the U.S. even if social
distancing guidelines are maintained.
Public health officials stressed that the number could be less if people bear down on keeping their distance from one another.
The coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, Dr. Deborah
Birx, says officials believe the nation can do much better than the grim
forecast if everyone takes seriously their role in preventing the
spread of disease.
How you can protect yourself and what to do if you think you were exposed
Symptoms of the coronavirus include fever, cough and shortness of
breath. Patients reportedly have mild to severe respiratory illness.
These are steps health officials recommend to protect yourself:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, then throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands.
- Clean and disinfect objects and surfaces.
- Stay at home and away from others if you are feeling ill.
- Washington State Department of Health: What to do if you have confirmed or suspected coronavirus disease
- Washington State Department of Health: What to do if you were potentially exposed to someone with confirmed coronavirus disease
- If you are in King County and believe you were exposed to a confirmed case of COVID-19, or if you’re a healthcare provider with questions about COVID-19, contact: coronavirus@kingcounty.gov.
- For general concerns and questions about COVID-19, call the Washington State Novel Coronavirus Call Center at 800-525-0127 and press #.
Cases and guidelines for senior living facilities
Senior living facilities have been the focal point of the state’s fight
against the spread of coronavirus, as health officials said older
adults with preexisting conditions are the most vulnerable. Inslee
announced new rules around nursing homes and assisted living facilities
centered around visitors, screening, and precautionary measures.
- Visitors must be adults and the visit must take place in the resident’s room. This does not apply to end-of-life situations.
- All visitors must follow COVID-19 screening and follow reasonable precautionary measures. Precautionary measures include, but are not limited to, wearing personal protective equipment, social distancing, or visiting in designated locations.
- All visitors must sign into a visitor’s log. Owners and operators must retain that log for 30 days.
- Employees or volunteers must be screened for COVID-19 symptoms at the start of each shift.
- People who live in nursing homes or assisted living facilities and who test positive for COVID-19 must be isolated away from other people.
- Owners, operators, staff and volunteers are prohibited from disclosing protected and confidential health information, except as otherwise provided by law or with the resident’s consent.
- The rules are expected to be in effect until midnight on April 9, 2020.
Colleges no longer meeting in person
The University of Washington, Western Washington University and Washington State University all moved to online classes and will continue to do remote instruction through spring quarter.
Seattle Pacific University, Shoreline Community College, Pacific
Lutheran University, Bellevue College and the DigiPen Institute of
Technology all announced that classes will be canceled or completed
online.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
