1/25: Monday Briefing & Spanish Language Report

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Vaccine updates, variant updates, and special meetings in Tacoma to address the police incident this weekend at 9th & Pacific.  Today’s briefing includes the Spanish-language Reporte Semanal de COVID-19 brought to you by Latinx En Accion and the Tacoma Pierce County Health Department. 

PERENNIAL RESOURCES

  • State-level updates on COVID-19 can be found online in multiple languages at coronavirus.wa.gov.
  • Dialing 311 will get you to the City of Tacoma’s non-emergency information line.
  • The state’s Coronavirus Q&A line is staffed 7 days a week, 6am-10pm, at 1-800-525-0127. For interpreters in other languages, press # when they answer and say your language.
  • You can also text the coronavirus Q&A line at 211-211 in any language.
  • Dialing 211 will connect you to community resources statewide through United Way, and you can also visit wa211.org online.
  • Many resources are available for adults and youth experiencing distress, as well as those caring for anyone experiencing emotional distress.
    • The “Washington Listens” support line for managing stress and getting referrals for behavioral health services is 1-833-681-0211.

STATE

  • The State COVID-19 Assistance Hotline is experiencing high call volume today, and some calls are not going through–an alternate number is 888-856-5816.
  • All eight regions in Washington are still in phase 1 until at least Monday, February 1, 2021.
    • Whether any regions move into phase 2 will depend on data release this Friday afternoon.
  • The State Dept of Health has launched the new online dashboard that provides a detailed overview of the metrics used for measuring regional progress.
    • The four metrics presented in the dashboard include:
      • Trend in 14-day rate of new COVID-19 cases per 100k population
      • Trend in 14-day rate of new COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100k population
      • Average 7-day percent occupancy of ICU staffed beds
      • 7-day percent positive of COVID-19 tests
    • The new dashboard replaces the original dashboard on coronavirus.wa.gov, but both are still publicly visible.
  • The dept of health has also made vaccine data available on the dashboard, including a high-level vaccination snapshot under the Current Status tab as well as a new Vaccinations tab with statewide and county-level data on where, when and how many people are getting vaccinated.
    • In the new tab, you can view the number of doses given in each county and statewide in a map view or by date, as well as the population percentage and number of people who have received at least one dose of vaccine and completed the recommended number of doses in each county and the state.

VACCINE INFO

  • Washingtonians can find out if they are eligible for COVID-19 vaccines online at FindYourPhaseWA.org.
    • Those currently eligible for vaccination include the following individuals:
      • All people 65 years and older
      • People 50 years and older in multigenerational households, defined as someone caring for their grandchild, niece or nephew.
      • Health care workers at high risk of COVID exposure or severe illness
      • First responders at high risk of COVID exposure or severe illness
      • Residents and staff of congregate living settings such as nursing homes.
    • Next up but not yet currently eligible will be Phase 1B tiers 2-4, which include those who work in group settings that include agriculture, food processing, correction facilities, grocery stores, public transit, schools, and child care.
    • The Washington State Department of Health, along with the Washington State National guard and other partners, is launching 3 mass COVID-19 vaccination sites in Eastern Washington and one in Clark County
      • The sites are currently offering vaccinations by appointment only for those in Phase 1A or in Tier 1 of Phase 1B.
      • Appointments can be made by calling the state coronavirus hotline, or online at prepmod.doh.wa.gov
    • Appointments for the two Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department’s COVID-19 vaccination clinics this week filled up in just hours on Friday afternoon, shortly after being announced.
      • The department advises that more pop up clinics are expected, including one in Gig Harbor.
      • Due to registration and email issues for this week’s Lakewood and Puyallup pop ups clinics, the department is resending confirmation emails to everyone who registered.
      • Those who received a green check mark at the end of their registration process have confirmed appointments, but through a form error, there are some instances where individuals signed up for the correct location, but the wrong date, and those individuals will have to swap locations for their appointment.
    • The following health systems and clinics in our region are offering vaccine appointments for eligible individuals:
      • MultiCare, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, Kaiser Permanente, Sea Mar, Orting Family Practice, OM Life Health Clinic, University Place Medical Clinic, and UW Medicine
    • The following pharmacies also have vaccine programs by appointment:
      • Safeway pharmacies in Bonney Lake & Lakewood
      • Kirk’s Pharmacy in Eatonville
      • Lincoln Pharmacy in Tacoma
      • Alberton’s pharmacy in Puyallup
    • Pierce County Council has approved 4 million dollars from its reserves, to be used for COVID-19 mass vaccination operations
    • SEIU Healthcare 1199NW is looking for current or former healthcare workers to be volunteer vaccinators in locations where they are most needed.

REGIONAL

  • The B.1.1.7 variant of COVID-19, also known as the UK variant because of the location in where it is thought to have emerged, has been detected in testing samples from Snohomish County and Pierce County. has been found in testing samples from our state.
    • Data collected and sequenced by The UW Medicine Virology Lab so far suggests a low prevalence of new strain in Western Washington
    • While this variant spreads more easily and quickly than other variants, the CDC states that there is no conclusive evidence that it causes more severe illness or increased risk of death.
    • The individual in Pierce County had no history of travel, but had attended social gatherings.
    • The health departments of both WA state and Tacoma-Pierce County, along with the CDC, are recommending everyone continue to follow the standard pandemic guidelines: maintain physical distance, avoid large gatherings, wash hands frequently, wear masks and limit travel.
  • The Tacoma Pierce County Health Department reported 198 new COVID 19 cases today. There were 158 cases on Sunday and 200 cases on Saturday.
    • The County’s average cases per day over the last 2 weeks is 226, and with a 6-day lag to account for data accuracy, the case rate per 100,000 people is 350.

TACOMA

  • The city of Tacoma is facilitating the Resurgence Business Loan Program for small businesses can request to borrow up to $25,000
    • Neither collateral nor equity is required, and loan recipients will not have to make payments until 2022.
    • The Loan is available to small businesses with brick-and-mortar establishments, home-based businesses, and food trucks operating within Tacoma city limits with 20 or fewer full-time equivalent employees.
    • A business must have operated for at least six months starting from, or prior to, June 2020.
    • Detailed application information will be available at makeittacoma.com/resurgenceloan.
  • The Tacoma City Council will be holding a special meeting today at 4:30 pm via Zoom to discuss the police incident that occurred this weekend at 9th St. and Pacific Ave.
  • www.zoom.us/j/87045755311, Passcode: 657432
  • The Community’s Police Advisory Board is holding a special meeting today 6:00 p.m. via Zoom to discuss the same incident.
    • The public may listen via zoom; while public verbal comment is not permitted because it is a special meeting, written comments can be emailed to CPAC@CityOfTacoma.org.
    • https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89821009801, Passcode: 278618
    • Shortly after air, the links for both meetings will be posted to daily.ktqa.org

TESTING SITES

  • There are numerous free COVID-19 testing sites in our region, including at Multicare, Franciscan, and Kaiser facilities; at Community Healthcare and SeaMar Community Health Centers; at Cheney Stadium, at the Lakewood State Emissions Testing Center, and more.
    • You can go to coronavirus.wa.gov and follow links for “Find Covid Testing Near Me” for specific locations.
    • In addition to permanent regular testing locations, The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Dept’s mobile testing events this weekend and next week are as follows:
      • Sat, Jan 23: Sumner High School
      • Sunday, Jan 24: Tacoma Dome
      • Monday, Jan 25: Salvation Army Camp Arnold in Eatonville
      • Tuesday, Jan 26: Washington State Fairgrounds Blue Lot in Puyallup
      • Wednesday, Jan 27: Pierce College in Puyallup
      • Thursday, Jan 28: Centro Latino in Hilltop ,Our Savior Lutheran Church at 4519 112th St. E.
      • Friday, Jan 29: Fort Steilacoom Park, Bethlehem Baptist Church located at 48th & Portland Ave E, and Old Spanaway Elementary School
    • No ID is required, tests are free and open to anyone, and most testing runs 10am-3pm, except the Lakewood station goes till 5:30), but check TPCHD.org for specifics
    • Results are available in 3-7 days