Coronavirus In Sammamish & Issaquah: The Week In Review

SAMMAMISH, WA — Washington state reported more than 16,000 new coronavirus cases over the past seven days.

That's down about 2,000 cases from the week before, but health officials say it's much too early to celebrate — not only did fewer Washingtonians take COVID-19 tests over the past week, potentially causing underreporting, but there is also the lingering concern that Thanksgiving holiday travel may have caused another transmission spike. In the past, case count spikes caused by holiday festivities typically lagged two weeks behind the holiday, so health experts say we probably won't know until next week how much of an impact Thanksgiving left.

"It can be particularly hard to interpret case counts and percent positivity because we know that were a number of people before Thanksgiving who wanted to get tested just to see if they were infected but didn't have any symptoms," said Dr. Kathy Lofy, the state health officer. "We also know that some people with mild illness may not be likely to go and get tested during the long weekend."

Meanwhile, the surge continues across the country at large. On Thursday alone, 2,798 Americans were killed by the coronavirus — that's a rate of two deaths every minute. At that rate, it took COVID-19 about 23 minutes to kill as many Americans as have died in wildfires all year.

Also on the national stage, a COVID-19 aid package may have finally begun squeaking its way through congress as more lawmakers have signaled support for the current, $908 billion proposal. That's significantly less than the first aid package, the $1.8 trillion-dollar CARES Act, provided earlier this year, but enough to create a $300 per week unemployment benefit and send $160 billion to support state and local government aid efforts.

Washington's top elected officials have long been calling on congress to provide further aid, and if the stimulus passes, it comes none too soon: the evergreen state only has $150 million of its CARES Act funding remaining, and is required to exhaust that money by the end of the month. When asked at a news conference Monday how the money would be spent, Gov. Jay Inslee said he wasn't ready to announce that just yet, but promised further details soon.

"We are having promising discussions with legislators about those subjects," Inslee said. "We hope to have more to say in the next few days."

Highest weekly case increases in Washington (Nov. 28 - Dec. 4)

• King County: +3,747 cases (+200 hospitalizations)

• Spokane County: +2,518 cases (+106 hospitalizations)

• Pierce County: +1,950 cases (+123 hospitalizations)

• Snohomish County: +1,471 cases (+9 hospitalizations)

• Clark County: +1,143 (+40 hospitalizations)

According to the risk assessment dashboard, Washington's rate of new cases is nearly 437 cases per 100,000 residents over the past two weeks— more than 17 times the target threshold — and all 39 counties currently show rates well into the highest transmission bracket.

In Sammamish, Public Health - Seattle & King County recorded 13 cases Friday, with 113 positive tests, one hospitalization and no new deaths resulting from the coronavirus in the past two weeks. The rate of cases in the state's most populous county has grown to 422 per 100,000 residents over 14 days, a figure more than 16 times the target threshold. In Issaquah, four cases were added Friday, with 91 positive tests and one hospitalization recorded over 14 days.

Related: King County Coronavirus Numbers Likely Lagging After Thanksgiving

Catch up on a few of this week's headlines:

Hospitalizations higher than spring, Washington prepares to receive first vaccine shipment

Hospitalizations typically follow a surge in new coronavirus cases, and this third, largest surge has been no exception.

At a conference Wednesday Dr. Kathy Lofy, the state health officer, confirmed that both hospitalizations and deaths were on the rise in virtually every corner of the state. In King County alone, the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients ballooned from 500 patients in early August, to more than 1,000 early this month.

"This is very concerning because our hospitals have limited capacity to take care of patients," Lofy said. "Many of our hospitals are canceling a lot of their non-urgent procedures now to make space and to make sure they have enough staff to take care of the increasing number of COVID patients that are coming into their hospital."

While Washington's medical system cares for that influx of patients, it also is preparing to receive the first batch of the COVID-19 vaccine. The state says they expect to receive the first batch of 62,000 doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine by sometime in mid-December. Another 200,000 doses are expected by the end of the month, followed by weekly shipments beginning in January.

Read more: Washington Prepares For 1st Shipments Of Coronavirus Vaccine

State releases COVID-19 exposure app, 1 million enroll

Monday, Washington state unveiled a new smartphone app that warns residents if they have been exposed to the coronavirus. Just days later, and more than 1 million users have the app installed.

"We've deployed WA Notify in 29 languages so as many Washington residents as possible can protect themselves, their loved ones and their communities. I encourage everyone to start using WA Notify today so we can continue to work together to contain the virus," said Gov. Jay Inslee at the app's announcement.

Once activated, the app interfaces with other phones that also have it installed, trading codes over Bluetooth that are randomized to maintain anonymity. If one user later tests positive for the coronavirus, the program then notifies every other user who was near the infected patient during their exposure period.

The program is voluntary and organizers have repeatedly stressed that it is anonymous, and does not track a user's personal information or where they have been going.

Read more: Washington Unveils Coronavirus Exposure Notification App

Pierce County Council considers dissolving health department

A controversial proposal may end with Pierce County dissolving and rebuilding their health department right in the middle of the pandemic.

The proposal, sponsored by Pierce County Council Member Pam Roach, would dismantle the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, which is run jointly by county and City of Tacoma leadership, and rebuild a new department, run exclusively by the county.

Roach argues that the move would put more power in the hands of the people, and take away from what she feels is excessive power in the hands of Tacoma, and while some have joined her in supporting the proposal, criticism has been swift and loud: earlier this week Roach's fellow Council Member David Young called the move the "stupidest idea" he had ever seen. Others accused Roach of playing politics while she's on her way out the door — her term ends two weeks after the vote — and thumbing her nose at the health department's Director of Health Anthony L-T Chen, who she has vocally criticized since the beginning of the pandemic.

Chen has responded, and while he didn't rebuke Roach or the proposal directly, he did say that the middle of a pandemic is not a good time to consider such a major undertaking.

"The Health Department needs to focus all of its attention on ending COVID-19 in Pierce County," said Chen. "Efforts that divide our attention from this critical public health response are an unfortunate distraction."

Read more: Pierce County Council To Vote On Proposal To Dissolve Health Dept

Applications open for coronavirus relief grants

Applications are now open for $50 million worth of Working Washington grants, and the state is urging small businesses to apply for them before Dec. 11.

Money received through the program can only be used to cover expenses or costs incurred due to COVID-19, and which were necessary to keep the business operating.

"Small businesses are the heart and soul of our communities, and what make our neighborhoods unique. Most operate on small margins in the best of times, and today is even more challenging," said Commerce Director Lisa Brown. "We intend to distribute these funds as quickly as possible to the businesses that need it most. "

Read more: Applications Open For Coronavirus Relief Small Business Grants

Western state hit with biggest infection spike yet

Western State Hospital has just seen its biggest spike in coronavirus cases, with more than 30 patients and staff testing positive for the virus in just one week.

Of their recent spike in cases, ten were hospital patients, all between the ages of 62 and 82. The hospital told The Associated Press that the patients have been moved to a special COVID-19 ward to avoid infecting other patients.

The remainder of the spike in cases came from hospital staff, 12 of whom tested positive for the virus within a three-day span last week. Most were in the same ward that saw the spike in infected patients, according to KOMO News.

In total, 596 coronavirus infections have been confirmed in DSHS 24/7 care facilities across Washington. Of those, 128 cases remain active. The bulk of infections were in staff members, who represent 424 of the infected.

Read more: Western State Hospital Endures Another Spike In Coronavirus Cases

Total coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths by county:

Editors note: Patch is now updating these totals on a weekly, rather than daily, basis. Readers should keep in mind that the increases below represent infections, hospitalizations and deaths over a seven-day period.

The above numbers are provided by the state Department of Health, and some numbers differ from the totals provided separately by county health agencies.

This article originally appeared on the Sammamish-Issaquah Patch