WA Expects More Vaccine Shipments, Unveils New Assistance Program

OLYMPIA, WA — The Washington State Department of Health on Wednesday provided its weekly update on the state of the coronavirus in Washington, including a bit of good news on early vaccination dosage, which is set to be slightly higher than first anticipated.

Dr. Kathy Lofy, the state health officer, began Wednesday's briefing with an overview of the latest trends seen in case counts, hospitalizations and deaths. Lofy said the full impact of the Thanksgiving holiday is still being determined and will be aided by more data available in the coming days.

However, early indications on case counts appear to mirror trajectories seen across the United States, with a noticeable dip in illnesses reported over the long holiday weekend, followed by a swift rebound. Lofy said such trends are common over holidays, as fewer people seek testing for mild symptoms or lack access to open facilities.

Looking at federal testing positivity data, Lofy said, the percentage of positive tests increased noticeably following Thanksgiving, even as the total number of tests performed declined to their pre-holiday levels.

According to state data, the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 complications continues to grow, a pattern that holds true across the state. Lofy said the percentage of occupied beds remains high and is increasing, but the trend slowed in the last week, which could be a positive sign if it continues.

Still, hospitals in most counties have a higher occupancy than at any other point in the pandemic and health leaders remain very concerned about ICU capacity and staffing shortages should further spikes occur.

To avoid that, Lofy said, everyone needs to remain vigilant about public health precautions, like limiting socializing to members of your household — or outside, while wearing face coverings and maintaining physical distance — and limiting all unnecessary trips to public indoor spaces.

The same precautions needed for Thanksgiving will still be necessary for Christmas and New Year's Eve festivities.

"Given the high rates of disease in Washington right now and around the country, our holiday celebrations need to look very different than they have in the past," said Lacy Fahrenbach, deputy secretary for the state's COVID-19 response. "Many of us discovered very creative, unique ways to celebrate Thanksgiving, and we're asking everyone to do the same as they plan their winter holiday celebrations oh Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year's and others. We strongly urge everyone to limit their travel...and for in-person celebrations, those should really be only the people in your immediate household."

Washington expects roughly 400,000 Pfizer, Moderna vaccine doses by end of December

Michele Roberts, who leads vaccine planning efforts in Washington, announced Wednesday that the federal government intends to ship the state slightly more vaccine doses in December than initially projected.

Under the adjusted expectations, Washington expects 62,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine soon and 222,000 total doses by the end of December. On top of that, the federal government pledged 180,000 doses of the vaccine designed by Moderna, meaning more than 400,000 doses should arrive in the state by the end of the month. Both vaccines require two doses to reach their maximum effectiveness.

A Food and Drug Administration committee is scheduled to meet Thursday morning for a public review of the Pfizer vaccine. If an emergency use authorization is approved, as expected, a workgroup of western states will complete an independent review. Roberts said that process is only expected to take one or two days, and should not interfere with how quickly the first vaccine shipments arrive. The first vaccinations could happen as early as next week.

In Washington, the first group to be vaccinated includes frontline health care workers, first responders, along with residents and staff at long-term care facilities. Planning is still underway for who will be included in the next two phases, called 1B and 1C, and federal guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is still pending.

The goal, Roberts said, is to have the first priority group vaccinated by mid-January, while getting the general population immunized is likely to take a few months longer, and will also depend on public willingness.

Washington launches 'Care Connect' to provide supplies for those who need to quarantine or isolate

Another announcement included in Wednesday's remarks was the launch of "Care Connect Washington," a new program to help provide food and other services to people contacted during case investigations, free of charge.

According to state health officials, the service will empower case investigators and contact tracers to offer food kits, grocery deliveries and other critical services to people who require quarantine or isolation due to a COVID-19 exposure or positive test result. Other assistance includes help paying bills and assistance applying for unemployment or finding childcare.

Fehrenbach said Care Connect started as a pilot project in Yakima County, as is now available in 13 counties. The program is not yet available in King, Pierce or Snohomish counties, but the Department of Health aims to add more regions by Jan. 1.

Learn more about Care Connect Washington on the state coronavirus website.