A survivor’s tale

Washington State Department of Health

Aug 26 · 
Charlotte* doesn’t remember much of March. She doesn’t even remember getting the positive COVID-19 test. She remembers thinking maybe she was having allergies in the beginning of March, but by the end of that week she “got really sick really fast.”

When Charlotte started having trouble breathing, she was taken by ambulance to Swedish Hospital and put in isolation. When she arrived at the hospital, her breathing was so bad that she couldn’t even blow out a candle.
Symptoms of COVID-19 include things like body aches, fever and chills.

Charlotte lives in King County. She’s in her early 40s and has no underlying health conditions. Since she wasn’t considered to be at high risk for getting seriously ill with COVID-19, she wasn’t too concerned about getting it. That all changed quickly.

Shortly after Charlotte got sick, her husband and both her kids also got COVID-19. Like most people, her husband and kids had mild illness and recovered just fine in about two weeks. Mild illness can be pretty miserable though. Charlotte’s husband had a high fever and severe body aches which had him in bed for almost a week.

Along with her breathing troubles, Charlotte had a low-grade fever, diarrhea, lost her sense of taste and smell, and had body aches that she described as much, much worse than those you might get with the flu. Her recovery has had ups and downs, but the most severe symptoms lingered about a month. Months later, she is better, and working again, but still recovering. Even now, she finds herself completely exhausted by the end of her work day.

COVID-19 Update, August 21, 2020Washington State Department of Health sent this bulletin at 08/21/2020 05:30 PM PDT

​COVID-19 Update, August 21, 2020

Good afternoon! The state Department of Health (http://www.doh.wa.gov/) wants to keep you as informed as possible about continuing developments surrounding COVID-19 as well as guidance and resources you can share with employees, clients, or customers.

Re-imagining School
The most important thing we can do to get our kids back in school safely is to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our communities. That means we all need to continue wearing our cloth face coverings, staying six feet away from other people, and keeping our get-togethers very small, infrequent, and outdoors.

Many schools are opening remotely now, but what will it look like as schools begin to return to in-person instruction? Along with Public Health – Seattle & King County, we released a new report by the Institute for Disease Modeling (IDM) that looks at different approaches to bringing students back to in-person instruction. The report is the result of computer models using data that describes the transmission of COVID-19—plus information we know about the effectiveness of various things we do to prevent its spread—in order to predict to the course of the epidemic under various conditions in our communities and schools.

If you are familiar with the weather report, you are familiar with using models to predict the future. Computer models use lots of historical weather data to make predictions—if the wind continues like this, what are the chances that it will it rain? In our case, we are asking the model, if kids come back to school every day or every other day, what are the chances that this causes exponential spread of COVID-19 in our communities?
The models show that any way we return to in-person education, there will be some risk of spreading COVID-19. Nevertheless, bringing children back to school—as safely as possible—is good public health. Children and families rely on in-person education not only for academic advancement, but also for language development, social and emotional growth, meals, and to allow parents to work outside the home.

As we bring children back to in-person education, schools and families will need to take many precautions to keep the students and staff safe. The models suggest that it will be safest to bring the youngest and most at-need students back into buildings first. As they do so, we can expect that they will come back for two days of in-person instruction per week at first. There will be daily symptom checks, cloth face coverings, lots of hand washing, and many changes to make sure that students can stay six feet apart during their time at school.

There is still a long way to go before our rates of COVID-19 are low enough to return to in-person learning. But we can get there by working together to stay apart.  

Numbers. The latest numbers are on our webpage. As of 11:59 p.m. on August 20, 69,779 people in Washington have tested positive for COVID-19. Of those, 6,469 people had to be hospitalized, and 1,850 people (or 2.7%) have died of the disease. More COVID-19 data can be found on the DOH website and in the state’s risk assessment dashboard.

​Practice compassion. Reach out to a parent preparing to help their student begin remote learning. Can you offer to provide video conference homework help once school starts? How else can you support your neighbors from six feet away?

Remind the kids to wash their hands,
Lauren

Gov. Jay Inslee today announced the creation of two funds to help workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Immigrant Relief Fund will provide $40 million to assist Washington residents who are unable to access federal stimulus programs due to their immigration status, and the Food Production Paid Leave Program will provide $3 million of financial resources to certain food production workers who remain home when ill.
 
The governor and his staff worked closely with a coalition representing 430 immigrant rights and social services organizations, and labor advocacy leaders, to develop the funds.
 
“We have to ensure that no one in our state is left behind as we fight this pandemic,” Inslee said. “COVID-19 doesn’t care what your immigration status is. We must support every family affected by the virus, especially those who lack the necessary means to quarantine or isolate and prevent further spread. This is the right thing for the well-being of individuals, the health of their colleagues and the safety of our communities.”
 
The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services has issued a request for proposals to select a nonprofit that will administer the Immigrant Relief Fund. The institution will then partner with community organizations to manage applications and awards of $1,000 per eligible individual. Initial awards are expected to be made later in the fall.    
 
"Immigrant community members are facing some of the worst outcomes of this pandemic and have been systematically excluded from a social safety net for too long," said Rich Stolz, executive director of the immigrant rights group OneAmerica. "A coalition of immigrant organizations came together to develop this fund that recognizes the dignity of our undocumented community members and works to get some relief to their families during this difficult time."
Inslee has strongly supported immigrant and refugee communities throughout his time in office. 
 
In response to COVID-19, the governor has worked to provide agricultural operations with the personal protective equipment (PPE) and supplies needed to keep agricultural workers safe. In particular, he has directed the procurement and distribution of more than $1 million worth of hand sanitizer for use in agricultural operations, and the distribution of more than 700,000 cloth face coverings to agricultural workers. Further distributions of PPE to agricultural workers will bring the total number of cloth face coverings and KN95 masks provided to more than 2 million.  
 
“Immigrant workers are critical to communities throughout the state and are the backbone of our economy,” Inslee said. “While some have been hit by the economic downturn caused by the pandemic, others face safety risks as frontline workers. And even though immigrants in the United States pay billions of dollars in taxes, they do not receive the same support when a crisis occurs. This is one way to help rectify that situation.”
 
To access the RFP:
The DSHS Procurement Website at https://www.dshs.wa.gov/ffa/procurements-and-contracting or at https://pr-webs-vendor.des.wa.gov/Search_BidDetails.aspx?ID=44256. 

Pacific County Health Department will begin accepting applications for rental assistance on Monday, August 17, 2020.
 
Eviction Rental Assistance Program
 
Overview: The Eviction Rent Assistance Program (ERAP) Grant is intended to prevent evictions by paying past due, current due and future rent, targeting limited resources to those with the greatest needs while working to distribute funds. Up to three months of rent payments in any combination of rental arrears, current rent or future rent through December 2020. Payments to landlords or friend/family can only be up to 80% of total rent due (arrears, current, future) OR the Fair Market Rent rate.
 
Program Goals:

• Prevent evictions
• Target limited resources to people most likely to become homeless after eviction
• Target limited resources to people most likely to suffer severe health consequences as a result of eviction
• Promote equity in who is served, with a focus on equity for groups of people who historically have not been provided equitable access to rent assistance and those who have disproportionately been impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak: Latinx or Hispanic, young adults, Black or African American, American Indian and Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander.

 
Authorizing Statute and Funding Source: Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (P.L. 116-136)
 
Eligibility:
There isn’t enough funding to assist all of the households who may be eligible for rent assistance under this program. The purpose of the eligibility screening criteria is to initially open the program assistance to a large group of households and then target those most likely to become homeless but for this assistance.
 
Households must meet two initial screening criteria:

• Current Income (0ver last 60 days) at or below 50% of Area Median Income.
• At least one month of rent not paid or partially unpaid since March 1, 2020.
• Household must also meet at least one of the following additional screening criteria (any member of the household can meet the criteria, it doesn’t have to be the head of household):
  • Rent burdened: 50% or more of current monthly income is needed to pay rent.
  • Previously homeless within last five years. This includes experiences of couch surfing/double up.
  • Eviction history within last seven years.
  • Housing disrupted due to household member race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, or religion.
  • At risk of severe illness as per CDC (62or older, underlying condition).
  • Disability of any household member. Includes a physical, developmental, mental, or emotional impairment, including impairment caused by alcohol or drug abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder, or brain injury. A person with HIV/AIDS is considered disabled.
  • If screening a young adult age 24 or younger, these additional criteria can be used to determine eligibility:
    • Person 24 years old or younger that is pregnant or parenting.
    • Person 24 years old or younger that is a recipient (current or past) from any one of the following: foster care; adoption; mental health; drug, alcohol treatment; court systems.
• United States citizenship is NOT an eligibility requirement of this program

 
Required Forms:

• Household eligibility must be documented using the Commerce ERAP Household Information & Eligibility Form. Click HERE for the form in English. Click HERE for the form in Spanish. 
• The Commerce ERAP Landlord Payment Agreement Form must be completed when a household has a formal rental agreement or lease with backup documentation. Click HERE for the form in English. Click HERE for the form in Spanish. 
• The Commerce ERAP Friend/Family Payment Agreement Form must be completed when a household has an informal rental agreement with a friend for family member. Click HERE for the form in English. Click HERE for the form in Spanish. 

 
 
FORMS CAN BE SENT TO rentassistance@co.pacific.wa.us, by fax to 360-642-9352, or via mail to 7013 Sandridge Rd, Long Beach, WA 98631. If you need assistance filling out forms, please contact 360-214-9996 or email rentassistance@co.pacific.wa.us 


COVID-19 del condado del Pacífico
Blog de noticias y recursos
 Si tiene una emergencia médica, comuníquese con el 9-1-1 de inmediato.
 Para sugerencias o cambios en esta página, comuníquese con:
 Jackie Smith, educadora de salud - jsmith@co.pacific.wa.us
 El Departamento de Salud del Condado de Pacific comenzará a aceptar solicitudes de asistencia para el alquiler el lunes 17 de agosto de 2020.

 8/12/2020 0 Comentarios 
 El Departamento de Salud del Condado de Pacific comenzará a aceptar solicitudes de asistencia para el alquiler el lunes 17 de agosto de 2020.

 Programa de asistencia de alquiler por desalojo

 Descripción general: La subvención del Programa de asistencia de alquiler por desalojo (ERAP) está destinada a prevenir los desalojos mediante el pago de alquileres vencidos, vencidos actuales y futuros, dirigiendo los recursos limitados a aquellos con las mayores necesidades mientras se trabaja para distribuir fondos.  Hasta tres meses de pagos de alquiler en cualquier combinación de atrasos de alquiler, alquiler actual o alquiler futuro hasta diciembre de 2020. Los pagos a propietarios o amigos / familiares solo pueden ser hasta el 80% del alquiler total adeudado (atrasos, actual, futuro) O el  Tarifa de alquiler de mercado justa.
 Metas del programa:
Prevenir desalojos
 Dirigir los recursos limitados a las personas con más probabilidades de quedarse sin hogar después del desalojo
 Dirigir los recursos limitados a las personas con más probabilidades de sufrir graves consecuencias para la salud como resultado del desalojo.
 Promover la equidad en quiénes son atendidos, con un enfoque en la equidad para grupos de personas a quienes históricamente no se les ha brindado acceso equitativo a la asistencia para el alquiler y aquellos que se han visto afectados de manera desproporcionada por el brote de COVID-19: latinos o hispanos, adultos jóvenes, negros o  Afroamericanos, indios americanos y nativos de Alaska, nativos de Hawái u otras islas del Pacífico.

 Estatuto de autorización y fuente de financiamiento: Ley de Ayuda, Alivio y Seguridad Económica por el Coronavirus (CARES) (P.L.116-136)

 Elegibilidad:
 No hay fondos suficientes para ayudar a todos los hogares que pueden ser elegibles para recibir asistencia para el alquiler bajo este programa.  El propósito de los criterios de selección de elegibilidad es abrir inicialmente la asistencia del programa a un grupo grande de hogares y luego apuntar a aquellos con más probabilidades de quedarse sin hogar si no fuera por esta asistencia.

 Los hogares deben cumplir con dos criterios de selección iniciales:
 Ingresos actuales (durante los últimos 60 días) iguales o inferiores al 50% del ingreso medio del área.
 Al menos un mes de alquiler no pagado o parcialmente impago desde el 1 de marzo de 2020.

Washington State Department of Health

Aug 4 · 3 min read

If one of your friends had a fever and a cough, you would send them to bed and reschedule your time together. But 30–50% of people who’ve gotten COVID-19 got it from someone with no symptoms. That is, they got it from someone who looked, felt, and acted just like normal.




















​Limiting how many people we get together with in person — even when we and our friends all feel completely normal — reduces our chances of getting or spreading COVID-19.

That’s why the governor’s Safe Start plan restricts social gatherings to just a very few people.

• In Phase 2 counties: we can gather with five or fewer people at a time.
• In Phase 3 counties: we can gather with 10 or fewer people at a time.
• And in Yakima, Benton, and Franklin counties: no gatherings are allowed.
• You can see which phase your county is in and what’s open in each phase on the Safe Start page of the state’s COVID-19 website.

Larger social gatherings are one big reason we’re seeing high rates of COVID-19 activity throughout the state. Every time we’re around others talking, laughing, or singing, we risk catching the virus from someone’s breath.

Staying home is still safest

But when we go out, fewer, shorter, and safer interactions help us keep one another safe.

• Only participate in one or two social gatherings a week. Make sure each gathering is with just five or 10 (depending on your county) people from outside your household.
• Masks and distance. Make sure everyone stays six feet apart and wears face coverings.
• Stay outside. Staying outdoors is much safer than gathering indoors because the wind can disperse everyone’s breath more quickly outdoors.
• Keep it quick. Shorter in-person time is safer than longer in-person time.
• Stay home if you’re sick. This may be your first chance to hang out with friend in a while, but it isn’t your last. If you feel sick at all — even just a little — reschedule. If you have any symptoms that might be related to COVID-19, call your health care provider or local health department to get tested.
• Avoid contact. And when you get together with your five or 10 friends, tell them you love them with words, not a hug.

Practice compassion
Even when we feel great, we never know when we might be carrying a virus that could endanger others. Stay six feet away and wear a cloth face covering in public. Keep your community safe.

More information

Stay tuned to our blog for more information on how you can help stop the spread of COVID-19. Sign up to be notified whenever we post new articles.

Information in this blog changes rapidly. Check the state’s COVID-19 website for up-to-date and reliable info at coronavirus.wa.gov.

Answers to your questions or concerns about COVID-19 in Washington state may be found at our website. You can also contact our the Department of Health call center at 1–800–525–0127 and press # from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday — Friday, and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday — Sunday. Language assistance is available.
​
Please note that this call center cannot access COVID-19 testing results. For testing inquiries or results, please contact your health care provider.

For immediate release: July 28, 2020  (20-135)
Contact: Jamie Nixon, Communications, 360-789-3804

​The Department of Health launches CORONA Survey 

OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) launched the Community Recovery-Oriented Needs Assessment, or the CORONA survey. The survey is an effort to assess the behavioral, economic, social, and emotional impacts and the needs of communities across the state as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.
The CORONA survey results will inform immediate, long-term, and ongoing actions that DOH and local health jurisdictions can take to address the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on Washingtonians.
In order to appropriately and equitably inform recovery plans at the state and local levels, DOH is requesting residents from across Washington to go to www.wacoronasurvey.com to take part in the survey. (To take the survey by phone, call 855-530-5787—interpreters are available to assist.)
The survey is voluntary and confidential. At the end of the survey, participants will be given the option to provide their name, phone number and/or email address. Each week of the survey, three participants will receive a $100 Amazon.com gift code as a thank you for their time and participation. If you have additional questions about the CORONA Survey, you can call the Washington State Department of Health at 1-800-525-0127.
Learn more about reopening and the statewide response to COVID-19 at coronavirus.wa.gov.
Individuals can also find COVID-19 information on the Department of Health’s website or call 1-800-525-0127. Individuals can text the word “coronavirus” to 211-211 to receive information and updates on their phone wherever they are.
The Department of Health works with others to protect and improve the health of all people in Washington State.


Visit the DOH Newsroom for all news releases. 
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