Coronavirus updates: Funding for local governments; Western States Pact expands
This page includes coronavirus developments around Washington state for Tuesday, April 28.
Updated at 4:55 p.m.
The Washington State Department of Health on Tuesday reported 156 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and 21 additional deaths.
The statewide totals are now at 13,842 cases and 786 deaths, up from 13,686 cases 765 deaths on Monday.
Washington state has now conducted 182,515 test with 7.6% coming back positive. Of the total confirmed cases, 5.7% have resulted in death
King County remains the hardest hit with 6,001 cases and 429 deaths. Snohomish County has 2,365 cases and 108 deaths while Pierce County has 1,293 cases and 48 deaths, according to DOH.
Garfield County remains the only county without a confirmed case. There are 79 cases that haven’t been assigned a county.
Pierce County sees 34 new COVID-19 cases, two deaths
Updated at 3 p.m.
On Tuesday, Pierce County reported 34 new COVID-19 cases and two more deaths.
The county has reported a total of 1,382 cases and 51 deaths since the coronavirus pandemic began, according to figures from the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.
One previous case was discovered to be a duplicate report, leading to Tuesday’s adjusted total.
The new deaths include a Central Pierce County woman in her 80s and a Tacoma man in his 70s, both with underlying health conditions.
On Monday, the department added to its reporting data a list of cases reported at care facilities. The department says that moving forward, those numbers will be updated each Wednesday.
The department warns that it isn’t just long-term care residents at risk.
Steve Metcalf, communications specialist for the health department, told The News Tribune on Tuesday in response to questions that “person-to-person COVID-19 transmission is widespread in the county.”
Tacoma alone saw a rise of 13 cases reported between Monday and Tuesday.
The health department continues to emphasize social distancing as an effective mitigation measure, “along with limiting time around others ... frequent handwashing and wearing a cloth mask when unable to practice social distancing,” he wrote via email.
Daily case totals can change as the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department receives new information. Adjustments can include correcting duplicate data, assigning a case to another county or learning a test was a false positive.
Tuesday’s geographical totals are listed below with Monday’s reported numbers in parentheses:
▪ Bonney Lake: 34 (33)
▪ Central Pierce County: 104 (no change)
▪ East Pierce County: 38 (no change)
▪ Edgewood/Fife/Milton: 74 (73)
▪ Frederickson: 47 (no change)
▪ Gig Harbor area: 50 (no change)
▪ Graham: 45 (42)
▪ JBLM: No longer reported
▪ Key Peninsula: 7 (no change)
▪ Lake Tapps/Sumner area: 37 (35)
▪ Lakewood: 130 (126)
▪ Parkland: 68 (67)
▪ Puyallup: 67 (66)
▪ South Hill: 74 (no change)
▪ South Pierce County: 32 (30)
▪ Southwest Pierce County: 17 (no change)
▪ Spanaway: 45 (44)
▪ Tacoma: 461 (448)
▪ University Place: 47 (45)
▪ Unknown: 5 (3)
Daily reports include cases received by 11:59 p.m. the previous day.
Commerce provides $9 million in rent and energy assistance to serve estimated 5,000 low-income households
Updated at 12:30 p.m.
The Department of Commerce last week provided up to $1,000 in rental assistance and up to $500 in energy assistance for households that qualify for the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). The crisis funding will be distributed through Commerce’s statewide network of community action agencies, and is expected to serve an estimated 5,000 eligible households.
Community action agencies will distribute the money on a first-come, first-served basis, as long as the Governor’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order is in place.
Of the $9 million available, 15% is available for rental assistance. Tenants who are behind in their rent and meet the other qualifications for crisis benefits must apply to their local community action agency. If approved, the rental assistance payment will be made directly to the landlord.
Similarly, those unable to pay their energy bills must apply through their local community action agency. When approved, the benefit is paid to the utility that serves the qualifying household.
To qualify for the COVID-19 crisis LIHEAP benefits, a household must be at or below 125% of the federal poverty level and have received — or will receive — a LIHEAP or Low Income Rate Assistance Program (LIRAP) benefit in the current program year (October 2019 – October 2020).
Inslee announces distribution of funding to local governments from federal stimulus package
Updated at 8:20 a.m.
Gov. Jay Inslee announced Monday that $300 million will be awarded from the state’s federal stimulus funding to local governments that did not receive direct distributions under the CARES Act.
“Cities and counties are on the front line of fighting this pandemic, especially our public health jurisdictions,” Inslee said. “This funding will help our local partners across Washington meet the needs of their communities as we work together to defeat the virus. These vital resources can be used to cover critical expenses arising from the COVID-19 emergency, including isolation and quarantine sites, staffing and the procurement of medical supplies and equipment for health care providers and first responders.”
Funds will be provided to cities and counties with populations under 500,000 that were ineligible to receive direct funding under the CARES Act. Specific allocations will be released in the coming days. Each county will receive a minimum distribution of $250,000 and each city will receive a minimum distribution of $25,000 from the state.
Local leaders representing Washington’s cities and counties responded to Inslee’s announcement.
“For the past two months, county elected officials and staff have been laser-focused on responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and protecting the public health of our residents,” said Eric Johnson, executive director of the Washington State Association of Counties.
“Washington’s 39 counties and 35 local health jurisdictions appreciate Governor Inslee’s leadership. The governor’s prompt release of federal coronavirus relief funds to counties will help us continue to deliver critical services necessary to respond and recover from this public and economic crisis across the state.”
Comcast expands COVID-19 relief statewide
Updated at 8:20 a.m.
Comcast announced Monday it will extend its commitments for Xfinity customers through June 30 to help ensure students can finish out the school year from home and remain connected to the internet during the COVID-19 crisis.
Originally announced on March 13, Comcast made the following commitments that will now be extended into the summer:
▪ No Disconnects and Waiving Late Fees: Comcast will not disconnect a customer’s Xfinity Internet, Xfinity Mobile or Xfinity Voice service. Late fees will be waived if customers contact Comcast to say they can’t pay their bills during this period.
▪ Xfinity WiFi Free for Everyone: Xfinity WiFi hotspots in business and outdoor locations across the country will be available to anyone who needs them for free – including non-Xfinity Internet subscribers. For a map of Xfinity WiFi hotspots, visit www.xfinity.com/wifi.
▪ Pausing Data Plan: Comcast is pausing data plans to give all customers unlimited data for no additional charge.
▪ Internet Essentials: Comcast is extending its offer of 60 days of complimentary service for new customers through June 30. Internet Essentials is normally available to all qualified low-income households for $9.95/month. For more information, visit www.internetessentials.com.
Washington leads launch of COVID-19 support platform with 8 other states
Updated at 8:20 a.m.
Bitwise Industries and the Kapor Center have launched a location-specific platform for eight states and the District of Columbia to help people who have lost their jobs as a result of COVID-19.
Americans in New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, Illinois, Washington, Oregon, Connecticut and the District of Columbia join California and Colorado with access to the Onward platform which provides connections to the resources needed to navigate life during the COVID-19 state of emergency.
“After a $5 million investment and 300 new hires, the OnwardUS platform that was originally created to help California, has now scaled to serve one third of the United States population, stretching from coast to coast,” said Jake Soberal, CEO and Co-Founder, Bitwise Industries.
“As unemployment grows, OnwardUS provides a single, easy-to-use website. The OnwardUS platform combines the resources and jobs people need most in one place and makes finding and accessing services a less daunting task in an already challenging time. Our goal is to serve as many people as possible in their time of need.”
AG Ferguson sends cease and desist letter to Seattle business selling COVID-19 “vaccine”
Updated at 8:20 a.m.
Attorney General Bob Ferguson is warning a Seattle-based business to stop selling and administering a so-called COVID-19 “vaccine.”
Ferguson warns that if the company, North Coast Biologics, or its owner, Johnny T. Stine, don’t stop making false or unsupported claims about the product, they could face a lawsuit from Ferguson under the state Consumer Protection Act.
In a social media post, Stine claims to have developed a “vaccine” that has made him immune to COVID-19, and offers his “vaccine” for $400.
In the letter, Ferguson notes that no effective treatment or vaccine for COVID-19 has been identified, and that “consumers should not have to worry about being misled about the health benefits of products that have not been evaluated or established as effective to treat or prevent the virus.”
Ferguson calls on Stine to “immediately stop making misrepresentations about your COVID-19 ‘vaccine.’ ” Failing to do so, Ferguson warns, could result in a lawsuit filed by his office under the state Consumer Protection Act, which allows for a civil penalty of up to $2,000 per individual violation.
Colorado & Nevada will join Washington, Oregon & California in Western States Pact
Updated at 8:20 a.m.
Gov. Jay Inslee announced that Colorado Governor Jared Polis and Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak are joining Washington, Oregon and California in the Western States Pact — a working group of Western state governors with a shared vision for modifying stay at home orders and fighting COVID-19.
“In Washington state, our decisions are guided by public health data and science and this is a principle we share up and down the West Coast. Governor Polis and Governor Sisolak are taking that approach as well, and the addition of their states will strengthen this regional partnership and save lives,” Inslee said.
Earlier this month, Inslee, along with California Governor Gavin Newsom and Oregon Governor Kate Brown, announced they would be working together under a shared vision for gradually modifying their state’s stay at home orders and fighting COVID-19.
Pierce County now includes list of COVID-19 outbreaks at care facilities
Updated at 8:20 a.m.
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department on Monday afternoon introduced a new chart to their data page tracking COVID-19 cases.
It lists confirmed cases among staff and patients at care facilities in the county, and the department said it would update the chart each Wednesday. The cases are already reflected in the overall case count updated each day.
In a blog post Monday, Nigel Turner, director of the department’s Communicable Disease division wrote: “During the pandemic, we must balance information transparency with our duty to protect confidential patient health information. To strike this balance, we will publish a table identifying the number of positive test results in long-term facilities with 30 or more beds and 10 or more positive test results (patients and staff). We added this table today and will update this table each Wednesday along with other weekly updates.”
In the post, he also noted that, “About 52 percent of our positive cases are ages 50 or older among a group that makes up 36 percent of the county’s population.”
The department added facility name, address and number of positive cases to its census tract map also on the website.
In explaining the chart, the department notes, “A staff person could work at multiple facilities and be counted as a case at each facility.”
The new chart also has an “Other” category that “includes facilities with less than 10 cases or less than 30 beds. It also includes homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters and rehabilitation centers.”
This story was originally published April 28, 2020 at 9:21 AM with the headline "Coronavirus updates: Funding for local governments; Western States Pact expands."
