Coronavirus: Some regions will move to Phase 2 of reopening plan starting Monday

SEATTLE — Gov. Jay Inslee announced changes to the state’s reopening plan, Healthy Washington — Roadmap to Recovery.

>> Are you eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in Washington? Follow this link and find out

In order for a region to move from Phase 1 to Phase 2 of the reopening plan, regions were required to meet all four metrics.

On Thursday during a news conference, Inslee said regions will now only need to meet three of the four metrics.

>> Read more about the new statewide reopening plan here

The four metrics remain the same:

• Trend in case rate: Trend in 14-day rate of new COVID-19 cases per 100K population;
• Trend in hospital admissions rate: Trend in 14-day rate of new COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100K population;
• Percent ICU occupancy: Average 7-day percent occupancy of ICU staffed beds; and
• Percent positivity: 7-day percent positive of COVID-19 tests.

Also on Thursday, Inslee announced that several regions are eligible to enter Phase 2 starting Monday.

• Puget Sound (Snohomish, King, Pierce)
• West (Grays Harbor, Pacific, Thurston, Lewis)

If any region fails to meet any two metrics, they will go back to Phase 1.

Here’s a breakdown of some of the counties with the highest totals: King County has 1,242 deaths among 78,010 cases; Snohomish County has 489 deaths among 27,744 cases; and Pierce County has 467 deaths among 33,995 cases.

Click here to see where other counties in the state stand.

Key coronavirus updates:

• There are at least 311,597 confirmed coronavirus cases with at least 4,285 deaths in Washington, according to the latest Department of Health numbers as of Jan 29.
• Need a flu shot? The Department is Health is offering free vaccines for the uninsured. Click here for more information.
• The Department of Health release a report on multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children associated with COVID-19. Click here to read it for yourself.
• Everyone in Washington in an indoor public space, or in an outside public space when unable to physically distance from others, is legally required to wear a face covering. Click here for more information.
• Businesses across the state are not allowed to serve customers who don’t wear facial coverings. Click here for more information.
• Gov. Jay Inslee announced a new statewide reopening plan called “Healthy Washington.” It moves away from a county-based oversight system to one focused on regions. Washington’s 39 counties will be divided into eight geographic regions based on health system resources.
• The State DOH updated the definition of a COVID-19 close contact to align with new CDC guidance. It states that a close contact is defined as someone who was within 6 feet of someone with COVID-19 for at least 15 minutes.
• Some Washington residents can apply for emergency cash assistance, if they aren’t eligible for other programs.
• Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is requiring everyone to wear masks while on airport property. Read more here.
• Click here to see what hotels are open in Seattle.
• KIRO 7 will send breaking news updates through the KIRO 7 News app, which you can download here.

Coronavirus: New vaccine plan includes everyone 65 and older as state aims to vaccinate 45,000 people per day

Everyone 65 and older can now get the COVID-19 vaccine as Washington included more people in the next distribution phase and launched an ambitious plan to vaccinate 45,000 people per day.

Washington moved statewide into phase 1B of vaccinations.

The state loosened the requirements for phase 1B to include those over 65 in accordance with the latest CDC guidelines. It also included all people 50 and older who live in multigenerational households.

The state is setting a new goal of 45,000 vaccinations per day. Inslee said that while the goal is higher than the current vaccine allocation from the federal government, trying to meet the goal will help get the proper infrastructure in place as doses increase.

Coronavirus: Gov. Inslee announces new COVID-19 reopening plan for Washington

A week before COVID-19 restrictions were set to expire, Gov. Jay Inslee announced a new statewide reopening plan.

The new plan, called “Healthy Washington,” moves away from a county-based oversight system to one focused on regions. Washington’s 39 counties will be divided into eight geographic regions based on health system resources.

Regions can reopen when they meet certain metrics based on hospital capacity and case data, Inslee said.

Under the new plan, there are currently only two reopening phases to start. The state will add more phases as the state of the pandemic improves.

Click here to read more.

Most states vaccinating more people than Washington

New numbers from the Centers for Disease Control show most states are getting more people vaccinated than Washington.

CBS News reviewed data showing Washington is not administering COVID-19 vaccines as quickly as most other states and is in bottom 20 of the list.

But experts told KIRO 7 that there’s a lot of factors to consider.

The state is using certain metrics to evaluate when and how to lift various restrictions. The five metrics being used are: COVID 19 disease activity; testing capacity and availability; case and contact investigations; risk to vulnerable populations, and health care system readiness.

KIRO 7 asked University of Washington Bothell’s vaccine expert Dr. Dan Bustillos to weigh in after seeing vaccination numbers ranging drastically across the country.

For example, West Virginia administered 77% of its available vaccines so far while Washington is sitting at 34%, which is lower than the national average of 35%. As of Jan. 14, Washington had administered 225,238 doses out of the 655,575 vaccines that have been distributed.

Click here to read more.

How you can protect yourself and what to do if you think you were exposed

Symptoms of the coronavirus include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Patients reportedly have mild to severe respiratory illness. These are steps health officials recommend to protect yourself:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, then throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands.
• Clean and disinfect objects and surfaces.
• Stay at home and away from others if you are feeling ill.
• Washington State Department of Health: What to do if you have confirmed or suspected coronavirus disease
• Washington State Department of Health: What to do if you were potentially exposed to someone with confirmed coronavirus disease
• If you are in King County and believe you were exposed to a confirmed case of COVID-19, or if you’re a healthcare provider with questions about COVID-19, contact: coronavirus@kingcounty.gov.
• For general concerns and questions about COVID-19, call the Washington State Novel Coronavirus Call Center at 800-525-0127 and press #.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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