Coronavirus updates: State passes 314k cases
Updated at 9:30 a.m.
The Washington state Department of Health reported 1,236 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday. Due to data processing problems, the state was unable to update deaths.
Pierce County reported 128 cases Tuesday and four new deaths. Pierce County has a total of 404 deaths likely caused by COVID-19 as of Tuesday, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.
Statewide totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus are 314,692 cases and 4,316 deaths. Those numbers are up from 313,456 cases and down from 4,318 deaths Monday. The case total includes 14,674 cases listed as probable. DOH revises previous case and death counts daily.
Washington’s population is estimated at about 7.6 million, according to U.S. Census figures from July 2019.
As of Jan. 14, the date with the most recent complete data, 84 people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 were admitted to Washington state hospitals.
Preliminary reports indicate average daily hospital admissions were 78 in late-January.
Out of the state’s total staffed intensive care unit beds (1,208), approximately 79.5% (960) were occupied by patients Tuesday. Of those staffed ICU beds, 16.1% (194) held suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients.
WA farmers sue state for relief from ‘arbitrary’ COVID restrictions
Updated at 9:30 a.m.
When James Alford starts talking about the COVID regulations farmers have to abide by, he starts getting frustrated.
“The problem is that when you read the rules that are written, they weren’t written by anyone with an agriculture background,” said the president of the Franklin County Farm Bureau. “We’re being treated like we’re mistreating the workers. We care about our workers.”
The frustration with Gov. Jay Inslee’s third renewal of statewide emergency rules has boiled over into a lawsuit by the Washington Farm Labor Association and the Washington State Farm Bureau Federation. They filed the complaint Tuesday in Yakima County Superior Court.
They are asking a judge to put a stop to what they say are arbitrary and sometimes dangerous rules.
The suit comes as thousands of farm workers are beginning to apply for the federal H-2A guest worker program.
John Stuhlmiller, the Farm Bureau’s chief executive officer, and Dan Fazio, the association’s executive director, said they wish a lawsuit hadn’t been needed.
“Our goal is to keep workers safe and to keep farmers in business,” Fazio said. “What we’ve been asking is for the state to work with the farm community. We haven’t seen that.”
Officials in the governor’s office declined to comment on the lawsuit since they hadn’t been served with the paperwork and legal counsel hadn’t reviewed it yet.
In a previous letter that denied appeals from the farm groups, Inslee said state agencies didn’t make mistakes in establishing the rules.
“Last growing season, Washington saw 145 outbreaks in agricultural settings and two fatalities in temporary worker housing,” he said in a letter. “I am unaware of evidence demonstrating that the risk of COVID transmission in agricultural settings will dissipate before widespread vaccination.”
Safeway, Albertsons and Haggen WA sites to gain more COVID vaccine as rollout expands
Updated at 9:30 a.m.
Safeway-Albertsons announced Tuesday it would have more of its pharmacies in Washington state online by next week to roll out the new federal COVID-19 vaccine plan.
The plan is to start administering more vaccines as early as Feb. 11.
The boost in shipment would expand access to the vaccine to all of its 170 community pharmacies in Washington, with more doses to be made available as the vaccination phases progress.
The company is currently administering the COVID-19 vaccine in 32 of its pharmacies in the state.
On Tuesday, the Biden administration announced that more COVID-19 vaccines would begin to be distributed widely to pharmacies to help ease the strain on the current rollout.
The company was the first among retailers in the program Tuesday to announce its expansion in the phased rollout in Washington state. Other retailers that expect to benefit from the pharmacy boost for vaccines as supply grows: Walgreens, CVS Pharmacy, Walmart (including Sam’s Club), Rite Aid, Fred Meyer and Costco.
Albertsons Companies (which includes Safeway, Albertsons and Haggen stores) said it would continue to work closely with state and federal health agencies “to administer the vaccine as it becomes available.”
“As announced (Tuesday) by the White House and CDC, the company is also a primary participant in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Partnership Program for COVID-19 Vaccination, and expects to receive additional doses from the federal government by early next week,” according to a statement.
When vaccines become available, those who are currently eligible for the vaccine will be able to make an appointment at a Safeway, Albertsons or Haggen pharmacy at https://mhealthappointments.com/covidappt. Appointments cannot be made over the phone.
Those eligible for vaccines in phase is 1B, tier 1, since Jan. 18:
This story was originally published February 3, 2021 at 9:51 AM with the headline "Coronavirus updates: State passes 314k cases."
