Tag Archives: ferry county

Health and Lifestyle, Local

All Washington state counties move to Phase 3 on Tuesday as full reopening inches closer

[OLYMPIA] – (MTN) All Washington counties will move to Phase 3 on Tuesday, May 18, under the updated plan announced by Governor Inslee on Tuesday. Under the new guidelines, individual counties can decide what Phase to move to independently of the Safe Washington guidelines unless ICU utilization statewide exceeds 90% and hospitals start to cancel elective procedures.

The state of Washington hasn’t updated the data on the COVID dashboard since May 13 as of this writing. The Tacoma-Pierce County COVID-19 dashboard indicated there are 369.5 cases per 100,000 residents, and acute care hospitalizations per the State of Washington Department of Health website is over 12%. Both metrics would have put the county in Phase 1 under the old directives. Pierce County officials indicated they would be moving to Phase 3 despite positivity, caseload, and lagging immunization numbers.

Ferry County, which suffered a major outbreak after a superspreader event in the town of Republic in early April will also be moving to Phase 3. According to the Northeast Tri County Health District, the outbreak sickened almost 15% of Republic and led to 4 deaths. Numbers in the rural county have stabilized and the immunization rate went from the third lowest in Washington to twelfth place in 3 weeks.

The state of Washington will move to full reopening on June 30, 2021, or when the statewide first dose immunization percentage of those 16 and over reaches 70%.

Health and Lifestyle, Local

Puget Sound COVID numbers indicate SnoCo improving, King plateaued, and Pierce getting worse

[KIRKLAND] – (MTN) On May 4 Governor Jay Inslee announced a pause in Safe Washington reopening phases for all counties for 14 days as new cases for COVID plateaued, and while new cases have flatlined in some counties, the data hasn’t gotten much better. A new deadline is looming on May 16 for another evaluation and for Pierce County that could mean going back to Phase 1 without a change in the phase requirements.

In King County, new case numbers for COVID infections and acute care patients have drifted slightly lower to 242.9 per 100,000 and 6.0% of all acute care beds occupied caring for COVID patients. Both numbers are well above the requirements to remain in Phase 3 and ICU utilization, which isn’t a factor for the Safe Washington reopening, remains troubling high at 83.8%. King County would drop to Phase 2 based on today’s numbers.

Snohomish County is in better territory than a week ago. Although new cases have decreased slightly from a high of 238 per 100,000 to 225.0, the total number of acute care patients being treated for COVID has dropped to 4.1%. If Snohomish County can hold the line, they would stay in Phase 3.

Pierce County is the worst shape of the metropolitan area. Over 12% of acute care beds have COVID patients, and the rate of 364.1 new cases per 100,000 is almost unchanged from a week ago. Of greater concern, positivity continues to increase and is up to 13.3%. Positive test results this high indicate widespread community transmission and significant under testing. Additionally, ICU utilization has increased to 88% and 18.9% of all ICU patients are battling COVID.

It isn’t all bad news in Pierce County, where the number of people fully vaccinated has increased significantly to over 42%, essentially tied with Snohomish County.

But no Washington County can match Ferry County and the dramatic rise in vaccinations in the last 10 days. On April 30, when Ferry County voluntarily moved back to Phase 2 after a super spreader event tore through the county and the town of Republic, the rural county had the third-lowest vaccination rate in the state – less than 25%. Today, 47% of Ferry County residents are fully vaccinated. Although new COVID cases remain one of the highest in the country at 847 per 100,000, the positivity rate and ICU utilization numbers continue to improve.

No official announcement has been on the next Safe Washington evaluation, but it will likely be early next week.

BIPOC, Editorial, Health and Lifestyle, Local, National

Malcontentment Happy Hour: May 3, 2021

Video

Our live webcast from the former Seattle Anarchist Jurisdiction

Content Warning

Editor’s Note: This show contains videos of events that some viewers may find disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised.

The show from May 3, 2021, featured David Obelcz and our co-host Jennifer Smith. Patrons at the $5 and above level get access to our show notes and research documents.

  • Update on Cocholati and their refusal to service a Seattle police officer
  • Mayor Durkan tells Seattle police to “soften” their approach on RV’s and the 72-hour parking limit
  • Portland, Oregon has the driest April in history – fire season is coming
  • Attacks on aircraft are skyrocketing
  • COVID Update
  • May Day in Seattle – Annual May Day March and Rally for Immigrants and Workers’ Rights
  • May Day in Seattle – insurrectionary anarchists bloc up
  • Protester struck by car outside of East Precinct – driver under investigation
  • Tucker Carlson of Fox News gets his wish
  • OPA calls for a ban on the use of blast balls as a crowd control measure

Health and Lifestyle, Local

Governor to announce which counties move back to Phase 2 Tuesday

[SEATTLE] – (MTN) Governor Jay Inslee is expected to announce which Washington counties will move back to Phase 2 as COVID cases and hospitalizations continue to increase. The latest data from King County Health indicated new cases may have hit a plateau, while hospitalizations increased significantly over the weekend.

The health department reported 242.3 cases per 100,000 and hospitalizations increasing to 6.5 per 100,000. These numbers are significantly above requirements to stay in Phase 3 and a rollback is widely expected.

King County Health Key Indicator Dashboard for May 3, 2021

According to the website COVID Act Now, King County ICU utilization improved slightly over the weekend to 72%. Yakima, Benton, Thurston, Pierce, Clark, and Kitsap counties are reporting total ICU utilization of over 85% with Yakima county at a troubling 96%.

Hospital systems across Washington are universally reporting seeing younger patients who are coming into emergency departments much sicker than during previous surges. The latest data from the Washington Department of Health indicates that people 20 to 29 are overwhelming the largest group testing positive for COVID. Seventy-two percent of those testing positive for COVID are from birth to 49 years old.

Currently, four counties are in Phase 2. Cowlitz, Pierce, and Whitman counties went to Phase 2 on April 16, and Ferry county went to Phase 2 on an emergency basis on April 30. Skamania and Ferry counties have some of the highest positive test rates in the United States and the Seattle, Spokane, and Mount Vernon metro areas are in the top 100 metros for daily new COVID cases.

Health and Lifestyle, Local

Judgement Day – COVID case numbers indicate Phase 2 ahead for King County

[SEATTLE] – (MTN) Data from King County Health indicated COVID spread was accelerating in King County as officials start their review of statewide infection rate and hospitalization data to determine which counties will move back to Phase 2 on May 6. On Friday new COVID cases in King County were 245.5 per 100,000 and hospitalizations had grown to 6.1 per 100,000. Both numbers are significantly above the requirements to stay in Phase 2.

In Ferry County, officials announced they voluntarily moved back to Phase 2 on Friday in an attempt to contain a major outbreak caused by an indoor super spreader event on April 9-11. Ten percent of the town of Republic has tested positive since the Fraternal Order of Eagles held a self-described “recruiting event” featuring live entertainment. A person infected with COVID connected to the event died on Friday, according to a report in The Spokesman-Review.

Ferry County Hospital, a 25-bed facility, has been overwhelmed with patients, transferring the sickest individuals to hospitals in Spokane and Wenatchee. COVID positivity in the county exceeds 25% indicating significant under-testing and widespread community transmission.

A review of data available from the Washington Department of Health indicated that 31% of all COVID cases detected in the county have happened in the last 19 days. Ferry County has the second-lowest single-dose vaccination rate in Washington and the third-lowest fully vaccinated rate, according to the latest data from the Springfield News-Leader.

Technically, Ferry County remained qualified to stay in Phase 3 but with city offices in Republic working on reduced hours due to so many sickened and other community impact, officials felt there was a critical need to introduce stronger measures.

In King County, hospitalization rates for COVID increased 15% in a week and were not showing signs of abating. Thirteen counties are at risk of going back to Phase 2. Currently, 4 counties, including Ferry, have moved backward in the last 2 weeks.

State officials will announce on Monday which counties will move back to Phase 2 and any other measures that will be taken to help slow the spread. The biggest impact is reducing indoor occupancy rates at public venues such as restaurants, gyms, and stores to 25%.