Infections

Washington state’s coronavirus death toll was 1,044 as of 11:59 p.m. May 20, an increase of 13 in 48 hours.

The number of laboratory-confirmed infections was 19,117, a 48-hour increase of 306, according to the Department of Health database at www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/Coronavirus.

Covid-19 has claimed at least 94,702 American lives so far, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine’s database at coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html.

DOH Daily Briefing

The long weekend is a welcome opportunity for families and households to get outside for fresh air and exercise. Most state lands and parks are now open for day use; camping at state parks is still not allowed. Here are some reminders about how to #RecreateResponsibly while we all continue to do our part to stop the spread of covid-19:

• Stay local. Find a place to hike, picnic or take a walk that is close to home. Please avoid traveling outside your own county borders to popular destinations

• Avoid crowded areas. Public gatherings are still not allowed.

• Enjoy the outdoors with people in your immediate household.

• Follow physical distancing and etiquette rules such as wearing a cloth face covering and staying six feet apart from others.

As long as we all #RecreateResponsibly, spending time outside is good for our mental and physical health. Check your local parks department for information about what’s open or closed. For information about state lands and parks, visit the Department of Natural Resources, Washington State Parks, and Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Total claims for unemployment benefits increased almost 28 percent from the previous week. During the week of May 10-16, there were 138,733 initial regular unemployment claims (an increase of 29,308 from the previous week) and 1,670,580 total claims for all unemployment benefit categories (an increase of 369,016 from the previous week) filed by Washingtonians, according to the Employment Security Department (ESD). ESD believes some portion of the high numbers from the past week are due to an increase in fraudulent claims and is looking into how best to correct for that in future reporting cycles. More information here.

Food assistance update. Nearly 1,000 Washington National Guard soldiers and airmen are now assisting food banks across the state. This week, they helped box more than 2.1 million pounds of food and assemble nearly 85,000 meals. Washington State Department of Agriculture’s Food Assistance Program distributed 1.1 million pounds of food, serving 171,086 food bank clients.

Also this week, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched its Coronavirus Food Assistance program (CFAP) and began delivering boxes of fresh produce and dairy through regional and local distributors. Washington State Department of Agriculture established regular communication with the USDA division administering the program and continues to work closely with our local hunger-relief partners to evaluate cold storage capacity, maximize efficient distribution, and minimize the risk of overloading the emergency food system with perishable products.

Resources

Wash your hands: Although it may be possible to get covid-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it, and then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes, covid-19 does not spread easily that way. And you can prevent that kind of exposure by being sure to wash your hands before you touch your face. If your skin is healthy and you don’t touch your face, you can’t get covid-19 just by touching something with the virus on it. So for most situations — like driving, running errands, using an ATM, pumping gas, or pushing a shopping cart — wearing gloves is not a helpful way to protect yourself. It would be more helpful to use hand sanitizer frequently while running errands and be careful not to touch your face. Then, be sure to wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds when you get home!

Washington 211 Covid-19 Call Center: Do you need information or answers to your questions and concerns about the novel coronavirus (covid-19)? You can call  1-800-525-0127  or text  211-211  for help. You can also text the word  “Coronavirus”  to  211-211  to receive information and updates on your phone wherever you are. You will receive links to the latest information on covid-19, including county-level updates, and resources for families, businesses, students, and more. 

Interested in volunteering during disasters and significant events like covid-19? Register with the Washington State Emergency Registry of Volunteers (WAserv) to partner with public health and others who need assistance in their response to the covid-19 pandemic: tinyurl.com/WA-Community-Health-Volunteer.