Staff with Thurston County Public Health and Social Services are pivoting their attention toward Phase 3 of Gov. Jay Inslee’s “Safe Start” plan as outbreak investigations at a pair of care facilities continue.
This comes as a second person in Thurston County has recently died from complications related to COVID-19, county Public Health and Social Services confirmed Sunday evening, June 7.
The person was a man in his 80s with underlying health conditions who was a resident at Olympics West Retirement Inn in Tumwater, where the county reported the first long-term care facility outbreak.
In a letter on Tuesday, June 9, County Acting Health Officer Dr. Diana Yu said despite a recent increase in the rate of new cases of the virus in the county, residents should not worry about being reverted back to Phase 1.
“Reverting to Phase 1 is unlikely,” Yu wrote in her weekly letter to the community. “Right now, we are preparing the information we need to apply to move to Phase 3 and working with the commissioners to develop a timeline for approvals.”
Yu added that a key part of the county being allowed to move to the next phase is its ability to address the surges.
“We do have the capacity. Our public health system can investigate and control transmission of disease in a timely manner. Our hospitals have the capacity to care for sicker patients. Our medical community continues to do testing,” she wrote.
The county entered Phase 2 on Wednesday, May 27. The three-week requirement for Thurston County to be in this phase will be up June 17.
The outbreak at Olympics West Retirement is also connected to an adult family living home in Lacey. A staff member who works at both facilities recently tested positive for the virus.
An outbreak is defined as one or more linked cases, according to the county.
“We want to offer our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends who knew him,” Yu said in a prepared statement. “This death reminds us that we must remain diligent in our efforts to protect one another from this virus.”
Yu added that the residents in Thurston County must continue social distancing measures, staying home when ill and washing hands regularly as important preventative measures.
As of Tuesday, June 9, at least 30 individuals at the two facilities had reportedly tested positive for COVID-19, according to tallies from Public Health.
As of Tuesday morning's press deadline, 173 people in the county have tested positive for the virus, with 143 of those individuals having reported recoveries and 26 having been hospitalized.
The positive-testing rate currently stands at about 2 percent, with a total 10,166 tests administered, according to the county.
The county is still investigating the recent long-term care facility outbreaks in the two care facilities, and efforts are still underway to test staff and residents. In a letter to the community last week, Yu said that more than 200 individuals at Olympics West were tested for the virus, with more testing expected at the assisted living home.
Monday, June 8, was the first day that all workers statewide would be required to wear a cloth facial mask when working, according to Washington state Labor and Industries as directed by Gov. Jay Inslee. Exceptions to this rule include those working alone, including inside a vehicle or a jobsite, or when a job has no in-person interaction.
Employers are also required to provide facial coverings to employees, unless their exposure dictates a higher level of protection under the Department of Labor and Industries’ safety and health rules and guidance.
According to a Public Health report published Tuesday, the Yelm zip code, 98597, surpassed 10 cases last week.
According to Labor and Industries, face masks play an important role in helping curb the potential to spread COVID-19.
Here are some additional numbers relating the coronavirus situation statewide and nationally:
• Washington state has recorded approximately 24,041 cases, 3,699 hospitalizations and 1,161 total deaths. More than 410,000 tests have been administered to Washingtonians, and the percent of positive cases is at about 5.9 percent. Most cases have been recorded around Snohomish, King and Pierce counties and, in recent weeks, Yakima County.
• Nationwide, positive cases of COVID-19 stand at a total 1,938,823. There have been approximately 110,375 coronavirus-related deaths, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported as of Monday.
