COVID-19 BULLETIN

Recap of Recent COVID-19 News and Updates

Thursday, March 17, 2022

Contact: 

Public Information Desk
doh-pio@doh.wa.gov

Statewide Response Updates

Newest numbers. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 1,442,947 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on March 15. There have been 12,273 COVID-19 deaths in Washington.

Data note (Monday, March 14): Due to a technical issue in our data systems, the Health Care System Readiness data may be incomplete. DOH also continues to experience delays in reporting cases, hospitalizations, and deaths as a result of prior slowdowns in our data systems during the omicron surge. We are clearing these backlogged cases, hospitalizations, and deaths as resources permit. The COVID-19 Epidemiological Curves tab is the most accurate representation of COVID-19 activity and is updated daily as new cases are identified and duplicates are resolved.

For the most recent number of cases by county, demographics, and more, visit the Department of Health's dashboard.

March 16 COVID-19 response update media briefing. Secretary of Health Umair A. Shah provided an update on the state's COVID-19 response. He was joined by Dr. Scott Lindquist, state epidemiologist for communicable diseases, DOH; Lacy Fehrenbach, deputy secretary, DOH; and Michele Roberts, assistant secretary, DOH. View the briefing.

Care Connect Washington infographic available in 37 languages. Help people in your community get access to critical assistance while they isolate or quarantine due to COVID by providing an infographic about the program - available in 37 languages.

Care Connect Washington provides food, care kits, and other assistance to people who need to isolate or quarantine due to COVID-19. DOH would appreciate your help in spreading the word about this important resource that makes it easier for people to stay home and recover from the illness.

Reported COVID-19 reinfections in Washington state. This weekly report includes information on hospitalizations and death, demographics, trends over time, and vaccination status of people with a reinfection where DOH has information about both infection events. Read the full March 16 report.

COVID-19 cases among children and youth in Washington. This weekly report provides information on COVID-19 in all children and youth, ages 0 to 19 years. Cases are broken down by educational service district (ESD) regions and age. Read the full March 16 report in English and in Spanish.

DOH SARS-CoV-2 sequencing and variants report. This weekly report summarizes genome sequencing coverage of Washington SARS-CoV-2 specimens from multiple laboratories from across the United States and our state. It provides a statewide view of sequencing capacity and data, including breakouts by county and demographics. Read the full March 16 report.

SARS-CoV-2 vaccine breakthrough surveillance and case information resource. This weekly report provides data and criteria on fully vaccinated people who test positive with SARS-CoV-2 and may or may not develop COVID-19 symptoms. Read the full March 16 report.

Resources

Get a vaccine, exposure notifications, COVID-19 testing, and proof of vaccination. Use the DOH vaccine locator to help end the pandemic. Next, get WA Notify so you’ll know if you’ve been near another WA Notify user who later tests positive for COVID-19. To get quickly and easily tested anywhere in Washington, visit the DOH COVID-19 testing locations page. For K-12 students, staff, and parents/guardians, learn more about our partnership that helps schools provide easy COVID-19 testing on site. Once vaccinated, you can provide your vaccination status using WA Verify.

Latest COVID-19 reopening guidance for businesses and workers. See a full list of current reopening guidance from the Governor's Office.

Guidance and resources for employers and business owners. Sign up for the Economic and Business Resilience Newsletter.

The state COVID-19 Assistance Hotline is a general information line related to COVID-19. If you need information or have a general question, call 1-800-525-0127, then press # or text 211-211 for help. New hours of operation are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday, and 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and on observed state holidays. 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.

Washington Listens helps people manage stress and anxiety they may be experiencing because of COVID-19. If you or anyone you know is having difficulties managing stress, call the Washington Listens support line at 1-833-681-0211. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. TTY and language access services are available by using 7-1-1 or their preferred method. See resources and self-help tips from Washington Listens.

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