6 April 2023
Vol 5, Issue 7
Spotlight on Moses Lake School District.
Nurse Liz Pray pushed for school-based testing to expand access for those in the community who needed it most.
This month’s Spotlight covers Liz’s journey to launch testing at Moses Lake High School in the fall of 2021 and her work to sustain testing through the Omicron surge that winter.
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The mask order for healthcare settings has ended. Here’s what to know.
COVID-19 in Washington. Trends in disease activity.
COVID-19 News. What you need to know.
Spotlight on Moses Lake School District.
It was the end of summer 2021 and the delta variant was starting to surge throughout the US. It would be the most severe version of the disease that we’d seen so far, and hospitalizations were beginning to soar. The monovalent vaccine had been authorized for emergency use for ages 16 and up, but it wouldn’t be available for younger kids until late-September. The previous school year saw closures, hybrid learning, and divided communities.Â
This was the scenario when Liz Pray left the elementary level to become the sole nurse at Moses Lake High School in Central Washington.
The mask order for healthcare settings has ended. Here’s what to know.
The Secretary of Health Mask Order, which required universal masking in healthcare, long-term care, and adult correctional facilities, was lifted on Monday, April 3, 2023.Â
Although this emergency countermeasure has ended, other requirements related to infection prevention and worker protection will remain in place.
Here’s what to know:
- Local or tribal governments, facilities, and providers may choose to continue to require masks in these or other settings.
- Requirements enforced by the Department of Labor & Industries remain in effect, including that employees and contractors may choose to use face masks or other personal protective equipment on the job without employer retaliation.Â
- Under the state Health Emergency Labor Standards Act (HELSA), several key worker protections remain in place until the federal pandemic response declaration ends on May 11, 2023.
- DOH infection prevention and control guidance continues to recommend masks for patients, healthcare providers, and visitors in healthcare settings.Â
- Licensed healthcare facilities are required to have infection prevention policies and programs consistent with CDC guidance.
- WA DOH is currently updating its Guidance to Prevent and Respond to COVID-19 in K-12 Schools and Child Cares to reflect this change. In the meantime, anyone working near or providing care to a suspected or known COVID-19 case should wear appropriate PPE.
COVID-19 in Washington. Trends in disease activity.
COVID-19 hospitalizations and cases are decreasing statewide.
Here are the latest COVID-19 trends.
As of March 25, 2023
| Daily avg. | Per 100,000* | 14-day change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospitalized | 46 | 4.2 | -6% |
| Cases | 401 | 36.7 | -22% |
| Test positivity** | 7.2% | - | -16% |
Compared to last year (March 25, 2022)
| Daily avg. | Per 100,000* | 14-day change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospitalized | 24 | 2.2 | -14% |
| Cases | 653 | 59.7 | +46% |
| Test positivity** | 3.5% | - | +52% |
*Shows 7-day rate
** Due to an increase in at-home testing, many positive cases may not be reported, distorting the data. Test positivity in Washington has been increasing steadily through the winter, from 6% in mid-November to 11.6% by the end of December.Â
Know your COVID-19 community levels. Are you low, medium, or high?
Recommendations:
- Masking and screening testing are recommended best practices when your community level is high.
- Masking is recommended for high-risk individuals when your community level is medium or high.
COVID-19 NEWS
The FDA may soon authorize a spring round of COVID-19 boosters for some people
NPR, 29 March 2023. The FDA is reconsidering the situation and may authorize a second booster with the bivalent vaccines for at least some people, such as those who are at high risk because they have compromised immune systems or are 65 and older, a federal official who was not authorized to speak publicly told NPR. A decision could be announced within weeks.
Washington ends masking requirements at health care, correctional facilities
KOMO News, 2 April 2023. Some regional health care facilities across the Puget Sound region committed, in a joint statement, to continue to require masking in acute and outpatient clinic settings in advance of the removal of the Secretary of Health mask order on April 3.
Long COVID remains an uphill battle for many Americans: “Every day, getting up is a fight”
CBS News, 30 March 2023. Â Last week, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, a peer-reviewed medical journal, indicated that COVID vaccination reduces the risk of developing long COVID by at least 50%, providing encouraging news for some patients.
Long COVID and the brain: Neurological symptoms may persist
American Medical Association, 4 April 2023. Fatigue, headache, and brain fog are the most common neurologic symptoms of long COVID. In fact, according to a study from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), at six months, 68.8% of patients experienced memory impairment. Meanwhile, 61.5% experienced decreased concentration.
From education funding to drug use, lawmakers tweak the details in final weeks of session
KUOW, 31 March 2023. In
? Interview. Washington lawmakers are entering the home stretch for budget negotiations and last chances to pass bills. Austin Jenkins with Pluribus News and host of “Inside Olympia” on TVW joined KUOW’s Paige Browning and Amy Radil to break down the latest. (5 min listen)