The Labor Support Fund has relied on money received by the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) through the CDC ELC Reopening Schools grant. As the ELC grant comes to an end on July 31, 2023, so too will the Labor Support Fund. This means all approved costs through the Labor Support Fund must be incurred no later than July 31, 2023. There will be no carryover or other funding extension after this date.

The Labor Support Fund began in August 2021 in response to a very clear need: if schools are to operate a testing program, they must have staffing capacity to do it. To date, DOH has approved $74 million for school districts and independent, private, charter, and Tribal schools participating in the Labor Support Fund. These funds pay for staff who serve as the backbone of COVID-19 testing programs, from administering tests to communicating with families about results, and all the steps in between. DOH recognizes that these staff members are critical to maintaining a school-based testing program, especially in times of surge, but also in the everyday work of ensuring students and staff have access to testing when they need it.

As the federal COVID-19 pandemic response transitions away from a state of emergency and toward recovery, and as the Labor Support Fund comes to an end, it is our hope that schools will continue to integrate testing support into their existing staffing infrastructure. Schools should consult with their Local Health Jurisdiction about ongoing support in COVID-19 testing and mitigation strategies, especially during times of high respiratory disease spread.

The term “rockstar” might be used a bit too much these days, but when it comes to Nurses Carrie Dinwoodie and Ruth Erb of Mead School District, it’s hard not to step back and say, “Wow… what a couple of true rockstars!” 

The district prides itself on positioning students for success now and in the future by providing each student with an outstanding education, building and maintaining safe schools, and partnering with their community. It was no easy feat for Mead to maintain those standards when the COVID pandemic began, but they did – and they continue to do so with a mix of community engagement, daily and accessible COVID testing, and sheer grit.

Visit our Spotlight landing page for a more detailed look at the characteristics of a successful COVID-19 school testing program. You can also check out our previous spotlight on Chief Leschi Schools: 

COVID-19 in Washington. Recent trends in disease activity.

Trends

COVID-19 hospitalizations and cases are decreasing statewide, yet a few counties have seen upticks in recent weeks (see county levels below).

Here are the latest COVID-19 trends for Washington.

Note: Updates to the DOH data dashboard are delayed due to technical issues. The data below show reporting through February 18, 2023. 

As of February 18, 2023

Compared to last winter (February 18, 2022)

*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. 

Know your COVID-19 community levels.

As of Thursday, March 2, three Washington counties have a medium COVID-19 community level: Clallam County, Jefferson County, and Ferry County. All other counties have a low COVID-19 community level.

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