Live updates: Now over 13,500 COVID-19 cases in Washington, 749 deaths

Over 175K people in Washington state have been tested for coronavirus. Of those, 13,521 people have tested positive — at a rate of 7.7% — and 749 people have died from the virus.

Confirmed coronavirus cases across Washington state

Follow live updates today below.

Sunday, April 26

4:56pm – Health officials say 13,521 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Washington state. Of those, 749 people have died. Over 175,000 people have been tested to date, with the positivity level dropping to 7.7% as of Sunday evening.

12:47pm – Thousands of people are rallying from a safe social distance online in support of Gov. Jay Inslee’s ongoing stay-at-home order. Participants are posting photos of themselves staying home here, as Washington continues to operate under Inslee’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” requirements.

11:17am – With the coronavirus outbreak continuing without a clear end in sight, Columbia University virologist Dr. Angela Rasmussen is cautioning against any long-term travel plans for the summer months. Read more.

7:43am – The Washington State Employment Security Department expects to have nearly 1 million claims as early as today.

The department has increased its bandwidth in preparation, but is asking people to wait until Tuesday to file “if you can wait,” and to file online late at night or early in the morning.

Saturday, April 25

4:42pm – Health officials say 13,319 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Washington state. Of those, 738 people have died, which puts the mortality rate at about 5.5%, according to the state. At least 170,594 people have been tested, with the positivity rate dropping below 8% to 7.8%.

1:20pm – Thousands of people will be rallying from a safe social distance online Sunday, in support of Gov. Jay Inslee’s ongoing stay-at-home order. Read more.

9:17am – “Stay Healthy” streets, spaces closed to cars in order to allow safe social distancing while walking, running, and rolling, will return in Seattle after a successful premiere last weekend. There are three new neighborhoods on the list this weekend, adding six miles of streets closed to traffic. Read more.

7:29am – A recent blog post from Seattle-King County Public Health warns that if Washington were to relax its social distancing guidelines on May 1, we could see “a rapid rise in the rate of cases that would likely exceed recent peak levels by the end of the month.”

Public Health cites data from the Institute for Disease Modeling, which concludes that “disease transmission will remain extremely sensitive to policy choices and community behavior” without new strategies in place like increased testing and contact tracing.

Friday, April 24

7:05pm – Health officials say 12,977 people have tested positive for coronavirus, and among those 723 people have died. The state reports 160,324 people have been tested statewide with a positivity rate of 8.1%. That number has been dropping this week from 8.7% last week.

5:23pm – Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, Council President M. Lorena González, and Councilmember Lisa Herbold announced an emergency order Friday to cap commissions on third-party delivery services at 15 percent. Many local restaurants have had to rely on delivery and takeout services during the stay-at-home order, often using third-party services to meet customer demand.

“With tight margins, every dollar paid to an app-based delivery service is a dollar taken from our local restaurants, economy and workforce,” González said.

Service agreements between restaurants and third-party companies vary, but some can include commissions that are 30 percent or more of the purchase price, according to the news release from the Mayor’s office. This order also requires that 100 percent of tips go to the drivers, and compensation rates can not be reduced as a result of this emergency order.

The 15 percent cap takes effect immediately and will remain in place until Seattle restaurants can offer dine-in service.

5:05pm  – The UW School of Medicine is enrolling 630 outpatients with COVID-19 for a trial of hydroxychloroquine and hydroxychloroquine with azithromycin.

The UW said in a news release, “Hydroxychloroquine has received considerable hype as a potential treatment for COVID-19 and has been confused with chloroquine, a drug stopped in a treatment trial in Brazil. There is conflicting evidence on whether it works, which is why the research team at the University of Washington School of Medicine is conducting a rigorous trial to offer answers.”

Results are expected by July.

4:01pm – At a recent White House briefing, the President brought out one of the acting deputy secretaries at the Department of Homeland Security to discuss tests they carried out showing that ultraviolet light can kill the virus. Is this something that could be employed to disinfect people? Tacoma MD Dr. Gordon Cohen joined Seattle’s Morning News to discuss.

2:40pm – Most Washingtonians are more concerned about the threat of coronavirus to public health than the economy, according to a new Crosscut/Elway Poll. The poll showed 61% of the participants “were more concerned about lifting restrictions too early and risks to public health than they were about lifting them too late and putting the economy at greater risk.”

The poll said the results held up across political parties and demographics. That said, they were stronger in Western Washington and among Democrats, but 52% of Republicans agreed the restrictions were working.

The poll was conducted on April 18-20 by phone and online with 405 Washington voters. Margin of error is 5% with 95% confidence level.

1:29pm – Skagit County says it will launch a new drive-through testing site in the east parking lot of Skagit Valley College, near McIntyre Hall, on Monday. You must register for an appointment first. Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

“Expanding testing has always been our goal,” said Jennifer Johnson, Skagit County Public Health Director. “Now that we have enough testing supplies, we can dramatically increase the number of people we test. Our goal is to test up to 200 people each day – for as long as there’s community need for testing.”

Skagit County has seen nine deaths and 281 positive coronavirus cases.

12:02pm – Seattle Parks and Recreation announced it would be closing benches, picnic tables, and picnic shelters at Alki Beach this weekend, after seeing “significant crowding” last weekend.

Alki will remain open for walking, biking, and running.

11:30am – Gov. Inslee announced Friday that he would be lifting some restrictions on construction work during the ongoing stay-at-home order, allowing it to resume provided job sites meet safety standards. Read more. 

10:33am – Gov. Inslee’s office has released a 30-point coronavirus construction safety plan, detailing benchmarks contractors will need to clear in order to return to work. It’s unclear when these requirements will go into effect, although presumably the governor will address that in Friday morning’s press conference at 11:30 a.m.

9:47am – Disinfectant manufacturers issued warnings Friday, asking that customers not inject their products into the body as a means to fighting the coronavirus.

“As a global leader in health and hygiene products we must be clear that under no circumstances should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion or any other route),” the parent company the makes Lysol and Dettol said in a news release.

This comes after President Trump mused on the possibility of injecting disinfectant into the body as a treatment for the virus during Thursday’s White House briefing.

9:01am – King County Executive Dow Constantine is pushing another emergency funding package to help the region deal with its ongoing coronavirus crisis. Read more. 

8:18am – Researchers have halted a study into the effects of a chloraquine — an antimalarial drug — on coronavirus patients. This comes after a number of patients exhibited irregular heart rates.

Researchers labeled death the “primary outcome” of the test, with almost two dozen patients in the study taking the drug dying.

7:35am – The Washington State Department of Health hinted Thursday that Gov. Jay Inslee could soon start to lift a handful of social distancing measures. Read more. 

6:53am – Hundreds of Amazon tech employees are expected to call in “sick” today to protest the treatment of warehouse workers during the pandemic.

It follows the company’s decision to fire two employees who spoke out about warehouse conditions and Amazon’s environmental record. The company told KIRO Radio earlier this month that it supports workers’ rights, but there are company policies the fired employees violated repeatedly.

6:02am – With the freeways so wide open right now, Washington State Patrol has noticed a jump in speeding. Read more.

5:34am – Gov. Jay Inslee will be delivering a press conference Friday at 11:30 a.m., joined by Building Industry Association Vice President Greg Lane, and Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council Executive Secretary Mark Riker.

You can watch the press conference live on TVW here.

Thursday, April 23

5:46pm – The state Department of Health is reporting a total of 12,753 confirmed COVID-19 cases statewide, with 711 deaths. There have now been 153,376 people tested in Washington state.

Garfield County remains the only county in the state with zero cases.

5:19pm – On Sunday, the group “Let Us Fish” will rally in protest at Seattle’s Gas Works Park from 12pm – 3pm. In attendance, gubernatorial candidate Tim Eyman and Robbie Tobeck, former Seattle Seahawk.

5:05pm – Seattle DOT plans to open six more miles of streets this Friday to allow for safe social distancing in the Greenwood, Othello and Rainier Beach, and Beacon Hill communities. SDOT said observations from last Sunday indicate that driving along closed streets in the Central District was down about 91% from 2017 data and bike travel was up 299%.

4:26pm – In a 5-4 ruling, the Washington State Supreme Court has denied a motion to release thousands of inmates from state prisons, including many dangerous offenders. Read more.

3:23pm – The House sent on Thursday afternoon to President Trump a nearly $500 billion package for small businesses and hospitals in the latest bid to counter the pandemic, according to the Associated Press. Read more here.

2:25pm –Superintendent Chris Reykdal explained the new grading guidance, which focuses on grades for high school students and middle school students taking courses for high-school credit.

Students in grades K-8 are tasked with focusing on a few standards, keeping it simple, and moving to the next grade. In the coming years, the OSPI and educators will make sure all students are successful in the classroom. Reykdal explains more here.

1:10pm – Washington State University president Kirk Schulz says the school is “planning on in-person instruction for Fall 2020 Semester at all Washington State University campuses.”

12:48pm – “I don’t think in Washington those protests are going to have very much effect,” Columbia University virologist Dr. Angela Rasmussen told KIRO Radio’s Gee and Ursula Show. “I think that in general, decisions to reopen should be based on evidence — as we’re doing here in Washington state — rather than on protesters.”

11:25am – The Franklin County Board of Commissioners voted Thursday to rescind a previously-passed motion that had declared the county “open for business” in the midst of the state’s ongoing stay-at-home order.

This comes after General Counsel for Gov. Inslee Kathryn Leathers sent a letter to county officials Wednesday, stating that its bid to reopen early was “unlawful,” and that if individuals or businesses refuse to comply with the state’s stay-at-home order, the governor would “direct that criminal and/or civil charges be pursued.”

Franklin County’s decision to roll back its declaration to reopen was “taken upon the advice of legal counsel and further review and consideration of the implications.”

10:52am – Gov. Inslee joined The View Thursday morning, to talk about Washington’s roadmap for reopening, while noting that he remains skeptical that any state is ready to relax social distancing measures yet.

“I don’t think it’s safe probably anywhere in America right now,” he warned.

10:01am – If you’re still riding King County Metro buses, you should expect to be passed by at your stop from time to time. The agency has issued new guidelines to help keep passengers and drivers safe. Read more. 

9:03am – As antibody blood testing for coronavirus has ramped up, Seattle-King County Public Health broke down some “important limitations” to keep in mind. Read more. 

8:14am – Another 4.4 million workers applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week, totaling 26 million people now out of work in the five weeks since the coronavirus outbreak began. That’s roughly one in every six Americans, making for the worst such stretch on record.

7:16am – Speaking to PBS, the IHME’s Dr. Chris Murray continued to emphasize that when it comes to plans to reopen, “the issue [going forward] will be the capacity to test.”

“How many tests are practically feasible come June, state by state?” he posited. “It may not be anywhere near enough to be able to do full scale mass testing.”

You can watch the full PBS Frontline documentary here.

6:39am – UW’s Dr. Ali Mokdad detailed what the roadmap to reopening Washington could potentially look like, while warning that “we’re not yet out of danger.”

“But we can begin to strategically position ourselves towards a return to the new economic ‘normal,'” he added.

5:43am – The Washington State Supreme Court heard arguments Thursday, concerning whether thousands of inmates should be released from prison to protect them from the coronavirus.

But, the Attorney General’s office and victims warn that it’ll mean some of the state’s most dangerous people will be back on the streets. Tonya Fenton tells KTTH’s Jason Rantz that includes Isaac Zamora, who killed six people, including her mom back in 2008.

Columbia Legal Services wants the justices to order the release of any inmate over 50-years-old. They also want any prisoner with an underlying health issue released, as well as anyone with 18 months or less left on their sentence.

The state AG’s office estimates that if they succeed, about 12,000 inmates would be released. That would include serial killers, like Green River Killer Gary Ridgway.

The hearing started at 9 a.m., and was streamed live on TVW here.

5:24am – Researchers at the University of Washington and UW Medicine have teamed up with volunteers from Microsoft to develop a coronavirus tracking app known as CovidSafe.

The app is designed as a tool for contact tracing, whereby an individual’s phone uses Bluetooth to ping other phones it’s been in proximity to. If the user chooses to tell the app they are positive with the virus, the app then alerts anyone the phone has come into contact with the last 14 days.

CovidSafe is designed to balance privacy with safety, assigning each user a secret code name that the app creates a new variation of every 15 minutes.

Wednesday, April 22

5:42pm – Franklin County Sheriff Jim Raymond said on Tuesday he won’t be enforcing Inslee’s order and called it fear mongering.

He joined KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson on Wednesday to explain the letter that he sent to his constituents. Read more.

4:47pm – The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Washington state climbs to 12,494 Wednesday, with 692 deaths as reported by the state Department of Health. The percent positive dipped down to 8.4% today after remaining at 8.5% for much of the last week.

The DOH also published preliminary data on hospitalizations for confirmed cases.

3:42pm – In a Facebook Live video Wednesday, Snohomish County Sheriff Adam Fortney spoke and answered questions from the media in regards to his Facebook post Tuesday night.

Fortney said the position of the Snohomish County Sheriff Office’s has not changed from the first day of the governor’s stay-at-home order to today and that residents will not be arrested for violating the order. He assured that he is taking the threat of COVID-19 seriously, and has complied with everything the governor has said this far. He is not calling for open defiance of the Stay Home, Stay Healthy initiative.

“I want to comply with the governor, I still will comply with governor,” he said. “I want people to be safe.”

Fortney said he wants a clear plan to help get people back to work, especially private construction companies or contractors who cannot work even though public construction projects are allowed to continue. He believes this is a conversation worth having with both local and state governments.

“If we can safely, cautiously get people back to work, … we should be talking about that today,” he added.

One reporter asked Fortney if he had reached out to the governor directly. Fortney said he had not.

2:44pm – Gov. Inslee says law enforcement has not been necessary so far to enforce the Stay Home, Stay Healthy order. He said only one organization has gotten dinged for not complying and it involved a California landlord operating in Tacoma, which was not adhering to eviction rules. Read more.

Inslee went on to address Snohomish County Adam Fortney’s Facebook post published Tuesday night. He said that the order does not violate the Constitution and he promised to reach out to different jurisdictions to make sure there’s clarity.

“This is working. This is saving lives,” Inslee said of the Stay Home, Stay Healthy order.

2:05pm – Snohomish County health officials say 98 people have died, and 2,209 people have tested positive for the virus. At least 1,521 people have recovered from coronavirus in the county. In Pierce County, there are 22 more cases of coronavirus, bringing the total to 1,236. There are four new deaths in the county, bringing the total to 40. The latest cases, involve a woman in her 70s, a man in his 80s, and two men in their 70s, all with underlying health conditions.

12:51pm – The coronavirus pandemic isn’t just a public health crisis, it’s also impacting the transportation sector, including air, surface, rail, and transit. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao joined the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH to discuss how the CARES Act will help Washington state. Read more. 

12:08pm – Gov. Inslee will be delivering an address Wednesday at 2:30 p.m., with “an update on our COVID-19 response.” You can stream the virtual press conference live here.

11:35am – A conflict is brewing between Gov. Inslee’s office and Franklin County, after the county declared itself “open for business.”

General Counsel for Inslee Kathryn Leathers sent a letter to county officials Wednesday in response, stating that its declaration is “unlawful,” and that if individuals or businesses refuse to comply with the state’s ongoing stay-at-home order, the governor “will direct that criminal and/or civil charges be pursued.”

11:13am – Have we already lost out on the chance to reopen Washington early? Read more from MyNorthwest reporter Nick Bowman. 

10:01am – A handful of local Seattle leaders — including Mayor Jenny Durkan, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, and Council President Lorena Gonzalez — issued a joint statement Tuesday speaking out against President Trump’s 60-day suspension of immigration.

“Our City desperately needs the President to focus on supplies, testing, and a plan based in science to address this pandemic. The President’s newest threat is him yet again scapegoating families and workers to cover up for his administration’s continued mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Mayor Durkan in a news release.

“President Trump’s executive order is ridiculous and deeply counter-productive in the midst of a global pandemic,” Rep. Jayapal added.

9:08am – The CDC confirmed Wednesday that the first coronavirus deaths in the U.S. actually took place in California weeks prior to what was thought to be the first one in Washington.

That now puts the first U.S. coronavirus death in Santa Clara on Feb. 6, and then another on Feb. 17. The first U.S. death was originally thought to have occurred in Kirkland on Feb. 29.

8:27am – Snohomish County Sheriff Adam Fortney said Tuesday that “the impacts of COVID-19 no longer warrant the suspension of our constitutional rights,” and saying that his department will not be enforcing Gov. Inslee’s stay-at-home order.

Inslee has stated in the past that he is not directing police or sheriff’s departments to enforce his order.

“These are local decisions,” Inslee said in March. “We’re not going to tell law enforcement how to do their jobs.”

8:01am – No fully-loaded baked potatoes at your favorite steak house. No shoestring fries with your favorite pub burger. When the restaurants closed and went all take-out because of the coronavirus, demand for Washington spuds plummeted, and Washington’s 250 growers are facing a potentially fatal financial situation. Read more. 

7:23am – The latest data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) indicates that Washington could be ready to reopen between May 25 and May 31, “if and only if strong containment measures have already been instituted.” Read more. 

6:19am – Gubernatorial candidate and former Bothell Mayor Joshua Freed has filed a lawsuit against Gov. Jay Inslee, alleging that his stay-at-home order is “unconstitutional and discriminatory.”

Freed argues specifically that the order restricts the religious freedoms of Washingtonians, and asks that a judge grant an injunction allowing spiritual gatherings.

“If a Washington citizen can visit a marijuana shop or grocery store to buy goods in a responsible and socially distanced manner, how are they not allowed to practice faith-based activities and have spiritual fellowship using the same precautions?” he noted in a written news release.

5:34am – Speaking to PBS for its Frontline documentary that aired Tuesday, Gov. Inslee emphasized the need to ramp up the state’s continued response to the coronavirus crisis.

“Today, all leaders have the biggest challenge to make sure people understand that as the sun comes up and the daffodils come out, we’ve got to double our efforts,” Inslee stated. “Because you have — you can have as many fatalities as the curve comes down as when the curve was going up. And if you relax too soon, the curve just can rebound and start right back up again.”

Speaking on the White House response, Inslee noted that states “really need more leadership out of the White House,” and that while states are doing “as much as we can … we could use some presidential help.”

Tuesday, April 21

5:09pm – Gov. Inslee said in a news conference on Tuesday that Washington’s reopening will “look more like turning a dial than flipping a switch.” He said we will take steps, then monitor to see if they work before moving forward. Many of the restrictions in place now will not be able to be lifted by May 4, which is the current end date of the Stay Home, Stay Healthy initiative.

While there has been an encouraging decline in the spread of coronavirus in Washington state, there needs to be more testing supplies and kits before the state is able to reopen and return to work safely. Inslee said Washington state has more lab capacity than we have test kits at this time, and assured that the state is doing all it can do acquire test kits but will need help from the federal government. Inslee sent a letter to Vice President Pence asking for his help with test supplies earlier today.

Inslee also discussed the possibility for a sensible plan to resume elective surgeries, outdoor recreation, and construction projects soon with safety measures in place if the current health modeling holds up. However, the fight against this virus is nowhere near over.

“We are going to have to steel ourselves against this virus for quite some time,” he said. Read more.

4:27pm – Health officials say 30 more people have died from coronavirus since Monday, bringing the total to 682 in Washington state. There are 12,282 positive cases in the state, with 145,031 cases conducted. That’s a rate of 8.5% of positive tests in Washington state. That number has remained steady for a few days, dropping from 8.7%.

4:15pm – A Seattle University law professor says she is finding children are the most at risk of domestic violence during the stay at home order. They have lost their first line of defense.

Law Professor Deirdre Bowen’s students are now helping with the chat portion of a new website for parents, or anyone in King County, who wants to request a protection order. The students also connect people needing more help to attorneys who are volunteering their time. Visit the website here.

3:36pm – President Donald Trump announced Tuesday he will be placing a 60-day pause on the issuance of certain immigration green cards in an effort to limit competition for jobs in a U.S. economy wrecked by the coronavirus. Read more from AP.

2:57pm – A new PBS Frontline documentary, “Coronavirus Pandemic,” premieres Tuesday, April 21, focusing on the coronavirus response in the two Washingtons — Washington state and Washington, D.C. Read more.

1:48pm – KIRO Radio Hanna Scott reports two former inmates who were arrested and released on DUI over the weekend have tested positive for cornavirus, marking the first positive cases in King County corrections facilities. Read more.

12:39pm – As many states have started to relax their social distancing guidelines, one expert at the University of Washington warns that even now, we might not have the necessary information to make these decisions. Read more.

11:55am – Gov. Jay Inslee will be addressing the public today at 5 p.m., alongside Dr. Raquel Bono with the Washington State COVID-19 health care response team, Lisa Brown with the WA Department of Commerce, Department of Health officer Dr. Kathy Lofy, and more.

The address will cover the state’s plan in its “recovery from the COVID-19 outbreak.”

11:09am – The National Guard continues to be mobilized in Washington state, with over 800 members activated to provide support for coronavirus response efforts.

Over 230 of those Guardsmen are currently working in Seattle’s SoDo district, packing and distributing meals headed to over 300 separate Washington food banks.

10:47am – Gov. Inslee has issued an order banning utility companies from disconnecting services like water, power, and phone service for nonpayment through the end of Washington’s stay-at-home order on May 4.

According to The Seattle Times, this comes in the wake of outside pressure to make the move, with over 20 organizations signing a letter to Inslee in early April to suspend disconnections.

9:59am – Seattle-King County Public Health’s Jeff Duchin spoke out this week about how prepared Washington is to reopen, noting that even with the outbreak waning, it’s not yet time to relax social distancing measures. Read more. 

9:01am – You can now watch Joel McHale’s full conversation with Fred Hutchinson researcher Dr. Joshua Schiffer, where they go over the next steps in curbing the coronavirus pandemic in Washington state.

8:32am – Seattle-based Dr. Steven Quay is working to devise a drug treatment for coronavirus patients on ventilators as part of a clinical trial.

The CEO of Atossa Therapeutics, Dr. Quay is proposing the use of a drug that essentially coats over the parts of the virus that help it replicate quickly.

“We want to teach the immune system to coat the virus with antibodies, I’m coating the virus … with these two already FDA approved drugs,” he told KIRO 7 TV.

7:31am – UW Virology’s coronavirus antibody testing is available as of today. The lab is now able to test the blood of patients with a doctor’s order to determine whether they had coronavirus within the last couple months, and could potentially be immune.

6:56am – Last week, Seattle Coronavirus Assessment Network released new data from an 18-day study they conducted on cases of COVID-19. Those cases might have gone undetected are now being identified across King County. Read more. 

6:11am – Sen. Chuck Schumer announced that he believes the Senate will be able to pass a coronavirus relief bill for small businesses by the end of Tuesday.

After speaking with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and White House officials through the night, all parties “came to an agreement on just about every issue,” Schumer told CNN.

The bill would provide $450 billion in total stimulus aid.

5:35am – The Washington State Department of Health published a blog post Monday, detailing how the process for reopening the state will be “slow” and “measured,” and that “even with a slow, phased re-opening of the state, we are likely to see COVID-19 spike again.”

“We will need to develop effective treatments for COVID-19 or a vaccine before we can stop dialing up and down the physical distancing intervention,” the blog reads. “So this strange, new world we live in with the kids at home, job furloughs and losses, and makeshift work areas in busy corners of our homes, is going to be with us for a while.”

Monday, April 20

8:14pm – President Donald Trump said Monday that he will sign an executive order “to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States” because of the coronavirus. Read more from AP.

5:47pm – Public Health — Seattle & King County confirmed 112 cases of COVID-19 among people living homeless or working in homeless service sites, including three deaths. One of these three deaths was a resident at the isolation facility in Kent. The man was in his 60s and was found unresponsive during a routine medical check on the morning of April 20.

“We are all saddened by the death of our guest. People living homeless are more vulnerable to many health conditions, including COVID-19. We will continue to work around the clock to ensure that all King County residents, including those without a home, have a dignified place to be when receiving care for this virus,” said Leo Flor, Director of the King County Department of Community and Human Services and Patty Hayes, Director of Public Health – Seattle & King County.

The isolation and quarantine facilities in King County are for individuals who need a place to stay while waiting for COVID-19 test results or once their illness has been confirmed. There are currently 70 people staying in isolation, quarantine, and recovery facilities in the county.

4:58pm – There are now 12,085 total confirmed coronavirus cases in Washington state and 652 deaths. The state Department of Health reports 141,011 people have been tested, and of those tests, 8.6% are confirmed positive cases.

4:10pm – The new unemployment benefits launched Saturday night, and the Employment Security Department saw more applications in a single day than the biggest week on record. ESD Commissioner Suzi LeVine is appreciative of everyone’s patience and understanding as the department tries to keep up with the demand and volume of applications.

“Last week, I warned everyone this would be a clunky process and some of that has come true,” LeVine said.

She recognizes that many people have been unable to access the system or submit applications, but said everyone who is eligible will get their money and will be paid retroactive to the date of eligibility.

“This is a source of funding that won’t run out,” she said.

4:04pm – Bellevue, Kirkland, Issaquah, Redmond, and Renton launched (re)STARTUP425 to connect small business owners, nonprofit leaders, and sole proprietors on the Eastside with support resources. The effort will provide one-on-one technical consultations on financial assistance programs, webinars, various resources, and a restaurant map that shows the businesses and cafes open for carryout on its website here.

3:56pm – Pierce County confirmed five new deaths and 25 new cases Monday, and reassigned one case to another county, putting the county totals at 1,188 cases, 34 deaths.

Spokane Regional Health District is now reporting 313 cases with 17 deaths county-wide.

2:06pm – Snohomish County health officials say 97 people have died in the county from coronavirus, and 2,163 people have tested positive from the virus. The majority of cases are in Everett, with 646 people testing positive. Of those 2,163 cases, 1,395 (about 65%) are community acquired (close contact). Another 354 cases (16%) are from assisted living centers.

1:57pm – Experts have said that a vaccine to protect against COVID-19 could take up to a year or more to be available. In the meantime, UW Medicine is testing plasma from coronavirus survivors to determine if their antibodies could help patients who are still fighting the virus. Read more.

12:47pm – Frontline on PBS will be airing a documentary on the coronavirus pandemic Tuesday, available to stream at this link when it goes live at 9 p.m.

12:04pm – U.S. health officials are putting out a call for plasma donations from patients who have fully recovered from coronavirus.

That includes anyone who’s seen “complete resolution of symptoms for at least 28 days,” or have had no symptoms at least 14 days prior to donating along with a negative COVID-19 test.

11:25am – The World Health Organization chief warned Monday that “the worst is yet ahead of us” in the coronavirus outbreak, reviving the alarm just as many countries ease restrictive measures aimed at reducing its spread. Read more from AP. 

10:37am – The state’s coronavirus testing efforts encountered a hiccup recently, after possible contamination forced University of Washington labs to stop using test kits from a supplier in China. Read more.

9:46am – Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson sent an open letter to gyms and fitness centers last Friday, warning that they must allow customers to cancel memberships at any time “for any reason,” or face legal consequences.

This came after Ferguson received “dozens” of complaints from Washingtonians about ongoing membership fee charges during Washington’s stay-at-home order, which has these facilities closed.

8:51am – According to researchers at Harvard University, the United States won’t be able to safely relax social distancing measures unless it triples its daily coronavirus tests in the next month.

Harvard estimates that the U.S. will need to be performing between 500,000 and 700,000 daily tests if it’s going to reopen by the middle of May. In April, we’ve averaged 146,000 tests per day.

8:16am – Boeing is hitting the restart button at its Puget Sound plants today, ramping production back up after a three-and-a-half week closure. Read more. 

7:34am – Washington state’s website for managing unemployment claims has continued to be flooded by newly out-of-work applicants, with the department citing “historically high traffic.”

The Washington State Employment Security Department is warning people to expect slow response times, and to “please keep trying or come back and try later” if you’re having issues accessing the site.

6:41am – Without a vaccine for coronavirus, could herd immunity ultimately be what protects the population in the days ahead? According to one University of Washington professor, we should be skeptical of any such approach. Read more. 

5:53am – Amazon is now using thermal cameras at operations facilities, used to screen workers for fever and identify possible coronavirus cases.

This is one of a handful of measures implemented by the company at its various warehouses, including sanitation stations, face masks, and more.

5:10am – Addressing the weekend protest held in Olympia over social distancing measures, Gov. Jay Inslee noted that “crowd counts or speeches won’t determine our course.”

“These are difficult and frustrating times,” Inslee said on Twitter. “I understand the urgency of this crisis. However, this is not the time to halt the progress we have made.”

According to Washington State Patrol, an estimated 2,500 people showed up to protest at the state Capitol Sunday. Despite the state’s flattening curve, though, health officials have noted that relaxing social distancing measures too early could potentially lead to a rebound in the virus.

Find last week’s updates here.

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