Live updates: 834 deaths, 15,185 coronavirus cases in Washington

Many expected Monday to be the day when parts of the state would begin to reopen, but Gov. Jay Inslee extended the stay-at-home order through May 31. He announced four phases to reopen, with at least three weeks for each phase.

Confirmed coronavirus cases across Washington state

Follow live updates today below.

Sunday, May 3

6:12pm – The state Department of Health is reporting a total of 15,185 confirmed cases of coronavirus statewide, with 834 deaths. There have been 212,005 total tests. Find more on the DOH’s updated data dashboard here.

1:39pm – A new report from local Seattle-area scientists and health experts concludes that early detection of COVID-19 in Washington state was crucial to “accelerated public health efforts to mitigate the emerging pandemic.” Read more.

10:57am – Drill down and zoom in at the individual county level, and you can access numbers, compiled by the Associated Press, that will show you the situation where you are, and where loved ones or people you’re worried about live.

7:55am – Goodwill is opening four donation centers starting Sunday (12pm-6pm) and then will start regular hours on Monday. The four locations are in Seattle, Ravenna, Woodinville, and Martha Lake. Donors can drop items directly into labeled bins as part of a “self-serve” format. Goodwill is asking that you maintain social distancing at all times.

Saturday, May 2

6:59pm – Weighing the risks, the Senate will reopen on Monday as the coronavirus crisis rages and the House stays shuttered, an approach that leaves Congress as divided as the nation. Read more from AP.

4:05pm – The state Department of Health is reporting 15,003 total confirmed coronavirus cases statewide, with 830 deaths. There have been 207,315 tests, 7.2 percent positive of which have been positive cases.

12:46pm – Governor Inslee’s announcement that the state will reopen in phases over the coming weeks and months means many employers are now planning how to get workers back to the office safely. But what does that look like in a new normal? Read more.

8:14am – The Stay Home, Stay Healthy initiative has been extended through May 31, but outdoor recreation opportunities will resume in Washington state starting May 5. “On Tuesday, we are reopening our public lands and state parks,” Hilary Franz, state commissioner of public lands, told The Jason Rantz Show. Read more.

Friday, May 1

5:20pm – Health officials say 14,637 people in Washington state have tested positive, of the 198,724 people tested across the state. That’s a rate of 7.4%, which has stayed stagnant for the past two days. Deaths have reached 824, an increase of 10 since yesterday.

4:06pm – Seattle Department of Transportation will open 11 more miles of streets for walking, rolling, running, skating, and biking. The city will open Lake City, Aurora Licton Springs, Ballard, and Delridge/Highland Park, and extend the Central District route to include 22nd Ave E to E Olive St. Lake City will be in place today, and the rest open by early next week.

2:46pm – Gov. Inslee has extended the stay-at-home order through May 31. The governor said Washington will reopen in four stages. Smaller counties not hit hard by coronavirus will be able to apply through the Department of Health for a variance from the governor’s order, speeding up the time between phases. Read more here.

2:22pm – The Evergreen State Fair in Monroe has been canceled, according to Snoho.com on Friday. Also canceled is Snohomish’s Kla Ha Ya Days. Snoho.com reports that the last time the fair closed was during WWII, and before that, during the 1918 influenza pandemic.

1:48pm – U.S. regulators on Friday allowed emergency use of an experimental drug, remdesivir, that appears to help some coronavirus patients recover faster. The FDA said in a statement that Gilead Science’s intravenous drug would be specifically indicated for hospitalized patients with “severe disease,” such as those experiencing breathing problems requiring supplemental oxygen or ventilators. Read more from the AP. 

12:26pm – Governor Jay Inslee is going to extend the stay-at-home order past May 4, but the order is leading some to wonder whether or not any of this is constitutional. Read more. 

11:34am – While the University of Washington’s virology lab has focused mainly on coronavirus testing, development on a vaccine has been a priority across the globe. Read more. 

10:43am – Washington hospitals has begun relaxing some restrictions on elective surgeries, thanks to new guidelines recently issued by Gov. Inslee. More from KIRO 7 TV here. 

9:55am – The City of Seattle will soon be adding 11 more miles of streets closed to vehicles, to provide more space for cyclists and pedestrians observing social distancing guidelines.

These “Stay Healthy Streets” will be in Lake City, Aurora Licton Springs, Ballard, and Delridge/Highland Park. Most of these streets will be in place 24 hours a day, 7 days a week “until further notice.” Lake City’s will be in place starting today, while the rest will take effect “early next week.”

In total, the city will have 20 miles of “Stay Healthy Streets.”

9:04am – Snohomish County issued a reminder Friday, noting that even though parks are reopening, gatherings among separate households are still not permitted.

“Only members of the same household may travel and recreate together,” the county said on Twitter.

8:07am – With beef and chicken plants closing around the country because of coronavirus outbreaks, are people going to be panic hoarding meat like we saw with toilet paper? More than that, should we be concerned about potential food shortages? Read more.  

7:09am – Gov. Inslee announced Thursday that the federal government will be delivering over 500,000 coronavirus test kit swabs every month.

UW Virology’s testing lab has frequently mentioned that while it has the capacity to run thousands of daily tests, it hasn’t had the necessary swabs to fill that capacity. This upcoming infusion of federal support will help meet those needs.

6:24am – Rick Gleason is a senior lecturer in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at the University of Washington, and the lead instructor at the Pacific Northwest Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Training Center. He joined KIRO Radio’s Gee and Ursula Show to discuss workers rights after workers return to the job in Washington state. Read more. 

5:25am – Gov. Inslee is planning a 2:30 p.m. Friday news conference to discuss part-two of his decision making process for reopening Washington state. The governor will be joined by DOH Secretary John Wiesman and WA COVID-19 health care response director Vice Admiral Dr. Raquel Bono.

On Wednesday, the governor discussed the metrics his office looks at in making decisions to reopen. Inslee’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy order is currently set to expire on Monday, May 4, but he said on Wednesday that it’ll be extended. He did not set a date. The governor has said that reopening will not be like turning on a light switch, but rather be a slow and calculated process.

Thursday, April 30

5:42pm – A surge of unemployment claims hit Washington state last week, coinciding with the availability of expanded and extended benefits provided under the federal CARES Act. The Employment Security Department knew it was coming, but saw a 450% increase in total claims filed last week.

“In a week in which issued just shy of a billion dollars to thousands of Washingtonians, this is by far the largest week of unemployment benefits delivered in our state’s history,” said ESD Commissioner Suzy LeVine. Read more.

4:36pm – Health officials say 14,327 people in Washington state have tested positive for coronavirus, an increase of 257 cases since Wednesday. The rate of positive cases is 7.4% Of those positive cases, 814 have died, an increase of 13 people since Wednesday.

3:52pm – Amazon and Whole Foods Markets are asking customers to wear masks in stores. Within the next week, Whole Foods will offer free, disposable masks at entrances as shoppers arrive.

Amazon says it’s provided over 100 million masks to its employees worldwide.

3:39pm – Marvin Wohlman, a farmer in the Moses Lake area, handed out about 60,000 pounds of potatoes to the community on Thursday. Hundreds of people arrived to pick up free potatoes. Check out this video, featuring the farmer and Chris Voight, Executive Director of the Washington State Potato commission.

2:58pm – Pierce County says it will reopen its parks on Tuesday, May 5. Chambers Creek Regional Park, including Chambers Bay, will reopen on Friday, May 1. The county says there will be protocols and guidelines for the parks, including no events, team sports, or other group activities. You’re asked to limit your visits to more than twice per week and to keep each visit under two hours — to make room for everyone.

1:56pm – The Pentagon on Wednesday said it will spend $75.5 million in Defense Production Act Title 3 funding to increase production of coronavirus testing swabs, CNN reported. To which Gov. Inslee responded in a tweet on Thursday, “Finally.”

The governor has said the lack of swabs and the medium to transport the tests have been major hurdles in efforts to increase testing.

1:32pm – The Employment Security Department reported on Thursday that during the week of April 19-25, there were 1,455,908 total claims for unemployment benefits filed in Washington state. That’s an increase of 10,000 percent over the same week last year.

However, the ESD said this was the first week “that initial Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims could be filed by individuals such as self-employed workers and independent contractors, and initial Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation claims for extended benefits were able to be filed.” An average of 1.5 initial claims were filed per person for UI, PUA and PEUC.

12:07pm – President Trump recently invoked the Defense Production Act, requiring meat packing plants to continue operating during the pandemic. There have been COVID-19 cases identified at some of these plants, and a few cases where workers have died from the virus. But does the government have the power to make an employee work against his or her will? Read more. 

11:24am – The Washington State Department of Health provided an update Thursday, detailing where the state is now that it’s been exactly 100 days since its first COVID-19 case was identified.

That included a roadmap of key milestones it’s targeting in the future, and what Gov. Inslee will be looking for as distancing measures are relaxed.

10:12am – Health experts have often emphasized the need for contact tracing as a means to curbing the spread of COVID-19 once states reopen. In Pierce County, officials have a head start in that department, with 15 investigators already on the job, and many more on the way. Read more. 

9:36am – Two weeks ago, the Ballard and University District farmer’s markets reopened in Seattle with strict social distancing rules and only 28 vendors instead of 150. The vegetable, fruit, meat and fish vendors are also open for business at Pike Place Market.

But what’s missing are the big, colorful bouquets of locally grown flowers these markets are famous for. Right now, during the big spring blooming season, flower vendors aren’t allowed to set up shop. Read more from KIRO Radio’s Rachel Belle. 

8:34am – For the first time in a while, we are seeing a slight uptick in airline passengers around the country. If you plan on flying soon, you should expect a much different experience. Read more. 

7:57am – Seattle police expect fewer people to gather for May Day protests this year, largely due to the state’s ongoing stay-at-home order.

SPD will not be arresting protesters for violating the order, but told KIRO 7 that they “are ready to enforce other laws that are on the books,” including “any crimes of violence.”

7:06am – Unemployment claims in the United States have exceeded 30 million since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, with 3.8 million claims filed last week.

In total, 1 in every 6 Americans are now out of work.

6:09am – While there is certainly a risk that some small wineries might not survive this economic downturn, the prognosis might not be as dire for Washington’s wineries. Read more. 

5:25am – Gov. Jay Inslee unveiled a dashboard Wednesday, detailing Washington’s readiness to reopen in a handful of key categories.

Providing visual aids, the dashboard assesses readiness on a scale from “low risk” to “high risk” for the prevalence of the virus, the risk to vulnerable populations, testing capacity and availability, case and contact investigations, and health care readiness.

While Washington is approaching “low risk” for health care readiness and virus prevalence, it remains in the “high risk” category for testing and contact tracing.

Wednesday, April 29

5:54pm – Bellevue police say they’re getting more than double the number of reports of stolen mail compared to this time last year, and it could get worse as coronavirus stimulus checks arrive in mailboxes.

Pick up your mail as soon as you can, or ask a neighbor to get your mail if you can’t do it promptly after delivery. You can also sign up for free “informed delivery” through the postal services, which provides a digital preview of most of your mail and allows you to track its progress.

5:37pm – This morning, 20 tons of potatoes from eastern Washington farmers were given away in Ritzville, Wash. There is already another giveaway planned Thursday in Moses Lake at 9 a.m. at the Grant County Fairgrounds.

5:23pm – Gov. Inslee issued additional guidance that clarifies the limits on non-urgent elective surgeries. The guidance details what type of surgeries are permitted and provides instructions in regards to personal protective equipment for health care workers.

“We are clarifying that some procedures should go forward while still ensuring there is adequate capacity to deal with COVID-19 and other emergency situations,” Inslee said. “Personal protective equipment continues to be in high demand, and we must make sure that all medical professionals have what they need to stay healthy and protected while serving the needs of their patients.”

3:57pm – Gov. Inslee said on Wednesday that the stay-at-home order will extend past May 4, but added that he’ll talk more on Friday about the next phase for Washington state. He went on to show Washingtonians the data that his office examines. He said today is 100 days since the first case was reported in Snohomish County.

4:30pm – There are now 14,070 confirmed coronavirus cases in Washington state, according to the Department of Health, and 801 deaths. The DOH is reporting 187,800 total tests at 7.5% positive.

The Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management released a video Wednesday looking back at the past 100 days.

2:59pm – Gov. Inslee said there are five buckets of metrics his office looks at every day, “sometimes hourly” in making decisions about the state’s response to the spread of coronavirus. Those buckets are hospital capacity, disease activity, testing capacity, contact tracing, and risk to vulnerable populations. Read more.

1:57pm – An experimental drug has proved effective against the new coronavirus in a major study, shortening the time it takes for patients to recover by four days on average, U.S. government and company officials announced Wednesday. Gilead Sciences’s remdesivir is the first treatment to pass such a strict test against the virus.

“What it has proven is that a drug can block this virus,” Fauci said. “This will be the standard of care.” Read more from AP.

12:14pm – Under the Stay Home, Stay Healthy initiative in Washington state, farmers markets are considered essential businesses. The local markets provide shoppers an opportunity to purchase fresh, healthy food direct from local farmers. Read more. 

11:27am – As Boeing has been easing back into production — against the backdrop of the pandemic and the death in March of an employee from COVID-19 — its corporate historian has been looking into the archives to learn how the 104-year-old company weathered the influenza pandemic over a century ago. Read more from KIRO Radio’s Feliks Banel. 

10:50am – Seattle-King County Public Health provided insight Wednesday into how the state’s various farmers markets are planning to safely open, while observing physical distancing requirements.

That includes advising vendors to wear masks, maintain six feet of space from customers at all times, minimizing money handling with contact-free payment methods, and more.

9:57am – Gov. Jay Inslee provided additional guidance regarding the reopening of private construction in Washington state.

A memo released Wednesday clarifies that projects eligible to resume include ones with obligations be fulfilled with contracts signed prior to March 23.

9:39am – Even while Washington has begun to relax some social distancing measures, Seattle-King County Public Health’s Dr. Jeff Duchin warns against fully reopening too early. Read more. 

8:51am – With Eastern Washington farmers sitting on stockpiles of potatoes they’ve been unable to sell to restaurants shut down during the coronavirus crisis, they’re now looking to give them away.

The giveaway starts a 9 a.m. today in Ritzville near ACE Hardware and Harvest Foods on First Avenue, where farmers will look to unload hundreds of thousands of pounds of their excess potatoes to anyone with a truck to haul them away.

7:56am – According to a recent story in the The New York Times, the death toll from the coronavirus in the United States could potentially be much higher than what’s been reported.

That’s shown in new data from the CDC, demonstrating that we may have been under-counting several key regions thanks to delays in processing for things like death certificates.

7:17am – Now that coronavirus antibody testing is open to the public, KIRO Radio’s Chris Sullivan decided to make the journey to Tacoma to get the test himself. Read more. 

6:19am -As expected, Boeing reported dismal first quarter earnings Wednesday, alongside sweeping cuts to both production and jobs. This comes amid struggles presented by the coronavirus crisis. Read more. 

5:26am – According to Gov. Jay Inslee’s chief of staff, there’s a chance Washington’s stay-at-home order will get extended past its original May 4 expiration date.

“We hope we’ll be able to tell you what the date of the extension will be by the end of this week,” Chief of Staff David Postman told KIRO 7. “But I’m not 100% sure we will do that. But we are certainly going to try to share that as soon as we can.”

The latest modeling data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation estimates that Washington will be ready to relax social distancing measures — provided it has properly ramped up testing and tracing — by May 30.

Tuesday, April 28

4:37pm – Health officials say 13,842 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Washington state. Of those, 786 people have died. As many as 182,515 have been tested, with a rate of 7.6% positive cases.

2:17pm – A petition has been circulating online to get hairstylists back to work early next week, KIRO 7 reports. The petition now has more than 7,000 signatures. Many salon owners have already been planning how they can reopen with social distancing measures in place to protect both the stylists and the customers.

Barbershops and hair salons have been hit hard during the stay-at-home order, unable to offer any services when their doors are closed. Read more.

1:35pm – UW Medicine is requiring faculty and staff to wear masks at all clinical sites to help reduce the exposure and transmission of disease and protect both patients and staff as more patients are welcomed back into the clinics.

1:08pm – KIRO Radio’s Chris Sullivan reports that beginning Monday, May 4, all Costco members will be required to wear a mask. Stores will return to normal operating hours and senior hours will remain 9 a.m. – 10 a.m. Monday through Friday.

12:37pm – Reliable, reasonably priced, high-speed internet access has been an issue in the United States for quite some time, but the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ are even more evident during the pandemic. Read more. 

11:30am – A research group in Oxford has been making significant progress on a coronavirus vaccine. If things continue to go well, it could potentially have a vaccine available by September, according to a recent report in The New York Times.

That will be largely dependent on how continued trials go, with the Times noting that success in trials on rhesus monkeys is “no guarantee that a vaccine will provide the same degree of protection for humans.”

10:21am – Washington State Ferries will be whistling across Puget Sound tonight — literally.

“If you hear our ferry whistles at 8p, we are recognizing essential workers on the front line of the COVID-19 response,” the ferry service said on Twitter.

9:26am – President Donald Trump says states should “seriously consider” reopening their public schools before the end of the academic year, even though dozens already have said it would be unsafe for students to return until the summer or fall.

Trump made the comments Monday in a call with governors discussing how to reopen their economies, among other topics. Read more from AP. 

9:19am – Businesses should close break rooms. Restaurants should consider disposable menus and plates. Schools should have students eat lunch in their classrooms.

These are some of the recommendations offered in new federal plans designed to help restaurants, schools, churches and businesses safely reopen as states look to gradually lift their coronavirus restrictions. Read more from AP. 

8:35am – Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson is threatening to sue a Seattle-based business for selling a fake COVID-19 vaccine.

In a post to Facebook the owner of North Coast Biologics claims he has a vaccine that has made him immune to the virus. Ferguson says if the company does not stop making false claims they could face a lawsuit.

In a statement, Ferguson reminds everyone that “if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.”

There is currently no proven treatment or vaccine for COVID-19.

7:41am – Comcast announced this week that it will be extending its coronavirus community support program through the end of June.

That includes not disconnecting any customers for nonpayment, eliminating data caps, and providing free public WiFi hotspots. The company is also extending its offer of free service for two months for low-income families.

6:58am – King County is blowing through cash in its coronavirus response, and it could end up facing a giant budget shortfall as a result. Read more. 

6:06am – Just like every other small business in the state, breweries are struggling to keep the lights on. For those that do not can or bottle their beers, survival will be very difficult the longer their tap rooms stay closed because of the governor’s order. Read more. 

5:20am – Seattle city officials announced last Friday that they would be capping fees on restaurant delivery apps at 15%, in a bid to help struggling eateries during the coronavirus crisis.

“This commission cap will be critical to ensuring that delivery and takeout remain viable options and don’t cause increased financial hardship,” Mayor Jenny Durkan said Monday.

This came in the form of an emergency order, which also required that 100% of all tips from apps like Uber Eats, DoorDash, and more go to drivers, while restricting the ability of those companies to cut pay for drivers as a means to make up for that new measure.

San Francisco enacted a similar order two weeks ago as well.

Monday, April 27

5:42pm – Gov. Jay Inslee said $300 million will be awarded from the state’s federal stimulus funding to local governments that did not receive distributions under the CARES Act, including those with populations under 500,000.

“Cities and counties are on the front line of fighting this pandemic, especially our public health jurisdictions,” Inslee said. “This funding will help our local partners across Washington meet the needs of their communities as we work together to defeat the virus. These vital resources can be used to cover critical expenses arising from the COVID-19 emergency, including isolation and quarantine sites, staffing and the procurement of medical supplies and equipment for health care providers and first responders.”

4:36pm – The state Department of Health is reporting 13,686 confirmed coronavirus cases in Washington, with 765 deaths. The percent of positive cases is down to 7.6% out of 179,679 total tests.

4:04pm – It’s not just your lungs that are affected by COVID-19, as it may damage your heart and kidneys as well. That’s what an Issaquah man found out after his near-death experience.

“A lot of my symptoms had to do with the inflammation of my heart and my kidneys,” Michael Pederson told the Gee and Ursula Show. Read more.

3:11pm – Gov. Inslee announced a partial reopening of outdoor recreation on May 5 assuming healthy guidelines continue responsibly among Washingtonians.

“This is a data driven decision,” Inslee said. Read more.

1:48pm – Members of the military, veterans, and their spouses can participate in a virtual job fair on Tuesday. Recruit Military and Disabled American Veterans are hosting the event that will feature jobs available in the western United States.

They say among the fields hiring right now are for supply chain, manufacturing and warehouse, and robotics work. The online job fair is free, but pre-regisration is required. Register here.

12:35pm – Approximately 700 workers at the Alcoa aluminum smelter plant in Ferndale, Wash., will soon be let go after the manufacturer announced they’re closing the factory due to the market slow down as result of the coronavirus pandemic. Read more. 

11:51am – With Gov. Inslee lifting restrictions on construction projects in Washington last week, workers will begin returning to job sites Monday. As for how the state plans to safely accomplish that, there are a few hurdles contractors will have to clear. Read more. 

11:17am – Fred Hutchinson scientist Trevor Bedford took to Twitter Sunday, detailing why, despite early hiccups, we shouldn’t give up on expanding our testing and tracing system.

Bedford notes that even with modest improvements to our testing infrastructure, we can still reduce the spread of the virus significantly.

10:31am – Washington salons and hairstylists are putting out a call to Gov. Inslee, asking that they be allowed to return to work this week.

This comes as a petition circulated over the weekend, signed by at least 7,000 people.

9:46am – Gov. Jay Inslee announced Monday that Colorado and Nevada will be joining the coalition of western states coordinating their coronavirus response efforts.

The original Western States Pact included Washington, Oregon, and California, with the stated goal of mitigating the impacts of the outbreak with a coordinated response.

9:14am – While experts emphasize the need for increased coronavirus testing in the U.S., UW Virology’s lab continues to grapple with shortages of crucial supplies. Read more.

8:42am – Gov. Inslee will be delivering a press conference today at 2:30 p.m., joined by Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz, WA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife Director Kelly Susewind, and WA State Parks and Recreation Commission Director Don Hoch.

8:31am – In an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press, White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said she expects social distancing measures to continue at least through the summer.

“Social distancing will be with us through the summer to really ensure that we protect one another as we move through these phases [of reopening],” she stated.

7:34am – It was a busy weekend for Boeing, as it continues to grapple with the fallout from the coronavirus. Earnings are out this week, and the company bailed on a major acquisition. Read more. 

6:41am – After a pair of sources tipped off KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson Show, Seattle-King County Public Health confirmed that a Shoreline coronavirus quarantine site is buying cigarettes, beer, and marijuana edibles for its patients. Read more. 

5:56am – An on-the-water protest on Lake Union took place over the weekend, with demonstrators demanding that Gov. Jay Inslee lift Washington’s ban on fishing during the state’s ongoing stay-at-home order.

That included fishermen in dozens of boats, claiming that maintaining safe social distancing while fishing is a key facet of the sport.

5:08am – Seattle earned praised in The New Yorker over the weekend, as a city that “let scientists take the lead” in its coronavirus response.

“Seattle’s leaders moved fast to persuade people to stay home and follow the scientists’ advice,” the feature reads, comparing the city’s approach to the crisis to New York’s, where officials were slower to heed the advice of experts.

“Because New York’s recommendations came later than Seattle’s — and because communication was less consistent — it took longer to influence how people behaved,” it continued.

Find last week’s updates here.

 

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