This week’s coronavirus news is topped by ambitious vaccine distribution plans at all levels, and the spread of four distinct new viral variants, at least one of which has been identified in 20 states including Oregon, our neighbor to the south. Scientists continue to maintain that while more contagious, these strains do not appear to…
While there is no roadmap for maintaining emotional well-being during a pandemic, behavioral health experts speaking during a recent Sno-Isle Libraries webinar provided a wealth of advice and resources for coping with COVID-19 pressures. During the Jan. 14 webinar, the first of three in the library system’s “Issues That Matter, Pandemic Pressures” series, speakers offered…
If we had more vaccine, we could vaccinate many more people in Snohomish County. That’s the big takeaway from the county’s weekly COVID update Tuesday. The three drive-through locations (Monroe, Everett, Edmonds College) have the capacity to give shots to 30,000 people a week, according to County Executive Dave Somers. Somers said the county is…
Gov. Jay Inslee Monday announced an updated statewide vaccine distribution and administration plan to increase the number of Washingtonians vaccinated and establish infrastructure capable of mass vaccinations in the coming months. With the expanded vaccine distribution system, the state set a goal of vaccinating 45,000 Washingtonians per day. Included in the plan is the Washington…
A free, drive-thru, non-invasive COVID-19 testing event will take place at Concern For Neighbors Food Bank from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 22. The Verdant Health Commission and Medical Teams International are coordinating the event. The testing is open to anyone in the community. While this is a drive-thru event, walk-in people…
Based on new regional data published by the Washington State Department of Health, Snohomish County will remain in Phase 1 for the week begin Jan. 18. That’s the word from the Snohomish County Health District, which said in a Friday announcement that the Puget Sound Region continues to meet three of the four criteria laid…
Superintendents of the Edmonds, Everett and Mukilteo school districts have asked Gov. Jay Inslee to move school staff up in the state’s COVID-19 vaccination timeline to assist with the districts’ efforts to bring students back into the classroom. Under the state’s existing guidance for Phase B1, school employees 50 years old and older will be eligible…
Three drive-through vaccination clinics are now open in South Snohomish County – at Paine Field in Everett, Edmonds College and the Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe. Those in the highest-priority group (Group 1a, which includes health care workers, certain first responders, and workers and residents of long-term care facilities) can now make reservations to receive…
Sno-Isle Libraries is expanding the laptop loan program with Laptops to Go and Wi-Fi Hotspots to Go. Sno-Isle Libraries customers can place a hold in the catalog under the new program to borrow one of 124 laptops or one of 50 Wi-Fi hotspots for use at home. Laptops and Wi-Fi hotspots are available for checkout…
The vaccine – and more specifically related distribution snags– tops the coronavirus news this week. According to CNN, the latest word from the Trump administration and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is the pending announcement of sweeping changes to the vaccine rollout guidelines as the latest in an all-out effort to boost…
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Starting Jan. 14, Sno-Isle Libraries will begin a new Issues That Matter series, Pandemic Pressures: Supporting and Family Mental Health. The series will focus on the profound effects the coronavirus pandemic has had on everyone’s emotional well-being with events aimed to help individuals and families of all ages. All Issues That Matter events will be…
The locations and schedules for next week’s drive-thru testing operated by the Snohomish Health District are as follows: 3900 Broadway site in Everett – open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Everett Community College site at 915 N. Broadway – open Monday-Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Lynnwood…
The Snohomish Health District provided the following report Friday on vaccine distribution and planning in Snohomish County: In the first three weeks, just shy of 30,000 vaccines were distributed to 13 vaccine provider groups in Snohomish County. Another 8,600 doses had been allocated for this week. This number does not include doses distributed to sovereign…
For the week starting Jan. 11, Snohomish County will fall under Phase 1 of the Healthy Washington: Roadmap to Recovery announced by Gov. Jay Inslee last week. The governor’s plan provides a framework for regions to safely ease some restrictions while also maintaining crucial hospital capacity. With Snohomish County now incorporated into the new Puget…
The Washington State Department of Health Wednesday released guidance for the next phase of COVID-19 vaccination, which will begin after the first phase of inoculations — 1A — is completed. In its Wednesday announcment, the Department of Health said it created the recommendations in partnership Gov. Jay Inslee and reliance on federal guidance, along with…
In an update to families on its Edmonds Schools Stages of Re-entry Plan, the Edmonds School District said it is on track for all Stage 1 students to have in-person learning opportunities available by the end of the month. On Monday, Jan. 4, the district said it welcomed Developmental Kindergarten classes back into its school buildings. The…
Welcome to 2021, and our newly-formatted COVID report. For the new year we have eliminated some charts and tables, added some new ones, and streamlined our reporting on local numbers to better utilize the available data. Our aim continues to be to provide you – our readers – with a one-stop-shop to gain a comprehensive…
Gov. Jay Inslee Tuesday announced that beginning Jan. 11, the state will follow phased eight-region “Roadmap to Recovery” plan to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. “No one was untouched by the effects of the pandemic in 2020; many have and continue to suffer through no fault of their own,” Inslee said during a…
After months of coronavirus-related shutdowns, restrictions on travel and gatherings, mask mandates, rising infections and a growing sense of loss, everyone feels the stress and strain. No matter whether you’re grieving the death of a relative or friend to coronavirus, or if you’re a working parent with kids struggling to learn online, an essential worker…
The Washington State Department of Health said Thursday it continues to make progress with its COVID-19 vaccine distribution and administration efforts. On Wednesday, the health department updated phase 1A guidance, with the goal of expediting vaccine administration efforts across Washington state. “It is our goal to move vaccine as quickly and efficiently as possible within…
In a Wednesday press briefing, state officials provided some preliminary answers to the questions on most people’s minds: When will I get the vaccine, and how does this new coronavirus variant change the game. Comparing the coronavirus pandemic to a football game, the newly appointed Washington Secretary of Health Umair Shah told reporters that we’re…
Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday said that he is extending by one week the state’s current COVID-19 restrictions, which include a ban on indoor service at restaurants and bars, and continued closure of gyms, fitness centers, bowling alleys and museums. The restrictions, first announced Nov. 15, were supposed to last four weeks, but were extended until Jan….
Gov. Jay Inslee on Sunday said the state will provide $54 million to almost 100,000 Washington residents who will lose federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits after President Trump didn’t sign the federal coronavirus relief package by midnight on Dec. 26. The president’s signature would have prevented a lapse in PUA benefits. “We are providing…
The Washington State Department of Health Thursday released the latest statewide situation report on COVID-19. The report shows substantial decreases in transmission that are still not enough to return the state to the lower levels of disease activity seen earlier in the fall. Based on the timing of this trend, the plateaus may be due…
Comcast Washington and The Boys & Girls Clubs of Snohomish County (BGCSC) have launched a program to enhance Wi-Fi coverage at 12 Boys & Girls Club locations in Snohomish and Island counties. In the coming weeks, Comcast will equip 12 Boys & Girls Clubs — including the Alderwood and Edmonds clubs — with robust Wi-Fi…
