Welcome back to the COVID-19 daily report.

As announced last week, the Snohomish Health District is no longer publishing data updates on Saturdays and Sundays, and soe we were unable to provide our readers with the usual updates over the weekend. The Health District is now folding all changes that occurred over the weekend into the Monday figures, hence the Monday numbers now reflect changes over three days instead of one. For clarity, we are interpolating (i.e., spreading) the data over the missing dates in our charts.  While the charts will still show the missing dates (in this case April 25 and 26), the numbers represent the Saturday-Monday change averaged out over these three days. The local numbers table below, however. reports the changes over the combined three-day period.

Monday’s data continue the story of slowed progress in the local fight to stem the tide of COVID-19. As of Monday, 2,559 Snohomish County residents have contracted the virus over the reporting period, continuing this month’s steady upward but very slowly flattening trend (upper line, countywide and city line charts).

The incremental number of new cases (yellow chart) remained flat over the weekend, adding 64 cases since Friday for a whole number interpolated daily average of 31. At the same time, numbers hospitalized (purple chart) remain relatively low, with six added since Friday, for an average of two per day over the weekend; 56 county residents are currently hospitalized with the virus, a significant reduction from earlier this month.  Numbers of recovered cases (green chart) continue to climb slowly, with 24 joining the ranks of the recovered this weekend.

The number of active cases per day (red chart) is still climbing, approaching the peak levels of early April, with 49 added since over the weekend and 295 added since April 16.

Three new deaths (gray chart) were added over the weekend, an average of one per day. Over the full reporting period, 107 have died in Snohomish County as a result of the virus.

The local numbers for April 27, 2020:

— By Larry Vogel

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From the Washington State Department of Health

COVID-19 and people with disabilities

According to CDC, 1 in 4 adults have a disability that seriously impacts their ability to do major life activities. People with disabilities can also struggle with economic and social conditions that compound these difficulties. In fact, mobility disability is nearly five times as common among middle-aged adults living below the poverty level than among people whose income is twice the poverty level. Many people with disabilities also experience discrimination because of age, race or ethnicity, or their disability.

Most people with a physical disability are not at higher risk of getting COVID-19 or of getting very sick from COVID-19 because of their disability. However, some people with disabilities may also have a chronic illness that puts us at higher risk for getting very sick from COVID-19. According to CDC, adults with disabilities are three times more likely than adults without disabilities to have heart disease, stroke, diabetes, or cancer. Some people with disabilities may be at higher risk of getting COVID-19 if they cannot avoid having close contact with others, such as caregivers, or if they live in a long-term care facility.

If you have a disability or chronic illness, make sure you have a four-week supply of prescription and over-the-counter medications on hand. Remember to make sure you have other needed medical supplies available (oxygen, incontinence, dialysis, wound care) and have a back-up plan for if you need more.

If you have a caregiver, make a plan for what you will do if you or your caregiver gets sick. Do you have contact information for family, friends, neighbors, and local service agencies who can help? Ask your caregiver to take their temperature before coming to your home. Make sure your caregiver knows to wash their hands when they enter your home and before and after touching you. Ask them if they have been in contact with someone who has COVID-19. Don’t be shy about asking your caregiver to take great care of themselves by washing their hands and monitoring their health to keep both of you safe!

Sometimes doctors are so focused on underlying health conditions that they can miss mental health concerns among people with disabilities. But people at higher risk for getting very sick from COVID-19 are also at increased risk of stress due to COVID-19. This is especially true if they live alone or in a place that is not allowing visitors right now. We can all support our loved ones living alone by checking in often and virtually.