HEALTH MATTERS

VOL. 1, NO. 2 | FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2021

Public Health offering rapid-antigen testing Island County Public Health’s COVID Response Team is offering free rapidantigen testing for COVID-19. To make an appointment or for more information, call the Island CountyPublic Health Call Center at 360-678-2301 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondaythrough Friday, or Petite Bryant-Hunt at 360-544-2161 noon to 6 p.m. onweekends. You should be tested if you have symptoms such as fever, cough,muscle/body aches, fatigue, sore throat, diarrhea, congestion/runny nose,nausea/vomiting, shortness of breath and/or loss of taste/smell.

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Island County Public Health COVID Response Community Guidance

Don't forgo COVID safetymeasures this Halloween

With Halloween and other fall celebrations returning to calendars this year,Island County Public Health COVID Response urges continued diligence inpreventing the spread of COVID-19 and offers the following tips: Protectyourself, your loved ones and others while celebrating by doing the following:

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Mask up for safety this Halloween.

Many people from across Island Countyunite in this video with one simplepurpose - spread kindness. See thisvideo here.

Spread kindness

2-7 p.m. Monday Oct. 25 at SkagitValley College Whidbey IslandCampus in Oak Harbor, Oak Hall,Main Lobby.10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 3 atCamano Center, 606 ArrowheadRoad, Camano Island. Provided byCamano Island Fire and Rescue.

Island County Public Health isauthorized to administer a third dose ofthe Pfizer-BioNTech and ModernaCOVID-19 vaccines for certain immuno-compromised groups. Boosters of the Pfizer vaccine are alsoavailable in limited quantities. Proof ofprior COVID vaccination required. No IDor insurance necessary and noappointment is required. The next clinics scheduled are:

Public Health’s Mobile VaccinationTeam is available to come to your facilityto give vaccines. Contact Paul Shimada byemail at p.shimada@island countywa. govor by calling 360-499-4416.

Public Health vaccine clinicsOct. 25, Nov. 3

Island County is accepting applicationsfor Community Service Grants under thefederal American Rescue Plan Act, orARPA. A total of $2 million in CommunityService Grants will be awarded by theIsland County Board of Commissioners tolocal organizations, including senior andveteran services, childcare anddevelopment services, support for youthand support for the physical ordevelopmentally disabled. “It’s super exciting to offer thisopportunity to help the community toexpand much-needed services,” said LizChaffin, Island County ARPA Programcoordinator.

Community service grant applications accepted until Nov. 15

Summary table of Island County Positive COVID-19 Cases, 2021

Island County Epidemiological CurveAll COVID-19 Confirmed Positive Case Counts

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Liz Chaffin

Grant money may be used by anorganization to expand its reach,modernize services or adapt to needs inresponse to the COVID-19 pandemic. Applications are due by the end ofday on Nov. 15, according to Chaffin,who added there is no cost to apply.Only one application per entity will beaccepted. For those who may be inexperiencedat applying for grants, the application istwo pages and the process simplified. “Most of it is going to be prettyeasy,” Chaffin said. For more information about thegrants, or to return an application,email to Liz Chaffin at LC.Chaffin@islandcountywa.gov or mail to Island County

ARPA Program, PO Box 5000,Coupeville, WA 98239. Chaffin’s contactphone is 360-679-7397. Applications can be found here.

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Testing will also be available to those who have been in direct contact with someone who has tested positive forCOVID-19. Close contact is defined as being within six feet of a person with confirmed novel coronavirus infection for a prolongedperiod of time, or as having contact with secretions from a person with confirmed novel coronavirus.To receive a rapid antigen test no insurance or identification is required, and test subjects will remain in their vehiclesthroughout the simple process. Plans are in the works to offer rapid-antigen testing on Camano Island in partnership with the Camano Island Fire andRescue. Dates and times will be announced at a later date.

Rapid-antigen testing will soon be available on Camano

Wear a cloth face coveringanytime you are with people notfrom your household, whetherindoors or outside; Avoid confined spaces. Outdooractivities are safer than indooractivities, but if you’re indoors,make sure to have properventilation, and even open doors

Avoid close contact with peopleoutside of your household. Stayat least 6 feet away from peoplewho are not part of yourhousehold;Wash or sanitize your hands(and children’s hands) often, and;Stay home if you are sick or wererecently exposed to someonewith COVID-19. And if you havesymptoms or you’ve been a closecontact of someone withCOVID-19, get a COVID-19 test.

Have a scavenger hunt at home.Dress up and hide candy or othertreats throughout the house oryard;Have a Halloween moviemarathon with householdmembers;Host an online costume orpumpkin-carving contest;

Stick with members of your ;

and windows to the extent possible;

The following are fun, safe alternatives to trick-or-treating:

If you go trick-or-treating

household and keep at least 6feet from all others;Wear a cloth mask andremember that a plastic costumemask is not a suitable substituteWash your hands before andafter trick-or-treating, and;Bring plenty of hand sanitizer.

Limit candy to individuallywrapped treat bags. Thisreduces the number of peoplewho would typically touch items

If you give out treats

To see trick-or-treaters, sit ina chair in your driveway,garage, yard, or porch andmaintain at least 6 feet ofdistance from the treat table.

Place a few mini pumpkins orother decorations 6 feetapart to signal a line and keeptrick- or-treaters distancedwhile waiting for treats.

in a communal bowl;To avoidcrowds, place treats on a table inyour driveway or yard.

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This graph displays the number of laboratory confirmedand presumptive positive COVID-19 cases as of Oct. 21 inWashington state by county. Island County reported a total of 44 deaths.

Case counts and death counts by county

* Data is preliminary and presumptive positives are subject to change after confirmatory testing at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Gov. Jay Inslee last week issued a large event vaccineverification emergency order, Proclamation 21-16. A “large event” is a ticketed or preregistered assembly of10,000 or more individuals at an outdoor venue or 1,000 ormore individuals at an indoor venue. The proclamation prohibits large event organizers fromallowing anyone 12 and older from attending the event unlessthe individual either shows proof of full COVID-19 vaccination

'Large event' emergency order goes into effect Nov. 15

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or shows proof of having received a negative COVID-19 testconducted within 72 hours of the event. The order also prohibits individuals who are 12 years andolder from attending a large event unless they show proof of fullvaccination status or a negative test within 72 hours. The order is effective on Nov. 15. Read the full proclamation here.

No. of COVID-19 cases in Washington: 704,878No. of COVID-19 deaths in Washington: 8,371No. of COVID -19 deaths in Island County 45

Case rates in Island County declined for thelast three weeks, according to Don Mason,COVID Response manager for Island County. The two-week case rate, adjusted forpopulation, is 251.30 per 100,000 residents,Mason told the Island County Board ofCommissioners last week. "This is an increase in 104 actual cases this lastweek as compared to 132 last week. There wereno additional COVID related deaths reported thisweek." COVID Response opened a clinic to improveaccess to rapid antigen testing for symptomaticresidents of South and North Whidbey. Theschedule for the first two days filled rapidly. The county is working with Camano Island Fireand Rescue to open companion clinics onCamano very soon, Mason said. As of Thursday, Oct. 21, Washington statereported 704,878 cases of COVID-19. In IslandCounty, the number of COVID cases totaled3,834 last week, 104 of those new cases,according to Mason. There was one additional COVID-19-relateddeath reported this week. Vaccine primary doses given to Island Countyresidents as of last week is 51,371. This is a 667-person increase over the previous week. A total of 69.8% of Island county’s eligiblepopulation are vaccinated with at least one doseand 60.1% of the county’s total population hasgotten at least one dose. Mason also reported that 54.2% of IslandCounty’s total population is fully vaccinated asreported by the state. The state is sending messages to individualsidentified in the data as having missed theirsecond vaccination. These numbers do not include more than8,732 people who have been fully vaccinated atNAS Whidbey Island and are likely mostly IslandCounty residents from North Whidbey. Taken together this data suggests vaccinationrates for Island County that are under reportedby the state by as much as 10%.

Mason: Cases ofCOVID continueddecline in IslandCounty last week

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