Grays Harbor adds COVID-19 case; Pacific County becomes Phase 2 eligible

COVID-19

A 16th case of COVID-19 has been confirmed in Grays Harbor as the county awaits word to move into Phase 2 of Gov. Jay Inslee’s Safe Start plan

Grays Harbor Public Health announced that an additional case of COVID-19 was identified on Thursday, marking the 4th case in May. 

Grays Harbor County has 16 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

  •         March 2020: 2 cases 
  •         April 2020: 10 cases
  •         May 2020: 4 cases

 Also on Thursday, Pacific County became eligible to apply to move to Phase 2, joining Cowlitz and Grant counties able to submit a variance application.

Under the stipulations set by Gov. Inslee, counties must have an average of less than 10 new cases per 100,000 residents over a 14-day period to apply for a variance. This would equate to approximately 7 cases in Grays Harbor and only 2 in Pacific County

The following counties were already announced to be eligible to submit an application to move to Phase 2: Adams, Clallam, Clark, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, Kitsap, Lewis, Mason, San Juan, Spokane, and Thurston.

Previously approved to move to Phase 2: Asotin, Columbia, Garfield, Lincoln, Ferry, Pend Orielle, Skamania, Stevens, Wahkiakum, and Whitman. Learn more about the county variance process.

The application process for Phase 2 requires support from the local health officer, the local board of health, local hospitals, and the county commission/council.

Each county must demonstrate they have adequate local hospital bed capacity as well as adequate PPE supplies to keep health care workers safe. The application must include plans for:

  • Making testing available and accessible to everyone in the county with symptoms.
  • Staffing case investigations and contact tracing.
  • Housing people in isolation or quarantine who can’t or don’t want to do so at home.
  • Providing case management services to those in isolation and quarantine.
  • Responding rapidly to outbreaks in congregate settings.

The variance requests are reviewed by the secretary of health, who can approve the plans as submitted, approve with modifications or deny the application. If circumstances change within the jurisdiction, the variance can be revoked.

Learn more about county variances and the statewide response to COVID-19 at coronavirus.wa.gov.

Individuals can also find COVID-19 information on the Department of Health’s website or call 1-800-525-0127. Individuals can text the word “coronavirus” to 211-211 to receive information and updates on their phone wherever they are.

Grays Harbor County Public Health will continue to operate a COVID-19 call center that will assist people with testing referrals. Assistance is available in both English and Spanish. Call (360) 964-1850. The call center is available Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 4pm. Please note that the call center will be closed on Monday, May 25 for the Memorial Day holiday.

Everyone should stay home and stay healthy. If you have to leave your home for essential activities, wear a cloth face covering.

Grays Harbor Public Health Incident Management Team and Grays Harbor Emergency Operations Center provide the most accurate, timely information possible. For information about COVID-19 and our response, visit our website at http://www.healthyGH.org.  Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/healthyghc