‘The worst’ it’s been: Covid hospitalizations reach all-time high in Washington state
Since the highly infectious omicron variant was discovered in Washington state last month, health officials have warned that a surge in cases could cause hospitals to become severely overwhelmed. Health care workers say that moment is now here. “This is the worst situation hospitals in Washington state have been in compared to any prior point during the pandemic,” said Taya Briley, vice president and general counsel for the Washington State Hospital Association during a press conference Thursday morning. Continue reading at KUOW. (Jae C. Hong)
Inslee deploys National Guard to assist hospitals, testing
Gov. Jay Inslee is deploying 100 members of the state National Guard to some hospitals to set up testing sites and to assist in non-medical tasks amid crowding due to a spike in COVID-19 hospitalizations. Inslee announced Thursday that teams will be deployed to assist four overcrowded emergency departments at hospitals in Everett, Yakima, Wenatchee and Spokane, and that testing teams will be based at hospitals in Olympia, Richland, Seattle and Tacoma. There are plans for additional Federal Emergency Management Agency testing sites in King and Snohomish counties. Continue reading at The Associated Press.
Family hopes to turn loss into legislation after hazing leads to death of son at WSU: ‘It’s to save a life for the one taken from us’
It’s a day that Jolayne Houtz remembers vividly. She was sitting at her desk at work and heard ragged breathing outside her door. It was her husband, Hector Martinez, telling her they needed to go home immediately. When they pulled up to their home, they saw three police officers and a police chaplain. Their 19-year-old son, Sam Martinez, had been found dead at his fraternity house. It would later be revealed that the Washington State University freshman and pledge of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity had died of alcohol poisoning after attending a fraternity event. Continue reading at The Spokesman Review.
Associated Press
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‘The worst’ it’s been: Covid hospitalizations reach all-time high in Washington state
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