COVID numbers set daily record over weekend in Washington state, but cases trending down
The Washington state Department of Health reported 7,802 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday and 32 deaths since Friday. The state listed 21,055 cases on Saturday — a record high. It saw 18,066 cases on Sunday and 17,280 cases on Monday. As of Tuesday, statewide totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus were 1,105,622 cases and 10,230 deaths. The case total included 134,200 infections listed as probable. Continue reading at The News Tribune.
Biden to give away 400 million N95 masks starting next week
The Biden administration will begin making 400 million N95 masks available for free to U.S. residents starting next week, now that federal officials are emphasizing their better protection against the omicron variant of COVID-19 over cloth face coverings. The White House announced Wednesday that the masks will come from the government’s Strategic National Stockpile, which has more than 750 million of the highly protective masks on hand. Continue reading at The Associated Press. (Elaine Thompson)
Child care’s heightened burden takes parents out of workforce
Mariko Perez, a mother of two, always planned to return to work. After she and her husband had children, however, they found it was nearly impossible. Perez’s salary as a para-educator didn’t cover the cost of child care. Reluctantly, she took a career break, intending to wait until their children — now 7 and 8 — were old enough to start school. Then the pandemic struck. Continue reading at The Everett Herald. (Kevin Clark)
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