Update from the Capitol: COVID-19 Relief, Vaccine Update, and a Faster Way to Stop the Spread

February 4, 2021

Delivering immediate COVID-19 relief

On Monday, House Democrats passed a $2.2 billion early action COVID-19 relief bill. This bill will immediately allocate federal funding toward the COVID-19 response, including relief for renters, small businesses, school districts, and childcare providers, plus money for vaccine distribution.  This bill provides a needed shot in the arm to get our economy back on track.

The bill includes:

  • $618 million for vaccine administration, contact tracing, and testing
  • $325 million for rental assistance for direct rent and utility payments
  • $668 million in direct grants to school districts
  • $240 million in small business grants
  • $50 million in grants and incentives for childcare providers
  • $31 million for additional food assistance
  • $65 million for immigrant relief assistance
  • $5 million in grants for financial aid to undocumented students

Democrats’ top priority is to get relief out to people who have been hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic. This package is being fast tracked through the Senate this week.

The latest on the COVID-19 vaccine

vac jab
(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Gov. Jay Inslee unveiled an updated COVID-19 vaccine plan earlier last week that aims to vaccinate 45,000 Washingtonians a day. Here’s the latest on what to expect:

  • Vaccines are being distributed in phases. You can use the Phase Finder online tool to find out if you’re currently eligible for the vaccine , or to sign up to get an alert when you are.
  • We’re in Phase 1B-Tier 1. That means anyone 65 and older, and 50 and older living in a multigenerational household, can get the vaccine. The vaccine is also still available to those who are eligible in Phase 1A, including high-risk health care workers, high-risk first responders and long-term care facility residents. This timeline lays out the phases and estimated start dates.
  • The state Department of Health has set up four mass vaccination sites: Spokane Arena in Spokane, the Benton County Fairgrounds in Kennewick, Town Toyota Center in Wenatchee and the Clark County Fairgrounds in Ridgefield.
  • The state DOH and Microsoft launched a COVID-19 vaccine data dashboard.

Snohomish County Vaccination Sites

Snohomish County Vaccine Sites

Snohomish County is working quickly to get vaccination sites set up. There are now three public vaccination sites in Snohomish County. Edmonds Community College, Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe, and Paine Field in Everett are all mass vaccination sites. If you are eligible to receive a vaccine you can register here:

You can learn more about Snohomish County’s COVID-19 response here.

A faster way to stop the spread

text message

Last week, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) started a text message program to alert you quickly if you test positive for COVID-19. This text will include a verification code and a link to activate WANotify so you can anonymously alert users if they may have been exposed. The screenshot included here shows exactly what this text from DOH text will look like.

If you test positive for COVID-19, you’ll still receive the standard notification from your healthcare provider or testing facility. This texting program is an added measure. Many of us are inundated with e-mails and spam calls, so texting is a way to cut through the noise and get us the information we need to know now. The faster we have the facts, the faster we can stop the spread.

If you haven’t already enabled WANotify, check out this video to see how it promotes public health while protecting your privacy. It’s available in 29 languages, doesn’t collect personal data, and has already been enabled by 1.66 million Washingtonians. Signing up takes less than 30 seconds! Do it today.

If you read this newsletter on a regular basis, you will know that I take consumer data privacy very seriously. I have read the privacy policy for this app, have spoken with the developers, and I am satisfied with the voluntary, opt-in, specific consent that is in this app by design.  This is one that I use with confidence to keep my family and my community safe.

Thank you all for taking to the time to read this newsletter and for taking an interest in our progress in the House of Representatives. If you have any questions, inquiries, or concerns please feel free to contact me with the info below.

Sincerely,

Shelley Kloba
Representative, 1st Legislative District
Washington State Legislature