Dear friends and neighbors,
Washington state is experiencing an increase in cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19). While most cases are mild and people recuperate fully, the virus has been fatal in a few cases of people who were elderly or whose immune systems were already compromised due to underlying medical conditions.
My heart goes out to the families who have lost loved ones to this virus, and I am grateful to the first responders who are helping keep our communities safe.
Because there’s a lot of misinformation out there right now and this is a rapidly evolving situation, as your legislator and a health care professional, I want to make sure you have the facts and understand the basics on how to stay healthy.
Health officials are working rapidly to identify and test people who may have been exposed. Public health officials in our state have experience responding to pandemics and are working with state and county health officials to share information, deploy resources, and respond at maximum capacity.
These are the recommendations from the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) on how to respond in your daily life:
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If you have questions, you can call DOH at 1-800-525-0127 and press #
Or check out the DOH online sites and social media channels:
You can also get a wealth of information at these King County sites:
- Public Health main page.
- Coronavirus page – Here’s where you can sign up for email alerts, get timely updates, and access a fact sheet in several languages.
- Public Health Insider Blog – For more detailed articles on the current coronavirus situation.
- Anti-stigma resources – I encourage you to check out this page because, as new information emerges, it’s important to remind ourselves and those around us that this virus doesn’t see race, ethnicity, or nationality. Stigma will not help to fight the illness. Sharing accurate information during a time of heightened concern is one of the best things we can do to keep rumors and misinformation from spreading.
- Facebook page
OSPI Bulletin
The Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction released this bulletin last week detailing how school districts should prepare for a possible coronavirus outbreak in our state. It’s worth a read, especially if you have school-age kids at home.
What we are doing in the Legislature
In the Legislature, my colleagues Rep. Eileen Cody and Rep. Joe Schmick, the health care leads in the House, introduced a bill to transfer $50 million to get state agencies and local governments the necessary funding to respond to COVID-19. It will also give the Department of Social and Health Services funding to increase nursing staff to help address this growing need. I will continue working with DOH, DSHS, and other state agencies to identify what the Legislature can do to ensure we have the necessary resources. Please make sure to follow the DOH and King County Public Health recommendations to keep yourself healthy and keep up on the latest information via the links and social media channels above. We are all in this together. I will keep you updated on the status of our efforts in the Legislature to respond. Sincerely, |
Rep. Vandana Slatter, PharmD, MPA