Thurston official recommends phase in of in-person learning; 74 COVID-19 cases announced
The Olympian 1/22/2021 Rolf Boone, The Olympian (Olympia, Wash.)
Jan. 21 Thurston County s top health official is recommending a cautious return to classroom-based learning for K-5 and middle school students, and if the county continues to make progress on COVID-19 transmission rates, it will be followed by a recommendation for high school, the county announced Thursday.
County Health Officer Dr. Dimyana Abdelmalek based that recommendation on the county s moderate transmission range for the virus, and the following: Thurston County Public Health and Social Services has the capacity to respond to cases that may occur in schools, identify those who are close contacts in need of quarantine, and investigate instances of COVID-19 transmission in the schools.
On the Olympic Peninsula, the Quinault Indian Nation beats back a pandemic
Native communities throughout the U.S. have been hit hard by COVID-19, and to combat this, many are adapting.
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Air Force Senior Airman Nathan Kepple, left, a medic with the Washington Air National Guard, assists Lia Frenchman with a nasal swab during a COVID-19 test at a Washington National Guard testing site on the Quinault Indian Nation Reservation, Taholah, Grays Harbor County, May 20, 2020. Washington National Guardsmen are supporting testing sites, food banks and local agencies around the state during the COVID-19 pandemic. (John Hughel/National Guard)
Katie Ralston’s first exposure to the coronavirus came in early August 2020. Paranoia was high throughout the state, especially in urban centers, but cases in her area of the Olympic Peninsula had stayed relatively low for the first few months of the pandemic.
Thurston County adds 21 COVID-19 cases Tuesday
The Olympian 1/20/2021 Martín Bilbao, The Olympian (Olympia, Wash.)
Jan. 20 Thurston County reported 21 new COVID-19 cases and no new deaths Tuesday as vaccine eligibility expanded.
The county has seen 5,850 cases and 61 deaths since the first case was reported in March, according to the latest data from Thurston County Public Health and Social Services. In all, the data show 326 people have been hospitalized at some point in their illness and 4,687 have recovered or are recovering.
Additionally, 10% of COVID-19 tests have returned positive results over the last week, a higher percentage than the previous week.
To date, there have been 42 outbreaks at congregate care facilities. The health department is currently investigating six such outbreaks including one that occurred at the Thurston County jail last week, said director Schelli Slaughter at an county board of commissioners meeting Tuesday.
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Washington to consider proposal to make Juneteenth an official state holiday
The day, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, is an official holiday in five states. Author: Drew Mikkelsen Updated: 6:51 PM PST January 18, 2021
OLYMPIA, Wash Juneteenth could be an official paid holiday for Washington state workers by next year under a new bill introduced in the state legislature.
Juneteenth, on June 19, celebrates the end of slavery in the United States.
The bill would recognize the date as an official state holiday beginning this year, but sponsor Rep. Melanie Morgan, D-Pierce County, said she would be willing to put off making it a paid day-off starting in June 2022 if it helps get the bill passed.