Feb. 21 Confirmed cases of COVID-19 headed in a slightly elevated direction this week after Thurston County reported 40 additional cases on Sunday. The new cases increased the weekly total so far to 204, which is higher than the 191 cases reported the week of Feb. 8-14, county health data show. Although higher from a week ago, the case total for this week, which will be known on Monday, is .
Thurston reports 48 new COVID-19 cases Friday as rate continues to fall
The Olympian 2/6/2021 The Olympian Staff, The Olympian (Olympia, Wash.)
Feb. 6 Thurston County reported 48 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Friday, but no new deaths, data from Thurston County Public Health & Social Services show.
So far this week, 120 new cases have been reported.
The new cases bring the total number of cases to 6,586 in Thurston County since March. Of that total, 5,018 patients are considered recovered or recovering; 334 people have been hospitalized at some point in their illness; and 63 have died.
The county is dealing with outbreaks in eight congregate care settings; there have been 48 such outbreaks since March.
Mayor calls Olympia hotel occupation domestic terrorism
The Olympian 2/3/2021 Brandon Block, The Olympian (Olympia, Wash.)
Feb. 3 Olympia city officials on Tuesday roundly condemned the actions of the group Oly Housing Now, which staged an occupation of the Red Lion Inn hotel on Sunday afternoon that ended in seven arrests.
Council member Dani Madrone said she was appalled. Mayor Pro Tem Clark Gilman said he was disappointed and confused.
Other adjectives included reckless, uninformed, and infuriating.
The latter term came from council member Renata Rollins, who co-founded a homelessness advocacy group and has been vocal about supporting harm reduction approaches to homelessness. She called the group s actions short-sighted, ego-driven, and counterproductive.
Jan. 31 Confirmed cases of COVID-19 rose by 41 in Thurston County on Sunday, increasing the overall number of cases to date to 6,449, county health data show. Of that total, 5,018 people are considered recovered or recovering, 332 have been hospitalized at some point during their illness, including five in the past seven days, and 62 have died, according to Thurston County Public Health and .
More vaccine clinics are on the way for seniors, but the wait may be long
The Olympian 1/31/2021 Martín Bilbao and Sara Gentzler, The Olympian (Olympia, Wash.)
Jan. 31 Seniors, among the most vulnerable to the coronavirus, have been eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines in Washington state since mid-January. But many who are part of that population may find it difficult or impossible to access technology and tools to track down doses.
Michele Roberts, who s leading COVID-19 vaccine planning and distribution at the state Department of Health (DOH), said the department is sharing information through area agencies on aging, senior centers, and other community partners to try to reach all people 65 and older.