Summary:

Public Health – Seattle & King County continues to focus on preventing COVID-19 outbreaks in congregate settings, including jails. The Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention has taken steps to create greater social distancing in their facilities. Public Health reported 111 new cases of COVID-19 today, bringing the official case count in King County to 2898. In addition, 14 new deaths are reported, bringing the total of COVID-19 deaths in King County to 200.

Story:

Public Health focusses on preventing outbreaks in congregate settings

One of Public Health’s priorities in responding to the spread of COVID-19 is preventing outbreaks among vulnerable populations living in congregate settings.

To this end, on Friday, April 3, King County’s Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention (DAJD) announced that they have reduced the number of people in custody by over 600 in recent weeks, in keeping with Public Health recommendations.

These changes allow greater social distancing within DAJD facilities, which can help prevent the spread of COVID-19. These changes also provide additional space for Jail Health Services employees to isolate people who are at higher risk of severe complications.

DAJD published a website sharing the daily population of people in custody and number of COVID-19 tests conducted.

DAJD has reported that no one in custody has tested positive for COVID-19 so far. Three staff members have reported testing positive for COVID-19. None of them reported being symptomatic while they were at work.

For more information on DAJD’s work to ensure the safety of those in correctional facilities, visit DAJD’s dashboard:www.kingcounty.gov/depts/jails/covid-updates

For additional information about COVID-19 and the response in King County, be sure to check our webpage: www.kingcounty.gov/covid

Case updates

Public Health—Seattle & King County is reporting the following confirmed cases and deaths due to COVID-19 through 11:59 p.m. on 4/3/20.

• 2898 confirmed positive cases (up 111 from yesterday)
• 200 confirmed deaths (up 14 from yesterday)

Important Note:Detailed information about demographics of those who died from COVID-19 is available on the data dashboard (www.kingcounty.gov/covid/data). Be sure to click the button to filter by “positive results only” to see age and gender of deaths.

Isolation and quarantine facilities update

Isolation and quarantine is a proven public health practice for reducing the spread of disease. Examples of people who may need this assistance include people who cannot safely isolate from a family member who is elderly or medically fragile, or people experiencing homelessness. Individuals can only be placed into the King County sites after a health professional with Public Health has determined that they need isolation or quarantine.

Thirty-eight people are currently staying in King County isolation and quarantine facilities.