Fortunately, we continue to see an overall decrease in the COVID-19 infection rates in Puget Sound areas and counties. We are hopeful that this reflects our community investing in wearing masks and maintaining physical distance. A current outbreak among people experiencing homelessness in Seattle reminds us that COVID-19 is still a threat to the health of our community. This weekend is going to be beautiful and hot, and our continued vigilance with all our measures to reduce risk (e.g., physical distancing, masking/face covering, hand hygiene) both at work and in the community remains very important for keeping ourselves, each other and our patients safe.
In this update, we cover the following topics: UW Medicine COVID-19 case counts, latest epidemiological data, UW Medicine COVID-19 website updates and recently revised guidelines and protocols, including updated operating room guidelines for anesthesia and airway management of patients without symptoms or imaging consistent with COVID-19 and whose COVID-19 status is unknown.
UW Medicine Hospitals COVID-19 Activity
State, National and Global Epidemiology
Washington state: Washington state reported 65,339 cases and 1,736 deaths as of August 12, 2020. Most of the confirmed cases (68%) are in individuals between the ages of 20 and 59. Helpful Links: WA State COVID-19 Dashboard and King County Key Indicators.
United States: The United States reported 5,254,878 cases and 167,253 deaths as of today. As of August 12, 2020, 17 states (increase of two) reported more than 100,000 cases to date, including California and Florida with more than 500,000 cases; New York and Texas with more than 400,000; and Georgia with more than 200,000. Additionally, Puerto Rico is currently reporting more than 200 daily cases per million population.
Global: As of August 14, there have been 20,952,811 cases and 760,235 deaths reported worldwide. Learn more from World Health Organization COVID-19 Situation Reports.
UW Medicine COVID-19 Website Upgrades and Revised Protocols and Policies
Our UW Medicine COVID-19 website has recently been updated in response to feedback we have received from you. Thank you! Please continue to help us by letting us know if you see any policies or protocols that seem outdated or incorrect. The improvements include the following:
- Added a prominent feedback button on the main page.
- Added a last reviewed column to go along with last updated column.
- Added unique document identifiers for each document.
- Established a standard update cadence for each document. Owners will be contacted when their reviews are due. If no changes, the last updated date will be changed, whereas the revision date will stay the same.
Recently updated guidelines and policies:
- UW Medicine Treatment Guidelines for SARS-CoV-2 Infection/COVID-19.
- Immunosuppressed Inpatient SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) and Respiratory Viral Testing Guidelines.
- Infant Care Guidelines.
- UWMC Perinatal Unit Visitor Restriction Policy.
- Mother-Infant Co-Location or Separation with COVID-19: Talking Points for Counseling Families.
- Mother and Baby Discharge Instructions.
Revised protocol:
- Operating Room Guidelines for Anesthesia and Airway Management of Patients Without Symptoms or Imaging Consistent With COVID-19 and Whose COVID-19 Status Is Unknown. Important Note: If you work in the operating room, please take a moment to review this updated document.
We continue to be inspired by our UW Medicine community and its ongoing efforts to keep each other and our patients safe. Thank you for all that you do!
Sincerely,
Santiago Neme, MD, MPH
Medical Director
UWMC – Northwest Campus
Division of Allergy & Infectious Diseases, UW School of Medicine
Chloe Bryson-Cahn, MD
Associate Medical Director, Infection Prevention
Harborview Medical Center
Division of Allergy & Infectious Diseases, UW School of Medicine
