Today is Day 100 since China notified the World Health Organization (WHO) of the first cases of COVID-19. It feels unbelievable how much has changed since that announcement: how school, work, dining out, holidays and celebrations have now been transformed.
Since the epidemic started in Washington state, it feels like every day brings new and different challenges to those of us in healthcare. How do we provide care for pregnant patients or patients with leukemia or after a trauma in a world with COVID-19? What care can be shifted to telehealth? How do we transport a patient with COVID-19 on a helicopter?
UW Medicine is meeting these challenges with innovation, creativity and partnerships. Harborview Medical Center opened a space for people living homeless who have COVID-19. The UWMC – Montlake obstetrics team worked with infectious disease physicians to make new testing pathways. UW Medicine drop teams are going to long-term care facilities to assess and test residents and healthcare workers. The UWMC-NW palliative care team is setting the standard for how to provide the best possible care for elders with COVID-19. Airlift Northwest developed the first COVID-19 PPE protocols for patients requiring air transportation. UW Medicine researchers are launching new COVID-19 drug treatment trials.
UW Medicine rises again and again to meet each challenge. I am in awe of the work that we are doing together.
UW Medicine COVID-19 Daily Inpatient Census
(Click on image for larger display)
State, National and Global Cases
Washington: Washington state reported 9,097 cases and 421 deaths as of April 8. Nearly 90,000 tests have been performed and 8.7% of those were positive. Snohomish, Pierce and King Counties continue to be the most heavily affected, but nearly all counties in the state have reported cases.
United States: Nationally, there have bee 427,460 cases and 14,696 deaths as of April 9. These numbers represent a substantial increase over the previous day; however, the increases are potentially the result of delays in reporting over the weekend. As of April 8, 14 states have reported more than 5,000 cases, and 30 states have reported widespread community transmission.
Global: The WHO COVID-19 Situation Report for April 9 reported 1,436,198 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 85,522 deaths.
The Russian Ministry of Health reported a total of 8,672 cases (1,175 new), an increase of 16% since the previous day. Iran reported 64,586 confirmed cases of COVID-19 (1,997 new), including 3,993 deaths (121 new), continuing its slow decline in daily incidence. Pakistan reported 4,072 confirmed cases (208 new) and 58 deaths (4 new), considerably lower than the previous two days, which both exceeded 400 new cases.
After a week of decreasing daily COVID-19 incidence, Spain reported elevated numbers on consecutive days, 5,478 new cases yesterday and 6,180 new cases today, bringing the national total to 146,690 cases and 14,555 deaths (757 new). Italy’s decline in daily COVID-19 continues. From a high of 6,557 new cases on March 21, Italy is down to 3,039 on April 7, its lowest daily total since March 13. Italy is reporting a total of 135,586 confirmed cases, and 17,127 deaths. (Adapted from the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security).
