coronavirus

Fewer than one in three eligible Washingtonians have gotten the bivalent boosters tailored to fight omicron variants. That’s higher than the national average, but far lower than state health officials had hoped.

Washington and Idaho began the new year in the same fashion they ended the old: with flu and RSV cases dropping, and coronavirus cases remaining low. A new Covid variant spreading in the northeastern states had yet to make inroads in the Pacific Northwest.

The latest summaries from the Washington Department of Health show flu and RSV are declining, and coronavirus cases remain modest compared to previous waves. But the state’s epidemiologist for communicable diseases, Dr. Scott Lindquist, said there’s still some uncertainty about how the rest of the winter will play out.

In its ruling, the court wrote that while “reasonable minds may disagree with the governor’s discretionary decisions, such disagreement is insufficient to support a recall.”

Masks are still required on public transportation and in healthcare settings, says Spokane Regional Health Officer Dr. Francisco Velazquez. He says people should still take precautions against the coronavirus.

Unions, nurse argue changing staffing ratios would address the nurse burnout crisis. Hospitals say it would be prohibitively expensive to implement

COVID-19 has highlighted serious health inequities, a shaky supply chain and a lack of healthcare and public health infrastructure. U.S Senator Patty Murray is proposing legislation she says could address those challenges.

Restaurant owners are calling for more federal financial aid as the industry struggles under mounting debt, and the omicron variant.

Spokane Public Schools has about 400 staff members out due to coronavirus infections or quarantining.

There are still delays for Covid testing through medical facilities, and the results of popular at-home tests often aren’t reported to health officials.…