East Wenatchee, WA - Due to the COVID-19 Omicron surge, Chelan Douglas Health District (CDHD) will receive non-clinical emergency department support at Confluence Health’s Central Washington Hospital from the National Guard.
Governor Jay Inslee made the announcement during a press conference on January 13, stating that National Guard members will also be sent to hospitals in Everett, Spokane, and Yakima, and others will be sent to hospitals in Olympia Richland, Tacoma, and Seattle to set up testing locations outside facilities.
Chelan-Douglas had the highest infection rates since the pandemic yesterday with over 2,000 cases per 100,000 people, and given the infectiousness of Omicron we expect this number will likely rise. CDHD is shifting priorities with staffing related to vaccination, testing, contact tracing, and potential hospital surge planning.
Other key statewide actions issued by Governor Inslee involve deploying the National Guard to help both emergency department personnel and COVID-19 testing teams, pausing non-urgent hospital procedures, and discharging hospital patients to long term care facilities.
The Governor also asked for help from anyone who can assist with vaccinations, testing or work at hospitals or facilities. If you have the capacity and availability to assist, please sign up at https://waserv.org/.
CDHD looks forward to welcoming the National Guard and will update the public as we receive more information. To stay up-to-date on the COVID-19 response, visit www.cdhd.wa.gov and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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