Local region opens to Phase Two of Roadmap to Recovery Covid plan

The North Central Region of the state, including this area, entered the less-stringent Phase Two of Washington State's Roadmap to Recovery planned approach to the COVID -19 pandemic just in time for Valentine's Day Feb. 14.

Gov. Jay Inslee announced last Thursday that five more regions would join the Puget Sound and West Regions in Phase Two, with only the South Central region not meeting the four requirements to open up to the next phase. 

That changed on Feb. 14 when the state Dept. of Health announced that a data error had been discovered in hospital admissions reporting at Providence St. Mary Medical Center in Walla Walla and that that region could also move to Phase Two. 

The entire state is now in Phase Two, which allows for limited indoor dining at restaurants, OKs some high school sports competitions, and other opportunities.

The North Central Region includes Grant, Okanogan, Douglas, and Chelan counties.

A chart shared by Inslee on his Twitter page shows that the North Central Region has a 40% drop in new Covid cases per 100,000 population in comparing Jan. 17-30 data to the two weeks prior, meeting the 10% drop requirement to move to Phase Two.

In that time, the region dropped from 529.9 cases per 100,000 residents to 320.1. 

The region also shows a 60% drop in hospital admissions comparing Jan. 24 through Feb. 6 to the two weeks prior, meeting the 10% drop requirement to move to Phase Two.

The region had an 87% intensive care unit bed occupancy from Jan. 31 through Feb. 6, meeting the less than 90% requirement to move to Phase Two.

And finally, the region shows a 10% Covid test positivity rate, with the requirement to move to Phase Two being less than 10%.

To remain in Phase 2, regions must meet at least three of four metrics: a decreasing or flat trend in both the two-week incidence rate and in hospital admission rates, an ICU occupancy of less than 90%, and a COVID-19 test positivity rate of less than 10%.

Failure to meet two or more of these criteria results in a region going back to Phase One.

The data, compiled by DOH, is updated every two weeks on Fridays. The next update is due on Feb. 26, with possible phase changes to be implemented the following Monday, March 1.

The differences in restrictions between Phase One and Two are detailed at https://www.grandcoulee.com/story/2021/01/13/news/state-begins-new-covid-recovery-plan/13799.html

For online photo link:

https://www.grandcoulee.com/home/customer_files/pdfs/3_healthywashingtonphasedchart.pdf