The Daily Chronicle

FILE PHOTO — Medical personnel at Valley View Health Center examine a patient at a drive-up COVID-19 testing site.

Lewis County Reports Just Nine COVID-19 Cases Saturday to Monday

Lewis County Public Health and Social Services reported four new COVID-19 cases Saturday, four Sunday and one Monday, bringing the county’s total cases since last year to 3,275. The death toll … more

By The Chronicle staff | 3/9/21

COVID-19 swab tests are conducted at the Valley View Health Center drive-up testing site in Centralia earlier this year.

Lewis County Public Health Reports Nine COVID-19 Cases Wednesday, Thursday

Lewis County Public Health and Social Services reported nine new COVID-19 cases Wednesday through Thursday, as well as 21 “probable” cases from antigen tests. Of those nine new cases, … more

By The Chronicle staff | 3/5/21

Vials of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine sit on a table inside the Community Event Building as caregivers with Providence Southwest prep syringes at the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds during a vaccine distribution event last January.

Antigen Tests, Signup Snafus and Incoming Doses: What To Know About Lewis County’s Vaccination Efforts This Week

Signups for Lewis County’s Thursday mass vaccination clinic hit a snag this week, as the county’s online sign-ups were not linked-to on the state’s Phase Finder program like … more

By The Chronicle staff | 3/4/21

FILE PHOTO — Jay Inslee takes a tour of a potential COVID-19 quarantine and isolation site at Maple Lane in March.

Inslee: Washington State Teachers, Child Care Workers Can Now Get Vaccinated Against COVID-19

Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday afternoon said teachers and licensed childcare workers could seek doses of COVID-19 vaccines immediately, assenting to new directions from the federal government. "... … more

Hal Bernton , Dahlia Bazzaz and Evan Bush / The Seattle Times | 3/2/21

Three More Thurston County Residents Die From COVID-19, County Reports Tuesday

Thurston County Public Health and Social Services on Tuesday reported that an additional three residents have died from complications caused by COVID-19, the respiratory infection caused by the novel … more

By Eric Rosane / For The Chronicle | 3/2/21

Syringes are prepped inside the Community Event Building in the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds during a vaccine distribution event in late January.

Third COVID-19 Vaccine Could Get to Washington Later This Week

After federal agencies approved the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use this weekend, the Western States Pact met Monday to review the third COVID-19 vaccine. The Department … more

Arielle Dreher / The Spokesman-Review | 3/2/21

Sue Guilford, a former teacher at East Olympia Elementary, receives her second COVID-19 vaccine inside Centralia High School on Friday.

Speed Up Vaccines for Teachers, Lawmakers Urge Inslee and Durkan

To bridge a school-reopening impasse between Seattle Public Schools and its teachers union, several state lawmakers are lobbying Gov. Jay Inslee and Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan to create vaccine … more

Dahlia Bazzaz / The Seattle Times | 3/2/21

Daniel Ayotte leads the Mossyrock Band during a home game Friday night.

Band Teachers Work to Keep Kids Playing Amid COVID-19 Restrictions

For Lewis County school districts, getting kids back into the classroom has been challenging, and for students involved in band or choir, participating in their musical outlet this school year has … more

By Celene Fitzgerald / cfitzgerald@chronline.com | 3/1/21

The Southwest Washington Fairgrounds are seen from above on Thursday afternoon.

Public Sign-ups Open for Lewis County Vaccine Clinics Thursday, Saturday

Lewis County residents 65 and older or 50 and older who live in multigenerational households can sign up for mass vaccination clinics scheduled for this Thursday and Saturday at the Southwest … more

By The Chronicle staff | 3/1/21

'We Should Have Been Better Prepared': COVID-19 Draws Attention to Washington's Underfunded Public Health Programs

OLYMPIA — In southeastern Washington's Asotin County, thinly staffed public health offices must balance COVID-19 contact tracing investigations with routine inspections of septic systems. In … more

Joseph O'Sullivan / The Seattle Times | 3/1/21

No Flu Deaths So Far This Year in Washington

No one has died from influenza yet in Washington this year and during the current flu season. This time last year, 70 Washington residents had died from the flu. There is very little flu … more

Arielle Dreher / The Spokesman-Review | 3/1/21

Washington COVID-19 deaths over time: https://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/COVID19/DataDashboard

One Year After Seeing First COVID-19 Death, Washington Expected to Surpass 5,000 This Week

Washington is expected to surpass 5,000 COVID-19 deaths this week — almost exactly a year after the first was announced in the United States. But while the state absorbs that painful milestone, … more

Elise Takahama / The Seattle Times | 2/28/21

Thurston Health Official Recommends High School Students Return to In-Person Classes

High school students may return to some in-person classes next month, as Thurston County's Health Officer officially OK'd high schools to begin a "cautious, phased-in approach" to in-person learning … more

Brandon Block / The Olympian | 2/27/21

A teacher sports personal protective equipment while working with students at Fords Prairie Elementary on Friday in Centralia.

After Initial Bill Fails, State Republicans Reignite Push to Open Schools With More Aggressive Proposal

After a bill to reopen public schools died in the state Senate this month, Republicans are following up with another attempt. Instead of toning down the legislation, Senate Bill 5464, introduced on … more

By Claudia Yaw / cyaw@chronline.com | 2/26/21

Vials of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine sit on a table inside the Community Event Building at the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds during a vaccine distribution event last January in Centralia.

Residents 75 and Older Now Eligible for Lewis County’s Mobile Vaccine Clinic

Eligibility for Lewis County’s mobile vaccine clinics has been expanded to residents 75 and older. Individuals are encouraged to call the county’s hotline (888-205-1321) to book an appointment. … more

By The Chronicle staff | 2/26/21

Gov. Jay Inslee, left, talks with Washington State Secretary of Health Umair Shah while visiting the mass COVID-19 vaccination site at the Clark County Fairgrounds in Ridgefield Jan. 28.

Department of Health Offers Information on Vaccine Allocation, Path Forward

“You have not been forgotten,” was the message state Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah offered to Southwest Washington residents, especially those in counties whose low COVID-19 vaccine … more

By The Chronicle staff | 2/26/21

Cars sit in lines as patients prepare to receive their first round of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine last month at the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds.

Patients Asked to Return to Fairgrounds on Sunday for Second Vaccine Dose

Patients who received their first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine during Providence’s Jan. 24 clinic are asked to return to the fairgrounds this Sunday to receive their second … more

By The Chronicle staff | 2/26/21

Notices to Go Out to 1.3 million Washingtonians Affected by Unemployment Data Breach

If you filed for unemployment in Washington last year, be sure and check your inbox in the coming weeks. State Auditor Pat McCarthy's office plans to send individual notifications to an estimated … more

Jim Brunner / The Seattle Times | 2/26/21

Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine vials are pulled out of a cooler inside the Community Event Building at the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds before use during a vaccine distribution event last month in Centralia.

Southwest Washington Legislators, State to Meet Over Vaccine Allocation Inequity

A group of legislators from Southwest Washington have secured a meeting with the state Department of Health on Saturday to discuss the COVID-19 vaccine allocation disparity that exists for Clark … more

Wyatt Stayner / The Columbian | 2/26/21

Inslee: Don’t Let ‘Irrational Forces’ Dictate Action on COVID-19 Response

Inslee Announces Pause on Regional Reopening Rollbacks; Braun Criticizes Lack of Phase 3

All eight regions defined under Washington state’s plan for reopening businesses and activities shuttered in response to the COVID-19 pandemic can rest easy that they won’t see themselves revert … more

Rick Bannan / For The Chronicle | 2/26/21