Gov. Jay Inslee is requesting federal staffing resources, including Department of Defense personnel, to support the Washington health care system in response to rising COVID-19 hospitalizations, his office announced Monday.
The request was made via a letter to Jeff Zients, federal COVID-19 response coordinator.
"Once the Delta variant hit Washington state, COVID-19 hospitalizations skyrocketed," Inslee said in his letter. "From mid-July to late August, we saw hospitalizations double about every two weeks. The hospitals have surged to increase staffed beds and stretch staff and have canceled most non-urgent procedures, but are still over capacity across the state.
"For these reasons, I have directed state agencies to request assistance from the federal government to provide Washington state with medical staff resources to help meet staffing needs in hospitals and in long-term care facilities."
To date, the state Department of Health has requested 1,200 clinical and non-clinical staff through the General Services Administration contracting process offered through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to the letter.
"I am further requesting the deployment of Department of Defense medical personnel to assist with the current hospital crisis. In announcing the COVID-19 Action Plan, the President (Joe Biden) indicated that more clinical teams would be available," the letter reads. "That assistance will be of significant value in Washington state."
A rising tide of COVID-19 patients has been felt at Thurston County hospitals, including a recent wave of deaths announced over the weekend.
Ten people died of COVID-19 at Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia in a 24-hour period from Wednesday to Thursday, Sept. 15-16, Thurston County Public Health and Social Services reported.
The state Department of Health estimates that 98.8 percent of all current COVID-19 cases in Washington state are due to the highly contagious Delta variant. The Delta variant is responsible for 73% of all vaccine breakthrough cases in fully vaccinated individuals, The Olympian reported.
