A new app, WANotify, can alert users to instances when they've been close to someone else who uses the app and later tests positive for the virus.
The system was enabled Monday for iPhone users, who may opt in or out by toggling the switch. Android users may download the app on the Google Play store by searching for "WA Notify."
It's voluntary for both users and doesn't reveal either user's identity or locations, Gov.
"It's your choice," Inslee said, describing the app as "an elegant and important tool" that could help supplement contact tracing as a way to keep the virus from spreading.
An app user who tests positive for the virus will be given an anonymous code they can put into the program. Other app users who have been in close contact over the previous 14 days with the person who tested positive will then be notified and advised what steps to take, such as self-isolating, getting tested and quarantining.
The app takes into account how close the two people came to each other and how long they were in that close contact.
The advice sent out will also be voluntary, and the state
"Privacy is absolutely paramount," said Ana Mari Cauci, president of the
Several other states have similar apps, but
The state also is looking for more health care providers willing to administer COVID-19 vaccine when it arrives in the state in mid-December. The
The medical community "stood up for science" and upheld high standards for developing the vaccine, he said.
"Everything we're seeing here at the
The state is expected to get about 200,000 doses of the
State residents should expect to continue wearing masks, practicing social distancing and living with other restrictions after the vaccine begins to arrive, state officials said. Controlling the virus will likely take a vaccination rate of between 60% and 70% of the population, Wiesman said.
"If we're going to make the vaccine work, you've got to be alive when we get it," Inslee said.
New cases
There are 115 COVID-19 patients in local hospitals, and 83 of them are
Hospitalizations continue to climb in the five-county region, with 70 COVID patients receiving treatment at
Five more Panhandle residents died from the virus during the weekend, and 112 Panhandle residents have died from the virus during the pandemic.
(c)2020 The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Wash.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.