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IS YOUR FAMILY READY FOR HOLIDAY GATHERINGS?
The holiday season is the perfect time to talk about the important role vaccines play in holiday gatherings. Vaccines help to protect individuals and families from respiratory illnesses as you begin to travel and gather for the holidays. This message is from DOH's Vax in a Minute:
Are you ready for winter holiday visits with loved ones? Get protected ahead of time by getting vaccinated now to help prevent respiratory diseases such as COVID-19 and influenza in your community.
Feeling sick isn’t fun, especially during the holidays when most people hope to enjoy a festive time with those they love.
Take steps so you don’t give or get the unwelcomed gift of a holiday respiratory virus. Vaccination helps protect those good times for yourself and all of those around you.
Hospitalization rates are starting to rise. Get vaccinated against flu and COVID-19 now for the best protection during the holiday season.
Vaccinate at least 2 weeks before holiday visits to give your immune system time to build protection and lower the risk of severe illness.
*LCSD is suggesting for students and staff to test for Covid-19 BEFORE returning from Christmas Break if you have traveled or had large family gatherings. Home Covid test kits are available for free. Please see nurse Monica, Annie at Elementary or Sheena at the Middle School, if needed, for supplies.
CHANGES IN TESTING FOR THE 23/24 SCHOOL YEAR:
The authority to administer tests by unlicensed individuals in any setting, including schools, ended when the National Public Health Emergency came to an end on May 11, 2023. We are no longer able to test for Covid-19 at school but we do have rapid tests available if needed for home testing. Please contact nurse Monica or the front office.
Starting Monday 9/25/23 families can order 4 free Covid Test kits at: COVIDTests.gov
See the Skagit Health Alert links below for other resources for free test kits!!Skagit Health Alert: Federal Public Health Emergency Expiration - Guidance to Changes
May 10, 2023
Please review important updates from Skagit County Public Health.
NOTE: Our 24 our Communicable Disease phone number is 360-770-8852.
Updates at the closure of the Federal Public Health Emergency
- CDC has created a Guide to Changes at the Expiration of the Public Health Emergency.
- CDC will discontinue reporting COVID-19 Community Levels and Community Transmission Levels on their COVID-19 and Your Health website. CDC guidance will move to focus on COVID-19 hospitalization trends.
- CDC has updated COVID-19 guidance for healthcare facilities to remove reference to Community Transmission Level and focus on hospitalization rates for transmission and risk based recommendations.
- Washington State Department of Health will continue to update the COVID-19 Data Dashboard and Skagit County Public Health will continue to update our weekly COVID-19 Trends on our COVID-19 webpage. We encourage healthcare providers to monitor these sites for helpful insight into disease trends.
- NIH has updated COVID-19 Therapy Guidance for Non-Hospitalized Patients and for Hospitalized Patients. Please review the updated guidance to ensure you follow the most current therapy recommendations.
- Washington State Department of Labor and Industries guidance covers workplace protections required and recommended for COVID-19 prevention.
- COVID-19 rapid antigen tests will be available to schools and districts through the 2023/24 school year.
- The state SayYesCOVIDTest public test ordering portal will close on May 11.
- The USPO COVID.gov test ordering portal will remain open while testing supplies last.
- Skagit County Public Health and Tribal Public Health will have access to rapid antigen test kits while supplies last. Community partners or community members can request tests from our office by calling 360-416-1500.
- The WANotify App will close on May 11.
- People with COVID-19 who need support to isolate at home can continue to use the Care Connect Washington Program.
- Skagit County Public Health will continue to offer no cost COVID-19 vaccines to all 6 months and older through early fall of 2023. We expect in October 2023 that COVID-19 vaccines will move to the commercial market and be accessed similar to the annual flu vaccine. Public Health and other Childhood Vaccine Providers will still be able to offer COVID-19 vaccines to all 18 years and younger. The federal government plans to support no cost COVID-19 vaccine through the end of 2023 to UNINSURED adults, even after vaccines go commercial.
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Skagit County Public Health will continue to offer bilingual technical and public assistance with guidance questions, outbreak response, access to vaccine appointments, and access to rapid antigen test kits. Please call 360-416-1500 or visit www.skagitcounty.net/
coronavirus
- Students, staff, and families seeking COVID-19 testing may contact their schools. Our school health services offices located in each of the Elementary and Middle School have access to at-home COVID tests that can be provided to staff, students and parents for administration at home.
Staying Up To Date on Vaccinations
Staying up to date on routine vaccinations is essential to prevent illness from many different infections. Vaccines reduce the risk of infection by working with the body’s natural defenses to help safely develop immunity to disease. For COVID-19, staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations is the leading public health strategy to prevent severe disease. Not only does it provide individual-level protection, but high vaccination coverage reduces the burden of COVID-19 on people, schools, healthcare systems, communities, and individuals who are not vaccinated or may not develop a strong immune response from the vaccines.
**CHILDREN AGES 5-11 CAN BE VACCINATED:
**use the Vaccine Locator to find other providers who have availabilty, including local health clinics and pharmacies.
- If testing at home and you receive a positive test result, please call the state’s COVID-19 Hotline at 1–800–525–0127 or the Skagit County Public Health office at (360) 416-1500.
- If you have tested positive for COVID-19, are symptomatic, or have recently been exposed, please refer to the CDC's Isolation and Quarantine Guidance found here: https://bit.ly/3JQLIwF.
UPDATED COVID TESTING INFORMATION FROM SKAGIT COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH
**Please visit the website for up-to-date closures: VISIT WEBSITE HERE
To see daily updated testing sites and County information please visit: https://www.skagitcounty.net/Departments/HealthDiseases/coronavirusTESTsites.htm
FIND A TESTING SITE NEAR YOU: https://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/COVID19/TestingforCOVID19