In 2021, an analysis of the public health workforce found that state and local governmental public health departments need an 80% increase in their workforce to provide a minimum set of public health services to the nation.
To help stop the spread of monkeypox virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced plans to distribute a limited amount of vaccine to Washington state. Due to the relatively small number of cases here compared to other jurisdictions, Washington state was allotted 398 courses (796 doses) of the 2-dose JYNNEOS vaccine.
In preparation for the respiratory infection season the COVID-19 Preparedness and Outbreak Control Checklist for Long Term Care Facilities (PDF) can be a resource for facilities to quickly assess their COVID-19 infection control practices and respond to an outbreak.
For the last 20 years, DOH’s Healthy Eating Active Living Program (HEAL) has worked with partners, tribes, employers, schools, communities and more to make it easier for children and adults to have access to healthier choices. We primarily funded this program through a competitive five-year State Physical Activity and Nutrition Grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched a tool for health jurisdictions on How to Develop Products for Adults with Intellectual Developmental Disabilities and Extreme Low Literacy (PDF) (IDD/ELL).
DOH’s 2020 COVID-19 Annual Report (PDF) provides a high-level summary of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in Washington state during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Washington COVID-19 case, hospitalization, and death rates were compared over time, between counties and regions within Washington and across demographic groups.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated the Hear Her campaign resources for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities. The campaign works to address disparities in pregnancy-related death and other maternal health conditions AI/AN people experience. Due to ongoing and historical trauma, these communities experience discrimination or racism and face systemic barriers to care.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched its Pathway to Practice (P2P) Resource Center, a one-stop, easy-to-navigate website featuring evidence-based strategies and interventions with supporting materials, trainings, and tools to address chronic disease prevention, especially in populations affected by health disparities.
Following two seasons of unusually low flu activity, the 2022-2023 flu season marked the deadliest season in five years. A total of 262 Washingtonians died from the flu, including 257 adults and five children, which is a tenfold increase compared to the 2021-2022 flu season (PDF). Nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates as many as 640,000 flu hospitalizations and 57,000 flu deaths occurred between October 1 and April 29, 2023.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) amended the emergency use authorizations (EUAs) for Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 bivalent mRNA vaccines. The amended EUAs authorize bivalent Moderna and Pfizer products to be used for all doses administered to individuals six months of age and older. The EUA amendments also authorize an additional booster dose of bivalent vaccine for certain populations.