Washington plans 1,500-person contact tracing team as governor outlines re-opening strategy, Seattle No.1 in nation census response, and more from this week’s Seattle in the Spotlight.

Washington Plans 1,500-Person Contact Tracing Team as Governor Outlines Re-Opening Strategy

GeekWire | Monica Nickelsburg | April 21

https://www.geekwire.com/2020/washington-plans-1500-person-contact-tracing-team-governor-outlines-re-opening-strategy/

“Washington state plans to have 1,500 people conducting contact tracing by mid-May in an effort to map and control the spread of COVID-19 as the economy re-opens. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee outlined a phased approach to lifting the lockdown order that has been in place since March during an address Tuesday. The recovery plan starts with widespread testing — a challenge for states across the country — followed by rapid isolation of individuals with the virus and contact tracing to prevent it from spreading.”

Seattle No. 1 in Nation in Census Response

Seattle Times | Dominic Gates | April 18

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/seattle-no-1-in-nation-in-census-response/

“The census data is rolling in and, so far, Seattle is No. 1. As of Saturday, the city is tops in the nation in filling out the 2020 census form. Everyone living in the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and U.S. territories is required to be counted by the 2020 census. The data collected is used to determine the levels of political representation each community receives as well as the level of federal funding for services such as schools and roads.”

Seattle Researchers Report Early Results from US ‘Swap and Send’ COVID-19 Surveillance Program

GeekWire | Todd Bishop | April 17

https://www.geekwire.com/2020/seattle-researchers-report-initial-results-first-us-swab-send-covid-19-surveillance-program/

“Early results from a first-of-its-kind at-home testing program for COVID-19, analyzing more than 4,000 nasal samples sent in from across the Seattle region, have found the proportion of the disease to be lower than in medical testing programs, but still enough to potentially “represent thousands of unrecognized infections in the community. The approach, known as “swab and send,” is being held up as a potential model to help enable the widespread testing programs that health officials say will be critical as the country seeks to reopen businesses and start to return to some semblance of normal life in the months ahead. Researchers from the greater Seattle Coronavirus Assessment Network (SCAN) said Friday afternoon that their best estimate from the first 18 days of results puts the community prevalence of COVID-19 at 24 cases per 10,000 people, or 0.24%, for the initial study period between March 23 and April 9. The prevalence declined toward the end of the testing period.”