COVID-19 pandemic in Washington (state)
The first confirmed case relating to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States was announced by the state of Washington on January 21, 2020. Washington made the first announcement of a death from the disease in the U.S. on February 29 and later announced that two deaths there on February 26 were also due to COVID-19. Until mid-March, Washington had the highest absolute number of confirmed cases and the highest number per capita of any state in the country,[1] until it was surpassed by New York state on April 10, 2020. Many of the deceased were residents of a nursing home in Kirkland, an Eastside suburb of Seattle in King County.
COVID-19 pandemic in Washington
Governor Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency on February 29, 2020, which was followed by a statewide stay-at-home order on March 23 that would last at least two weeks.[2][3]
Washington had 1,989,477 confirmed cases and a total of 16,100 confirmed deaths as of September 6, 2023.[4] Public health experts agree that the true number of cases in the state is much greater than the number that have been confirmed by laboratory tests. It is very difficult to know the true number since most people experience only mild illness and testing is not widely available.[5]
As of October 31, 2021, Washington has administered 16.2 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, and has fully vaccinated 5.69 million people, equivalent to approximately 77 percent of the population.[4] Approximately 15 percent of Washington residents have received the updated booster vaccine released in September 2022 and formulated for the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant.[6]
On June 30, 2021, the state officially lifted capacity restrictions on businesses and most other activities, with the exception of large indoor events. Businesses were previously required to keep occupancy under 50 percent and maintain social distancing between patrons.[7] Public transit systems were also permitted to operate at full capacity.[8] The state of emergency declared by Governor Inslee expired on October 31, 2022, months after other restrictions had been lifted by state and local governments, particularly the City of Seattle.[9]