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Rep. Schrier Sends Letter to Governor Requesting State Consider Kittitas County for Phase Two

February 13, 2021

ISSAQUAH, WA – Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08) today sent a letter to Governor Jay Inslee requesting that the state consider moving Kittitas County into Phase Two of the Roadmap to Recovery Plan. Last night the state announced that all counties except the South Central region would be in Phase Two on Sunday. Kittitas County is exceeding targets in key metric areas. Rep. Schrier's letter is as follows:

Dear Governor Inslee,

I write to you today disappointed to see Kittitas County not among the many counties that will be moving to Phase 2 on Sunday. As we discussed today, the region-based reopening plan that you and the Department of Health put forth was created in the best interest of Washingtonians. But now, a year into this pandemic, the data makes it clear that including Kittitas County in the South Central region is unnecessarily harming Kittitas, which by all metrics is succeeding and should not be held back any longer.

Kittitas County seems to be doing everything right, exceeding the targets for all four metrics set by the Roadmap to Recovery Plan. According to Kittitas County Public Health Department data:

  1. Trend in 14-day rate of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population: Kittitas County had a 35.4% decrease in their COVID-19 incidence rate between January 3-16 (382.2 per 100,000) and January 7-30 (246.9 per 100,000). (Phase 2 target is a decrease of 10% or more.)
  2. Trend in 14-day rate of new COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 population: Kittitas County had a 50% decrease in their COVID-19 hospitalization rate between January 10-23 (8.59 per 100,000) and January 24-February 6 (4.3 per 100,000). (Phase 2 target is a decrease of 10% or more.)
  3. Average 7-day percent occupancy of ICU staffed beds: Kittitas County had an average ICU occupancy of 19% between January 31 – February 6. (Phase 2 target is 90% or less.)
  4. 7-day percent positive of COVID-19 tests: Kittitas County had an 8.5% positivity rate between January 17-23. (Phase 2 target is a positivity rate of less than 10%.)

In addition to hitting the state's benchmarks, Kittitas County has been nationally recognized for its public health efforts and vaccine rollout. A recent CNN article (A rural county in Washington state hasn't wasted a single Covid-19 vaccine dose. Here's its secret, 1/25/2021) highlighted the success Kittitas County has had vaccinating its population, not an easy feat for a rural county. The county's long history of fighting wildfires and other natural disasters has prepared its leadership well for creating and executing an effective vaccine distribution process. The county's health officer, Dr. Mark Larson, told me they have not let one dose go to waste.

Further, I am very concerned about the high unemployment rate in Kittitas County, which jumped from 5.5% in 2019 to 8.9% in 2020 – higher than any other county in the South Central region. Kittitas County simply cannot afford to wait to move to Phase 2. Businesses and restaurants need to reopen safely. And based on the data, we know that is possible. Keeping Kittitas County in Phase 1 is unnecessarily hurting their economy.

As a physician, you know that I believe in science and evidence-based decision making, especially during a pandemic. I know you and I agree that public health and the safety of all Washingtonians is our number one priority. I understand and respect the work that has gone into the region-based reopening approach, and the desire to move away from a county-by-county approach. But in a pandemic, we must be open to change. We must create systems that are nimble enough to change when they are not in the best interests of the people we serve. The evidence is clear: Kittitas County should be moving forward to Phase 2 now.

I have spoken to Kittitas County Commissioners and Dr. Larson about what comes next. They would like to be considered on their own merits for reopening. Moving forward, whether that is alone or looped in with the North Central region (a region with which Kittitas County has long, trusted relationships), they are open to the state's determination.

This has been an extremely challenging year for all levels of government, with many unknowns and difficult decisions. The one I write to you about today is simple: Allow Kittitas County to move forward into Phase 2 this weekend. They are having documented success with crushing this virus, immunizing residents, and resuming in-person education safely. They rightly should be rewarded for these successes. Reopening now will allow people to get back to work and could pull the county back from the brink of long-term economic hardship. Kittitas County's residents and economy cannot wait.

Sincerely,

Kim Schrier
Member of Congress