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COVID-19 Updates - Delta Variant

The number of cases of COVID-19 in Snohomish County continues to rise. Our current case count can be found at www.snohd.org/546/Local-Case-Counts. For more information about the Delta variant, please visit the CDC and Washington DOH websites.

“This rapid increase in cases over the past six weeks reflects a combination of a more contagious Delta strain, reduced mask wearing, increased social and larger gatherings, and an incomplete vaccination coverage,” said Dr. Chris Spitters, Health Officer for the Snohomish Health District.

While the proportion of new cases among fully vaccinated individuals has increased somewhat, the vaccines are still proving to be highly effective at preventing hospitalizations and death. According to a new Washington State DOH study, “94.5% of COVID-19 cases from February 1, 2021 – August 03, 2021 who were hospitalized were not fully vaccinated.”

For information about vaccine mandate, visit the Governor's website. Here is a link to the proclamation. They have an FAQ posted there that may be helpful in answering your questions. The state is still working on getting out information on how to apply for medical or religious exemptions and what qualifies for those exemptions. This guidance will be issued from the state, not the local health jurisdiction. As soon as we have more information, we will pass it along through our health alert system.

What are some things that child care and early learning program can do to prevent the spread of COVID-19? The answer to this question is . . . continue to do the same things we have been doing all along! It is important to layer different prevention measures in child care environments.

Get vaccinated – the vaccine is still one of our best protections against severe illness and hospitalization. Those who are eligible to receive the vaccine should do so. For information about the COVID-19 vaccine option or where to get your shot, visit www.snohd.org/covidvaccine.
Wear masks – masks are required indoors for those who are age 5 and up and are strongly recommended for 2-4 year-olds. Wearing the mask properly is also important. It should cover your nose and mouth. Masks should be changed if they get wet or soiled. Have parents provide extras for their children. Masks are not required to be worn when children are playing outdoors and are not in a crowded area.
Stay home when sick and get tested – if a child or staff person has any symptoms of COVID-19, stay home and get tested at a test site such as a medical clinic or drive-thru testing location – at-home tests should not be used to allow return to a group care setting. Use this chart from DOH to determine when a child can return.
Give each other space – while keeping very young children separated is not an easy task, it is helpful in preventing the spread. Have children spread out as much as possible during the day. Ideas include limiting the number of children at different activities and using place dots to keep children spread out during circle time.
Keep groups consistent – as much as possible keep children in the same group throughout the day. If children must be combined at the beginning and end of the day, have kids from different groups play in separate areas of a classroom with a staff person supervising both areas.
Play outside – there is much better airflow outside which reduces the risk from this airborne virus. Spend as much time outside as possible. As our weather changes, have parents bring warmer, weather-appropriate attire and consider canopies for rain.

Continue to follow health and safety guidance and watch for updates – it is helpful to review the guidance periodically with staff members and families to make sure all the safety tips are remembered. Continue to watch for updates in the Washington State DOH guidance as we continue to learn more about the virus and the variant.

Tips for Getting Motivated

“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.”
Theodore Roosevelt

Do you ever have a hard time getting things done? After a busy day with the kids, do you ever feel like all you want to do is just sit in front of the TV and eat popcorn for hours and hours? While relaxation and rest are very important, it can be a problem if you can never get motivated to complete necessary tasks. I have found that these ideas for trying to get going have been helpful.

The first technique is a skill taught in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy called opposite action. If you push yourself to do the opposite of what you feel like doing, you will find energy that you did not know you had. For example: if all you want to do is sit in front of the TV, you might try getting up and going for a walk, calling a friend, or dancing in the living room. It may be easier to transition into doing what you need to do from one of these activities vs just sitting with popcorn. So, remember that motivation follows action. Don’t let emotions cause you to behave in a way that stifles you.

Another technique for getting going can be illustrated as follows: imagine a bunch of wires and cords all tangled up. One of the wires represents the problem that you want to work on.

Say you have this big problem, (wire) and you are trying your best to work on it but it feels so tied up with all the other areas of your life, (other cables and wires) that it feels almost impossible to shift. If you’re really stuck with that one problem, it’s ok to move on and try to shift some of the other problems, (the other cables/wires). If you can push the one that wants to move, or do what works at the time, just keep making progress, and if you do that for long enough it creates space which can help when you go back to your original problem.

A third technique is to play a game with yourself so to speak. The game involves evaluating the task at hand and seeing how fast you can complete it. So set your stopwatch on your phone, and get moving. You will surprise yourself with how quickly you are done with that task. Strive to be efficient and productive.

Lastly, try setting a timer for the amount of time you think you can tolerate working on a task. Even if you set the timer for 5 or 10 minutes, you may be in a groove when the timer goes off and may opt to continue working on the task. Otherwise try again the next day.

I’m hoping that one of these strategies helps you the next time you feel stuck. Give one of them a try and see what you think!

“People begin to become successful the minute they decide to be."
Harvey Mackay

This Month's Featured Classes

Snohomish Health District has 25 different health and safety courses available on our website for in-service/STARS credit. Below are just a few of them. Six of these courses are currently being offered at no cost to learners through grant funding. Check out these offerings in our course catalog. Snohomish Health District trainers are MERIT approved. Remember that DCYF offers reimbursement to child care providers for training costs

Building Confidence in the COVID-19 Vaccine

Now available in Spanish!

Learn how to protect yourself, your family and community from the COVID-19 virus and its variants through this online training, now available in Spanish; Building Confidence in the COVID-19 Vaccine. The course covers information on vaccine hesitancy and building vaccine confidence. Subject matter experts in the field provide answers to frequently asked questions. Together we can build community immunity and get back to living a safe and healthy life.

This course is being offered free of charge to child care providers in Washington State and offers 1.0 in-service (STARS) credit.

Sponsored by: The Snohomish Health District through a grant from WA DOH and the communication firm DH.

Stress Management for Child Care Providers

COVID-19 Class for Child Care Providers in Washington State

Building Resilience for Adults who work with Children and Youth

Germbusters: The Importance of Handwashing in Child Care

Immunizations: Protecting Child Care Providers and Children

Teaching Illness Prevention to Young Children

Click here for instructions on how to use our online learning portal.

Image of people using online learning portal.

Click here to go to the online learning website.

Please contact us if you have questions about our courses or health and safety topics. You can reach us by email at childcarehealth@snohd.org or by phone at (425) 252-5415.

Contact Information

Snohomish Health District, 3020 Rucker Ave., Ste. 104, Everett, WA 98201

Email: childcarehealth@snohd.org

Program Phone: 425.252.5415

Website: http://www.snohd.org/238/Child-Care-Providers

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The Child Care Health Outreach Program staff are available to consult with you on these and other health, safety, and nutrition topics by phone, by email, or at your child care.