All eight regions remain in phase one of the two-phase Healthy Washington — Roadmap to Recovery plan signed into effect by Gov. Jay Inslee Jan. 11 as the new approach to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The two phases vary in their restrictions for various aspects of life for Washington residents, businesses and schools. 

In order to move from phase one to Phase Two, which has less stringent restrictions, a region must meet four criteria: 

• at least a 10% decreasing trend in the two-week rate of COVID-19 cases per 100K population, 

• at least a 10% decreasing trend in the two-week rate of new COVID-19 hospital admission rates per 100K population, 

• an Intensive Care Unit occupancy of less than 90%, including both COVID and non-COVID patients, and 

• a COVID-19 test positivity rate of less than 10%.

To remain in Phase 2, regions must meet at least three of four metrics: a decreasing or flat trend in both the two-week incidence rate and in hospital admission rates, an ICU occupancy of less than 90%, and a COVID-19 test positivity rate of less than 10%.

Failure to meet two or more of these criteria results in a region going back to Phase One. 

The state Department of Health will evaluate these metrics for each region weekly and will announce any changes to current phase status every Friday.

Grant, Okanogan, Douglas, and Chelan counties are grouped into the North Central Region, which currently meets two of the four requirements to move to Phase Two. 

Numbers released in a Jan. 15 report from DOH show that the North Central Region has shown a 26% decrease in COVID incidence rates comparing Dec. 6-19 numbers to Dec. 20-Jan. 2.

This compares to a 16% decrease statewide during the same time period, and meets the criteria to move to Phase Two. 

A 50% drop in COVID hospital admissions in comparing Dec. 13-26 with Dec. 27-Jan 9 also meets the criteria to move up a phase and compares to only a 9% drop statewide. 

However, a 90% ICU occupancy in the North Central Region from Jan. 3-9 is just on the line of the less-than-90% criteria to move to phase two. 

Statewide, the ICU occupancy is at 81%.

The North Central Region showed a 12% test positivity rate from Dec. 20-26, 2020, which does not meet the 10% or less criteria to move to Phase Two. That compares to an 8% positivity rate statewide.

The data comes from the Washington Disease Reporting System, WA HEALTH, and the Washington State Department of Health.

The report notes that they use the most recent complete data for each metric.

The Jan. 15 report can be found at https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/1600/coronavirus/421-006-RoadmapToRecovery-20210115.pdf