Latest COVID-19 Updates

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A Message from the Pandemic Response Task Force - December 15, 2022

Public health conditions are changing. We want to update you and do what we can to protect us all while here at church. Here are the most essential facts to bear in mind:

• We enjoy communal singing which increases the spread of viruses

• We value the well being of the young, the old, and those with high risk health conditions

• We have COVID, flu, RSV and other viruses affecting us now - not just COVID

• Hospitals are completely full and overflowing; ERs are packed and times to be seen are long and more dangerous due to illnesses

• Flu shots, the bivalent COVID booster shot, and masks are critical tools to protect us from severe disease

• Getting tested as soon as you have symptoms (and for the first 5 days of your illness if you are negative initially) allows you to limit accidental exposure to others and potentially access medications to reduce your risk of serious illness

Thank you for your understanding and your continued care for your siblings in Christ during these ever changing and challenging times.

A Message from the Pandemic Response Task Force - September 12, 2022

We encourage wearing masks indoors so we can sing inside safely and continue moderate physical distancing.

A Message from the Pandemic Response Task Force - July 18, 2022

In light of rising hospitalizations in Thurston Co and the CDC increasing the level of COVID-19 activity in Thurston Co to ‘High’, where masking indoors is recommended for everyone, we recommend:

All groups using the building for indoor activities should recommend masking to all attendees while indoors.

Any groups offering food or drink as part of their gathering should make every reasonable effort to eat outside, weather permitting, and should encourage all attendees to resume use of their masks as soon as they are done eating and drinking. If for any reason food and drink will be consumed indoors, it is recommended that the group use the largest space available to them to permit better physical distancing while masks are off to eat and drink. It is also strongly recommended that all attendees be encouraged to resume the use of their masks as soon as they are done eating and drinking.

Due to the rise of the even more infectious Omicron sub-variant BA5, masks are strongly encouraged at all outdoor gatherings as well. Outbreaks are increasingly occurring at outdoor gatherings due to a more infectious variant and asymptomatic or very mildly symptomatic infections.

A Message from the Pandemic Response Task Force - March 17, 2022

As we continue our COVID life together, we continue to strongly recommend wearing masks during worship, since we value communal song. We will not require masks at worship, but we continue to seek care for one another, especially the most vulnerable among us. We will continue to ask everyone to sign in each time you visit the church so that we have a way to contact trace, if necessary. The sign-in forms are used to contact anyone who was at the church at the same time a positive COVID case is reported in the church. Doors leading from outside to inside the church will now remain closed before, during, and after services. The ventilation system on the HVAC has the highest filter recommended by the HVAC specialist, and the whole fan system runs continuously on Sunday mornings. Groups who meet at the church and whose attendance numbers are close to 20 or fewer may have drinks and snacks during their meetings. Masks are strongly recommended for all groups who meet at the church, but not required. Future plans are being made for Holy Week. As long as COVID cases and COVID-related hospitalizations remain low for Thurston County, intinction communion will be offered instead of the individual prepackaged communion cups,  beginning on Maundy Thursday. Another hope that is in the planning stages is to have light snacks and drinks on Easter Sunday, as long as the COVID cases and COVID related hospitalizations remain low. The Pandemic Response Task Force continues to meet and evaluate the COVID numbers.   

Pastoral Message about COVID Care Beginning Sunday, March 13, 2022

For worship beginning Sunday, March 13, wearing masks during worship is strongly recommended.  We invite you to do this because we are singing in worship, and we value communal song. Beginning March 12, the governor’s indoor mask mandate will have been lifted. So, we will not require masks at worship this Sunday, but we continue to seek to care for one another, especially the most vulnerable among us. In the coming days, we’ll be sharing more about our COVID life together.

Omicron Variant Update

by Angela Tobias, Chair, Pandemic Response Task Force

By now you will most likely be aware that the new, very highly infectious Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has caused skyrocketing case numbers and general chaos in many sectors due to people who are out with illness. Emergency rooms are operating at more than twice their normal capacity and often with large numbers of their own staff out sick. Hospital census numbers across the state have started to spike as well, particularly pediatric admissions; and testing sites have been running at capacity or beyond for days on end. As of this writing, Thurston County’s 7-day rate is 614.1 cases per 100K population, which is more than double our highest previous case rate, and multiple other nearby counties are experiencing similar case rates.

Although it does seem to impact the lungs less and may lead to hospitalization relatively less often compared to previous variants, the sheer number of infections is unprecedented, and has rapidly overwhelmed community health resources that had already been expanded to respond to the Delta variant surge. We also do not have enough information yet to know if it will impact other body systems (the brain, heart, blood vessels, kidneys, or intestines for example) differently. Because of the number of mutations this variant has, immunity from the vaccines or from previous infection is less effective, but particularly when you are vaccinated and boosted, you have significant protection from serious illness and death.

So how should we respond to handle this? First of all, get vaccinated; and if you are already vaccinated, get boosted. Boosters have now been approved for everyone age 12 and up. Second, upgrade your mask to a four- or five-layer non-woven non-vented mask that fits tightly against your face without any gaps (KN95 or KF94 masks). This is best accomplished with bands that go around your head instead of ear loops, which can be uncomfortable when they fit tightly. If you do not have access to this kind of higher quality mask, double mask with a three-layer surgical mask and a two-layer cloth mask over it, making sure that the masks fit your face snugly and without gaps. Next, rethink your indoor activities. Limit time spent indoors with people outside your household, whether or not they are masked or vaccinated. 

And perhaps most importantly, get tested even for minor symptoms when they occur. Even if it seems like it’s just allergies. Even if it seems like it’s just a cold. In kids, Omicron can present as a croupy cough. When you are vaccinated, this may be as ill as you get, and if so, that is wonderful. But we still have no vaccine for kids under 5, and far too many members of the community who are not vaccinated, so it’s critical to stopping the spread through the community for anyone who is infected to be accurately diagnosed and isolate until they are no longer infectious.

The Pandemic Response Task Force has come to a consensus that the value of meeting in person with precautions in place currently outweighs the risk of COVID-19 to the congregation. However, we are putting plans in place to be able to pivot back to virtual worship, if necessary, and are monitoring the county’s case numbers closely. We encourage everyone to increase your precautions and revert to worshipping from home if you are high risk, have any symptoms (even if very mild), or simply wish to be extra cautious at this time.

Optimizing COVID Care Practices as We Move Indoors - September 2021

by Angela Tobias, Chair, Pandemic Response Task Force

We are heading into the rainy season with a less than ideal situation. Community transmission of SARS-CoV-2 remains at extraordinarily high levels, area hospitals are still caring for patients in conference rooms and operating at above their maximum capacity, and outbreaks in schools are causing shutdowns and sending kids into quarantine yet again.

Our COVID care practices have worked well so far; we are not aware of any reported cases among anyone who has used the facilities or grounds this summer. But as we move indoors we must renew our vigilance for caring for one another. 

Please pay special attention to maintaining physical distance as we socialize before and after indoor services. We must always keep in mind that the Delta variant can cause even vaccinated people to be infected and be infectious to others, even though we are unlikely to become seriously ill once we are vaccinated.

If you plan to sing during worship, please be sure you have a very snug fitting mask, without a vent. Studies have shown that SARS-CoV-2 spreads not just by large respiratory particles that even loose masks block very effectively, but also via small aerosol particles that can linger in the air for sometimes hours in spaces with little air circulation. With forceful or loud talking, singing, laughing, or coughing we can put out large amounts of aerosol particles, and when we wear a loose fitting mask, they escape along the sides and top of the mask. Anyone who wears glasses will already be familiar with this phenomenon. Since we will not have the benefit of the breeze under the trees, we must take care to reduce the amount of aerosol particles we are generating with singing. 

Mask fit varies widely from person to person, as I suspect most of us have already figured out. For this reason, we are not advocating any specific kind of mask. We only ask that you wear one that fits very snugly, especially at the top and sides for singing indoors. If this is not possible, humming with closed lips and meditating on the words is a good way to still participate without increasing the risk of expelling aerosol droplets as you enjoy the service.

The good news is that the CDC has just given authorization for booster shots for some people who received the Pfizer vaccine. Some people who received the Moderna vaccine are also eligible for booster shots. Studies are close to completion on booster shots for people who received the Johnson and Johnson shots. Booster shots may help us beat back the surge from the Delta variant a little sooner than we might have otherwise. Please read the next section for more information on who qualifies for a booster and how you might be able to get one!

Booster Shots: Making Sense of the Recommendations

by Angela Tobias, Chair, Pandemic Response Task Force

Unfortunately, at this time, your eligibility for a booster shot depends a lot on which shot you had for your primary series. 

If you received a Johnson & Johnson shot, you are not eligible for a booster at this time. Studies are in progress on this topic so we will likely hear more soon.

If you received a Moderna series, and you are moderately to severely immunocompromised, you are eligible for a booster if it has been at least 28 days since your second Moderna shot. People who fall into this category include those who are or have: 

• Receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood

• Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system

• Received a stem cell transplant within the last 2 years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system

• Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)

• Advanced or untreated HIV infection

• Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress your immune response

If you don’t fall under one of these categories but have been told you are immunocompromised, you may be only mildly immunocompromised (like someone who has diabetes, or cancer but is not actively receiving treatment). If in doubt, talk to your doctor about your specific circumstances.

If you received a Pfizer series, you may be eligible for a booster shot. There are essentially two categories of people who are eligible for a booster shot if they had a primary series of the Pfizer vaccine. The first is the moderately to severely immunocompromised group, listed above under the Moderna booster qualifications. These folks are eligible for a booster as long as it has been at least 28 days since their second Pfizer shot.

The second group of people who are eligible for a booster at least six months after their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine are: 

• People 65 years of age and older,

• People 18 years of age and older living in a long-term care setting,

• People 50 – 64 years of age with underlying medical conditions or those at increased risk of social inequities (racial and ethnic minorities and people with disabilities),

• People who are 18 – 49 years of age with underlying medical conditions,

• People 18 – 64 years of age who are at higher risk of COVID-19 exposure and transmission due to their occupational or institutional setting.

Occupations at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission include front line essential workers as previously detailed by the CDC, including first responders, health care workers, congregate care staff, educational staff (including teachers, other school staff, and daycare workers), food and agricultural workers, manufacturing workers, corrections staff, US Postal Service employees, public transit workers, and grocery store workers. This list may expand in the future.

Underlying medical conditions that may qualify people younger than 65 for a booster include cancer, chronic kidney disease, chronic lung diseases, dementia, diabetes, Downs syndrome, heart conditions including hypertension, HIV infection, immunocompromised status, liver disease, overweight or obesity, pregnancy, sickle cell disease or thalassemia, current or former smokers, solid organ or bone marrow transplant recipients, stroke or cerebrovascular disease, and substance use disorders.

Got it? There will be a quiz later. (Just kidding.) If (or perhaps rather when) you have questions, you should discuss it with your primary care physician. Just please be patient because everyone else also wants to discuss this with their physician.

Click here to connect to the CDC’s COVID-19 Data Tracker.

COVID-Safe Suggestions for Greeting One Another

by Angela Tobias, Chair, Pandemic Response Task Force

According to many experts, we may need to permanently rethink the ways we greet each other after we do finally get this pandemic under control. Certainly right now we need to continue limiting physical contact with people outside our COVID bubbles. Early on in the pandemic many people came up with creative ways to greet one another but once the novelty wore off, most fell by the wayside (footshake, anyone?). It may be time to revisit the options and see if one or more might feel right to each of us to adopt for more long-term use.

Head nod: already in use by cool dudes everywhere, this is an understated yet friendly general-use greeting.

Slight bow: a sign of respect in many cultures around the world, this is always useful.

Hand over heart: especially good for when you want someone to know your thoughts are with them or you are empathizing with what they are going through, this certainly seems fitting for our times.

Peace sign: an oldie but a goodie!

Vulcan greeting (Live long and prosper): it is only logical to include this on our list.

Sign language greetings: there are many to choose from, and the most common will be recognized by even those who don’t know much ASL.

Air hugs/air high fives: for when a greeting that only uses your head and hands just won’t do!

Namaste/prayer hands: also a sign of respectful greeting in many cultures, this also expresses our mutual interconnectedness with one another and is particularly appropriate for the times we live in.

Shaka (hang loose): arising from Hawaiian surf culture, this greeting conveys welcome, friendship, solidarity, and an open, positive, laid-back attitude.

Finger heart: originating from South Korea where it was first popularized by K-pop stars, this greeting is made by crossing the thumb and index finger so that they make the bumps of a small heart. The heart is considered small enough to not convey romantic feelings, but rather more general goodwill and friendship.

Finger guns and a wink: while this is not everybody’s cup of tea, if you go with this option, be enthusiastic about it!

Credit to Katie Teague on CNET.com and Paul Dancstep on exploratorium.edu for inspiration and background info.