The Washington State Board of Health (Board) voted at its Aug. 10 public meeting to adopt an eighth emergency rule to extend the designation of COVID-19 as a notifiable condition. This action requires healthcare providers, facilities, laboratories, local health jurisdictions, and the state Department of Agriculture to continue the reporting of essential testing and demographic data to maintain the necessary public health response to COVID-19 in Washington state.
The Board has authority to adopt rules for the prevention and control of infectious and noninfectious diseases. The purpose of the Notifiable Conditions rule is to provide critical information to public health authorities to help them protect and improve public health through the prevention and control of disease. More information about the topic is available on the Aug. 10 Board meeting webpage (agenda item 8). Additional details about the rule are available on the Notifiable Conditions rule webpage.
