In an attempt to block COVID-19 vaccine requirements for hath care workers, ten states sued the federal government on Wednesday. The lawsuit filed argues that the requirement threatens the jobs of health care workers and could “exacerbate an alarming shortage” of employees.

COVID hospitalizations in Washington continue to decrease slowly and COVID-19 trends continue to plateau overall. But amid the plateau in COVID-19 case rates, state health officials shared concerns Wednesday that a higher number of patients are becoming sick with other respiratory infections as colder weather approaches.

Meanwhile, COVID-19 cases are on the rise in northern states and the Mountain West, including Illinois, Minnesota and Vermont where health officials are reporting, on average, 50% more cases on average. About 23 states in the northern and Mountain West regions reported an increase in cases of at least 5%.

We’re updating this page with the latest news about the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the Seattle area, the U.S. and the world. Click here to see previous days’ live updates and all our other coronavirus coverage, and here to see how we track the daily spread across Washington.

Article Source: The Seattle Times