OLYMPIA — As the state begins the first phase of Gov. Jay Inslee’s gradual transition to back normalcy, public health officials such as Charissa Fotinos, deputy chief medical officer for the state Health Care Authority, say they are confident in the “adequate” capacity of the health care system going forward.

State Health Officer Kathy Lofy, also speaking in a briefing Tuesday, said data such as a reduction in hospitalizations of patients having symptoms consistent with coronavirus and a halving of the percentage of tests that are confirmed as positive indicate that COVID-19 activity has decreased in the state.

However, state health officials agree that an increase in testing supply and capacity is necessary as the state reopens, in order to prevent the spread of the virus and better understand it.

Fotinos said Tuesday that federal partners will deliver more than 500,000 testing swabs and over 400,000 sample containers over the month of May.

Senior policy adviser to the governor Reed Schuler said the state has acquired six times more personal protective equipment than what it had collectively at the beginning of April, with over 12 million items and hundred of thousands more on the way.

The state prohibited certain medical surgeries and procedures during the COVID-19 outbreak. On Tuesday, Raquel Bono, head of the state’s response to the virus, said these procedures are being allowed to resume with the increased supply of equipment. Bono said hospitals are being asked to monitor their supply of protective equipment and maintain a 20 percent surge capacity.

Also Tuesday, Inslee said he and his team are working to develop further safety guidelines for businesses as they are allowed to reopen through four phases, which his administration has devised.

He said he will reopen certain counties and communities into different phases sooner than others. He said there are about 10 counties with relatively low COVID-19 activity that may be allowed to reopen sooner if they wish.

As part of the state’s increased effort to conduct case contact tracing investigations to identify and notify individuals who may have been at risk of infection after being in close contact with an infected person, John Wiesman, Secretary of the state Department of Health, said about 1,500 new workers will be trained in the next week to conduct these investigations.

The governor and health officials agree that case contact tracing along with increased viral testing capacity will be crucial to reduce the spread of the virus. Wiesman said officials have been meeting with Apple and Google as they develop software that uses technology in cellphones to help identify which individuals may have been in close contact with someone infected with COVID-19. He said this kind of technology requires high public participation to work and that officials will have considered important issues of privacy and security before utilizing this technology in the fight against coronavirus.