What about not needing a Virtual Switch at all…EchoSpeaks is an AMAZING App that allows you to do all sorts of things with your Alexa devices.
Also, using webCoRE as your main rule engine will also eliminate a bunch of headaches and allow you to do simple things and complex things without much fuss.
With EchoSpeaks and webCoRE, you would simply say:
If power drops below 1w
Then with Echo Device
Speak: “The washer stopped”
It’s as simple as that. No Virtual Switches, no IFTTT, no using the Alexa App
https://community.smartthings.com/t/release-echo-speaks-v3-actions/173073