Thurston adds 22 cases as COVID-19 activity rises. Could the county revert to Phase 2?
Thurston County reported 22 new confirmed COVID-19 cases as disease activity continues to rise.
The added cases bring the county’s total to 8,631 cases, according to data from the county’s Public Health and Social Services department. Of that total, 7,879 patients are now considered recovered or recovering.
No new deaths have been reported since April 19, leaving the death total at 78.
Disease activity has been on the rise since March, which could affect the county’s ability to remain in Phase 3 of the state’s reopening plan.
The latest state data shows the county had a case rate of 173.2 per 100,000 people during the two-week period between April 6 and April 19 — more than double the most recent low of 77 recorded March 3-16.
To remain in Phase 3, Thurston County needs to keep its case rate below 200 per 100,000 over two weeks and and have fewer than five new hospitalizations per 100,000 over one week. To move backwards into the more restrictive Phase 2, Thurston County would have to fail both metrics.
Hospitalizations in Thurston County also have been on the rise. In a letter to the community released Friday, health officer Dimyana Abdelmalek said the county had a hospitalization rate of 4.5 per 100,000 over the past week.
To date, 491 county residents have been hospitalized at some point in their illness with 13 new hospitalizations occurring in the last week, said department director Schelli Slaughter during a Board of County Commissioners meeting Tuesday.
In Thurston County, Slaughter said Tuesday there are currently 29 people hospitalized with COVID-19, and seven of them are on ventilators.
“I share this because I think it is very important to highlight that our COVID-19 is very serious and still causing hospitalizations and deaths in our community,” Slaughter said.
PHSS is investigating the cause of the increased disease activity, Abdelmalek wrote in her letter. The department does know that some people who have tested positive have recently traveled, gathered with family and friends, or been exposed in their workplaces.
And the region is seeing the same kind of uptick.
King County’s director of public health said Tuesday that King should plan on being moved back to the second phase of Washington’s three-phase COVID-19 reopening plan, forcing restaurants, churches, gyms, museums and theaters to trim their capacity. Pierce, Cowlitz and Whitman counties already have reverted to Phase 2.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, saying rising COVID-19 hospitalizations threaten to overwhelm doctors, moved 15 counties into the extreme risk category Tuesday, which imposes restrictions including banning indoor restaurant dining.
Abdelmalek recommends residents avoid non-essential travel. Slaughter clarified Tuesday that the most concerning non-essential travel is people going on vacation.
People who chose to travel who are not fully vaccinated should get tested for COVID-19 three days before travel and three to five days after travel, Abdelmalek wrote. They also should quarantine for a full seven days upon return, she added. Those who do not get tested should quarantine for 10 days, Abdelmalek wrote.
People who are fully vaccinated do not need to test for COVID-19 or self-quarantine after traveling within the United States, according to the letter, but they still should if they travel internationally.
Locally, the latest data from the state shows Thurston County had a test positivity rate of 6% for the one week period from April 3-9.
Slaughter said cases are increasing among 20- to 29-year-olds and people who are attending social gatherings. She said the best way to combat disease transmission is to wear masks, keep a physical distance and get vaccinated.
As of Tuesday, Slaughter said 39% of Thurston County residents have received their first dose of vaccine and 28% are now fully vaccinated. While this is progress, she said it’s a long way from the county’s goal of 70-80% of the county being fully vaccinated.
In the region
▪ Pierce County confirmed 143 new COVID-19 cases and three new deaths on Tuesday, bringing its totals to 43,715 cases and 528 deaths.
▪ Grays Harbor County had reported 3,754 confirmed and probable cases and 63 deaths as of Tuesday.
▪ Lewis County Public Health & Social Services reported 3,601 confirmed cases and 59 deaths as of Tuesday.
▪ Mason County reported 10 new cases and no new deaths on Tuesday, for a total of 1,986 cases with 30 deaths.
In the state, nation and world
The state Department of Health has reported a total of 398,509 COVID-19 cases and 5,462 deaths as of Tuesday.
In the U.S., more than 32.2 million cases had been reported as of Wednesday with over 573,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. India has tallied the second highest number of cases at 17.6 million amid a devastating resurgence in disease activity.
Globally, more than 148.8 million cases had been reported as of Wednesday with 3.14 million deaths.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This story was originally published April 28, 2021 at 5:28 AM.
