WA state’s COVID rate in precarious spot ahead of holidays, health officials warn
Washington state health officials on Wednesday echoed warnings expressed earlier in the week by hospital officials about how precarious the state’s COVID-19 status is ahead of the holidays.
Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah told reporters at a briefing that while cases and hospitalizations have decreased, that decline is flattening.
“Trends are going in the right direction,” Shah said. “But our numbers are very similar to what we were seeing at the beginning of our third wave back in November of 2020. And so numbers are still very high.”
The state’s 14-day case rate per 100,000 is at 267 in the most recent daily reporting, with the daily average of cases statewide down 14 percent over 14 days, according to state DOH and federal tracking.
Even the possible addition of anti-viral pills seeking emergency use authorization, Shah noted, won’t make it in time to have much effect on the current season, given anticipated limitations to early supplies.
“I’m really hard-pressed to think about a scenario where you would see the numbers be so dramatically decreased to the point where we’re not concerned with the fall-winter season,” he said.
While expanded eligibility of COVID vaccines regarding boosters and children is adding impressive numbers to the state’s vaccine tally, concerns remain about the uneven progress being made with vaccine uptake.
Michele Roberts, acting assistant secretary for DOH, said that in the central portion of the state doses administered for those ages 5-11 were at 2 to 3 percent of that population, compared with the Puget Sound region at over 12 percent.
“Early signs do indicate that demand may differ by region, kind of similar to what overall vaccination rates look like by region,” she said.
Among the age group of 5-11, Roberts said, more than 60,000 children statewide have received their first dose. Among third doses for those 18 and older, more than 820,000 doses have been administered as of Nov. 13
So far, 80 percent of the population 12 and older has received at least one vaccine dose, and 73.9 percent are now fully vaccinated.
Shah reiterated the state needed to stay focused on staying safe during the holidays as indoor gatherings ramp up.
“You may have seen Dr. Fauci nationally had said that families that are fully vaccinated can feel good about gathering. And I would just underscore that anybody who is fully vaccinated should feel good about being fully vaccinated,” Shah said.
“But we also recognize that with waning immunity, there may come a point where you need to get a booster vaccine, and if that’s the case, if you’re in the category right now, you should should be getting a booster.”
This story was originally published November 17, 2021 at 12:29 PM with the headline "WA state’s COVID rate in precarious spot ahead of holidays, health officials warn."
