Delta variable causing COVID-19 cases to spread wildly in Washington

OLYMPIA, Washington — Cases of COVID-19 are spreading “like wildfire” among adults and children in Washington, and state health officials said Friday they are deeply concerned.

Health Ministry officials said in a press release that the rapid acceleration in cases shows the ability of delta variables to show the country’s hard-earned progress toward recovery.

Health officials say those who have not been vaccinated are the hardest hit and are urging anyone who has not been fully vaccinated to do so immediately.

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The Minister of Health, Dr. Amir Shah. “Vaccination is the best tool we have in this pandemic, but we also recommend people go in and avoid large, crowded places that may or may not have been vaccinated.”

In the past 30 days, officials in most counties have seen a significant increase in cases.

The following is a breakdown of the health department by region:

• Only seven counties (Kittitas, Okanogan, Ferry, Klickitat, Walla Walla, Jefferson, Garfield, and Grays Harbor) saw an increase of less than 100%.
• Twelve counties (Adams, Thurston, Snohomish, Benton, Skamania, Whatcom, Skagit, Kitsap, Yakima, Colitz, Mason, Grant) saw increases in cases between 100-299%.
• Ten counties (Clam, Stevens, Asoten, Whitman, Franklin, Spokane, King, Clark, Lewis, Pierce) saw increases in cases between 300 and 599%.
• In six counties (Pend Oreille, Douglas, Lincoln, Pacific, Chelan and Island) cases are up more than 600%.
• Districts of Columbia, San Juan, and Waquiacom have the fewest cases.

Health officials said cases of the virus are approaching levels last seen in winter 2020, “which means that there are currently many people who are infected and may be spreading the virus.”

For the first time since winter 2020, the state is seeing a daily number of cases in the range of 3,000. As of July 30, the Department of Health said one in 172 Washington residents is estimated to have an active COVID-19 infection.

The surge in new types of coronavirus cases is affecting hospitals already grappling with staff challenges, which are now exacerbated by the surge of staff who have tested positive for the virus.

According to the Ministry of Health, hospital admissions related to COVID-19 reached November 2020 levels on August 8, based on data reported by hospitals.

The Ministry of Health said that at the end of July, about 95% of COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital since February had not been fully vaccinated.

“The progress of vaccination is continuing, but not fast enough,” Shah said. “If you haven’t been vaccinated and you still have questions, we recommend speaking to a trusted healthcare provider.”

by state COVID-19-DashboardOn August 10, 70.7% of the population aged 12 and over had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.