Avoid Traditional Super Bowl Parties, Washington Officials Urge

OLYMPIA, WA — While the coronavirus pandemic forges ahead on offense, Washingtonians will need to keep up a strong defense to come out on top this weekend, according to state leaders.

"We know this is a tradition to have a whole bunch of people yelling in the same room, but that's really too dangerous this year, and we are encouraging people to protect themselves Super Bowl Sunday," Gov. Jay Inslee said Thursday. "Do it in a way where you're with your pod or your family, and maybe not have so many people breathing so closely. Masks really help, too."

During a weekly coronavirus briefing Thursday morning, the state Department of Health compared Super Bowl Sunday to other recent holidays, posing a real threat to Washington's progress in reducing transmission rates if people gather like everything is normal.

"While we're seeing very promising signs with our data...with disease rates declining in many communities and statewide, and more and more Washingtonians getting vaccinated, now is not the time to let up our guard," said Lacy Fehrenbach, the state's deputy secretary for COVID-19 response. "With new variants emerging, we have got to continue our work to crush the curve of COVID-19."

Although Phase 2 rules allow for small gatherings, state officials recommend limiting in-person celebrations to the immediate household, matching the guidelines shared over Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. Those still planning to host small parties can still take a few steps to limit risks.

"We want to acknowledge that, despite our guidance on this, people may choose to gather," Fehrenbach said. "If you do, please think about having your gathering outside...wear masks, and always maintain six feet of distance. If you do end up indoors, keep your windows and doors open for good ventilation, keep your gathering small and spread out."

Other recommended precautions include skipping communal appetizers and snacks, removing another opportunity for infection, and making sure each participant completes a health check for symptoms and stays home if they are feeling unwell. Officials said the same practices should apply to other get-togethers, well beyond the big game.

"Whether it's the Super Bowl, a birthday, a baby shower...each and every one of our individual actions makes a difference," Fehrenbach said. "Fewer, shorter, safer interactions are crucial. Limit the number of people outside of your household that you gather with each week in any situation, including work and school."

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While recent reports have shown welcome progress across Washington, case counts remain high, and health officials worry the state's situation could take a turn for the worse quickly if more infectious variants gain a foothold.

To keep tabs on that threat, the state is also ramping up its surveillance efforts to make it easier to identify variant strains, including real-time genotyping of certain test samples.

"It's not just the UK variant or the South African variant, this virus is mutating...so we are doing a very aggressive job of looking for any variant," said Dr. Scott Lindquist, the state epidemiologist for communicable diseases. "Our goal at this point is to have 5 percent of all our positive COVID-19 tests actually get sequenced [to] find out if it's a variant or otherwise."

During Thursday's briefing, state health officials celebrated new vaccination milestones, including a new daily average of 28,000 doses and close to 800,000 doses administered to date. However, limited supply continues to limit efforts, with the state receiving only a third of the doses it requested in the last week.

"We understand that there is a lot of need for a lot of people to get vaccinated — we're hearing from them too," said Michele Roberts, the state's lead vaccine planner. "What we're trying to do is match who is eligible to who is at highest-risk, how do they protect our capacity in the health care system and how does it match the amount of doses that we're getting."

The state does not have a timeline for when Phase 1B2 will begin, expanding eligibility to more essential workers, which officials said is partially due to uncertainty about what level of shipments to expect in the weeks and months ahead. Another change that could accelerate the long-term outlook is potential federal approvals of additional vaccine candidates beyond Pfizer and Moderna.

Learn more about vaccinations in Washington and where to find an appointment on the Department of Health website.