Coronavirus In Pierce County: Week In Review

PIERCE COUNTY, WA — It's been a long, long pandemic, but it's finally starting to feel like we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Two big changes in Pierce County this week are helping to make that end seem closer than ever: the return to Phase 3 and the end of the state's universal mask mandate.

After just over a month spent in Phase 2 lockdown, Tuesday Pierce County moved ahead into Phase 3 of the Healthy Washington - Roadmap to Recovery plan. Broadly, the move means that most Pierce County businesses can return with up to 50 percent max capacity. It also allows for large indoor and outdoor venues to reopen their doors to larger crowds. More details on these changes can be found on the Tacoma - Pierce County Health Department's website.

The move follows an announcement from Gov. Jay Inslee late last week, which dramatically restructured the plan and provided a timeline for when all COVID-19 restrictions may end.

Meanwhile, following an announcement from the CDC late last week, Washington has officially ended the statewide mask mandate. Under the newly-modified regulations, anyone who has been fully vaccinated (in this case, that means they've waited two weeks after their final vaccine dose) can start shopping and dining indoors without wearing a facial covering.

The state does not have plans to develop any sort of vaccine passport program, though businesses can ask patrons for proof of vaccination before they're allowed to shop mask-free. Businesses can also choose to use the honor system, trusting patrons to do the right thing before shopping without masks. Others may continue requiring masks regardless of vaccination status.

Either way, just having the option at some stores is still a big change — and many large chains like QFC, Fred Meyer's, Trader Joe's and PCC Community Markets have changed their polices to allow for maskless shopping.

Not only are those improvements a welcome change for many, but the county's 14-day case rate has finally started to show some substantial improvement, shrinking from nearly 370 cases per 100,000 residents Monday to just under 307 Friday. The hospitalization rate is also down slightly to 10.1 hospitalizations per 100,000 residents over the past week.

The state's health leaders credit the recent downward trend to rising vaccination rates. According to their latest modeling, by May 6 up to 36.5 percent of all Washington's population was fully immune to the coronavirus. 23.6 percent of the population acquired immunity through vaccination, the remaining 12.9 percent did so by overcoming COVID-19 infections.

Their models also show the need for greater vaccination, as the hospitalization rate for unvaccinated Washingtonians 45-64 years old was found to be 18 times higher than in people the same age who have gotten all their shots.

That's one reason county health officials continue to push those who have not gotten their shots yet to consider getting them now. Vaccination is now easier than ever, with most Tacoma - Pierce County Health Department clinics allowing walk-in patients to get their shot without an appointment. Lakewood's permanent vaccination clinic has even begun offering the one-dose J&J vaccine to simplify the process even further.

A full list of all the health department's upcoming clinics can be found on their website.

As of Wednesday, a total 634,181 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered to Pierce County residents.

Total coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths in Pierce County:

Editors note: Patch is updating these totals on a weekly, rather than daily, basis. Readers should keep in mind that the increases below represent infections and deaths over a seven-day period.

The above numbers are provided by the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, and some numbers differ from the totals provided separately by the Washington State Department of Health.