Coronavirus Cases Jumped 5% In WA Last Week, Federal Report Finds

SEATTLE — New data assembled by the White House COVID-19 team confirms a concerning upward trend in Washinton's coronavirus metrics, just as the state moves forward with reopening plans.

In recent days, state and county health officials warned that case counts were again moving in the wrong direction, particularly among younger adults, after plateauing for several weeks.

Last Thursday, the state Department of Health said infections were growing among people between the ages of 20 and 40, an indicator that has served as an early warning sign preceding previous waves. A day later, King County's health officer revealed a similar trend, outlining a 13 percent increase in daily case trends over two weeks, with a clear majority among adults between 18 and 49 years old.

A bright spot in King County's data is a 40 percent decline in cases among older adults, which officials credit to increasingly successful vaccination efforts. Even with many of the most vulnerable people immunized, health experts warn any surge in cases could still prove detrimental.

"Vaccines have greatly reduced the threat to our most vulnerable older adults, but COVID-19 can still put a very big hurt on the rest of us if we falter now," said Dr. Jeff Duchin, health officer for King County. "COVID-19 is not a benign disease for younger adults. Hospitalization rates for COVID-19 are 20 times higher than they are for influenza for 18 to 49-year-olds."

The new White House report accounts for last week's trends through March 18 and paints a similar picture. The federal data show a 5 percent increase in COVID-19 cases statewide, while hospital admissions for patients with confirmed COVID-19 illnesses jumped 10 percent. Weekly death rates, however, continued to fall and fell another 19 percent.

The growth in cases and the positivity rates come even as the total number of tests processed plummeted 30 percent.

Here are a few more highlights from the report:

The state Department of Health and Gov. Jay Inslee's office will be closely monitoring the metrics as the state moves forward under Phase 3 reopening guidelines, which restores more indoor activities and allows for up to 9,000 fans at major sporting events. The governor has also instructed all schools to offer in-person options for all K-12 students by April 19. Should the metrics continue to worsen, the state could move quickly to roll back certain counties.

Each county will be evaluated based on their rate of cases and hospitalizations every three weeks, which the first statewide review planned for April 12.

On the vaccination front, the White House's report showed nearly 24 percent of Washington's population having already received their first dose by last Friday, and 13.6 percent fully immunized. The state is preparing to expand eligibility to another 2 million Washingtonians by next Wednesday, March 31.

Find Washington's full state profile report on HealthData.gov.