WA On Track To Contain COVID-19 Surge, But Must Remain Vigilant

OLYMPIA, WA — The message from the latest Washington State Department of Health briefing was one of cautious optimism: daily coronavirus case counts and hospitalization remain at or near record highs, but analysts say transmission rates have flattened out and may be on track to improve, if residents can keep up the good work following pandemic safety guidelines.

The state's top health experts noted during their weekly update that Washington appears to have avoided a surge in new infections following Thanksgiving. Health officials and local leaders had previously expressed concern that holiday gatherings would increase transmission while the state was already battling a record-breaking wave of coronavirus cases. However, those fears have evaporated in the weeks following the holiday, as conditions began to improve. Projections showed more Washingtonians were staying home for the holiday than residents of other states, which likely helped Washington avoid the post-holiday surge.

Now, the mission is to keep that good behavior up for the remaining holidays, says Secretary of Health John Wiesman.

"We're pleased that we seem to be bending the curve, and yet we've not yet plateaued. I want to also just really emphasize that for the holidays here it is incredibly important that people do not gather socially," Wiesman said. "We're going to need to continue doing the virtual events that folks did over the Thanksgiving holiday."

If residents do choose to meet up in person, Wiesman asked that they do so outdoors and while wearing masks and practicing safe social distancing.

"We know that the holidays are a time when folks often gather in our homes, and that just simply continues not to be safe," Wiesman said.

Because the state dodged another holiday surge, coronavirus transmission rates and hospitalizations are not growing as rapidly, but they still remain very high. COVID-19 ICU bed occupancy has improved slightly, but nearly 78 percent of ICU beds remain filled across Washington, as do 78.6 percent of regular staffed hospital beds. According to data shared by the DOH, hospitalization rates vary significantly by region: while growth has slowed in King County and bed usage has declined in southwestern Washington, central Washington continues to see hospitalization rates rise.

As of the latest update to the state's COVID-19 risk assessment dashboard, Washington has seen 468.4 coronavirus infections per 100,000 residents over the past 14 days. Like the hospitalization rate, that's a slight improvement over recent weeks, but still much higher than anything Washington had ever seen before this winter surge.

Though the curves appear to be flattening, health experts repeatedly stressed that residents must continue to follow safety guidelines to bend those curves down.

"It's important that we stay the course, and we don't let down our guard," said Dr. Kathy Lofy, the state health officer. "If we were to have another surge in COVID-19 activity at our current level of disease, which is very high, it would result in more hospitalizations and deaths and would very likely overwhelm our hospitals."

Similarly, while the arrival of first batch of the Pfizer vaccine is great news, health leader say it doesn't mean the pandemic is over, and that everything can immediately go back to normal.

"Vaccines are a critical tool for controlling the spread of COVID-19, but they are far from the only too," Wiesman said. "Even as we begin to vaccinate people in our state, it will still be important to maintain the infection control measures that have become part of our daily lives."

Vaccinations began Tuesday in Washington, and as of Wednesday, at least 410 vaccinations have been performed. By the end of the week, officials say vaccines will be distributed at 39 sites in 29 counties

Related: With Vaccinations Underway In WA, Need For Precautions Remains