By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
On Monday, Public Health Seattle King County announced that King County has reached the CDCs’ medium COVID-19 community level, as COVID cases have gradually increased in the county over the last six weeks.
After the winter Omicron surge subsided and the relaxing of COVID mandates, it appears that COVID will be with us for a little while longer.
“This was not unanticipated,” says Duchin. “As the more contagious BA2 variant spread both locally and nationally.”
“But we should see this yellow traffic light as a slow down and use this opportunity to lower our risks and the risks of those around us,” Duchin said.
During the winter omicron peak King County’s seven-day incidents for every 100,000 was over 2100, it fell to 53 persons per every 100,000 during a seven-day period around mid-March. At this moment, seven-day incident reports show that cases have risen to 214 persons per 100,000.
Hospitalizations have remained on a downward trajectory as they have fallen from 19 hospitalization during the Omicron surge in February to about 2 per 100,000 in the recent seven-day incident reports.
“Hospitalizations and deaths have remained at stable and low levels,” says Duchin. “Comparable to low levels we have seen at other pandemic waves thanks to the protections vaccinations provide.”
According to reports, all ages have experienced a rise in the number of COVID cases as the summer approaches and as health officials are noticing the differences between now and the past surges.
“All ages are trending upward,” says Duchin. “The highest rates continue to be in young adults, while older adults and children under the age of five have the lowest rates of infections.”
Vaccinations are seen as steady and reliable in the ongoing fight against COVID, and officials are encouraging all citizens to remain vigilant in spreading the importance of getting vaccinated and boostered.
“King County has seen 85 percent of people have completed the primary vaccine series,” says Duchin. “Two-thirds of those 50 to 65 years of age have been boostered, and 86 percent of those 65 years of age and older have been boostered.”
One aspect of COVID the health department is paying close attention to are the “long haulers” or “long COVID”. Long COVID has become an issue as symptoms are lasting longer, 10-30 percent of cases are long lasting, causing fatigue, and breathing difficulties in both mild and severe cases.
While the likelihood of people getting over COVID is very high, Duchin stresses that people still need to do what they can to help decrease the risk of infection by paying attention to indoor spaces and ventilation, and wearing high quality and well-fitting face masks like N95 respirators or the KN95 masks while in crowded indoor spaces. He also urges people to consider rapid testing before indoor gatherings, especially those with high risks, as well as getting tested and isolate yourself if you experience symptoms or have come into contact with someone who has been exposed to COVID.
“We need to think more about how we will manage the ongoing challenges of COVID sustainability over the long term,” says Duchin. “Business leaders, individuals, and the community by taking the necessary steps and specific precautions can help decrease risks and one way of doing this is staying up-to-date on your vaccines. This is the best way to stay out of the hospital and to stay out of the graveyard and avoid Long COVID.”
