The sign outside the vaccination site for Lumen Field COVID-19. (My Northwest photo)
King County holds right under the threshold to stay in Phase 3, and the next re-evaluation date is May 3rd.
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Dr. Jeff Duchin, a health official at Public Health – Seattle & King County, said Friday that the 14-day incident rate was 198.5 per 100,000 residents, which is similar to last week and about double the fall-winter surge.
Hospitalizations have been increasing since March. Duchin said last week that 97 King County residents were hospitalized with COVID-19, which is 15% higher than the previous week.
It is currently one person who is admitted to the hospital every one hour and 45 minutes. The hospitalization rate is about 3.5 to 4 per 100,000 inhabitants per week, which is double what was in early March.
The largest number of recent hospitalizations are among adults aged 40-69, Duchin said. The next age group is 20-39 year olds.
To be able to stay in phase 3, large provinces must have 200 or fewer new cases per 100,000 inhabitants during two weeks and five or fewer hospitalizations per 100,000 inhabitants during the past week. Provinces with less than 50,000 inhabitants must have 100 or fewer new cases in the past week and three or fewer hospitalizations in the past week.
Government Inslee announced Monday that the provinces of Cowlitz, Pierce and Whitman will return to Phase 2 of reopening. Those three provinces fell back on Friday.
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Previously, any province that did not meet one of the two criteria had to go back to phase 2. Government Inslee announced in early April that a country now did not have to meet both criteria before moving back.
Co-deaths
According to Duchin, weekly deaths have dropped dramatically since the fall-winter surge. In the past week, 1-2 King County residents have died from COVID-19 every day. This is compared to nine per day during the winter peak.
During the past 14 days, 9% of deaths in the age group were 25-49 years, compared to 2% in general during the outbreak.
During the past 14 days, 27% of deaths were among the 50-64 age group, compared to 13% during the outbreak as a whole, Duchin said. The mortality rate for people over the age of 65 has dropped from 65% to 27% over the past two weeks.
Covidgevalle
Duchin says the country has seen almost two months without lowering the level of COVID-19. He says the recent increases are likely due to the reopening of activities, combined with the presence of more contagious variants.
In terms of cases, the highest percentage is among 18-34 year olds, but every age group is increasing, except those older than 65 and younger than 5.
The cases remain highest in cities in the south and southeast of King County, including Covington, Enumclaw, Auburn, Kent, Federal Way, Burien, Renton, Seatac and Tukwila.
“Over the past 14 days, these places have doubled the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths compared to North and Central Seattle, Shoreline, the Eastside and Vashon Island,” Duchin said.
Inenting in King County
As of Thursday, 51% of King County residents over the age of 16 had received one or more doses of COVID-19 vaccine, Duchin said. He expects things to decrease as more people are vaccinated, but until then he says it is up to residents to hide themselves, avoid social distance, and avoid reaching out to people outside your household who have not been vaccinated, and note ventilation.
About 32% of all King County residents are fully vaccinated.
Those 65 years and older, in all racial and ethnic groups, the province has passed the coverage rate of 75% or higher for one or more doses, Duchin said. Inequalities are more prominent in groups of 16 years or older. He expects the numbers to improve with eligibility, and as the province works to make vaccination opportunities more accessible.