The fifth wave of the coronavirus pandemic has arrived in Washington

The fifth wave of the coronavirus pandemic is here, Dr. Scott Lindquist, deputy state health officer in Washington, told reporters Friday.

The increase in cases seen in other metropolitan areas of the state, from Seattle to Tricities and Yakima, as well as Spokane, is of particular concern to health authorities in low-vaccination counties.

On Friday, the Spokane Community Health District identified more than 90 new COVID-19 cases. This is the very daily number of cases reported since June 5th.

According to Lindquist, delta variants are involved in increasing case numbers across the state, accounting for 58% of the latest sequenced samples.

“Most of these (cases of delta variants) are in unvaccinated people, so that’s a concern in regions of states with low vaccination rates,” Lindquist said.

County in eastern Washington has lower immunization rates than counties in the Puget Sound region or other parts of western Washington.

For example, in Benton County, 52.3% of eligible residents receive at least one vaccination, while in Whatcom County, in the northwestern part of the state, 69.3% of eligible residents receive at least one vaccination. I have received it.

In Spokane County, 54.4% of residents over the age of 12 receive at least one COVID-19 vaccine. Considering the total population, these vaccination rates are low.

So far, the increase in cases does not mean an increase in hospitalizations in Washington due to COVID-19.

“We haven’t seen a significant increase in hospitalization with the Delta variant,” Lindquist said, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

“We’re probably expecting to see it. It’s not currently visible in the data,” he added.

On Friday, Dr. Jeff Duchin, a health doctor in King County, recommended that everyone wear masks in indoor public spaces, regardless of vaccination status. His nomination was, in part, by modeling the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, which shows that universal masking can save the lives of hundreds of Washington residents between July and November.

IHME model predicts Based on the reference scenario model, if 95% of people across the state wear masks next week, by November there will be 840 fewer deaths in Washington.

Lindquist said he and health officials in the state are discussing future mask recommendations and obligations. He warned that the more incidents there were, the more likely it was that Mask’s obligations would be reinstated.

“If this gets worse, some requirements may come from the CDC, the Governor, or the state (through the mask order of Secretary Umair Shah), but we’re not there now,” Lindquist said. .. “It’s up to us to have common sense.”

So far, an abnormal proportion of vaccinated people have not tested positive for COVID-19, and these cases, called breakthrough cases, are closely monitored. Only a few months ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that fully vaccinated people did not need to wear masks, and so far the vaccine has shown its effectiveness against all mutants. I’m holding it. But how it goes is of paramount importance to Lindquist.

“We are worried that the vaccine will be more groundbreaking with the delta mutant. I’m watching it carefully,” he said. “I haven’t seen the signal yet, but I’m very worried about it.”

Lindquist advised unvaccinated people to do so, but said that vaccines were not the only tool available to prevent the spread of delta variants, and wearing a mask would spread new variants. Said that it is an effective way to delay.

Vaccines are available at pharmacies and healthcare providers throughout Spokane County.Use to find the dose State Vaccine Locator Tool, Or (833) Call VAX-HELP.

Let’s look at the city number

The Spokane Community Health District confirmed 93 new COVID-19 cases on Friday with no additional deaths.

Thirty people have been hospitalized for the virus in Spokane.

The Panhandle Health District confirmed 39 new COVID-19 cases with no additional deaths.

There are 23 Panhandle residents who are hospitalized for the virus.