COVID metric breaks past highs in Snohomish County

EVERETT — On Tuesday, local leaders disastrously expressed the need for people to follow COVID-19 safety measures.

New cases of coronavirus are well above record highs in Snohomish County, while hospitalizations are increasing. Authorities warned that if the situation did not improve, it could impose some restrictions on businesses and social gatherings.

“With the dashboard, all the lights flash red and all the warning buzzers sound,” said Dave Summers, executive of Snohomish County. “The third wave of the virus seems to be the biggest wave ever. The fact that we are in the winter month with the highest number of cases should shake everyone’s spine.”

Wearing masks, washing hands, and interacting only with five people outside the house each week, Summers said.

“If you don’t push the curve back, you almost certainly have to retreat,” he said. “None of us want to do that because we know the impact on our economy and our lives.”

Last week, the county recorded over 1,000 new COVID-19 cases, according to the health district. There were four days, each exceeding the highest total of 140 per day. The new record is 250.

In the latest two-week number of cases, which ended on Saturday, there were nearly 190 cases per 100,000 in Snohomish County. Six weeks ago I was 46 years old.

It was a record high of 129, which reached March.

At the same time, the number of people hospitalized for the virus hovering in their mid-20s last week surged to 37 as of Tuesday morning. As expected, if things get worse, it will test the capabilities of local hospitals, said Dr. Chris Spitters, chief public health officer at the county.

“It’s happening throughout the state,” he said. “If you run out of space here, there’s no other place to send your patients. This is definitely a warning signal. What you see in hospitals today is an infection that happened three weeks ago.”

The potential shortage of beds and protective equipment is not the only concern.

A shortage of nurses can lead to bed obsolescence due to lack of staff to care for the patient.

Deaths from COVID are also increasing.

And of the 35 deaths reported in October, 20% were people under the age of 50, Spitters said.

“These are some of the toughest numbers we see,” he added. “I think we have to accept that it could be a very long winter.”

If these trends continue and the blockade is re-imposed, they are likely to have more subtle nuances than those that occur during the spring, Spitters and Summers said.

Throughout the county, indoor social gatherings where people don’t wear masks are a major factor in spreading the virus, Spitters said.

“When is it a good idea to have five or more? Never,” Spitters said.

But the virus infection “comes from all directions,” he added.

“When there is so much communication in the community and we are trying to open the economy, sick people appear at work,” Spitters said. “You may feel sick at the time, but someone will test positive or you will get sick and test positive when you get home. Now you have a case at work and you are infected with another person. You may have. ”

However, he said, workplace clusters with more than five cases are rare.

The increase in cases is not the result of an increase in tests.

While more tests are being conducted in Snohomish County, weekly health district reports have increased the positive rate and the number of people experiencing symptoms to be tested.

The report shows 19 outbreaks at companies in the county, including four restaurants, two retail stores, government agencies, gyms, bars, and schools.

One restaurant was associated with 11 infections.

Spitter refused to identify any of the businesses.

He said the health district would identify and close the business if there was a risk of exposing customers.

“Usually the problem is behind the counter or back in the kitchen, and patrons don’t meet the contact definition in terms of time and proximity,” he said.

Cases have also occurred in about 6 long-term care facilities. There are 55 cases at the Monroe facility and the outbreak is not considered resolved.

The disastrous news arrives the same week that pharmaceutical company Pfizer announced that it could have developed a vaccine that was up to 90% effective against the virus.

Some people said the county was ready to distribute the vaccine and would give early doses to the most vulnerable populations.

However, it can take months, or even a year, to be available to everyone.

“The outcome of the vaccine delivery is imminent,” Spitters said. “They aren’t going to help us with this current wave. Even if there is a fourth wave, they may not help us.”

Joey Thompson: 425-339-3449; [email protected].. twitter: @byjoeythompson..