Washington health officials warn against Thanksgiving rallies amid a surge in COVID-19 cases

It can take weeks to reverse the course — and if people don’t play their part, the state may need to reinstate more restrictions.

“We can’t give up. We all need to play our part to flatten the curve again,” Washington State Health Director Kathy Loffy said at a press conference Tuesday. .. “If we can’t change the course of our current illness by changing our behavior, we need to take action that hurt our economy, and no one wants to do it again. . “

Lofy said authorities do not need to do so, but it is up to Washington residents to change their behavior to slow the spread of the virus.

For months, public health officials have warned of a possible fall surge. Now the state is in the middle of it.

“We will come to you immediately with a new sense of urgency,” said Secretary of Health and Welfare John Wiesman. “We are really concerned about what we are seeing in the trend at this point and believe that action is needed now … this will hit the state economy and our people again. I don’t want to give and I really need everyone to pull together and flatten the curve again. “

Since September, cases of coronavirus have increased throughout Washington. Hospitalization is also increasing. However, in the last two weeks, the increase in the number of cases has accelerated, Lofy said. This surge represents a true increase in viral infections, as tests are relatively stable. Increased hospitalizations could overwhelm the state hospital system in the future.

Health officials are also seeing an increase in cases among all age groups. This indicates that the infection is very widespread.

“It also shows that we will see quite a lot of hospitalizations and eventually death as our older age group is affected,” Lofy said.

In the two weeks leading up to November 8, only 11 counties did not see an increase in the number of cases of coronavirus reported per 100,000 people across Washington State.

The counties with the highest number of cases include Assortin, Benton, Franklin, and Spokane, as well as Walla Walla County, which has experienced about 555 new cases per 100,000 people in the past two weeks. I will. Only three of the state’s 39 counties have met the state’s goal of having less than 25 new cases per 100,000 in the last 14 days.

Especially in King County, the county has recorded an average of nearly 400 cases per day in the past week. This week’s hospitalizations have also increased by 30% in King County from last week, according to Jeff Duchin of the Seattle and King County Public Health Service.

“COVID-19 is a viral wildfire and we are the fuel,” Duchin said. “Let’s not burn any more lives.”

Duchin urged people to think of this as a marathon. You need endurance.

“It’s hard to run a marathon, but there will be a relaxing finish line in the future,” Dutin said. “At this point, we all need to reduce unnecessary activity and get in touch with others outside the home … whatever we do, to turn this current COVID trend around. Can take weeks or more. “

He said that what people do today will determine where the state will be in the next few weeks.

With Thanksgiving approaching, health officials are even more worried about people gathering with family and friends to spread the virus further.

“Ideally, we should probably stop socializing for the next few weeks to delay the disease that is spreading rapidly throughout the state,” Rophie said. “If you need to socialize, limit social contact to less than 5 people per week and keep social interaction as short as possible.”

People should opt for virtual Thanksgiving this year. Alternatively, you should consider skipping large meals with your family and instead do outdoor walks and other activities that make it easier for people to socially distance and wear masks all the time.

“For now, anyone who gathers in person is dangerous … this includes Thanksgiving,” said Lacy Ferenbach, Deputy Health Secretary for the COVID-19 response. “The safest Thanksgiving is only celebrated with your immediate family.”

People are tired of living for months due to coronavirus restrictions, but health officials said they need to double their efforts before the virus worsens in the area.

“We can get COVID from people we know, love and trust, but we may not yet know that they have it or are asymptomatic.” Said Fehrenbach. “We know that people end up with COVID and look forward to the holidays, but COVID hasn’t ended with us yet and it won’t take a holiday.”

Overall message from public health authorities: Take action today.

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