State health officials are calling on residents to stop socializing and change their vacation plans as COVID cases surge.

Plan a small Thanksgiving this year and consider not socializing until then. State and local health officials warned on Tuesday that they were warning about the COVID-19 surge in Washington.

“We don’t think the most serious consequences have yet come from this virus, and if we don’t act, they can be serious,” said Secretary of Health John Wiesman. The doctor told reporters on Tuesday.

Cases are skyrocketing across the state and across all age groups. About 1,500 people were infected in Spokane County this month. It has created imminent stress on hospitals and healthcare systems that will have to take care of the most sick patients in the coming weeks.

Health officials haven’t yet announced new restrictions on businesses and schools, but all options are being considered.

The surge draws a tough outlook for the upcoming holiday season. Family members are asked to keep others safe by staying away in the hope that they will not infect their loved ones.

Increasing cases also occur when major public health agencies in Spokane County attempt to reorganize after the dismissal of controversial health officer Dr. Bob Lutz. Many members of the Spokane Community Health District Health Commission have avoided requesting interviews in the most severe wave of coronavirus infections to date. The Health District will not make the new interim health officer, Dr. Francisco Velázquez, available for interviews until Thursday.

Meanwhile, state health officer Kathy Loffy asked Washington residents to reconsider the social gathering on Tuesday.

“To slow the spread of the disease throughout our state, we should probably stop socializing for the next few weeks,” she said.

“And if you need to socialize, limit (meetings) to 5 people or less per week and keep the interaction as short as possible.”

In Spokane County, social gatherings cause outbreaks among people, who are spreading them to work and public places.

Hospitalizations are expected to increase in Spokane County in the coming weeks, with more than 1,000 cases confirmed in Spokane County over the past week or so. Due to the large number of cases, hospitalizations have increased sharply this year.

On Tuesday, the Spokane Community Health District confirmed 137 new cases. At the local hospital, 75 people are being treated for the virus, 62 of whom are county residents.

Dr. John McCarthy, a doctor at Spokane and a public health officer in Okanogan County, said he didn’t think he could resist the crowds during the holiday season and expected more cases.

“I don’t think we’re used to making this kind of sacrifice, and we’ll have a hard time doing that,” McCarthy said. “It looks like a difficult battle until it hits the house harder than it now looks like it’s hitting the house.”

McCarthy said Spokane County was not helped by elected leaders because there was no public face during the pandemic.

“There will be deaths as a result of the Health Commission’s decision to dismiss Bob Lutz. He saved his life whether he liked him or whether he had difficulty working with him. Was, “McCarthy said. “His absence will lead to more lives.”

State health officials have revealed that health care systems and hospitals are becoming tighter and have led residents to make such an urgent petition in the midst of a surge in cases.

Looking at the fallout from Canada’s Thanksgiving in mid-October, Deputy Health Secretary Lacy Fehrenbach warned that this holiday should look different.

“I can’t afford this in Washington. Meeting in person is currently dangerous to their health,” Ferenbach said, including Thanksgiving.

“The safest Thanksgiving is celebrated with your immediate family,” she said. “This is the safest option at the moment.”

She said that if people want to get together for Thanksgiving, they should do so in groups of five or less. They should do so outdoors with masks and should seriously consider a two-week quarantine in advance.

The Spokane Community Health District is supported by the State Department of Health to support case investigations. Epidemiologists experience more than 100 (sometimes more than 200 or 300) 6-day continuous reports each day.

A team of 17 disease investigators and 27 staff at the Institute of Public Health can contact residents with positive test results within 24 hours of receiving the results.

Incident and contact investigations are most effective when the number of incidents is low, but King County Public Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin told reporters Tuesday.

“The idea is to control the virus infection as much as possible and contact use cases and research resources as soon as possible,” he said. “… the more (cases) the harder it is to do it. If people aren’t quarantined or quarantined in a timely manner, it leads to more communication.”

Incidents are also increasing elsewhere in the northwestern inland.

The Panhandle Health District confirmed more new cases than Spokane County on Tuesday, with 177 cases. 51 residents from 5 county areas are hospitalized.

District spokesman Catherine Heuer said part of the lack of vigilance was due to virus myths and falsehoods.

“I really believe there is a lot of false information out there, and if you do, it’s more infodemic,” she said. “I think people are having a hard time getting rid of the truth … it’s happening nationwide.”

But there is also “pandemic fatigue,” she said.

“We are worried that people are not changing their behavior and taking precautions,” Heuer said. “In addition … I realize that people are tired of taking precautionary measures.”

Heuer said, for example, “it was amazing” when the district announced its first positive test.

But as the daily case load increases, surprises don’t seem to grow with it.

“We all may have been a little confused, as you know, and there were 10-12 cases a day, which was amazing. July and 8 Heuer may have announced more than 30 cases a day in a month, but now … 100 to 200 cases are announced in October and November. One day, “Heuer said. Said. “We are at the worst of the pandemic right now, and that can get worse.”

Arielle Dreher’s report on The Spokesman-Review is partially funded by the Report for America and members of the Spokane community. This story can be republished for free by other organizations under a Creative Commons license. Contact our newspaper for more information. Editor-in-chief.