King County Coronavirus Level Remains High for Christmas

Seattle — Despite vaccine arrivals and case numbers tending to be below peak levels, King County health officials warn of a long way to control the virus.

County Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin hosted the last coronavirus briefing of the year on Friday, sharing the latest data and urging everyone to continue the course on Christmas, New Year, and beyond. ..

“The COVID-19 wildfire consumes too much life and continues to confuse,” Duchin said. “With increasing hospitalizations and deaths, the threat to the healthcare system remains dangerous. In the coming months, we need to not only maintain COVID-19, but also strengthen our precautions. All aspects of our lives. It is spreading to. “

Although the number of new cases is below the peak levels reached in late November and early December, Duchin said daily infections were more than double that of spring, with an average of 500 reported daily last week. It was.Of the county 14-day case rate It also shows improvement, but it’s still 16 times the target range.

“I want to remind everyone once again that the reported cases are just the tip of the iceberg,” Duchin said. “A colleague of the Institute for Disease Modeling estimates that there are currently about 10,000 active cases of COVID-19 in King County. Only a small percentage of all cases are reported. . “

The burden on the county’s health system is a major concern, and hospitalizations are increasing across age groups. According to Duchin, patients aged 40-69 occupy the most beds, followed by patients aged 70 and over, followed by patients aged 20-39.

Currently, King County hospitals have approximately 400 patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 disease. According to health authorities, nearly 90% of emergency care and ICU beds are occupied, with 1 in 10 acute beds and 1 in 5 ICU beds accepting COVID-19 patients.

“Although the increase in reported cases has slowed in the last two weeks, our situation is still really dangerous,” Duchin said. “Our hospital is stressed and canceling surgery. They are working on the placement of rescue workers and are preparing for a worsening crisis. It will remain available to everyone in need of life-saving care. You need to do as much as you can to make it. Why. “

Deaths have continued to increase since mid-November, averaging 6 per day compared to less than 2 in the last 6 months. According to Duchin, November also reached a record 224 outbreaks, an increase of 42% compared to October, above the early peak of the pandemic. One-third were in long-term care or support living facilities, and one-quarter were in non-medical facilities, including food and retail stores.

“This year was a very difficult year in many ways,” Duchin said. “We all see the possibility of a gradual recovery from the COVID-19 nightmare with the availability of vaccines. Even if a very effective vaccine is imminent, we Can’t get close to the outside of the forest. “

An additional obstacle, according to Duchin, is the need to relocate some staff due to the limited federal funding available to promote vaccine programs at the state and local levels.

“Currently, to address this priority, we needed to relocate many public health workers who have been working on other COVID-enabled public health areas. We are really in the smoke.” Duchin said. “We look forward to immediate access to additional resources from the federal government to help strengthen our ability to build vaccination programs.”

In the first round of shipment, Seattle and King County public health received 3,900 Pfizer vaccines. Duchin said that when the county provided the first clinic for emergency medical care, part of its supply began to be used on Thursday. Vaccinated people can help with vaccination in the future.

Washington hopes to receive more than 222,000 Pfizer vaccines and 183,000 Moderna vaccines by the end of December. Both products require two doses for full efficacy.

On Thursday, Governor Jay Inslee said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reduced the number of doses expected next week. 40 percent.. Governor across the country reported similar news. On Friday, a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson told Patch that it was a “misunderstanding” and that monthly quotas would not be affected.

The statement is partially read:

“There was confusion between the number of plans and trainings offered in mid-November and the actual official weekly allocations. These are based on the available releaseable vaccine doses. Therefore, it is only available one week before distribution shipment. Misunderstanding with the Governor or Jurisdiction. The number of operation warp speed allocations fixed in the state has not been changed or adjusted.

Only three official assignments have been provided to the state. Pfizer quotas for the first week were provided on Friday, November 20th. Week 1 Moderna quotas were provided on Friday, November 27th. And the Pfizer quota for the second week was offered on Tuesday, December 15th. These are the only official assignment numbers provided.

The report that the jurisdiction allocation has been reduced is incorrect. Jurisdictions receive vaccines at various locations over the course of several days, as was done with the first shipment of Pfizer vaccine. This offloads the jurisdiction and distributes the workload across multiple days. This same process has been successfully used for the initial distribution of Pfizer vaccines and we simply apply the lessons learned. Operation Warp Speed ​​is committed to providing jurisdiction-assigned vaccines safely, quickly and efficiently as planned. “

Initial vaccines are only available to front-line healthcare professionals, first-time responders at risk, and caregiver residents and staff. On Sunday, the CDC Advisory Board will discuss recommendations for the next layer. This can include essential workers and groups of people at risk.

“Vaccine supply is initially small and will gradually increase,” Duchin said. “I always understand that this is a long-term effort and we are talking about a timeline for vaccination for several months. Perhaps by the summer, everyone in the community who wants to be vaccinated will have access to the vaccine. Will be. “

Finally, Duchin thanked those who adhered to Thanksgiving public health guidelines and succeeded in preventing the surge, and urged all residents to continue the fight from winter vacation to the new year.

“The virus won’t get infected during the holidays or within the next few months, and we won’t get it,” Duchin said. “Restrict gatherings with people outside the home, take all precautions, pay special attention to improving indoor ventilation this winter, and remember the significant risk of being exposed to COVID-19 while traveling to the United States. Please give me.”

Links useful for holidays