Snohomish County COVID rates appear to be stabilizing as vaccines ramp up
A drive-thru vaccination site in Snohomish County. (KIRO 7)
Snohomish County health experts are feeling hopeful as a fourth wave of cases and hospitalizations appears to have leveled off.
“Our case rate is stable at 227 cases per 100,000 residents,” Snohomish County Health Officer Dr. Chris Spitters said during a Tuesday briefing.
The county’s case and hospitalization rates are both roughly on par with what it saw toward the end of April, indicating that neither are growing substantially anymore.
About 60% of eligible county residents have gotten one dose of the vaccine, and roughly 43% of those eligible are fully vaccinated.
MY EDMONDS NEWS Posted: April 27, 2021
The recently rising case rates in Snohomish County have now surpassed the phase 3 threshold.
The weekly COVID media briefing from Snohomish County officials was marked by a growing concern over the county’s stubbornly rising numbers of case rates and hospitalizations, the two critical metrics used by Gov. Inslee’s office to determine which reopening phase will be operative.
On March 11 Inslee rolled out the revamped Roadmap to Recovery program, initially placing all Washington counties in Phase 3, the least restrictive category. For large counties like Snohomish (more than 50,000 residents) to remain in Phase 3, they must keep a 14-day average of new COVID cases at or below 200 per 100,000 residents, and a seven-day average of new hospitalizations per 100,000 at five or fewer. Smaller counties are subject to a slightly different set of measures as shown in the chart below.
Businesses are allowed to remain open at 50% capacity in Phase 3. (MyNorthwest photo)
On Tuesday, Snohomish County Health Officer Dr. Chris Spitters warned county residents that the region is on the brink of rolling back to Phase 2 in May. County Councilmember Nate Nehring spoke to KTTH’s Jason Rantz Show to address why he thinks that may not be the right move for local businesses.
In order to remain in Phase 3, large counties need to have 200 or fewer new cases per 100,000 residents over two weeks, and five or fewer hospitalizations per 100,000 residents over the past week. Snohomish County has now crested one of those thresholds, sitting at 205 new cases per 100,000, and is nearing the hospitalization limit at 4.6 per 100,000.
Warning of fourth wave in Snohomish County as COVID-19 cases double in two weeks king5.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from king5.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
April 20, 2021 at 3:44 pm
Snohomish County is at risk of being one of the next counties to roll back to Phase 2 of reopening when the state re-evaluates COVID-19 data on May 3.
In order to remain in Phase 3, large counties need to have 200 or fewer new cases per 100,000 residents over two weeks and five or fewer hospitalizations per 100,000 residents over the past week. As of Tuesday, Snohomish County has now crested one of those thresholds, sitting at 205 new cases per 100,000.
For new cases, the county has seen its numbers double in less than a month, increasing by over 250% since March’s low of 85 new cases per 100,000. The 950 cases the county saw for the week of April 4 also marked the highest single-week total Snohomish County has seen since the start of the fall and winter wave last November.