Coronavirus Transmissions 'Likely Increasing' In WA: Report

WASHINGTON — A new report has found that coronavirus transmissions are 'likely increasing' in both Eastern and Western Washington.

The report comes from the Bellevue-based Institute for Disease Modeling. Their last report prior had also found that transmissions were on the upswing east of the cascades, but had transmissions decreasing in Western Washington. They say that with the whole state now seeing an increase in transmissions, additional precautions or interventions may be necessary to "prevent exponential growth" of the virus.

Researchers note that transmission rates vary significantly by county, but they're particularly worried about rapid increases of coronavirus transmissions in Yakima, Spokane, Benton and Franklin counties. They say that, if the situation does not improve, those counties could see "increasingly explosive growth in cases and deaths if not contained, and local prevalence will likely soon exceed the peak reached in King County in late March."

In the final week of March, King County reported between 169 and 209 new cases of the coronavirus each day.

The Washington State Department of Health is aware of the report, and considering several tactics to help the struggling regions. Health officials also say it's an important reminder to all state residents that everyone must take social distancing guidelines seriously to cut transmissions of the coronavirus.

“The trends we’re seeing point to the critical importance of actions we can all take, like staying six feet apart and wearing cloth face coverings whenever we’re in public, as well as a need for increased response in these harder-hit areas,” said Dr. Kathy Lofy, state health officer for the Department of Health. “We’re working closely with the Governor’s Office, local officials and partners to identify additional ways to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in these regions. Every single person in our state can and must do their part to help by following public health recommendations.”

The Institute for Disease Modeling does note that the recent increase in transmissions could be the result of travel over the Memorial Day weekend. They also say they do not believe that the increase is related to the recent mass protests.

Many have expressed concern that the protests could cause a spike in new cases, since they often involve hundreds of people coming into close contact with one another and health officials are asking demonstrators to continue practicing safe social distancing and wearing a mask whenever possible.

Read the full report from the Institute of Disease Modeling here.

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