King County Coronavirus Cases Hit New Highs, More Hospitalized

SEATTLE — King County has reached a new coronavirus peak after reporting a daily average of 581 cases last week, a figure 7.5 times higher than just two months ago, according to public health officials. On Friday alone, the Washington State Department of Health reported more than 2,100 new illnesses diagnosed across the state.

Dr. Jeff Duchin, the county's health officer, hosted his weekly news briefing Friday morning, highlighting the latest metrics for the state's most populous county amid a third wave in illness locally and across the United States.

"The risk of acquiring COVID-19 today is higher now than it has ever been, locally and in many parts of the country," Duchin said. "Every day that we as individuals put off taking the necessary actions to stop the spread of COVID-19 leads to additional, preventable suffering and economic pain."

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COVID-19 activity in King County:

Average daily cases: 581 (200% higher than the previous peak)
7-day testing positivity rate: 7.1% (target: 2%)
14-day rate of cases: 304 per 100,000 residents (target: 25/100K)
Effective reproductive number: 1.4 (target: below 1)
Testing: Up 22%
Hospitalizations: Up 50% for two consecutive weeks

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The virus continues to hit South King County hardest, Duchin said, including the cities Federal Way, Renton, Tukwila, Des Moines and other communities along the I-5 corridor.

While King County has yet to experience a spike in coronavirus-related deaths, such increases typically trail surges in case counts and hospitalizations by about three weeks. To that end, Duchin said, hospitalizations are trending upward considerably, growing by 50 percent in each of the last two weeks, and 250 patients currently in the hospital with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 illnesses.

Some hospital systems, like Swedish, have already moved to pause some elective procedures to free up resources, and UW Medicine announced Thursday it would restrict visits to protect patients, staff and the broader community.

Skyrocketing cases, high transmission rates and increased hospitalizations prompted Gov. Jay Inslee to enact new restrictions earlier in the week, and health experts have shared repeated pleas to limit Thanksgiving celebrations to only those living in the home.

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Related: Washington Sees Fastest Coronavirus Growth Since March: Report

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"The upcoming holiday season greatly adds to the risk," Duchin said. "If people travel or gather for Thanksgiving celebrations or other get-togethers, we could see an explosion in COVID-19, causing human suffering unlike anything we've experienced in modern times."

While the governor's latest orders apply to many indoor settings and activities, Duchin said it's just as vital to follow the rules on informal socializing.

"It's important for everyone to understand that restrictions on restaurants, taverns and indoor gyms alone will not be enough to turn this outbreak around," Duchin said. "We need to stop social gatherings with people outside the household. We need to limit our activities and our exposure to others as much as possible in all aspects of our lives."

Demand for testing has surged in recent days, and state health officials said some facilities have been overwhelmed with people exhibiting no symptoms, hoping to get a "clean bill of health" travel and other holiday activities.

However, public health officials do not recommend relying on test results as a safeguard, since they only provide a snapshot of the day the test was performed, and do not insure a person will not become infectious even a few hours later. Instead, tests should be reserved for those with symptoms or close contacts with a person who was infected.

"We definitely do not want to encourage people to seek testing for social gathering purposes or holiday gathering purposes," Duchin said. "We want to encourage people not to gather...just this season, just for these next few months. The measures are tough, we have to endure them to get the larger gain of preserving the health of our loved ones and our community."

Duchin said his own Thanksgiving would look a lot different this year, forgoing usual plans to travel and see extended family for a quiet dinner at home with his wife.

"I'm just hoping that by minimizing the risk to one another...and having a small, in-house Thanksgiving this year, everybody will be healthy and alive next year to have an in-person Thanksgiving," Duchin said.