Washington Looks For Vaccine Boost As Case Counts Remain High

OLYMPIA, WA — Washington is making progress on its vaccination rates, but there is a long road ahead, and the state's level of transmission remains too high in the wake of the holidays, state health officials said Thursday.

In its weekly coronavirus briefing, the Washington State Department of Health provided a snapshot of the state's situation as it works to ramp up immunization efforts across the board.

Thursday also marked one year since health officials publicly announced the nation's first known coronavirus illness in Snohomish County, which was diagnosed on Jan. 20, 2020.

Dr. Umair Shah, the state Secretary of Health, addressed the somber milestone in his opening remarks:

"The state began its fight against COVID-19 one year ago, before anyone else and our transmission rates and disease spread have been one of the best in the country, which certainly has been comforting. However, we have a lot of work ahead of us."

"The reason that we have done so well over this last year is because people around this state have been wearing their masks, watching their distance, washing their hands and getting tested, along with all the incredible and tireless work of our public health and health care partners on the ground."

"It has been a long year, with unfortunately many lives lost and so many people impacted. Everyone has experienced [the] effects of this pandemic, whether from the virus itself or as a result of measures needed to slow down the spread."

According to the latest available state data, Washington has seen more than 283,000 confirmed COVID-19 illnesses since the pandemic began, and the coronavirus has claimed the lives of at least 4,065 Washingtonians.

While the state appears to have reached the peak in its third wave in illness, a post-holiday surge has kept infections well above where they were before November. After a welcome decline leading up to Christmas, case counts made a swift rebound through early January.

"Our data continues to show that we have high levels of COVID-19 activity throughout the state, and we continue to have signs of a recent uptick, which is certainly concerning," Shah said. "At the same time, we're seeing new variants of the virus across the country and the globe that may spread more easily, and it's just a matter of time before we start seeing those variants in the state of Washington."

One area of improvement is among hospitalizations, which have maintained a downward trajectory since late December. However, the state remains slightly above its goal for occupied hospital beds, meaning any further spike could put further strain on Washington's health care system. As of Wednesday, DOH data showed 847 people currently hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases, down more than 100 from the week prior.

State looks to boost vaccination rates, hopeful for more supply

Earlier this week, Gov. Jay Inslee announced new efforts to speed up vaccinations across Washington, moving the state into phase 1B1 and announcing four mass vaccination sites the state plans to activate in Wenatchee, Spokane, Ridgefield and the Tri-Cities on Monday. The DOH is also working to support local vaccination clinics announced in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties, which the state estimates will help vaccinate more than 100,000 people per week once supply levels increase.

State health officials also shared a new goal to hit 45,000 doses administered each day, while the state's current average sits at about a third of that target.

"We will vaccinate as many people as possible in phase 1B and continue to offer to everyone who is eligible in phase 1A," said Michele Roberts, the state's lead vaccine planner. "We'll do that as quickly as possible, with the doses we have, and we'll be able to quickly ramp up distribution as more vaccine becomes available. We are asking people to be patient as those supplies increase over the coming weeks."

A key roadblock to that effort continues to be federal supply. Roberts estimates Washington will need to receive at least 300,000 doses per week to allow for enough immunizations to reach the target threshold. Roughly 820,000 doses have been delivered to Washington since December, and about 335,000 have been administered, Roberts said.

However, DOH announced two milestones Thursday evening, including a new record of 26,000 doses administered within 24 hours. The state also confirmed all residents in nursing homes across the state had received their first round of vaccines.

Until vaccinations are readily available to the general public, health officials continue to urge basic prevention measures to keep the virus from making another rebound.

"Even as we roll out lifesaving vaccines, unfortunately, we must also remain on guard," Shah said. "Even if you receive the vaccine, we recognize that you still have to wear your mask, wash your hands, watch your distance and get tested...all those things that are going to help us prevent further transmission."

Washingtonians can now track the state's progress on vaccinations via the online dashboard and check their own eligibility status using the online Phase Finder tool.