OLYMPIA, Wash. – Officials are calling it the fifth wave, and the Department of Health (DOH) said it is starting to hit Washington.
DOH said new Covid cases and hospital admissions flattened in mid-June and began increasing the first week of July.
Currently, Benton and Franklin Counties are identified as case hotspots in Washington, according to The New York Time’s case count map.
From June 13 through June 19, a total of 180 cases were reported. During the first week of July, the counties reported 354 cases, an almost 51% increase.
The same trend statewide is also appearing for hospitalizations. Hospital admission for Covid flattened the last week of June but as of July 8, rates were increasing in people ages 40-49 and 70-79. More recent daily reports show admission is now up for all age groups.
One of the big reasons DOH is overall population immunity continues to increase but the pace is slowing.
According to DOH, the best model-based estimate of statewide population immunity was 51.9%. However, immunity levels vary widely across counties, communities and social groups.
In Benton County, 43% of the population is fully vaccinated. In Franklin County, the number is even lower, sitting at 35%.
Estimated hospital admission rates for unvaccinated people ages 45-64 are 20 times higher than people of the same age who are fully vaxxed.
Case increases are also contributed to the more transmissible delta variant. DOH said 92% of new cases are the delta strain.
