COVID-19 cases have continued to rise over the past couple of weeks in Grays Harbor County, with total cases breaking the 4,000 mark.
For the week of May 6-12, 158 total cases were reported in the county. That’s compared to the total number of new cases reported in the previous two weeks of 147. The county’s rate of newly diagnosed cases per 100,000 population over the previous two weeks was 224.8 May 12; that number has risen from 183.4 the previous two weeks.
Hospital capacity is a closely monitored factor in the state’s recovery plan. At Summit Pacific Medical Center in Elma, “We’ve seen an upswing in Emergency Department visits for COVID patients, though unless they are having trouble breathing or other serious complications they may not be admitted,” said Nichole Pas, hospital spokeswoman.
Between May 8 and May 14, of the 52 patients admitted at Summit Pacific, only two were COVID patients, said Pas.
“We had four more COVID patients admitted this week, all very sick but two more than others,” said Aberdeen’s Harbor Regional Health Community Hospital spokesman Chris Majors. “Three are still admitted.”
COVID hospitalization times can vary depending on the severity of the symptoms. Pas said the average stay for a COVID patient at Summit Pacific is four days.
Majors said at Community, “It would seem the people we are seeing now are having more acute symptoms, meaning they are a lot sicker when they arrive.”
Majors said sometimes patients come to the emergency room and can be released to quarantine at home, “but if admitted it can be from two days to two weeks. We have had some patients here longer than two weeks, all of which have chronic health issues.” Long-term health issues can accompany COVID-19 and last for months after release, he added.
Pas reminds everyone considering a trip to Summit Pacific or any other healthcare facility that masks are still required, despite new CDC guidelines.
“While the CDC has offered new guidelines around fully vaccinated individuals not being required to wear masks, we would like to remind our community that masking is still required in healthcare settings and will therefore still be needed when visiting or seeking care at Summit Pacific locations,” she said.
The county also reported its 65th COVID-related death this week with two new deaths reported in the week of May 6-12. There were four hospitalizations reported during that time frame, down from six the previous week.
The rise in county cases comes at a time when statewide a surge earlier this month is flattening out, and Gov. Jay Inslee announced his plan to tentatively reopen the state’s economy June 30. Despite the numbers, Majors knows first-hand how serious a COVID-19 diagnosis can be.
“COVID-19 is a nasty and deadly disease, you do not want to get it,” he said. “My father died of the disease, his final moments laying on the ground gasping for breath while his best friend is on the phone with me in a desperate panic are not ones I like to think about. This disease is real and the result can be catastrophic.”
Vaccinations
In Grays Harbor County, as of May 12, 53,401 total doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given. According to the state Department of Health, that means 39.39% of the total population has had a first dose, and 31.76% has been fully vaccinated. Break that out to the age range of eligible vaccination recipients during that time, age 16 and older, 48% of the county has had a first dose, 38.7% are fully vaccinated.
This week vaccine eligibility was expanded to those age 12 and older. There is only one vaccine approved for those age 12-15, Pfizer BioNTech, so if you’re setting a vaccination appointment for a child make sure the clinic has that specific vaccine.
There is no shortage of vaccine available in the county. A quick search of the state’s vaccination locator website, vaccinelocator@doh.wa.gov, Friday morning showed numerous pharmacies in clinics offering the one-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine, and the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. The Walmart in Aberdeen was taking appointments for the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine approved for ages 12-15. There have been mobile clinics held in Ocean Shores and Westport over the past several weeks.
