A handful of Hoquiam High School students tested positive for COVID-19 after attending an unsanctioned prom at the Hoquiam Elks on May 22, prompting the school board Thursday to unanimously vote to return the entire district to remote instruction.
“There is a potential that several people may have been exposed to a positive COVID case while attending this event,” Grays Harbor Public Health said Thursday,
Later Thursday, the Hoquiam School District released a statement acknowledging that “several students” had tested positive for COVID, and those students “participated in a non-district sponsored prom dance. Over 80 students were exposed at this event.”
The positive tests prompted the Hoquiam School Board to vote unanimously to transition all schools within the district to remote instruction June 1-11, and cancel or suspend all sports and extracurricular activities until further notice. All the students who attended the prom are quarantined for two weeks.
There was some confusion after the announcement over whether the students at the event had to quarantine. Grays Harbor Public Health Director Mike McNickle told The Daily World Friday, “the student (who tested positive and was showing symptoms of COVID-19 said he could not remember how many people he had contact with at the event,” so he met with Hoquiam School Superintendent Mike Villarreal Thursday and recommended students at the event quarantine for 14 days, following state and CDC guidelines.
The outbreak also affects graduation, which was scheduled for June 4 at Olympic Stadium.
”At this point, June 6th is the earliest graduation can be held, based on the guidelines from the Health Department,” read the district statement Thursday. “A decision will be made next week to confirm the details.”
The district’s Facebook post Thursday announcing the return to distance learning drew more than 100 comments by Friday morning. Many were upset with the entire district being included in the remote learning plan; some were disappointed with the delay in graduation.
Meanwhile, the Ocosta School District returned to in-person learning May 24 after positive COVID tests prompted the district’s return to distance learning earlier in the month. Wednesday, the district announced the return to a hybrid learning schedule, and all sports were canceled.
Case numbers
Daily case counts remain high in Grays Harbor County. The week of May 20-26, 149 new positive COVID tests were reported in the county. That’s down slightly from the previous week’s total of 163, and the 158 cases reported the week of May 6-12. The rate per 100,000 population of new cases over a span of two weeks has ballooned to 440.3, double the previous week’s number and well above the state rate of 180.3.
Two deaths were reported in the county the week of May 20-26, initially bringing the county’s total to 72. However, numbers were adjusted during the week and the county’s COVID-19-related deaths total officially stands at 71, a rate of 1.6% of total cases reported, which stands at 4,043. Statewide, the death rate is 1.3% of total cases.
Hospitalizations went up the week of May 20-26 by 13; eight were reported between Friday and Sunday. Nichole Pas with Summit Pacific Medical Center in Elma said the week of May 21-27, the hospital’s emergency department had a total of 56 inpatients, 16 of which were COVID patients. Wednesday, there were 10 inpatients, the hospital’s capacity, three of them COVID patients.
Vaccinations and testing
According to the state Department of Health, 58,763 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have made their way into Grays Harbor County residents’ arms. Just over 50% of the county age 16 and older has had at least one dose, and just under 40% is fully vaccinated.
In terms of total population, just shy of 42% has had at least one dose, and just over 36% is considered fully vaccinated. Statewide, more than half the population age 16 and older is considered fully vaccinated.
Vaccination clinics are scheduled at the public health offices in the Pearsall Building at 2109 Sumner Ave. in Aberdeen Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Reservations are required and available online at healthygh.org/covid19-vaccine-appointment. Anyone age 12 and older is now eligible for the vaccine.
Pharmacies across the county also have plenty of vaccines available, some on a walk-in basis.
Make a reservation for any of them with available slots by searching your ZIP code at vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov.
Testing is also available at many county pharmacies, and at the drive-up “curative kiosk” in the south lot of the Pearsall Building weekdays 7 a.m. to noon.
