The fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has taken hold in Grays Harbor County.

The week of Aug. 4-11, 164 new cases total were reported, raising the pandemic total to 5,091.

“We are beginning to feel the effect of the incline of our fifth wave here in Grays Harbor County,” said Maranatha Hay, Grays Harbor County Public Health information officer. “New confirmed cases have been up for the past month — cases are 214% of what they were the previous month.”

Health officials are recommending masks in indoor public settings where peoples’ vaccination status is unknown and stressing that vaccination is the key to fighting this sharp rise in cases.

“The cases we are seeing now are affecting the unvaccinated at an alarming rate,” said Grays Harbor Public Health Director Mike McNickle. “The best ways to protect yourself, your family and your friends are to: 1) get vaccinated 2) wear a mask in congregate settings, and; 3) practice effective personal hygiene.”

Here are the highlights of the fifth wave supplied by Hay:

• More than 94.3% of all cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in individuals 12 years or older from Washington state can be attributed to individuals who have not been fully vaccinated. According to a Washington State Department of Health report published Aug. 11, between February and June, there have been 74 cases in the county among fully vaccinated people, the remaining 1,244 were not fully vaccinated.

• As of July 31, 2021, 60.6% of those in Washington state who are eligible to receive vaccines have completed an approved vaccination series.

• Vaccinations save lives. Vaccination prevents severe illness and hospitalization and lowers your risk of dying from COVID-19.

• With the emergence of the Delta variant as the dominant strain in Washington and the U.S., it is more urgent than ever to ensure that everyone who is eligible gets vaccinated.

• The more than 4 million fully vaccinated Washingtonians are overwhelmingly avoiding severe illness from COVID-19 variants, including Delta.

The Delta variant has indeed reached Grays Harbor County.

“On Wednesday (Aug. 11) the state did release a report showing that we now have five known sequenced cases of the Delta variant in Grays Harbor County,” said Hay. “These samples are taken at random, so this is not the total number of variants currently in our county.”

A sharp increase of people needing testing for COVID-19 is apparent now at public health’s Curative testing kiosk outside the Pearsall Building in Aberdeen.

“Because of the increase in demand, we’re asking that people book an appointment to get tested at curative.com,” said Hay. “Although we are a walk-up style site, this does not eliminate the need for an appointment — it is how we get them their results. We can, and absolutely will, make appointments on-site, but it slows the process immensely and also puts everyone at a higher risk of transmission.”

The current 7-day test percent positivity is at 13.8%, significantly up from 5.17% the previous reporting week.

There were seven new hospitalizations reported in the last week of data ending Aug. 11. There was one new death reported during the week, bringing the county total to 83 for the pandemic.

There’s no shortage of vaccines, they are abundant and free and widely available. Public Health holds two clinics a week at the Pearsall Building, 2109 Sumner Ave. in Aberdeen — a Moderna clinic Fridays 1-4 p.m. for anyone age 18 and older, and a Pfizer clinic Wednesdays 3-7 p.m. for anyone age 12 and older.

Schedule an appointment at healthygh.org/covid19-vaccine-appointment. For a long list of other available clinics in the county, visit the state vaccine locator at vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov and enter your ZIP code.