Covid cases show ‘signs of slowing’ in western Washington

After several weeks of skyrocketing Covid infections, Washington state health officials say this latest surge – which is driven by the omicron variant and has shattered pandemic records – is showing indicators of a drop-off.

King County, although still seeing a daily average of 4,575 new Covid cases, has seen a 27% decrease in new infections within the past seven days.

Dr. Tao Kwan-Gett, chief science officer with the Washington State Department of Health, said he was hopeful that the wave of omicron infections was at or close to its peak in western Washington.

“It's important to remember that the data we have is likely to be a substantial undercount since many individuals who test positive at home are not reported, and therefore don't get counted in our systems,” Kwann-Gett said during a press conference Wednesday morning. “However, there do seem to be some signs of a slowing of growth in cases in western Washington.”

He added, however, that some parts of eastern Washington are in the midst of surging omicron infections.

Kwan-Gett also pointed to the ongoing strain on hospitals across the state as Covid hospitalizations rise. Although the proportion of omicron infections resulting in hospitalization appears to be lower than with other variants, the total number of hospitalizations has sharply increased because of more widespread transmission. The majority of those patients are unvaccinated.

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“We have been seeing elevated hospitalization rates for all age groups compared to last fall,” Kwan-Gett said. “And they continue to be highest for the elderly as they have been throughout the pandemic.”

He added that Covid deaths have steadily declined over the past several months, but that “in recent weeks, there seems to be a little bit of a leveling off.”

“We're not sure if this is a harbinger of perhaps rising deaths, which we sometimes see after a rise in cases and hospitalizations, or if this is just a temporary plateau,” Kwan-Gett said.

Health officials have continuously urged people to complete their primary Covid vaccinations and get boosted when eligible, as well as use medical grade face masks when in public.