As Clark County’s COVID-19 case counts continue to break records, local health officials have a theory as to what has contributed to the November surge.
Clark County Public Health Deputy Health Officer Dr. Steven Krager said Public Health believes Halloween parties and gatherings played a role in the skyrocketing case counts.
November is already the worst month for COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
“We’re seeing a spike in cases like we’ve never seen before,” Krager said. “This is what we’ve always feared would happen.”
Public Health will release data on November exposures after the month ends, but Krager said anecdotal evidence and what drove previous surges indicates that Halloween gatherings were likely contributors to greater community spread.
People generally notice coronavirus symptoms within four to seven days after exposure, and are usually tested somewhere in or around that time frame. November’s surge started to increase rapidly toward the end of the first week of the month.
Since Nov. 7, the county has been averaging nearly 160 cases per day. In the two weeks before Nov. 7, the county was averaging about 68 cases per day.
Krager said Clark County experienced case spikes after Labor Day and the Fourth of July. He said Public Health has already linked cases to Halloween gatherings, including a bigger party in Cowlitz County, where Krager also serves as a health officer.
“With the timing of this, it’s really hard to not think that Halloween is driving a spike,” Krager said.
Other factors like cold, rainy weather are also likely playing a big role in the spike, Krager said. More people are spending time indoors and have probably shifted what used to be outdoor hangouts to indoor hangouts.
That’s one reason why health officials and Gov. Jay Inslee have been so adamant that people should not host gatherings for Thanksgiving, unless they meet certain quarantine requirements. The hope is to avoid another spike on top of the one Clark County is encountering right now.
Hospitals are nearing staff, bed and resource capacities, as hospital leaders detailed on Monday.
Krager understands people might feel fatigued by the restrictions placed on them this year, but he’s hopeful that sacrifices this holiday season could have a major impact on saving lives.
“It takes a lot of diligence to do these things over and over again. It’s really easy to get lax,” Krager said, “but we can’t give up on this yet.”
