Clark County’s autumn COVID-19 surge accelerated this week with more than 1,100 new cases and 10 deaths since Nov. 13, according to Clark County Public Health.
Public Health reported 189 new cases and two new deaths on Friday: a woman in her 50s with underlying health conditions and a man in his 60s with underlying health conditions.
Those deaths bring the county’s total deaths from COVID-19 to 89. Ten people died from the disease this week, up from six last week and three the week before.
Hospitalizations are surging. The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 rose to 65 on Friday, up 12 from Thursday’s count, and the number of people hospitalized awaiting test results rose to 11, up from seven on Thursday.
Public Health reported that 12.1 percent of the county’s licensed hospital beds are occupied by COVID-19 patients and suspected cases still awaiting test results.
The number of active cases, counting infected people still in their isolation period, rose to 546, up from 501 on Thursday.
There have been 1,109 new COVID-19 cases reported since Nov. 13, according to Public Health data. That’s up 33.3 percent from the previous week and more than double the number reported in the week ending Nov. 6.
Public Health also released numbers that showed six new exposures at schools in Clark County.
• Battle Ground Public Schools: Daybreak Primary School, Nov 13, staff, not exposed at school; Prairie High School, Nov. 17, staff, not exposed at school.
• Evergreen Public Schools: District building, Nov. 16, staff, not exposed at school; Heritage High School, Nov. 13, student, not exposed at school.
• Vancouver Public Schools: Hazel Dell Elementary, Nov. 13, staff, exposed at school; Skyview High School, Nov. 14, staff, not exposed at school.
The new numbers were released as Public Health posted a statement on social media asking people to celebrate the holiday at home with people in their household.
“Attending indoor gatherings with people from outside of your household puts you and your loved ones at higher risk of getting sick with COVID-19,” the post said.
The post suggested that anyone who plans to attend or host in-person gatherings to quarantine for 14 days prior to the gathering, or quarantine for seven days and have a negative COVID-19 test within 48 hours of the gathering.
Public Health also offered these suggestions to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19:
• Keep guest lists small. Gathering with fewer people from one other household is safer than gathering with more people from several households.
• Gather outside, if possible. Indoor gatherings are higher risk than outdoor gatherings. If you gather indoors, open windows and doors to increase ventilation.
• Maintain distance. Gather in a location that allows people from different households to maintain 6 feet of distance from each other.
• Wear face coverings anytime you’re not eating.
• Keep the gathering short. Longer gatherings are higher risk than shorter gatherings.
• Wash hands frequently.
• Avoid buffet-style potlucks and sharing of utensils. Instead, have each household bring their own food and drinks.
• Avoid gestures that require close contact with others, such as hugging or shaking hands.
