SEATTLE — COVID-19 is spreading faster than people can be vaccinated, and cases and hospitalizations are climbing throughout King County, a public health official said Friday.
The Seattle Times reports that if cases continues to rise over the next week or two, the county – where Seattle is located – may return to the more-limited Phase 2 of the reopening plan, said Dr. Jeff Duchin, health officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County.
On March 22, Washington state entered Phase 3, which allows up to 10 people from different households to gather indoors, and outdoor gatherings of up to 50 people.
“We need to be prepared for further increases in cases in hospitalizations over the coming weeks, as the effect of recent travel, increasing activities and the impact of more infectious variant strains continue to promote the spread of COVID-19,” Duchin said.
While the number of people hospitalized because of COVID-19 is about a sixth of the peak surge during the fall and winter, the hospitalization rate has more than doubled since early March, he said.
The recent rise in hospitalizations over the past few weeks is attributed in part to coronavirus variants. More than 600 cases of variant coronavirus have been detected in King County, and that number continues to grow.
Outbreaks and cases associated with child care and K-12 schools in King County have climbed recently, and eight outbreaks have been linked to youth sport leagues.
Additionally, about 30 percent of those diagnosed with COVID-19 recently in King County said that they had attended social events – a 10 percent increase from January.
About 11 percent of people with COVID-19 recently also reported visiting bars and restaurants during the period in which they were exposed, which is up from 5 percent in January.
