Clark County added 145 new COVID-19 cases but no new deaths Friday, as the state announced no regions would advance to the second phase of its recovery plan.
The 145 new cases raise the total number in Clark County to 15,368 to date. The county reported 1,015 new cases this week, which works out to an average of 145 new cases a day, down from the previous week’s average of about 180 new cases a day, according to data from Clark County Public Health.
No new deaths were reported Friday. To date, 160 people have died from COVID-19, according to Public Health. Six deaths were reported this week, the same number as reported last week.
The Washington State Department of Health announced that none of the state’s eight regions were ready to move into the second phase of the state’s “Roadmap to Recovery” plan.
“All eight regions in Washington will remain in Phase 1 until at least Monday, Jan. 25,” the department said in an announcement Friday.
To advance to Phase 2, a region must have reported a decreasing trend of 10 percent or more in the two-week rate of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population; a decreasing trend of 10 percent or more in the two-week rate of new COVID-19 hospitalizations; less than 90 percent Intensive Care Unit occupancy; and a seven-day COVID-19 test positivity rate of less than 10 percent.
In the Southwest Washington region — which includes Clark, Cowlitz, Klickitat, Skamania and Wahkiakum counties — the data showed only a 5 percent decrease in the rate of new cases, a 6 percent increase in new COVID-19 hospital admissions and an 18 percent seven-day COVID-19 test positivity rate. The only acceptable rate was an average seven-day ICU occupancy rate of 70 percent, according to state health data.
In Clark County, Public Health reported 1,036 active cases still in their isolation period. There were 78 people hospitalized with COVID-19, up from 73 on Thursday, and the number of people hospitalized awaiting test results rose to nine on Friday, up from five the day before.
