Clark County reported 101 new COVID-19 cases and one death as new data provided mixed signals on the status of the disease’s Clark County impacts.
The fatality was a man age 80 or older with an underlying condition, according to Clark County Public Health. His death was the sixth reported this week and the 270th to date. Deaths are added to the county’s total 10 to 12 days after they occur.
A weekly update on disease activity provided good news, with the rate of new cases per 100,000 residents falling to 251.6 over 14 days, down from 266.6 last week and 276.6 the week before.
But the update included bad news, with the rate of new hospital admissions per 100,000 rising to 7.8 over seven days, up from 6.4 last week.
Both measures exceed the state’s guidelines for Phase 3 status in its Roadmap to Recovery reopening plan, which would require fewer than 200 new cases per 100,000 over 14 days and a new hospitalization rate of fewer than 5 cases per 100,000 over seven days. However, Gov. Jay Inslee put rollbacks on hold and announced plans to reopen the entire state no later than June 30 based on vaccination rates and predicted declines in disease activity.
In Clark County, 54.57 percent of people age 16 and older have received at least one dose of vaccine, or 43.43 percent of the county’s total population as of Saturday, according to the Washington State Department of Health. The agency reported 44.93 percent of the county age 16 or older was fully vaccinated, or 35.76 percent of the total population.
On Tuesday, Public Health reported 87 new confirmed cases diagnosed by molecular (PCR) testing, pushing that total to 23,037 cases to date, and 14 probable cases diagnosed by antigen testing, pushing that total to 1,290.
Public Health said cases reported Tuesday included some but not necessarily all cases from the weekend that had not been uploaded to the state’s database while it was down for maintenance. Public Health said numbers should be caught up by Wednesday, which would allow a comparison of new cases with previous daily averages. Last week’s new case count worked out to an average of about 84 cases a day.
The number of active cases, which tracks both confirmed and probable cases still in their isolation period, rose to 488 on Tuesday, up from 464 on Monday, according to Public Health data. Hospitalizations held steady, with 43 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Clark County, up from 42 on Monday, and three people hospitalized awaiting test results, down from five on Monday.
Anyone age 16 or older is eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and anyone age 12 or older is eligible to be vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine, though a parent or legal guardian must accompany minors ages 12 to 15. Underage teens are advised to check with vaccination sites about what sort of parental consent might be needed.
Vaccinations are available without an appointment at a number of sites in Clark County, including the Tower Mall vaccination site, 5403 E. Mill Plain Blvd. in Vancouver. A mass vaccination site near Ridgefield at the Clark County Event Center at the Fairgrounds is scheduled to close Friday.
More information about opportunities for vaccination is available on Clark County Public Health’s COVID-19 vaccine information website. Appointments at a number of locations throughout Clark County can be scheduled through the Washington Department of Health Vaccine Locator.
Those who do not have internet access or need help scheduling an appointment can call Public Health from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at 888-225-4625. Call center representatives can assist with scheduling. Language assistance is available.
