Clark County reported 76 new COVID-19 cases and one death Thursday as data continues to show a significant reduction in disease activity.
The fatality was a man in his 60s with underlying conditions, according to Clark County Public Health. His death, the seventh recorded this week, pushes the county’s COVID-19 death toll to 271. Deaths are added to the county’s total 10 to 12 days after they occur.
The new cases include 55 confirmed with molecular (PCR) testing, raising the total of confirmed cases to 23,189 to date, and 21 probable cases diagnosed by antigen testing, raising that total to 1,338, according to Public Health data.
Combined, the county has been averaging about 67 new cases a day since Friday, down about 20 percent from an average of about 84 cases a day reported last week, according to Public Health data. The number of active cases, tracking confirmed and probable cases still in their isolation period, rose to 540 on Thursday, up from 534 on Wednesday.
Hospitalizations were little changed Thursday, with 42 people hospitalized with COVID-19, down from 44 on Wednesday, and three people hospitalized awaiting test results, the same as Wednesday, according to Public Health data.
The percentage of occupied ICU beds in Clark County remained unchanged Thursday, with 93.9 percent occupancy, though not all are COVID-19 patients, according to Public Health. Some 7.8 percent of the county’s licensed hospital beds were occupied by people with or suspected of having COVID-19, down from 8.1 percent Wednesday.
As of late Monday, 54.98 percent of Clark County residents age 16 or older had received at least one dose of vaccine, representing 43.76 percent of the total population, according to the Washington Department of Health. It reported 45.53 percent of Clark County residents age 16 or older are fully vaccinated — 36.24 percent of the county’s total population.
Those totals lag behind state vaccination averages, which were 61.29 percent of those age 16 or older with at least one dose and 51.36 percent fully vaccinated, the Department of Health reported.
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. The Tower Mall site will close at the end of June. 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.
