COVID hospitalizations declining in WashingtonFree

SEATTLE — Authorities say coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are falling throughout Washington as the surge of the omicron variant subsides.

But in a Tuesday morning news briefing, Cassie Sauer, president of the Washington State Hospital Association, said the end of the omicron wave will likely persist for at least a few more weeks and hospital leaders remain worried about the recent wave’s lasting effects on their staffers and supply of equipment.

“We really don’t want people to rip off their masks or go to big parties quite yet — COVID activity remains a threat,” Sauer said.

The Seattle Times reports that in King County, public health officials are counting about 1,428 infections per day, about a 50 percent drop from the past seven days, and 30 hospitalizations per day, about a 33 percent drop since the prior week.

Hospitalizations are also falling statewide.

At the beginning of the month, Washington counted 1,958 hospitalizations, compared to about 1,635 this week. As of late January, the state had also counted a seven-day average of about 16,365 infections per day, compared to 19,000 infections per day in mid-January.

Eastern Washington is beginning to mirror the same trend. In Spokane County, for example, about 196 people were hospitalized with COVID a week ago, compared to about 170 Tuesday, Sauer said.

However, deaths are still high, with 25 to 30 per day throughout the state.