Clark County’s COVID-19 activity rate decreased this week, ending a two-week run of gradual increases that has put the county at a medium level of risk of disease transmission, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The COVID-19 activity rate, which measures new cases per 100,000 population over seven days, fell from 175.1 last week to 159.1 as of Thursday, according to Clark County Public Health data.
New hospitalizations this week rose from 8 to 10.6 per 100,000 residents over seven days, according to Public Health.
As of Tuesday, 96.4 percent of Clark County hospital beds and 96.2 percent of ICU beds were occupied. Hospitals reported that 65 beds — accounting for 11.8 percent of hospital beds and 9.4 percent of ICU beds — were occupied by people with or suspected of having COVID-19, according to Public Health.
Those trends have raised the CDC’s Community Levels rating for Clark County to medium, reflecting the county’s current number of cases, hospitalizations and overall hospital occupancy.
It is the first time Clark County has been listed as medium risk since March.
Recommendations for residents of medium-risk counties include staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and getting tested if you have symptoms. Masks are not required in medium-risk counties, though masks and social distancing are still recommended for people at high risk for serious illness. People who are exposed to COVID-19 or who are showing symptoms are still required to follow quarantine guidelines.
All but six Washington counties are at either medium risk or high risk this week.
Eight new deaths from COVID-19 were reported this week. The deaths include one man and one woman in their 60s, one man and one woman in their 70s and two men and two women age 80 or older.
The new deaths push the total number of people who have died from COVID-19 in Clark County to 845. Deaths are typically added to the county’s total 10 to 12 days after they occur.
Public Health reported 878 new cases this week, for 97,728 to date. The actual number of new cases is likely much higher due to unreported positive at-home tests, according to Clark County Public Health officials.
If you test positive for COVID-19 with an at-home test, you can call the state’s COVID-19 hotline at 1-800-525-0127 to report your positive result.
The Washington State Department of Health reported that as of June 27, 63 percent of Clark County residents age 6 months or older were fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
The Food and Drug Administration recently authorized both Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for children as young as 6 months old.
Here are ways you can find a vaccine location near you:
