OLYMPIA, Wash. — COVID-19 activity is intensifying in Washington.
The state Department of Health’s latest statewide situation report shows a rise in case counts in both eastern and western Washington.
Data shows case counts and hospitalizations have risen from mid-September to mid-October, which the DOH says could in part be due to more testing.
The report found that increases in western Washington are widely distributed geographically and across all ages, but are particularly high in the 25 to 39 and 40 to 59 age groups.
A spokesperson for the department says any spike in COVID-19 cases will jeopardize our progress toward reopening schools, strain our healthcare system and increase risks during holiday gatherings.
Even as virus activity intensifies statewide, Whatcom County is holding its own.
County Health Department Director Erica Lautenbach says we’ve actually been trending down.
She says school re-openings haven’t been problematic.
For Tuesday, the most recent data available, the *state* health department reported seven new positive tests, and a positivity rate down even further to 1.2%, well below the state goal of 2%.
Roughly 13% of county hospital beds are open at this time, according to the state’s risk assessment dashboard, with 4 persons hospitalized for COVID-19 in the county.