Editor’s Note: Read COVID updates by VashonBePrepared in Spanish and English at tinyurl.com/yan39zeh.
One Million and Five
More than one million Americans have died from COVID, according to this month’s tabulation by the CDC. That equals all the American combat deaths combined from the Civil War and World War II. It’s as if every person in the cities of Seattle and Tacoma had been erased.
Five of the dead were islanders. So, as we pass through a milestone — the 800th day of our emergency activation was last week — we remember the dead and all the families and friends devastated by their loss. We give thanks to the several hundred Vashon volunteers who have helped our community survive this pandemic. And, we long for it to end. Because, sadly, it is not yet over.
Vashon COVID Monitoring: The Flat Surge Continues
The surge in cases continued on Vashon for this reporting period, but fortunately, this surge has so far not taken off on the sharply rising spike trajectory we saw when Omicron first struck early this year. For more than a month, the daily average of new cases reported to the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) has stayed high, at a surge level, but the week-to-week count has not been sharply increasing.
The MRC has been counting an average of six new cases per day, which has been roughly twice the number of cases recorded in the data dashboard of Public Health – Seattle & King County (PHSKC). That’s because many positives detected by using the now widely available free home tests are going unreported to the government databases. We ask you to keep helping MRC track COVID activity on the island. Call the MRC helpline if you have a positive test: (844) 469-4554.
King County’s case rate has now moved far into CDC yellow/medium community risk territory. The PHSKC dashboard puts the county-wide new case rate at more than 346 cases per week per 100,000 people. The county’s hospital admission rate has been rising each week for more than a month and was up another 8% in the last week.
Now It’s BA.2.12.1
You may suspect you are caught in a game of COVID whack-a-mole. Yet another form of Omicron has been responsible for more and more of the new cases nationally and in King County. Subvariant BA.2.12.1 has been rising quickly although BA.2 is still the dominant strain of COVID in the state of Washington. Each time the virus evolves, it gets better at getting through the immune system defenses provided by vaccines and natural immunity. In fact, scientists estimate that BA.2.12.1 is around 25% more infectious — and thus even faster spreading — than the BA.2 subvariant and the original Omicron BA.1 before it.
Developments: Kid Boosters, COVID/Flu Test
Kid Boosters: The FDA has authorized a booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, administered at least five months after completing the two-dose primary series. Many families will welcome this news as they begin thinking ahead to summer play fun and taking family vacations. The booster studies indicate the third dose will bolster the waning protection of the first two injections.
Combined COVID/Flu Test: Soon you will be able to get a home test to tell if you have the flu or COVID. A new combo self-administered test from Labcorp has been authorized by the FDA, for purchase online or in a store, without a prescription. The test detects not only COVID but also other common respiratory viruses such as the flu. The patient collects the nasal swab sample at home and sends it to a lab. Results are provided online. Find out more at tinyurl.com/COVID-FluTest.
You Can Take Control: Be Protected and Be Prepared
You know the drill. The best way to treat COVID is to avoid getting it in the first place. So, get boosted. Wear a mask. Think twice about joining a crowd, especially indoors.
But alas, by now we all know someone who came down with COVID. It’s everywhere. So, in case COVID visits your house, here are some empowering steps to take now, before the arrival of that unwelcome guest.
Stock Up on Key Supplies
Gather up the necessities. Think of it as a COVID go kit.
• Have home COVID tests on hand so you can track when the patient begins testing negative. They’re available free each month from the U.S. and state governments, and you can get more if you’re covered by medical insurance. Order the tests at covid.gov/tests and sayyescovidhometest.org.
• Make a COVID cleaning kit. Disposable gloves. Mild cleaning products. Antiviral spray such as disinfecting household bleach, diluted 1 to 9 with water, in a spray bottle. (Make sure the bleach says “disinfecting” and has no fragrance, colors, or thickeners.)
• A fever thermometer and a pulse oximeter will help you monitor for signs of worsening illness, and gather info for your healthcare provider.
• Stock up on high-quality masks, such as N95-rated masks. The sick person should wear a mask when out of their room. So should anyone who enters the sick room.
• Clear drinks can help the patient stay hydrated to counteract fever or GI symptoms. Warm broths, coconut water, herbal teas, and sports drinks.
• Over-the-counter fever reducers may be helpful with COVID symptoms. Check with your healthcare provider before use.
Prepare Your Home
As much as possible, the sick patient must be isolated from others in the household to avoid spreading COVID to others.
• If possible, dedicate a separate room to that person. Open windows to increase ventilation.
• Eat separately, and don’t share dishes or glasses.
• If the bathroom is shared, clean it after each use by the person who is ill.
Have a Plan for Community Safety
An isolating family member must also stay home from work or school.
• Make a plan for the patient to work or do school work at home. That may mean having a computer in the isolation room, for example.
• Caregivers and exposed family members should stay home if exposed to a sick household member.
• Ask visitors to stay away during the illness.
Help and Information
Have important phone numbers at the ready, such as your healthcare provider, the MRC Helpline (844) 469-4554, and your pharmacy. You can also get more information at the CDC website: bit.ly/SickAtHome
Latest Vashon COVID Statistics
14 = New cases reported since the last weekly report (34 new cases in 14 days).
898 = Total COVID cases for Vashon residents since the pandemic began.
15 = Patients hospitalized since the pandemic began.
5 = Deaths since the pandemic began.
93.6% = Percentage of Vashon residents age 5+ who have completed the primary series, compared to 85.9% of the King County 5+ population.
66.0% = Percentage of Vashon residents age 5+ who have added a booster shot to their completed primary series.
For King County, the PHSKC dashboard for the last 30 days says people who are not fully vaccinated are 1.2 times more likely to get COVID, seven times more likely to be hospitalized for COVID and 11 times more likely to die of COVID.
Source: Public Health — Seattle & King County (PHSKC) and Vashon EOC. PHSKC adjusts statistics from time to time as data is refined during its quality control processes. These statistics may not include all recent Vashon cases, due to the lag in posting of data to PHSKC. Home testing data may also be missing because there is no comprehensive system to collect it. Hospitalizations may include some patients who tested positive for COVID on admission for other reasons.
For more resources, visit VashonBePrepared.org or visit the group’s Facebook page. Sign up at tinyurl.com/4smk364m to receive email updates.
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