Local and state COVID update for October 27, 2021

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[KING COUNTY, Wash.] – (MTN) In what has been the quietest Covid-19 news day in Washington since we started our daily coverage, new cases are down, hospitalizations are up, and little change in our area schools.

State health officials expect Washington to receive 316,000 children-sized doses of the Pfizer vaccine next week in anticipation of the CDC approving vaccination for children 5 to 11 years old.

This update uses the latest data from the Washington State Department of Health (WSDOH), released on October 27, 2021.

Washington State Update for October 27, 2021

Washington state Covid-19 update

After new cases stayed in the 330s for more than a week, a new downward trend emerged today. The number of new cases is still 242% higher in the least vaccinated counties versus the most vaccinated.

Through October 26, Washington’s statewide 14-day rolling average is 323.7 Covid-19 cases per 100K. Hopefully, this is the start of a new downward trend.

Ferry County continues to report more than 1,000 new COVID cases per 100K residents – 1,024.0 and trending in the right direction.

No counties are reporting a new case rate between 800 and 999.99.

Four counties, Garfield, Grant, Klickitat, and Skagit, have a new case rate between 600.0 to 799.9. Garfield is new to the list today. Grant and Skagit counties are just over the 600.0 threshold.

New cases are down for everyone under 80 years old. Hospitalizations were flat or down except for people over 80.

The USA Today COVID Tracker reported 31 Covid-19 related deaths in Washington state on Tuesday.

Travel Advisories

We are very encouraged by the hospital readiness data for the East Hospital Region and believe we can end the travel advisory in the next seven to 14 days. For now, we’re maintaining our recreational travel advisory to the East Hospital Region, including Adams, Asotin, Ferry, Garfield, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Wahkiakum, and Whitman counties. Acute care and ICU capacity remain limited.

Additionally, we are maintaining the travel advisory for the Northwest Hospital Region. The region includes Clallam, Jefferson, Kitsap, and Mason counties.

We continue to strongly advise against all nonessential travel to Alaska, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Alaska and the Idaho Panhandle are experiencing an extreme number of Covid-19 hospitalizations. Hospital resources in these regions are constrained, and you may receive inadequate care if you experience a serious medical emergency.

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Vaccination

Washington state to receive 316,000 kid size Pfizer vaccine doses next week

Washington expects about 316,000 doses of kid-sized Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines to arrive in the state by the end of next week for children between 5 and 11, pending federal authorization, state health officials said Wednesday.

The kid-sized dose, which is equal to one-third of the adult Pfizer vaccine dose, still needs the emergency authorization of the Food and Drug Administration and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The CDC’s committee meets next Tuesday and Wednesday.

According to the Seattle Times, the shipments will likely offer families relief and another layer of safety for youngsters who have returned to in-person schools, which tallied more than 180 K-12 outbreaks during August and September.

A CDC advisory panel is meeting on November 2 and 3 and is expected to vote on a recommendation.

Hospital Status

According to the DoH COVID Dashboard, 91% of all staffed acute care beds are occupied, and 15.3% of patients have Covid-19. This is a significant jump from yesterday and may indicate there is a reporting error in the data. Statewide, hospitals have the staff to support approximately 634 additional acute care patients.

ICUs are at 87.2% of capacity statewide, with 25.0% of ICU patients fighting Covid-19 – an estimated 292 patients with 45.5% on ventilators. This is also a major change from yesterday and is another indicator there could be a reporting error. The state has the staff to support approximately 152 additional ICU patients.

On Tuesday, the 7-day rolling average hospital admission rate for new COVID patients increased to 103. The Department of Health reported 1,283 Covid-19 patients statewide on October 26, with 133 requiring ventilators. That is 200 more acute care patients and 66 fewer ICU patients from yesterday, which seems unlikely. The number of patients from yesterday was also adjusted downward to 1,095.

Hospital readiness shifted across the state but no new trends emerged. This is the first day that not one Hospital Region had all four metrics in the red zone since the Delta surge began in August.

Back to School

We redefined the school district statuses. Information for classroom and building closures has been a challenge to obtain, both for closures and reopening. We are adopting moving any school with more than ten active COVID cases reported into the red, and we’ve adjusted the third column to reflect this change.

New cases have increased in the Bellevue School District but remain distributed across multiple buildings with no hot spots.

Woodridge Elementary in the Bellevue School District reported one new confirmed Covid-19 case and Leota Elementary School in the Northshore School District was added to the quarantine list.

We continued to encourage parents to request daily updates from the Lake Washington School District. We would also encourage parents to request the Bellevue School District include data on close contacts. These two changes would bring the three school districts we track into alignment.

Kirkland-Bellevue-Woodinville

Kirkland Health Fair and Community Vaccination Event on November 6

The Kirkland Health Fair and Community Vaccination Event will be held on Saturday, November 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m at Juanita High School. Hosted by the City of Kirkland in partnership with Public Health – Seattle and King County, the event will provide Covid-19 vaccination, information, education, and more.

The Seattle Times reported that 300,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine for 5 to 11-year-olds will arrive in Seattle next week. AT this time we do not know if vaccination for 5 to 11-year-olds will be available at this event.

National Round-Up

Johns Hopkins University Cumulative Case Tracker reports 61,863 new cases and 1,535 deaths nationwide on Wednesday.

State Updates

Taking the day off. The situation in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming can best be described as lousy, terrible, dire, and getting worse, in that order.

Misinformation

Taking the day off

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