COVID-19 case counts in Washington rebounded after holidays: WSDOH

COVID-19 case counts across Washington State appear to be steeply increasing.

The Washington State Department of Health (WSDOH) hypothesizes that the declining case count trends seen in mid-to-late December may have been due to fewer people seeking care or getting tested over the holidays, rather than an actual decrease in COVID-19 activity.

The areas with declining case counts through late December with post-holidays rebounds include Benton, Chelan, Clark, Cowlitz, Douglas, King, Kittitas, Kitsap, Lewis, Pierce, Snohomish, Spokane, Thurston, Whatcom and Yakima counties. Some of these rebounds appear to be approaching or exceeding peak November levels in recent, incomplete data.

Whatcom County’s rebound is particularly steep, with the potential for case counts far higher than the November peak. Other counties saw case counts flatten after Christmas, including Grant, Grays Harbor, Mason, Okanogan, Walla Walla, and Whitman counties.

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COVID-19 transmission rates across the state continue to plateau at a level above 1.0 — the number of people becoming infected is increasing.

Case rates remain high, with 31 of 39 counties at rates above 200 new cases per 100,000 people over the past two weeks.

As of the last count on January 13, the state’s COVID-19-related death toll is 3,838 after announcing 49 new deaths since Tuesday afternoon. The state’s confirmed positive COVID-19 total is at 281,202.

979 people are currently hospitalized, 93 of whom are intubated.