Health officials warn of cowardly cases involving homes, social gatherings
Health officials say they are concerned about an increase in coronavirus cases in the state of Washington, which is linked to homes and gatherings.
Seat – A new King County report seeks to answer this question: Are people signing the Covid-19?
For the first time, King County health officials are being released where people are expected to be exposed to the virus in the weeks leading up to their illness.
During the epidemic, health officials told COVID-positive people about their activities for two weeks before they became ill. King County Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchenne warned that they can’t always determine the transmission with certainty, but most people probably arrive at their own home, where in percent of the cases someone else would have been infected which was positive in the home.
COVID-19 erupts in North Bend nursing facility
At the Regency North Bend Nursing Facility 23 residents and 23 staff members tested positive for COVID-19. Two residents have been killed in connection with the outbreak.
Thirty-one percent went to social gatherings in the two weeks before the positive test. Essential workers and non-healthcare workers also reported percent exposure.
By comparing data with cases from the last two months from the last epidemic, a clear picture emerges of what the county is contributing to the record spikes it is seeing. Home contact increased from 35 to 41 percent, while those attending community and social gatherings reported increased from 311 to 1 percent. There has also been an increase in non-health workplaces, an indication that more people are returning to the physical workplace and engaging with others.
Duchenne said hospital admissions in King County are increasing three to four times a day, and that positive cases have doubled in about two weeks.
“I’m very worried, even afraid of what the numbers will do with this number,” he said. “I think we are likely to see an even more dramatic increase in the number of cases we are currently seeing, both hospital admissions and later deaths.”
The King County report also confirmed that color communities are disproportionately affected by the spread of COVID-19. It also found that in areas with high levels of minorities, people are more likely to catch COVID-19 at home or at work, while areas that are predominantly white have more exposure to social and community gatherings.
