The Covid-19 curve is getting flatter in Washington state overall, but some parts of the state are still seeing a rising tide of new cases. Snohomish County officials said today they saw the sixth consecutive week of declining numbers.
John Ryan of KUOW joins us now to receive the latest from Snohomish County.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
So is the trend still going the wrong way?
County health officials say the numbers fluctuate daily, but the trend continues to rise, and cases are now almost as high as in mid-March, shortly before the first peak of this pandemic.
We’ve heard a lot about new cases in younger people across the state. Does that match what Snohomish County officials say?
Yes absolutely. Most of the county’s new cases are people between the ages of 15 and 39. County health officials say many of these cases are from people who socialize. Sandeep Sachdeva is the Swedish medical director, Edmonds. He says that many people are letting down their guard. They will see people they trust, miss and haven’t seen in a long time.
“Transmission occurs when people encounter non-family members, not household members, in small groups. Essentially, trust is a factor here: that kind of behavior where you meet trusted friends, trusted family members you haven’t seen in a long time. ”
In a nutshell, Sachdeva says: ‘Don’t trust that other people, even the people you think are from the world, are somehow safe from this virus. If you socialize outside your home, do it outdoors, wearing a mask, remotely, and with no more than five people in a week. And, if you’re ever unsure whether to wear a mask or not, just wear it, bring it on, and put it on in case an unexpected situation arises. ”
Are you hearing good news from Snohomish County on the Covid front?
A couple things. The number of people who die from Covid is less. Basically this is due to the fact that we now see that younger, healthier people get the disease, not people in senior centers.
Sachdeva says young people may still get sick or die, despite the odds in their favor, but she still says it’s a kind of Russian roulette game of those who will be mortally ill when they contract Covid-19.
A success story for your hospital is that masks work. They have had mandatory masking there long before the government ordered it, and none of the people working in the intensive care unit have contracted the disease, even though they are working with some very sick people. Sachdeva says that if we could achieve that kind of success in the community and get 95% of people to wear masks, we could turn this pandemic around very quickly.
Listen to the interview by clicking the play button above.
