Drop in new Tri-Cities COVID cases, hospitalized patients is no fluke, says doctor

The decline in new cases of COVID-19 in the Tri-Cities area is no fluke, said Dr. Amy Person, health officer for Benton and Franklin counties.

“We’re seeing declines week after week, and even better news we are seeing declines across all age groups, even our young adults,” she told the Benton Franklin Community Health Alliance.

In addition, the number of people hospitalized locally for COVID-19 has dropped to the lowest count in three months.

Public health officials are crediting more people getting vaccinated against the disease and those who are taking precautions to prevent the spread of the disease, including wearing masks in public and avoiding large gatherings.

The Benton Franklin Health District has reported 456 new COVID-19 cases so far this week, starting with the weekend, for an average of 76 new confirmed cases per day.

That is down from 105 new confirmed cases per day last week and 127 the week before.

Dr. Person told the Benton Franklin Health District Board that the new case rate for Benton County had dropped from 949 new cases per 100,000 people over two weeks as of a month ago to 478.

In Franklin County the new case rate dropped from 1,185 to 551 as of Wednesday.

Adults ages 20 to 39 have the highest rate of new cases, although it is declining, Dr. Person said.

Despite the large drop in the new case rate over the last month, the rate remains high.

This past spring Benton and Franklin counties were working to keep new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 in two weeks under 200, which was a previous requirement to allow 50% capacity inside restaurants, bars and movie theaters.

The number of new cases surged through the summer as the more infectious delta variant of the coronavirus became the cause of almost all COVID-19 cases.

COVID outbreaks continue

The Benton Franklin Health District continues to see outbreaks, including in long-term care centers, such as nursing homes, and tied to large gatherings, said Heather Hill, infectious disease supervisor for the Tri-Cities based health district, speaking on the Kadlec on Call podcast Wednesday.

So far this month 37 new cases have been reported in residents or staff of long-term care centers in Benton and Franklin counties.

The Yakima Health District reported five staff members and 29 residents at Sunnyside Assisted Living Facility had tested positive between Oct. 15 and 20.

The most recent update on Tri-Cities area outbreaks, released Oct. 15, reported 10 outbreaks in businesses, with 11 additional investigations underway.

There also was one outbreak in a childcare center and two outbreaks in schools, with two additional investigations in progress.

Public health officials are not seeing classroom spread in schools, however.

New cases in school-age children usually are traced to extracurricular activities and children gathering for events not sanctioned by the schools, Hill said.

The Washington state Department of Health has told the Washington state Hospital Association that the spread of COVID-19 seems increasingly tied to social circles, said Cassie Sauer, president of the association, in a news briefing on Monday.

“If you are vaccinated your people are vaccinated — you know, your friends, your family — tend to all be vaccinated,” she said. “If you are unvaccinated your people are largely unvaccinated.”

The trend increases the risk that unvaccinated people will be exposed to the coronavirus because unvaccinated people are more likely to transmit the disease, she said.

Tri-Cities vaccination rate

The number of people in the Tri-Cities area getting vaccinated is increasing.

All age groups of adults, even younger adults who were slower to get vaccinated, now have vaccination rates of at least 50% for at least an initial dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Benton and Franklin counties, Dr. Person said.

The Washington state Department of Health reports that 48% of all residents of Benton County and 43% of all residents of Franklin County are fully vaccinated. That compares to 60% of Washington state residents.

In Benton County, 58% of those eligible for the vaccine — those ages 12 and older — are fully vaccinated. The percentage in Franklin County is 54%.

Statewide, 70% of people eligible are fully vaccinated, not including some people vaccinated through federal programs, such as the Veterans Administration.

By early November, the vaccine also could be approved for children ages 5 to 11, Dr. Person said.

The number of people hospitalized in Benton and Franklin counties for COVID-19 treatment has continued to drop for a month now.

In September the four hospitals in the two counties treated as many as 127 COVID patients in a single day.

On Wednesday that dropped to 39 patients, the lowest patient count since mid-July.

They accounted for just under 10% of all patients in the Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Prosser hospitals.

Hospitals across the state are treating fewer patients for COVID-19, but use remains high, according to the Washington state Department of Health.

“We’re hopeful that the declines we’ve seen in the last few weeks will continue, but that will only be possible if vaccination rates continue to increase and we continue wearing masks,” said Dr. Scott Lindquist, Washington state epidemiologist for communicable diseases.

“Our individual choices over the next several weeks will determine whether hospitals are able to return to a sustainable level of operations by the end of December,” he said.

This story was originally published October 21, 2021 at 12:56 PM.