Kitsap County Washington sent this bulletin at 11/06/2020 02:05 PM PST
Nov. 6, 2020
COVID-19 activity reaches "high" level in Kitsap County
Cases continue to surge, with an increase reported among children 18 and younger.
KITSAP COUNTY, WA — Local public health officials are urging all Kitsap residents to take steps to fight the spread of COVID-19, as case rates continue to spike ahead of the holiday season.
COVID-19 activity in Kitsap has climbed since mid-October. The rate of cases reported per 100,000 residents over 14 days — a key metric for school decision making — increased from 42 on Oct. 19 to 78 on Nov. 1. COVID-19 activity in the county is now at a "high" level, per state guidelines. A similar surge has been reported across Western Washington.
"We truly appreciate every Kitsap resident who has taken this disease seriously and is working hard to protect the health of our community," Kitsap Public Health District Health Officer Dr. Gib Morrow said. "With COVID-19 spreading across our region, we need to take extra care of each other this season by keeping indoor gatherings to a minimum, wearing masks, and staying at least six feet from others."
According to Kitsap Public Health District epidemiologists:
In addition to increasing case counts, the percentage of COVID-19 tests that are positive is climbing in Kitsap — another indicator of rising disease activity.
During a four-week period ending Oct. 31, the rate of new cases reported among children 18 and younger jumped to its highest level to date. The median age of positive cases reported among children was 12. We added new charts to our schools dashboard to help track case trends among people 18 and younger.
Based on our contact tracing work, we believe spread among families and households was a key driver of recent case increases, including cases among children. To prevent spreading COVID-19 to others, it is important for all members of a household to stay home and avoid contact with others if any member of their household has symptoms.
COVID-19 activity in Kitsap County is now considered "high" based on Washington State Department of Health (DOH) guidance.
Kitsap Public Health supports cautious approach by schools
The Kitsap Public Health District appreciates and supports schools’ decisions to follow state guidelines and pause plans for additional in-person instruction in the context of rapidly increasing disease activity.
We are especially concerned that the upcoming holiday season could accelerate COVID-19 transmission throughout our community and within higher risk groups. We continue to work closely with school leaders to assess this fast-changing situation.
“We all want to get kids back into classrooms as a top priority. To accomplish this, we will all need to make the right choices and do the right things to drive down disease activity to a level that is safer for everyone in our community,” Dr. Morrow said.
Find updates, guidance documents, and resources for families on our COVID-19 schools page.