COVID-19 Weekly Outlook newsletter from Kitsap Public Health

October 15, 2021

This newsletter is produced weekly. For daily COVID-19 updates, go to kcowa.us/covid19 or sign up to receive the weekly bulletin produced by the Kitsap County Emergency Operations Center. You can manage your subscriptions using the links at the very bottom of this bulletin.

Health Officer Letter to Community; New COVID-19 Data on KPHD website

• KPHD has started reporting weekly on vaccination status of COVID-19 deaths. 
  • In the past 90 days, individuals aged 30 to 69 who were not fully vaccinated were 9.1 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than individuals who were fully vaccinated.
  • In the past 90 days, individuals aged 70 years and older who were not fully vaccinated were 2.5 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than individuals who were fully vaccinated.

• More than 73 percent of eligible Kitsap residents (ages 12 and older) have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, 67% are fully vaccinated. Vaccine continues to be widely available throughout the county. Information on future KPHD clinics and other vaccination options around the county can be found at kcowa.us/vaccine.
• The top three vaccine providers in Kitsap County in September were Rite Aid, Walgreens and Safeway, who administered a combined total of 9,567 doses. 
• The FDA’s vaccine advisory committee is meeting on Oct. 14 and 15 to discuss the use of booster doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. Both vaccines are currently authorized for emergency use to prevent COVID-19 in individuals 18 years of age and older. The committee will also hear presentations and discuss the available data on the use of a booster of a different vaccine than the one used for the primary series of an authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine (heterologous or “mix and match” booster). Currently, booster doses are only available for Pfizer vaccine for people 18 and older who completed vaccination over six months ago and for specific groups.
• Flu vaccines can be co-administered at the same time as a COVID-19 vaccine. Flu vaccine is recommended for all individuals over the age of 6 months except certain populations. Now is the perfect time to get a flu vaccine.
• KPHD continues to partner with the Kitsap County Emergency Operations Center (KCEOC) on operating COVID-19 testing sites from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Bainbridge Island (Mondays), Bremerton (Tuesdays), Port Orchard (Wednesdays), and Poulsbo (Thursdays). Starting Oct. 23, KPHD and the KCEOC will operate a testing site on Saturdays at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds. For more information, including how to register for an appointment, visit kcowa.us/covidtesting.

PRINTABLE WEEKLY OUTLOOK Download our weekly outlook report as a PDF that you can print and share in your community. Thank you for spreading reliable information about COVID-19! Looking for an image file to share? Click here.

Numbers to know

• As of Oct. 12, 73.4% of Kitsap residents 12 and older had received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 68.1% were fully vaccinated. That puts Kitsap below the state average of 77.6% (as of Oct. 11) with at least one dose, and 71.4% fully vaccinated. Over 171,600 Kitsap residents have received at least one dose of vaccine. 
• 448 COVID-19 cases were reported in our county in the most recent week with full data available (week ending Oct. 9): 10 cases on Bainbridge Island, 132 cases in Bremerton, 102 in Central Kitsap, 84 in North Kitsap, 120 in South Kitsap. 
• Kitsap County's rate of cases per 100,000 population over 7 days is decreasing and is now 161.8. 
• For the week ending 10/9, there were 27 new Kitsap resident COVID-19 hospitalizations; there were 30 the week prior.
• In the past 30 days:
  • people aged 12 to 59 who were unvaccinated were 15 times more likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19 than people in that age group who were fully vaccinated.
  • peopled aged 60 and under who were unvaccinated were 4 times more likely to be hospitalized than people in that age group who were fully vaccinated.

• 206 Kitsap resident COVID-19-associated deaths have been reported to date. 
• Find more local COVID-19 data at kcowa.us/covid19data

SPOTTING COVID-19 MISINFORMATION

There is a lot of conflicting and inaccurate information circulating about COVID-19. How do you know what information is accurate and which information sources to trust?

When reading an article, research study, social media post, or other writing, consider:

• The source. Is the source a credible organization that has the appropriate expertise and credibility? 
• Date published. How long ago was the information published? We learn more about COVID-19 as the pandemic continues. Information evolves. Look for information that is as current as possible. 
• References. Does the source cite their references? Do the references have appropriate expertise and credibility?
• Verification/review process. Was the information reviewed by a medical professional? Are their credentials provided? 

For more tips, visit the Immunization Action Coalition's Evaluating Health Information Online webpage.

Do your part to the stop the spread of rumors by doing three simple things:

1. Find trusted sources of information.
2. Share information from trusted sources.
3. Discourage others from sharing information from unverified sources.

Some of the best sources of COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccine information are:

• Washington State Department of Health including their "Busting Vaccine Myths" webpage
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including their COVID-19 Vaccine FAQ page
• National Foundation for Infectious Diseases
• American Academy of Pediatrics Healthy Children webpage

For more on misinformation, check out:

• Confronting Health Misinformation: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on
  Building a Healthy Information Environment
• University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public

QUESTIONS? CONTACT: pio@kitsappublichealth.org