This newsletter is produced weekly. For more COVID-19 updates, go to kcowa.us/covid19. You can manage your subscriptions using the links at the very bottom of this bulletin.
UPCOMING KPHD VACCINATION CLINICS: Kitsap Public Health District is offering a vaccination clinic on Dec. 29 for ages 12+ and a clinic on Dec. 30 for ages 5-11. Book an appointment at kphd.timetap.com. Find full details at kcowa.us/vaccine
First case of Omicron variant detected in Kitsap; health officials urge extra caution during holidays
Kitsap Public Health received notification late Thursday from the state Department of Health that a case of the Omicron variant has been detected in Kitsap County. It is the first confirmed case of Omicron in Kitsap.
This news was not unexpected as Omicron cases have been detected in neighboring counties and the variant is believed to account for the majority of new COVID-19 cases reported nationwide. Only a fraction of all positive COVID-19 cases in our state are sequenced to identify variants and it is likely Omicron was already spreading in our area.
However, confirmation of the first case in Kitsap is a reminder that we all need to take extra precautions this winter, especially as we gather with others for the holidays. Omicron is believed to spread more easily than previous variants, raising the likelihood of a new wave of cases that will put added strain on hospitals.
We urge you and your family to recommit to following the basic steps we know are effective for preventing COVID-19:
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Vaccination: Vaccines are expected to protect against severe illness, hospitalizations, and deaths due to infection with the Omicron variant, especially for those who are fully vaccinated and have received a booster shot. Learn more about vaccination options in Kitsap.
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Masking: A mask is required in indoor public spaces and large outdoor events in Washington. To increase your protection, consider wearing a mask anytime you are around people from outside of your household. Wear a mask that fits snugly over your mouth and nose.
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Distancing: Avoid crowded indoor settings and gatherings in poorly ventilated indoor spaces. Increase your protection by maintaining at least 6 feet of distance from people outside of your household as much as possible.
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Washing hands: Wash for at least 20 seconds with soap and water. Carry hand sanitizer with you.
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Testing: Whether you are vaccinated or not, help keep people around you safe by avoiding contact with others and getting tested if you have symptoms of COVID-19 or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19. Follow all public health guidance if you test positive.
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Staying home when sick: If you feel sick, stay home as much as you can, except to seek medical care. Many respiratory illnesses are circulating in our community this winter. Do your best to avoid getting others sick.
- Find more prevention tips here.
More on Omicron
The rate of cases currently being reported in Kitsap is similar to last winter. However, we expect cases could increase substantially in coming weeks as Omicron continues to spread in our region and more people attend indoor gatherings.
Looking for a vaccination or testing appointment?
Demand is currently high for both COVID-19 vaccination and COVID-19 testing. Appointments may be more difficult to find. Below are resources that can help as you search for an appointment in Kitsap. Be aware that the upcoming holidays will affect hours at many vaccination and testing sites.
🩹 COVID-19 VACCINATION:
UPCOMING KPHD CLINICS: Kitsap Public Health District is offering a vaccination clinic on Dec. 29 for ages 12+ and a clinic on Dec. 30 for ages 5-11. Book an appointment at kphd.timetap.com. Find full details at kcowa.us/vaccine
🧪 COVID-19 TESTING:
Testing reminder: If you are getting tested as a requirement of travel or other activities, take time to carefully review the services offered by a testing site to make sure they will meet your needs. Different testing sites offer different types of tests and turnaround times for results can vary widely.
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INFOGRAPHIC: A YEAR OF COVID-19 VACCINATION IN KITSAP COUNTY
A year ago, we faced the monumental challenge of delivering doses of life-saving vaccine to hundreds of thousands of Kitsap County residents as quickly and equitably as possible. We published an infographic exploring all we have accomplished as a community over the past 12 months. View the full infographic here >>
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FROM OUR HEALTH OFFICER: A season for celebration, but also caution and persistence
Season’s greetings from our team at Kitsap Public Health District. We hope you have safe and enjoyable holidays. Our mission is to prevent disease and protect and promote the health of all persons in Kitsap County. It is a tall order, and we appreciate the engagement, effort, activism, and assistance of all residents who work together to achieve the goal of a healthier community. As we enter another holiday season with high COVID case rates and a looming new variant, this is a time for celebration, caution, optimism, and persistence.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to the more than 200 Kitsap families who have lost loved ones to COVID-19 in the past year. We celebrate with gratitude the 196,000 Kitsap residents who’ve made the choice to get vaccinated and all the work that has gone into making that happen. We also thank those residents who have not yet been vaccinated but continue taking steps to protect their health and the health of their neighbors. Together, we are saving lives.
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This time last year we had navigated the turbulent whitewater of the first year of the COVID pandemic and learned some valuable lessons, like the importance of masking, distancing, testing, and isolation of those with infections. These tools helped Kitsap confront its first encounter with high levels of community transmission, which swelled in mid-November 2020 and lasted through our holiday season for a long two months.
Vaccines were authorized for use in mid-December 2020, at the height of our winter surge. Public health agencies and healthcare providers scrambled to understand these complex new products and figure out who would be giving them, who would be getting them, how to store and transport them, and how to track their administration, safety, and effectiveness.
As vaccines rolled off conveyor belts by the millions, our community came together in heroic and innovative ways to build the systems required to vaccinate our community as safely, equitably, and efficiently as possible. Eye doctors, surgeons, retired physicians, nurses and pharmacists jumped into action. Volunteers emerged by the hundreds. Kitsap Public Health District and numerous partners and providers organized mass vaccination clinics, pop-ups, and mobile services to make these life-saving vaccines available in as many places and ways as we could manage.
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SPREAD JOY, NOT COVID!
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Our collaborative effort to vaccinate our most high-risk residents last winter blunted the initial wave. Cases further subsided last spring as vaccines became widely available to everyone 16 and older. As that wave ebbed and we breathed a communal sigh of relief, the Delta surge was already building. By August and into the fall we were slammed with a surge of cases that hospitalized hundreds, severely strained our healthcare system, and took the lives of 133 more Kitsap residents, many much younger and healthier than those who died earlier in the pandemic.
The year 2021 will be remembered as one of inspiring successes and disheartening setbacks, a year of grief and hope. Now we look forward with determination. We are optimistic that our new knowledge, lessons learned, and experience with this new disease will allow us to manage it more effectively.
We need to maintain caution heading into the holidays and continue to use the tools that we know work to prevent more disease and suffering. In addition to our tried-and-true strategies like masking and distancing, I highly encourage Kitsap residents to get rapid antigen test before attending significant holiday gatherings. And we need to be persistent in efforts to make vaccinations widely accessible to those who still need them, to fight the misinformation that has confused so many, and to distribute and begin to use new and emerging treatments that work to prevent hospitalization and death.
Our new call to action is to maintain this persistence and use personal relationships and one-on-one conversations to make sure people have the right information and support at the right time to make the right decisions. During times of uncertainty, we turn to the people we trust the most. You can be a trusted voice for those closest to you.
Dr. Gib Morrow
Health Officer
Kitsap Public Health District
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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.
NOTE: Due to the late notice today regarding Omicron, the printed versions of our Weekly Outlook may be delayed.
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Numbers to know
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As of Dec. 21, 72.1% of all Kitsap residents (ages 0+) have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 65.7% are fully vaccinated. More than 196,000 Kitsap residents have received at least one dose of vaccine. Of the Kitsap residents eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine (ages 5+), 76.6% have received at least one dose and 69.9% are fully vaccinated.
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306 COVID-19 cases were reported in our county in the most recent week with full data available (week ending Dec. 18): 34 cases on Bainbridge Island, 87 cases in Bremerton, 75 in Central Kitsap, 43 in North Kitsap, and 67 in South Kitsap.
- Kitsap County's rate of cases per 100,000 population over 7 days was 112.4 as of Dec. 23. The rate of cases reported in Kitsap had been declining since mid-September, but is currently holding steady. COVID-19 transmission is at a "high" level in our county, per the CDC.
- For the week ending Dec. 18, there were 19 new Kitsap resident COVID-19 hospitalizations; there were 13 the week prior.
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262 Kitsap resident COVID-19-associated deaths have been reported to date. One death reported earlier this year was determined to not be related to COVID-19 and was removed from our county.
- Find more local COVID-19 data at kcowa.us/covid19data
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The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) is an important tool for monitoring vaccine safety. However, data from VAERS reports are a common source of confusion and misinformation. Learn more >>
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COVID-19 PREVENTION: LET'S GET BACK TO BASICS
Holiday gatherings and the arrival of Omicron increase the risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 this winter. Now is a good time to get back to basics and focus on using the tools we know work to prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses:
QUESTIONS? CONTACT: pio@kitsappublichealth.org
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