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As announced by the Washington State Department of Health (DOH), the Snohomish Health District is currently part of the investigation involving multiple outbreaks of COVID-19 among vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals connected to high school wrestling tournaments. The number of cases linked to the events is estimated to be between 80 and 90 statewide, with at least 33 confirmed here in Snohomish County. As this investigation is ongoing, the total may change.
The impacted wrestling tournaments all happened on December 4, 2021, and include:
- John Birbeck Invitational in Lacey, WA
- Ed Arima Duals in Sumner, WA
- Lady Jags Kickoff Tournament in Puyallup, WA
- Yelm Girls Varsity in Yelm, WA
The Snohomish Health District is also investigating possible cases linked to other recent wrestling tournaments, so that list may grow. Over the coming days, local schools may be sharing letters with wrestlers, staff, or volunteers of impacted teams with further guidance for next steps. If you have not received instructions, we recommend that anyone who attended these events as a participant, coach, official, support staff or spectator monitor for symptoms and get tested for COVID-19. Further, anyone with symptoms or who tests positive should stay home from work, school, childcare, or social activities.
The Health District has created a temporary page at www.snohd.org/wrestling with resources and information. Any relevant updates with be made weekdays on or around 3 p.m.
Read the full release.
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Case rates continue to hover around 300 cases per 100,000 people. As we approach the holidays, it’s important to stay home if you feel sick, wear a mask and wash your hands. If you have any symptoms of COVID-19, make sure you get tested. More info at www.snohd.org/testing.
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Area hospitals are reporting high volumes of patients right now. Please avoid any unnecessary risks that could land you in the ER. But when life happens, here are tips on when to seek care and the best type of care for the issue.
Primary care:
Your doctor’s office is best for routine care and minor, non-emergent issues. Your clinic may have walk-in options, too.
Urgent care:
Urgent care is a good option when your doctor is not available and you require immediate care. Urgent care is NOT for life threatening emergencies.
Emergency care:
The ER should be used for life-threatening illness or injury. If you experience any chest pain, difficulty breathing, uncontrolled bleeding or other serious symptoms, call 911 or go to your nearest ER immediately.
Watch the video on Facebook.
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Travelers needing a COVID test before departing on their trip are advised to plan ahead to obtain their COVID test. Some helpful hints to make the process smoother:
- Book an in-person test in advance
- Buy a self-test before you need one
- If you’re vaccinated, don’t rush to get tested if it’s not required
- Be patient for your test results. They may be delayed due to high volumes of testing for travel and medical procedures
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Following announcements by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Pfizer boosters are now recommended for everyone 16-17 years of age who received their second dose of Pfizer at least six months ago.
In addition, everyone 18 and older is recommended to get a booster dose:
- Six months after receiving the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, or
- Two months after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
According to the CDC, initial data suggests COVID-19 boosters help broaden and strengthen the protection against omicron and other variants. The FDA also analyzed the immune response data from approximately 200 participants, 18 through 55 years of age, who received a single booster dose approximately six months after their second dose.
They found that the antibody response against the SARS-CoV-2 virus one month after a booster dose of the vaccine, when compared to the response one month after the two-dose primary series in the same individuals, demonstrated a booster response. Based on the available data for individuals 18 and older regarding effectiveness, the FDA has concluded that these data support extending the eligible booster age population to 16- and 17-year-olds.
In Snohomish County, more than 125,000 people have received an additional dose, which includes both boosters and third doses. Boosters can be mixed and matched, which means adults can get any COVID-19 vaccine available. However, Pfizer is currently the only vaccine authorized for people ages 16 and 17.
“This recommendation is one more tool to help us protect our community against COVID-19,” said Dr. Chris Spitters, Health Officer for the Snohomish Health District. “For those who got their second Moderna or Pfizer shot at least six months ago, or their Johnson & Johnson shot at least two months ago, now’s the time to get your booster dose.”
For more information about the COVID vaccine, including where to find a clinic near you, visit www.snohd.org/covidvaccine.
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Young people and women have taken the hardest psychological and financial hit from the pandemic, a YouGov survey has found. The annual YouGov-Cambridge Globalism Project found that in many of the 27 countries surveyed, young people were consistently more likely than their elders to feel the COVID-19 crisis had made their financial and mental health concerns worse. Comparable proportions of young and older people said they were worrying more about money because of the pandemic, while across several measures, women were also consistently more likely than men to report a negative impact from crisis. In the U.S., 53 percent of women say their working life has become more stressful since the pandemic started.
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U.S. adults have seen a rise in blood pressure during the coronavirus pandemic, a new study suggests. The study was recently published in the journal Circulation where workers and their partners from all 50 states and the District of Columbia had their blood pressure measured for three years in 2018, 2019 and 2020. The researchers found that the blood pressure readings appeared to be significantly higher during the pandemic in April through December of 2020 compared with in 2019. While systolic and diastolic blood pressure increases were seen for both men and women and across age groups, the researchers found larger increases among women.
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While COVID-19 continues to affect many communities in Washington, some groups have been disproportionately impacted by the physical, emotional, and mental health toll of the pandemic. One of those groups is military veterans.
DOH spoke with U.S. Army veteran Paul Fuller, now a full-time critical care nurse at Central Washington Hospitals and Clinics in Wenatchee, about some of the unique challenges veterans are facing during the pandemic.
Read the full blog.
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If your organization puts on a community event and is looking for resources to share, the Snohomish Health District can help. The Health District has staff and volunteers who can host a booth or table at events. These could include health or resource fairs, back-to-school fairs, community festivals, and other similar events. You can request a booth or table at your event by filling out the short online form at www.snohd.org/eventrequest.
While we can’t guarantee availability for every request, we attend as many as possible. We welcome the invites and are eager to interact with people in the community. Please submit your request at least two weeks prior to the event, and someone will contact you to confirm whether a team is available. Our teams can provide health information and answer questions, as well as gather feedback on public health needs around Snohomish County. Topics that can be covered include: immunizations, environmental health, maternal and child health, opioid and overdose prevention, tobacco and vaping prevention and quit resources, and more. The request form allows you to specify areas of interest for your event.
If you are unable to use the request form or have questions, please contact communications@snohd.org.
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Cumulative from January 2020 to present.
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ESSENTIAL LINKS AND PHONE NUMBERS FOR UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION
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