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Snohomish County Responds: December 28, 2021 Update

Steep Climb in Snohomish County COVID-19 Cases

The last week saw a steep climb in COVID cases, likely due to multiple factors. Omicron now represents the vast majority of cases in the region. There is waning immunity for those who were vaccinated but have not gotten a booster dose. Cold weather pushes gatherings indoors. 

This is the time to book an appointment to get vaccinated or get your COVID booster if you haven’t yet. Get a flu shot, too. Avoid crowds. Wear masks over the nose and mouth consistently in shared spaces. Stay home if you have symptoms or are a close contact of someone with COVID 

Inclement weather closes SHD drive-thru testing and vaccination sites

Due to inclement weather, Snohomish Health District drive-thru testing and vaccination will be closed through the rest of the week. Ash Way’s next operational day will be testing on January 2nd and Longfellow’s next operational day will be testing on January 3rd. 

If you have a scheduled appointment, please watch for the cancelation notification for more information. If you have any symptoms of COVID-19, or have had an exposure, please continue to stay home until testing is available. 

Omicron is now the primary variant circulating in Washington

The latest information from the Washington Department of Health (DOH) showed that omicron was making up over 50% of COVID infections as of Dec. 16. With a doubling of omicron cases every few days, omicron now represents the vast majority of positives in the Puget Sound region and statewide. DOH reported a record number of coronavirus infections on Christmas Eve, with 6,235 confirmed new cases on that date alone. This surpasses the state’s previous record number of cases reported in a single day. 

Snohomish County confirmed a new record 2,719 cases last week, a 129% surge over the prior week. 

While the severity of omicron remains to be determined, the concern of public health officials is overwhelming the health care system. This is not only about individual health, but the integrity of the healthcare system that provides care for all conditions and that now occurs to me as running on fumes. 

Getting vaccinated/boosted is the number one thing people can do to mitigate immune escape and risk of severe disease, along with continuing masking (but at a higher level of quality) and avoiding crowds. 

CDC updates and shortens isolation and quarantine period from 10 days to 5

CDC is shortening the recommended time for isolation from 10 days for people with COVID-19 to 5 days, if asymptomatic, followed by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others. The change is motivated by science demonstrating that the majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs early in the course of illness, generally in the 1-2 days prior to onset of symptoms and the 2-3 days after. Therefore, people who test positive should isolate for 5 days and, if asymptomatic at that time, they may leave isolation if they can continue to mask for 5 days to minimize the risk of infecting others. 

Additionally, CDC is updating the recommended quarantine period for those exposed to COVID-19. For people who are unvaccinated or are more than six months out from their second mRNA dose (or more than 2 months after the J&J vaccine) and not yet boosted, CDC now recommends quarantine for 5 days followed by strict mask use for an additional 5 days. Alternatively, if a 5-day quarantine is not feasible, it is imperative that an exposed person wear a well-fitting mask at all times when around others for 10 days after exposure. Individuals who have received their booster shot do not need to quarantine following an exposure, but should wear a mask for 10 days after the exposure.  For all those exposed, best practice would also include a test for SARS-CoV-2 at day 5 after exposure. If symptoms occur, individuals should immediately quarantine until a negative test confirms symptoms are not attributable to COVID-19.

Read the full release.