The rate of COVID-19 ER visits have doubled since the start of July in some parts of Washington state.

Washington

Washington state is experiencing a late summer increase in COVID-19 cases, with emergency room visits for COVID-19 doubling since early July. Recent data shows that 2.1% of all ER visits are now related to COVID-19, up from 1.5% the previous week. State epidemiologist Dr. Scott Lindquist emphasized that while the rise is notable, it remains significantly lower than previous surges and is not unexpected.

Health officials are encouraging residents to continue preventive measures such as handwashing, covering coughs, staying home when sick, and receiving available vaccines. The FDA has approved updated COVID-19 vaccines, though guidance on eligibility for younger adults and children has narrowed, leading to some public confusion. Dr. Lindquist advises individuals to consult their medical providers for personalized vaccine recommendations, particularly those in higher risk categories.

Washington state sees late summer COVID surge

We start tonight with late summer COVID surges in parts of Washington State. The rate of COVID-19 ER visits has doubled since the start of July. To put that into perspective, last week in Washington, one and a half percent of all visits to the ER were related to COVID. This week that jumped to 2.1 percent. On Wednesday, the state health department released the latest COVID numbers on COVID-19 infections. To learn more about this new batch of data, we're joined by Washington State epidemiologist Dr. Scott Lindquist. Thank you for being here, doctor. Yes, you're welcome. Glad to be here. What trends have you observed from the data published Wednesday? Well, what we're seeing, like the rest of the nation, is a mild increase in the number of cases. I mean, putting this in perspective, this is nothing like the heyday of COVID, where we had these very large peaks and troughs as new variants came on. Currently, we have a mix of about three variants. The hospitalizations, while they're increasing, and ER visits are increasing, it does nothing compared to what it was earlier in the COVID epidemic. Of course, that was such a just terrible time for so many, and I know we've come a long way, but there still is an increase. So, which areas in the department, from the Department of Health's perspective, excuse me, are you guys most concerned about in terms of COVID-19? Well, I think we need to really set the ground here that this is not unexpected. We are actually at levels lower than last year, but this small increase could certainly become a large increase, and I think that's our concern. We learned all the lessons of how to control this, which is things like covering your cough, washing your hands, getting vaccines, and not going to work in school when you're sick. So, it's coincidentally the start of school, so we want to really get this message out of how to protect yourself and protect others, especially the most vulnerable in our population. Well, speaking of, what are you anticipating for this winter season? What are we anticipating for the winter? Is that your question? I'm sorry. Yes, absolutely. Like, what are you anticipating as we head into winter? What do you think, where do you think the numbers will go looking at this current data? Yeah, you know, I think there's a couple things to be concerned about. One is our seasonal flu levels will likely rise, and our seasonal RSV, which is respiratory syncytial virus, levels will rise. COVID tends not to be a winter-type virus, but we will likely see increases there, and I think a lot of these principles I just talked about, like washing your hands, covering your cough, not going to school when you're sick or to work when you're sick, and getting any available vaccines, all three of these respiratory viruses have vaccines targeted to prevent their spread. On Wednesday, the FDA approved updated COVID-19 vaccines but narrowed the use for younger adults and children. It comes after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced in May that COVID-19 vaccines are no longer required for healthy children. So, do you think this will cause fewer Washingtonians to get a shot? Well, I hope not. I think what it does cause is a lot of confusion. Like, who do you look to for your advice? The Academy of Pediatrics is making one recommendation, FDA is making another, CDC is making something even different. So, I think the lesson for all of us is let's go to our trusted medical advisors, that is your medical home, and talk to them about when your last vaccine was, what risk category you would be in. So, if you're 65 and older, it's pretty straightforward, it's recommended. But for those under, having an underlying condition, and those underlying conditions can be as simple as you're overweight, or you have asthma, or other problems, or people around you that are ill. So, I think the most trusted guidance through these confusing times is our own medical providers. And just to be clear, and we appreciate you coming on here, this is just not a major concern at this point. No, I think COVID, just to be really clear, it was my office that found the very first case of COVID in the United States. We have been doing this longer than anybody in the country. And I am concerned, but at a cautiously optimistic level, I think the lessons we learned, we're already aware, and we can combat this pretty effectively. Doctor, thank you for the clarification, and thank you for your time.

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