Covid cases are on the rise in King County, up 18% from where they were two weeks ago. And more outbreaks are being associated with restaurants, bars and travel.
At the same time, gyms, restaurants and many other businesses in Washington state can open up to 50% of capacity as of Monday.
King County public health officer Dr. Jeff Duchin said at a news conference on Friday that he expects people to continue to take precautions and avoid indoor spaces where people are not masked or ventilation is poor.
“The risk is not over – the virus is still with us,” he said.
“The vast majority of the population remains susceptible to Covid-19. The viruses that are currently circulating are more effective in spreading from person to person, ”he explained. “So, I think those factors are going to increase transmission.”
Duchin said thousands of people in King County have now infected Covid.
“It would be a shame if many people were infected in the next one or two months, when vaccines are about to become widely available to the majority of the population,” he said.
Duchin said that, thanks to vaccination, cases have declined among people over 65, but have increased among people in their 20s and 30s. He added that Covid “is not a trivial disease, even for younger adults”, many of whom still show symptoms months after diagnosis.