Nurse Jeanie Backus talks about COVID-19 vaccinations at a Veterans Affairs long-term care facility on December 17, 2020 in Vancouver, Washington. (Photo by Nathan Howard / Getty Images)
Whatcom County, located near the Canadian border, is the state’s current COVID-19 access point. The county is seeing a higher transmission rate than anywhere else in Washington.
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Erica Lautenbach, director of Whatcom County Health Department, expects this month’s COVID-19 cases to be triple December, which was the worst month in county history. Since December 30, cases have increased rapidly in the county, and this week’s seven-day average is twice as high as the week before.
“The rates we see are unlike anything we’ve experienced in the past and the increase we’ve seen since Thanksgiving. It is unlike anything we are seeing anywhere else in the state, ”said Lautenbach.
Although she told Radio KIRO that there are no known over-spreading events or highly transmissible virus locations in the county, she said that most of the cases that could be tracked were linked to unsafe socialization.
“For those we know, who have an origin, 80% of our cases come from social events and domestic activities,” she said.
Lautenbach says that cases are increasing across all age groups and that Whatcom County is in “unknown and dangerous territory”. She is asking everyone to cancel all nonessential social activities and plans.
The health department fears the virus will spread even faster with employees returning to their workplaces after the holidays. To further limit the spread, the department asked people to take extra, immediate precautions.
“The steps we need to take are familiar now, and if we all act immediately, we can stop this viral increase in its path,” said Lautenbach in a statement.
These measures include wearing a mask near other people who are not in the same house, avoiding meetings, washing or hand washing frequently, and staying at home when you experience symptoms of COVID-19 or after spending time with other people with symptoms . Anyone who has symptoms – such as fever, cough or shortness of breath – should be tested immediately and should not go to work or school.
“We have said this before and we are saying it again, but this time with much more urgency,” Lautenbach said in the statement. “Now, perhaps more than ever, the actions you take today can save your life and the lives of others. Cancel your plans this weekend. “
Diane Duthweiler of KIRO Radio contributed to this report.