The number of new daily cases of COVID-19 in the Tri-Cities area has doubled since the end of June, coinciding with the rapid spread of the Delta variant.
Dr. Amy Person, health officer for Benton and Franklin counties, said in Washington state about 57% of positive test samples being checked to determine the strain are the Delta variant.
That's up from 5% of samples checked in late May, a 10-fold increase, she said at a meeting of the Benton Franklin Health District on Wednesday and a follow up at a news media briefing Thursday.
The Delta variant spreads rapidly, with virus counts in the respiratory tract that are 1,000 times higher than with the original variant, Dr. Person said on this week's Kadlec on Call podcast.
"We also know that people can pass it (on) earlier, which means that there's more opportunities to spread," she said.
The good news is that the available COVID-19 vaccines appear to work well against the Delta and other variants, Dr. Person said.
In Benton and Franklin counties just 3 to 4% of cases currently appear to be "breakthrough cases" in people who have been vaccinated, she said.
"COVID is becoming more and more a vaccine preventable disease," she said.
The rapid rise in new daily cases in the Tri-Cities area is due not only to the more transmissible Delta virus, but also due to low vaccination rates, she said.
"Over 50% of Benton and Franklin counties remain susceptible or at risk of infection," she said.
In Benton County just 39% of all people and 47% of people 12 and older — vaccines are not approved for younger children — are fully vaccinated.
That drops to 31% of all people fully vaccinated in Franklin County and 40% of those 12 and older.
Across Washington 52% of all residents and 61% of those 12 and older have been fully vaccinated.
The state's largest county — King, home to Seattle — has 63% of residents fully vaccinated and 73% of those 12 and older fully vaccinated.
Tri-Cities cases soar
With the Tri-Cities area's lower vaccination rates, it has had a much higher rise in its new case rate, Dr. Person said.
Benton and Franklin counties had half the number of new cases of King County last week, even though King County has seven times as many people, she said.
Benton County has increased to 240 new cases per 100,000 people over two weeks and Franklin County had 259 per 100,000 people, according to the case count released by the Benton Franklin Health District on Wednesday.
At the end of June Benton County had a new case rate of 113 and Franklin County had a new case rate of 132.
The new COVID-19 case rates in the Tri-Cities area are highest in people ages 20 to 39, but the increase in cases has been in all age groups, including children up to age 14, Dr. Person said.
"Many people thought COVID-19 was a disease of the elderly or they didn't feel it was a risk for themselves or their families and we are seeing that is not always the case," she said.
Those most likely to be vaccinated in the Tri-Cities are those 65 and older.
The COVID-19 vaccine is widely available in the Tri-Cities, not only at many doctor's offices and clinics, but at pharmacies, many of which will give injections to walk-in customers at no cost to them.
Also concerning is the significant increase in the number of people hospitalized in Benton and Franklin counties for COVID-19 treatment, she said.
The hospitals report that most of their patients are unvaccinated and are younger than those hospitalized earlier as more seniors have been vaccinated.
The number has been as high as 54 this week, the highest patient count reported by the Benton Franklin Health District since early February.
Delta variant symptoms
Dr. Person is concerned that some people may not realize they have been infected with the coronavirus and unknowingly spread it to others.
Symptoms of the Delta variant differ from the strain that originally spread in the Tri-Cities area.
The Delta variant causes symptoms such as headaches, congestion and a runny nose. People are less likely to lose their sense of smell and taste than those infected earlier in the pandemic.
The Delta variant symptoms can be mistaken for symptoms caused by allergies, smoky air or a cold.
Dr. Person recommends, particularly for those who have not been vaccinated, downloading the WA Notify app to their cell phone.
As Washington state reopens and people attend large events, from Water Follies to fairs, they may be exposed to the coronavirus and not know it, she said.
WA Notify uses Bluetooth to exchange random, anonymous codes with the phones of people you are near who have also enabled the app.
If one of those people tests positive within two weeks and adds their verification code to the app, those who they were near will get an anonymous notification that they may have been exposed. People should then get tested.
