COVID-19 activity and transmission in Lewis County continue to decline, according to a report out Wednesday from Lewis County Public Health & Social Services, as 178 cases, 13 hospitalizations and three new deaths were reported the week of Oct. 24-30.
That’s a modest 6% decrease in cases when compared with the week prior, though transmission remains higher locally than statewide with about 490 cases per 100,000 population reported in Lewis County over the previous two weeks.
As the Pfizer-BioNTech’s pediatric COVID-19 vaccine rolls out for approved use in children ages 5 to 11, state health authorities are working to implement the vaccine for use locally. Lewis County Public Health Director JP Anderson told county commissioners Wednesday he hadn’t received any guidance yet on the new vaccine’s implementation.
The Western States Scientific Advisory Group met Tuesday to confirm the safety and efficacy of the vaccine for CDC-approved emergency use in children.
“We’re glad to see it’s gone down this week, we hope to see (cases) continue to go down, and we do hope that vaccinations being available for another segment of our population will provide additional protection and hopefully continue to bend the curve,” Anderson said.
“We’re going into another winter in a situation with a lot of COVID in the community. So, we’re hoping it continues to go down but are ready for whatever comes our way.”
Vaccination rates against COVID-19 in recent months have become stagnant in Lewis County. According to Public Health’s report, 50.2% of all residents have started vaccination with 45.6% having been fully vaccinated.
There are also currently five active outbreaks in Lewis County long term care facilities.
On Wednesday, Gov. Jay Inslee provided a statement regarding the proven safety and efficacy of Pfizer’s pediatric COVID-19 vaccine.
“Parents can breathe a sigh of relief that their younger kids can now be vaccinated against the deadly COVID-19 virus. This gets us a step closer to having the entire population of Washington eligible for the vaccine. And a step closer to finding our way out of this pandemic,” Inslee said in a statement.
“Now that younger kids can join older children, who have been eligible, the challenges of cases in schools should be more manageable. Ideally, this means less transmission, fewer absences and healthier kids and educators,” he continued.
There is not currently a mandate for children to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to attend class in public schools.
