COVID-19 cases in Snohomish County are again trending up but there is also hope that many children ages 5 to 11 will soon be safer because of access to vaccination, a virtual press conference was told Tuesday.
For the two-week period ending Oct. 30, the COVID case rate rose more than 30 points to 385 new cases per 100,000. A total of 1,670 new cases were reported last week.
The data suggest that COVID infections in the county are plateauing or again going up, said Dr. Chris Spitters, Health Officer with the Snohomish Health District.
“The fifth wave is unlikely to be the last,” Dr. Spitters added later.
Much of the briefing focused on how COVID vaccines likely will be made available to children ages 5 to 11 once authorized by federal and state health officials.
Drive-thru appointments will not be available for 5- to 11-year-olds at mass vaccination sites administered by the health district, the briefing was told.
Younger children are not tiny adults and vaccinating them safely requires more time and care than can be delivered consistently in cars lined up at a mass vaccination site, Dr. Spitters said.
Families should look to pediatricians, other health care providers and pharmacies when it comes to scheduling COVID vaccination appointments for younger patients. Those settings are best equipped to meet their needs, he added.
The health district also has been discussing with school districts and others about opportunities for school-based vaccination clinics.
“Rest assured that we have been working behind the scenes to provide an adequate network of resources available for the 75,000 children who will soon be eligible” for the vaccine, Dr. Spitters said.
Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers said he’s also directed county staff to explore any opportunities to partner with school districts to make sure families have swift access once COVID vaccine is recommended for all school-aged kids.
“We’ve got to remember that COVID-19 remains a significant threat to the health and safety of our residents and is really a barrier to full recovery for our businesses and workers,” Executive Somers said. “So, it is vitally important that we continue our efforts.”
As he has done many times before, the Executive urged people to get vaccinated against COVID if they are eligible and to continue observing public health recommendations, including wearing masks and staying home when sick.
Watch a video of the full briefing: https://youtu.be/NNSUJWgxCd0
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