The recent COVID-19 activity in Clark County saw a significant drop, though developing trends in new cases could force the rate to increase again in the coming weeks.
Clark County Public Health’s Dec. 22 report included 66.5 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population over seven days, down from the 88.7 per 100,000 reported on Dec. 15. The latest data ends seven weeks of increases and is the lowest it has been all month.
The statewide case rate also dropped, and is now above Clark County’s rate. As of Dec. 22, Washington had 77.8 cases per 100,000 population, down from 81.6 per 100,000 the prior week.
Recent case rates lag behind the most recent counts of cases. The health department’s most recent case rate was based on activity from Dec. 6 to Dec. 12.
Though the case rate decreased, the number of cases counted in the latest week nearly doubled. The health department reported 795 new COVID-19 cases between Dec. 15 and Dec. 22, more than the 405 reported between Dec. 8 and Dec. 15. In total, there have been 109,748 confirmed and probable cases in Clark County since the outbreak began, although that number does not include at-home tests, which often go unreported.
Clark County Public Health’s Dec. 22 report included two additional confirmed COVID-19 deaths and one death suspected to be due to the disease since its Dec. 15 update, lower than the three confirmed deaths but more than the no suspected deaths reported last week. The deaths bring Clark County’s total to 980, which includes 833 confirmed and 147 suspected deaths.
The number of COVID-19 patients occupying hospital beds in Clark County decreased. As of Dec. 22, 11.5% of beds had either patients with confirmed COVID-19 or patients awaiting test results, down from 15% reported on Dec. 15. The number of intensive care unit (ICU) beds occupied by COVID-19 patients and patients awaiting test results landed at 13.6%, more than the 12.8% the prior week.
New COVID-19 hospital admissions dropped slightly in the latest data. In its Dec. 22 report, the health department reported 9.4 admissions per 100,000 population in the past seven days, down from 9.6 admissions per 100,000 population reported on Dec. 15.
Clark County’s statewide share of COVID-19 cases stayed about the same as last week, though the percentage of deaths dropped slightly. The Washington State Department of Health reported the county had about 5.8% of cases and 6.5% of deaths.
