Vashon MRC reports COVID infection rate may be easing

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, June 15, 2022

Editor’s Note: Read COVID updates by VashonBePrepared in Spanish and English at tinyurl.com/yan39zeh.

Vashon COVID Monitoring: Some Easing of Infection Rate

The Vashon Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) experts report some early signs that the COVID infection rate might be easing. The MRC’s estimated case rate for Vashon Island has fallen to roughly 300 per 100,000 people per week, down from last week at 550 cases per 100,000 per week. Cases reported to the MRC helpline fell to 22 last week, about half the number of the previous week. It’s important to know, however, that it’s too early to predict an end to the current COVID spike. The rate of new cases remains well above the CDC threshold for high risk and we cannot relax yet. Keep masking. Keep assessing your risk level if you decide to attend a gathering.

The MRC estimates of the island case rate are developed by a multi-layered monitoring program. The MRC tracks the official statistical dashboard maintained by Public Health — Seattle & King County (PHSKC), the COVID dashboard posted by Vashon Island School District, test data from Vashon Pharmacy, and your reports to the MRC helpline. Please continue to help MRC track island COVID trends by reporting your positive home tests to the MRC helpline: (844) 469-4554.

It’s June: Time to Re-Order Tests

You can get 10 COVID tests every month from the state of Washington. They are free and they come right to your mailbox. Now we’re in June, so the window is open for you to order again: https://sayyescovidhometest.org.

Also, if you have not already taken advantage of the opportunity, the federal home testing program has made a third order of free test kits available: https://www.covid.gov/tests.

Many providers also will send you free tests or reimburse your purchase of tests. If you need service here on the island, Vashon Pharmacy has home test kits available (bit.ly/VashonPharmacyRapidTests) as well as proctored NAAT/PCR tests suitable for travel or pre-medical procedure testing. The Pharmacy will handle the insurance for you.

Tested Positive? What Next?

With this COVID spike, lots of people are testing positive. So what should you do when you or a member of your household gets the double line on your home test?

Stay home and isolate to keep from spreading COVID to others. That means staying home from work and school and avoiding other public places including the grocery store. Also, isolate yourself from members of your household as best you can, so they can avoid getting COVID. Let your recent contacts know that you’ve tested positive and they should get tested. There’s lots more advice available at this CDC web page: bit.ly/COVIDselfChecker.

You can use the CDC calculator to time your isolation period: bit.ly/COVIDactionTool. Most people who have mild cases of COVID will be able to end isolation after five full days followed by another five days of wearing a well-fitting mask everywhere they go. But we also know that about one-third of people will still be infectious after 5 days, so it’s a good idea to test yourself on day 6 or 7 with an antigen test and keep isolating if your test is positive.

COVID treatments may be available if you test positive and are an older adult or someone who is at high risk of getting very sick from COVID: bit.ly/COVIDTreatmentOptions. Contact a healthcare provider right away after a positive test to determine if you are eligible for treatment, even if your symptoms are mild right now. Don’t delay: treatment must be started within the first few days to be effective.

Be alert for these emergency warning signs and get help immediately if you have any of them:

Trouble breathing.

Persistent pain or pressure in the chest.

New confusion.

Inability to wake or stay awake.

Pale, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds, depending on skin tone.

Consider getting a pulse oximeter, which can easily read your blood oxygen levels and let you know when you might need to go to the hospital. Check it frequently and call your doctor if you have readings below 90% or a decreasing trend of oxygen levels.

Pandemic Mortgage Assistance for Homeowners

There’s help available for those having difficulty paying their mortgage during COVID. The Housing Assistance Fund has been put together by the Washington State Housing Finance Commission, and it’s available for all who are below the Area Median Income level, which is $102,594 for King County. You can check it out at this web page: https://bit.ly/HomeownerPandemicAssistance. You can also call or email Emily Northrup at Emily.northrup@wshfc.org or (877) 894-4663.

Latest Vashon COVID Statistics from the King County dashboard

Source: Public Health — Seattle & King County (PHSKC) and Vashon Emergency Operations Center. New and historic case counts shown here reflect test results from the public health reporting system which does not capture results from home tests.

9= New cases reported since the last weekly report (30 new cases in 14 days)

968= Total COVID cases for Vashon residents since the pandemic began.

17 = Patients hospitalized since the pandemic began.

5 = Deaths since the pandemic began.

93.7% = percentage of Vashon residents age 5+ who have completed the primary series, compared to 86.1% of the King County 5+ population.

66.9% = percentage of Vashon residents age 5+ who have added a booster shot to their completed primary series.

For King County, the PHSKC dashboard for the last 30 days says people who are not fully vaccinated are:

1.4 times more likely to get COVID.

7 times more likely to be hospitalized for COVID.

12 times more likely to die of COVID.

For more resources, visit VashonBePrepared.org or visit the group’s Facebook page. Sign up at tinyurl.com/4smk364m to receive email updates.