COVID Update from VashonBePrepared
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, November 3, 2021
Note: The following is an updated version of a COVID Update from VashonBePrepared, sent by email to community members on Friday, Oct. 29. The original email is available to read in English and Spanish at tinyurl.com/yan39zeh.
Some Indications Island’s COVID Surge May Be Easing
The island’s new case rate for this week has dropped sharply from the peak a few weeks ago. However, it’s too early to be confident that the surge is over. On October 13, the surge peaked at 203 new cases per week per 100,000 population, then fell back to 148 per week per 100,000 in the next week. This week, the new case rate was down to 28 per week per 100,000.
“That’s a very sharp drop for such a small time period, so we need to keep up our guard and be careful we don’t fall into the trap of thinking the surge is over. We need to see more data over a longer period of time,” said Michael Sperazza, of Vashon’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
Sperazza is Chief of the EOC’s Situation Section and has been compiling statistics since the pandemic began early in 2020.
“We have a small population, so even minor changes in the number of cases could have a big effect,” he said. “We also know Public Health – Seattle & King County (PHSKC) has been overwhelmed with the number of cases, and there has been a lag in reporting of data, so there could be more cases that simply haven’t made it into the reporting.”
New Death Recorded by Public Health
Sadly, the latest statistics from Public Health include some bad news. The PHSKC dashboard of statistics now shows that four island residents have died from COVID-related causes. As required by state and federal privacy laws and our own policies, we do not report the identities of patients unless permission has been granted.
School Vaccination Clinics Coming Soon
Plans are moving ahead with Vashon Island School District (VISD), and school vaccination clinics could begin as early as the week of Nov. 8. However, much remains to be decided before the schedule can be finalized.
The FDA and CDC authorization process is still underway, although initial steps have been completed. Authorization will follow a path similar to the recent authorization process for adult booster vaccinations. Initial shipments of vaccine will probably be limited and that may require conducting school vaccinations in phases by grades or age groups.
Earlier this year, Vashon Pharmacy conducted successful school vaccination clinics for students aged 12 and over. Planning clinics for kids aged 5 to 11 will be more challenging.
For example, for the youngest children, clinics will need to be scheduled at times when parents can be off work, so they can be with their kids to ease child anxiety. Parental approval will be required for all children. The school vaccinations will be provided by Vashon Pharmacy with the support of Vashon Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), Vashon Emergency Operations Center (EOC), and the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).
Get Your Booster Shot Now
Here’s a heads up: Appointments for adult booster shots at the Methodist Church may be more scarce when the school age vaccination program is underway. There are only so many vaccinators available, and demand will be high. If you want to get an adult booster, it’s a good idea to get your appointment now, so you can get the injection this coming week and be fully protected by the time the holiday season comes around. To make an appointment, go to: VashonPharmacy.com/COVID
COVID? Flu? Cold? Allergies? How Can You Tell?
Public health experts say everyone should just play it safe when they feel ill and assume they have COVID until they know for sure that they do not. The best way to know which of the ailments you have is to get tested. It’s a good idea to keep some of the rapid test kits at home so you can do a quick check for your peace of mind. Still, rapid tests are not perfect. There have been some recent cases on Vashon where a person went back to work after a rapid test was negative but a later test turned out to be positive, unfortunately after infecting others.
Vashon Community COVID Statistics
230 = Total COVID cases for Vashon residents since the pandemic began.
114 = New cases since early July when the Delta variant hit Vashon
6 = Patients hospitalized since the pandemic began
4 = Deaths since the pandemic began
88% = Vashon residents (aged 12+) fully vaccinated (more than 95% have 1st shot)
Public Health — Seattle & King County statistics show that unvaccinated county residents are currently:
— 11 times more likely to test positive for COVID.
— 90 times more likely to be hospitalized for COVID.
— 85 times more likely to die of COVID-related illness.
Please, get vaccinated if you haven’t already done so. If you started and didn’t finish, please get the full benefit of your first shot by getting your second shot.
For more resources and information, visit VashonBePrepared.org. Sign up at tinyurl.com/4smk364m to receive updates from the group. VashonBePrepared can also be found on Facebook, by searching the name, spelled as one word.
