The weekly new case counts of COVID remain in the single-digit range on Vashon. That good news is tempered by an uptick in cases over the last two weeks.
Vashon is currently averaging a new COVID infection every day, according to the data dashboard maintained by Public Health — Seattle & King County (PHSKC). For King County as a whole, the dashboard shows weekly cases are up 26%.
Our Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) experts monitoring the situation say this pulse in new cases is a gentle but real reminder that COVID has not gone away, just subsided. Whatever the level of disease in the community, COVID remains as contagious as ever for individuals and households. It still kills over 700 Americans every day.
Why Testing Matters So Much Right Now
Testing remains one of our most effective tools to help spot a new COVID wave and prevent its spread on Vashon.
Vashon MRC encourages everyone to stock up on home test kits and to call the MRC helpline if anyone in your household tests positive. In past surges, the MRC COVID monitoring program has been very effective in helping us give islanders early warning of a new COVID surge, even before it shows up on the public health dashboard.
With the broad availability of home tests, this is more important than ever. MRC experts staffing the helpline can provide customized advice to help patients safely and comfortably isolate, and keep their families or households safer. Isolating when ill reduces community spread and thus helps to tamp down a spike. The MRC helpline is (844) 469-4554.
Home Testing: Especially Valuable for Kids
Experience tells us that testing kids can be especially important for efforts to control the spread of COVID. This will be extra important if we face another wave of infection from a new variant or sub-variant, such as Omicron BA.2.
“Here’s why testing kids will make a difference if some new variant takes hold. The case rate in Vashon kids is twice that of Vashon overall,” Dr. Jim Bristow said. “Even though kids are less likely to end up in the hospital compared to adults, they are still just as contagious as adults when they get COVID, and being kids they are less careful about masking and other prevention measures.”
Dr. Bristow, a pediatrician and the lead physician for the MRC’s testing and vaccination efforts, points out that kids from infants up to age 19 make up about 17% of the island’s population, but account for double that percentage of Vashon’s COVID cases so far this year.
“Home testing helps parents make good choices about sending kids out to play with friends, to birthday parties, family visits, school, or after-school sports. Identifying a COVID case early reduces the spread of the disease in the community, including siblings and other household members. That’s why it’s really important to test children at the first sign of sniffles or other symptoms,” Bristow said. “With home testing, parents have the power to help keep their family and the community safer.”
Second Boosters Approved for All Adults Aged 50+
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have approved a second COVID-19 vaccine booster shot for people aged 50 and older. Providers have moved quickly to make the second booster shot available, including here on the island.
“Emerging evidence suggests that a second booster dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine improves protection against severe COVID-19 and is not associated with new safety concerns,” FDA officials said in announcing the amendment to the emergency use authorization (EUA) that already provides for an initial booster shot.
Individuals aged 50 and older can now get a second booster of either the Pfizer or the Moderna vaccine at least four months after getting their first booster. The FDA also says that individuals 12 years and older who are immunocompromised or have had certain organ transplants may be eligible for the Pfizer booster, while individuals with such health conditions who are 18 or older can get a second Moderna or Pfizer booster.
In addition, the FDA update says people who are immunocompromised and may have already received four shots will be able to get a fifth. The additional booster is “especially important for those 65 and older and those 50 and older with underlying medical conditions that increase their risk for severe disease from COVID-19 as they are the most likely to benefit from receiving an additional booster dose at this time,” said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky.
Vashon Pharmacy: Appointments for second booster shots can be made online at vashonpharmacy.com/covid or by completing a paper form inside the pharmacy. Appointments for first-, second-, and third-dose (first booster) shots are also available. All vaccinations are administered at the pharmacy.
Vashon Natural Medicine: Vaccination services, including second boosters, are being provided to Vashon Natural Medicine patients. Follow the usual process for getting care, including making appointments for an in-person visit.
Sea Mar at Sunrise Ridge: Sea Mar clinics, is offering second boosters to walk-ups or by appointment, but an appointment is recommended. To make an appointment and check on vaccine availability, call 206-463-3671. Also, check vaccine information at sea.org/covid-vaccine.
Off-Island Sources: Check with your healthcare provider for second booster availability. Many are offering the service already and more expect to come online soon. All the major networks offer first-, second-, and third-dose (first booster) shots. In addition, many chain pharmacies vaccinate by appointment or, in some cases, on a drop-in basis.
Bird Flu Outbreak Advice
As if a COVID pandemic wasn’t enough bad news about infectious diseases, a nationwide outbreak of bird flu has threatened millions of birds. Vashon residents with flocks are being asked to take precautions to protect their birds, especially since it can be spread by wild bird populations. Avian flu doesn’t infect humans.
There’s some concern that the price of chicken and eggs could drive up your grocery bill because farmers have been forced to destroy flocks to prevent the spread of the disease. To date, more than eight million chickens have been euthanized nationwide to prevent the spread of the disease from infected flocks. Partly as a result of the avian flu outbreak, the national average price of chicken breast has jumped from $2.42 per pound last year at this time to nearly $3.65 per pound, a 50% increase.
For more information about symptoms to watch for and actions to take, farmers and keepers of chickens or other poultry can consult information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Defend the Flock Program at USDA-DefendTheFlock. Another source of information is an avian influenza blog being produced by The Old Goats Home & Rescue, at bit.ly/OldGoatsAvianFlu.
Latest Vashon COVID Statistics:
Source: Public Health — Seattle & King County (PHSKC) and Vashon EOC. PHSKC adjusts statistics from time to time as data is refined during its quality control processes. These statistics may not include all recent Vashon cases, due to the lag in posting of data to PHSKC. Some home testing data may also be missing because there is no comprehensive system to collect it. Hospitalizations may include some patients who tested positive for COVID on admission for other reasons.
780 = Total COVID cases for Vashon residents since the pandemic began.
3 = New cases reported since the last weekly report (7 new cases in 14 days).
12 = Patients hospitalized since the pandemic began.
5 = Deaths since the pandemic began.
92.7% = percentage of Vashon residents age 5+ who have been fully vaccinated, compared to 85.2% of the total King County 5+ population.
73.3% = percentage of vaccinated Vashon residents age 12+ with booster shots.
62.6 % = percentage of Vashon residents aged 5 to 11 with first doses of vaccine (58.7% have completed the series).
82.1% = percentage of Vashon residents aged 12 to 17 with first doses of vaccine (76.7% have completed the 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, 13 times more likely to be hospitalized for COVID and 22 times more likely to die of COVID.
Read COVID updates by VashonBePrepared in Spanish and English, at tinyurl.com/yan39zeh. Sign up to receive email updates from the group at tinyurl.com/4smk.364m. For more resources, visit VashonBePrepared.org or go to the group’s Facebook page.
