Amid a recent spike in new COVID-19 cases seemingly linked to WSU, county health officials expect vaccine supplies to increase significantly starting next week as the state expands eligibility to new frontline workers and other high-risk groups.
Public Health Director Chris Skidmore told the Board of Health on Monday the county had seen a sudden jump in cases after dropping down to “moderate” levels in February. He said about 95 percent of the new cases were in the 0-29 years old range, and reflected increases in positive cases reported at WSU.
“We have quickly spiked just the last week or two,” Skidmore said. “[But] we’re pretty confident that right now our contract tracing and case investigative efforts have this under control.”
WSU has reported dozens of new cases in the past two weeks. According to its testing dashboard, WSU’s 14-day positive case count has jumped from a low of 34 cases on Feb. 14 to more than 230 on March 14. The university reported 67 active cases today. The university issued a statement on the uptick last week.
Skidmore told county commissioners WSU was working to trace and isolate cases. He said the university had also tried to discourage St. Patrick’s Day festivities that might drive new outbreaks.
“There have been a lot of things WSU has done that I think they should get credit for,” he said.
Skidmore also noted the county had seen almost no COVID-19 activity in local long-term care facilities after getting those residents vaccinated.
“With any luck that will hopefully be behind us in another week or two,” he said of the recent spike.
Skidmore said the county will be accelerating its vaccination efforts next week as residents and workers in 1B-Tier 2 become eligible. This group includes grocery workers, food processing workers, corrections staff, public transit employees and individuals with high-risk disabilities. Find more information here.
“Next week is when we’re really going to hit full speed,” he said. “We’ll have probably several thousand doses coming into the county and we’ll be getting those out into arms relatively immediately.”
With the federal government pushing to make everyone eligible for the vaccine by May 1, Skidmore said he expects the restrictions on seeking a vaccine appointment to open up quickly over the next six weeks.
“Over next probably two months,” he said, “we’re going to see a dramatic increase in vaccine coming into the state.”
Skidmore said Whitman County also received approval last week to serve as a regional hub for Pfizer vaccine storage and distribution because of the local access to minus-80 degree freezer facilities.
Since Pfizer vaccines have a two-week window for use after being removed from ultra-cold storage, he said the county will hold extra doses until nearby counties need them.
“I think that will be a big help to some of these neighboring counties that don’t have that storage capability,” said.
WSU also told the Moscow-Pullman Daily News it had started preparations for large-scale student vaccinations once the supply and eligibility opens up in the coming months. The university plans to conduct on-campus clinics.
As local testing continues, Skidmore said the state has stepped up its efforts to screen and track COVID-19 variants. He noted the B-117 strain was recently confirmed in Spokane County and other variants may be spreading in the region.
Public health officials will be watching for new outbreaks or variants as the state moves to Phase 3 of its economic reopening plan, allowing up to 50 percent capacity in businesses and limited spectators at outdoor sporting events. You can find that guidance here.
Skidmore said he served as a representative for Eastern Washington during the recent discussion on reopening plans and is happy with some of the newly incorporated protocols. All counties will move into Phase 3 on March 22, but will be evaluated after three weeks and could move back if cases spike or medical facilities get strained.