SPOKANE, Washington – If current trends continue, Spokane County will be in danger of being moved back to Phase 2 of the state’s reopening plan.
The county has on average about 119 cases per day and about 273 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over two weeks. The value of the state requires calls for less than 200 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 14 days.
Spokane County is also on the verge of hospitalization. The value of the local hospital is 5.2 hospitalizations per 100,000 inhabitants in a weekly period, when the state says the number should be less than five.
If these figures do not fall, Spokane County could risk being moved back one phase during the next state assessment. Governor Jay Inslee weakened the requirements that counties must meet to remain in Phase 3 before the previous assessment. To go down one phase, counties must fail both values for the number of cases and hospitalizations, while previously, counties would move backwards if only one succeeded. Weak guidelines saved Spokane County from moving to Phase 2, but now the county fails to meet both requirements.
At a meeting Tuesday morning, officials in the Spokane Regional Health District said people between the ages of 10 and 39 were causing the problems. People in this demographic age are responsible for 61% of new cases.
Health authorities have reiterated the importance of vaccination, as it helps protect people from the virus and reduces transmission, which could lead to further variations. Every Washingtonian aged 16 and over is now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
CONTACT: Whitman County returns to Phase 2, Spokane County remaining in Phase 3
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