COVID-19 transmission appears to be plateauing in Washington state, but health officials say the state remains in a "highly precarious situation."
The latest statewide situation report shows a decrease in transmission. However, the estimated proportion of the state's population with active infections remains around the same as it was in mid-November, with an increase in hospitalizations.
The Department of Health says if people do not continue to take active steps in lowering transmission, the state could see "exponential growth" in infections.
Over the past two weeks, 31 of 39 counties had rates above 200 new cases per 100,000 people. Sixteen had two-week rates above 500 new cases per 100,000 people, indicating COVID-19 activity remains high and widespread, according to the Department of Health.
However, some counties are seeing decreasing case counts, including Clark, King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Spokane. Chelan, Kittitas, Stevens, and Whitman counties had declines to mid-November levels.
Other counties appear to have plateauing case counts, including Benton, Cowlitz, Douglas, Okanogan, and Walla Walla.
Grant, Kitsap, Skagit, Yakima, Grays Harbor, Lewis, and Mason counties have seen flat or declining trends, but still have higher case counts than before Thanksgiving.
“Because of the high levels of disease activity Washington state has seen this fall, we are looking for more than just a flat trend. We need to see a significant decrease in cases and hospitalizations, and the only way to get there is to intensify our current efforts to control the spread of the virus,” said Dr. Umair A. Shah, the state's secretary of health. “It is encouraging to see that those efforts have helped the state avoid a post-Thanksgiving spike. If we want to maintain this progress going into the new year, we must take every precaution possible including limiting in-person celebrations to our immediate households.”