OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington set a new daily record for new coronavirus cases, with 1,777 new cases announced Saturday.
That number tops the previous record of almost 1,500 new COVID cases reported in a single day, which was the most the state had reported in a single day since the start of the pandemic.
The state Department of Health (DOH) warned that COVID-19 cases are spreading in the Puget Sound region. The update brings the state’s totals to more than 116,000 confirmed cases and 2,4319 deaths.
For most, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks, although long-term effects are unknown.
But for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
Earlier this week, State Health Officer Dr. Kathy Lofy said, "We're going the wrong way fast," referring to a spike in COVID-19 cases across the state.
Local health officials are also sounding alarms about the growing number of cases.
On Friday, Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin for Public Health - Seattle and King County, said they're seeing increasing COVID-19 cases across all ages in the county, but predominantly among young and working age adults. He said 70% of the county's cases are in the 20- to 60-year-old age range.
“We have reached a new peak, with approximately 308 new cases reported each day last week,” Duchin said. “That’s four-fold higher than late September, and over 100 cases per day more than the initial outbreak in the spring.”
He said “too many” of the recent COVID-19 cases are related to community activities and travel, gatherings with friends and families, parties, weddings and visiting bars and restaurants.
“Cases continue to accelerate in the wrong direction and it’s best to hit the brakes before we crash and not after,” said Duchin. “Too many of us are doing too much with too little consideration of the consequences of our actions on others. The risks of acquiring COVID-19 today is higher now than it has ever been.”
Duchin said going into the holiday season, people need to be extremely vigilant and not let pandemic fatigue stop them from taking precautions, such as wearing masks, social distancing and limiting time indoors with others not in their immediate households.
