COVID cases on the rise in King County and across Washington

The rise in COVID cases in Washington has public health officials worried, with a weekly average of almost 400 new positive cases per day in King County alone.

The current surge in cases is higher than the initial wave earlier this year, as the county’s daily outbreak summary shows.

The Washington State Department of Health and Coronavirus Response Joint Information Center (JIC) held a telebriefing on Tuesday to provide an update on the state’s ongoing response to COVID-19; you can watch the briefing in full below.

King County has been in Phase 2 of the state’s Safe Start plan since June. If COVID cases continue to rise, public health officials warn of another lockdown to mitigate the spread of the virus.

“I am extremely concerned about what seems to be an accelerating trend in the spread of COVID-19. Immediate action is needed from all of us to avoid new restrictions and prevent our hospitals from becoming overwhelmed.” State Health Officer Dr. Kathy Lofy said in a statement. “This situation is extraordinarily urgent, and we’re running out of time to change direction. We need everyone in Washington state to take action now to stop the spread of COVID-19.”

COVID-19 cases are spiking all across the country. Washington is no different.

Our hospitalizations are now on the rise, too.

We need to get this under control, and we need to do it fast. https://t.co/8w1xCQlldg
— Governor Jay Inslee (@GovInslee) November 10, 2020

If you want to learn about risk levels across the country, check out this risk assessment planning tool designed by a team of researchers at Georgia Tech.

You can stay updated on the state’s COVID announcements on the Washington State Coronavirus Response website.