Risk 'higher now than it has ever been': King County reaches new peaks in coronavirus cases

King County is reaching new peaks in the number of coronavirus cases it is reporting.

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And if people don't do more to slow the spread of the virus, it could only get worse, public health officials said Friday.

For the past several weeks, coronavirus cases have been increasing in King County and regionally. The county reported an average of more than 300 new cases each day over the last week, significantly higher than the number of cases the county was reporting in late September and during its initial outbreak. As of Tuesday, the county was reporting 155 new cases per 100,000 people over the previous 14 days.

"Cases continue to accelerate in the wrong direction and it's best to hit the brakes before we crash and not after," Jeff Duchin of Public Health — Seattle & King County said during a news briefing Friday.

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"Too many of us are doing too much with too little consideration of the consequences of our action on others. The risk of acquiring COVID-19 today is higher now than it has ever been and the longer we wait, the more difficult it gets, and the longer it will take to bring the case counts down."

The rise in cases in King County represents a true increase in transmission of the virus and is not just a reflection of more testing, Duchin said. The countywide positivity rate increased from about 2% in September to about 3.5% recently.

About 70% of cases are being reported among young and working-age adults, ages 20 to 60 years old. The effective reproductive number — the number of people one infected person will spread the virus to — also likely remains above one in King County. That means the virus will keep growing.

Over the course of October, hospitalizations went up slightly when compared to September, but the number of hospitalizations has remained "relatively steady" in recent weeks, Duchin said. The county also saw a small increase in deaths in October, but that number has also remained relatively stable.

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Everyone should be worried about the spread of the virus to people who have underlying conditions are more vulnerable, Duchin said. That has the potential to put a strain the county's healthcare system.

Managing the pandemic will require long-term changes, Duchin said.

"We can choose our path forward, or we can let the virus choose it for us," Duchin said. "Ignoring COVID prevention is a recipe for unnecessary suffering."

Duchin said he understands people are feeling COVID-19 fatigue and stress. But too many cases of the virus, he said, are related to activities such as socializing, gathering of friends and family and visiting bars and restaurants.

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"I believe we can do the things that we need to do when we work together and we do them safer, smaller and smarter," Duchin said. "Both our personal health and the health of our economy will improve to the extent that we can stop the spread of the virus.

Duchin mentioned several key steps people should take and things to keep in mind to slow the spread of the virus. First, he emphasized people should remember you can't tell if someone has the virus just by looking at them. Someone could be spreading the coronavirus even if they are not showing any symptoms.

"We need to expect it where we don't expect it," Duchin said.

People also need to do better at limiting the number of activities they are doing outside of their homes and avoiding indoor gatherings, where the virus spreads much more easily. Masks remain one of the most important tools people have in protecting the community and slowing the spread of the virus. People should also pay attention to ventilation, opening windows and doors when possible and should keep up with handwashing and other cleaning protocols.

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And, lastly, Duchin again urged people to get their flu shots. This could both help reduce the potential strain on hospitals.

"We don't have to follow the pathway to pain that so many other communities are experiencing," he said. "We still have time to change course."

It's possible officials will have to put back into place additional restrictions if case counts continue to surge — but not a step officials want to have to take. Duchin said he believes everyone has the option now to voluntarily change their behaviors.

"We would rather not. We would rather have people be able to make the decision for themselves about doing things more safely, in a limited way," Duchin said. "But if that doesn't happen, if we can't get enough people behaving safely enough, and cases continue to rise, and we feel our healthcare system is being compromised, we'll have to make policy changes that will involve cutting back the types of activities that people can do in the community."

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With the holidays coming up, Duchin said he is concerned. People should think about ways to celebrate the holidays while keeping themselves and their family members safe.

"We really need people to think about this holiday and think about how to make sure that next year everybody in the family is at the dinner table," Duchin said, "and we don't lose people that we otherwise would have been able to celebrate with by acting responsibly and doing everything we can this Thanksgiving."

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