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Two residents of Jefferson County – a man in his sixties and a woman in his sixties – have died from COVID-19, the peninsula health officer said.
The recent deaths bring the Jefferson County total to 15 and the two counties of the northern Olympic Peninsula to 65. Clallam County has recorded 50 deaths from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, health data shows public.
The man in his 60s was fully vaccinated but had cancer so his immune system was unable to respond fully, said Dr Allison Berry, head of health for Jefferson Counties and Clallam.
The woman was not vaccinated, Berry said.
Meanwhile, Clallam County added 40 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing its total to 4,245 cases since the start of the pandemic, according to public health data.
Jefferson County added seven new cases Thursday to hit the 1,000 case mark since the start of the pandemic, according to public health data.
Despite the new cases, Clallam County’s case rate continues to decline, with the county reporting a rate of 691 cases per 100,000 population in the past two weeks on Thursday. It recorded a case rate of 764 cases per 100,000 on Wednesday, according to public health data.
Jefferson County’s case rate, calculated weekly, fell to 275.86 cases per 100,000 in the past two weeks as of Saturday.
The previous week’s rate was 379.31 cases per 100,000, according to county public health data.
Due to the lower number of reported daily cases, Berry said she expects Jefferson County’s case rate to continue to decline when recalculated on Monday.
“We’re seeing a decrease in cases every day, so that’s good,” Berry said. “We’re definitely going down pretty quickly. ”
Wakeup call
Registrations for the Clallam County Mass Booster Vaccination Clinic on October 16 will go live today at 9 a.m. for eligible residents of Clallam County who have received the Pfizer vaccine, according to a press release. from the County of Clallam Emergency Management Department.
The clinic will be located at the Port Angeles High School and registration will be on the Clallam County website at http://www.clallam.net/Coronavirus. Those without internet access can call the county emergency management department at 360-417-2430 for assistance.
Booster shots are available for those who initially received the Pfizer series of vaccines. Eligible residents must be over 65 or over 18 with an underlying health condition, or have a job that puts them at risk.
“Of course, if you haven’t received a vaccine yet, you can also sign up for your first vaccine to start the two-vaccine series,” the press release said.
People are not required to receive the third booster dose as part of their proof of vaccination to comply with the mandate that requires patrons of indoor restaurants and bars to be fully vaccinated to sit indoors, a Berry said.
Due to the continued decline in COVID-19 cases in both counties, monoclonal antibody treatments are no longer available to high-risk residents infected with COVID-19, Berry said.
Treatment reduces the risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19 for patients at high risk of complications from the novel coronavirus, as long as it is provided early in their period of infection, Berry said .
Berry urges high-risk patients infected with COVID-19 to contact their health care provider as soon as possible to discuss treatment options.
Two patients who died from COVID-19 in Clallam County in the past month have tried to self-treat with ivermectin – the most common pest control drug used in pets and livestock – and this, combined with the delay in care from a health care provider, is believed to have contributed to their deaths, Berry said.
“We really encourage people to access treatment,” Berry said. “If you’re at high risk for serious disease, monoclonal antibodies are a great therapy if you can get them quickly enough.
“We have them for people at high risk. We have good treatment in hospitals for severe people who need hospital care. We talk a lot about how our hospital system is overwhelmed, but we’re still here and we really want to keep people alive. ”
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Jefferson County reporter Zach Jablonski can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 5, or at [email protected]
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