COVID-19 Cases 'Plummeting' In Pierce County: TPCHD

TACOMA, WA — The omicron wave is firmly on the way out. As the state mulls the end of the mask mandate and other COVID-19 restrictions, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department says local case counts are "plummeting", and will likely to continue to improve over the coming weeks.

According to TPCHD's weekly case count report Tuesday, Pierce County saw a nearly 50 percent drop in cases week-over-week. The week before that, case counts dropped 30 percent. Last week, the health department reported a significant decline in COVID-19 outbreaks, and all signs are that the omicron wave is well past its prime.

Deaths and hospitalization improvements typically lag a few weeks behind case counts, which appears to be the case here. The county's hospitalization rate dipped by more than 20 percent, to 19.8 hospitalizations per 100,000 residents. And while hospitalizations and case counts dropped dramatically, Pierce County actually saw deaths increase from 31 to 43 confirmed fatalities last week. One of the victims was a 10-year-old Lakewood girl, the first and only minor to die of COVID-19 in the county.

Still, the pandemic is generally trending in the right direction, and it only appears that it will continue to improve, the health department said. As the pandemic wanes in Pierce County and across Washington, local and state health leaders say they're working on lifting select COVID-19 restrictions. Gov. Jay Inslee has promised to remove his mask rules for large outdoor events and end an emergency order restricting non-urgent surgeries by Feb. 18, Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal has also signalled that he is ready to drop mask mandates for students, and Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department Director Dr. Anthony L-T Chen says the county is ready as well.

"We will continue to monitor local COVID-19 data and CDC guidance, consult with other local health officers, and work with the State Department of Health to review indoor mask requirements," the health department said in a news release.

While residents wait out the final weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chen and other health leaders continue to urge those who are unvaccinated to consider seeking out vaccines or booster shots.

“We continue to see outbreaks in schools, with 90% of classroom outbreaks this week happening in elementary schools,” Dr. Chen said. “Children 5–11 years old are by far the least-vaccinated age group in Pierce County, with 75% still not vaccinated. Improving that number will be vital to updating mask guidance in local schools.”

>> Read more about mask requirements from the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department

This article originally appeared on the Puyallup Patch