The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

The cumulative number of covid-19 cases rose to 306 this week after three new cases were reported. Of those, seven are considered potentially active.

In the county, the number of reported hospitalizations rose to 25, and the number of deaths attributed to covid-19 stands at five.

The number of patients being treated for covid-19 at St. John Hospital was down to 12 on Tuesday.

“Covid cases continue to decline around us and in Washington State as a whole,” Wahkiakum Health and Human Services Director Chris Bischoff said.

According to the Johns Hopkins’ Coronavirus Resource Center, 78,548,831 cases of covid-19 had been confirmed in the United States as of Tuesday, and 936,764 people have died as a result of the virus. In Washington, there have been 1,409,253 cases of covid-19 reported and 11,615 people have died.

The Washington Department of Health is reporting that 72.7 percent of the state’s population age five and older are fully vaccinated, while 50.7 percent of that same population in Wahkiakum County is considered fully vaccinated.

Vaccinations continue to be available for anyone age five and up in Wahkiakum County.

Moderna vaccines are being offered to patients at the Wahkiakum Clinic, and at the Cathlamet Pharmacy. Call to make an appointment.

The Pfizer vaccine is available at Wahkiakum Health and Human Services. For information or to make an appointment, call 360-849-4041.

Governor Jay Inslee has announced that he will rescind the mask mandate, mostly, on March 21. On March 1, the vaccination mandate for large events will also be lifted.

While face masks will no longer be required in most settings, including K-12 schools and other child care facilities after March 21, they will still be required in prisons, long-term care facilities, clinical settings, on public transportation, and in school buses.

Businesses or local governments may continue to have vaccination and mask requirements in place for employees and customers if they wish, and school districts can still expect students and teachers to wear masks. The Department of Health will have more guidance for schools the week of March 7.

For large outdoor events, the mandate is already lifted, Bischoff said.

However, Bischoff added, people who still want to wear masks at work or into places of business are still encouraged to do so.

For more information, go to https://medium.com/wagovernor/covid-19-trends-give-leaders-confidence-to-look-towards-next-phase-of-pandemic-response-a46340dd2997.