Four more cases of covid-19 were reported in the last week, bringing the cumulative number to 605 in the county, according to the Washington Department of Health.

The number of hospitalizations in the county rose by one to 42, and the number of deaths attributed to the virus remained at nine.

Disclaimer: With the easy accessibility of at home tests, the actual number of active covid-19 cases and actual cumulative numbers in the county, are hard to know.

While 68.8 percent of the total population in the state of Washington has completed the primary series of the vaccine, the number in Wahkiakum County remains unchanged at 51.5 percent.

A bivalent booster that covers the original strain of covid-19 as well as omicron and its two subvariants, BA.4 and BA.5, is available at the WHHS clinic to anyone age 12 and up that has finished the primary series and had at least two months pass since their last dose or booster.

“This is the first reworking of the formula for covid-19 vaccines since they came out for both Moderna and Pfizer,” Wahkiakum Health and Human Services Director Chris Bischoff said last week. “The hope is that this reworking will make this booster more effective against the most common current strains of covid-19.”

The new booster as well as the primary series of the Pfizer vaccine, which can be given to anyone six months and older, is available at the WHHS vaccine clinic on Mondays and Wednesdays, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30-3 p.m. Call 360-849-4041 for more information. There will be no vaccine clinic on Monday, September 26, because of staffing issues.

“We are still getting a few people in for the new boosters,” Bischoff said.

The Moderna vaccine, including a second booster, is available at the Cathlamet Pharmacy. Call 360-795-3691. Please note: The pharmacy has not yet received Moderna’s booster specific to omicron sub variants and they are still uncertain when it will arrive.

“The president says that the pandemic is over but the covid-19 response will be continuing,” Bischoff said. “The governor is rolling back his emergency order at the end of October. What does this all mean? Covid-19 is still a public health threat and will remain so for, probably, a really long time. People will need to exercise caution about their health as they do about many other issues.”

Bischoff advises the following to minimize your risk for covid-19:

• Keep up to date on available boosters. “This is number one, because it is the most effective risk mitigation strategy,” Bischoff said.

• Watch for covid-19 activity levels in your area and plan activities accordingly.

• Maintain social distancing especially when covid-19 activity levels are high.

• Avoid crowds and crowded areas or;

• Mask when going where there are many people and/or when covid-19 activity levels are high.

• Wash your hands regularly.

• Cover coughs and sneezes.

Monkeypox case numbers are falling, but according to Bischoff, it continues to be an issue.

“Vaccine deployment is still ongoing, targeting the most likely impacted individuals,” he added.