Covid-19 update

Eight more Wahkiakum County residents tested positive for covid-19 in the last week, according to the Washington Department of Health, bringing the cumulative total to 583.

Hospitalizations stand at 37, and eight deaths in the county have been attributed to covid-19.

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.

Covid-19 cases are still pretty high in most of the state, but starting to drop in many counties, Wahkiakum Health and Human Services Director Chris Bischoff said.

“The Washington Department of Health has announced an incredible additional resource in the fight agains severe covid-19 cases,” Bischoff said. “They are now offering free telehealth appointments to people who have tested positive for covid-19.”

Bischoff said that the positive test can be an at home test or a lab test; the telehealth provider can proscribe an antiviral, which will be free, if indicated; there is no health insurance required to access this free service; and those without internet access can call 1-800-525-0127 to arrange a telehealth visit from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Mondays, and from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. the rest of the week.

WA DOH is reporting that 68.8 percent of the total population of the state of Washington is considered fully vaccinated, while only 51.1 percent of the same population in Wahkiakum County is considered fully vaccinated.

The Pfizer vaccine, including a second booster, is available for anyone six months and older 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.

The Moderna vaccine, including a second booster, is available at the Cathlamet Pharmacy. Call 360-795-3691.

In the state of Washington 145 people have tested positive for monkeypox, including one person in Cowlitz County, one person in Lewis County, and three people in Clark County.

“Several other states have declared emergencies around monkeypox,” Bischoff said. “I have not heard whether Washington will follow suit. The state has a very limited amount of vaccine and is working on trying to get those most vulnerable vaccinated.”