Covid-19 update

One more Wahkiakum County resident succumbed to covid-19 in the last week bringing the total number deaths attributed to the virus to 12, according to the Washington Department of Health, while the cumulative number of reported cases and hospitalizations remained unchanged at 644 and 50.

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 70.8 percent of the population in Washington state has received the primary series of the vaccine, only 53.3 percent of the population in Wahkiakum County has had the primary series, and according to WA DOH, 34.2 percent of the people in the county eligible for the bivalent booster have had it while only 31.6 percent of people eligible in the state have opted to receive it.

The primary series of the Pfizer vaccine and the Pfizer bivalent booster, including a version for juveniles, are available at the vaccine clinic offered by Wahkiakum Health and Human Services.

The clinic is held 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 health department’s vaccine clinics are held at their Elochoman Valley Campus, at 42 Elochoman Valley Road.

According to Wahkiakum Health and Human Services Director Chris Bischoff, the waiting room/check-in area for the clinic is in the first building that people see when they turn into the south driveway, called Building 1. Parking is to the right. The entrance is at the northeast corner of the building. People will be greeted and given the forms they need to fill out for their visit.

The primary series of the Moderna vaccine and the new Moderna bivalent booster are available at the Cathlamet Pharmacy by appointment, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. and 2-5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Call 360-795-3691 for more information or to make an appointment.

“The Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control are considering approving an additional dose of the current booster for those 65 and older,” Bischoff said this week. “The decision hasn’t been made yet, but is expected in the next couple of months.

While the current booster has been working very well in protecting against the current dominant strains of covid-19, scientists are also working on an updated booster that will likely be available around the same time as the flu shot, Bischoff added.