Covid-19 update

Covid-19 numbers shifted this week in Wahkiakum County when the Washington Department of Health subtracted one case from the cumulative total of reported cases, bringing the number 644, and one from the number of hospitalizations, bringing that total to 50. The number of deaths attributed to the virus remains 12.

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 53.4 percent of the population in Wahkiakum County has had the primary series, and according to WA DOH, 34.8 percent of the people in the county eligible for the bivalent booster have had it while only 32 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 where 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 federal declaration of emergency ends on May 11,” Bischoff said. “This will likely mean the end to free at home test kits. There will be a few other effects, but most people will not notice those.”

“The World Health Organization declared an end to the public health emergency of international concern”, Bischoff added. “This has little to no implications in the United States. Covid-19 is still considered a pandemic by the WHO.”