||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT |||


Since the last update on Friday December 17, there have been 13 new confirmed or probable cases in San Juan County. Current case count is now 479. However, there are a number of suspect cases currently under investigation that are not yet counted in the total case count pending confirming test results, but may contribute to a spike in case numbers in the days ahead.

There are approximately six unvaccinated close contacts of positive cases currently in quarantine in the islands. Six of the thirteen new cases have been identified as being fully vaccinated.

  • LOPEZ ISLAND: There are five new cases on Lopez Island since the last update, all of which are tied either directly or indirectly to a previously reported case. There are seven positive cases under active monitoring on Lopez Island at this time.
  • ORCAS ISLAND: There are five new cases on Orcas Island since the last update. There are seven positive cases under active monitoring on Orcas Island. Note that there is an active outbreak investigation underway on Orcas at this time tied to a holiday gathering. More cases are anticipated.
  • SAN JUAN ISLAND: There are two new cases on San Juan Island since the last update. There are two positive cases under active monitoring on San Juan Island at this time.
  • NOTE: There is also one new case tied to Decatur Island, but the individual is isolating at a mainland location and there is no exposure risk to the Decatur community.

IMPORTANT NOTES:
There is a strong sense within the local public health contact tracing team that WA and San Juan County are on the verge
of a significant surge in cases. Whether it happens this coming week, or soon after, it seems clear that the Omicron
variant will lead to many more infections. While the severity of illness from this new variant is unknown (initial signs
suggesting it is somewhat less severe than Delta are encouraging), the sheer number of cases happening all at once will
likely lead to a significant drain on healthcare resources. Please review the info below in advance of the anticipated
surge.

  1. Being vaccinated continues to offer significant protection from severe illness and is the single most effective way
    to help reduce your chances of ending up in the hospital from COVID. Many local and mainland providers continue to offer doses, and the current schedule and registration links for upcoming County vaccine clinics is at www.sanjuanco.com/1737/COVID-Vaccine-Info. January booster clinics will be posted to website next week.
  2. The County Health & Community Services team gave away more than 3,000 mail-in test kits last week. For those
    who received those kits, please note that the expiration date for those kits that were due to expire 12/21 has been extended out one year by the manufacturer. The County and some local providers are actively working with WA DOH and the federal government to secure more at-home testing kits. Details will be provided when additional info is available.
  3. From the very beginning of the pandemic the local Health & Community Services contact tracing and
    surveillance teams have taken tremendous pride in the high level of attention and effort they have put into
    managing the risk of spread from every positive case that is reported. Please note that as cases spike due to
    Omicron, the teams will likely be unable to support that high level of service. Email may replace phone calls as
    the primary form of outreach, staff may be less available or unavailable to answer individual questions, and
    those who test positive may be asked to do the notification of their close contacts themselves and to share info
    provided by Health & Community Services staff. Islanders are asked to be patient and understanding of the
    limitations placed on the response due to a potentially record volume of cases.
  4. If cases spike as expected, WA and San Juan County residents may expect increased limits on activities. Specifics
    of what those limits may look like are unknown, but they may include increased testing or vaccination
    requirements in some settings, limits on social gatherings, or scaling back of activities that may be seen as high
    risk. Hopefully the spike in cases won’t lead to a dramatic strain on hospitals but given the relatively large
    number of individual choosing to remain unvaccinated, it seems likely that it will. If there is good news in this, it
    is that initial data suggests that the Omicron spike will be over relatively quickly, perhaps in just a few weeks. If
    so, that suggests that any new limits may be somewhat short in duration.

As always, the Health & Community Services team is tremendously appreciative of the ongoing support, patience, and cooperation of the community. The current situation is not what any of us wanted, but the islands continue to shine amidst the struggle, and our team wishes all islanders a safe, warm, and peaceful holidays.


 

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