The Thursday, May 21 data from the Snohomish Health District suggest what might be interpreted as a slight setback in our local battle with COVID-19.
New cases recorded in the past 24 hours (yellow chart) show that 36 cases were added to those infected, the biggest jump this week and a sobering departure from Wednesday’s record low of 9 additions to the local caseload. As would be expected, this contributed to a jump in the total active case count (red chart), with 31 added since Wednesday. Despite this one-day jump, the overall trend for this metric continues down, with Thursday’s case count standing at 593 currently ill with the virus.
Number of recovered cases (green chart) increased by four, the same number as Wednesday, bringing to 2,473 the number of Snohomish County residents who have contracted the virus and recovered. Hospitalizations (purple chart) remains at the lowest level since mid-March, with 37 currently receiving hospital care for COVID-19.
One new death (gray chart) was recorded Thursday, occurring in the city of Lynnwood. This brings the total number of fatalities recorded this week to seven. The total Snohomish County COVID-19 death toll now stands at 133 over the full reporting period, which pencils out to 4.16% of the total infected.
The local numbers for Thursday, May 21, 2020:
— By Larry Vogel
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From the Washington State Department of Health
Recreate responsibly
The long weekend is a welcome opportunity for families and households to get outside for fresh air and exercise. Most state lands and parks are now open for day use; camping at state parks is still not allowed. Here are some reminders about how to recreate responsibly while doing our part to stop the spread of COVID-19:
- Stay local. Find a place to hike, picnic or take a walk that is close to home. Please avoid traveling outside your own county borders to popular destinations
- Avoid crowded areas. Public gatherings are still not allowed.
- Enjoy the outdoors with people in your immediate household.
- Follow physical distancing and etiquette rules such as wearing a cloth face covering and staying 6 feet apart from others.
Check your local parks department for information about what’s open or closed. For information about state lands and parks, visit the Department of Natural Resources, Washington State Parks, and Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Wash your hands
Although it may be possible to get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it, and then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes, COVID-19 does not spread easily that way. And you can prevent that kind of exposure by being sure to wash your hands before you touch your face. If your skin is healthy and you don’t touch your face, you can’t get COVID-19 just by touching something with the virus on it. So for most situations — like driving, running errands, using an ATM, pumping gas, or pushing a shopping cart — wearing gloves is not a helpful way to protect yourself. It would be more helpful to use hand sanitizer frequently while running errands and be careful not to touch your face. Then, be sure to wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds when you get home.
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