The end-of-week numbers and charts for Washington state and Snohomish County show no letup in the resurgence of COVID-19 in our area. So far the county has been spared the sharp statewide increases, where daily new cases are now clocking in at almost twice the rate experienced during initial infection surge in late March and early April.

The State of Washington reported 1,266 new COVID-19 cases this past Thursday, a new record,  bringing the total number of cases to 44,313 as of July 15. The total number of deaths stand at 1,427. The following table and line chart respectively illustrate these numbers and how they have changed over the course of the infection:

In response to the continued spread of the virus, Gov. Inslee earlier this week announced new limits on gatherings in the home, and in community and work settings. Citing recent evidence suggesting that the virus is most easily and commonly spread through face-to-face interactions, the governor noted that if Washingtonians continue failing to adhere to mask-wearing and social distancing, more rollbacks may be in store

The corresponding numbers for Snohomish County, while also on the rise, are not as marked and have yet to surpass the historic highs of 12-14 weeks ago. Cumulative cases in the county (confirmed plus probable), are now approaching 4,500.

After qualifying for Phase 2 reopening in early June, these increases have pushed Snohomish County behind in three of the six the Phase 2 reopening criteria. While these numbers are troubling, it remains uncertain whether the county will move back to Phase 1 restrictions.

In the critical Phase 2 target of no more than 25 new cases per 100,000 population over a rolling two-week period, Snohomish County continues to move further from the goal, as the following chart illustrates:

Distribution of cases, deaths and hospitalizations continue to reflect the patterns of the past few weeks, with younger people showing the majority of infections, and older demographics disproportionately hospitalized and dying as a result of the disease.

Recent testing numbers and results show more test activity at both the state and county levels, with positive results in Snohomish County running at almost 7 percent, one point higher than the state overall.

Given the demand and delays in results, the Snohomish Health District announced Friday that beginning next week it would increase testing capacity in Snohomish County. For the week of July 20, the health district will only offer drive-thru testing at McCollum Park located at 600 128th St. S.E. in Everett. The schedule is as follows:

• Monday, July 20 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Tuesday, July 21 from noon to 7 p.m.
• Wednesday, July 22 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Thursday, July 23 from noon to 7 p.m.
• Friday, July 24 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Rather than operating multiple smaller testing sites that have been able to serve between 80 and 120 persons per day, the consolidated operation at McCollum Park is expected to test up to 225-250 people per day next week. In addition, the district plans to identify 1-2 larger sites in August to further increase capacity. More information on how to sign up is available here

Lastly, the following summary table from the Snohomish Health District shows the breakdown of all cases. Note that these numbers are through July 11 and differ from those reported in the overview illustrations above, which are current through July 15.

The data, tables and charts in this report are taken from the following:

• The Snohomish Health District COVID Count web page <https://www.snohd.org/499/COVID-19-Case-Count-Info>
• The Snohomish Health District weekly COVID report, July 11 update <https://www.snohd.org/DocumentCenter/View/4422/Weekly-Report_ending-July-11>
• The Washington State Department of Health COVID Dashboard <https://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/Coronavirus>
• The Washington State COVID Risk Assessment Dashboard <https://coronavirus.wa.gov/what-you-need-know/covid-19-risk-assessment-dashboard

— By Larry Vogel