Among the topics tackled at Friday’s Snohomish County briefing on COVID-19: How deadly is the virus? What will our “new normal” look like? How do we begin to bring local business back to life? Where do we stand on COVID-19 testing?

“COVID is 10 times as deadly as the flu,” began Snohomish County Health Officer Dr. Chris Spitters. Data shows that three of every 100 COVID-19 patients in the county have died, he said, and for an average flu year, that ratio is one death for every 1,000 people. In recent flu seasons, data show an average of 40-45 deaths in the county. Just since January, when COVID broke out here, 85 patients have died, Spitter said.

Coronavirus is “completely different” than the flu, in terms of human impact, loss of life and effects on the medical community, he said. There is no proven treatment, no vaccine, or nothing reliable yet to fight the infection other than social distancing.

Spitters noted that the county is beginning to see disparity in how the virus attacks different racial and ethnic groups.  Nationwide, that has come under intense scrutiny.  Locally, Spitters said the infection rate for African Americans or Alaska/Native Americans is “double” that of Caucasians or Asian Americans: 85-90 for every 100,000 white/Asian American/Latinos; 150-165 cases per 100,000 for African Americans/Native Americans.

That means for everyone, the “new normal” —  cloth masks or face coverings and social distancing– is still in full force.  “Now is not the time to venture out for a play date, to visit family or for other non-essential activity,” Spitters said. Both he and Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers acknowledged that countywide, people have “successfully flattened the curve” (of new infections), but now we “must keep a lid on it.”

A critical part of that is how much more testing should be done to begin to ease restrictions and reopen business. Spitters said that 2,500 people a week are now being tested, and “that may be adequate” test numbers to forecast when the county can begin to ease restrictions. “We may not be far off” from the test numbers we need, Spitters added; calling it a “huge improvement in the last two months.”

That is welcome news for the new County Business Task Force, which meets Monday for the first time. County Executive Somers commended Boeing on a phrased-in return to commercial plane building and the health and safety procedures the company has implemented. These include staggered shift assignments, staggered lunches and breaks, and asking workers to do more rigorous “self-testing” before they enter the plant, in addition to masks and keeping that 6-foot distance on the production line.

The Business Task Force has a separate charge: to plan small business recovery; and working with the owners to anticipate what they will do when time comes to phase in reopening. Somers says this link to the county website has key recovery information.

— By Bob Throndsen