Seattle Health Officials Suggest Return To Covid "Precautions," Including Masked Travel

The Seattle Times reported that King County, Washington communicable disease chief Dr. Eric Chow has suggested now is the time “when people should start taking precautions” after a slight increase in COVID-related visits to county emergency rooms. Last weekend, 1.5% of visitors tested positive for the virus, up from 0.5% the weekend of April 27 (a new low). “I don’t know how high this (peak) is going to be, when it’s going to peak, but taking precautions now is the best way for people to be able to mitigate the complications related to COVID.”

The number is still below the county’s 3% threshold for transmission alerts, but Chow suggested “probably a lot more community transmission that’s happening that’s not fully captured in the data here” because so few people regularly test for COVID anymore.

“In King County, vaccination rates have fallen since last October, after the most recently updated shot became available,” the report noted. “Statewide, just 19% of Washingtonians are up to date with their COVID vaccinations, although nearly 70% have been vaccinated with their full primary series.”

Among the precautions he suggested were staying up to date with (potentially harmful) COVID-19 vaccination, as well as returning to mask-wearing on planes and in airports for summer travel. “We’re excited that people now have the ability to travel,” Chow said. “But this poses a new risk that we didn’t see at the same degree during the height of the pandemic.”