EVERETT — During the first two weeks of August, there were more than 3,000 COVID-19 cases in Snohomish County.
There were 2,670 infections countywide in all of July — and that was double the number of cases recorded in June. Meanwhile, as of Friday, nearly 80 county residents were hospitalized due to the virus.
In June and July, 35 people died of COVID-19 in Snohomish County. Of those, 31 were unvaccinated.
“This rapid increase in cases over the past six weeks reflects a combination of a more contagious delta strain, reduced mask wearing, increased social and larger gatherings, and an incomplete vaccination coverage,” Snohomish Health District health officer Dr. Chris Spitters said in a news release.
To curb the fifth wave, Gov. Jay Inslee has issued a statewide mask mandate for public indoor spaces, including malls, grocery stores, retail shops, gyms and movie theaters. The requirements go into effect Monday.
Locally and statewide, the unvaccinated make up the majority of new COVID cases.
At the end of July, the two-week case rate for unvaccinated residents was more than 250 cases per 100,000 people, according to a health district report released Friday.
For fully vaccinated residents, it was about 50 per 100,000.
The data also show a steady increase in the percentage of “breakthrough” cases — when fully vaccinated people become infected.
However, vaccines still provide strong protection against hospitalization and death, Spitters said.
The hospitalization rate for unvaccinated county residents is more than three times higher than the rate for fully vaccinated residents.
“These vaccines are doing what they were made to do, and that’s to save lives,” Spitters said.
Joey Thompson: 425-339-3449; jthompson@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @byjoeythompson.
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