The following is a summary of the presentation during the Public Health briefings at this week’s Board of County Commissioners meeting made by Jefferson and Clallam County Public Health Officer Dr. Allison Berry. The summary below was provided by Jim Burke, producer of KPTZ’s Tuesday’s Local News.

On Tuesday Dr. Allison Berry gave a Public Health Report to the Jefferson Board of County Commissioners. She stressed that the national COVID-19 numbers have fallen and have plateaued, and that could mean a continued downward trend or they could be about to rise again. She said that Jefferson County has very good uptake of the bivalent boosters, roughly 50%, and that is good. However, the most severe cases of the disease are among the elderly and those with co-morbidities who have not received the booster shots. She strongly recommends those most vulnerable among us get the bivalent shot. 

The following is a summary of the presentation during the Public Health briefings at this week’s Board of County Commissioners meeting. The summary below was provided by Jim Burke, producer of KPTZ’s Tuesday’s Local News.

Dr. Allison Berry began: “By and large, the news on the viral front is good.” She continued to explain, while answering questions, that the sudden uptick in reporting of COVID-19 deaths in Clallam County was due to a 6-month backlog of autopsy and toxicology results, computer server hacks, and other things that made it SEEM like there was a sudden uptick in COVID-19 deaths in Clallam County recently. The currently added numbers were added from the past six months. No new deaths were reported in Jefferson County over the past two weeks.

The following is a summary of the presentation during the Public Health briefings at this week’s Board of County Commissioners meeting.The summary below was provided by Jim Burke, producer of KPTZ’s Tuesday’s Local News.

This morning, Dr. Allison Berry and Willie Bence submitted a Public Health report to the Jefferson Board of County Commissioners and answered questions. Dr. Berry said that the BB 1.1 variant, which is causing a surge in the US on the east coast, is far less prevalent here, and that the high uptake of the bi-valent booster here in Jefferson County is helping to keep those numbers down. In Jefferson County, the two-week case rate is 246 cases per 100,000 people. 1 person is currently hospitalized, and 43 new cases were added this week for a total of 6,723 cases since the pandemic began. The total number of people lost in Jefferson County to COVID-19 holds steady at 34. Jefferson County Public Health staff estimate that 1 in 10 COVID-19 cases in the county were reported to public health last week. Dr. Berry says that the case ascertainment rate indicates there’s an estimated 430 cases here in Jefferson County currently, and the case rate could be over 2000 per hundred thousand.

Sustained decreases in RSV and Influenza are happening right now. One man in his 70s was lost due to influenza this past week. He had underlying health conditions and was not vaccinated against the flu. Dr. Berry continues to stress that we should all continue with masking, keeping up to date with the COVID-19 vaccine and boosters. The risk of COVID-19 transmission in public, indoor places is still HIGH. At this level, it’s strongly recommended everyone wear a well-fitting, high-quality mask in public, indoor settings. https://www.jeffersoncountypublichealth.org/1466/Case-Information has all the numbers.

There will be two Health Reports in February so, the first Monday, February 6 and the third Monday is Presidents Day, so Tuesday February 21 for that second February report. Submit your Public Health questions to Dr. Allison Berry and Willie Bence by emailing contactus@kptz.org by Friday February 3 at noon, to be answered the following Monday February 6, at 9:45am on KPTZ during the Jim B. Show hosted by yours truly!

Below is a recording of the presentation during the Public Health briefings at this week’s Board of County Commissioners meeting made by Jefferson and Clallam County Public Health Officer Dr. Allison Berry. The summary below was provided by Jim Burke, producer of KPTZ’s Tuesday’s Local News:

Dr. Allison Berry said our current case rate in Jefferson County 280 per 100 thousand. There is one person currently hospitalized due to COVID-19 and there are no new deaths this week. The rest of the numbers will be available later today if you go to https://jeffersoncountypublichealth.org/1429/COVID-19.

On the RSV and Flu front, she said we are starting to see those number downtrend, which is good she says, but it’s too early to see a “proper bump” of cases due to the holidays. Just your weekly reminder: Wear a well-fitting, high-quality mask in public indoor settings, stay home if you are sick, and if you can, get a flu shot and the bivalent COVID-19 booster shot. Submit your Public Health questions to Dr. Allison Berry and Willie Bence by emailing contactus@kptz.org by Friday, January 13 at noon, to be answered the following Tuesday, January 17.

The following is a recording of the presentation during the Public Health briefings at this week’s Board of County Commissioners meeting made by Jefferson and Clallam County Public Health Officer Dr. Allison Berry. The summary below was provided by Jim Burke, producer of KPTZ’s Tuesday’s Local News.

In Jefferson County, the two-week COVID-19 case rate last week was 451 but is now 398 per 100,000 people. Two people are currently hospitalized. 73 new cases were added this week for a total of 6,536 cases. Dr. Berry said three viruses are still challenging our community, that nationally COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are on the rise, and 400 people are dying from COVID-19 every day across the U.S. Statewide, there is also a rise in cases, but she said in Jefferson County case rates are relatively flat. In Clallam County there IS a rise with 6 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19.

Influenza is being reported at a 33% rate in testing, which is high, and there is a high presentation of cases in hospitals and clinics, but she says they might be seeing a plateau in flu cases. 40 people have died due to influenza in Washington State this season.

In terms of RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), Dr. Berry said we are seeing a plateau and even a drop in RSV cases in the central Puget Sound. This is freeing up some pediatric bed space in the major hospitals there, which is making it possible to transfer more severely ill young patients to children’s hospitals in the I-5 corridor. She feels we could see a downtrend on all three viruses soon, but she said, “It all depends on US!”

“The biggest thing for all three of these is to wear a mask indoors. It does reduce transmission of Covid, RSV, and flu. For flu and Covid, there are highly effective vaccines available that can reduce your likelihood of getting infected with the virus and spreading it to others, and dramatically reduce your risk of getting severely ill. The COVID-19 bivalent boosters are available to anyone 6 months and up, so if it’s been more than 2 months since your kiddoes got their vaccines, we recommend moving forward with the bivalent booster. Flu vaccines are also available for anyone 6 months and older. And last, but not least, staying home when you are sick is really critical.”

Below is a recording of the presentation during the Public Health briefings at this week’s Board of County Commissioners meeting made by Jefferson and Clallam County Public Health Officer Dr. Allison Berry. The summary below was provided by Jim Burke, producer of KPTZ’s Tuesday’s Local News:
– Pediatric hospitals and pediatric beds are far beyond capacity.
– Wear a mask in any indoor public setting.
– If you are sick, stay home.
– If your children are sick, keep them home.
– Get the flu shot and the Bivalent booster COVID-19 shot, if you can.
– Flu, RSV, and COVID-19 are all surging and we will not turn the corner until probably the end of January. 
– Keep the grandparents safe, and skip Christmas dinner if you need to.

The following is a summary of the presentation during the Public Health briefings at this week’s Board of County Commissioners meeting made by Jefferson and Clallam County Public Health Officer Dr. Allison Berry. Also Willie Bence, Director of Emergency Management, gave a report. (Due to technical issues, the first 6 minutes of today’s briefings are missing from this audio clip.) The summary below was provided by Jim Burke, producer of KPTZ’s Tuesday’s Local News.

Dr. Allison Berry and Willie Bence delivered the now monthly Public Health Briefing to the Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners yesterday, and here are some highlights from their remarks. In Jefferson County, the two-week COVID-19 case rate is 181 per 100,000 people. No one is currently hospitalized. 37 new cases were added this week for a total of 6,244 cases. There was one more death this past week bringing the total count of COVID-19-related deaths in Jefferson County to 33. Dr. Berry estimated that 20% of COVID-19 cases in Jefferson County were reported to public health last week. The risk of COVID-19 transmission in public, indoor places is moderate. At this level, it’s still recommended everyone wear a well-fitting, high-quality mask in public, indoor settings.

Across the US, the COVID-19 numbers are relatively stable, but still 286 people are dying every day from the virus across America. For comparison, Dr. Berry said a bad flu outbreak in a typical year kills 60 to 80 people each day. Dr. Berry said that pediatric beds and children’s hospitals across the country are overrun with cases of RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) in small children. She said we can all reduce the strain on local hospitals by doing a simple thing: Wearing a mask in indoor spaces. The same things she’s been emphasizing for months about COVID-19 also can apply to slowing or stopping the spread of RSV: Wear a mask, increase ventilation. Protect children, the elderly, and the immunocompromised by doing these simple things.

To slow the spread of COVID-19, do all of those things, plus take a rapid test before gathering for holiday gatherings, get a flu shot and the latest bivalent booster shot. Stay home if you are sick, even if it is a common cold. There are rapid tests for flu in emergency rooms and clinics, so if you think you have the flu, and you go to the walk-in clinic, they can test for that and COVID-19. Whether it is one or the other, there are medications to lessen the severity if they are given during the first few days of onset of symptoms.

Willie Bence said the Department of Emergency Management is still assessing the damage and fallout from the catastrophic windstorm two weeks ago in order to apply for assistance from FEMA. He believes they will have that finished in the next month or so, and get a determination from FEMA a short time after that.

Submit your Public Health questions to Dr. Allison Berry and Willie Bence by emailing contactus@kptz.org by Friday December 16 at noon, to be answered the following Monday, December 19. You can still report positive home test results on Jefferson County Public Health website (https://jeffersoncountypublichealth.org/1429/COVID-19). Individual case-level data is also available on the state COVID-19 dashboard (https://doh.wa.gov/emergencies/covid-19/data-dashboard – select your County for county-specific numbers), as well as reports on vaccination rates, variant sequencing, and outbreaks. You can still order COVID tests from Washington State until the end of the year at: https://www.sayyescovidhometest.org.

The following is a summary of the presentation during the Public Health briefings at this week’s Board of County Commissioners meeting made by Jefferson and Clallam County Public Health Officer Dr. Allison Berry. Also Willie Bence, Director of Emergency Management, gave a report. The summary below was provided by Jim Burke, producer of KPTZ’s Tuesday’s Local News.

The Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners Meeting took place yesterday, and Dr. Tom Locke, who was in for Dr. Allison Berry, and Willie Bence, Director of Emergency Management spoke to the commissioners during the Public Health Briefing. This was the final weekly briefing in October, and for the foreseeable future. The 31st is the fifth Monday of the month, so the Board isn’t meeting, and then the Public Health Briefings are going to go to one per month, on the third Monday of the month. So the next Public Health Briefing should be November 21.

In Jefferson County, the two-week COVID-19 case rate is 240 per hundred thousand, lower than last week, but still in the high category. Two people are currently hospitalized. 36 new cases were added this week for a total of 6,110 cases. No additional death was reported this week in Jefferson County. The total count of COVID-19-related deaths stands at 32.

In Clallam County, the dashboard on the website has not been updated since last week so the two-week COVID-19 case rate is 136 per hundred thousand. There are 38 new cases this week for a total of 15,735 cases since the pandemic began. One person is hospitalized at this time. The total count of COVID-19-related deaths is now at 125.

Dr. Locke said we are doing okay now, but this lull we are experiencing locally will likely give way to another surge. He used the analogy of a three act play to describe the pandemic: He said “We are still in Act II, “and the beginning of Act III will reveal how prepared we are for the end of the pandemic.” The South and the eastern US are starting to see a rise in Flu cases early; European countries and Singapore are seeing another surge in COVID-19 cases, and here in the US there is a rise of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. Most people recover in a week or two, but RSV can be serious, especially for infants and older adults. Many Children’s hospitals east of here are stretched to capacity with very young children hospitalized with RSV. These increases in Flu and RSV cases are not surprising, Dr. Locke said. After two years of mask wearing and quarantine there is not an abundance of community immunity to fend off these infections. The best course of action, he said, is to get the flu shot, get the COVID-19 bivalent booster before the holidays. Wear a mask in indoor settings and increase ventilation wherever possible in indoor settings. Avoid large gatherings.

The next two COVID-19 mutations of concern are probably coming our way in the next month to six weeks, and they are both immunity avoidant, that is they can get by even our double and triple boosted immunity, but having the vaccines, and even being exposed to COVID-19 in the community can help keep those cases mild and out of the hospital.

Willie Bence said 100 slots were reserved in a covalent booster clinic held this past Saturday, which was to be for children 5 to 17 years of age, but they opened it to all. An additional 60 people waited in line to receive their Covalent booster at Blue Heron School in Port Townsend. The covalent MNRA booster shot as well as the Novovax shot and booster are available at your local pharmacy. The Novovax booster is still based on the original virus, but is available to those who wouldn’t or couldn’t get the MRNA vaccine.

There is a mobile Vaccination & Booster Clinic (Moderna, Pfizer, Novavax) for anyone 6 months or older this coming Sunday, October 30 from 1-4pm at Quimper Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 2333 San Juan Avenue in Port Townsend.
Homebound? Receive a home visit for a COVID-19 vaccination by leaving a message at 360-344-9791.
Interested in receiving the Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine?

Submit your Public Health questions to Dr. Allison Berry and to Willie Bence by emailing contactus@kptz.org. Note: The deadline for these to be submitted is on Friday, November 18 at noon, to be answered at the following Monday’s BOCC meeting.

The following is a summary of the presentation during the Public Health briefings at this week’s Board of County Commissioners meeting made by Jefferson and Clallam County Public Health Officer Dr. Allison Berry. Also Willie Bence, Director of Emergency Management, gave a report. The summary below was provided by Jim Burke, producer of KPTZ’s Tuesday’s Local News.

In Jefferson County, the two-week COVID-19 case-rate is 355 per hundred thousand, lower than last week, but still keeping us in the high category. No one is currently hospitalized. 47 new cases were added this week for a total of 6,074 cases. One more death was reported this week in Jefferson County, a woman who was in her 80s. She had received one booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and she suffered from multiple, chronic health conditions. So now the total count of COVID-19-related deaths is 32.

In Clallam County, the two-week COVID-19 case-rate is 136 per hundred thousand, still in the moderate category but continuing a downward trend. There are 38 new cases this week for a total of 15,735 cases since the pandemic began. One person is hospitalized at this time. One person has died, which puts the total count of COVID-19-related deaths now at 125.

Willie Bence said there are many slots open in a juvenile covalent booster clinic for kids 5 to 17 years of age, taking place this coming Saturday October 22 at Blue Heron School in Port Townsend. Sign up on the Jefferson County Public Health website. Also, talk to your doctor or pharmacist about getting a flu shot.

The Covid public health emergency declaration will end on October 31, so Dr. Berry’s Health Reports will go to once a month. If you have any lingering COVID-19, or monkeypox, or any other public health related questions, you might want to send them in over the next few weeks.

Submit your Public Health questions to Dr. Allison Berry and to Willie Bence by emailing contactus@kptz.org. Note: The weekly deadline for these to be submitted is on Fridays at noon, to be answered at the following Monday’s BOCC meeting.

The following is a summary of the presentation during the Public Health briefings at this week’s Board of County Commissioners meeting made by Jefferson and Clallam County Public Health Officer Dr. Allison Berry. Also Willie Bence, Director of Emergency Management, gave a report. The summary below was provided by Jim Burke, producer of KPTZ’s Tuesday’s Local News.

In Jefferson County, the two-week COVID-19 case-rate is 488 per hundred thousand, similar to last week. No one is currently hospitalized. 66 new cases were added this week for a total of 6,027 cases. Jefferson County’s total count of COVID-19-related deaths is still 31. Dr. Berry said the higher case rate is being driven by cases in schools at this point.

In Clallam County the two-week COVID case-rate is 147 per hundred thousand, 61 new cases for a total of 15,697 cases since the pandemic began. 1 person is hospitalized at this time. Clallam County’s total count of COVID-19-related deaths is still 124.

Willie Bence said there are many slots open in a covalent booster clinic taking place this coming Saturday October 15 in Chimacum. Sign up on the Jefferson County Public Health website. Also, talk to your Doctor or Pharmacist about a flu shot. Br. Berry says there’s an uptick in cases in the east and southern US, and the flu will be back this year.

The Covid public health emergency declaration will end on October 31, so BOCC Health Reports will go to once a month. If you have any lingering COVID-19, monkeypox, or any other public health related questions, you might want to send them in over the next few weeks.

Submit your Public Health questions to Dr. Allison Berry and to Willie Bence by emailing contactus@kptz.org. Note: The weekly deadline for these to be submitted is on Fridays at noon, to be answered at the following Monday’s BOCC meeting.