PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Washington health officials reiterated COVID-19 hospitalizations appear to be on a downward trend, but say it’s far too early to tell if the pandemic is nearing its end.
Health officials gave an update on the state’s COVID response during a press conference Wednesday. Washington Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah, Lacy Fehrenbach, the deputy secretary for the state’s COVID response and Washington State Epidemiologist Dr. Scott Lindquist spoke at the event.
Health officials say they’re hopeful as the trajectory of COVID cases appears to be on the downturn not only in Washington but across the nation.
Dr. Lindquist echoed this sentiment, saying “it’s all very promising.” He continued saying there’s currently no evidence of a new variant or an increase in cases.
Meanwhile, hospitalizations remain high across the state but are expected to begin leveling off soon.
“Just because we are seeing a leveling off it doesn’t mean that people are not in the hospital for an extended time or straining the system as we have it,” said Shah.
The downward trend is reportedly more pronounced in western Washington, while the eastern part of the state is experiencing challenges amid the growing number of hospitalizations, according to Dr. Shah.
As east Washington lags behind, health experts note all parts of the state are experiencing different levels of hospitalizations calling it an “ecosystem” where “it’s all interconnected. And it will take time for hospitals to decompress as COVID cases and hospitalizations plateau.
On Wednesday, the Washington Department of Health issued a correction to Tuesday’s reported number of cases and deaths across the state.
Watch the full press conference below: