A new COVID-19 outbreak among nine residents and one staff member at a long-term care facility has been confirmed in Clallam County, the region’s health officer said Thursday.
As of Thursday, four outbreaks were active in long-term care facilities in Clallam County, including the newest one.
The other three were small with only two to four active cases so far, Dr. Allison Berry, health officer for Clallam and Jefferson counties, said via text message.
Berry doesn’t name facilities under outbreak investigation unless workers from the public health department are unable to trace all contacts for potential exposures.
Long-term care facilities are required to contact family/emergency contacts of residents who have been exposed to COVID-19.
On Thursday, Clallam County added 28 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 while Jefferson County added three new cases, according to public health data.
The new cases in Clallam County raised its total to 4,449 since the pandemic began, according to county public health data.
Jefferson County raised its total to 1,035 cases on Thursday since the pandemic began, public health data said.
Clallam County’s case rate decreased on Thursday, with the county reporting a rate of 511 cases per 100,000 population for the past two weeks as of Thursday.
On Wednesday, the county recorded 572 cases per 100,000 for the two weeks prior, public health data said.
Jefferson County, which records its case rate weekly, on Monday reported a rate of 275.86 cases per 100,000 for the past two weeks as of Saturday, the same as the week before.
As of Thursday, three people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in Jefferson County and five were hospitalized in Clallam County, public health data said.
A total of 53 people have died from COVID-19 in Clallam County since the pandemic began. Sixteen people have died in Jefferson County in the same time frame.
Neither county reported a new death on Thursday.
The test positivity — the number of COVID-19 tests returned positive — was 7.47 percent for Jefferson County for Sept. 16-29 and 11.05 percent in Clallam County for Sept. 21 through Oct. 4, public health data said.
According to the latest data from the state Department of Health, 79.3 percent of the population 12 and older in Jefferson County have started vaccinations, with 75.6 percent fully vaccinated. Of the entire population, 72.9 percent have begun vaccination and 69.5 percent are fully vaccinated, according to the state’s dashboard.
In Clallam County, 72.3 percent of the population 12 and older have started vaccinations, with 67.1 percent fully vaccinated. Of the total population, 64.2 percent have begun vaccinations, with 59.6 percent fully vaccinated, according to the state’s dashboard.
Statewide, 77.1 percent of the population 12 and older have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 70.7 percent are fully vaccinated, the dashboard said.
Since the beginning of February in Clallam County, 17.7 percent of new reported cases have been among fully vaccinated residents, meaning 82.3 percent of reported cases have been among unvaccinated residents, according to county data.
During the same time period in Jefferson County, 25.79 percent of new reported cases have been among fully vaccinated residents, meaning 74.21 percent of reported cases have been among unvaccinated residents, according to county data.
Although the Chimacum and Port Townsend clinics are is full, Pfizer booster clinics for those eligible in Jefferson County remain available in Quilcene. Register at the Jefferson County Public Health website, or by calling 360-344-9791.
The Pfizer booster vaccination clinics will be conducted from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 16 at Blue Heron Middle School, 3939 San Juan Ave., Port Townsend; and Oct. 23 at Quilcene School, 294715 U.S. Highway 101, Quilcene.
Clallam County emergency management and public health departments have a booster dose clinic scheduled for Oct. 16 that still has appointments available, Berry said.
The clinics will be at Port Angeles High School. Signups will be on the Clallam County website. Those without internet access can call the county Department of Emergency Management at 360-417-2430 for assistance.
Booster shots also are available at area pharmacies.
Vaccination cards should be taken to appointments.
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Jefferson County reporter Zach Jablonski can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 5, or at zjablonski@peninsuladailynews.com.
