Ready to Mask up Again? COVID Still a Concern in Yakima County
Are you wearing a mask again? Thinking about the COVID-19 vaccine?
Lots of talk about COVID-19 and masking among health officials around the country.
THE YAKIMA HEALTH DISTRICT IS PUBLISHING QUARTERLY REPORTS
The Yakima Health District continues to monitor cases in Yakima County publishing quarterly case reports and so far no reason for alarm as cases are not on the rise in the area. In the most recent report from April 1 through June 30 a high of 151 cases of COVID-19 were reported over a 14 day period, resulting in a case rate of 58 per 100,000 residents.
CASE COUNTS ARE DOWN NOT UP
However since that time daily case counts were down throughout the quarter.
County health officials warn cases may be undercounted because of "unreported results from at-home test kits. They say so far in 2023, there have been a total of 166 hospitalizations reported, with 101 of these happening in people age 65-years-old and older.
COULD MASKS COME BACK TO COLLEGES THIS FALL?
With COVID-19 on the rise as college students head back to campus, many universities are bringing back mask mandates however no talk about mask mandates yet at Yakima Valley College.
WHAT? COLLEGE KIDS DON'T KNOW HOW TO CLEAN? WHAT?
The American Cleaning Institute has found 64% of parents say have some concern that their kids in college don't know how to effectively use cleaning products. And, according to ACI’s 2022 survey of college students, "72% feel less than completely prepared to navigate the responsibility of cleaning on their own."
COULD MASK MANDATES COME BACK ANYTIME SOON?
No talk in Yakima County about masking or vaccinations being ramped up or required but health officials say that could change as we get closer to fall and winter.
Despite all the controversy surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine Yakima Health District officials say "compared to people who are up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations, unvaccinated people are more likely to get COVID-19, much more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19, and much more likely to die from COVID-19."
