Local Covid data shows incidence rate going down

The incidence rates for COVID-19 have gone down significantly in Grant, Okanogan, and Douglas counties, while Lincoln County’s rate surged last week, and two additional cases have popped up in both Elmer City and Nespelem.

Counties need an incidence rate of 25 cases or fewer per population of 100,000 in the past 14 days to move forward a phase in the Washington Safe Start Recovery plan. And to partially open in-person schooling locally, that rate must not exceed 75.

Here are the latest data for COVID-19 in Grant, Okanogan, Lincoln, and Douglas counties.

As of Sept. 15:

Okanogan County has 1,029 total cases, including nine deaths. There have been six cases in Coulee Dam; three in Elmer City; 14 in Nespelem. The county has had 19 new cases in the past 14 days, making an incidence rate of 44.5, down from 189.6 since Sept. 8.

These numbers show an increase of two cases in Elmer City and two in Nespelem since last week.

A Sept. 11 note on Okanogan Public Health’s website says that cases that weren’t counted previously had been added to the case count, although it didn’t explain where those cases were located. 

As of Sept. 17, Grant County has seen 2,759 total cases, including 18 deaths and 399 cases in the past 14 days (as of Sept. 13) with an incident rate of 404.1 per 100,000 population, down from 458.8 on Sept. 8. The Grand Coulee Dam area has reported seven cases.

Lincoln County has had 38 total cases, including one death, and six new cases in the past 14 days for an incident rate of approximately 56 per 100,000 population, up from zero on Sept. 8.

Douglas County has: 1,251 total cases, including seven deaths and 73 new cases in the past 14 days, making an incidence rate of 168.1, down from 294.3 on Sept. 8.

Washington state as a whole has: 80,465 total cases; 2,015 deaths; 6,134 cases in the past 14 days; and has an incidence rate of 81.3, a decrease of seven since Sept. 8. 

Sources: Washington State Department of Health, Washington State Coronavirus Response, Grant County Health District, and Okanogan Public Health, Lincoln County Health Dept., Chelan-Douglas Health District.