On Thursday, the Kitsap Public Health District confirmed 137 new COVID cases in the past week, bringing the countywide total to 39,047 since the pandemic began in March of 2020.
Of the new cases, North Kitsap had 47, and Bainbridge Island three; 29 were in South Kitsap, 36 in Bremerton; and 20 in Central Kitsap. Two of the cases came from “unknown” areas of the county.
Over the last week, the county’s case rate per 100,000 residents has dropped significantly to 32.3. To date, the number of county residents who have initiated vaccination is 77%.
Of the 39,047 cases, 1,783 have been reported on Bainbridge Island, 10,408 in Bremerton, 9,002 in Central Kitsap, 5,945 in North Kitsap and 11,731 in South Kitsap. 178 cases have come from “unknown” areas of the county.
There have been 328 COVID-related deaths since the pandemic began. Details on the five most-recent deaths have not yet been provided. Of the previous 323 deaths, 129 were ages 80 and older, 79 ages 70-79, 61 ages 60-69, 35 ages 50-59, 15 ages 40-49 and four ages 30-39.
The health district recently decided to shift from daily COVID reports to weekly reports every Thursday, a move that was made based on several trends, such as:
• The county’s rate of COVID cases per 100,000 population per seven days has dropped below 100 and continues to decline.
• Hospitalizations among county residents have declined since Omicron peaked in January.
• Fewer outbreaks are being reported in high-risk settings, including healthcare and long-term care facilities, daycares, and schools.
• Demand for testing has fallen off substantially at testing sites operated by the health district and the county Emergency Operations Center.
