Clallam County, where Sequim is located, has kept a relatively low, stable COVID infection rate for months. In addition to protecting our population that low rate is essential. Our small hospital could be quickly overwhelmed with an influx of seriously ill patients.
But things have been changing, and not for the better. While initially most of our cases came from people who visited outside our area, local cases caused by community transmission have steadily increased over the summer. First it was a handful of cases after Memorial Day. Then came Independence Day and cases jumped, many from a single large party where first several, then eight, then five erupted. And the numbers have continued upward. We have had our first death and yesterday’s newspaper announced 11 new cases, all traced to a Port Angeles Bar.
Our COVID infection rate is now up to 94 cases per 100,000 population and is considered “high risk.” I was told that matches the rate seen in Los Angeles, California, a U.S. hotspot. And, of course, our schools cannot reopen.
I can barely express how discouraging this is after six months of religious mask wearing, self-quarantine, and forgoing any semblance of a social life.
