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Next week Spokane County may face more restrictions as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations continue to rise.
Spokane Regional Health District Interim Health Officer Dr. Francisco Velazquez said he s the stay may go back to a previous phase of re-opening due to high hospitalizations and case rates.
Credit Rebecca White/SPR
Spokane County s interim health officer says the county will likely revert back to more restrictions as both coronavirus cases and hospitalizations continue to rise.
Spokane County has 299 cases and 8.6 hospitalizations per 100,000 people, significantly above the requirements to stay in the state’s current phase of re-opening.
“At least based on the information that we have, we are not meeting and have not met either one of the two metrics on hospitalization or rate per 100,000 for quite some time now.”
Media Contact: Kelli Hawkins | khawkins@srhd.org | (509) 324-1539, c (509) 994-8968
Spokane, Wash. – Governor Jay Inslee and the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) announced today COVID-19 vaccination of Phase 1 Tier B1, individuals age 65 and over and those over 50 who live in a multigenerational household, could begin to do so. Health officials in Spokane County support expanding eligibility to Tier B1 while continuing to ensure Tiers A1 and A2 which include health care employees, first responders and staff and residents of long-term care facilities have prioritized access.
Dr. Francisco Velazquez, Spokane County Interim Health Officer with Spokane Regional Health District (SRHD), explained that providers enrolled to administer COVID-19 vaccines continue to see a high demand from individuals who are eligible in Tiers A1 and A2 and who want the vaccine.