Don’t visit the emergency room if you have mild COVID-19 symptoms or if you need a walk-in COVID-19 test.

Recent COVID-19 trends suggest that the U.S. omicron wave may have peaked in several of the jurisdictions where it was first evident.

Spokane County’s coronavirus case rate has tripled in the last few weeks, according to data from the Spokane Regional Health District.

As the Omicron variant spreads like wildfire across the United States, it's likely just about everybody will be exposed to the strain, but vaccinated people will still fare better, the nation's leading infectious disease expert said Tuesday.

“It’s so transmissible,” said Dr. Katie Sharff, infectious disease specialist with Kaiser Permanente. “It’s like nothing we’ve ever seen.”

Under a broad range of values for each of these assumptions, at least 50% of new SARS-CoV-2 infections was estimated to have originated from exposure to individuals with infection but without symptoms.

Lindquist said during a media briefing yesterday that he’s not concerned that it will prove to be more deadly, as it doesn’t appear to be so at this point, but that it may be more infectious.

Omicron poses very high global risk, world must prepare -WHO

BRUSSELS (AP) — Countries around the world slammed their doors shut again to try to keep the new omicron variant at bay Monday, even as more cases of the mutant coronavirus emerged and scientists raced to figure out just how dangerous it might be.

Scientists have evidence that SARS-CoV-2 spreads explosively in white-tailed deer, and the virus is widespread in this deer population across the United States. Researchers say the findings are quite concerning and could have vast implications for the long-term course of the coronavirus pandemic.

Chelan County is allocating $73,000 for the county coroner to purchase a cold storage trailer, also referred to as a mobile morgue trailer. The purchase comes after Confluence Health and local funeral homes’ morgues reached capacity.

Oct 1 (Reuters) - Worldwide deaths related to COVID-19 surpassed 5 million on Friday, according to a Reuters tally, with unvaccinated people particularly exposed to the virulent Delta strain. The variant has exposed the wide disparities in vaccination rates between rich and poor nations, and the upshot of vaccine hesitancy in some western nations.

If you’re confused about where we are in the pandemic — and where we’re headed — you’re not alone. This is a deeply weird time, neither the roaring ’20s we were promised would start after the vaccine became available, nor the misery of last year, when many of us remained all but airlocked in our homes.

CLALLUM COUNTY, Wash. – Two Olympic Peninsula counties will now require proof of vaccination to enter bars and restaurants. The Health Officer for Jefferson and Clallum Counties issued the vaccination order, saying bars and restaurants bring together large numbers of unmasked people and this will keep them safer.

The Biden administration is recommending booster doses for most Americans who received a coronavirus vaccine in order to combat waning immunity and the prevalence of the delta variant. In a joint statement Wednesday, top administration health officials said people would need boosters beginning eight months after their second dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine.

Snohomish County held a briefing Tuesday, where it announced a mask directive for anyone indoors older than five. This includes both vaccinated and unvaccinated people. The reported cases have doubled in the county over the past month, from 651 over a period of one week to about 1,300 this past week.

Facing a new onslaught of patients with COVID-19, Providence Health Care officials announced Tuesday that all non-emergency surgeries and procedures will be halted at Sacred Heart Medical Center and Holy Family Hospital. The pause is “effective immediately,” according a Providence news release.

Aug 5 (Reuters) - The United States hit a six-month high for new COVID cases with over 100,000 infections reported on Wednesday, according to a Reuters tally, as the Delta variant ravages areas where people did not get vaccinated. The country is reporting over 94,819 cases on a seven-day average, a five-fold increase in less than a month, Reuters data through Wednesday showed. The seven-day average provides the most accurate picture of how fast cases are rising since some states only report infections once a week or only on weekdays.