What health experts are saying about the Delta variant in Spokane, northern Idaho
While the CDC announced that 83% of COVID-19 cases in the country were caused by the Delta variant, we are not seeing the same rate locally.
SPOKANE COUNTY, Washington – On Tuesday, the CDC announced that 83% of COVID-19 cases in the United States were caused by what is known as the Delta variant.
The variant was first discovered in a patient in India in December 2020. On July 3, the CDC estimated that only half of the COVID-19 cases in the country were caused by the variant. According to Spokane Interim Health Officer Dr. Francisco Velazquez, the variant is two to three times more transmissible than the original strain and can cause a 1000 times higher viral load in infected people.
“The main problem is with a Delta variety. If you look at the literature it will tell you that it is over 200% more effective than the original variety,” Velazquez said.
The increased viral load, together with the increased transmission rate, can also cause more serious illnesses.
Spokane County has seen a slight increase in cases in the past few weeks as the state reopened as Velazquez said the number of cases rose from 78 new cases per 100,000 people to 98 cases per 100,000 people. But here in Spokane it can’t be because of the Delta variant.
“No. In Washington state, the delta variant of sequenced cases is about 46%. In Spokane, it’s about 1% of all cases,” he said.
Velazquez also said that people ages 20 to 39 are responsible for 30-40% of the new cases that could be caused by low vaccination rates.
Velazquez pointed out that not all cases in Washington state are sequenced for variants. In fact, he said only about 18% of positive cases in Washington get this type of testing.
Idaho doesn’t test all cases for variants either. Katherine Hoyer of the Panhandle Health District said the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is responsible for testing samples for variants. In a press conference on Tuesday, the Department of Health and Welfare said that the criteria for testing a case for a variant include that the sample has a high enough viral load to pass sequencing successfully.
Panhandle Health said there have been cases in northern Idaho that tested positive for variants, but the Delta variant did not cause any problems.
“Alpha is the dominant variant that has been sequenced in our area so far, but take it with caution because not all tests are sequenced,” said Hoyer. “We believe that there are probably more variants floating around in our area than have been confirmed.”
The number of new cases has risen in the Panhandle Health District in recent weeks. Hoyer said this was likely due to the low vaccination rates that healthcare providers are looking to change.
“For a while it seemed like we were fine. Our case numbers, you know, were going down steadily. [but] not in a good place, “said Hoyer.” But now we seem to be, you know, we still have an average of 25-30 cases a day here. It’s just not a place we wanna go We’re heading in the wrong direction. “
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare said Tuesday that it plans to announce some additional confirmed cases of variants in the state on Thursday, but is currently working to ensure that none of the cases are duplicates. Officials are also trying to confirm where the cases came from.