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COVID Cases On The Rise
Washington is among a dozen states seeing elevated levels of COVID as a new variant ripples through the nation. The XFG "stratus" variant is driving up cases just as kids return to school — and as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unilaterally alters federal vaccine guidance.
The Centers for Disease Control updated its regional data for COVID-19 test positivity on Monday, Aug. 11. The data accounts for the week ending Aug. 2. Washington state saw 11.1% of tests come back positive in the week ending Aug. 2 , compared to 5% to 9.9% in the rest of the country, per regional data from the CDC.
Emergency room visits and hospitalizations roughly doubled from mid-June to the beginning of August, according to the state Department of Health's respiratory illness data dashboard. In King County, the positivity rate clocked in at 12.5% for the week ending Aug. 2, according to Public Health - Seattle & King County data.
"It's a good reminder for people not to let their guard down" and to use the tools we have learned so far, says Public Health-Seattle & King County spokesperson Sharon Bogan. Read more here.