Omicron COVID variant present locally

There have been 13 new cases of COVID-19 reported in local towns since Dec. 30.

Grant County Health District updates case counts on Thursdays, rather than every weekday. explained Public Information Officer Misty Aguilar.

But cases seem to be up again, with at least 13 new cases in local towns reported in the past week. 

In their Jan. 6 update, GCHD reported 502 additional cases since Dec. 30. 

The Grand Coulee and Electric City area of the county shows 173 covid total cases since the pandemic began, up by five since Dec. 30. 

"The Omicron variant of COVID-19 has been confirmed in Grant County," a Jan. 7 newsrelease from GCHD reads. "The Omicron variant is a variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. It was first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) from South Africa on November 24, 2021 and has since spread rapidly.

The Omicron variant has been responsible for the majority of cases in the US during this winter, and detections have been increasing in Washington over the last month, including confirmed presence in neighboring counties." 

"The confirmation supports our suspicion," Grant County Health Officer Dr. Alexander Brzezny said, "that many cases in Grant County have been Omicron for several weeks, given the rapidly rising incidence rate and COVID test positivity, and the frequency and widespread presence of clusters and outbreaks." 

"COVID-19 tests detect infections of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, including infections from variants of the virus," the news release states, "but to determine which variant is causing the infection, specimens must be sent to a laboratory for genomic sequencing.  Not all specimens are submitted for sequencing so the number of omicron cases in Grant County and Washington state is likely much higher."

GCHD Administrator Theresa Adkinson said, "The confirmed presence of the omicron variant highlights the importance of continuing measures we've been taking to keep ourselves and our loved ones healthy: get vaccinated and, if eligible, get a booster, wear face coverings, avoid crowded indoor settings, increase ventilation when gathering indoors, and stay home if you test positive or don't feel well."  

The Omicron variant now makes up 83.5% of cases in the state, Washington State Department of Health says, up in one week from just under half of cases, compared to 16.5% Delta.

In Okanogan County, as of Jan. 11, Coulee Dam has seen a total of 109 cases, up by four since Jan. 3. Elmer City is up by one case for a total of 44, and Nespelem is up by three cases for a total of 143.