Two people have died of COVID-19 in Clallam County, raising the county’s death toll from the virus to 124 since the pandemic began.
A woman in her 90s and a man in his 80s both died of disease, reported Dr. Allison Berry, the health officer for Clallam and Jefferson counties. Both had underlying health conditions, and both were vaccinated and had received one of the recommended boosters for those 65 and older.
No new deaths were reported in Jefferson County, which has had 31 people die of COVID-19 in the past two years.
Meanwhile, both counties’ case rates continued to drop, even though they are both in the high-risk category, which recommends people continue to mask when indoors in public settings.
Clallam County reported a case rate of 241 per 100,000 population on Monday, down from 309 cases per 100,000 last week. It added 39 cases to its total, which reached 15,449 cases since the pandemic began.
Jefferson County reported a case rate of 324 per 100,000, down from 345 cases per 100,000 last week. It added 51 cases to its to its total, which reached 5,699 since the pandemic began.
Case rates are a reflection of cases reported during a two-week period. They are computed using a formula based on 100,000 population even for counties that do not have 100,000 people living in them.
The Bivalent booster arrived in Clallam and Jefferson counties last Friday and can now be accessed at area pharmacies, primary care providers and county health departments, Berry said.
“There are some mass-vaccination events planned for Jefferson County that have actually already been filled, but we are hoping to add some more slots there,” she said.
The locations and schedule can be found on the Jefferson County Department of Health page at https://jeffersoncountypublichealth.org/1429/COVID-19.
There are no mass-vaccination events planned for Clallam County at this time, although Berry recommended that everyone 12 and older get the booster made for the omicron variant.
“While we still have a shortage of the vaccine, we are prioritizing people who are 65 and older, health care workers and first responders, and those who are immunocompromised,” Berry said.
Berry recommended people use a vaccination finder application to find where the booster and other vaccines are available.
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Reporter Ken Park can be reached by email at kpark@peninsuladailynews.com.
