Clark County reports 19 new COVID-19 cases, one new death on Tuesday

Mark Bowder, The Columbian, Vancouver, Wash.
·3 min read

Jun. 22—Clark County reported 19 new COVID-19 cases and one new death Tuesday as trend data from Clark County Public Health shows that disease activity is continuing to decline.

The new cases include 14 confirmed by molecular (PCR) testing, for a total of 24,291 to date, and five probable cases diagnosed by antigen testing, for a total of 1,518, according to Public Health data.

Clark County has recorded an average of 26 new cases a day since Thursday, down from about 36 per day last week and about 49 the week before, according to Public Health data.

That decline was reflected in a new case rate of 134.8 new cases per 100,000 population over 14 days, down from 169.3 per 100,000 last week and a fourth wave peak of 276.6 per 100,000 on May 10, according to Public Health data. The rate of new hospital admissions also fell, dropping to 6.6 per 100,000 over seven days, down from 8.6 per 100,000 last week.

The fatality was a woman age 80 or older with an underlying condition. Because Public Health also removed one previously confirmed death from its tally on Tuesday, the total deaths to date remain at 279. Deaths are reported 10 to 12 days after they occur. No deaths were recorded last week; seven were reported the week before.

Hospitalizations rose slightly on Tuesday, with 27 people hospitalized with COVID-19, up from 25 on Monday, and two people hospitalized awaiting test results, down from three Monday, according to Public Health data.

Vaccination data showed an uptick in positivity rates in the most recent period available, May 30 through June 5. During that period, 6.72 percent of COVID-19 tests came back positive, or 284 out of 5,717 administered, up from 5.21 percent last week.

As of Saturday, 59.6 percent of Clark County residents age 16 and over had received one dose of vaccine, with 52.7 percent fully vaccinated. Counting all residents age 12 and older, 57.8 percent have received one dose and 50.7 percent were fully vaccinated, according to the Washington Department of Health.

Vaccination information

Data for Clark County and the state show that COVID-19 vaccines are extremely effective at preventing COVID-19 infections as well as hospitalizations and deaths. According to county data, there were only 124 cases of COVID-19 in vaccinated people reported as of May 25, the same day the county reported a total of 24,327 COVID-19 cases, meaning that 99.49 percent of all reported cases to that date were among people who were not fully vaccinated.

Anyone age 16 or older is eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and anyone age 12 or older is eligible to be vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine, though a parent or legal guardian must accompany minors ages 12 to 15. Underage teens are advised to check with vaccination sites about what sort of parental consent might be needed.

Vaccinations are available without an appointment in Clark County, including at the Tower Mall vaccination site, 5403 E. Mill Plain Blvd. in Vancouver, though it will close at the end of June.

More information about opportunities for vaccination is available on Clark County Public Health's COVID-19 vaccine information website. Appointments at a number of locations throughout Clark County can be scheduled through the Washington Department of Health Vaccine Locator. Those who do not have internet access or need help scheduling an appointment can call Public Health from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at 888-225-4625. Call center representatives can assist with scheduling. Language assistance is available.