The rate of recent COVID-19 cases in Clark County experienced a second week of a decline, as the county hit a rate not seen since last spring.
Clark County Public Health’s March 30 report included 27.4 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population over seven days, down from the 35.7 per 100,000 reported the prior week.
The rate is the lowest reported by the health department since April 14. Prior to March 30, the rate had not declined for multiple weeks since Jan. 5.
The recent statewide case rate also dropped though it remains higher than Clark County’s rate. As of March 30, Washington had 47 cases per 100,000 population, down from 50.2 per 100,000 the prior week.
Clark County Public Health’s March 30 update saw the debut of a new format for the county’s COVID-19 case rate graph. It shows the current case rate is similar to what the rates were in 2020 and 2022, but is lower than the rate in 2021.
Recent case rates lag behind the most recent counts of cases. The health department’s most recent case rate was based on activity from March 14 to March 20.
Clark County Public Health did not have the most recent case counts available as of press deadline. The prior week, the county tallied 112,784 confirmed and probable cases in Clark County since the outbreak began, although that number did not include at-home tests, which often go unreported.
Clark County Public Health’s March 30 report included three additional confirmed COVID-19 deaths and two deaths suspected to be due to the disease since its report the prior week. On March 23, the health department reported seven confirmed and three suspected COVID-19 deaths.
The five additional COVID-19 deaths bring Clark County’s total to 1,077, which includes 893 confirmed and 184 suspected deaths.
The number of COVID-19 patients occupying hospital beds in Clark County dropped in the latest data. As of March 30, 13.2% of beds had either patients with confirmed COVID-19 or patients awaiting test results, less than the 15.4% reported on March 23. The number of intensive care unit (ICU) beds occupied by COVID-19 patients and patients awaiting test results landed at 10.2%, compared to 10.9% from the prior week.
New COVID-19 hospital admissions dropped in the latest data. In its March 30 report, the health department reported 3.2 admissions per 100,000 population in the past seven days, down from 4.2 admissions per 100,000 population reported the prior week.
Clark County’s share of COVID-19 cases and deaths statewide stayed about the same in the latest data.
According to the Washington State Department of Health, the county had about 5.8% of cases and about 6.8% of deaths in Washington.
