Health officials call for action as the predicted Covid-19 spike materializes

Health officials from across Washington State sounded an alarm Tuesday afternoon. They urged the public to stop socializing. They say the coronavirus is spreading at an alarming rate, and people need to take action to flatten the curve and keep our hospitals from becoming overwhelmed.

KUOW’s Anna Boiko-Weyrauch reports on what's changing here in Washington, and if new restrictions are on their way.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

We have been hearing the drumbeat for a while now, but how bad is the situation with the virus getting?

It's getting bad. We are breaking records, and not in a good way. Last Thursday the state saw almost 1,500 Covid-19 cases. That is the most the state has ever seen in a day.

It's not just the sheer number that's concerning. It's how quickly the curve is going up, and curve is maybe a little too gentle for a word for it. At one point, state health officer Kathy Lofy used the word vertical -- as in straight up.

Back in the spring, when the pandemic first started, the message was flatten the curve, the idea being that we have to prevent the hospitals from becoming overwhelmed with people who are very sick. What position are the hospitals in at this point?

The number of people hospitalized with Covid-19 is really starting to go up, too. It's not quite where it was in March, but the trend is climbing. Compared to case counts, we would expect to see a lag in these numbers, because after somebody catches Covid-19 it might take a few weeks for them to end up in the hospital.

But, given how high case counts are, health officials are really worried about a surge where hospital facilities and staff would be pushed to the limit.

At this point, are there any new restrictions to limit the spread of the disease? Could there be another Stay Home order?

Not yet. There are no new restrictions, yet. The governor's office says that's because they don't think another Stay Home order is necessary right now. This big press conference today actually represented a shifting strategy away from restrictions and towards trying to convince people to take responsibility for stopping the virus.

This news briefing was like the All Stars of local and state health officials. These folks are making a full court press right now at you and me with their messages.

What do they want from us specifically? What's the message?

Here are the recommendations They're much stricter than what we've been hearing. Ideally, stop socializing with anyone outside your household. If you do need to see people, keep it to five people or fewer a week, and keep it short. Wear a mask. Follow the other usual precautions.

You might be wondering about Thanksgiving. They say the safest Thanksgiving is just you and your household, with everyone else over the internet. Otherwise, meet outside, and keep it to no more than five people outside your household, and one more thing from Deputy Secretary of Health Lacy Fehrenbach:

“You should seriously consider a full quarantine for the two weeks prior, which starts very soon. This means only leaving your home for essential things like groceries or prescriptions, or a brief walk around the neighborhood.”

I can see that seriously changing many people's Thanksgiving plans. If cases continue to climb, what should we expect here?

Health officials are hoping that all of us follow these guidelines, and following the guidelines will keep the cases from climbing. But, if that doesn't work, we might see new restrictions. Here's Public Health Seattle and King County Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin:

“Don't forget it takes weeks to turn around a trend, and if we see this trend is going in a direction that's stressing our hospitals, we're going to need to act pretty quickly.”

Later this week, we expect the governor to be talking again. Definitely expect to hear more of the flattening the curve messages.

Listen to the interview by clicking the play button above.