King County omicron cases decline as ‘second chapter’ of surge gains steam in Eastern Washington

Cases of the coronavirus are on the decline in the Seattle metro area, but hospital leaders warned Tuesday that the omicron variant is gaining steam in Eastern Washington and could ravage already stressed health care facilities.

For the first time during the pandemic, the Washington Medical Coordination Center activated its “guaranteed-acceptance rotation protocol,” which goes into effect when all hospitals are “full to the point of needing to refuse patients” and need help finding beds, Taya Briley, vice president of the Washington State Hospital Association, said in a news briefing. It was active for several days last week.

Already some Washington hospitals have received patient transfer requests from health facilities in Idaho.

In King County, data shows the rise in average omicron infections per day peaked on Jan. 10 with 7,563 daily cases. Since then, the county has charted a significant decline in infections, dropping at least 43% in the past week.

Hospitalizations in King County were also showing signs of slowing or even plateauing, county health officer Dr. Jeff Duchin said in a Tuesday statement.