Between July 4 and 11, 16 new coronavirus cases were reported in Okanogan County, including five in the Methow Valley.
One case was reported in Carlton on July 4, one in Winthrop on July 6, two in Twisp on July 8, and one in Twisp between July 9 and 11.
County-wide, as of July 12, 35 new cases of COVID-19 had been reported in the past 14 days, bringing the county’s cumulative total to 2,828 cases. Two weeks ago, on June 21, the 14-day case count was more than twice that number, at 75.
While the incidence rate over 14 days adjusted for a base of 100,000 population was 148 for the county’s unvaccinated population, that number was just 5 cases per 100,000 when only counting the county’s vaccinated population.
In Okanogan County, 46.8% of people are vaccinated, according to Okanogan County Public Health.
The Methow Valley still has some of the highest percentages of vaccination rates in the county, with Winthrop at 69%, Mazama at 57% and Twisp at 55%. Brewster has the highest vaccination rate in the county, with 77% of its residents vaccinated. Methow has the lowest rate in the Methow Valley, at 34%.
Statewide, 69.6% of residents 16 or older have been vaccinated, according to the state Department of Health. The DOH is reporting that the state COVID vaccination lottery, which offered drawings for cash and other prizes, boosted vaccination rates among people 16 and older by about 24%. The department reported 28,500 more people were vaccinated since the June 3 announcement of the lottery than previously projected.