Health officials worried about new cases of COVID-19 due to protests

Washington’s Secretary of Health says he thinks it’s just a matter of time the state sees a spike in coronavirus cases with thousands gathering for protests.

Protests against police brutality have brought thousands out of their homes, packed closely together for hours. Some are wearing masks, some are not.

“I’m confident, I would say, there are going to be some cases associated with this when have large people together,” said Secretary John Wiesman. “We know that somewhere between 25-40% of folks with COVID may asymptomatic and that can pose a risk as well.”

The protests have been outdoors which is a lower risk for transmission of the virus. But that may be outweighed by what usually happens during demonstrations.

“We do know when people are speaking more loudly or singing, that again, there seems to be more risk from the virus in terms of droplets,” explained Wiesman.

As the state begins to reopen, with people looking forward to eating out again or getting their hair cut, Wiesman said he will be keeping a close eye on the data. But he warns new outbreaks could jeopardize our return to normalcy.

“If we see large spikes from any of these and we think there is a difficulty in managing those number of cases or being able to identify contacts, those are the things that would potentially have us looking at scaling back down,” added Wiesman.

The coronavirus pandemic has disproportionately affected communities of color, exacerbating racial inequality. With that backdrop and the killing of George Floyd, Wiesman understands that people want to express their outrage. His advice: absolutely do not go if you’re feeling sick. If you do attend a protest, wear a face covering, remember to clean your hands with sanitizer and avoid touching your mouth, nose and eyes.

© 2020 Cox Media Group