SPOKANE, Wash. — Ahead of Christmas and New Year's Eve, the Spokane Regional Health District is once again urging residents to celebrate the holidays with members of their own household.
Health leaders recommend wearing face coverings and practicing social distancing for those who do plan to have company.
"We knew that holidays were going to be a little different," said Dr. Frank Velazquez, SRHD's interim health officer. "But there is light at the end of the tunnel."
That "light," Velazquez said, represents better coronavirus treatments, more testing and new vaccines.
"In some ways, the vaccines are a holiday gift for all of us, which I think is very important," he said.
On Wednesday, doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Spokane County and employees of MultiCare started receiving vaccinations. During a morning press conference, Velazquez also touted a third vaccine from pharmaceutical company Johnson and Johnson that was on the horizon.
Locally, COVID-19 statistics are starting to show some promise, too, Velazquez said.
"I am personally cautiously optimistic," the doctor said, adding that Spokane County's two-week case rate per 100,000 people stood lower on Wednesday compared to several weeks ago. Additionally, daily reports of new cases have been lower compared to last week, according to Velazquez.
"But I'm going to wrap that with a big caveat," he cautioned, saying public health guidelines should still be followed. "Now is actually the time to be very compliant with it."
While Velazquez acknowledged the challenges associated with celebrating the holidays while adhering to health guidelines, the doctor did express concern over statewide mental and behavioral health trends. Velazquez referred to a recent statewide advisory that warned of increasing numbers of attempted suicides and incidents of self-harm and depression among certain groups.
"In general, I think mental health and wellness of the community is something that I've been worried about a little bit because of the stress and the pressure that this pandemic is putting on all," he said. "I think we should all be a little bit concerned about that as a community."
To help remain resilient, the health district suggested giving back to others and volunteering with various local organizations. In particular, SRHD pointed people looking for volunteer opportunities to contact United Way and the Washington State Department of Health.