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Washington’s mask mandate ends March 12, so what does the future look like for the pandemic? King County Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin , expressing a mix of optimism and caution.

What you need to know with statewide mandate set to lift on March 12

As Dr. Duchin pointed out, COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths have across the county as the omicron surge has waned, having now dropped to levels King County experienced in late November and early December of last year. Similar trends have played out statewide, while mitigation measures have continued to provide additional relief.

“Our vaccines with boosters are providing a high level of protection against serious illness for most King County residents,” Duchin said during a Friday briefing. “Testing is widely available and access to treatment is improving. Our hospitals and health care providers are recovering and better able to take care of all of our health needs, even as they address a large backlog of deferred care from recent surges.”

Duchin qualified that with a warning as well, noting that “while we celebrate this progress today, it’s critical to understand that COVID-19 remains with us, both in the U.S. and globally,” emphasizing his point with an apt — albeit painful — metaphor.

“We won’t be secure locally until we control COVID-19 globally,” he cautioned. “I hope the worst days of the pandemic are behind us, but unlike the Sonics and Russell Wilson, COVID-19 is not going away, and we will need to grapple with it for the foreseeable future.”

Washington health leaders urge continued mask wearing after mandate lifts

That highlights the importance of taking advantage of a period where case rates have finally dropped to a more manageable level, Duchin described.

“We need to use the time we have now while COVID is not surging to build COVID preparedness and resilience,” he advised. “This means, for example, not relying only on individuals to do the right thing, but making system-wide efforts to ensure ongoing high levels of vaccination, including the critical booster dose.”

Other prevention measures include improving air filtration in indoor businesses and workplaces, ensuring there is still access to testing and treatment, providing workers with appropriate sick leave should they test positive, and shoring up capacity in local health care systems.

“Although much uncertainty remains, I’m optimistic that if we continue to take the necessary steps and don’t take our eye off the ball, over time we’ll continue to decrease the damage this virus will do and its impact on our lives,” Duchin concluded.