Submitted by San Juan County.

Note: Current positive case numbers are available online at the San Juan County Case Data Dashboard, sanjuanco.com/1682/COVID-19-SJC-Data-Dashboard.

In the past week, total cases in San Juan County have increased from 191 to 195. Each of the recent cases are breakthrough cases, meaning that the cases are in fully vaccinated individuals.

There are eight close contacts of positive cases. Five are currently in quarantine in San Juan County. There is one confirmed positive case under active surveillance in San Juan County at this time.

Lopez Island

There is one new case on Lopez Island since the last update. This is a breakthrough case and appears to be due to exposure from a confirmed positive off-island contact.

There are no confirmed positive cases under active monitoring on Lopez Island at this time.

Orcas Island

There are two new cases on Orcas Island since the last update. These are breakthrough cases. One case appears to be due to exposure from a confirmed positive off-island contact. One case is from an unknown source.

There is one confirmed positive case under active monitoring on Orcas Island at this time.

San Juan Island

There is one new case on San Juan Island since the last update. This is a breakthrough case and appears to be due to exposure from a confirmed positive off-island contact.

There are no confirmed positive cases under active monitoring on San Juan Island at this time.

Overall picture

Being vaccinated is still the best protection against COVID-19. Vaccines have been proven to reduce the serious side effects, like hospitalization and death. Although cases are on the rise for vaccinated people, more than 97% of people hospitalized for COVID-19 are unvaccinated. If you are not yet vaccinated, please do so as soon as possible. Vaccines provide the best defense against all strains of COVID from gaining a foothold in our community. Go to sanjuanco.com/1737/COVID-Vaccine-Info for information on COVID vaccine providers in San Juan County.

The increase in breakthrough cases around the country, and now locally, is not unexpected. The Delta strain of the virus is spreading exponentially in areas where COVID vaccination rates are low. With eased restrictions around travel, mask-wearing and social distancing, it is suspected the Delta variant is the cause of these breakthroughs. This is significant, since the Delta variant is 225% more infectious and appears to cause more serious symptoms, particularly in unvaccinated people.

State and local health officials are closely monitoring this trend in cases and the appropriate recommendations to ensure the safety of the community. Until more is known, everyone is encouraged to exercise more caution: limit travel, limit socializing, mask up in crowded areas and get vaccinated.

San Juan County has returned to weekly case updates as this breakthrough situation develops and until case trends decrease.