State health officials hope to have more at-home COVID tests available soon

As people rush to find COVID testing options before Christmas and the upcoming holidays, many Puget Sound drug store shelves are empty of at-home tests.

Rise of omicron variant in Seattle prompts demand for testing, boosters

Washington’s Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah says the plan to be announced by President Biden on Tuesday to get these rapid tests to people should help.

According to the Associated Press, President Biden plans to announce 500 million free rapid tests for Americans, increased support for hospitals under strain, and a redoubling of vaccination and boosting efforts.

“One of the biggest issues that we have is just the manufacturing capability for the at-home tests are just not there yet,” Dr. Shah said. “So we’re really hopeful, with the president’s announcement, we’re going to see an increase in at-home testing availability.”

In the meantime, UW Medicine says its test sites across King County and Seattle have capacity for everyone who needs a test, and Skagit County is letting residents order free tests.

Concern for hospital capacity

With omicron now making up nearly all new COVID-19 cases in Washington, health officials also expressed concern about the state’s hospitals and health care system.

Dr. Shah says if even omicron turns out to be milder, there’s still cause for worry.

“When it’s got increased transmissibility compared to the delta variant, the concern is that some proportion of those individuals are going to be hospitalized. And our concern is that our system is already strained,” he said Tuesday.

Shah says the low staffing levels at hospitals would only make the problem worse.

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Preparing for the holidays

As 2021 comes to a close, Dr. Shah recognized that people will have to make some decisions about what they feel comfortable doing and analyze each activity for risks.

Getting vaccinated and boosted once eligible is a good first step, he said, and getting a COVID test if you have any symptoms or a known exposure is a good second step.

“When you make a decision, … there are things you can do to reduce your risk,” Shah said about making the choice to go to a sporting event, movie, gathering, or anywhere. “And it is up to us to do that.”

“Outdoors is better than indoors,” he added. “Being in a gathering where there are less people is better than being in a gathering where there are more people.”

Dr. Shah also emphasized the importance of masking and risk prevention strategies we know work.

“Get vaccinated. Get boosted. And then remember to really recognize your risk and what you can do help mitigate your risk,” he said, which includes being careful around travel, gatherings, staying home when you’re sick, and, again, getting tested.

To report a positive at-home test result in Washington, call 833-VAX-HELP.

KIRO Newsradio’s Nicole Jennings contributed to this report.

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