Spokane County is making good progress on the downward slope of the omicron wave. Case counts are declining and hospitalizations have come down from their peak, too.

However, due to the speedy transmission of omicron and incredibly high COVID-19 case counts, the county still has a case rate higher than the peaks of previous virus waves.

Health Officer Dr. Francisco Velázquez said that’s why it’s important to not lift precautions too early.

“We are on a path that demonstrates some improvement,” he told reporters Wednesday. “I think the goal is to not remove some of those precautionary measures before this improvement becomes more permanent, meaning not too early, and be ready to realign if indeed we were to have an additional challenge from another variant.”

State health officials, along with the governor’s office, are looking at data to determine when precautions, like mask mandates or vaccine requirements, could be lifted.

Statewide case counts and hospitalizations for COVID-19 continue to decrease, albeit slower in Eastern Washington due to the delayed peak of omicron here.

There are still 178 COVID patients in Spokane hospitals, including seven children or teens.

And while hospitalizations have come down off their peak in the Inland Northwest, Velázquez said he is looking for that pattern to continue.

“Our goal is to make sure that we continue to protect that health care (system),” he told reporters. “(I’m) cautiously optimistic that we did see some decrease, but we want to make sure that decrease perpetuates and continues – but we’re not there yet.”

On Thursday, Gov. Jay Inslee is expected to announce when statewide restrictions will be pulled back and the timing for lifting precautions, like the public indoor mask mandate.

The outdoor mask mandate for large gatherings in Washington state ends on Friday.

King County announced it would end its vaccine verification requirement for indoor recreational settings on March 1.

Velázquez said it is likely that masks will still be required in certain settings, including health care offices and long-term care facilities.

Additionally, federal law still requires masks on public transportation, like buses and airplanes.

Meanwhile, Providence announced that its hospitals are changing visitor policies staring on Thursday.

At Providence’s Sacred Heart Medical Center and Holy Family Hospital, all non-COVID patients are now allowed one visitor per day, and patients there for appointments may bring one support person. Pregnant people who do not have the virus can have one support person and one visitor.

Hospital visitors are expected to wear a mask, as health care facilities are where the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends masks.

Here’s a look at local numbers

The Spokane Regional Health District reported 401 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday and no additional deaths. Wednesday’s case count includes the missing cases from Monday and Tuesday.

The Panhandle Health District reported 199 new COVID-19 cases and 22 new deaths on Wednesday.

There have been 891 deaths due to COVID-19 in Panhandle residents. There are now 4,350 backlogged cases at the Panhandle Health District.

There are 79 Panhandle residents hospitalized with the virus.