Healthy Living: We have hit COVID-19 peak, but what does that mean?

SEATTLE -- Health officials in our state say that we have hit our peak for COVID-19 here in Washington.

So what does that really mean?

Dr. Drew Oliveira is the senior executive medical director with Regence BlueShield. He says what we are doing to stay safe, is working.

"It appears that through the work of all of us in our communities from working at home, physical distancing, washing our hands, wearing masks-- we have slowed and started to flatten that curve."

Dr. Oliveira says flattening the curve means limiting the number of patients coming into our healthcare system.

 "We have been doing a great job with that, we need to continue because we are now at the top of the curve, it still has to come back down. That may still take another 4 to 5 weeks in the state of Washington."

Dr. Oliveira says by using the predictive model created by the University of Washington and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, healthcare professional can identify needs in the fight against coronavirus.

"It is an excellent model to identify the needs for the healthcare system. How many beds we might need how many ICU beds, how many ventilators..."

Dr. Oliveira says while we are doing a good job of flattening the curve, now is not the time to let our new habits go by the wayside.

"So continue to keep your distance, for now, continue to wear a mask in public as recommended by the CDC, continue to wash your hands, don't touch your face, clean off surfaces, take care of yourself, take care of your family."

And of course, stay home, stay healthy.