Washington is not done with omicron , although early signs show that the West Side might be headed in the right direction.

“We are hopeful that we will see a plateauing and soon hopefully a decline among the state of Washington,” Gov. Jay Inslee told reporters Thursday.

The latest models show the peak may have occurred in Western Washington, Inslee said.

In Eastern Washington, however, Inslee said he is expecting a “continued rapid increase.”

Throughout January, case counts have increased and then sustained higher levels than previous waves in Spokane County.

More than 5,000 cases have been reported by the Spokane Regional Health District since Monday, and in recent weeks, COVID hospitalizations have also increased in the Inland Northwest.

There are 195 patients hospitalized with the virus in Spokane, an 80-patient increase from about two weeks ago.

Inslee said he hopes Washington will soon experience a rapid decline, similar to what other states are experiencing.

The state is doing everything it can to help hospitals, Inslee said. This included sending some National Guard teams to hospitals statewide.

Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center welcomed 20 National Guard members to help in their emergency department last Friday.

The team will work both evening and day shifts, helping with COVID testing and other nonclinical duties in the ER.

Here’s a look at local numbers:

The Spokane Regional Health District reported 1,512 new COVID cases and three additional deaths on Thursday.

There have been 1,192 deaths due to COVID-19 in Spokane County residents.

The Panhandle Health District reported 231 new cases and has approximately 4,700 backlogged cases.

There are 100 Panhandle residents hospitalized with the virus, and Kootenai Health is treating 93 patients with COVID.