Pierce County COVID-19 cases total 83; limited drive-thru testing to launch
Eight new confirmed coronavirus cases were reported in Pierce County on Friday.
There are now 83 positive cases out of 1,695 tested in Pierce County, with one death in the county since the outbreak started.
Statewide on Friday, total positive cases were 1,524 out of 23,243 tested, up from 1,376 cases on Thursday, and 83 deaths, up from 74.
Friday case numbers and Pierce County location with Thursday’s totals in parentheses:
▪ Bonney Lake: 1 (no change)
▪ East Pierce County: 2 (1)
▪ Gig Harbor area: 10 (7)
▪ Lakewood: 5 (no change)
▪ Northeast Pierce County: 3 (2)
▪ Puyallup: 16 (15)
▪ South Pierce County: 6 (no change)
▪ Tacoma: 33 (31)
▪ University Place: 7 (no change)
Friday morning, David Carlson, chief physician officer wth MultiCare Health Systems, addressed the Tacoma-Pierce County Business Roundtable teleconference. Carlson said that though lower numbers of positive cases have been seen here than in other areas, mitigation factors such as social distancing remain as important as ever.
“This notion of social distancing is the way to isolate social distance; the isolation breaks the chain of infection and gives us hope” to contain the spread of the virus, he said.
“We’re encouraged but that’s all we are,” he noted, “and remain cautious about what the future holds.”
On Friday, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department also announced limited drive-thru testing to be made available starting Saturday at the Tacoma Dome for frontline health care workers as well as public safety workers, first responders, grocery workers and other critical infrastructure workers, those over age 60 or with underlying conditions or who are pregnant.
Qualifying individuals must have symptoms (fever, cough, shortness of breath) and must register first online. More information on the drive-thru testing is available on the Health Department’s website.
“We want to continue to ensure we do what we can to slow the disease spread in our community,” Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier said in Friday’s release. “We are pleased to work with the City of Tacoma, the Health Department, and our state and federal partners to make more testing available for our residents.”
This story was originally published March 20, 2020 at 2:28 PM.
