Coronavirus updates: State passes 4,300 cases; hotel near Tacoma Mall could become care site
This page includes coronavirus developments around Washington state for Saturday, March 28.
HOTEL NEAR TACOMA MALL COULD BECOME COVID-19 CARE SITE
Updated 5:30 p.m.
The Holiday Inn near the Tacoma Mall could temporarily become a care center for individuals who have tested positive for or been exposed to COVID-19, according to multiple City of Tacoma officials.
Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards told the Tacoma-Pierce County Coalition to End Homelessness in a meeting Friday that the health department was looking at the hotel, which is located at 8402 S. Hosmer St.
Woodards told The News Tribune Friday the health department is taking the lead on the project, though the health department has “not reached a final decision on any locations,” spokesperson Steve Metcalf said.
A document published by the health department Friday says the county needs “at least three” temporary care locations.
“The first temporary care center is likely a Tacoma hotel in central Pierce County,” the document says. “The second center will likely be in west Pierce County and the third will likely be in east Pierce County.”
The Holiday Inn being considered near the mall has 124 guest rooms.
Decisions on recovery sites will be made based on criteria such as proximity to hospitals, access to beds and bedding, and adequate air flow.
WASHINGTON UP TO 4,310 COVID-19 CASES, 189 DEATHS
Updated 5 p.m.
Washington state’s COVID-19 case totals reached 4,310 on Saturday with 189 reported deaths, up from 3,723 cases and 175 deaths as of Friday.
King County remains the hardest hit county with 2,077 positive cases (48% of the state’s total) and 136 deaths, while Snohomish County has 912 cases and 23 deaths and Pierce County has 282 cases and five deaths.
Of the state’s 39 counties, 34 have reported at least one case, 25 have reported five or more cases, and 18 double- or triple-digit cases. There are 160 cases in the state that have not been assigned to a county.
Twelve counties — including Benton (five), Chelan (one), Clark (six), Grant (one), Island (one), King (136), Pierce (five), Skagit (three), Snohomish (23), Spokane (two), Whatcom (four) and Yakima (two) — have reported at least one death.
There have been than 59,206 individuals tested in Washington since the outbreak began, and positive tests continue to hover around 7%.
Washington is the sixth state to eclipse 4,000 confirmed cases, and now ranks fifth nationwide in that category. The state’s total deaths related to the virus remain the second-most in the country, behind New York, which has the most cases (52,354) and deaths (728) in the U.S.
There are only 16 countries in the world as of Saturday that have reported more confirmed cases than Washington state has alone.
PIERCE COUNTY CONFIRMS 55 NEW COVID-19 CASES
Updated 2 p.m.
There were 55 new confirmed COVID-19 cases reported Saturday in Pierce County — the most new positive cases reported on a single day since the outbreak began.
That brings the county’s total to 282 positive cases of the 4,888 tested the by University of Washington virology lab and the state Public Health Laboratories since the outbreak began. About 6% of residents tested have been confirmed positive.
The county did not report any deaths Saturday — that total remains at five people from Lakewood (three), Puyallup (one) and Spanaway (one).
The county initially reported a total of 231 cases Friday of 4,310 residents tested, but that case count has been amended on the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department website to read 227 total cases, including 42 new cases.
Case number totals by geographic location within the county are listed below with Friday’s reported totals in parenthesis:
▪ Bonney Lake: 8 (6)
▪ Central Pierce County: 12 (11)
▪ East Pierce County: 11 (9)
▪ Edgewood/Fife/Milton: 14 (13)
▪ Frederickson: 8 (7)
▪ Gig Harbor area: 17 (14)
▪ Graham: 11 (6)
▪ JBLM: 3 (no change)
▪ Key Peninsula: 2 (no change)
▪ Lake Tapps/Sumner area: 7 (no change)
▪ Lakewood: 12 (no change)
▪ Parkland: 19 (17)
▪ Puyallup: 19 (16)
▪ South Hill: 16 (10)
▪ South Pierce County: 4 (no change)
▪ Southwest Pierce County: 6 (3)
▪ Spanaway: 8 (no change)
▪ Tacoma: 89 (75)
▪ University Place: 8 (no change)
Daily reports include new cases received by 11:59 p.m. the previous day.
QFC LOOKING TO HIRE AT ALL 61 STORES
Updated 11 a.m.
Bellevue-based grocery store chain QFC announced Friday it is looking to fill positions at all 61 of its stores in the Pacific Northwest to help mitigate growing unemployment in the region.
Those who work in the hardest-hit sectors — restaurants, hotels and food service distributors — are encouraged to apply.
QFC is looking to fill e-commerce positions to fulfill pick-up orders that have drastically increased since the COVID-19 outbreak began.
“QFC continues to serve our communities by providing customers with food and products on our shelves or by providing a nearly immediate job opportunity to help an unemployed person to begin working again,” QFC president Chris Albi said in a release. “We are committed to remaining a constant. We have a responsibility to our associates, customers and communities.”
QFC expedited its hiring process two weeks ago, and now adds new hires in 72 hours on average.
Part-time and full-time positions with benefits are available. Candidates can apply on QFC’s website.
Additionally, Kroger, which owns the QFC chain, is looking to hire 20,000 workers nationwide during the pandemic.
MULTICARE UPDATES ON DONATION NEEDS DURING COVID-19
Updated 10 a.m.
MultiCare provided an update on its donation needs during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic Friday.
While the organization praised community members who have made contributions thus far, it is still looking for personal protective equipment (PPE) as nationwide shortages continue, as well as food, blood and financial donations.
Here’s what community members can donate:
▪ Manufactured PPE — Unopened boxes of masks, gloves or gowns can be dropped off from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on weekdays at the hospital loading docks listed below. All donated products will be evaluated and allocated accordingly. Opened boxes can be donated, and the products inside will be placed through a cleaning process before they are distributed for use.
▪ Homemade PPE — MultiCare currently has a sufficient stock of homemade masks and does not require more at this time. Homemade masks that have been received will be evaluated and cleaned before distributed for use.
▪ Food donations — Individually wrapped, commercially prepared food (i.e. granola bars) can be used to provide hospital staff with snacks during their shifts. Donations are accepted from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on weekdays at the hospital loading docks listed below. If a surplus of food is received it will be donated to the local food bank. Food donations should be scheduled with Multicare Volunteer Services Coordinator Theresa Lerma via email.
▪ Bood donations — Local blood banks are running low and need donations. MultiCare does not have donation sites at its facilities, but recommends visiting an American Red Cross site.
▪ Financial donations — MultiCare has set up a COVID-19 response fund to support caregivers, provide access to care and address needs that emerge during the pandemic. Tax-deductible contributions can be made on MultiCare’s website.
Here’s where community members can donate PPE and food:
Auburn Medical Center Distribution Center
202 N Division St
Auburn, WA 98001
Covington Medical Center Distribution Center
17700 SE 272nd St
Covington, WA 98042
MultiCare Deaconess Hospital
800 W 5th Avenue
Spokane, WA 99204
Good Samaritan Hospital Distribution Center
1421 3rd St SE
Puyallup, WA 98372
Tacoma General, Mary Bridge Children’s and Allenmore hospitals
402 S J St
Tacoma, Washington 98405
Valley Hospital
12606 E Mission Avenue
Spokane Valley, WA 99216
TACOMA BIOTECH NONPROFIT PREPARING TO HELP WITH COVID-19 TESTING
Updated 9:30 a.m.
RAIN Incubator, a downtown Tacoma nonprofit, is preparing to take on some of the burden from health systems during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The nonprofit was launched in 2017 with the goal of fostering jobs and businesses by training students in the field of biotechnology.
It is now using four labs in its facility to develop testing to determine the presence of substances — in this case, COVID-19.
“The objective of these labs is really to be to work on infectious disease, all the technologies you’d need to support any kind of outbreak,” RAIN Incubator founder David Hirschberg said.
“ ... These laboratories, there’s nothing in this area, really south of Seattle or north of Portland, that can work on the kinds of projects that we’re working on.”
RAIN Incubator’s goal is to help health systems like CHI Franciscan and MultiCare by offering alternate ways of testing.
“When a health system becomes overburdened with testing or their labs are overwhelmed, we can provide that really solid foundational backup,” said Jenna McKee-Johnson, head of science operations for RAIN Incubator.
The nonprofit is developing ways to test and Hirschberg estimates it has the capacity to run about 100 tests per day.
METRO PARKS TACOMA TO LAY OFF 520 PART-TIME WORKERS DUE TO COVID-19
Updated 9 a.m.
Metro Parks Tacoma announced Friday it would make significant budget cuts, including laying off 520 part-time and seasonal workers, due to system-wide closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The budget impact is coming into focus now, and it’s devastating,” Metro Parks executive director Shon Sylvia said in a release.
Losses are estimated to reach up to $13 million, depending on how long the state’s stay in place order remains in effect.
“We’re all in shock over how quickly it came to this,” Sylvia said. “We strongly urge Congress to target its next round of relief toward local governments.”
Park district leaders project lower revenues from sales taxes and property taxes. Of the overall budget, 44% comes from “earned revenue,” or feeds associated with attendance, programs, classes, facility rentals and more. The system-wide closures prevent any earned revenue.
Metro Parks controls more than 70 properties across roughly 3,000 acres, including Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, Meadow Park Golf Course, Fort Nisqually Living History Museum, community centers, pools, spraygrounds, parks, hundreds of recreation programs and more.
District leaders are working with staff to manage essential functions, including caring for animals, building systems, and basic parks operations and maintenance.
Managers and non-represented staff will see temporary reductions in pay or hours, with senior leaders taking larger reductions, and all full-time employees will experience pay cuts and furloughs.
Other steps to reduce costs include freezing spending and hiring, tapping emergency funding from district reserves and asking represented staff to participate in reductions.
“I’ve worked at Metro Parks for more than 20 years and I know the staff well, and this is heartbreaking,” Sylvia said. “They helped make this one of the best systems in the nation.”
INSLEE DECIDES TO HOLD SPECIAL ELECTION, DESPITE COVID-19 CONCERNS
Updated 9 a.m.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s office has decided to move ahead with the April 28 special election, despite warnings from the state’s chief elections officer about how the COVID-19 pandemic could threaten the safety of election workers.
Earlier this month, Secretary of State Kim Wyman asked Inslee to cancel the special election to protect the health of the workers, adding local governments have the option to postpone elections until Aug. 4 or Nov. 3.
“Secretary Wyman and I have been talking throughout this, and this week she told me there no longer was a request from all counties to postpone the election,” David Postman, Inslee’s chief of staff, said in an email. “Some taxing districts have already chosen to pull down their elections. Others were insistent on going forward.”
Wyman said Inslee adviser RaShelle Davis told her Thursday only two counties — Mason and San Juan — said they could not conduct the election on April 28 due to the social distancing required throughout the state.
The two jurisdictions in San Juan County with ballot issues canceled their April 28 elections on Thursday.
That leaves 18 local governments in nine counties, including Orting School District No. 344 in Pierce County, with measures still on the mail-in ballot.
Wyman said the decision from Inslee’s office disappointed her.
WSDOT TO TEMPORARILY REDUCE FERRY SCHEDULES
Updated 8:30 a.m.
Washington State Ferries’ central Puget Sound routes will temporarily reduce service in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Washington State Department of Transportation announced Friday.
Reductions in service will begin Sunday and remain in place until at least April 25.
Sailings on the Seattle-Bainbridge and Seattle-Bremerton routes will be reduced by about half.
The Fauntleroy-Vashon, Fauntleroy-Southworth and Southworth-Vashon routes will move to a two-boat schedule, reducing sailings by about a third. The following “Triangle” route daily sailings will be suspended:
▪ 1:25 a.m. — Vashon to Fauntleroy
▪ 1:45 a.m. — Southworth to Fauntleroy
▪ 2:20 a.m. — Fauntleroy to Vashon
▪ 2:45 a.m. — Vashon to Southworth
Also beginning Sunday, the final round trips of each sailing day will be suspended on the Seattle-Bainbridge, Seattle-Bremerton and Mukilteo-Clinton routes. The final round trips on the Edmonds-Kingston route will be suspended on Fridays and Saturdays.
According to WSDOT, system-wide ridership was down about 60% as of Thursday, compared to the final week of February. Walk-on passengers have decreased by more than 80%, and the number of vehicles carried has dropped nearly %50.
WSF is the largest ferry system in the U.S. and generally carries almost 24 million people per year.
UW MODEL PREDICTS 1,429 COVID-19 DEATHS IN WASHINGTON BY JULY
Updated 8 a.m.
The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation released new models Friday, projecting when the COVID-19 outbreak will peak, as well as estimating total death tolls this year for each state and nationwide.
In Washington, the models suggest the virus will peak midway through April, but continue to have a substantial impact on the community until the first week of July.
The state is projected to have 1,429 COVID-19 deaths by July 1, and the death toll is expected to peak with 27 deaths per day by April 16. The state reported 175 total deaths since the outbreak began on Friday and 3,723 cases of nearly 53,000 tested.
The models also predict peak resource use in the state on April 19, but do not predict the state will run out of hospital beds, needing 2,922 of the 4,907 available. There is an expected shortage of ICU beds, with an estimated 437 needed on the peak date and only 341 available. The model suggests 236 ventilators will be needed on the peak date.
Nationwide, the models suggest the death toll will reach more than 81,000 deaths by August, with deaths per day peaking on April 14 at 2,341.
Peak resource use is also predicted to be on that day with shortages in both hospital beds (shortage of more than 49,200) and ICU beds (shortage of more than 14,600), as well as more than 18,700 ventilators needed.
COMCAST OFFERING ASSISTANCE FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS, EXPANDING CONTENT
Updated 8 a.m.
With colleges and universities closing campuses nationwide and moving to online-only classes, Comcast is offering assistance to students who are left without a reliable internet connection.
The corporation — which announced its Internet Essentials package earlier this month, providing two free months of internet to qualifying low-income households — is now offering eligible students a Visa prepaid card worth about two months of internet service.
Students can sign up on the Xfinity website, and if qualified, will receive an internet self-install kit within days, and a $150 prepaid Visa card within weeks.
The offer is available to college students who are not already Xfinity customers through June 1.
Comcast is also expanding its content during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering its existing customers more educational and children’s programming, fitness options, TV and movies, and more.
Xfinity customers can say “free” into their voice remotes to explore the subscription-based programs currently available, including SHOWTIME, EPIX, CuriosityStream, DOGTV, Grokker Yoga Fitness and Wellbeing, HISTORY Vault, Kids Room, The Great Courses Signature Collection and The Reading Corner.
Most of the services are offering 30 free days of programming, while CuriosityStream is offering 60.
Xfinity plans to add more preview content from “dozens of new networks, studios and streaming partners” in the coming weeks.
IT’S SAFE TO EAT TAKEOUT, HEALTH DEPARTMENT SAYS
Updated 8 a.m.
With COVID-19 concerns surrounding the state and the South Sound right now, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department doesn’t want food preparation to be one of them.
The health department posted an explainer about takeout and delivery food Friday, assuring the public it is still safe to eat.
Many bars and restaurants in the county continue to offer pickup and delivery, and the health department explains why consuming this food shouldn’t cause COVID-19 worries.
“COVID-19 is a respiratory illness,” TPCHD wrote in a post on its website. “It spreads through droplets produced when a sick person coughs or sneezes. It grows in your respiratory system.
“Your body processes food through your digestive system, not your respiratory system. So COVID-19 doesn’t spread through contaminated food or water.
“Common foodborne illnesses caused by things like norovirus or E. coli are different. They spread when you consume contaminated food or drinks.”
TPCHD does encourage consumers to continue taking appropriate social distancing and hygiene measures when interacting with food establishments.
This story was originally published March 28, 2020 at 8:00 AM.
