Pierce County sees 34 new COVID-19 cases, two deaths; Tacoma adds 13 cases in one day
On Tuesday, Pierce County reported 34 new COVID-19 cases and two more deaths.
The county has reported a total of 1,382 cases and 51 deaths since the coronavirus pandemic began, according to figures from the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.
One previous case was discovered to be a duplicate report, leading to Tuesday’s adjusted total.
The new deaths include a Central Pierce County woman in her 80s and a Tacoma man in his 70s, both with underlying health conditions.
On Monday, the department added to its reporting data a list of cases reported at care facilities. The department says that moving forward, those numbers will be updated each Wednesday.
The department warns that it isn’t just long-term care residents at risk.
Steve Metcalf, communications specialist for the health department, told The News Tribune on Tuesday in response to questions that “person-to-person COVID-19 transmission is widespread in the county.”
Tacoma alone saw a rise of 13 cases reported between Monday and Tuesday.
The health department continues to emphasize social distancing as an effective mitigation measure, “along with limiting time around others ... frequent handwashing and wearing a cloth mask when unable to practice social distancing,” he wrote via email.
Daily case totals can change as the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department receives new information. Adjustments can include correcting duplicate data, assigning a case to another county or learning a test was a false positive.
Tuesday’s geographical totals are listed below with Monday’s reported numbers in parentheses:
▪ Bonney Lake: 34 (33)
▪ Central Pierce County: 104 (no change)
▪ East Pierce County: 38 (no change)
▪ Edgewood/Fife/Milton: 74 (73)
▪ Frederickson: 47 (no change)
▪ Gig Harbor area: 50 (no change)
▪ Graham: 45 (42)
▪ JBLM: No longer reported
▪ Key Peninsula: 7 (no change)
▪ Lake Tapps/Sumner area: 37 (35)
▪ Lakewood: 130 (126)
▪ Parkland: 68 (67)
▪ Puyallup: 67 (66)
▪ South Hill: 74 (no change)
▪ South Pierce County: 32 (30)
▪ Southwest Pierce County: 17 (no change)
▪ Spanaway: 45 (44)
▪ Tacoma: 461 (448)
▪ University Place: 47 (45)
▪ Unknown: 5 (3)
Daily reports include cases received by 11:59 p.m. the previous day.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREHow we are reporting coronavirus numbers
The News Tribune reports confirmed coronavirus cases as listed by the Washington Department of Health and the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department in their daily updates.
The state total includes all cases submitted by county health departments by 11:59 p.m. the previous day and is updated once a day by 6 p.m. on its website. Its numbers only include the cases the health departments have reported directly to the state. In some cases, county health departments have reported cases publicly but not to the state health department by the daily deadline, leading to different totals on occasion.
Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department updates its total by 2 p.m. each day on its website, and consists of all new confirmed cases reported by 11:59 p.m. the previous day.
This story was originally published April 28, 2020 at 2:26 PM.
