Coronavirus updates: State reports 9 new deaths; UW Medicine to furlough 4,000 workers
This page includes coronavirus developments around Washington state for Monday, May 25.
Updated 3:30 p.m.
The Washington State Department of Health on Monday reported 237 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and nine new deaths.
Statewide totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus are at 20,065 cases and 1,070 deaths, up from 19,828 cases and 1,061 deaths on Sunday.
The total number of people who have been hospitalized in Washington state with a confirmed case of COVID-19 is 3,290. Thirteen people with confirmed COVID-19 cases were admitted to Washington state hospitals on May 17, the most recent date with complete data. March 23 saw 88 admittances, the highest number to date during the pandemic.
Washington state has conducted 330,598 coronavirus tests, with 6.1 percent coming back positive.
King County continues to have the highest numbers, with 7,826 cases and 550 deaths. Snohomish County has 2,904 cases and 136 deaths.
Pierce County reports seven new cases, no deaths
Updated 2:30 p.m.
Pierce County on Monday reported seven new COVID-19 cases with no new deaths.
The county’s totals now stand at 1,874 cases and 74 deaths, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.
The new cases stem from Tacoma, Puyallup, South Hill, Lakewood, Central Pierce County and Spanaway.
Monday’s data show that 97.2 percent of deaths in county have involved patients with underlying health conditions.
The county’s COVID-19 tracking page estimated the number of still-active confirmed cases at 523, with 1,351 assumed recovered.
There have been 23,829 coronavirus tests run on Pierce County residents with 7.4 percent of them positive as of May 23, according to state Department of Health data.
UW Medicine announces furloughs
Updated 2:30 p.m.
UW Medicine is moving forward to issue temporary furloughs to 4,000 unionized workers, it announced in a press release Monday afternoon.
The decision comes after bargaining with union partners wrapped up on Monday. It also follows actions last week to furlough approximately 1,500 professional and classified non-union staff to help address the financial challenges caused by COVID-19.
The virus is expected to cost UW Medicine $500 million.
“This has been a very difficult, but necessary, decision to address the financial challenges facing UW Medicine and all healthcare organizations responding to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Lisa Brandenburg, president of UW Medicine Hospitals & Clinics, in a press release. “We have taken deliberate steps to ensure patient care is not impacted by aligning staff levels with current and predicted patient volumes, including the return of elective procedures, expanded in-person clinical services and continued expansion of telehealth, while ensuring UW Medicine is prepared to respond to future surges of patients with COVID-19.”
Free testing at Tacoma Dome
Updated 9 a.m.
Free COVID-19 drive-thru testing will continue this week at the Tacoma Dome.
Testing will be available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. All patients must pre-register at krogerhealth.com/covidtesting.
The testing is open to anyone who qualifies on the pre-registration link. No insurance is needed and test results are available in 48 hours.
The testing is being hosted through Fred Meyer and QFC parent company Kroger. The free testing started last week with the capacity to test 250 people per day. Similar testing is also occurring at the same times Wednesday and Thursday at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.
COVID testing in Washington state declines
Updated 9 a.m.
An analysis by a free-market think tank found that daily testing has declined steadily in Washington state from late April to mid-May.
The average number of tests in Washington state dropped in that period by about 8 percent, from 5,109 to 4,685 based on a seven-day average of the state’s data, according to the analysis by the Washington Policy Center, a nonprofit group.
“Increased testing is vital if Washington state policymakers are to understand the extent and risk of the coronavirus,” said Todd Myers, the center’s environmental director.
When asked about the decline, Inslee senior adviser Reed Schuler disputed the numbers. “The last week for which we have complete and accurate testing volume data, the week of May 4, shows weekday testing highs that are roughly similar to the week prior...” he wrote in an email.
Myers stood by his numbers, saying he re-did an analysis published Tuesday and found the same decline in testing with the most recent confirmed data as of May 13.
“It’s a three-week trend,” he said.
Tacoma bookstores open curbside pickup
Updated 9 a.m.
King’s Books and Tacoma Book Center are offering curbside pickup on orders after recent orders from Gov. Jay Inslee.
For King’s Books, pickup will be available from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and can be ordered through the shop’s website by selecting curbside pickup.
Tacoma Book Center offers pickup at select hours and can be reached through email at tacbook@harbornet.com.
There’s no word yet on when the brick and mortar shops can reopen.
This story was originally published May 25, 2020 at 9:16 AM.
