Coronavirus updates: Pierce County reports 14 new cases; spread increasing in some areas, state says
This page includes coronavirus developments around Washington state for Saturday, June 13.
STATE REPORTS 367 NEW CASES, 9 DEATHS
Updated 4 p.m.
The Washington State Department of Health reported 367 new COVID-19 cases and nine deaths Saturday.
Statewide totals have reached 25,538 cases and 1,213 deaths, up from 25,171 cases and 1,204 deaths Friday.
King County remains the hardest hit with 8,694 cases and 591 deaths, while Yakima County has 5,265 cases and 117 deaths and Snohomish County has 3,129 cases and 156 deaths.
Pierce County reported 14 new cases Saturday, bringing its totals to 2,106 cases and 83 deaths.
Benton County is the fifth in the state to report more than 1,000 cases with 1,106 as of Saturday.
Eighteen of the state’s 39 counties have reported more than 100 cases, and 11 counties have reported at least 10 virus-related deaths.
Garfield, the state’s least populous county, remains the only county without a reported case. Six other counties are reporting fewer than 10 cases each.
There are 33 cases that have not been assigned to a county.
There were 24 people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 admitted to state hospitals on June 5, the most recent date with complete data. The total number of people who have been hospitalized in the state stood at 3,845 on Saturday.
There have been 450,146 tests conducted in the state with 5.7% coming back positive.
The test numbers reflect only polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, which are given to patients while the virus is presumably still active in the body.
PIERCE COUNTY REPORTS 14 NEW CASES
Updated 2 p.m.
Pierce County reported 14 new COVID-19 cases Saturday. No additional deaths were reported.
The county’s totals are now at 2,106 cases and 83 deaths.
There have been 12.8 new cases per 100,000 residents during the past 14 days, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department website says.
As of Friday, the county reported an estimated 330 active cases.
Daily case totals can change as the county receives new information about cases, finds duplicate data or is assigned cases originally attributed to other counties.
There have been 32,909 tests conducted in the county with positive results at 6.4%, according to the state Department of Health.
That total does not include negative tests from long-term care facilities or the 87,000 tests not yet assigned to a county.
Saturday’s geographical case totals are listed below with Friday’s totals in parentheses:
▪ Bonney Lake: 48 (no change)
▪ Central Pierce County: 147 (148)
▪ East Pierce County: 59 (58)
▪ Edgewood/Fife/Milton: 96 (no change)
▪ Frederickson: 70 (no change)
▪ Gig Harbor area: 55 (no change)
▪ Graham: 69 (no change)
▪ JBLM: No longer reported
▪ Key Peninsula: 7 (no change)
▪ Lake Tapps/Sumner area: 53 (no change)
▪ Lakewood: 217 (216)
▪ Parkland: 129 (no change)
▪ Puyallup: 150 (148)
▪ South Hill: 107 (no change)
▪ South Pierce County: 40 (no change)
▪ Southwest Pierce County: 22 (no change)
▪ Spanaway: 69 (68)
▪ Tacoma: 678 (674)
▪ University Place: 78 (73)
▪ Unknown: 12 (no change)
Daily reports include cases received by 11:59 p.m. the previous day.
NEW DOH REPORT SHOWS INCREASING COVID-19 ACTIVITY
Updated 1:30 p.m.
The Washington State Department of Health released its latest statewide situation report Saturday, which details increased transmission of COVID-19 in some areas of the state.
“There are still significant differences in transmission from county to county,” a release from the DOH says, noting an increase in eastern Washington as of the end of May, and a possible uptick in western Washington.
“The situation in eastern Washington is of greatest concern, particularly in Benton, Franklin, Spokane and Yakima counties,” the release says. “The report estimates cases and deaths in these counties will soon increase substantially if COVID-19 continues to spread at current levels. By population, these counties are in a comparable position to King County at its peak in March.”
Case counts had been trending flat on the western side of the state, the release says, but small increases are now being detected.
“State and local officials will continue to monitor the region carefully to determine whether the slight increase in COVID-19 transmission shown in the report continues to grow,” the release says.
Findings in the report include possible increases in transmission of the virus over Memorial Day weekend, but do not include increases that may have occurred during recent protests around the state, the release says.
A new measure called “Progress to Zero” is also included int he report, which shows how far cases have declined from peak levels for each county.
“This measure varies considerably across the state, with some counties showing large decreases and other counties that have not yet reached a peak number of cases,” the release says.
Gov. Jay Inslee responded to the new report Saturday afternoon with a series of tweets.
“Washingtonians have done the hard work to flatten the curve on COVID-19 and we know this has been tremendously difficult for families, businesses and communities over the past few months,” he wrote. “But today’s report estimates cases and deaths will soon increase (and) we can’t let that happen.”
In his thread, Inslee called to increase testing, urged people to continue wearing masks and maintain physical distancing, as well as maintain hospital capacity and target interventions for high-risk groups.
“This is not the time to give up on efforts to protect ourselves, our families and our communities,” he wrote. “We are still in the middle of a pandemic that is continuing to infect and kill Washingtonians. This fight is not over.”
CDC ISSUES GUIDELINES FOR ENGAGING IN PUBLIC ACTIVITIES DURING PANDEMIC
Updated 12:30 p.m.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidelines Friday for how to stay safe while in public places during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the new guidelines, which are posted on the CDC website, the agency cautions “there is no way to ensure zero risk of infection, it is important to understand potential risks and how to adopt different types of prevention measures to protect yourself and to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.”
When venturing out, the CDC recommends considering how many people you will interact with, how long you will be interacting with them and whether it is possible to keep 6 feet of distance from others, whether indoors or outdoors.
The CDC also encourages people to know how the virus is spreading in their communities, and check the latest information about reported cases in their state, as well as updates from the local health department to better understand what requirements — such as social distancing or wearing facial coverings — are in place in their community.
Those at higher risk for severe illness or those who live with someone at higher risk are encouraged to take extra precautions, while all are encouraged to continue to practice preventive actions, such as washing hands often, disinfecting surfaces, wearing facial coverings and social distancing.
Those who do venture out are also asked to consider if they will have to share “items, equipment or tools” with others, and limit those interactions when possible, as well as whether they will need to use public transportation to reach their destination.
The CDC recommends taking the following three items along when engaging in public activities:
▪ Cloth face covering
▪ Tissues
▪ Hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, if possible
The CDC also offers specific guidance on common public activities, such as going to the bank, eating at a restaurant, hosting gatherings, using gyms, going to nail salons, visiting libraries and traveling overnight to different communities.
The guidelines say activities are “safer if you can maintain at least 6 feet of space between you and others, because COVID-19 spreads easier between people who are within 6 feet of each other.” It also warns “indoor spaces with less ventilation” may be more risky than outdoor spaces. Interacting with others without wearing a facial covering also increases risk, the guidelines say.
“CDC cannot provide the specific risk level for every activity in every community,” the guidelines say. “That’s why it’s important for you to consider your own personal situation and the risk for you, your family, and your community before venturing out.”
Further guidance on what do to if a person does contract the virus is also given.
NATIONAL GUARD TO HELP CLEAR BACKLOG OF UNEMPLOYMENT CLAIMS
Updated 8:15 a.m.
Washington State Employment Security Department Suzi LeVine said Thursday progress with unemployment claims during the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t gone “as quickly as we could hope” and the department will add the National Guard to its efforts next week.
ESD now has more than 300 workers focused specifically on identification verification to prevent further fraudulent claims, and will add 50 National Guard troops next week, with 50 more starting shortly after.
LeVine said the department expects to have lingering identification issues resolved by June 19 after false filings caused a pause in payments. There were 190,000 accounts flagged last month for investigation, but that number is down to 78,000, LeVine said.
Of those, “there were 42,000 already receiving payments, so we are focusing on between now and next Friday getting those folks restarted,” LeVine said Thursday.
LeVine hopes the other 36,000 accounts still under investigation would be resolved by the end of June or sooner.
There were 29,713 initial regular unemployment claims filed during the week ending June 6, the department said Thursday, which was down 4.8% from the previous week. There were 3,703 initial claims filed in Pierce County, down 9% from the previous week.
STATE REPORTS 392 NEW CASES, 10 DEATHS
Updated 8:15 a.m.
The Washington State Department of Health reported 392 new COVID-19 cases and 10 deaths Friday.
Statewide totals have reached 25,171 cases and 1,204 deaths, up from 24,779 cases and 1,194 deaths Thursday.
King County remains the hardest hit with 8,611 cases and 586 deaths, while Yakima County has 5,129 cases and 114 deaths and Snohomish County has 3,107 cases and 156 deaths.
Pierce County reported 12 new cases and one death Friday, bringing its totals to 2,093 cases and 83 deaths.
Eighteen of the state’s 39 counties have reported more than 100 cases, and 11 counties have reported at least 10 virus-related deaths.
Garfield, the state’s least populous county, remains the only county without a reported case. Six other counties are reporting fewer than 10 cases each.
There are 34 cases that have not been assigned to a county.
There were 15 people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 admitted to state hospitals on June 4, the most recent date with complete data. The total number of people who have been hospitalized in the state stood at 3,871 on Friday.
There have been 439,862 tests conducted in the state with 5.7% coming back positive.
The test numbers reflect only polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, which are given to patients while the virus is presumably still active in the body.
This story was originally published June 13, 2020 at 8:15 AM.
