New COVID-19 cases leap by 45 in Pierce County. Disease ‘continues to be widespread’
Pierce County reported 45 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Wednesday and no additional deaths.
Wednesday’s new case totals were the highest since June 19, when 33 new cases were reported.
The county’s totals are now at 2,357 cases and 84 deaths since the county’s first case was reported March 6, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.
The county has reported 284 cases in the last 14 days, according to the health department. The 14-day case rate per 100,000 is 31.5, and average cases per day over the past 14 days is 20.3.
As of Wednesday, the county reported an estimated 464 active cases.
The rising levels of reported cases come as the county gears up for considering when to apply for Phase 3 of the state’s Safe Start plan.
Neighboring Thurston County moved into Phase 3 Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Gov. Jay Inslee implemented a new rule making masks mandatory in indoor or outdoor public places, with some exceptions, to take effect statewide starting June 26.
The new mandate builds on a tightening of restrictions after a rapid rise of cases in the Yakima area. CHI Franciscan, in response to questions, told The News Tribune on Wednesday it was treating “multiple” COVID-19 patients from that area in hospitals within its system.
The health system did not say how many specifically or which hospital.
The local health department on Wednesday introduced a new Safe Start dashboard on its website that measures Pierce County’s progress with the metrics required for safe reopening.
According to the health department’s blog: “The dashboard includes the 14-day case rate per 100,000 with a 6-day lag, as DOH requires. In addition, we show two important testing metrics — the ratio of tests per COVID-19 case and the percent of all COVID-19 tests that are positive.
“We want to see a high ratio of tests per case and a low percent positive. And we want the 14-day case rate to stay low even as we increase the number of tests. A delicate balance of many factors will ensure we stay healthy and keep the COVID-19 curve flat.”
Among the new data, the health department lists that 48 percent of its cases have no link to other cases, noting that “a lower number is better because it means less community spread.”
Another new listing is new outbreaks per week, defined as at least two cases at a location such as a workplace, child care or congregate care facility. The target is no more than two. Pierce County saw seven in the week of June 13, up from one the previous week and four the week of May 30.
No specific locations were listed on where the outbreaks occurred.
According to the health department blog: “We have seen an uptick in cases over the last several days and so far, we are not seeing any specific source. COVID-19 continues to be widespread in our community.
“We have seen more cases among those 40 and under. Very few attended a demonstration. This tells us people are going out and about and are not taking precautions. COVID-19 is affecting all age groups in Pierce County.”
The new dashboard also includes hospitalizations for COVID-19, case investigation and contact tracing metrics.
“Next week, we will begin tracking measures of our health care system’s readiness for large outbreaks,” the blog noted.
According to the new dashboard, average number of daily tests run in the county are at 517, with 2.5 percent of the tests positive, compared with a target of less than 2 percent.
That percent of positive tests differs from the state’s recorded tally of 6.5 percent positive for Pierce County on its dashboard.
That comes down to what’s counted vs. what’s not. The local health department, on its website, has in the past noted that the state’s total for the county did not include those tests unassigned and negative tests from congregate care sites, and that Pierce County’s positive rate was likely lower. The health department has said previously that its own, new totals would include local reporting of overall negative tests and would not include serology (antibody) tests.
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.
Testing is available at various sites in the county. For more information on local testing sites, go to www.tpchd.org/covidtest.
Wednesday’s geographical case totals are listed below with previous day’s totals in parentheses:
▪ Bonney Lake: 51 (50)
▪ Central Pierce County: 160 (159)
▪ East Pierce County: 62 (61)
▪ Edgewood/Fife/Milton: 107 (105)
▪ Frederickson: 79 (76)
▪ Gig Harbor area: 65 (63)
▪ Graham: 74 (71)
▪ JBLM: No longer reported
▪ Key Peninsula: 9 (no change)
▪ Lake Tapps/Sumner area: 63 (62)
▪ Lakewood: 239 (237)
▪ Parkland: 132 (no change)
▪ Puyallup: 167 (no change)
▪ South Hill: 120 (118)
▪ South Pierce County: 46 (45)
▪ Southwest Pierce County: 25 (24)
▪ Spanaway: 77 (no change)
▪ Tacoma: 767 (748)
▪ University Place: 100 (94)
▪ Unknown: 14 (13)
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 June 24, 2020 at 3:21 PM.
