Washington reports 640 new COVID-19 cases Thursday, cumulative deaths pass 1,400
The Washington State Department of Health on Thursday reported 640 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 15 deaths.
Yakima County, a hotbed of COVID-19 infection, is now tied with Snohomish County for the second highest number of deaths in Washington. King County remains in the No. 1 spot.
Pierce County reported 63 new cases and no new deaths Thursday. Pierce County had a total of 92 deaths likely caused by COVID-19 as of Thursday.
Statewide totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus are at 38,581 cases and 1,409 deaths, up from 37,941 cases and 1,394 deaths on Wednesday.
Thirty people with confirmed COVID-19 cases were admitted to Washington state hospitals on July 1, the most recent date with complete data. March 23 saw 89 admittances, the highest number to date during the pandemic.
Washington state has conducted a total of 660,330 coronavirus tests. On July 1, the most recent date for which data is complete, 12,586 specimens were collected statewide of which 5.1 percent tested positive. That compares with 6,379 specimens and a 6.3 percent positive rate on June 1, 4,472 specimens and a 6.7 percent positive rate on May 1 and 4,679 specimens and a 9.6 percent positive rate on April 1.
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.
King County continues to have the highest numbers in Washington, with 11,419 cases and 632 deaths. Snohomish and Yakima counties both had 178 deaths Thursday. Yakima County has the second highest number of cases at 7,868.
Washington’s least populous county, Garfield, remains the only one without a case. Five other counties are reporting fewer than 10 cases each.
There have been more than 3.1 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 133,195 deaths from the virus in the United States as of Thursday, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 554,000 people have died from the disease worldwide.
This story was originally published July 9, 2020 at 6:11 PM.
