Washington reports 637 new COVID-19 cases, 15 deaths Friday. Yakima now second highest
The Washington State Department of Health on Friday reported 637 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 15 deaths.
For the first time, Yakima County passed Snohomish County to have the second highest number of COVID-19 deaths in Washington. King County remains in the No. 1 spot.
Pierce County reported 58 new cases and five deaths Friday. Pierce County had a total of 97 deaths likely caused by COVID-19 as of Friday.
Statewide totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus are at 39,218 cases and 1,424 deaths, up from 38,581 cases and 1,409 deaths on Thursday.
Thirty-one people with confirmed COVID-19 cases were admitted to Washington state hospitals on July 2, 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 668,466 coronavirus tests. On July 2, the most recent date for which data is complete, 11,471 specimens were collected statewide — of which 6 percent tested positive. That compares with 6,617 specimens and a 6.2 percent positive rate on June 2; 2,305 specimens and a 4.9 percent positive rate on May 2 and 4,830 specimens and a 8.3 percent positive rate on April 2.
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 11,568 cases and 633 deaths. Yakima County has the second highest numbers, with 7,868 cases and 185 deaths.
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 134,059 deaths from the virus in the United States as of Friday, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 559,000 people have died from the disease worldwide.
This story was originally published July 10, 2020 at 6:32 PM.
