Coronavirus updates: State passes 42K cases; Inslee extends pause on reopening phases
This page includes coronavirus developments around Washington state for Wednesday, July 15.
Updated at 5:15 a.m.
Pierce County reported 67 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday and one new death, a University Place woman in her 90s with underlying health conditions.
The county has reported 3,399 cases and 101 deaths since the first case in the pandemic was recorded March 6.
The county estimates 1,213 still-active cases.
The county has reported 813 cases in the past 14 days, an average of 58.1 cases per day. The 14-day case rate per 100,000 people is 90.1.
The age group with the biggest percentage of cases is 20-29, representing 22 percent of the county’s cases but who represent just under 14 percent of the population.
Daily totals for cases and deaths can change as the county receives new information, finds duplicate data or is assigned cases originally attributed to other counties.
Testing is available at various sites in the county. Starting Thursday, July 16, Rite Aid is launching drive-thru testing at some of its stores in Washington, including 7041 Pacific Ave. in Tacoma, and 5700 100th ST. SW Suite 100 in Lakewood. More information is available at www.riteaid.com/pharmacy/services/covid-19-testing
For more information on other 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: 82 (80)
▪ Central Pierce County: 221 (218)
▪ East Pierce County: 89 (no change)
▪ Edgewood/Fife/Milton: 147 (146)
▪ Frederickson: 125 (123)
▪ Gig Harbor area: 93 (92)
▪ Graham: 97 (95)
▪ JBLM: No longer reported
▪ Key Peninsula: 18 (no change)
▪ Lake Tapps/Sumner area: 113 (110)
▪ Lakewood: 341 (335)
▪ Parkland: 199 (188)
▪ Puyallup: 225 (222)
▪ South Hill: 169 (165)
▪ South Pierce County: 65 (62)
▪ Southwest Pierce County: 41 (40)
▪ Spanaway: 116 (115)
▪ Tacoma: 1,074 (1,054)
▪ University Place: 156 (154)
▪ Unknown: 28 (27)
Report details school safety steps that may reduce spread
Updated at 5:15 a.m.
Safety measures in Washington schools in response to the pandemic may be able to effectively reduce the spread of COVID-19, but not at the current levels of community transmission, a report said Wednesday.
The report from the Institute for Disease Modeling simulated different strategies for reopening using King County data, but said “we expect our results could be applied broadly.”
It focused on information as of June 15, which does not account for the rise in cases since then.
The report said in part: “We found that school reopenings with no countermeasures may lead to a doubling of the COVID attack rate in the population over the first three months of the school year, but that a combination of mask usage, physical distancing, hygiene measures, classroom cohorting, and symptomatic screening, testing and tracing of students and teachers may be able to effectively reduce or even mitigate epidemic spread, depending upon the level of community transmission in the model.”
It concluded: “The more conservative we are with reopening in the workplace and community and the more proactive we are with testing and contact tracing, the more likely it is that we will be able to reopen schools. In particular, recent case data collected since this report was drafted show exponential growth in COVID-19 burden and indicate that levels of disease activity following the move to Phase II are too high to support school reopening.”
Dan Klein, Senior Research Manager with the Institute for Disease Modeling said at a virtual press conference Wednesday: “What happens outside of schools is even more important than what happens inside of schools.”
State reports 547 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday
Updated at 8:45 a.m.
The Washington State Department of Health on Tuesday reported 547 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and five new deaths.
Pierce County reported 68 new cases and three deaths. Pierce County had a total of 100 deaths likely caused by COVID-19 as of Tuesday, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.
Pierce County residents age 20-29 are showing a larger rate of infection compared with their segment of the population, according to the health department.
Statewide totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus are at 42,304 cases and 1,404 deaths, up from 41,757 cases and 1,399 deaths on Monday.
Thirty-seven people with confirmed COVID-19 cases were admitted to Washington state hospitals on Monday, July 6, 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 718,234 coronavirus tests. On July 6, the most recent date for which data is complete, 15,596 specimens were collected statewide, with 5.3% testing positive. That compares with 3,805 specimens and a 4.3% positive rate on June 6; 5,308 specimens and a 5.4% positive rate on May 6; and 5,048 specimens and a 7.8% positive rate on April 6.
King County continues to have the highest numbers in Washington, with 12,213 cases and 624 deaths. Yakima County has the second-highest numbers, with 8,357 cases and 183 deaths.
All counties in Washington are now reporting cases. Five of them have case counts of less than 10.
Multicare COVID director says more to consider than deaths
Updated at 8:45 a.m.
To understand the full risk of COVID-19 you have to look beyond the current death rate, according to Michael Myint, the epidemiologist leading MultiCare’s response to the coronavirus.
While COVID-19 cases have spiked in Pierce County and deaths have remained somewhat stable, interpreting this as good news fails to paint the full picture, he argued.
Not only are there a host of COVID-19 non-lethal complications with the potential to impact young and old, Myint said the snapshot provided by focusing on the current death rate ignores what might be right around the corner.
Much like the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, Multicare also conducts modeling to try to anticipate what the coming days and weeks of the coronavirus pandemic have in store.
Right now, Myint — like others — is worried about the fall, he said, when a worsening COVID-19 outbreak could run headlong into the start of influenza season.
“We’re currently predicting a slow, steady rise of cases through the summer, with an inflection point in the fall,” Myint noted, adding that while COVID-19 hospitalizations are “nowhere near where they were in spring … they’re starting to go back up.”
For a glimpse of what that can mean, Myint pointed to Arizona, Texas and Florida — where hospitals have been inundated by COVID-19 cases. Not only does this jeopardize hospitals’ ability to care for those suffering from the coronavirus — which can be seen in the states’ spike in COVID-19 deaths — it also impacts their ability to treat patients with other potentially serious conditions, he said.
Arizona, Texas and Florida were all faster to abandon social distancing measures, Myint said, and they’re now seeing the effects of those decisions show up in the emergency room and in intensive care unit beds.
“I think that we’re just in a phasing part of it, and some parts of the country are ahead of places like Washington, that had a lot more social distancing early on,” Myint said.
For Washington, it serves as yet another warning, and a reminder of what’s at stake, he said.
Already, Multicare hospitals in Western Washington have received patients from places like Yakima County, where hospital capacity has been an issue, Myint said.
Come fall, Myint said public health officials and hospital leaders statewide are preparing for a “potential bed surge.”
Though Myint says hospitals have gotten better at treating COVID-19 patients, some of that progress could be threatened if beds start filling up too fast across the state.
“The main challenge that comes with COVID is when it surges and the hospitals start to reach capacity. It starts to get difficult to take care of folks who are normally cared for in the hospital,” Myint said.
“We want to make sure we’re managing to stay ahead, and have the capacity to care for the community,” he added.
Inslee extends pause on reopening phases
Updated at 8:45 a.m.
Gov. Jay Inslee said a pause on reopening phases under the state’s Safe Start plan will continue until at least July 28.
“We have to look where we’re going to be, not just where we are, and we are heading to big trouble if we do not figure out a way to knock this pandemic down,” he said at a virtual press conference Tuesday.
He said the next week or so will determine what the virus will look like in the fall in Washington state, and that he’s particularly concerned about the growing percentage of cases among people in their 20s.
Bar top service and live entertainment have already been restricted, and the governor said: “people should not be surprised if more gets rolled back, depending on the course of this pandemic.”
That’ll be influenced by how many people wear masks and practice social distancing, he said.
He noted that the governors of Oregon and California have reinstated certain restrictions, and said that’s a possibility in Washington, as well.
“Doing so would be really tough, tough decisions,” he said.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered the closure of some businesses Monday, such as indoor restaurants and movie theaters. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown put a new limit on indoor social gatherings and expanded a mask mandate.
An order in Washington state last month made facial coverings mandatory in public places with some exceptions.
Asked about the likelihood of restrictions such as rolling back phases or additional business restrictions in the next couple weeks, Inslee said: “There is a significant chance that we would have to take some of these measures. ... I am simultaneously hopeful that we’re going to see a continued increase in social distancing and masking, and recognition that that may not be enough, given the numbers that we are seeing.”
JBLM’s annual ‘Freedom Fest’ canceled
Updated at 8:45 a.m.
Joint Base Lewis-McChord’s annual “Freedom Fest” is canceled.
Col. Skye Duncan, JBLM Garrison commander, announced the cancellation in a Facebook Live Town Hall on Tuesday. The annual festival originally was postponed from July 4 to Aug. 21-22.
“Freedom Fest” is traditionally one of the only opportunities for non-military community members to visit JBLM for live music, fireworks, food, carnival rides and games.
JBLM Family and Moral, Welfare and Recreation is looking at the possibility of hosting smaller outdoor events, such as movies or live music where attendees could physically distance.
This story was originally published July 15, 2020 at 8:45 AM.
