Coronavirus updates: High school football pushed to spring; state passes 49k cases
This page includes coronavirus developments around Washington state for Wednesday, July 22.
Updated at 5:15 p.m.
The Washington State Department of Health on Wednesday reported 672 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and three deaths.
Pierce County reported 94 new cases Wednesday and no new deaths. Pierce County had a total of 104 deaths likely caused by COVID-19 as of Wednesday, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.
Statewide totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus are at 49,247 cases and 1,468 deaths, up from 48,575 cases and 1,465 deaths on Tuesday.
Forty-six people with confirmed COVID-19 cases were admitted to Washington state hospitals on Tuesday, July 14, the most recent date with complete data. March 23 saw 89 people admitted, the highest number to date during the pandemic.
Washington state has conducted 855,152 coronavirus tests. On July 14, the most recent date for which data is complete, 17,741 specimens were collected statewide, with 5% testing positive. That compares with 3,938 specimens and a 3.4% positive rate on June 14; 5,098 specimens and a 5.4% positive rate on May 14; and 4,200 specimens and an 7.2% positive rate on April 14.
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 13,627 cases and 638 deaths. Yakima County has the second-highest numbers, with 9,312 cases and 194 deaths.
All counties in Washington are now reporting cases. Four of them have case counts of less than 10.
Currently, Washington has a 644 per 100,000 people case rate. The national rate is 1,184.
There had been more than 3.9 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 142,942 deaths from the virus in the United States as of Wednesday, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 620,000 people have died from the disease worldwide.
Pierce County reports 94 new cases
Updated at 4:15 p.m.
Pierce County on Wednesday reported 94 new COVID-19 cases and no new deaths.
County totals are now 4,004 cases and 104 deaths since the first case in the pandemic was recorded March 6.
The Tacoma Pierce-County Health Department has reported 1,071 cases in the past 14 days. The 14-day case rate per 100,000 people is 118.7. The average cases per day over the last 14 days is 76.5.
The county estimates 1,639 still-active cases as of July 21.
Pierce County has experienced record case numbers in recent days.
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. 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: 98 (96)
▪ Central Pierce County: 264 (253)
▪ East Pierce County: 105 (104)
▪ Edgewood/Fife/Milton: 164 (162)
▪ Frederickson: 145 (141)
▪ Gig Harbor area: 107 (106)
▪ Graham: 117 (109)
▪ JBLM: No longer reported
▪ Key Peninsula: 22 (21)
▪ Lake Tapps/Sumner area: 129 (no change)
▪ Lakewood: 390 (383)
▪ Parkland: 227 (220)
▪ Puyallup: 265 (264)
▪ South Hill: 211 (206)
▪ South Pierce County: 81 (79)
▪ Southwest Pierce County: 44 (no change)
▪ Spanaway: 150 (145)
▪ Tacoma: 1,262 (1,230)
▪ University Place: 185 (181)
▪ Unknown: 38 (no change)
State reports 832 new cases Wednesday
Updated at 9:20 a.m.
The Washington State Department of Health on Tuesday reported 832 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 12 deaths.
Pierce County reported 86 new cases Tuesday and one new death. Pierce County had a total of 104 deaths likely caused by COVID-19 as of Tuesday, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.
Statewide totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus are at 48,575 cases and 1,465 deaths, up from 47,743 cases and 1,453 deaths on Monday.
Fifty-one people with confirmed COVID-19 cases were admitted to Washington state hospitals on Monday, July 13, the most recent date with complete data. It’s the highest one-day total since April 10. The current seven-day rolling average for admittances is 37, the highest since April 25.
March 23 saw 89 people admitted, the highest number to date during the pandemic.
Washington state has conducted 841,184 coronavirus tests. On July 13, the most recent date for which data is complete, a record high of 18,943 specimens were collected statewide, with 5.4% testing positive. That compares with 6,417 specimens and a 3.1% positive rate on June 13; 4,862 specimens and a 6.3% positive rate on May 13; and 4,185 specimens and an 8.9% positive rate on April 13.
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 13,450 cases and 638 deaths. Yakima County has the second-highest numbers, with 9,261 cases and 194 deaths.
All counties in Washington are now reporting cases. Four of them have case counts of less than 10.
There had been more than 3.8 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 141,883 deaths from the virus in the United States as of Tuesday, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 613,000 people have died from the disease worldwide.
High school football, other sports pushed to spring in Washington state
Updated at 9:20 a.m.
The crack of the pads will be strangely absent from high school football stadiums across Washington this fall, the Friday night stadium lights dormant.
The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association announced a modified sports calendar for the 2020-21 school year on Tuesday night in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, pushing football to early spring, along with girls soccer, 1B/2B boys soccer and volleyball.
“Since March, the philosophy of our Association has been to allow students every chance to participate,” said WIAA Executive Director Mick Hoffman in a release. “We’ve asked our Executive Board and planning committees to be as creative as possible in allowing for those opportunities. These are tough and unprecedented decisions to make, but it has been inspiring to see so many people around the state come together to work on behalf of students.”
The changes create a four-season calendar, with cross country, slowpitch softball, as well as alternative seasons for golf and tennis beginning in season one, with practice beginning on Sept. 7.
“The Board recognizes that participation in any fall sports will depend on county progression through the phases laid out in Governor Inslee’s Safe Start plan over the coming weeks,” the release states. “The Executive Board will create benchmarks on July 28 to be met in order for WIAA Season 1 to take place. If the benchmarks are not met, the Board will plan to move the remainder of fall sports to WIAA Season 3.”
Wrestling and basketball will take place in WIAA Season 2, with the expectation to begin in late December or early January. Traditional spring sports will occupy WIAA Season 4 to end the school year.
The following modified seasons are as follows:
WIAA Season 1: Cross Country, Slowpitch Softball, Girls Swim & Dive (dependent on additional information from the Department of Health), Golf (Alternative Season), Tennis (Alternative Season)
WIAA Season 2: Basketball, Bowling, Boys Swim & Dive, Gymnastics, Cheerleading, Wrestling
WIAA Season 3: Volleyball, Girls Soccer, 1B/2B Boys Soccer, Football
WIAA Season 4: Tennis, Fastpitch Softball, Track & Field, Baseball, Golf, Boys Soccer, Dance/Drill
Washington now on NY, CT, NJ quarantine list as COVID spikes
Updated at 9:20 a.m.
Residents from 31 states must now quarantine for 14 days when arriving in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, as dozens of states experience rising positive COVID-19 rates.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo acknowledged Tuesday that the quarantine is “imperfect,” but said the quarantine could help protect the states against the risk of increased spread. The list of states no longer includes Minnesota, but now includes Alaska, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, Virginia and Washington.
“The infection rate across the country is getting worse, not better,” Cuomo said in a conference call with reporters.
New York, New Jersey and Connecticut last month issued a joint travel advisory that requires a 14-day quarantine period for travelers from a list that now includes 31 states, including Texas and Florida, where COVID-19 appears to be spreading. The advisory includes states if their seven-day rolling average of positive tests exceeds 10%, or if the number of positive cases exceeds 10 per 100,000 residents.
Cuomo has tried to get more travelers to comply with the order by instituting a $2,000 fine for impacted individuals who leave the airport without filling out a form that state officials plan to use to randomly track travelers and ensure they’re following quarantine restrictions. Airport travelers who fail to fill out the form face a hearing and an order requiring mandatory quarantine.
The governor initially said hotel clerks or business partners could alert officials about violations, and that police officers who pull over out-of-state individuals for traffic infractions could enforce quarantine rules. The Cuomo administration didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday about how it’s enforcing the quarantine, including how many travelers have faced fines.
Crowded areas, sick workers among details in OSHA complaint against Emerald Queen Casino
Updated at 9:20 a.m.
Emerald Queen Casino’s operators are investigating allegations received by a federal agency that it is operating with sick workers, overcrowded areas and no enforcement of mask usage.
The casino, operated by The Puyallup Tribe of Indians, on Monday posted a short statement on its website: “We are investigating recent allegations of COVID-19 safety issues at Emerald Queen Casino. We will finish our investigation as promptly as possible and will provide an update upon completion of the investigation.”
The News Tribune received information over the weekend that one worker had alerted friends on Facebook of receiving a positive COVID-19 test result.
That worker, contacted by The News Tribune, described unsafe working conditions and provided a memo that had been shared with employees that listed alleged health and safety hazards as received by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
The News Tribune agreed not to publish the name of the worker over fears of retribution from casino managers.
A representative for the Department of Labor confirmed the validity of the memo on Tuesday but told The News Tribune via email, “We cannot provide additional information or further details since this is an open case under investigation at this time.”
This story was originally published July 22, 2020 at 9:25 AM.
