Coronavirus updates: State passes 64k cases; Inslee announces Immigrant Relief Fund
This page includes coronavirus developments around Washington state for Wednesday, August 12.
Updated at 5 p.m.
Pierce County on Wednesday reported 44 new COVID-19 cases and one additional death.
The death was a woman from South Hill in her 70s with no known underlying health conditions, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.
County totals are now 5,780 cases and 129 deaths since the first case in the coronavirus pandemic was recorded March 6.
The health department has reported 1,123 cases in the past 14 days. The 14-day case rate per 100,000 people is 124.5. The average cases per day over the last 14 days is 80.2.
There are 2,480 active cases in the county as of Aug. 11, according to the health department.
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: 136 (134)
▪ Central Pierce County: 376 ( 375)
▪ East Pierce County: 170 (168)
▪ Edgewood/Fife/Milton: 219 (no change)
▪ Frederickson: 221 (218)
▪ Gig Harbor area: 148 (146)
▪ Graham: 199 (197)
▪ JBLM: No longer reported
▪ Key Peninsula: 39 (no change)
▪ Lake Tapps/Sumner area: 178 ( 177)
▪ Lakewood: 528 (522)
▪ Parkland: 323 (321)
▪ Puyallup: 344 (342)
▪ South Hill: 301 (297)
▪ South Pierce County: 133 (131)
▪ Southwest Pierce County: 62 (61)
▪ Spanaway: 266 (263)
▪ Tacoma: 1,833 (1,823)
▪ University Place: 241 (240)
▪ Unknown: 63 (64)
Chihuly Garden, Space Needle reopen
Updated at 2:05 p.m.
Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Space Needle have reopened to the public with a new discount for all Washington state residents.
All Washington locals can now save up to $8 on a Space Needle ticket and $5 on Chihuly Garden and Glass tickets. They can save up to $18 with a new bundled ticket price.
To ensure the safety, both properties have implemented a new Elevating Clean program, which focuses on safe air, clean surfaces and a touchless experience. The new science-backed protocols and procedures include powerful UVC technologies that clean air and spaces behind-the-scenes and far-UVC tech that safely eliminates viruses on skin and clothing.
Masks are required and any person without one will receive a complimentary Seattle-themed mask with their ticket purchase.
Both locations are also limiting capacity, so they recommend purchasing discounted Washington state tickets on online to secure their preferred arrival time.
HAC plans free COVID-19 testing
Updated at 10:15 a.m.
The Hilltop Action Coalition is offering free walk-up and drive-up COVID-19 testing on Friday at Evergreen College in Tacoma (1210 6th Ave. Tacoma, Wa. 98405). Testing is available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
HAC and the Tacoma Housing Authority, in partnership with The Community Market, is also hosting a Hilltop Business Crawl on Aug. 22 and 23. The event is an opportunity to connect with and support Hilltop businesses impacted by the Tacoma Hilltop Link Construction and COVID-19. It will feature handmade goods, artwork and food from local vendors.
Community members can get a passport that lists all participating businesses and locations and mark them off as they engage with them. If you get four stamps and turn in your passport, you’ll have the chance to win raffle prizes from these local businesses.
Passports will be available online and at Hilltop Action Coalition’s office during the crawl on Aug. 22 and 23 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
State reports 504 new cases Tuesday
Updated at 8:50 a.m.
The Washington State Department of Health on Tuesday reported 504 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 19 deaths.
Pierce County reported 72 cases Tuesday and two new deaths. Pierce County had a total of 128 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 64,151 cases and 1,716 deaths, up from 63,647 cases and 1,697 deaths Monday.
Forty-four people with confirmed COVID-19 cases were admitted to Washington state hospitals on Aug. 3, the most recent date with complete data. Late March had two days with 88 people admitted, the highest numbers to date during the pandemic.
Washington state has conducted 954,355 coronavirus tests. On Aug. 3, 11,637 specimens were collected statewide, with 7.1% testing positive. The average positive test rate for the seven days prior was 7%.
The total number of tests dropped Tuesday because of continuing issues the DOH has with reporting an accurate number of negative tests, it reported on its website.
“These issues involved people who received multiple tests,” the DOH said. “As we work to solve this issue, today we are reporting negative lab data, but it should be considered preliminary.”
The number of people testing negative reflected in the data dropped Tuesday. The problem dates back to June, DOH said, but has recently become more pronounced.
“We hope to be able to share more about what caused this issue, and what our solution is, soon,” DOH said.
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 16,808 cases and 686 deaths. Yakima County is second, with 10,389 cases and 211 deaths.
All counties in Washington have cases. Garfield and Wahkiakum have case counts of fewer than 10.
On Tuesday, Washington had a 845-per-100,000-people case rate. The national rate is 1,545, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Louisiana has the highest rate in the U.S. at 2,832. Vermont is lowest at 233.
There had been more than 5.1 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 164,502 deaths from the virus in the United States as of Tuesday, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 738,000 people have died from the disease worldwide.
Pac-12 Conference cancels fall football season, all sports through end of 2020
Updated at 8:50 a.m.
There will be no Washington football this fall.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pac-12 CEO Group voted unanimously on Tuesday to postpone all sport competitions — football and basketball included — through the end of 2020. If conditions improve, the conference would consider resuming competition for impacted sports after the first of the year.
“Our students are committed young men and women who dedicate their time and talents to developing as students, athletes and leaders as they represent our programs, university and our community,” UW athletic director Jen Cohen said in a statement. “We will continue to work tirelessly to give these students, and all our students, an opportunity to compete this year. Our commitment to provide an environment for our students to thrive holistically — physically, mentally, academically and socially — does not change.”
The Pac-12 made the call less than two weeks after announcing a 10-game, conference-only schedule set to begin on Sept. 26.
“This decision was made after consultation with athletics directors, our coaches, football working groups and with the Pac-12 COVID-19 medical advisory committee who expressed concern on moving forward with contact practice,” Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott said during a media webinar on Tuesday. “After reviewing all the data and considering the alternatives, and after having already delayed the start of our season and compressed our season, the CEO Group was unanimous that this decision was necessary.”
The Pac-12 was the second Power Five Conference to postpone its fall sports season, following closely behind the Big Ten. The Mid-American Conference and the Big West Conference also postponed.
“We knew there was a parallel track with the Big Ten also discussing this,” Oregon president Michael Schill, the chair of the Pac-12 CEO group, said during the webinar. “We feel good about our decision. We would have made it independent of the Big Ten. We respect the institutions in the Big Ten. Many of them have the same values that we have, and we’re happy they’re joining us.”
College football has held a season every year since Princeton and Rutgers played the first game in 1869, although many games were eliminated during the flu pandemic of 1918. There was no consensus national championship that year, with the Official NCAA Division I Football Records Book listing both Pitt and Michigan as national champions.
The 1918 season was also the last time UW didn’t have an official game in the fall. The Huskies played two games, but the teams consisted of students and military personnel training on campus for World War I.
$7.5M in grants available to Pierce County businesses hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic
Updated at 8:50 a.m.
Businesses can apply for $7.5 million in grants for COVID-19 expenses and rental assistance from Pierce County.
Pierce County Council approved the additional financial assistance last week, and the application process for both programs opened Monday.
The $158 million provided to Pierce County in the federal CARES Act will fund the two grant programs, a council statement said.
“Through this program we hope to provide much needed financial aid to businesses that are currently operating, but who are limited in their activities under the state’s ‘Safe Start’ reopening plan,” Pierce County Council vice chairman Dave Morell said in a statement.
The council’s action makes an additional $5 million available for business expenses incurred due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The initial $5 million program was passed in May and helped over 600 businesses, Morell said. Initially, the legislation provided most businesses with $8,000 and care facilities with $10,000. The initial $5 million has yet to be fully spent, council spokesperson Brynn Grimley said.
The council now has expanded the aid to businesses to include more organizations and provide more funding to larger businesses.
Inslee: $40 million Immigrant Relief Fund to help those who can’t get stimulus money
Updated at 8:50 a.m.
Governor Jay Inslee said a $40 million fund will start helping people in Washington state whose immigration status has kept them from getting federal stimulus funds during the coronavirus pandemic
“We have to ensure that no one in our state is left behind as we fight this pandemic,” Inslee said in a press release Monday. “COVID-19 doesn’t care what your immigration status is. We must support every family affected by the virus, especially those who lack the necessary means to quarantine or isolate and prevent further spread. This is the right thing for the well-being of individuals, the health of their colleagues and the safety of our communities.”
The state Department of Social and Health Services will pick a nonprofit to manage the fund, and people who are eligible should get $1,000 starting this fall.
Rich Stolz, executive director of immigrant rights group OneAmerica, said in the press release: “Immigrant community members are facing some of the worst outcomes of this pandemic and have been systematically excluded from a social safety net for too long. A coalition of immigrant organizations came together to develop this fund that recognizes the dignity of our undocumented community members and works to get some relief to their families during this difficult time.”
Inslee also said $3 million through a Food Production Paid Leave Program will help some workers stay home when they are sick.
And he noted the state has facilitated $1 million of hand sanitizer and 700,000 masks for agricultural workers. That will be more than 2 million masks, including KN95 masks, with “further distributions,” his press release said.
Companies test antibody drugs to treat, prevent COVID-19
Updated at 8:50 a.m.
With a coronavirus vaccine still months off, companies are rushing to test what may be the next best thing: drugs that deliver antibodies to fight the virus right away, without having to train the immune system to make them.
Antibodies are proteins the body makes when an infection occurs; they attach to a virus and help it be eliminated. Vaccines work by tricking the body into thinking there’s an infection so it makes antibodies and remembers how to do that if the real bug turns up.
But it can take a month or two after vaccination or infection for the most effective antibodies to form. The experimental drugs shortcut that process by giving concentrated versions of specific ones that worked best against the coronavirus in lab and animal tests.
“A vaccine takes time to work, to force the development of antibodies. But when you give an antibody, you get immediate protection,” said University of North Carolina virologist Dr. Myron Cohen. “If we can generate them in large concentrations, in big vats in an antibody factory ... we can kind of bypass the immune system.”
These drugs are believed to last for a month or more and could give quick, temporary immunity to people at high risk of infection, such as health workers and housemates of someone with COVID-19. If they proved effective and if a vaccine doesn’t materialize or protect as hoped, the drugs might eventually be considered for wider use, perhaps for teachers or other groups.
They’re also being tested as treatments, to help the immune system and prevent severe symptoms or death.
“The hope there is to target people who are in the first week of their illness and that we can treat them with the antibody and prevent them from getting sick,” said Dr. Marshall Lyon, an infectious disease specialist helping to test one such drug at Emory University in Atlanta.
Having such a tool “would be a really momentous thing in our fight against COVID,” Cohen said.
Vaccines are seen as a key to controlling the virus, which has been confirmed to have infected more than 20 million people worldwide and killed more than 738,000. Several companies are racing to develop vaccines, but the results of the large final tests needed to evaluate them are months away. Russia on Tuesday approved a vaccine that hasn’t undergone such a test, sparking international concern that it was cutting corners.
The antibody drugs are “very promising” and, in contrast, could be available “fairly soon,” said Dr. Janet Woodcock, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration official who is leading government efforts to speed COVID-19 therapies. Key studies are underway and some answers should come by early fall.
This story was originally published August 12, 2020 at 8:51 AM.
