Washington state reports 543 new COVID-19 cases
The Washington State Department of Health on Tuesday reported 543 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 24 deaths.
Pierce County reported 53 new cases and no new deaths Pierce County had a total of 133 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 68,264 cases and 1,809 deaths, up from 67,721 cases and 1,785 deaths on Monday.
Forty-six people with confirmed COVID-19 cases were admitted to Washington state hospitals on Aug. 10, the most recent date with complete data. Late March had two days with 88 people admitted, the highest numbers to date during the pandemic.
The total number of tests conducted is temporarily unavailable, according to the DOH.
The test numbers reflect only polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, whichare given while the virus is presumably still active in the body.
King County continues to have the highest numbers in Washington, with 17,908 cases and 698 deaths. Yakima County is second, with 10,665 cases and 227 deaths. Pierce is third with cases at 6,129.
All counties in Washington have cases. Garfield and Wahkiakum have case counts of fewer than 10.
On Tuesday, Washington had a 899-per-100,000-people case rate. The national rate is 1,613, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Louisiana has the highest rate in the United States at 2,972. Vermont is lowest at 244.
There had been over 5.4 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 171,636 deaths from the virus in the United States as of Saturday evening, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 776,000 people have died from the disease worldwide.
This story was originally published August 18, 2020 at 4:29 PM.
