Washington state reports 700 new cases
The Washington State Department of Health on Thursday reported 700 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 15 deaths.
Pierce County reported 61 new cases and three new deaths Pierce County had a total of 138 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 69,389 cases and 1,837 deaths, up from 68,689 cases and 1,822 deaths on Wednesday.
Thirty people with confirmed COVID-19 cases were admitted to Washington state hospitals on Aug. 12, 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 18,297 cases and 707 deaths. Yakima County is second, with 10,720 cases and 231 deaths. Pierce is third with cases at 6,246.
All counties in Washington have cases. Garfield and Wahkiakum have case counts of fewer than 10.
On Tuesday, Washington had a 912-per-100,000-people case rate. The national rate is 1,680, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Louisiana has the highest rate in the United States at 3,002. Vermont is lowest at 245.
There had been over 5.5 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 174,104 deaths from the virus in the United States as of Thursday evening, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 790,262 people have died from the disease worldwide.
This story was originally published August 20, 2020 at 4:42 PM.
