Coronavirus updates: Two Tacoma daycares close after outbreak; home plant stores thriving
The Washington State Department of Health on Friday reported 598 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 15 deaths.
Pierce County reported 35 cases Friday and no new deaths. Pierce County has a total of 146 deaths likely caused by COVID-19 as of Friday, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.
Statewide totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus are at 73,301 cases and 1,905 deaths, up from 72,703 cases and 1,890 deaths Thursday.
Thirty-two people with confirmed COVID-19 cases were admitted to Washington state hospitals on Aug. 9, the most recent date with complete data. Late March had two days with 88 people admitted, the highest numbers to date during the pandemic.
On Aug. 17, the most recent date with complete data, 16,281 specimens were collected statewide, with 4% testing positive. The average positive test rate for the seven days prior was 4%. More than 1.4 million tests have been conducted in Washington.
The test numbers reflect only polymerase chain reaction tests, which are administered while the virus is presumably still active in the body.
King County continues to have the highest numbers in Washington, with 19,322 cases and 723 deaths. Yakima County is second, with 10,899 cases and 239 deaths. Pierce is third with cases at 6,678.
All counties in Washington have cases. Garfield and Wahkiakum have case counts of fewer than 10.
On Friday, Washington had a 965-per-100,000-people case rate. The national rate is 1,784, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Louisiana has the highest rate in the United States at 3,140. Vermont is lowest at 253.
Two day cares in Tacoma temporarily close after COVID-19 outbreaks
Two day cares in Tacoma will close for two weeks after children and staff tested positive for COVID-19, according to a blog post by the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department on Friday.
Five cases were recorded — two staff members and three children. Both facilities self-reported to the health department.
“In one case, a worker with access to multiple classrooms tested positive. As a result, the daycare entered two weeks of voluntary closure,” the health department said in its blog post.
The facilities were not named. The health department does not make public outbreaks at specific businesses unless the site has at least 10 cases and 30 or more employees, in order to not identify workers or stigmatize businesses.
“The daycares mentioned in our blog today don’t meet the standard,” health department spokesperson Dale Phelps said in an email.
The department does list businesses by type and number of outbreaks on its website, a process it started this month.
The health department said the two day care facilities have issued letters to families and are using the closure time to clean and sanitize.
The department said the cases “underscore the message that COVID-19 can spread even in controlled environments.”
Throughout the pandemic, 40 childcare facilities have reported COVID-19 cases, the state Department of Health said in a report.
New dashboard shows when schools can reopen for in-person learning in Pierce County
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department has launched a new data dashboard to show the county’s progress toward reopening schools amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The dashboard, available to the public at TPCHD.org/covidinfoschools, shows Pierce County’s 14-day case rate per 100,000 people at 96.5 COVID-19 cases for Aug. 5-19.
Under Gov. Jay Inslee’s metrics for reopening schools, schools in counties with 75 cases or more per 100,000 people over a 14-day period are recommended for remote learning only, with limited in-person learning in small groups, such as students with disabilities or students living homeless.
Between 25 and 75 cases per 100,000 people, distance learning is still recommended for older students, with in-person learning for elementary students. At less than 25 cases per 100,000 people, the governor’s guidance encourages full-time in person learning for all elementary students and hybrid learning for middle and high school.
The dashboard is updated daily. The state requires a six-day reporting delay to ensure reliable data.
Tacoma home plant store thrives during the pandemic
When Katherine Raz opened her plant shop in the spring of 2019, she was taking a risk. The Fernseed is one of the few small businesses that has seen its sales increase from the past year, even throughout the pandemic and economic downturn.
“We have been busy, but it’s also just been very volatile because our supply chain is a little shaky,” Raz said. “But people have a real interest right now in houseplants and gardening.”
Stuck at home during the pandemic, many Tacoma residents have an increased interest in gardening and working with plants. The Fernseed sells some outdoor plants, but mostly locally sourced indoor plants meant for home decor, which Raz said has also grown popular with people spending more time inside.
Home decor plants were popular before the pandemic began, with Instagram and Pinterest photos marketing the aesthetic of having plants. Raz, who always loved home decor and now owns estimates she owns 60 houseplants, opened her shop in 2019 with the idea of having one place where people could buy a locally sourced plant and a cute pot to put it in, which she hadn’t been able to find in Tacoma or surrounding areas.
“From the very moment we opened we were slammed, exceeding my conservative expectations for the business,” she said. “ We had to figure out how to run a shop in a higher volume three times than I had ever expected.”
Sales this summer have increased by 40% compared to last summer, when the business was only a few months old. The Fernseed is opening a new, bigger location in South Tacoma, at the end of September that may serve as a location for classes, workshops and an expanded flower open “stem bar” to make bouquets from Washington-sourced flower growers along with daily flower delivery services.
Craig Sailor, Allison Needles and Helena Lyng-Olsen contributed to this report.
