Washington state reports 304 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday and 16 deaths
The Washington State Department of Health on Tuesday reported 304 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 16 deaths.
Pierce County reported 52 cases Tuesday and four new deaths. Pierce County has a total of 150 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 74,939 cases and 1,931 deaths, up from 74,635 cases and 1,915 Monday.
Thirty-five people with confirmed COVID-19 cases were admitted to Washington state hospitals on Aug. 13, 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. 21, the most recent date with complete data, 13,903 specimens were collected statewide, with 3.7% testing positive. The average positive test rate for the seven days prior was 3.6%. 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 19,698 cases and 728 deaths. Yakima County is second, with 10,963 cases and 244 deaths. Pierce is third with cases at 6,830.
All counties in Washington have cases. Garfield and Wahkiakum have case counts of fewer than 10.
On Tuesday, Washington had a 990-per-100,000-people case rate. The national rate is 1,832 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Louisiana has the highest rate in the United States at 3,195. Vermont is lowest at 260.
There had been more than 6 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 184,450 deaths from the virus in the United States as of Tuesday evening, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 852,000 people have died from the disease worldwide.
This story was originally published September 1, 2020 at 4:16 PM.
