Nearly 1% of Washington population has been infected with COVID-19, stats show
The Washington State Department of Health on Thursday reported 479 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 10 deaths.
The state’s case rate is now 1,000 per 100,000 people, or 1% of the population, according the Centers for Disease Control. That rate covers the span of the pandemic when testing began.
The national case rate is 1,857. Louisiana has the highest rate in the United States at 3,235. Vermont is lowest at 261.
Pierce County reported 62 cases Thursday and three new deaths. Pierce County has a total of 155 deaths likely caused by COVID-19 as of Thursday, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.
Statewide totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus are at 75,856 cases and 1,945 deaths, up from 75,377 cases and 1,935 Wednesday. Washington’s population is estimated at about 7.6 million, according to U.S. Census figures from July 2019.
Twenty-nine people with confirmed COVID-19 cases were admitted to Washington state hospitals on Aug. 15, 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. 23, the most recent date with complete data, 5,697 specimens were collected statewide, with 3.7% testing positive. The average positive test rate for the seven days prior was 3.5%. More than 1.5 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 19,892 cases and 732 deaths. Yakima County is second, with 10,994 cases and 243 deaths. Pierce is third with cases at 6,931.
All counties in Washington have cases. Garfield and Wahkiakum have case counts of fewer than 10.
There had been more than 6.1 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 186,467 deaths from the virus in the United States as of Thursday evening, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 865,000 people have died from the disease worldwide.
This story was originally published September 3, 2020 at 3:55 PM.
