Washington state reports 544 new COVID-19 cases Friday and 6 deaths
The Washington state Department of Health on Friday reported 544 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and six deaths.
Pierce County reported 41 cases Friday and three new deaths. Pierce County has a total of 160 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 79,011 cases and 1,991 deaths, up from 78,467 cases and 1,985 Thursday. Washington’s population is estimated at about 7.6 million, according to U.S. Census figures from July 2019.
Twenty-six people with confirmed COVID-19 cases were admitted to Washington state hospitals on Aug. 23, 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. 31, the most recent date with complete data, 17,260 specimens were collected statewide, with 3.1% testing positive. The average positive test rate for the seven days prior was 3.3%. More than 1.61 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 20,640 cases and 744 deaths. Yakima County is second, with 11,129 cases and 251 deaths. Pierce is third with cases at 7,232.
All counties in Washington have cases. Garfield and Wahkiakum have case counts of fewer than 10.
On Friday, Washington had a 1,041-per-100,000-people case rate. The national rate is 1,935, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Louisiana has the highest rate in the United States at 3,355. Vermont is lowest at 265.
There had been more than 6.43 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 192,792 deaths from the virus in the United States as of Friday evening, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 911,000 people have died from the disease worldwide.
This story was originally published September 11, 2020 at 4:43 PM.
