Washington state reports 509 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday and 11 deaths
The Washington state Department of Health on Wednesday reported 509 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 11 deaths.
Pierce County reported 43 cases Wednesday and three new deaths. Pierce County has a total of 169 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 83,702 cases and 2,081 deaths, up from 83,193 cases Tuesday and 2,070 deaths Tuesday. Washington’s population is estimated at about 7.6 million, according to U.S. Census figures from July 2019.
Sixteen people with confirmed COVID-19 cases were admitted to Washington state hospitals on Sep. 4, 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 Sept. 11, the most recent date with complete data, 7,582 specimens were collected statewide, with 3% testing positive. The average positive test rate for the seven days prior was 3.1%. More than 1.74 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 21,650 cases and 759 deaths. Yakima County is second, with 11,316 cases and 257 deaths. Pierce is third with cases at 7,697.
All counties in Washington have cases. Eleven counties have case counts of fewer than 100.
On Wednesday, Washington had a 1,104-per-100,000-people case rate. The national rate is 2,078, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Louisiana has the highest rate in the United States at 3,503. Vermont is lowest at 275.
There had been more than 6.9 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 201,882 deaths from the virus in the United States as of Wednesday afternoon, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The United States has the highest number of reported cases and deaths of any nation. More than 973,000 people have died from the disease worldwide. Global cases exceed 31 million.
This story was originally published September 23, 2020 at 5:18 PM.
