Here are the new COVID-19 cases and deaths confirmed Wednesday for Washington state
The Washington state Department of Health reported Wednesday 545 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 12 deaths.
Pierce County reported 68 cases Wednesday and one new death. Pierce County has a total of 178 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 91,208 cases and 2,177 deaths, up from 90,663 cases and 2,165 deaths Tuesday. Washington’s population is estimated at about 7.6 million, according to U.S. Census figures from July 2019.
Thirty-three people with confirmed COVID-19 cases were admitted to Washington state hospitals on Sept. 18, the most recent date with complete data. Average daily hospitalizations peaked in early April at 78.
On Sept. 26, the most recent date with complete data, 9,314 specimens were collected statewide, with 3.2% testing positive. The average positive test rate for the seven days prior was 3.5%. More than 1.9 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 23,351 cases and 780 deaths. Yakima County is second, with 11,521 cases and 263 deaths. Pierce is third with cases at 8,437.
All counties in Washington have cases. Ten counties have case counts of fewer than 100.
On Wednesday, Washington had a 1,203-per-100,000-people case rate. The national rate is 2,259, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Louisiana has the highest rate in the United States at 3,658. Vermont is lowest at 291.
There had been more than 7.5 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 211,652 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 1 million people have died from the disease worldwide. Global cases exceed 35 million.
