Here are the new COVID-19 cases and deaths confirmed Thursday for Washington state
The Washington state Department of Health reported Thursday 710 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and six deaths as the state passed the 2 million mark for coronavirus tests.
Pierce County reported 96 cases Thursday and no new deaths. Pierce County has a total of 178 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 91,918 cases and 2,183 deaths, up from 91,208 cases and 2,177 deaths Wednesday. Washington’s population is estimated at about 7.6 million, according to U.S. Census figures from July 2019.
Twenty people with confirmed COVID-19 cases were admitted to Washington state hospitals on Sept. 19, the most recent date with complete data. Average daily hospitalizations peaked in early April at 78.
On Sept. 27, the most recent date with complete data, 5,317 specimens were collected statewide, with 3.6% testing positive. The average positive test rate for the seven days prior was 3.4%.
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 23,547 cases and 782 deaths. Yakima County is second, with 11,536 cases and 263 deaths. Pierce is third with cases at 8,518, according to the state’s tally.
All counties in Washington have cases. Ten counties have case counts of fewer than 100.
On Thursday, Washington had a 1,210-per-100,000-people case rate. The national rate is 2,275 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Louisiana has the highest rate in the United States at 3,704. Vermont is lowest at 292.
There had been more than 7.5 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 212,594 deaths from the virus in the United States as of Thursday 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 36 million.
