Here are the new COVID-19 cases and deaths confirmed Thursday for Washington state
The Washington state Department of Health reported on Thursday 676 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 11 deaths.
Pierce County reported 85 cases Thursday and no new deaths. Pierce County has a total of 182 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 96,185, cases and 2,232 deaths, up from 95,509 cases and 2,221 deaths Wednesday. 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 Sept. 26, the most recent date with complete data. Average daily hospitalizations peaked in early April at 78.
On Oct. 4, the most recent date with complete data, 6,844 specimens were collected statewide, with 3.6% testing positive. The average positive test rate for the seven days prior was 3.4%. More than 2.1 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 24,610 cases and 791 deaths. Yakima County is second, with 11,657 cases and 267 deaths. Pierce is third with cases at 8,995, according to the state’s tally.
All counties in Washington have cases. Eight counties have case counts of fewer than 100.
For the past seven days, Washington had a case rate of 8.2-per-100,000-people. The national rate for the same period is 15.8, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. North Dakota has the highest rate in the United States at 80.2. Vermont is lowest at 1.7.
There had been more than 7.9 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 217,696 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 38 million.
This story was originally published October 15, 2020 at 3:43 PM.
