Washington state’s COVID-19 cases pass 100,000 mark Thursday as third wave rolls on
The number of COVID-19 cases has passed the 100,000 mark in Washington, the state Department of Health reported, with 651 new cases and three deaths reported Thursday.
Since mid-September, the state’s seven-day average case count has been increasing as Washington sees its third wave of coronavirus infections. The average has gone from a low of 351 on Sept. 12 to 589 on Oct. 9.
The seven-day average death total has dropped since peaking in the second wave on July 23.
Pierce County reported 79 cases Thursday and no new deaths. Pierce County has a total of 185 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 100,525 cases and 2,289 deaths, up from 99,874 cases 2,286 deaths Wednesday. Washington’s population is estimated at about 7.6 million, according to U.S. Census figures from July 2019.
Twenty-one people with confirmed COVID-19 cases were admitted to Washington state hospitals on Oct. 3, the most recent date with complete data. Average daily hospitalizations peaked in early April at 78.
On Oct. 11, the most recent date with complete data, 5,523 specimens were collected statewide, with 4.2% testing positive. The average positive test rate for the seven days prior was 3.3%. More than 2.2 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 25,712 cases and 798 deaths. Yakima County is second, with 11,759 cases and 270 deaths. Pierce is third with cases at 9,547, 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 8.3-per-100,000-people. The national rate for the same period is 18 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. North Dakota has the highest rate in the United States at 101.5. Vermont is the lowest at 1.6.
There have been more than 8.3 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 222,896 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 1.1 million people have died from the disease worldwide. Global cases exceed 41 million.
This story was originally published October 22, 2020 at 3:41 PM.
