Here are the COVID-19 cases and deaths confirmed Wednesday in Washington state
The Washington state Department of Health reported 1,303 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 21 deaths on Wednesday. As of Wednesday, more than a quarter million Americans have died from the disease.
Pierce County reported 145 cases Wednesday and three new deaths. Pierce County has a total of 216 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 135,424 cases and 2,592 deaths, up from 134,121 cases and 2,571 deaths Tuesday. Washington’s population is estimated at about 7.6 million, according to U.S. Census figures from July 2019.
Forty people were admitted to Washington state hospitals on Oct. 30, the most recent date with complete data. Average daily hospitalizations peaked in early April at 78.
On Nov. 7, the most recent date with complete data, 15,977 specimens were collected statewide, with 8.5% testing positive. The average positive test rate for the seven days prior was 7.2%. More than 2.8 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 35,897 cases and 845 deaths. Pierce County is second, with 13,665 cases, according to the state’s tally. That number differs from the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department’s tally due to lags in reporting data. Yakima County has the second highest number of deaths at 291.
All counties in Washington have cases. Six counties have case counts of fewer than 100.
For the past seven days, Washington had a case rate of 26.8 per 100,000 people. The national rate for the same period is 48.8 per 100,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. North Dakota has the highest rate in the United States, at 185.3. Hawaii is the lowest, at 5.6.
There have been more than 11.4 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 250,029 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 1.3 million people have died from the disease worldwide. Global cases exceed 55 million.
This story was originally published November 18, 2020 at 5:08 PM.
