Here are the latest COVID-19 case numbers confirmed Wednesday in Washington state
The Washington state Department of Health reported 3,538 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 49 deaths Wednesday.
Pierce County reported 711 cases Wednesday and one new death. Pierce County has a total of 254 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 189,863 cases and 3,016 deaths, up from 187,091 cases and 2,941 deaths Tuesday. Washington’s population is estimated at about 7.6 million, according to U.S. Census figures from July 2019. The DOH revises previous case and death counts daily.
Hospitalizations continue to increase with 113 people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 admitted to Washington state hospitals on Nov. 20, the most recent date with complete data. Preliminary data indicates average daily admittances were 106 in early December. Average daily hospitalizations previously peaked during the April surge at 78.
Approximately 12.5% (1,177) of all staffed adult acute care hospital beds were occupied by COVID-19 patients on Wednesday. In the state’s intensive care units, 25.1% (294) of staffed adult beds were occupied by suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients.
On Nov. 28, the most recent date with testing data, 13,168 specimens were collected statewide, with 15.8% testing positive. The average positive test rate for the seven days prior was 15.6%. More than 3.2 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 50,841 cases and 944 deaths. Spokane County is second, with 20,024 cases. Snohomish County has the second highest number of deaths at 319.
All counties in Washington have cases. Only four counties have case counts of fewer than 100.
For the past seven days, Washington had a case rate of 38.1 per 100,000 people. The national rate for the same period is 61.8 per 100,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rhode Island has the highest rate in the United States, at 123.8. Hawaii is the lowest, at 6.5.
There have been more than 15.3 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 289,188 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 1.5 million people have died from the disease worldwide. Global cases exceed 68 million.
This story was originally published December 9, 2020 at 5:40 PM.
