Here are the latest COVID-19 case numbers confirmed Tuesday in Washington state
The Washington state Department of Health reported 1,730 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 35 deaths Tuesday.
Pierce County reported 225 cases Tuesday and two new deaths. Pierce County has a total of 261 deaths likely caused by COVID-19 as of Tuesday, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.
Statewide totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus are at 205,069 cases and 2,953 deaths, up from 203,339 cases and 2,918 deaths Monday. 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 83 people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 admitted to Washington state hospitals on Nov. 26, the most recent date with complete data. Preliminary reports indicate average daily admittances were 113 in early December.
Approximately 12.9% (1,181) of all staffed adult acute care hospital beds were occupied by COVID-19 patients on Tuesday. In the state’s intensive care units, 21.6% (260) of staffed adult beds were occupied by suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients.
On Dec. 4, the most recent date with testing data, 24,943 specimens were collected statewide, with 11.6% testing positive. The average positive test rate for the seven days prior was 12.7%. More than 3.3 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 54,795 cases and 928 deaths. Pierce County is second in cases, with 21,821. Snohomish County has the second highest number of deaths at 314.
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 36.8 per 100,000 people. The national rate for the same period is 65.3 per 100,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Oklahoma has the highest rate in the United States, at 125.5. Hawaii is the lowest, at 7.9.
There have been more than 16.6 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 302,689 deaths from the virus in the United States as of Tuesday afternoon, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has the highest number of reported cases and deaths of any nation.
More than 1.6 million people have died from the disease worldwide. Global cases exceed 73 million.
This story was originally published December 15, 2020 at 4:15 PM.
