Here are the latest COVID-19 case numbers confirmed Wednesday in Washington state
The Washington state Department of Health reported 1,681 new cases of COVID-19 and 89 deaths Wednesday.
As of Wednesday, DOH began adding people who have tested positive for COVID-19 using an antigen test to its daily case total. About 5% of case totals come from the antigen test, said state health officer Kathy Lofy.
Pierce County reported 165 cases Wednesday and two new deaths. Pierce County has a total of 263 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 214,265 cases and 3,042 deaths. The case total includes 7,671 cases listed as probable. 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.
One hundred twenty-one people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 were admitted to Washington state hospitals on Nov. 27, the most recent date with complete data. Preliminary reports indicate average daily admittances were 117 in early December.
Approximately 14.1% (1,233) of all staffed adult acute care hospital beds were occupied by COVID-19 patients on Wednesday. In the state’s intensive care units, 22.9% (279) of staffed adult beds were occupied by suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients.
On Dec. 5, the most recent date with confirmed molecular testing data, 16,023 specimens were collected statewide, with 10.6% testing positive. The average positive test rate for the seven days prior was 12.3%. More than 3.4 million tests have been conducted in Washington.
King County continues to have the highest numbers in Washington, with 55,673 cases and 936 deaths. Spokane County is second in cases, with 22,429. Snohomish County has the second-highest number of deaths at 330.
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 33.8 per 100,000 people. The national rate for the same period is 64.6 per 100,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Oklahoma has the highest rate in the United States, at 168.1. Hawaii is the lowest, at 7.8.
There have been more than 16.9 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 307,076 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 1.6 million people have died from the disease worldwide. Global cases exceed 74 million.
As of Wednesday afternoon, 410 doses of coronavirus vaccine had been administered in Washington.
