Here are the latest COVID-19 case numbers confirmed Tuesday in Washington state
The Washington state Department of Health reported 2,201 new cases of COVID-19 and 174 deaths Tuesday. The death number includes about 200 cases that were previously unreported due to a processing issue, DOH said.
Pierce County reported 370 cases Tuesday and five new deaths. Pierce County has a total of 288 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 240,846 cases and 3,369 deaths. The case total includes 9,122 cases listed as probable. Those numbers are up from 238,645 cases and 3,195 deaths on Monday. DOH revises previous case and death counts daily.
Washington’s population is estimated at about 7.6 million, according to U.S. Census figures from July 2019.
Hospitalizations
One hundred thirty people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 were admitted to Washington state hospitals on Dec. 10, the most recent date with complete data.
Preliminary reports indicate average daily hospital admissions were 102 in late-December.
About 14.6% (1,280) of all staffed adult acute care hospital beds were occupied by COVID-19 patients Tuesday. In the state’s intensive care units, 21.7% (265) of staffed adult beds were occupied by suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients.
Testing
On Dec. 18, the most recent date with confirmed testing data, 23,129 specimens were collected statewide, with 8% testing positive.
The average positive test rate for the seven days prior was 8.7%. More than 3.7 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.
County numbers
King County continues to have the highest numbers in Washington, with 61,445 cases and 1,022 deaths. Pierce County is second in cases, with 25,205. Snohomish County has the second-highest deaths at 383.
All counties in Washington have cases. Only four counties have case counts of fewer than 100.
Case rates
For the past seven days, Washington had a case rate of 22.6 per 100,000 people.
The national rate for the same period is 54.2 per 100,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
California has the highest rate in the United States, at 95.3. Hawaii is the lowest, at 6.6.
Vaccine
As of last week, more than 30,000 high-risk health care workers have been vaccinated in Washington, according to DOH.
U.S. and world numbers
There have been more than 19.5 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 337,918 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 1.7 million people have died from the disease worldwide. Global cases exceed 81 million.
